Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Drazkel System

I was standing in an ornate room, the ceilings high with massive pillars that were draped in deep blue fabric. My tiny shoulders were covered with a simple, gray dress that brushed my calves. A simple gray chain was hanging from my collar, which told the people at the auction that I wasn't for sale. My feet were actually in shoes, though they didn't fit. I wasn't usually given shoes at the reconditioning facility. These were random ones, since I couldn't be allowed on the floor without proper footwear.

Or so the man in charge said.

I shifted uncomfortably, but kept my gaze low as I dared to glance around the room. There were creatures of all shapes and sizes here, some of them spouting languages I hadn't heard before-and I had heard a lot. My ears pricked at the harsh growls from some of the scruffier looking patrons, but it was still fascinating to hear. There was a Hutt here, and while my Huttese wasn't polished, I could make out his distaste at the pickings.

The entire hall was covered in auction-goers, each of the ogling at the holograms that portrayed who was on sale that day. Each of the pretty females were posing with bright smiles on their faces. I couldn't fathom how they pulled that off so easily.

My eyes slid to my friends, each of them scattered around the outskirts of the room. Tal caught my gaze, sending me a small smirk. I looked away quickly, nervous that he would do something else in an attempt to make me smile. And that would get him in trouble. Or worse.

This wasn't anything to smile about.

While we weren't in the reconditioning facility, there were still Zygerrian guards crawling about. Not many, and a few were intoxicated already, but that was because we were under the watchful gaze of the Xrexel Cartel. It was their auction, after all, and we were just free labor.

Untested and freshly-taught labor….but free.

Since we were technically on loan, the members of the Cartel could order us around as they wanted. And deal out punishments as they saw fit. The Zygerrians would only scowl at our behavior, or chuckle when we were struck.

Some of the richer Cartel friends would hit a slave for fun. Just to see them wince, but never raise a hand in defense.

They were drunk on their power. The thought burned deeply into my soul, until I felt like I would combust where I stood on the space station. And then there was something even darker than myself. It approached like a silent mist, emerging from the far door.

My gaze was there before the doors even hissed open. I wasn't sure why at the time.

In the doorway stood a tall figure, his face shadowed in a dark cloak. His dressings were of the same shade, covering him from head to toe. Though, considering the wide array of species at the auction, it was only an assumption that he had a head or feet at all.

I found my eyes drawn to the figure's, finding a cold, steady, yellow stare from beneath the good. It was starting, since he was definitely looking right at me. I broke eye contact, terrified that I'd just announced a death wish. What if he was with the Cartel? He could have me killed for looking him in the eye.

Yet, something told me he wasn't with the Cartel. He looked far more intimidating than anyone I'd ever seen. Something in my mind whispered. He felt….familiar somehow.

I didn't dare look up again, but no guards came to beat me, so I suppose he didn't say anything. A part of me wanted to look for him again, but my attention was drawn by a snap of fingers. A patron of the Xrexel Cartel.

And therefore, one of my many masters for the evening.

I was sent to get drinks, finding more tasks along the way. I suppose when we tucked ourselves along the walls, we practically melted into them. We wanted to, anyway. A moving slave drew attention. And thus, more work.

I did it silently, my obedience fueled by terror. And the curiosity of the figure. Why had I felt so drawn to him? Why had he felt familiar when I knew I'd remember his presence.

I'd never felt anything like it before.

After some time, the work was finally done and I snuck my way back to my spot on the wall. The Zygerrian guards closest to me laughed, knocking back more drinks. Had they even noticed I'd gone?

I pondered briefly at the thought of escape, but knew I'd never get far with the damned collar. Still, I stared longingly at the guards, wishing I could hit them both really really hard. Maybe more than once.

Goosebumps rippled across my back, shivers crawling down my spine. There was the presence again. I lost my carefully held facade, whipping around to slam into a firm chest. I was on my way towards the ground when a swift hand shot out from beneath the cloak, gripping the front of my collar.

It didn't feel great, but it was quiet and discreet, unlike if I'd toppled to the ground. I cleared my throat a few times against the pressure, but couldn't ignore the smell of his glove. Worn leather. Metal. Blood.

Something in my mind whispered, assassin.

I blinked a few times, staring up at the shadowed face. Now that he was closer, I could tell that he was a Zabrak. Yet, his facial markings weren't natural for his species. Not entirely, at least.

He was covered in tattoos.

Something pulsed in my head. Again….familiar somehow.

"Slave," the man said, his voice softer than I expected. Yet, it was still intimidating.

I blinked again, but cleared my throat and finally straightened, bowing my head respectfully. Still, I found my gaze crawling up to his face again, tracing his tattoos to try and figure out what was drawing me to him. I'd surely never met him; I'd remember his face.

"Do you know where Xev Xrexus is?" Again, his tone was soft. Practically whispered across the short distance between us.

I swallowed thickly. "No, sir. I'm sorry, sir." And that was true. I knew she was due to come out and speak to her crowd soon, but I wasn't supposed to know that. Xrexus was big on the spectacle part of things, and that was information I'd overheard. So I wasn't supposed to know it anyways.

The Zabrak hummed lowly at me, his yellow eyes scanning my face. He didn't seem to care that I was looking at him directly. If anything, I only saw curiosity in his eyes. Did he find me familiar, too?

Finally, he seemed to refocus, his back straightening slightly. He gave me a small nod. "Thank you."

Again, I was startled by him, my jaw dropping open. He'd just thanked a slave. It struck me that maybe he had been a slave once too. But then why was he at an auction for them?

All of the possibilities ran through my head. Slave gone slaver. Freedom fighter. Divergent socialite with a lot of money.

But none felt right. My mind still whispered, assassin.

Despite this, I cleared my throat slightly, making the Zabrak turn towards me again. He took a single step closer. Considering how huge he was, he was practically on top of me. I shuffled, uncomfortable, but still managed to whisper.

"I overheard that she's due to come out and speak soon," I disclosed, not sure where my brain had gone.

The dark figure's brow quirked beneath his hood as he watched me, the same curiosity as before washing over his features. For a moment, I thought his lip had curled in a small grin, but it was gone a moment later. He gave me a final nod before disappearing into the crowd like a ghost.

It was only moments after he'd gone that there was a Zygerrian guard at my side, shoving me along the wall. Fear rose in my throat as I wondered if they'd heard what I'd said. Was I going to die here?

Thankfully, the guards were collecting all of the slaves who were on loan, getting us into a line before a human member of the Cartel. There was a pompous glint in his eye as he looked over our silent line.

"Now," he said curtly, cutting straight to business. "When Xev comes out, you are not to make a sound. If a patron speaks to you, you are to keep your eyes down and not respond. You are deaf to all but Xev when she speaks, do you understand?"

No one spoke, but our chins dipped a little further towards our chests.

"Very good," the officer mused, rubbing his chin. "Now, some patrons may want a drink when our good leader is speaking, but they must learn that she must be listened to." He suddenly lashed out, cuffing one of the other young slaves in the ear. He didn't react other than a wince and a struggle to keep his balance. The man chuckled deeply. "This is a good batch," he complimented one of our guards.

"Some are better than others," the guard replied with a joking sneer, his eyes no doubt glancing over myself and the Twi'lek siblings beside me.

"I see."

Beside me, Tal shifted nervously, his eyes cutting sideways at his brother. I dared to let my gaze wander, seeing Silais' throat bob, a small sound grumbling there. All expressions dropped from my face, my mind racing. What could I do in this situation? I could try to help, but that would only get myself beaten, too.

I closed my eyes, knowing there was nothing to do….but listen.

Silais let out a rough, hollow sounding cough. It was ghastly, making me fear he was becoming ill. His sister's color had been a bit paler than usual lately….I hoped nothing was going around in the facility.

I forced myself to worry about these dumb things, in an attempt to block out the angry shouting of the Cartel officer. He was yelling something about respect, Tal flinching beside me slightly. He didn't dare reach out, but he shifted closer so that our arms brushed in an attempt to find comfort. I did my best to block it out, already knowing too well what the sound of my friend's screams sounded like.

And then there was the deafening sound of a blaster, and a heavy thump, my eyes shooting open. The scream Seku let out was unlike any I'd heard. It wasn't the pained groans or the whimpered cries when we were tortured by slavers. No….this was a deeper pain. It seemed to rip out of her so violently and with so much raw emotion, that it left her hollow when it was done.

My fist was clamped around Tal's trembling forearm, holding him tight to my side. The officer's blaster was steaming from the barrel as he cast his gaze over us. Silais was crumpled on the floor between Tal and Seku, dead.

"I. Said. Silence," the officer hissed, now turning the gun to point at Sekku. She was kneeling beside her brother, gasping through dry sobs over his body.

My knuckles turned white holding Tal in place, the young Twi'lek overcome with the urge to comfort his sister. I wasn't sure how I felt. It wasn't hollow like Sekku. Or sorrowful like Tal.

What I felt was hotter, burning me up from the inside. Every cell in my body wanted to let that fire loose, burning this entire damn place to the ground, with every slaver inside. I wanted to rip that gun from the officer's hands and turn it on him. I wanted him to feel the terrible fear we felt every day as their slaves.

Somehow, Sekku rose to her feet, her eyes soulless. But she was quiet.

"Very good," the officer cooed demeaningly. "Now, to your positions." He was reveling in this fear. This power. I wanted to kill him.

Sekku walked forward without any hesitation, moving as if she were a machine. I let her go, knowing we would find somewhere to hide when we got back to the mines and then we could hold each other and cry. Tal was slower to move, not wanting to leave his brother's body. We couldn't trust the Zygerrians or Cartel to treat him with respect.

He was a product to them. Livestock. Nothing.

But if we stayed, we would only join him in death. I wondered briefly if that was worse than this, but decided it wasn't the time for an existential crisis. I wanted my friends to live and get out of this hell-hole one day. I'd already failed one today. I wasn't going to do it again.

I kept a steel grip on my friend, dragging him away with tears streaming down my cheeks. When we exited the room, I dared to pull him under my arm, tucking my head against his. "Dan sohsa ohk distombe guo," I whispered in his native tongue.

He was crying too, but he nodded bravely, finally detaching himself from me to find his place. I stopped at my own position on the wall, my vision blurred with tears. I was grateful when the lights dipped lower, letting me sink into the shadows and my grief.

A human female emerged on stage, accompanied by droidekas and professional-looking lackeys in white coats. The woman had short, bleach blonde hair that was cropped around her face. It faded to a deep pink at the bottom, making her bright red lips pop. She was elegant and powerful, wearing a long black dress with a white vest.

She greeted her adoring crowd, gloating about the spectacular glamorous that awaited them during the auction. Again, something drew my gaze away from her, spying the dark figure that almost looked like a shadow through my tears. The Zabrak was standing silently in the crowd, his gaze on Xev.

"But if you have been welcomed into these halls," she called from her stage, "You are in store for a singular delight." This was her fault. "For one of you….for the highest bidder….the rarest of prizes awaits." She was one of many cogs in a wheel I wished would burn up and die. "I am your hostess, Xev Xrexus, and it is my honor to facilitate this little soiree." I hated her. I wished I could replace her life with Silais'. His was worth more than hers. The room erupted with applause as she raised her hands like she was some deity.

Through the crowd, I saw the Zabrak's hood turn. His yellow eyes zeroed in on me in moments, his expression curious, but darker now. Tears streamed silently down my cheeks, the image of Silais' crumpled body seared into my brain. Something about staring into this Zabrak's eyes made that feeling grow. It felt….powerful.

His brows knitted in thought, but I still didn't look away. I stared at him through my tears, my teeth grinding angrily….my rage only growing.

"Wake up, skug!" Ice cold water washed over my skin, immediately forcing me back to reality. I sat up, my body complaining at the sudden movement, trying to focus my gaze. My vision was swimming with images of Silais and the Zabrak. It was impossible to stop the trembling that began in my freezing muscles as I hugged myself as best I could to preserve warmth.

When my vision finally settled, I found myself in a familiar place. It was the control room and Keeper Arguss sat pompously in his floating chair only a few feet from me.

I did my best to stuff down the rage that had come forth from my visions. Memories, I suppose. It wasn't easy, but I managed to stare at Arguss with only a simmering anger, rather than throwing myself across the room and killing him where he sat. He was staring at his long nails, picking at them mindlessly as I heaved tired breaths.

"An escape attempt," he mused finally, his voice the only sound aside from the tapping of buttons from his workers. "I should have seen that coming," he chuckled.

Yes. He should have.

His laughter stopped immediately. "Or maybe I did." The anger melted from my face, replaced by a horrified realization. There was a reason I hadn't seen any children from the colony until that moment on the landing pad.

"You planted them there," I whispered slowly, daring to speak out of turn. I wasn't lashed, so I guess Arguss was reveling in his own victory enough not to care.

"After all these years," he laughed darkly, "You are still incredibly predictable. Of course, I hoped you would fall back to the pliant nature we once achieved." His chair floated in front of me as if he was pacing. "But I assumed….correctly, of course….that your years of freedom had caused your regression. You may even be more difficult than before."

Oh, you have no idea.

I swallowed thickly, still feeling the anger that pulsed through my veins from my memories. Agruss may not have directly killed Silais, but he was just as guilty as the man who pulled the trigger, in my opinion. And there were other lives Arguss took directly that would paint his soul with blood forever.

"You got your men killed to prove a point," I said softly, not trying to hide the bite in my words. I didn't care about the guards' lives, considering they were slavers. But it didn't change the reality that Arguss could care less about any life but his own.

The Warden wagged his taloned finger at me, clicking his tongue. "You killed those men. And you will be punished for it." Yes, I'd killed them. But it's not like I regretted it. "I've elected to take you on as a personal project. Achieving the dream we once attained years ago." He leaned down in his chair, brushing his fingers across my cheek.

I couldn't stop myself, turning my head quickly as trying to clamp my jaw on his hand. He pulled away quickly, tapping the button on his chair to envelop me in electricity from the collar they'd returned to my neck. I didn't scream, not sure if his promise of slave murder if I made a noise still applied. My jaw tight, teeth grinding in my cheek until I tasted blood, I stared at him defiantly.

He didn't seem to care, forging on. "You will be my personal servant for the remainder of your time here." My eyes lifted to his in shock. "As long as it takes." He leaned forward again, grabbing my cheeks roughly this time. "And if you disobey, I will kill every single slave you care about." Arguss dragged me closer, his breath hot over my face. "Your clone friend. The Jedi. Each and every one of those children you fought so hard to free. Do you understand?"

My mind raced. The room was lined with guards, my own neck heavy with the collar they'd put back on. My escape window was gone, thrown away by a ridiculous hero complex. I swallowed thickly, watching Keeper Arguss with a wary gaze.

Finally, I responded with a practiced tone, my head dipping to stare at his feet. "Yes, Master."

RYL

Dan sohsa ohk distombe guo- You must be strong now