Shya may only be in control of the other humans there. But she wants more than that. |
You Were Only a Human Shya bobbed her head to the left to avoid one fist to her face. Instead, she got another one to her head from behind her. Her head only bounced slightly forward before she stiffened her arms away from her and grabbed both Kackim and Viloni by their shirts and pull them to within an inch of her. “What are you two fighting about now?” Shya asked. Kackim and Viloni looked around Shya still in anger. But it was Kackim who spoke first. “It’s for the same reason it usually is. I do all the collecting. And Viloni takes it away from me because she doesn’t want to do it herself.” “Why are any of us collecting the Colvian?” Viloni asked in reply. “It’s because the Octons are forcing us to do it.” “They aren’t making us do anything,” says Shya. “It’s just easier for us to collect it because we are humans.” Shya released Kackim and Viloni from her hands. “Now get back to collecting. We are still behind on the amount that we need for today.” # “You saw that fight,” said Shya. “Didn’t you? Kackim and Viloni are always fighting against each other. They have been for longer than I can remember.” “They aren’t the only ones, though. Almost all of us humans feel the same way that they do,” continued Shya. “Why should we be collecting your Colvian instead of you?” Shya relaxed a little bit. But she was still standing up straight with her hands in fists beside her in front of the three Octons behind a half-circle table. She looked at each one of them separately. Bounc was in the middle. And slightly behind him were Dancun to his right and Isani to his left. Bounc glance at Dancun and Isani when Shya did it. “What do you want us to do about them? The humans are your responsibility. You are the one who must decide what to do about that fight. Not us.” “I have already decided what to do with them,” said Shya. “That’s not why I’m here. I’m here to show you one of the reasons why we aren’t going to get the amount of Colvian that you want us to get today.” # The faceless head with long hair of Bounc turned toward Dancun and Isani. Dancun and Isani’s heads only slightly moved forward until they were touching Bounc at the line where their hair began. Shya's upper body leans forward a little to hear what they were talking about. But she can’t hear them. All she can hear is their mumbling. After a few minutes, Shya suddenly straightened herself to a standing position as the Octon’s heads returned to face her. “We have talked about what you have said,” said Bounc. “And we can’t accept your reasoning.” “We don’t care how you do it,” continued Dancun. “But you must give us the amount of Colvian that you promised for each day that we have let you live on Octon.” Shya sighed. “We can’t do that anymore. It’s true, we can’t die because of collecting Colvian. But we do get tired and weak while doing it.” “Do you still want to be more like us?” Isani asked. “If so, then you need to find a way to do what you promised us that you would do.” # “What do I have to do to get ahead in life on this planet?” Shya asked herself as she paced around her small one-room living place. Shya suddenly stopped her pacing. And went over to the open Food Preparation area in that room. Then she started fixing herself something to eat. “I don’t want to become an Octon. But I do want to be treated like one.” After she finished preparing her food, Shya placed it on a small table next to her sleeper. Then she uses her Sleeper as a Seater to start eating that food. “How am I supposed to prove that I can be as good as them if they don’t give me a chance to do it?” “There is only one way that I can think of to do it,” said Shya as she got up. Knocking what little was left of her food onto the floor. “And that is to go back there and demand they give her that chance.” # The next day instead of going to one of the Colvian Collections Shya went back to Colvian Command. And she’s about to place her hand in the three large fingered indented hand on the entrance to acknowledge her being there when she hears Bounc, Dancun, and Isani talking. “What are we going to do about our Colvian problem?” Bounc asked. Shya put her ear to the entrance to hear what they are talking about clearer. “What else can we do? We know that the humans are doing it,” answered Dancun. “But we haven’t been able to stop them so far.” “I have an idea,” said Isani. “We can send Shya with the next transport of Colvian.” “We can’t do that,” said Bounc. “We don’t know if the humans are involved or not.” Shya pushed her ear almost flat against that entrance. “Why not?” Dancun asked. “She has been pushing us to give her a chance to be more like us.” “It’s too dangerous,” answered Bounc. “If we are wrong about the humans doing it, then she may be killed.” “That’s the best part,” said Isani. “If the humans are involved, they won’t hurt her. And if they aren’t, then she will probably be killed too. Either way, she won’t be asking us for any more chances.” # Shya was about to leave there when she stopped and put her hands against her ears. She turned back toward that hand announcement entrance. But she didn’t announce herself for several minutes. When she did, there wasn’t any reply. The entrance just slid open for her to enter. “That sure didn’t take you too long to get here,” said Bounc. “You must have already been on your way here. Is there another problem with Colvian Collection so soon?” “There’s nothing wrong that I know of,” answered Shya. “I was just on my way there when you contacted me.” Shya stood straight with her hands clasped behind her back. “May I ask why you contacted me?” “We have been talking about it,” said Bounc. “And we have decided to give you a chance to become more like us. If you are still interested in doing it after we tell you what that chance is.” “Of course, I will. I will take any chance that you want to give me,” said Shya. Bounc glanced at Dancun and Isani. Then he looked back at Shya. “It may be very dangerous. Do you still want to take this chance?” # A few hours later and Shya was on her way to Colvian Collection. “So, they think that we are doing it.” “We aren’t,” continued Shya. “I’m sure that it’s some of the Octons who have been taking the Colvian. If that’s true, then all I need to do is prove it.” “I just don’t know how I can do that yet,” said Shya. “But I do know one thing. I’m not going to get any of the other humans here killed by taking this chance.” Shya sighed. “I know that the Octons said I could use any other humans that I want for this chance. But the only reason they said it was to get rid of as many of us as they can if this doesn’t go as planned. I’m not going to let that happen, though. Because I’m doing this alone.” Suddenly Shya smiles. “I know how I’m going to prove that the Octons are taking the Colvian. All I need to do is finish this chance alive. And I’m going to do it. No matter what I must do to do it.” # “I’m not going to be here for the next few days,” said Shya to a large group of about a thousand other humans in front of a large opening into a huge mountain behind that. “The Octons have finally given me the chance to prove that I am just as good as any of them.” “It’s a very dangerous chance,” continued Shya. “That’s why I’m doing it alone.” Shya slower looked at the other humans there. “That’s not the only reason why I’m doing it by myself. The Octons think that we are the ones taking this Colvian. But I’m sure it’s the Octons doing it.” A male stepped in front of the close-together humans there. “I want to go too.” “So, do I.” a female pushed her way through the others to stand beside the male. Suddenly, more than half the other humans there stepped forward saying similar comments. Shya puts up the palm of her hands to stop them. “Thank you for you wanting to help me. But I need to do this alone.” “There is a very good chance that I won’t see any of you ever again,” continued Shya. “And you need to stay here to fight for our freedom.” # Shya glanced at the large monitors on both sides of a huge one that showed nothing but Space on it. The two large ones are showing the Colvian scattered all around those very big-looking rooms. Then she looked at the control panel in front of her and the huge monitor. “The Colvian appears to be still okay.” “I’m almost to the second Octon planet,” continued Shya. “And I haven’t seen anyone who wants to take it from me, so far.” “I don’t think that I will see anyone,” said Shya. “If nothing happens to this Colvian, then the Octons can blame us on the rest of it that has been taken.” Suddenly, the darkness on the main monitor in front of Shya became a large spaceship similar to the one that she was on. Only that one was about four times bigger than hers. “Maybe I’m right about the Octons.” “I still don’t think any humans are doing it,” said Shya. “But it may be another race behind it besides humans and the Octons. After all, six other alien races can be taking it.” # After staring at that other spaceship for a long time, Shya finally spoke. She tapped a button on the arm of her Seater there. “Who are you? What do you want?” “If it’s the Colvian, you are too late. I have already taken it to Octon One to be materialized and used.” “That isn’t true.” Shya heard the voice of a male echo throughout the room. “We know that you have more of it to give to the other three Octon planets here.” Shya leaned forward in her Seater with her forearms crossed and her elbows on her knees. “How do you know what Colvian I still have?” The images of Kackim and Viloni suddenly appear on the huge monitor in front of Shya. “Because we helped you to put it in your spaceship,” answered Kackim. “I can’t believe it,” said Shya. “You are the ones who have been taking the Colvian.” “It’s not just us,” said Viloni. “Most of us humans don’t want to live on Octon anymore. And we almost have enough Colvian to leave there.” The images of Kackim and Viloni disappeared to show their spaceship again. “This is just our first spaceship,” said Viloni. We have forty-nine others almost completed because of the Colvian we have taken. If the Octons won’t let us leave their planet, we will force them to do it or die trying.” Word Count = 1,932 |