Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #15 June 2015 | Page 21

Bruno pursed his lips. “I don’t like this. Hiba, let’s all
leave this place and go back home.”

hands and watch me at all times because the moment I
get a chance I’ll kill myself. I won’t live as a slave or a
prisoner.” She started to cry quietly, tears rolled down
her face as her body shook.

The orb spoke. “We have to warn you that going back
to Earth won’t protect the female human from the
Nordic aliens. Rafael informed us that he had contact
with her throughout her life in preparation for taking
her away in the future, and he won’t give up so easily.”

The judgment voices silenced.
“Female human named Hiba, you are free and bound
by no agreements with any aliens.”

Bruno grimaced, but remained silent.

Hiba jerked her head back as if she had awoken from a
nightmare. “Is this over now?”

“I’ll be back soon.” Hiba told him with a comforting
smile.

“Yes.” The female voice answered.

Two translucent spheres appeared. “Step into the
spheres to be transported.” The orbs said.
Mark stepped into the sphere and the station infirmary
vanished outside as the sphere’s round wall turned
opaque. As the milky white wall cleared, he saw what
appeared to be a featureless white room. The sphere
disappeared from around him, leaving him standing
before a screen. Hiba stood on a raised round platform, she seemed to be in a semiconscious state. On
the screen Mark saw different memories of Hiba’s life,
from what he understood the Nordic aliens had visited
and monitored her since early childhood.
“Rafael said you agreed long ago to live on his planet
when you became an adult.”
“I don’t remember this.” Hiba replied with a distant
gaze. “Perhaps I agreed while being emotionally manipulated in a not completely aware state?”
“According to their laws this agreement is even valid,
and you are bound by it.”
Hiba’s posture sagged and she answered with a toneless voice. “If it’s this way, then give me some more
years of freedom before they take me.”
A female voice said: “Will you go with the Rafael’s
group after this period?”
Hiba eyes were vacant: “They will have to bind my

Hiba glared at the empty space around her raised
round platform. “You aren’t supposed to tell the people from Earth what to do! We are free and we won’t
follow alien rules we didn’t agree to in the first place!”
“So you declare the humans from Earth immune to
alien laws unless you are living on an alien planet?”
“Yes. And now are you going to tell them to leave our
species alone?”
“Our answer is yes regarding your station because as
a leader you have taken responsibility for yourself
and the other humans living there. But when it comes
to planet Earth a lot of former agreements with your
governments remain in the way. The matter must be
discussed further.”
Mark could see that Hiba wasn’t completely happy
with the outcome of her judgment, but she remained
silent. The spheres returned to take them back to the
station.
As they came back Hiba noticed that Djamal and Bruno were both sleeping in different beds in the infirmary.
“What happened?” Mark asked the appearing light
orb.
“The Nordics wasted no time getting rid of the remaining members of this station after Hiba and you left.

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