Chapter II of Lands Beyond

     The first time that I spent longer than two days in space was a rather strange experience. I had not really thought about what it would be like. For someone who was accustomed to going wherever she wanted, with unlimited space, the confines of my spaceship seemed to be constricting and oppressing.

I did my best to not allow it to bother me. That is part of the reason why I brought along my crafts. I knew that it was possible for me to become bored or frustrated, so I tried to make sure that there would plenty of things to help keep myself occupied. It did not always work.

     My notebooks and computers allowed me to record everything that I observed, and my sketchbooks allowed me to draw out the patterns and colors that I observed as well. I submitted a few of these combined into an essay to a scientific research institute. They were skeptical at first, but after comparing my notes with a few of their own, they decided that I knew what I was about.

     I have some small skill with a paintbrush, and I painted a few colorful portraits of the stars and planets and sold them to a couple small art galleries. I also sold some of the crafts that I had made while ship bound. The few profits that I made off of these sales went into restocking the larder and buying more yarn and paper.

     When I got a little extra money, I either used it to make repairs or upgrades on my shuttle, or I sent it home to my father, where I was reasonably certain that it was laid aside and never touched.

That is how life went for me in the years before I and my shuttle were transported elsewhere. For such is what happened the day that this story began. I will now tell you of what happened after I regained consciousness in that strange place.

     I spent two days trying to figure out what had happened. Everything seemed to be in working order, although I dared not stray from the area until I had detected patterns or formations that would enable me to return to my exact location. I was rather frightened, but kept myself under control and managed not to panic, although that would have been easy to do.

     I have no idea how long I would have stayed there if not for the arrival of the strangest sight I had ever seen. It was a spaceship. It was about half the size of a small Star Destroyer. (If you have seen Star Wars, you know what I mean.)

     It was longer than it was wide, and looked like it had two decks besides the bridge. It had designs painted on it, but none of them looked familiar. I grabbed a sheet of paper and began to draw, fascinated with its design. I wondered briefly what it looked like on the inside, and then dismissed the idea, thinking no more of it.

     The strange ship halted some distance away and stayed there, seeming to take no notice of me. This did not bother me, as it gave me more time to study it. The ship stayed in this position for several hours. I was just beginning to wonder what it was doing, when I felt my shuttle begin to move. I quickly engaged the engine and tried to stop the forward motion, but to no avail. I soon realized that I was being pulled in by the strangers!

     This time, I let myself panic a little.

     I soon calmed down and began to think. While I was ignorant of whatever fate awaited me aboard ship, I knew that curiosity might overcome any hostility there might be. With that in mind, I prepared to meet my captors, for I was sure that I would not be a guest.

     As of yet, I did not know that I was in a different galaxy, or universe, or whatever you want to call it. I still do not know the distance traveled, or the direction taken. Taking this into consideration, you may be sure that I had no idea what I might find aboard the strange vessel. For all I knew, it could be some top secret experiment that I had accidentally stumbled upon.

     I was soon to discover the folly of this conclusion.

     Once in the landing bay, I seemed to have regained some control of the shuttle. However, it was only enough to make a smooth landing, facing outwards. If I had to make a getaway, I wanted to waste no time in turning around. I did not open the ramp until someone banged on it, loudly and impatiently. I hesitated for a moment, and then, at an even louder and more insistent bang, I pushed the button to lower the ramp.

     As soon as the ramp was low enough to permit it, a huge man pushed his way in and stopped by my side. He was so tall that he had to duck. He wore a uniform that had a symbol of rank on the epaulets, but that was as much as I could make out. It was a dark maroon color, with gold piping and stitching.

     When I looked up into his face, I noticed that his hair was deep black, and that his eyes were a light brown, almost gold. His face was lean and tanned, rugged in a way, but not weathered. He was actually rather handsome. And very, very, angry.

     In fact, he was seething. He leaned in close and practically growled at me. When I only stared at him, he spoke again, this time reaching out to shake me. I stepped back quickly. “Don’t you dare touch me, bucko.”

     He paused at that. I think it had more to do with the tone than the words, because it was pretty obvious that we couldn’t understand each other. He seemed to realize the meaning of my words however, for he did not touch me. Instead, he motioned for me to precede him down the ramp, following closely.

     He and four other men, just as big, handsome, and scary, escorted me through several corridors until we reached an inset door marked with a symbol I assumed was a letter. He opened it and motioned me inside. I entered, surprised to find that the room was rather large and comfortable. The man looked at me, opened his mouth as if to say something, and then just shook his head and left.

     Despite the circumstances, I found myself smiling at his retreating back. This was already quite an adventure, and promised to be an exciting one.