Chapter One

Many years ago, the Republic had made sure to revoke slavery on every planet within their reach and influence. Notice how it was many years ago and any planet within the Republic.

Even if the law was restored to permitting slavery, it wouldn't have mattered on the planet of Geneva. They were an independent planet with their own morals. Unfortunately, that included slavery and child labor being permitted.

Plumeria Nabet was a young woman who worked as a field slave. She worked in extremely hot conditions and was fed very little if lucky. If she harvested a crop wrong or miscalculated a crop when counting, she'd be whipped for her stupidity and dishonesty. There were no bedrooms for her to sleep in, so she'd find a spot on the ground within the barn and sleep there. When she did put effort into her work and caused her owner to get a lot of money, she was left with how much she came in. She had and has no money.

Plumeria hated her life. She hated it when her master groped her and the wife humiliated her. If it wasn't for her beautiful newborn daughter, she would have killed herself a long time ago.

In Geneva, the rules of human science are different. The elders, also known as the Gods of Geneva, planned when a baby should be born. A baby, on the planet of Geneva, was born every Harvest Moon. Naturally, the baby would be born without help. The women carry the child and give birth, but the males have nothing to do with the making of the baby. However, Geneva has been in turmoil and a baby hasn't been born in several years due to slow progression. The people gave up hope of a next generation.

Plumeria was surprised when she found she was chosen to bear a baby as the start of the next generation. All her priorities went straight to the baby. Everyone who knew about this unexpected pregnancy suspected the child to be either be a bad omen or a prophet of some sort. One thing was for sure though, they wouldn't treat this baby any more different from the other lowly slaves.

When the baby was born, Plumeria saw hope through her daughter. She sensed a new way of living and long time happiness. She, in a way, had an epiphany of some sort. With this new found hope, she named her daughter Elpída. Elpída meant "hope" in a long forgotten language in the galaxy.

Plumeria did the best that she could for her daughter. She couldn't avoid the fate of her daughter being a slave, but she could do her best to keep her fed and give a little education into her. She taught her morals and values to not be misled in the future.

Elpída wasn't liked by the other slaves. They could've been jealous or afraid of her. This was the result of being the first born child since several years. Elpída, who was a strong little girl, learned to ignore it and move on with her life. She didn't think she was anything different, just a normal girl trying to help out her mother in any way she can. Elpída loved her mother for giving her best out to her. She was the only person she trusted on the planet of Geneva. If Plumeria said everything was going to be all right, Elpída believed her.

Elpída, being too young to work on the fields, was tasked with helping out the animals. Every now and then, she would work on droids or simple pods. The master taught her how to use mechanics, thinking a slave with mechanical engineering skills would be good for profit.

Elpída self taught herself to read maps and write out letters when she had the time in secret. It was forbidden for slaves to have the eligibility to be literate in any means possible. Elpída didn't mention anything to her mother in order to keep her out of trouble.

One day, the other slaves decided to pull something on Elpída, the only child of the next generation. They weren't that skilled themselves, but they did know how to tell if something was in place. They went over to the pod Elpída would be fixing later on when she woke up. The pod looked unnaturally slicker and bigger than any other pods in Geneva. They tweaked some wires and messed with the engine. Next, they spilled some kind of liquid over the pod to attract the animals she would be tending that same day around the same time she'd be fixing the pod.

That morning when Elpída woke up, the first thing she did was go to the stables. She was on her guard, though. She could sense that something bad was going to happen. Her instincts, never wrong before, always made her cautious of her surroundings.

Hoping that she was just getting ahead of herself, she led the baby Varactyl out. In Geneva, the farmers tend to have all the animals found in the galaxy. Varactyls were usually huge but very obedient, making them good domestic animals to have on the farms. Feathers and scales, when shed, would be sold for a high profit.

Elpída grabbed a bucket and filled it with water from the well. She placed it down and wiped sweat from her forehead. It was unusually hot out. She turned her head, ready to whistle to have the Varactyl come. It twitched it's head, but the Varactyl surprisingly didn't come. Elpída suddenly got the feeling that something bad was going to happen really soon, just like when she woke up.

Up ahead, she noticed the pod her master demanded her to work on that day. It glistened strangely, and Elpída finally came to realization. She quickly rushed over, but it was too late. The Varactyl was charging towards the pod. Elpída made sure to catch up and grasp onto the animal when the Varactyl went crazy. She was flung, like she hoped, into the pod. Elpída decided to turn on the pod and drive it away from the worked up Varactyl. She knew someone had sabotaged it, but she had no choice. The master would wake up and beat her either way.

As soon as Elpída turned it on, the pod zoomed away fast, out of control. She turned around and carefully climbed on the engine. She lifted the hood and noticed that some wires were cut. The pod started to shake harshly. Elpída lost her balance, but she kept her grip on the pod. Her legs dangled and barely touched the ground as it went on.

She climbed back on top and fused the cut wires together. The pod sparked, causing Elpída to flinch. She climbed back into the seat and pushed the brakes. It came to a harsh stop. Her breaths were heavy and panicked. All she could think about was how badly the master would punish her. It'd be twice as usual, considering the crazy animal and broken pod ship. She slumped in the seat, dreading going back.