Prologue
Murmuring, groaning, a damn fool shouting and hollering like a banshee.
No don't get up the longer you sleep, the longer you can dream. They can't touch your dreams.
Noises insistent, encouragingly natural. No whine of machinery, no hum of engines. Is that actually flowing water?
Don't trust it, the dreams are your friends. But what if, what if my dreams are coming true? Have to get up anyway, before they get angry.
Open the eyes, typical bright light. Wait though; the light is only from one direction. Is that the sun? Body so stiff, eyes are gritty, throat dry. Hands move over the body, everything still there. Short straight hair, perhaps a little longer than normal. The scar around the throat, long since healed. A small Faye-like body, all too skinny for a human, but still intact. No marker board, or pencil.
Okay then. If you insist on waking up, fine, then remember what went on. Attending the disciplinary meeting, sitting minding your own business, no point in being beaten again. Those three fools shouting about the world untouched by Katani brutality. Pitiful. The gas; the showers; then the ship. They dropped you, you, the loyal mute girl. They dropped their little monkey. Wait a minute… You are… Free.
Realization burned through Morrigan. An unknown reserve burst through her and she staggered to her feet. There were bodies strewn out all along the (blue?) field, and more people were streaming into the area, bending over the inert bodies. Morrigan had only a moment more to notice the greenish-yellow trees and lavender sky before the adrenaline of realization burned away and she collapsed onto the velvety grass.
A male voice above her roused her to consciousness once more. "You okay, suga'? That was a nasty fall a second ago. Here drink some water… I'm Jay Green, what's your name?" Morrigan merely shook her head at the young man, looking into the drink sadly before drinking.
"It's alright, you don't have to tell me until you are ready…" Morrigan shook her head again, pointing to her throat with her free hand. She put the cup down, and tried to sign the story to Jay.
"I'm sorry, I don't understand any of that sign language, hun." Morrigan imitated using a pencil and paper. "I think the sergeant has some of the new bark paper just a minute. Oh, here take this while you wait." He handed Morrigan a half loaf of bread. The girl ate it slowly, finding it hard to really believe this was happening.
Jay returned shortly with a slightly older man, frowning. "I'm Chuck Mitford, I got stuck in charge of this outfit. Jay here says you can't talk, is that right?" His voice was sharp and to the point. Morrigan nodded solemnly. She suddenly looked inquisitively at Mitford and tapped her upper arm and held up a fist. "Yeah, I used to be a sergeant in the Marines before I was, uh, shanghaied, so to speak."
"Sarge, I didn't know you knew sign language," Jay said, impressed.
"You pick up a little bit of everything in the service. I don't know much, but I know enough to get by. Now," he said turning back to Morrigan, "what is your name? While you're at it, how old are you? You're awfully small. Hell, just give me a run down… I'd give you some bark, but since it is still newly acquired, we'll only use that when I really get bogged down."
Morrigan held up her hand in a halting gesture. She drew her hands from her nose towards her ears, as if pulling at whiskers, and looked questioningly at the Sergeant. He chuckled. "No, there aren't any Kattani here. Well, there is one named Zynel, but he is a pretty good guy." Morrigan looked incredulous, making a V of her fingers, curling them and pulling them back from her eyes in a sign of disbelief. "Hey now, I'll vouch for him. Let's get you up and movin' to the camp, it is still quite a walk. We can work this out on the way."