“In a word, no. The sensors are simple things that communicate with open high-frequency. Now I can talk to them, and I can just about convince a simple and non-vital door lock to open. That cabin was never intended to lock someone up in, but just to let the occupant maintain some degree of privacy from people outside it. Any piece of equipment more advanced than that will be suspicious of me, probably hostile.”
“Great,” I mutter, stopping at a door that looks important. It’s framed in red with yellow markings, and it reminds me of weapons stores back on Earth. “If we find an elevator, can you operate it?”
“Probably no better than you could by simply pressing the buttons.”
I put a palm on the door and push, then try to slide it open. It stays closed. “I mean, if thereareno buttons.”
“Then, no. This door you’re trying to open looks like it may lead to an armory, not an elevator.”
“A weapon would be just what we need. Can you open it?”
“I can try… no. Sorry. It’s not even acknowledging that I exist.”
I slide my hands along the door, hoping to find a secret button to open it. “Sounds like every crush I ever had.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Umbra.”
“Sure would have been nice to have a gun.” I kick the uncooperative door and keep walking along the corridor. I’m sure Mareliux dragged me into some kind of elevator that brought us to that cabin in a couple of seconds, but I can’t seem to find the door. And now I’m far away from it. The hangars must be either below or above me.
The corridor is quite alien and has a military feel to it. There’s bare metal everywhere, there are exposed pipes and conduits, there are markings in bright colors, and the smell is oily, while also being so exotic I’m never in any doubt about being on a ship made by a different species.
Trying every door, I’m finally able to open one that slides up. Beyond is exactly the kind of elevator I remember Mareliux dragging me into.
I step inside. There aren’t buttons or any other way to control it. The walls are bare metal.
I think back. “I think it’s voice controlled. Can you say ‘hangar’ in their language?”
“I can try.”Vera says an alien word, and the door slides down and closes.
“Good job,” I praise her. “Told you you’re smarter than that sword.”
“I heard Mareliux say that word in a context that fit,” Vera chirps. “I was pretty sure it would be right.”
The elevator doesn’t seem to do much, but after three seconds the door slides up. Outside the light is different than where we came from, brighter and more bluish.
I step out of the elevator, and to my joy I find that I am inside a hangar.
This one is bigger than the other one. Much bigger. And it’s not empty.
There are spaceships lined up on the floor. All black, with spikes and spears and spines jutting out all over them, especially forwards. They look like huge, deadly insects, and I don’t need to be a Space Force officer to see that they’re obviously made for war.
“Ambassador!” a voice booms through the hall, making me jump and spin around.
I recognize the word.
Mareliux comes towards me with an easy, prowling gait that reminds me of a tiger in the jungle. His crown of tendrils is a cool green, but I don’t know what that means.
I also don’t know what to do. I could run for it, sprint to one of these ships and try to gain access. But that feels like a total waste of energy. There’s no way I can get any of these alien craft to fly.
The blue alien comes closer, towering over me. “You are admiring my ships?”
Bellatriz translates.
“I wouldn’t say I’m admiring them,” I tell him. “I was just thinking, those are some ugly things.”
He chuckles. “War machines are rarely pretty, Umbra Hadley. Some would say your own shuttle is a case in point.”
“It wasn’t pretty,” I admit. “But nobody had ever been abducted or kept prisoner in it.”
