Chapter 2: Flipping the Celestial Bird

"Ah, alien abduction. I would laugh but my head is killing me." She waited for the other to reply.

"It's not a joke," Nadia deadpanned. 

A small smile cracked on Ellis's lips and she nodded. "So, what happens next? Do I get anally probed and my chest cut open to see what is inside? Is a lobotomy due?" Well, this is what the people who were kidnapped by aliens said, right? Not that she believed in it. "Can I leave after that?"

Nadia's smile didn't falter as she shook her head. "Sorry. You can't leave." At that point, Ellis was sure that the smile was plastered on the woman's face. If she truly were an alien, it would be comparable to the white-faced monsters people often fantasized about.

"So, what do I do after the probing?" Ellis asked blandly. This joke was getting sour quickly.

"We've retrieved you because you are a perfect genetic match for the Emperor of EN-4396. Therefore, you are going to become the new Empress."

Sure, little old Ellis Steward, soon to be a lawyer for the oppressed people was going to be part of the royalty. If that was not the biggest celestial fuck you possible, she didn't know what was. 

"I'm offended. Did you think I would jump at joy?" she scoffed. "You can't hold me against my will. That's kidnapping. I can sue you." She patted her sides for her cell phone but soon realized that she didn't have pockets. In reality, she wasn't even wearing the same clothes from the beach. Instead, she had been adorned in a silver shimmery tunic similar to the one Nadia was wearing.

"Ellis, Earth laws don't apply when you are out of the planet."

"I'm sure kidnapping people in space is also illegal," Ellis played along. 

"No, I would say you are down on luck. You're not in the same galaxy, forget about the same solar system. This area doesn't fall under the jurisdiction of your human rules."

"And what the hell are these clothes?" she hissed. 

Nadia gave her a bland look. "The material of your clothes is incompatible with the conditions inside the aircraft. We had to put you out of it so that you weren't miserable when you woke up. We'll keep you in those close as long as you are residing in our galactic station. Thereafter, you'll be wearing clothes that suit the culture of your new Emperor."

"What a crockpot of utter bullshit." She shook her head in disbelieve. "Let's think about this for a moment. Humans haven't been able to go far into space with passengers, but an advanced race that has the technology to do so is still stuck at a monarchy? Don't make me laugh."

Nadia remained silent. 

"Give me my clothes back. I don't want to be part of this stupid prank you are pulling. I am leaving. Now!" she shouted the last word. 

Nadia walked across the room and pulled out a little tablet and pressed on it. A massive image appeared in the room, nearly missing Ellis's body. It was the image of a galaxy that spun slowly. 

She reached forward, needing to feel the texture of the floating image. To her surprise, her hand went through. The opaque image swallowed her hand. She pulled it back instinctively and rubber her eyes. 

This was out of a fantasy movie... or something Tony Stark would have. But this type of technology shouldn't exist. 

"This is your galaxy, the milky way," Nadia started to explain calmly. "This is your universe." The picture zoomed out and Ellis saw a tightly packed space with numerous galaxies. 

"Similarly, in a separate universe, we will be going to this galaxy. Within it, your jurisdiction will be in this solar system." God knew how many trillions of lightyears away it was from Earth. 

"That's not possible. Even if we traveled at the speed of light, it would take trillions of years and then some magic to reach another universe altogether." 

'Explain that!' she thought smugly. 

"Well, at light speed, bodies become infinitely large. To move between distances, the aircraft can fold space and time to reach the destination," Nadia concluded. A representation of what she had just said appeared on the screen. 

"Yes, you could have tried a little harder to make it believable, you know?" Ellis rolled her eyes. Her headache was getting worse and she was having a hard time keeping her eyes open. 

"Ugh, I hate the ones who think they are smart. I rather prefer the ones that bawl." The smile finally fell from Nadia's face.

"You could at least have appeared as an alien if you wanted me to buy your story. Don't test my intelligence, please." Ellis challenged. 

"I am your holder. My job is to help you transition and give you enough information to survive on the planet you are headed. The government officials think that it is better if someone from the same species greets the newbies."

Nadia looked irritated. 

"Well, show me a real alien, then. I don't care for humans, I've seen them for twenty-four years of my life. And in abundance. You know how overpopulated Earth is." She gave Nadia a saccharine smile. 

"Well, if you really want to." Nadia shrugged. She pressed a button on the pad and a moment later, someone entered the room. Ellis looked closely and frowned. 

"Damn, that's a really well-made costume," she admitted. She dropped down from the bed and walked towards the... thing. She took a turn and frowned. The SFX crews could do some costumes but this... it didn't look fake. 

Ellis down at the thing and tilted her head towards the side. 

The body was completely hairless, the skin as smooth as a boiled egg. The shade of its skin was a strange orange. That could all be possible, but the four muscular arms that looked misplaced on the thin body. That stood out. 

Three googly eyes, thin slits for nostrils, and a lipless opening that was supposed to be a mouth. 

"This is Nin," Nadia declared. "She's been specifically chosen to protect you."

"My bodyguard?" Ellis asked softly. 

The whole situation hadn't set in yet. And it took time. A lot of time. 

"She identifies as female?" she asked, just for reference. Making do with human knowledge than trying to process everything.

"Yes," Nadia said, closely scrutinizing Ellis's expression.

"Nice to meet you." She stuck out her hand and shook the creature's hand. The feeling of their skin touching sent the information home. 

Nin didn't speak. Ellis couldn't figure out any reaction so she stared absentmindedly. 

On Nadia's command, Nin left. 

"Now do you believe me?" she asked, turning to her with sarcasm lacing her words. 

She was finally starting to, unfortunately. Ellis produced a garbled reply, her body shaking violently and her head swimming. She was going to faint. She was going to faint any second.

And she did.