Imperial Guard – 003 The Infinite Depths of Space

Chapter 3 The Down Below

"So, what do we do now?"

Looking down at Jetreycka's bag in his hands, turning it over as if it could reveal some clues about where the two women had been taken, Le'tan snorted as he pondered Houn's question. Although it did take some time for the light to turn back on after the incident, there was no sign of Nami and Jetreycka, except for the bag, which laid on the floor at a considerable distance from their location before the start of the incident.

"We have no idea where they are." Whoever was responsible, they had taken two adult Mantrinesses, and by the looks of those around him, several other victims, out of sight in an almost impossibly short time. Trying to remember what happened before, during, and after the incident, he began patching things together, recalling the input of all five senses. "They left some clues behind. Try to recall everything that happened when the lights starting flickering."

As he held his arm up, putting his wristcom in recording mode, Houn stepped closer to him.

"Nami said something about shroud screens," Houn said, flattening an ear. "That's pretty advanced technology, often used by special ops teams geared toward infiltration."

"Right. There were some flashes. Could've been weapons being discharged. Looking at the victims, not everyone used the stun setting." He bit his lip. "There was something else. Something very distinctive. A smell kind of like a swamp. Did you notice that?"

"Something like that, yeah."

"It's a safe bet that the Gvort are involved. I think I felt one of them touch me when passing."

"They might not've taken their wristcoms right away. The last known location could give us some directions."

Knotting the broken ends of the strap together, Le'tan flung the bag over his shoulder, then used his wristcom to bring up a map of the station on which he was able the track the location of all members of the Myr'shala's crew. Focusing on the last known locations of Nami- and Jetreycka, the result of his search was as expected, and a reason to be worried. The two dots were pulsating in a red color, as opposed to the blue ones of the other members of the crew, which indicated the location was not current. It was safe to assume they had taken away all of the victims' equipment to prevent them from being tracked by anyone, including the station's authorities.

"Looks like they've been taken to the lower levels. We shouldn't go down there ourselves without backup, but every millicycle we lose might lower their chances of survival. Le'tan to Raeth."

It took a few ticks for Raeth to respond.

"Uiisa, had my mouth full. Everything okay? Are you guys having fun?"

Le'tan sighed.

"Afraid not. We weren't looking for trouble, but trouble found us. We're at the marketplace where there was some kind of mass kidnapping. They've taken Nami and Jetreycka. Last location of their wristcoms indicate they've taken them to the lower levels with the other victims."

Raeth cursed under his breath, or at least it sounded like it.

"Damned slavers. On a station this size kidnappings are certainly not unheard of, but they're abusing the huge increase in visitors. I'll contact the authorities. See if we can get help in mounting some kind of operation to get them out. I'm afraid we're gonna have to sort it out ourselves though. Even they don't venture down there too often."

"We'll see if we can find some clues about what we're up against. Whoever they were, they used shroud screens and the speed with which they completed the act… we have no idea how they did it."

"Find out what you can and keep me posted. Be careful though. I'll put a team together. Raeth out."

Le'tan noticed that during his talk with Raeth, Houn had been listening with one ear, while keeping a close eye on what was happening around them. With most visitors moving along the sides of the square, keeping the center clear for paramedics to tend to the injured and police to start their investigation, they got the attention of the latter.

Two officers had noticed their conversation and moved in their direction after finishing their talk with one of the survivors who was being treated for his injuries on site. One of them was an Akrennian with a close to black skin color, long ears and a double-horned snout. The other a burly Togrothian, a dog-like creature with a long pointy muzzle, large erect ears and a coat of short fur in black and brown, with a few streaks of white around the neck and the tip of the bushy tail.

They both wore a black uniform with few decorations and the patch of the station's law enforcement agency. The Akrennian wore large black army boots made of a type of leather. The Togrothian walked barefooted on large paw-like feet with sharp claws at the end. The way they were armed with a blaster and a shock stick, and in the Togrothian's case, a pulse rifle carried on the back, made Le'tan wonder what the average day of these officers looked like.

The two officers were accompanied by a sturdy-looking puck-shaped drone, hovering about half a step above the head of the largest of the two. Although it did not appear armed with any kind of weapons, Le'tan saw the red eye of a camera locked on him to follow his every move.

"Better be careful with what we say or do next," he thought.

Rather typical in his opinion, these two species had an affinity for either military and law enforcement jobs or took a liking to the criminal underworld. Something told him, if they would go down to the station's lower levels, he would also find these two species in very different roles.

"Greetings," the Akrennian said. "Inspector Ranuhk, Koshru clan."

The Togrothian grunted, piercing dark brown eyes locking into a stare. The voice of the creature, although heavy and matching its bulk, turned out to be unmistakably female.

"We would like to ask you a few questions."

She did not introduce herself, using her intimidating looks and tone in an attempt to ensure answers. Her retreating black lips revealed rows of sharp white. Le'tan wasn't impressed by this facade and remained calm. They hadn't done anything wrong after all.

Balancing on his legs, Le'tan's tail moved with calm sweeping motions. Houn's tail had moved back into that tense curve. Being the ranking officer, Le'tan straightened his back, making sure not to make any sudden moves.

"Very well."

"A few routine questions first," Ranuhk began. "What is your business on the Ophelion trade hub?"

"We are enjoying shore leave while waiting for the outcome of the Hytharian experiment."

"Have you ever been here before?"

"Once. A couple of cycles ago, again for shore leave."

"You?" Ranuhk asked Houn.

"No."

"Have you been in contact with any members of the Hazarr Syndicate?"

"We… don't know who or what they are."

"They are a criminal organization that has recently established a branch in the lower regions. They are increasing their activity and have been responsible for several recent cases of kidnapping, robbery and drug trafficking among various other crimes."

What Le'tan did appreciate was the Akrennian's professional approach. No suggestive way of speaking. No bullying. Just cold hard questions. They seemed driven to combat the growing problem of criminal activity. He could, however, not ignore the possibility of corruption in the ranks. It was easy to pretend until an opportunity to make a profit at the cost of justice presented itself.

"We are officers of the Imperial Guard and part of a starship crew. We do not engage in such activities. In fact, two members of our crew were kidnapped on this square mere moments ago."

Both Ranuhk and his partner frowned, as if attempting to detect a lie. Le'tan didn't so much as flinch and from the corner of his eye he noticed Houn following his example.

"Would you like to file a report?" Ranuhk asked, reaching for his belt, which held a variety of items such as handcuffs, a flashlight and a knife.

After Le'tan answered positive, the Akrennian pulled a sturdy-looking holo-pad from a pouch.

"If you have access to their ID files, it would make things easier."

After an exchange of information, the Akrennian completed the report with the exact time and location of the incident. Their conversation had been recorded and Le'tan agreed for it to be used as their witness statement.

"Thank you for your cooperation. You can keep track of the investigation via the Net as long as it remains open using the account data I just gave you. Do you have any further questions?"

"Are you going to launch some kind of rescue operation?"

"I cannot disclose anything at this time. You'll be notified of new developments via your case file." Ranuhk nodded toward Salu's wristcom which was still projecting its interface. "If there's nothing else?"

Eyeing them both for a brief moment, Salu could think of a dozen more things to ask. Having taken a step back and with their bodies half turned, he felt that the officers were uneager to let him. He wouldn't be surprised if this was but one of many of these types of incidents that happened on a single day aboard the station. It wouldn't even be up to regular members of the security force to decide what cases to pursue.

"We will launch our own investigation, if you don't mind. Since this is about the capture of two our officers, this is also an Imperial Guard matter."

"Do what you must. If anything useful turns up, be sure to give us a call."

With these words, Ranuhk and his hulking female companion went on to question other victims. Not sure what to expect from the station's security forces, Le'tan had more or less decided to go back to find the group they left behind in the arcade, although he also figured that Trezka and the ship's gunners would soon receive a call from Raeth to return to the ship to equip themselves for a rescue mission.

"Sooo… they're not going to help us, but we're allowed to pursue Nami and Jetreycka as we see fit?"

Looking at a frowning Houn, he noticed his companion had dropped his long tail to the deck.

"That's what it seems to come down to, yes. I'm afraid there's not much more we can do. Judging by their locations, Weyan and the others are still at the arcade and most other crewmembers are scattered around the station. We better report back to the ship and share our findings. Something tells me shore leave is about to be cancelled."

"Where is she?" Weyan grunted. "She's running late. She acknowledged my message that we moved up a slot and then nothing."

Pacing through the dressing room like a caged predator, checking his wristcom every few ticks, made Trezka nervous. More than the upcoming mock battle they were about enter. They were split into teams of what should be three, and Masai and Trezka had decided to team up with Nami to take on the men, if she was still planning on entering. Judging by the other teams they shared the square room with, they would have to fight not only each other, but no less than four other teams as well. Made up of casual players and semi-professionals, sometimes the same species, sometimes mixed, they would make for an interesting set of opponents.

"Hmm, it's not really her thing to be late," she said, while flexing her well-defined muscles inside the battle suit that would keep track of every hit taken inside the virtual arena. Although designed to look like battle armor, the only true solid part of the piece of near-virtual clothing was the glowing emitter in the team's color worn on the chest, from which the rest of the suit materialized. Lines in the same color ran all over the suit like photonic circuitry so it would be hard to mistake an enemy for an ally and the other way around. "She's as punctual as they come."

Weyan snorted.

"Her location seems off as well. Both hers and Jetreycka's. They're indicated as being way down below, but that can't right. Raeth told us to stay far above the lower levels."

Now he got her full attention. There was something about that last piece of information that itched. Flattening an ear she turned toward him, which halted him in his pace.

"Both their wristcoms show the same location?"

"Yeah, and their location is not current. Almost half a cycle old. Maybe their wristcoms were stolen. They couldn't really be down there, right? Unless…"

Unless. Crossing her arms, Trezka weighted the possibilities while Weyan's eyes drifted toward the displays in the center of the room on which the current fight was being broadcasted. Stolen wristcoms. Valid reasons to go down below and being separated from Le'tan and Houn. A kidnapping. With only a couple of millicycles to go, she watched the numbers of the battle timer count down to zero, while trying to come up with a reason not to be worried. Only she couldn't.

She came to that conclusion before the chrono started counting down the last millicycle and the two teams that were ahead of the rest in terms of points fought valiantly for the number one spot. The zero-G environment allowed for some spectacular moves and she was itching to get in there, but the safety of their fellow crewmembers was more important than anything else.

"Trezka to Le'tan."

A small projected version of her crewmate appeared above her wristcom.

"Le'tan here. I'm glad you called. There's been an incident."

"I suspected as much. What happened to the girls?"

She heard Le'tan sigh. Judging by the unsteady projection he was on the move and seemed in a hurry.

"I'm afraid they've been kidnapped, together with other innocent people. We have reason to suspect the Gvort and according to station police, a criminal organization might be involved. Have you heard of something called the Hazarr Syndicate?"

"Sounds vaguely familiar. They don't just stick to petty crimes. You and Houn are in way over your heads here. We need to take this very seriously. Has Raeth been informed?"

"Raeth's trying to get the authorities to not let this go unanswered. However, the officer I talked with told me we should not hope for a full-scale rescue mission, but we are allowed to pursue our own crewmembers due to their Imperial Guard status. I'm heading back to the ship with Houn. We have to try to get them out as fast as possible."

"Got it. We're coming. Trezka out." With a sigh and an annoyed grunt she looked at her companions who had listened in on the conversation and feared the worst. "I'm afraid someone cancelled our fun, guys. We might have to be pick up some real guns instead."

The sounds of disappointment soon turned into frustration toward the perpetrators who staged the immoral act.

"We'll teach 'em!" Thylun growled.

"Yeah, now they also owe us a lot of creds," Weyan grunted.

Double tapping the emitter on his chest, his battle suit dematerialized, revealing Imperial Guard red underneath. The rest followed his example and as the doors to the arena opened to let in the teams for the next round, they deposited the emitters in the holders along the bulkhead and left through the sliding doors on the opposite side.

"Don't worry," Trezka said. "We'll come back here after getting Nami and Jetreycka out. I'm not leaving this place without having kicked your butt."

"Oh don't be so sure about that last part."

"Oww, my… my head…"

Even after opening her eyes, Nami could see little more than shadows in her direct vicinity. That in combination with the throbbing pain in her head which felt like the aftermath of a hammer blow, impaired her vision to such an extent that she couldn't rely on it. But the first guess that her shaken brain came up with was 'holding cell'. A cold hard floor. A distinctive smell. Something sour. Old sweat. A festering wound. Those were some of the things she could come up with.

And there was something else. With all the signs pointing to a holding cell, the smell of bodily secretions of various species wouldn't be farfetched. The irony smell of stale blood. The pungent odor of urine and dried feces. Gathering strength, she pushed herself up while supporting her head which pounded in sync with the rhythm of her heartbeat.

Close to vomiting, she retched which turned into coughing as her throat felt dry and itchy.

"Errgh, I'm gonna kill someone."

"Nami… is that you?"

The sound of Jetreycka's voice close by snapped her mind into focus. Forcing herself to assume a sitting position before attempting to stand up, she tried to estimate if her bruised muscles would be up to the task. It seemed they had treated her rather rough in her unconscious state, something she could also derive from the ungraceful position on the floor in which she found herself. Despite the smell in the air, at least the floor of her cell didn't feel too dirty.

There were a couple of tortured howls and moans echoing through corridor before she responded. Not being able to see much of anything, except for some weak flickering light leaking through the horizontal metal bars that formed the door of her accommodation, bolstered the sensitivity of her other senses. Now she knew where the smell came from.

How long have they been in here?

"Jetreycka? I'm here."

"Glad you're okay. I figured you were out. They didn't treat us too well."

Nami chuckled.

"Yeah, well my definition of 'okay' is a little different from yours perhaps. Errw! If I get my hands on the guy who hit me on the head-"

With her vision seeming to improve, she began to discern the barred doors of other holding cells in the dimly-lit corridor. Her conversation with Jetreycka triggered responses from other captives. Most of these were distorted sounds of agony that were undecipherable for her universal translator, an indispensable piece of technology in these situations, and the only thing they hadn't taken from her.

"Hey, hey you," someone hissed from one of the cells opposite to hers. "You're new right? Where did they jump you?"

"Shut up!" she growled.

The tone of voice of whatever creature it was didn't give the impression that he or she was in a sane state of mind. Unable to tell how much time had passed since the act, she wondered how long it would take for their captors to show themselves.

"It smells disgusting in here," Jetreycka complained. "They must've taken us down quite far. What're they even going to do with us and all these people?"

Jetreycka's question was a valid one, and there were various plausible reasons she could come up with. Forced labor. Potential new recruits for their criminal enterprise. Demanding ransom in exchange for their release. Only in very rare situations did the Imperial Guard negotiate with criminals. As difficult as it was, they were going to have to find a way to escape by themselves.

Her muscles tensed as a series of metallic noises, caused by the trigger of relays echoed through the corridor. With a series of flashes that increased in brightness, lights turned on. Not just the ones in the corridor itself, but also one in her cell. With it, came the sound of voices. Heavy footsteps approaching. They were about to finally meet their kidnappers and find out what they wanted.

The high brightness blinded her; her eyes having adjusted to darkness. Squeezing them shut, she groaned in discomfort, then used what little strength she had to push herself off the floor. Trying to make the quaking of her legs stop, she leaned against wall, then tried to peek through her fingers while shielding her eyes to see what was going on.

I'm not gonna give you the satisfaction of finding me in a position like that.

In the cell opposite to hers stood a large dark-furred alien of a race she couldn't remember the name of. The large creature's yellow eyes pierced into hers for a tick, then turned into the direction of the sound as it let out a deep throaty growl. The voices became louder, clearer and her universal translator picked up on the conversation between whoever they were.

"Let's see what the latest catch brought us."

"Was informed there some promising individuals among them. Drayy mentioned uniforms. Not really a surprise considering what's happening up there."

"Won't those give us trouble?"

"Oh, I'll make sure they don't. Let's see, they put them… here!"

The voice of the one reassuring her colleague was female. She had recognized that from afar. What she did not expect, and even shocked her, was that the face that turned toward her outside her cell, was like her own. Not an exact copy, but Mantrin, Sogowan race as far as she could see. What the…

She wanted to say the words out loud, but they kept hanging in her throat. With a few taps on the control panel of the cell, the Mantrinesse turned the lights inside down to a level low enough for Nami to stop shielding her eyes. At the same time the metal bars seemed to disappear, turning completely transparent to allow them to see each other better.

She had a muscular build, like all members of their species. A thick lashing tail that her companion, a white-furred Togrothian male as far as she could determine, tried to keep away from. Her pointy and shorter than average beak and almond-shaped eyes added beauty to her face. Her sharp tone and those same eyes turning into a hard stare did not detract from it at all.

"Gehk! Imperial Guard. This might be a bit more of a challenge."

Crossing her muscular arms she flattened one ear, then smiled in her own mischievous way.

"Here ya got another one," the Togrothian said, standing in front of what had to be Jetreycka's cell.

She heard Jetreycka growl in response, followed by a tail beating against a bulkhead and the scratching of claws. She felt the same, yet the appearance of a member of her own kind revealing itself as the enemy held the anger at bay. What happened to this woman that she seemed to enjoy members of her own species suffer like this?

"Oh, you're a beauty," she said, changing to a much softer tone. "Don't see Fjetanha around her too often. What's y'r name sweetheart?"

"You first," Nami bit back.

She felt her claws extend in a reaction to the woman's condescending manner of speech. No matter what she was going to say, she couldn't trust any of it. These people were criminals. Her training told her that anything they said was in its definition a lie, unless proven otherwise. She was not going to cooperate with them in any way, nor was she going to be submissive. Her adversary shrugged.

"Fine. It's not like it's going to be of any use to you. It's Seylah, and I'm going to make things real simple for you. In fact, I'm going to give you a choice."

"Oh yeah?" Nami scoffed. "Something tells me none of the options are gonna get me out of here."

"That depends."

Whatever her deal was, Seylah seemed to enjoy playing mind games. Revealing as little information as possible. Hinting at a chance of being released. The indirect approach gave Nami more time to assess what they were up against. Assuming they were both part of more than just a gang of crooks, they weren't as stupid as to flaunt it. She wore a simple pair of tight-fitting black trousers and matching shirt. No patches or logos, nothing out of the ordinary. Her companion seemed to go about the same way. That way they could pass as civilians and mingle with the enormous crowd above without raising suspicion. The way the kidnapping was executed was clear evidence that they had their ways to avoid the authorities.

"What do you mean?"

Seylah smiled.

"Like I said, it's simple. You can either serve as entertainment or earn your way into our ranks and regain your freedom. Either way, you're gonna have to fight for it."

Fight for it… So it's going to be like that eh?

She kind of suspected what Seylah was hinting at. Entertainment could mean just about anything in this cruel underworld. But fighting for a place in their midst meant she was either going to have to fight the other prisoners, or one of their best to see if she would make a good addition as a recruit. Seylah shook her head and laughed.

"Yeah, you're definitely the fighter type. Whaddaya say? Ready to give it a shot? I'll be rooting for ya."

If that was the way it was going to be, it wasn't much of a choice. It was a way to stall for time though. She didn't know if Le'tan and Houn had also been captured, but if they managed to escape their clutches, they would've alerted the rest of the crew by now. Raeth would not let this go unanswered and do anything to get them back. From what she had seen so far, she knew he was that kind of guy.

"Fine," she hissed.

Seylah chuckled.

"I knew you'd be like that. Your friend can join in too. Just one little thing before we go."

Uncrossing her arms, she tapped the control panel again. Opposite to the basic bunk bed and next to the toilet that seemed designed to accommodate as many different species as possible, a small panel opened up in the bulkhead. Extending from it, was a small contraption, its most prominent elements being two U-shaped plateaus. With a sigh she placed her arms into the contraption, a set of manacles fastening themselves around her wrists.

"You're that worried about me, eh?"

"Just a precaution. It'd be a shame to have to knock you out again."

Whistling through her teeth down the corridor, Seylah tapped the panel once more. The horizontal bars of the cell returned to their non-transparent state, then retracted in both directions to clear the way. The approaching footsteps announced the arrival of two more guards, one of them another Togrothian, with deep black fur, the other a gray-furred Lepori, both wearing body armor and carrying rifles.

The Togrothian made a sound like a bark while greeting his colleague. The Lepori, a rabbit-like alien with its enormous feet and powerful hind legs stamped on the floor, flicking its huge ears while baring its long incisors in a challenging gesture. As she knew, Lepori were warlike creatures, living in large communal hives on their home planet. Contrary to most other species that became part of the larger galactic community, they still engaged in the occasional war amongst themselves to determine which community or band of communities would rule for a period of five cycles.

With her captors making room for her to exit the cell, nodding in the direction where they wanted to guide her, Nami did as instructed with some reluctance. After stepping into the corridor, she saw Jetreycka being released as well as two other prisoners. Eyeing her crewmate she knew they were thinking the same thing. Survive until the rescue attempt was their best bet for now.

"Okay, time to move."

"Raaarrghh!"

With a loud roar, the huge dark-furred alien with the piercing yellow eyes threw himself against the black Togrothian with an overwhelming display of force. The dog-like creature was forced with its back against the bulkhead, unable to fire his rifle or do much of anything. Growling and snorting he let its more primitive instincts take over and buried its sharp teeth into the meaty shoulder of the other alien.

His assailant roared once more as he drew blood, losing just enough strength to be pushed off. Before he could regain his senses, the white canine pushed a button on a remote. The prisoner began to shake violently all over its body as the manacles sparked, releasing their paralyzing energy. Collapsing on the floor, his body spasmed until he was on the verge of passing out.

"Knock it off!" Jetreycka yelled, her ears flattened in anger.

"Enough," Seylah commanded. The torture stopped. The injured guard stood over the alien's body, blood and saliva dripping from his panting mouth, dark patches glistening on the fur coat of both. Seylah shook her head. "Why do things have to get so messy? Save it for the pit will ya?"

"Get up!" the guard barked in frustration, kicking the alien back on its feet, while pointing the rifle.

After a somewhat slow recovery, the group began to move, the two canine guards leading. Seylah and the Lepori followed at a slight distance. The route they followed seemed to take them up higher. The lower levels of the station were a network composed of maintenance tunnels, abandoned living spaces for construction crews, reactor rooms and storage bays. All leftovers from when the station was being constructed and used its own power sources until the completion of the solar collector. Whatever they were doing down here, they had revitalized this forgotten part of the station and turned it into a center of illegal activity.

The living spaces and reactor rooms had become quarters, many of them luxurious in their interior design and use of materials as far as Nami could determine by glancing inside some of them. The storage bays were successful copies of the topside arcades and lounges. On their way to wherever they were taking them, they came across people of many different species, enjoying the riches of an abundant life in the shadows.

"You've built quite the place for yourselves," Nami said over her shoulder.

"It's gonna get better," was Seylah's calm response.

For some reason she seemed amused with herself. They seemed to guide them in the direction of the sound of a cheering audience. The tunnels and spaces on the lowest levels felt small and cramped. The one they followed now was like an avenue in comparison, offering access to many other rooms and passageways. At the end, a round theater, in its design not unlike the one in the zero-G simulator but smaller, many of the seats occupied by a clamoring audience. As they came closer, she saw what this was all about. What they were up against.

The corridor ended into the theater at about half the height of the grandstand, offering access to all rows by sets of stairs. The fights in this arena however had nothing to do with fun, not for the combatants at least. The floor of the pit was covered with light-colored sand. The two exhausted aliens in the middle beat at each other, tore at each other, using fists, legs, claws, teeth and other natural weapons they had at their disposal. Trails of blood dotted the sand as wounds bled. A horrific sight, and one that made her legs refuse to move further, like the others as they walked past the edge of the walkway from which they looked down into the pit.

"Move!" The Lepori grunted, planting the tip of his rifle into her back. "You're not here to watch."

Growling in response, she moved on, guided to a backroom of the arena, a sharp contrast to the extravagance of the places they just left. Gone were the multi-colored mood lights. The lavish decorations and furniture. The abundance of food, drinks and stimulating substances consumed in the lounges. Where they ended up looked more like the dungeons from down below.

The slight flicker of the yellow lights that distorted the colors, making the different colored stains on the deck and bulkheads stand out even more. Some of these glittered moist, having been applied only recently. Most fighters shared a common space, with hard metal benches, tending to fresh wounds and other injuries without medical supplies. The more dangerous individuals were locked in separate cages. Their sounds of aggression got louder when the entered, directed at the armed guards.

Since no one wanted to deal with guarding the prisoners themselves, they were being watched over by robotic guards standing in the corners. These weren't even decrepit old security models, but well-equipped Enforcers, observing the small crowd with the eye-like sensors in their heads. They did not carry any visible weapons, which someone could try and take, but the shiny exterior concealed a powerful array of equipment. That in combination with their mechanical strength was more than enough to keep things under control.

"What will it be?" Seylah asked the new group of four in general. "Are you gonna behave? Or is the cages for you?"

Nami didn't know if it was her tone, or all the horrible things she had seen so far. Something snapped. This torture. This entertainment at the cost of innocent lives was the worst of their crimes. And they were getting away with it. Why? Why had no one put an end to these activities?

"You're insane," she bit back. "What screwed up your mind so much that you enjoy watching even your own people suffer like this? We can take you back. Get you out of here."

Seylah's response was swift as lightning. Within two ticks Nami felt a clawed hand around the base of her throat, her back slammed against the nearest bulkhead. She couldn't keep the back of her still hurting head from connecting with the hard metal. Feeling slightly dizzy she watched Seylah's copper-colored eyes glitter, her beak so close to hers that she could feel the warmth of her breath.

"What makes you think I even wanna get back?" she hissed. Nami figured the look on her face must've resembled something close to astonishment, for she felt Seylah's iron grip soften somewhat.

"W-What're you talking about?" Nami panted, resisting the urge to hit Seylah on her snout with the manacles around her wrists.

Seylah released her grip, doing a small step back.

"Not a clue do you? No surprise there. They got you nicely wrapped around their corrupt fingers, don't they? I don't blame you for that. Do your part. Earn your future. It almost sounds too good to be true."

"Listen, we can help you. The Empire-"

Seylah laughed. A twisted laugh without actual joy.

"What did the Empire ever do for me? They're too busy covering up their dirty little secrets. Not the Emperor, mind you. No, Emperor Zahn is a good guy. The people love him. He wants nothing but the best for the people he's supposed to lead, unaware of the kind of puppet he really is. It's the smaller, but still significant positions, filling their pockets through fraud and deceit. The mayors, the governors, even the justice system is corrupt."

"If you have proof of this, then let's do something about it."

"My parents did!" Seylah shouted. "My parents had proof! They were about to expose that the governors of a number of provinces stole tax money, then tried to blame civilians for it. Do you know what happened? They were stripped of honor. Got thrown in jail for crimes they didn't commit. And those bastards got away with it, because they could simply pay the Justice Triumvirate to keep things under wraps."

Nami didn't know how to respond. This was no made up story. Seylah's face was a picture of conflicting emotions. She didn't want to show weakness in front of any of the people around her, but her eyes glittered in a different way than before.

"Enough of this," Seylah decided. "You've got other things to worry about."

With the push of a button, the manacles around their wrists sprung open and were being collected by the guards. Without any further exchange of words, Seylah's squad left, leaving them to fend for themselves. The fight in the pit was still going on, as they could see on the two displays integrated in two opposite walls of the rectangular room.

"You all right?" Jetreycka asked, massaging her wrists.

"I'm fine," Nami replied, while rubbing her throat.

The room was a picture of despair. Many prisoners, degraded to being gladiators, were injured. There was no medical help. No way to clean themselves up. They were under guard. And there were two sealed exits that both seemed to lead to eventual but certain death.

"We have to find a way to get out of here."

The room vibrated with the clamoring of the audience of the neighboring arena. Looking at one of the screens, one of the fighters seemed to have bested his or her opponent, which laid face down in the sand.

"We've been gone for a while. Everyone on the Myr'shala probably knows were down here. I'm sure Trez' will be here any moment to blast us out." She tried to sound of herself, but she knew it all came down to how long they would be able to stay alive. They had to give it their everything and stall for time in any way possible. "Let's try not to get picked next."