The blow to her abs had hurt and she coughed, trying to get her breath back as she lay herself up against the wall and looked around the room. The room was bare but for a small window higher up that let some light through and some metallic barrels stacked against the far side of the room. Something about them gave Kes the idea that they had water in them, though she couldn’t tell precisely why she was sure that they did.

Now that she was alone though, she sat about trying to free herself from the ropes. After a long time trying though, it became apparent to her that her captor had simply tied the knots too well. She managed to get over to the door and found it locked. Her hopes of escape defeated for now, she went back to the mat on the floor and curled up to sleep, trying to think of nothing at all, for no other reason than there was nothing she wanted to think about at the moment. Whatever pleasant memories were hers, or whatever hopes she still had, would only make her current situation seem all the more worse by comparison, and any unpleasant thoughts she had, of which there were plenty to chose from, would likewise be unhelpful. The only useful thing she could think to do now was to sleep and conserve her energy for later and hope her situation wouldn’t be quite so bleak upon waking.

When she did fall to sleep, her dreams were fitful and confused. She woke up feeling groggy and still tired.

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It was morning when she awoke, sunlight streaming brightly into the room from the small window near the ceiling. She sat back against the wall and tried to still her mind. No one came, and she was left by herself. When mid-day came, the woman came in to get some water and gave her a little, and some hard biscuits that Kes actually liked the taste of. She tried to engage the woman in conversation, but was studiously ignored. Kes got the feeling that she did feel sorry for her, somewhat, but not enough, obviously, for her to act or even talk with her. Perhaps, she considered, it was simply easier for her that way. She was getting the distinct impression that women, females, were not treated well in this society for some reason, or at least… definitely not seen as of equal status to the males. It made very little sense to her, but it was the obvious conclusion. From the look of them, the women were physically less imposing than the males. Among Ocampa, females were physically more powerful, so that was an odd reversal to witness for her. Still, among her people, females didn’t subjugate males simply because they were physically stronger. Why was this race so different? She supposed she’d probably never know the reasons.