DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, this story exists purely cause I want it to, Additionally, credit to cover image goes to Mythorie over on Deviant Art, your awesome mate

'I see fields of green, red roses too. I see them bloom, for me and you. And I think to myself. What a wonderful world. Yes, I think to myself. What a wonderful world.'

OH, hi there, your back... well... this is awkward... lets just get started shall we

HELLO ALL, welcome back. Today's chapter will be more focused on Piper, since she's been asking for some more of the limelight recently (careful what you wish for). We're starting to move things forward now, and are drawing ever closer to Bogaton and this story's inevitable conclusion. Some things to know

Drell are a species of sentient reptiles living on the Hanar homeworld of Kahje, some are chosen by the Hanar to become their agents, and are trained from a young age.

Now as far as I'm aware, lightning is not included in the repertoire of powers Biotics possess. In my opinion though, it really should be, so I'm including it as an ability, albeit one that requires a lot of skill, practice, and willpower to use effectively, and safely

Also please be aware I'm not a martial artist, I'm just researching stuff off the net and looking for anything that I feel fits inside my head with what I want this story to be

And finally, a warning, this chapter has some Dark, and I mean DARK things mentioned in it, that may not sit well with everyone. Also while it is not graphic in any way, there is also some implied nudity in this chapter. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

well I think that's everything, so...

WARNING: THIS STORY CONTAINS THEMES OF DISCRIMINATION, RACISM, AND SLAVERY, IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO VIEW THESE, PLEASE RETURN TO YOUR PREVIOUS PAGE

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Dear Readers all... welcome back to... Stellaris, Book 1: The Fledging

Blurb:

On the planet of Atmos, the Telani people prepare for their annual tradition known as the Fledging, a journey undertaken by Telani about to enter adulthood. On this journey we follow a group of young Telani – Piper, Aerrow, Finn and their older peer, Dove – excited to begin their Fledging. However, unbeknownst to them, they have an unexpected guest, a Human, called Lark Cyclonis, secretly visiting their planet, studying their people and culture

Together they depart on the Fledging, all the while unaware of the shadow that looms over Atmos, and is due to strike again. When it does, the youngsters are flung into a Galaxy of danger, meeting new people, both friends, and enemies, and reuniting with long lost loved ones. The young Telani of Atmos are about to find out, that their world is so much bigger than they could have possibly imagined

Chapter 7: Below the Boot Heel

The Jagged Claw, July 7th, 7:00am

Repton's cabin was as ostentatious as one might expect from a member of the Gorvan High Nobility. It was split into three rooms, of these the largest was the main area. It was here that Repton would meet privately with his staff, or answer long distance calls. To facilitate this, the area was fitted with a fully decked Holo-system that could project Holograms of callers anywhere in the room. For those that possessed a similar system, this meant they could move about the room with Repton, as if they were having a discussion face to face. This was the situation that Repton now found himself in upon waking, as his VI informed him of an incoming call from Bogaton, from the Emperor

"Good morning brother, my apologies for waking you so early."

Repton waved it off, "Not at all Telvos, I'd planned to be up and about this early anyway, lots to do."

"Yes, I imagine so," Telvos said, as Repton poured himself a glass of water. "But now, the reason for my call, there's been some strange chatter from your fleet, about a human on Atmos?"

Repton paused, contemplating what to say, "Rumors make for such entertaining gossip brother, you shouldn't put too much stock in them."

"So there wasn't a human on Atmos?"

Repton smirked as he sipped his water, "I did not say that, just pointing out that this is something we should keep to ourselves."

Telvos frowned, "Care to elaborate?"

Repton set down his goblet, "A young Lieutenant – with ideals far above her station – thought she'd try and challenge me, the situation has been dealt with, I assure you."

"You're sure of that?"

Repton was about to agree to that, when he paused again, remembering who exactly, had made the incursion. "Yes, but we ought to remain cautious, just in case, seeing how it was Anarchis' granddaughter who committed the act."

Telvos' eyes widened at the name, "Anarchis Cyclonis, her granddaughter, really!?"

Repton nodded, "It's nothing to be too concerned about, the brat is emotional and impulsive, if she doesn't get herself killed in some ill advised rescue mission, she'll very likely end up angering her superiors in some way, and get kicked out of the UNE Navy. Either way, she won't be a problem for long."

"Ill advised rescue mission?" Telvos repeated

Repton smirked, "She has no allies to draw on, no one to help her, and if she does come, I'll take great pleasure in breaking and chaining the granddaughter of the great Anarchis Cyclonis."

Telvos stared hard at Repton for several moments, before finally nodding, "See that you do, Telvos out."

With that his Hologram fizzled out, and Repton was left alone. He gritted his teeth, one day, he thought, one day I'll be rid of you, brother, and all of the Hegemony will bow at my feet... One Day

Freelance Vessel Normandy, 7:30am

Lark yawned as Junko led her out of the elevator and into the shuttle bay/armoury of the ship. There were various crew members moving around, running maintenance tasks and the like, but their focus was the area just beyond the armoury, between the shuttle to the right, and storage to the left, where Shepard, Jack, Garrus, Vega and a Drell were all waiting. As they approached, Garrus chuckled

"I did warn you to get some sleep; Shepard doesn't mess around when it comes to training."

Lark yawned again before replying, "Can't help it, sleep cycle is all messed up right now."

"Oh boo hoo princess, want me to sing you a lullaby," Jack sneered from her spot on one of the crates

"Jack," Shepard warned, to which Jack just scoffed and looked away. Shepard then turned to Lark, "Well hopefully this will get you back in rhythm, now, as I understand it you've met almost everyone here, except Thane," she turned to the Drell as she spoke

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lieutenant," Thane said, giving a small bow as he did

"Likewise," Lark replied

"Thane is a professional Assassin, trained by the Hanar," Shepard stated

Lark blinked, "Wait... the Hanar, as in, polite, always respectful, worships the Enkindlers, Hanar!?"

Everyone chuckled as Thane nodded, "The very same."

"You might want to pick your jaw up off the floor there princess," Jack sniggered

Lark shook her head to clear it, while Shepard smiled, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You know, I'm just going to stop thinking anything is impossible with you lot, maybe then you'll stop surprising me."

"Oh I doubt that Lola, the odd and unexpected is a daily thing on this ship," James chuckled

Lark rolled her eyes at that as Shepard spoke, "Moving on, as I understand it, you're a student at the Alpha Centauri Academy?"

"That's right," Lark replied

Shepard nodded, "Alright then, today will be an aptitude test of sorts then. We'll be seeing what kind of level you're skills are at, then we can work from there."

"We need everyone at their best when we reach the Hegemony, our strength is our teamwork, always has been," Garrus stated, with a small wink to Shepard at the end

"Fair enough," Lark nodded, "So what's first?"

Shepard smiled, "Garrus."

Garrus smiled in turn as he stepped forward and brought Lark over to a table with an array of weapons laid out across the surface. "Pick the two you're most comfortable with," he said. Lark looked over the weapons, before selecting a pistol and sniper. "Interesting choice, let's see what you can do with them," Garrus declared, before using a control panel to pull up some targets at the opposite end of the shuttle bay. Lark pulled out the pistol first, and began firing down range, getting almost perfect bull's-eyes with every shot, in just under a minute

"Not bad, wouldn't you agree Garrus?" Shepard asked

"Not too shabby at all, could use a little work though."

"I haven't had all that much chance to practice the last few months," Lark stated, as she pulled out the sniper. This one she had more difficulty with, as she'd only fired a gun larger than a pistol a few times, and only once had it been a sniper. The kickback took her off guard a bit, but she was still able to take down all targets within a few minutes

"Not bad, for a beginner at least, honestly I wasn't expecting you to be that proficient with a rifle, but you're certainly better than most cadets I've met," Garrus praised

"At the very least, she knows how to handle the weapon, that's more than most cadets can claim," Thane noted

"Fair point," Shepard agreed, before shutting off the targets, "Alright, next test, hand to hand combat, Thane."

Thane gave a small bow, before moving to the centre of the cleared area, Vega followed him. Lark handed the weapons to Garrus and followed them. "Mr Vega shall be you're sparring partner for today, but I shall be assessing your form," Thane declared, "Whenever you are both ready, you may begin."

Lark nodded as she and James took fighting stances in the centre of the shuttle bay, "Ready to dance Lola?"

Lark frowned at the name, but also smirked, "Always." With that she launched her attack, opening with a number of quick powerful jabs that James blocked. She followed this up with a few well timed kicks, before dodging James' counter. She stayed on the move, always keeping on her toes, using her smaller size and greater speed to her advantage, trying to get around behind James' guard. Ordinarily, James would have been moving with her, but he was well aware how outclassed he was in terms of speed, but in trade, he had size and strength on his side, so he stayed relatively still, moving only to follow where Lark went, trying to keep her in front of him, rather than let her get behind. They went at it for about ten minutes, with Lark getting in some good hits, though some of her more wild attacks caused her to take a couple as well. Finally, Thane declared he'd seen enough

They both parted, panting slightly, as Shepard handed them both a water bottle each, "Thanks Commander," James said, as he proceeded to drink half of it, and then poured the other half down the back of his neck. "Little Niña isn't half bad."

"She certainly has skill, but her form could use work," Thane said, stepping up. He then turned to Lark, "I noticed you favoured the 'Capoeira Regional' style, mixed with a slight bit of Karate."

Lark nodded, "When I began the hand to hand training at the Academy, my instructors told me it was a waste of time to go for the styles that focused on sheer power or endurance, I don't have the strength or stamina for it. They suggested I find a style more suited to a lighter more mobile frame, I spent three weeks researching various art forms, until coming across one that was quite prevalent across much of Centauri."

"Really?" Shepard asked, intrigued

Lark nodded, "A lot of the original waves of colonists to Alpha Centauri Prime were Latin American, and many of them brought their native arts with them, including their martial ones. The UNE Capoeira championships are now held on Alpha Centauri every year."

"Huh, learn something new every day," James noted

"Indeed, and this is also good for me, the martial skills the Hanar trained me in were focused towards power, grace and acrobatics, it's similar in many ways to Capoeira, though that could be said of most martial arts," Thane said. "In the next few days, I'd like us to refine you're basic form, you've got the basics and even the intermediates down, but we need to hone your skills if you're to advance."

Lark nodded, expecting this from a professional, which she knew, she was not. Then Shepard stepped in, "Agreed, but let's move on to the final test today."

"Which is?" Lark asked

"Over here princess," Jack called from where she was sitting, "You didn't forget about me did you?"

Lark felt her stomach flip, as Jack jumped down, her biotics already charging up around her. "Jack, remember what we talked about," Shepard warned

"Yea, yea Shepard, I remember, I'll play nice," Jack said, waving her off, "But that doesn't mean I won't be playing rough," she finished, with a bloodthirsty look on her face

Lark tossed away her now empty water bottle, and charged up her own biotics, as she faced her opponent. The two circled each other in the centre of the shuttle bay, as they did, it hadn't escaped Lark's notice that many of the people working down here, had moved as far away from where they were training as possible. She swallowed nervously, before steeling her resolve. Quick as a whip, she launched a wave of power at Jack, intending to send her flying. Jack countered with her barrier however, and responded in kind with ball of volatile energy, meant to take down Lark's barrier. Lark deflected the attack away, with a deft biotic block, but was then forced to dodge, as Jack came running in, biotics blazing, and delivering a biotic punch to where Lark had just been

"I can do this all day princess," Jack exclaimed, as she launched her own push at Lark

Lark caught it on her barrier, and began pushing back. At first, it seemed like she was getting nowhere, but then, to everyone's surprise, including her own, the collision area, began to move back towards Jack. Jack's eyes widened as she realised this, and put more power behind her push, Lark responded in kind, and the collision area, continued to move towards Jack. Over on the sidelines, Shepard watched the two biotics struggle against one another. Though Shepard herself was a powerful biotic, even she admitted Jack had more power, just less refinement and training. Lark was probably about at the same level of training as Jack was, if the Intel Liara had collected was accurate. And now, it was clear, she was probably on the same power level as well, maybe even greater

Eventually the collision area reached a halfway point between the two, and stayed there for about a minute, before Lark took a step forward, forcing the collision area towards Jack. Jack was now clearly panicking, as she was barely able to keep her current position and force up. To make matters worse, dark blue lighting had begun to spark around Lark, in about a two metre radius, except for the direction of the push, which was steadily growing longer. Shepard, Garrus, Thane and James, all backed off, upon seeing the lightning, and after observing for a few moments longer, Shepard decided she needed to end this

"Alright, that's enough," she called, but neither Jack nor Lark reacted to her words, now Shepard was panicking, "I said that's enough!"

They weren't listening; instead, Jack readjusted her footing, and began bracing herself against the far bulkhead. This finally caused Lark's advance to halt, but that didn't stop her from pouring more power into the push, now, rather than waves of energy, sparks of lightning, were crackling outwards from her, namely towards Jack, reaching out towards the collision point. If they even brushed Jack's biotics, Shepard knew the results could be catastrophic. Then, the inevitable happened, a single thread of lightning, leapt forward from Lark, towards the collision point. Jack saw it coming, and knew there was nothing she could do to stop it

Shepard noticed too, "THANE!" The Drell didn't need telling twice. Both he and Shepard, activated their biotics, and created a barrier around the collision point, Jack did the same. They only just made it, their barrier, absorbed the worst of the detonation, but it still created enough force to fling them all away from the collision point. Jack went bodily into the bulkhead, and slid down it to the bottom, Shepard, Garrus, James and Thane were all sent sprawling to the floor. Lark meanwhile, was flung towards the crates on the left side, her head, cracked against one, and she collapsed like a marionette with its strings cut. As darkness moved into her vision, she could vaguely hear Shepard shouting for a medical team

The Jagged Claw, July 7th, 8:00am

Piper jerked awake at the sound of her peer's cries of fear. She quickly made sure the Focus was hidden by her hair, before sitting up and looking around. The Gorvan's were moving through the room, pulling her fellow Telani from their cages, at their head was Repton, with Horek on his right, and Starling at his left.

"What's going on?" Piper hissed to Dove

"I don't know," Dove replied, before a stalker opened her cage and dragged her out

"Move," the Gorvan growled, as a second one opened Piper's cage. She didn't wait to be dragged, and quickly vacated the cage, before following Dove. The Gorvan blinked in confusion for a moment, before catching Repton's eye as he nodded. Nodding back, the stalker turned to Aerrow's cage

Repton watched Piper walk by as she fell into the line of Telani being led out of the room, it did not escape his notice that she was the only one to look him in the eye as the line passed. "Stop!" he barked, and the line came to a halt. No one spoke as he approached Piper, who still managed to hold his gaze. He examined her, trying to figure out what was different about her, it suddenly struck him, "Where's your headband Blue Bird?"

Piper felt panic spark in her gut, but managed to force it down, "I only wear my hair up when I'm flying, reduces wind resistance, I prefer to wear my hair like this."

Repton frowned, and peered closer, Piper prayed he couldn't see the Focus through her hair. Suddenly, he grabbed her chin, and turned her head right and left, looking for something, before finally, letting her go. "Perhaps it's just my imagination," he mused, before his eyes narrowed, "But regardless, slaves eyes should be on the ground, not equal with their master's, is that clear, Blue Bird?"

Piper quickly averted her gaze to the floor, even dipping her head slightly, in hindsight, this was probably better for her, as her hair now covered more of her face, further hiding the Focus from view. "That's better," Repton praised, "You're learning fast Blue Bird, the more obedience you show, the easier your life shall be." He then waved the line on, and they began moving again

They were led through the ship, down several corridors, until they came to a junction. Here they were split by gender, boys one way, and girls the other. Piper glanced in the direction the boys were being led, and saw Aerrow and Finn looking back, before a Gorvan pushed them forward, and they were lost from view. A minute or two later, and they arrived in an area that resembled a shower room. Low benches lined the wall, and sets of lockers stood off to one side. A Female Gorvan – at least Piper assumed it was female, its scales seemed sleeker and smoother than those she'd seen so far – stood in the middle of the room. She wore a blue lab coat, which suggested a medical profession; her eyes were also softer as she examined all of them, her expression, almost sad. As they were gathered in front of her, a number of similarly clad Gorvans entered, also female. Then the lead turned towards the armoured Gorvan who'd led their group

"That will be all major, thank you," she said

The major in question, shifted slightly, "I'd prefer we stay, this batch has some unruly members in it."

The female waved him off, "Oh pish, my assistants and I can handle ourselves." At his worried glance over them all however, she continued, "But if it makes you feel better, I suppose you can wait outside, fair enough?"

The major, glanced once more over the lot of them, before nodding, "Fair enough... alright men, outside, let the doc do her work in peace." At his words, the other male Gorvans began to file out of the room. Piper glanced around, checking all possible means of escape, before the major was suddenly in her face, "Behave yourself," he growled, then marched past Piper, and out the door

Piper noticed the lead female Gorvan, raise an eyebrow, at her, to which Piper simply bowed her head again. Show compliance, survive, and hang on until Lark arrives, we'll get our chance, we just have to hold on. Piper's thoughts were broken as the female Gorvan spoke

"Alright girls, go ahead and undress, showers are that way on your left, I'm sure you could all use a good clean after spending so long cooped up in those cages." She indicated the area behind her as she spoke, while her assistants brought several large containers forward that hovered a few inches off the ground. No one moved for a few moments, the silence stretching out uncomfortably, Piper glanced around at everyone, noting the scared, tearful faces. She also noticed, for the first time since their capture, how grubby they all were. Suddenly, the thought of a shower, even a cold one, sounded like heaven

Feeling ever so slightly self-conscious, Piper stripped down, it helped that the room was occupied by just females, which, Piper guessed, was the whole reason the doctor had asked the males to leave. She quickly dumped her clothes into the nearest container, while wrapping her wings around her frame, and marching off to the showers. As she passed the doctor, Piper noted a small twitch of a small at the corner of her mouth. The answer to why, came in the form of Dove, hurrying to catch up with her, as well as the sounds of the others following their lead. Once Piper and Dove arrived in the shower room, they quickly picked a cubicle and turned on the water

Bliss, that was the only way to describe having the feeling of running water pouring over them, Piper could practically feel the dirt and grime of the last couple weeks washing away. The other girls soon followed in behind them, taking their lead, they got the showers on and began to wash. Soon everyone had started to become comfortable, and a small amount of chatter started up. That ended, when they noticed the doctor standing at the entrance to the room

"Don't mind me girls, just be aware, the showers are rationed to provide only ten minutes of water a day. Also, soap and shampoo are located in those small cupboards there," she pointed towards the small box like sections, placed high in each cubicle. "Once your done, meet back in the main area, fresh clothes will be brought soon, but before that, I would like to run a quick health examination, as well as take blood samples." With that, the doctor left, once she was gone, the chatter started up again, only this time, it mainly consisted of what exactly everyone thought was happening

"Seems a bit off, compared to their earlier behaviour, wouldn't you say?" Dove commented

"I don't know, we shouldn't take anything these people do at face value, we are their prisoners after all," Piper replied

Dove nodded thoughtfully at that, "Fair enough," she said, reaching up and finding the soap and shampoo, "Spirits though does this feel good, I thought we'd be stuck in those cages forever."

"Yeah..." Piper agreed, trailing off as a memory came to mind. 'The dangers of disobedience and the benefits of compliance.'

Piper shuddered at the memory, a chill suddenly racing up her spine, is this how it starts, how they begin indoctrinating us. If so, then it's no different to how one trains a pet, rewards for good behaviour, and punishment for bad

With a start, Piper realised, that was exactly what they were to the Gorvans, pets, animals, to be broken, trained, and then sold to the highest bidder. Bile rose in her throat, and she was unable to stop herself from retching

"Piper!" Dove exclaimed quickly rushing to her side, the others looked on in concern. "Piper, Piper are you okay?"

Piper finally got control of herself, and gave a meek nod, "Yea Dove," she croaked, "I'm fine."

"Everything alright?" came the doc's voice from the entrance

"Yea," Piper called, before anyone else could speak, "Just felt a little nauseous is all, I'm good now."

The doctor gave her a quizzical look, before nodding, "Well alright then, finish up now, towels will be waiting for you when you get out." She then walked back out of sight

The moment she was gone, Dove whirled toward Piper, "Piper, are you really okay?"

Piper took a breath, "No Dove, and I don't think any of us are going to be okay... in fact, I'm pretty sure the next few months are going to be the toughest of our lives, come what may." Her words were met with much despondence from everyone, and Piper saw a few on the brink of tears, then she spoke again. "But if we can just stay strong, stay ourselves, hold on, I know we'll be okay," this time, her words were met with a small glimmer of hope

"How can you be so sure of that!?" Dove hissed

Piper now gave a small smile, before bringing her hand to her heart, "I have faith, in a certain lieutenant, of the UNE."

Meanwhile, aboard Freelance Vessel Normandy

Lark awoke to the sound of voices in a heated, if restrained argument

"Look I'm sorry alright; I didn't know what else to do." That was Jack

"Anything would have been better than pushing her further; you of all people should know Jack that biotics and tunnel vision don't mix well." And there was Shepard

There was no reply from Jack, however. "Will you two please quiet down; I don't want you disrupting my patient's recovery."

"A little late for that doc, she's woken up already," Jack commented

Lark soon found both Dr. Chakwas and Shepard taking up her field of vision, both with concerned looks on her faces. "Heh there Lark, you feeling alright?" Shepard asked

Lark moved to sit up, and felt pain flare instantly in the back of her head, she winced, but fought through it enough to sit up fully. "Feels like the back of my head got hit by a sledgehammer, but other than that, I think I'm okay," she replied

"There's a reason for the headache," Chakwas said, in a disapproving manner, while calling up a few holo-screens with a variety of data on them. "You're skull received a nasty crack against one of the crates down in the shuttle bay after you were blasted back, by the biotic detonation."

Lark frowned, "The last thing I remember is facing down Jack, the two of us pushing our biotics against one another."

Shepard and Chakwas glanced at one another, before turning back to Lark. "You don't remember using the biotic lightning to detonate the collision point?" Shepard asked

Lark's eyes widened, "Biotic lightning!?"

A chuckle came from the other side of the room. Lark glanced over to see Jack sitting on the edge of one of the beds, holding a heat pad over one shoulder. "Not even Shep and I can make biotic lightning, it's the one trick that's always eluded us. Also... for the record... sorry about what happened down there," Jack said, a sheepish look on her face as she glanced away

Lark noted Shepard give a small twitch of a smile out the corner of her eye. Then Lark looked down at her own hands, biotic lightning, I used biotic lightning, only one person in human history has ever done that before... grandmother. Lark looked back up at Shepard and Chakwas "Teach me."

Shepard's eyes widened, "Excuse me!?" Shepard exclaimed

"Train me in biotics, help me get stronger," Lark stated

"You're in no condition to be doing anything strenuous at this," Chakwas began, but was cut off as Lark climbed from the bed. "Young lady, get back on that bed this instant!"

Lark gave a slight wobble as she found her feet, but righted herself quickly, "I'm fine doc," she then turned to Shepard, "Now teach me."

Shepard now frowned, "First, are we forgetting, you agreed to follow my orders while you're here, second, you likely have a concussion from that hit you suffered, so until Dr. Chakwas clears you for active duty, your place is on that bed." Lark was about to argue, until Shepard spoke again, "Third, Biotics like that are dangerous, there's a reason your grandmother didn't utilise the skill until well into her 50's, it takes a supreme amount of control and willpower to ensure that the power does not run away from you, like it almost did down in the shuttle bay.

Now Lark frowned, "That's why I want you to teach me, according to the crew, you're the most talented biotic on this crate, if anyone can teach me how to control this power, it's you."

"The princess isn't wrong Shep," Shepard turned to glare at Jack for that comment, which immediately shut her up

Then she turned back to Lark, before heaving a sigh. "Alright, fine, on two conditions," she began. Lark nodded, tense, "First, you get back in bed, and you only leave it when Chakwas says you can." Lark looked about to protest that, but Shepard beat her to the punch, "Second, you will have meditation classes with Thane, and only when he assures me you are fully focused and ready for how gruelling this training will be, will I start training you."

Lark mulled that over for several moments, before finally taking a deep breath, "Deal."

The Jagged Claw, July 7th, 8:30am

After Piper and the others finished their showers, they were returned to the main room. Enclosed areas had been set up to allow for privacy, but that didn't make it any less degrading, particularly with Piper's new revelation. As she stepped into the enclosed area, she saw the Gorvan doctor from before waiting for her; it was only now, with the close proximity, that Piper noticed a slight bluish tint to her scales

She looked up and smiled as Piper entered, "Ah, Blue Bird, I was hoping I would get to see you."

"My name is Piper," Piper replied, her voice flat and emotionless

The doctor frowned, "No, it isn't, not anymore, and the sooner you accept that, the easier this is going to be."

"My indoctrination you mean," Piper quipped back, as she took her place in front of the doctor

"Yes," she replied, nodding sadly, "It's a barbaric practice if you ask me, but then, no one in the Hegemony has, and one does not refuse Lord Corvax and expect to get away with it."

Piper's eyes widened as comprehension dawned, "You're being forced to do this?"

The doctor chuckled, "Forced is a rather strong word... I was... encouraged to accept an employment offer. And quite frankly, this job does offer me some control over the treatment of slaves, even if Lord Corvax has the final say."

So that scaled bastard really does hold all the power right now

Piper's thoughts were broken as the doctor spoke again, "Alright, arms and wings up please, I want to check you haven't suffered any lingering injuries from the discipline Lord Corvax gave you."

Taking a breath, Piper did as she was told, raising first her wings, and then her arms away from her body, leaving her completely exposed. The doctor pulled up a small handheld device, which emitted a faint green light, before moving it in front of Piper, so that her chocolate skin was bathed in a green glow

"Nothing broken, that's good, no tissue damage either, good. How are you feeling right now, physically that is, still nauseous?"

"No, physically I'm fine... emotionally..." Piper trailed off, tears beginning to form in her eyes

The doctor gave an understanding nod, "It's hard, I know, and it's only going to get harder, but those who adapt best have the best chance of survival... who knows, you might even be able to make a life out of this."

Piper gave her an incredulous look, "Make a life out of this!?"

The doctor put away her device, and began preparing a syringe. "It's not so bad, for those who are compliant, and due to the rarity of your species, Telani slaves are not sterilised, which allows for breeding programs." The doctor turned to look back at her, "You could end up starting a family, especially with a master like Lord Corvax, he prizes his Hunter Hawks like no other, and he doesn't always find new blood to replace lost hawks, so he breeds the best of the ones he does have."

Piper started at that, and then a thought entered her mind, "Has he bred Starling yet?"

The doctor paused in what she was doing and looked at her quizzically, "Starling," she mulled the name over for a second, before recognition dawned. "Ah, you must mean Red Hawk, no not yet, though I wouldn't put it past him, she is his best and he's unlikely to find another as talented as her." Piper let out an internal sigh of relief she didn't know she'd been holding, the thought of finding out she was an Aunt had worried her for a second. She was distracted enough that she didn't notice the doctor's approach till she was standing right next to her, holding the syringe in one hand while the other brought out the vein on her arm

"What are you doing?" Piper asked, tensing

"It's alright, it's just an immuno-booster, the crew goes through a health screening to prevent the transmission of any diseases that occur naturally on Bogaton. But you won't have that kind of protection on the planet itself, and we can't screen every last Gorvan," she explained. "This will kick-start your immune system to acclimatise itself to microbes you'll encounter on Bogaton, its standard protocol." Piper winced at the slight pricking sensation of the needle entering her arm, and watched as the doctor injected the clear fluid inside. "There, all done, that wasn't so bad was it?" as she spoke, the doctor took a small spray bottle, and sprayed it over where a bead of blood had welled up. It instantly turned into a small scab, which the doctor then swiped away, revealing new skin beneath

Piper stared in amazement at her arm for a couple moments, before looking up at the doctor, open mouthed. The doctor merely chuckled, "I told you, this job affords me a lot of control with regards to your treatment."

Piper now frowned, "Explain that," at the doctor's raised eyebrow, Piper added a meek "Please."

The doctor sighed, "You'll figure it out eventually, so I suppose it does no harm." She sat in her chair as she began to speak, "The short version is this, it takes a lot of money to operate, supply and crew a ship like this, and Lord Corvax has five of them in this one fleet. He has two smaller fleets, the first is comprised of three vessels, the other is comprised of just two, even so, that's a grand total of ten ships, which he has to pay for out of his own pocket."

"Food, water, medicine, fuel, ammunition, maintenance, repairs, upgrades, crew salary, he pays for the lot. So, naturally, he needs a sufficient enough income to offset these expenditures as well as make a profit, that's where you come in. Slaves are the most lucrative market in the Hegemony, and there's a constant demand for them, hell, we're not even the only stellar empire that uses slaves, we're just one of the few willing to get our hands dirty to get them. People from across half the galaxy come to buy slaves from Bogaton's slave markets, and the Corvax family are the biggest dealer in slaves in the entire Hegemony."

"Of course, if the slaves are in poor condition, damaged or untrainable, then their value plummets and Repton loses money, that's where I come in. My job is to ensure that you and your fellow Telani reach the slave markets in as good a condition as possible. Now while yes, Lord Corvax has the final say on what to do with a certain slave, or group of slaves, my work ensures he's never too rough or cruel, he can't sell damaged slaves, at least, not for a profit.

"What does that mean?" Piper asked, eyebrow raised

The doctor sighed again, "It means, that there is one place that buys slaves no matter the condition, however, they do so at rock bottom prices, meaning that it's usually a last resort, especially with new slaves."

Piper felt a twinge of fear curl in her gut, she had a suspicion about what this place was, but she asked anyway, "And that is?"

"The slaughter house," those three words sent a cascade of ice down Piper's spine. The shock and horror must have shown on her face, because the doctor simply nodded as she continued. "Though sentience has giving us a taste for fruit and veg, at our core, we are still carnivores, and the Hegemony demands a constant supply of meat to keep everything running. The slaughter houses work non-stop, day in, day out, all through the night, just to keep up with demand, and livestock, both sentient and non-sentient are butchered there by the thousands, every, single, day."

Piper felt the bile rise up again, and began to double over, the doctor quickly passed her a small plastic bag, which she proceeded to hurl the contents of her stomach into. The doctor waited patiently for her to finish. Once she was done, Piper tossed the now foul smelling bag into the nearby bin, and took a few deep calming breaths

She was finally shaken from her pseudo-meditation by the doctor's voice, "Of course, that's unlikely to happen to you, unless you really piss Lord Corvax off." As she spoke, she indicated the yellow tag attached to her wing

Piper glanced at the tag, for once, feeling relieved that it was there, then, she gave a defeated sigh, and looked up at the doctor. "Like you said, comply, and this is a walk in the park. Defy, and you end up as lunch."

The doctor nodded sadly, "Good, you're getting it, keep that in mind as you wait for that human friend of yours."

Piper blinked, momentary panic overcoming her, before she got control back, "I don't know what you're talking about."

The doctor chuckled, "Lord Corvax may have missed it, but I didn't dear." As she spoke, she leaned forward, and with the pointer she was holding, lifted the hair on the right side of Piper's head away, revealing the Focus. Piper's heart was pounding in her chest as she tried to figure a way out of this, the doctor's voice cut across her thoughts however. "I hope she comes for you, I've watched so many little birds like you get swallowed up by the monster that is the Gorvan Slave Trade. To know that even one might get away, might make it home..." the doctor trailed off as she gave a happy sigh

Piper now looked up at her nervously, "You're not going to report this?"

Now the doctor full on laughed, "And watch Repton kill you for having it, would kind of undo the purpose of my work now wouldn't it." She smiled as she spoke, before giving Piper a serious look, "Keep it safe, keep it secret."

Piper nodded, "I will, and thank you."

After that, Piper was dismissed. Outside the enclosed area she'd been in, there was a dressing area, where the doctor's assistants were handing out fresh clothes. They were of different design to what Piper and the others were used to, but they fit well, and were warm, so no one complained. As they waited for the doctor and her other assistants to finish the rest of the checkups, Piper thought over everything she'd learned

This is going to be an uphill battle all the way, please hurry Lark

City of Atmosia, Skyknight Command, July 7th, 9:00am

No one spoke as the holo-recording ended, the feeling of the entire room was just sheer numbness. From his seat at his desk, Lightning stared, unseeing at the air where the holo-projection had been.

Creatures called Gorvans, other races, other worlds, an entire galaxy filled with life, and we've been blind to it this whole time. And one of those races had decided to make slaves out of our people, out of our children. How dare they, how DARE they

In that moment, Lightning was consumed by a mixture of anger and frustration; he wanted nothing more than to find this 'Lord Corvax', and beat him bloody. His wings shook with the barely restrained rage and he could see that old Wren was not faring much better

Finally, Ren broke the silence, "You two feel like hitting something as well?"

Lightning took a deep calming, cleansing breath, and his wings finally stopped shaking, old Wren simply left the room, saying he'd be back shortly. After he left, Lightning turned to his friend, "I can see why you didn't tell anyone you had this, it changes so much... when the people learn this, it's going to cause mass mayhem."

Ren nodded, "We can't keep it a secret forever though."

Lightning didn't bother replying to that, he knew Ren was right, and that only made the situation worse. Eventually, they'd have to tell the Atmosian Council, and then it was up to them, whether or not to make the information public. Suddenly, Lightning's desk phone rang; he hit the speaker button, "Yes?"

"Commander, I've completed my CT scan of Lieutenants Rex and Kite, its best you come see for yourself," came the doctor's voice

Lightning glanced up at Ren, who gave only a grim nod, "We'll be right down doc."

Ten minutes later, they were standing in the office of Skyknight Command's head physician, looking at CT images of two of their most promising, up and coming Skyknights. The doctor tapped Kite's CT scan first

"Good news to start, the pain Kite is feeling is a minor cranial swelling; I've put her on a regimen of drugs which should reduce it within the next few weeks. Other than that, she's fine, shouldn't suffer any memory loss or lingering damage," Lightning and Ren both breathed a sigh of relief at that news. "Lieutenant Rex however is a different story. Honestly I couldn't figure out what was wrong with him to start with, but I'm glad we followed your instructions to keep him sedated and restrained."

"Why?" Lightning asked

"During one of the periods where he was only partial under, one of the nurses brought me an update on Kite, just mentioning her name caused Harrier to go crazy, struggling in his bonds, trying to break loose. We put him fully under again, but the episode gave me a theory." The doctor pulled down Kite's CT scans, and he put up an additional one of Harrier in its place. "I focused on the cranium but couldn't find anything," he indicated the first scan, "But after the small incident we had, I waited till he was at least partially lucid again, before putting him back in. With some Skyknights on hand, I began discussing Lieutenant Kite's recovery with my staff... the results were... terrifying."

The doctor pulled up another CT scan of Harrier's, unlike the others, which showed a normal brain, with standard temperature and activity, this one was different. Even though neither of them were doctors, both Lightning and Ren could see the stark difference between the two. Highlighted areas of the brain showed where the temperature had skyrocketed, not only that, but there was, something, nestled in the frontal lobe

The doctor continued, "As you can see, both the frontal and parietal lobe were both changed drastically, we performed an electroencephalogram while also mentioning Kite's recovery. The data was as we expected from these temperature readings. Massively increased electrical activity within these sections of the brain, which would explain a lot about what happened when he tried to kill Kite."

"That can't explain his behaviour though," Lightning stated, "A mere increase in brain activity couldn't cause him to go nuts like that, I looked into his eyes doc, it was like he was dead inside already."

"That, is what I believe this is for," The doctor said, indicating the object in Harrier's frontal lobe. It was small, only about an inch or two in length, but it was nestled pretty much dead centre of the lobe

"What is it?" Ren asked

"A tumour, as far as I can tell, but it is unlike any tumour I have ever encountered. It's benign so there's no danger to his physical health. Unfortunately, that's all we've been able to learn about it. I've theorized that, because of its location, it is affecting his behaviour in some way, but I currently don't know how. All I do know is it causes the response we get from him, whenever Kite is near, or is mentioned."

Lightning stared at the tumour, then glanced in Ren's direction, the Gorvans, it had to be them, they'd done something to Harrier, altered his mind somehow, to make him kill Kite, and prevent her from revealing what she'd seen

He turned back to the doctor, "Can you remove it?"

The doctor was silent for a few moments, before replying, "I'm hesitant to do so when I don't know what it does, removing it could kill him."

"Then keep working doc, find out for sure what that thing does, and if you can remove it, do so. In the meantime, keep Lieutenant Rex sedated and under guard, and ensure that Lieutenant Kite is as far away from him as possible."

The doctor nodded, "Yes Commander, understood."

Lightning and Ren then turned to leave, before a voice came over the intercom, "Commander, a call just came from the Atmosian Council, they've requested to see you."

Lightning went to the office's intercom caller on the wall, "Tell them I'm on my way."

"No rest for the wicked," Ren mumbled, following Lightning out

The Jagged Claw, July 7th, 10:00am

Dove fell back into the bed she'd been assigned, across from her was Piper's own bed, and on the opposite side of the small room were two more, where two of the other girls had been put. Like Piper and Dove, they had yellow tags as well. It was cramped, and bare minimum, but compared to the cages, it was luxury

"So, we're being conditioned, like animals?" she asked

Piper nodded, "That's my theory, I suspect there's more to it than that, but... it makes sense that this would be how it starts."

"We behave and do as they say, we get rewarded, like good little pets do. We misbehave, we break the rules, and it's the cages, or a shock," Dove stated despondently

"You don't know the half of it."

All four of the room's occupants looked up to see Starling standing in the doorway

Piper turned to her fully, Dove sat up, while the other two backed away from her. "What's that supposed to mean?" Piper asked

Starling gave a humourless chuckle, "The Gorvans have a multitude of methods for making our lives miserable, give them an excuse and most will do it too, they enjoy it."

Piper noticed the small whimper come from the other two girls, before focussing on Starling again, "You could still help us escape Starling, just tell us where the shuttles are and how to get to them, nobody else has to know."

Starling sighed, "It's 'Red Hawk', and trying to escape would be even more inadvisable now than it was before."

"How so?" Dove asked

"They gave you your inoculations, right?" Starling replied. The look that came across their faces was answer enough. "They weren't lying about the immuno-boosters, but laced in with them is a tiny microscopic chip, that finds its way to the brain stem, and attaches itself there. It doesn't do much, but it can track you, eventually it'll get broken down by your body, but until then, it suffices to keep you in line. There are Gorvans sitting in specially made rooms right now, tracking the movement of every Telani aboard this ship. If you leave the slave decks – where we are now – they'll notify one of the roving patrols, and lead them right to you. At best, you get a swift but short beating, before being dragged back to the cells, at worst, they'll shock you, and then drag you before Master Repton, who will devise a suitable punishment for you."

Shocked silence filled the room, and Piper had to fight the sudden urge to rub the back of her neck. "S-so... t-this is... really happening... there's no escape," one of the other girls said

Starling shook her head, "No, and the sooner you accept this fate the better off you'll be, trust me."

Piper now felt a stab of anger at Starling's words, "So you want us to what... just give up!? Roll over for them and do some tricks, like serving them wine and food on a silver platter!"

"If you try to fight, you'll only end up hurting yourself and others around you Blue Bird," Starling began, but was cut off by Piper

"THAT IS NOT MY NAME, ITS PIPER, AND YOURS IS STARLING, A PROUD SKYKNIGHT CADET OF ATMOSIA, DEFENDER OF ATMOS!"

Starling gazed at Piper for several moments, before sighing, her whole body seeming to slump, even her wings lowered slightly. "Pi-Blue Bird... I fought, to the very end... I was the last of Repton's chosen to keep fighting... I watched them fall, one by one... too tired, too hungry, too thirsty, to carry on. I watched their will to resist get beaten out of them... and what's worse... I was the one who told them to resist... and Master Repton knew that... I didn't know it at the time, but he deliberately went easy on me – well, easier – so that I could watch them fall. He knew how it would affect me. Black Hawk... was the last to go before me... he refused to lose... and then he lost everything. And I was forced to watch... and even then... Master Repton kept me on the precipice... he made me watch what the others became... and that was how he finally broke me... fear."

Starling looked away from them, and gazed at nothing. "I saw what happened to them... I saw the souls get sucked right out of them... till there was nothing left... but a tool for Master Repton... and I was afraid... I'd end up just like them. Master Repton used that fear, he stoked it, and then he found a new target for it... Atmos." Starling now looked back up at them, "He told me that defiance would bring harm to my world, to my people, to my... family. And I just... couldn't keep fighting... the fear overwhelmed me... in a single moment, I saw hundreds, no, thousands of our people in chains... with you, mom, and dad among them. I broke... I couldn't take the fear... the terror, that had seized my heart... and so I knelt, I pledged my loyalty, and I expected to be fully indoctrinated like the others. Instead, he kept me as I was, told me that so long as I remained loyal to him, my family would be safe."

Piper stared at Starling in shock, Dove wasn't looking much better beside her, and the other two girls were on the verge of tears

Finally, Starling spoke again, "That is the fate that awaits those who are defiant... please Blue Bird... please don't make my mistake... I don't think... I could cope, seeing you go through what I did."

Piper didn't speak for several moments, as everyone stared at her. Finally though, she hardened her resolve, and drew herself up to her full height. "I refuse to surrender my freedom to that yellow-bellied lizard!" she snapped, before turning back to her bunk and laying down, with her back to them all, wings formed into a wall to keep them away. As Piper stared at the wall, she heard Starling give Dove a quiet goodbye, before leaving. After that, Dove and the other girls returned to their bunks, and shortly after that, Piper heard the rhythmic sounds of sleep come from all three

She felt fatigue creeping up on her, even though she'd only been awake for a few hours at most, those few hours suddenly felt like weeks, and truthfully, she hadn't slept well, if at all in the cage. Before sleep could close around her, she fingered the Focus, hidden beneath her hair. It won't be the same as last time sister... this time we have someone watching out for us... someone who's coming to help us... this time, will be different

And with those final thoughts, sleep beckoned

And that's a wrap

Hope you guys liked, if you want to see more, let me know in your reviews, and as always, constructive criticism is welcome

Have a great day all and I shall see you in the next upload for 'Storm and the Hawk'