Episode 1
Tattooine's twin suns burned down upon Visper's shoulders. It was a hot day, even for Jundland. She stooped over and dug a small hole a few feet deep. Sweat poured off her face and into the hole forming a small muddy puddle. Visper stood and pulled a data pad out of her satchel. She pressed a few of the areas on the screen and a small holographic map appeared in front of her.
"One down, 167 to go," she muttered to herself.
She stashed the data pad away and tucked the shovel under her arm. She felt the handle bump lightly against of several of her ribs. She was thin, even by a slave's standards. Not particularly pretty, though as a Twi'lek, she wasn't exactly homely either. Her pale purple skin had a red tinge and a wreath of blisters across her shoulders from the double sunlight. Around her long, thin neck was a silver slave collar.
She stretched her aching back, and sighed as a few satisfying crackles radiated up her spine. Her lekku twitched ever so slightly at the feeling. The callouses on her hands felt better for a moment as she let her arms dangle while she walked. She was thirsty and tired, but in good spirits, given the circumstances. She never minded being out in the desert. It gave her time to think, sing and all manner of other activities that were banned in the slave camp.
Visper moved along the path marked on the indicated by the map. She stopped every so often to dig the small hole required for the charge that would blast deep into the sand looking for buried moisture. Occasionally she would look back at the path of holes she had dug. They stretched away from her until the low lying mirage of the mid-day obscured their view. Despite the heat, she was thankful her masters set her on dig duty instead of selling her. Most young Twi'lek girls were bought by the cantinas, or worse, one of the Hutts. Slaves didn't last long when a Hutt was no longer entertained by them, and dying in the desert seemed preferable to having one of those disgusting slugs feed you to their pets for fun.
She became thirstier as the hours passed and hoped that one of the others would be by soon with her water ration. Even if they were, she knew it wouldn't be enough to quench her thirst, not that that the sand-tainted water ever did. It wasn't until dusk that she finally spotted Old Nala walking towards her with a water jug. The elderly Twi'Lek had been a slave her entire life. Her limbs were gnarled from decades of hard work. Her shoulders sagged from carrying water across the burning desert.
"Oh Visper dear, I'm so sorry it took me so long. Gerrid broke one of his fingers..." Nala said as she approached. Gerrid was one of the other slaves. He had a strong will and a rebellious streak, neither of which served him well as a slave. He was constantly attempting to subvert the guards in small ways.
"It's alright Nala, I understand" Visper croaked through her thirst. If she hadn't interrupted, Nala would have gone on for an hour about whatever had happened. Having nothing to drink but spit and sand for ten hours made Visper impatient. Nala's story would have to wait until Visper's thirst was quenched. Still, Visper wondered what Gerrid had done. Nala poured a small amount of water into Visper's hand and she drank deeply. Spitting out the grit, she smiled at Nala and took up the jug of water. Nala smiled at the gesture.
"Only until we get in sight of the camp, you know what they would do if they caught you sharing work." Nala said, ominously.
Almost as if on cue, they both felt the tingle of a minor charge in their collar letting them know that the day was over. They had to be back before both suns set or Rhaad would make examples out of them.
Rhaad was the guard-master at the slave camp. Rumor had it that he was a mandalorian, which was enough to strike fear into most. Even the other guards feared his ruthless efficiency. He was a large, cold looking man with close-cropped black hair and a jaw like stone. The shock collar was his instrument and he made terrible music with it. Fond of public disciplines, he would shock anyone who stepped even slightly out of line, cruelly taunting them in the process. "You will obey. You will work. You will be punished." he would say over the loudspeaker as each workday began.
Visper and Nala picked up their pace and made it back to the walled slave compound before dark. The end of the work day was always a difficult time for the slaves. If anyone was late returning to the camp they would all be punished. Rhaad would line all of the slaves up and shock them one by one, giving each slave time to anticipate the pain. Some slaves couldn't bear the anticipation and would even beg to be shocked first. Rhaad would often make them wait to be last. Visper could feel the tension subside when Rhaad closed the gate and went back to the guards' quarters, tucking the shock collar actuator into his belt pouch. Today, everyone had made it back inside.
The camp was a collection of tents and lean-tos. There were tattered rugs strewn about alongside the tents where slaves laid exhausted from the day. The camp's wall closed off the end of a small canyon, making for a perfect prison. Small cavities were carved into the surrounding red and brown canyon walls to serve as sleeping quarters for the slaves. The only real buildings in the camp were the barracks, where the guards lived, the administration building and the guard tower.
Visper and Nala made their way to the crowded mess tent. The stench of sweat and Tattooinian cuisine greeted them. They found a small rug near one of the tent flaps and sat after gathering their ration. A wamp rat paw each and a biscuit made of some kind of grit. Washing the last of her meal down with more of the gritty water, Visper stood and helped Nala out of the tent. They walked along the small dirt path leading around the walls of the canyon. It was quiet as normal. The slaves didn't have much reason to converse and gatherings of more than two or three were usually met with a beating. Nala's mottled, green skin stretched over the bones in her back as she stooped down to enter her cave.
She turned and smiled at Visper "Good night dear. I'll do my best to make it to you earlier tomorrow."
"Thank you, but make sure to take care of Gerrid first. The slavers will be extra hard on him." Visper said. Sickness and weakness were frowned upon by the slavers. Each slave had a specific sector they belonged to. Each of these had a quota to be met, be it holes dug, charges set or wamp rats slaughtered and cooked. If quotas weren't met, the responsible slaver's pay would be docked. Beatings were issued to the slaves who fell behind.
Visper walked back to her own hovel. She pulled back the tattered burlap curtain that served as her only form of privacy and walked inside. In one corner she had a small plasteel cylinder that held her clothes. Along the wall, taking up the majority of the tiny room was a cot with several large holes worn through it. She had a pillow and a few bantha furs for a blanket. The sun burns on her shoulders stung. She stretched her legs and arms in an attempt to keep them from being stiff in the morning. It never seemed to work but it felt good after a long day's work. She kicked off her dusty work boots and rubbed her aching feet.
The slaves were allowed only a couple hours to relax before they were forced to sleep. As the two suns fully dipped below the horizon, a gentle breeze began to blow through the camp. The wind felt like silk, soothing her aching body. She leaned against the cave wall and hummed quietly to herself. Absentmindedly twirling the end of her lekku she mused over the crude charcoal drawings she had made along the walls over the years. They were mostly depictions of plants and animals she had imagined. Some were based on descriptions that a few of the slaves had provided. A fearsome rancor towered over a shrub with berries in one scene. A group of fish with tentacles swam in a pond in another. She dreamed of faraway places where trees grew and birds sang instead of squawked. She had always wondered if the plants that grew on Felucia really glowed like some of the others said.
Her humming stopped when she heard the scream.
She cautiously opened the flap and looked into the camp. The fire kept by the guards blazed in the center of the common area. Coals were scattered as one of the guards flailed backward into the fire. Nearby she saw the source of the scream. A young girl, barely thirteen if she was a day, lay bare-chested on the ground. A dark bruise was already forming over her left eye. Gerrid stood above her, arms spread in protection. She would recognize him anywhere. His golden skin and red eyes seemed to radiate even in the darkness. His lekku, wrapped loosely around his neck, had large dark spots at the ends. He was tall, and had he not been deprived of food, would likely be strong and athletic.
"Get away from her!" Gerrid shouted, tears rolling down his face. That's when Visper realized the girl was Gerrid's sister, Shelod. She was small and pretty, with pink skin and the same dark spots that her brother had.
The guard yelped with pain as he rolled out of the fire. "Stupid slave!" he snarled as he reached for the shock actuator in his belt. Gerrid leaped at him and held his arm to the ground. Shelod scrambled away from the fight, running directly into the arms of Rhaad.
He grabbed her by the shock collar and lifter her off her feet.
"What's going on here?" He sneered.
"Rhaad! Get this little bastard off me!" the other guard shouted as Gerrid rained blows down on his head and chest. They were of little effect. Gerrid's broken finger kept him from applying any real force.
Rhaad looked into Shelod's eyes as he held up the shock actuator. She winced as Rhaad pressed the button on the side of the device. Gerrid let out a blood curdling howl as his body limply fell to the ground. His back arched and his limbs flailed as Rhaad pressed the button repeatedly.
The guard was on him. The butt of his blaster knocking teeth free from Gerrid's mouth. Rhaad carelessly tossed Shelod to the ground. She curled into a ball, coughing and gasping for air as though the wind had been knocked out of her. Rhaad walked over and kicked the guard in the ribs, sending him sprawling.
"He needs to be able to work tomorrow," Rhaad said, matter-of-factly. "And what have I told you about taking the girls? Do you have permission from the boss to have one?" he asked the guard. None of the slaves had ever seen the boss and didn't even know his name. They knew only that he owned them and that Rhaad was his right hand.
The guard meekly looked up from the ground, "Guh... no sir. Sorry sir, won't happen again," he coughed.
"It better not, or the Sarlaac will be vomiting up your bones in a thousand years." Rhaad threatened. "Now, take this wretch to the cages." he said pointing at Gerrid.
Wamp rats are the main source of food for the camp. The foul creatures were fed even more poorly than the slaves and were kept in filthy cages on near the back of the canyon. Several of the cages were empty and served as jail cells for misbehaving slaves. "What's the difference? They are both livestock" Rhaad would say. Being put in the cages meant, at best, smelling like a dead wamp rat for days. At worst it meant infection and certain death in the desert.
Visper could see that Shelod was hurt. Without thinking, Visper raced to her side. She had barely taken the girl into her arms before she felt the shock. She saw stars as the sky reeled overhead. Pain seared through her neck and down her spine. Her muscles felt like jelly and she couldn't speak. Shelod tried to crawl over and help her. The pain stopped for a moment as Visper saw a boot go into Shelod's ribcage. Visper felt herself being hauled to her feet by her shock collar, choking her. She was spun around harshly and found herself face to face with Rhaad. He slapped her hard.
"Back in your hole, worm. The little bitch will be fine." He spat as he shouldered past her, knocking her back to the ground. He stopped and picked up Shelod by the collar and roughly slung her over his shoulder and carried her back to the guard house.
By this time slaves were standing outside of their holes. No one came to Visper's aid. They knew the same fate would befall them should they move any closer. Several guards had filled the courtyard and began shocking and kicking the gathered slaves, issuing orders to go back inside their holes and go to sleep.
Visper struggled to her knees. She slowly crawled back inside her cave and collapsed on the floor. Tears welled in her eyes as the pain subsided. "Damn you, Rhaad." she sobbed quietly. She lay there thinking about the terror in Shelod's eyes, the anger on the faces of the other slaves. She thought of Gerrid, locked in a cage with wamp rats trying to bite him through the bars. She felt powerless. She looked at the paintings on the wall, blurred by her tears and imagined a paradise where they could all live without fear of being beaten and shocked. She rolled over onto her back exhausted, staring out of the open flap into the stars. Her eyes became heavy and she fell asleep on the dirt floor.
She dreamt of freedom.