(A/N: Wooo! Two chapters in one night!
First Tallest
He sat quietly with his brothers. Shorter Irkens that eyed him carefully and with respect. There were fifteen including him. He had survived two whole years alone on a planet one could only call hell.
Heve rarely blinked, he was breathing slowly but evenly. He finally looked down when he neighbor pressed something into his hand. It was food.
Red eyes blinked at the smaller being.
"You should eat Heve, you need your strength."
Violet eyes, he looked so sure yet so afraid. It was all he could do to move to comfort him. One slave did not touch another like that.
"Thank you brother." He said finally eating. He noticed a few from the reconnaissance team relaxing as he did.
The violet eyed one beside him nodded, pleased.
"The masters will be happy to have you back."
He held back a bitter laugh. Can't let them know he broke. "I am already happy to back in their care."
The ship shuddered. The other Irkens glanced about worriedly. None liked entering the atmosphere. It made them motion sick.
Only Heve didn't look anywhere but straight ahead.
The violet-eyed Irken called Ghar noticed this and was afraid. He was worried for his brother, that he was defective. Suddenly large red eyes met his and he jerked back.
A concerned look crossed the taller ones face. "Is all well brother?"
Ghar nodded hastily. "All is always well, when with the."
"Masters." Heve interrupted. "Of course it is."
Heve nodded slowly. This purple-eyed one beside him had a weak set of programs. They had probably been damaged without anyone noticing. This one would be the first he freed.
* * *
Small hands gripped the edge of the table as extra legs boosted him up. He stood on the table, violet eyes glancing at everything. Anything that he had only seen through humbled slave eyes, until now.
"How do you feel?"
His head turned to that voice. Different than most Irkens it told immediately that its owner was tall.
They were in Heve's quarters. Invader slaves got large rewards for their dangerous task of infiltration and conquering. He had Ghar listed as 'resting' in the slave barracks between energy consuming jobs. He had subdued the violet-eyed Irken with a sedative and had kept him for days now. Wearing away at the caps and walls until the smaller creature had screamed and cried and finally cursed his masters freely.
"Different." Ghar said. His eye twitched and he held a hand to his head. "Will it always hurt?"
Heve rubbed his head, remembering those headaches. "No, mine have subsided entirely now."
Ghar paced to the edge of the high table and sat down. He looked like a child. "What is it I do now?" He asked.
Heve put a hand on his shoulder. "You have to continue to be a slave. Do as the Illians order. We have to be careful."
Ghar nodded. "I understand. But in some ways I'm still a slave. It's all I've known."
"It's all any of us have known. But I promise, we will know something else, something great."
Ghar didn't look entirely convinced. "Can you really promise that?"
"I *swear* to it." Heve said. He knew it was safe here. Illians didn't watch their slaves relentlessly. They relied on their programming too much. It would be their downfall. "We have to be very ver careful though. If we are found out, we die."
"I know."
"We will go slowly, take in other like ourselves, with weak programs. Ones that are damaged. But only Irkens. No other race."
Ghar nodded again. "I understand."
Heve lifted a hand. "Don't say it like a slave." His hand clenched into a fist. "Say it like an Irken."
Purple-eyes lifted off the ground, only Irken eyes could see the pupil move. "I will trust only my own kind."
Heve smiled and nodded slightly. His face suddenly fell and he jerked back away from Ghar.
Startled the newly freed slave curled up on the table. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." He turned away. "Nothing, I'm sorry." He took a few steps forward to his sleeping room. "The suppressors. You may want to continue to take them."
"Sure Heve." Ghar said blinking in confusion. "If you say so."
Heve only nodded slightly and disappeared into the other room.
First Tallest
He sat quietly with his brothers. Shorter Irkens that eyed him carefully and with respect. There were fifteen including him. He had survived two whole years alone on a planet one could only call hell.
Heve rarely blinked, he was breathing slowly but evenly. He finally looked down when he neighbor pressed something into his hand. It was food.
Red eyes blinked at the smaller being.
"You should eat Heve, you need your strength."
Violet eyes, he looked so sure yet so afraid. It was all he could do to move to comfort him. One slave did not touch another like that.
"Thank you brother." He said finally eating. He noticed a few from the reconnaissance team relaxing as he did.
The violet eyed one beside him nodded, pleased.
"The masters will be happy to have you back."
He held back a bitter laugh. Can't let them know he broke. "I am already happy to back in their care."
The ship shuddered. The other Irkens glanced about worriedly. None liked entering the atmosphere. It made them motion sick.
Only Heve didn't look anywhere but straight ahead.
The violet-eyed Irken called Ghar noticed this and was afraid. He was worried for his brother, that he was defective. Suddenly large red eyes met his and he jerked back.
A concerned look crossed the taller ones face. "Is all well brother?"
Ghar nodded hastily. "All is always well, when with the."
"Masters." Heve interrupted. "Of course it is."
Heve nodded slowly. This purple-eyed one beside him had a weak set of programs. They had probably been damaged without anyone noticing. This one would be the first he freed.
* * *
Small hands gripped the edge of the table as extra legs boosted him up. He stood on the table, violet eyes glancing at everything. Anything that he had only seen through humbled slave eyes, until now.
"How do you feel?"
His head turned to that voice. Different than most Irkens it told immediately that its owner was tall.
They were in Heve's quarters. Invader slaves got large rewards for their dangerous task of infiltration and conquering. He had Ghar listed as 'resting' in the slave barracks between energy consuming jobs. He had subdued the violet-eyed Irken with a sedative and had kept him for days now. Wearing away at the caps and walls until the smaller creature had screamed and cried and finally cursed his masters freely.
"Different." Ghar said. His eye twitched and he held a hand to his head. "Will it always hurt?"
Heve rubbed his head, remembering those headaches. "No, mine have subsided entirely now."
Ghar paced to the edge of the high table and sat down. He looked like a child. "What is it I do now?" He asked.
Heve put a hand on his shoulder. "You have to continue to be a slave. Do as the Illians order. We have to be careful."
Ghar nodded. "I understand. But in some ways I'm still a slave. It's all I've known."
"It's all any of us have known. But I promise, we will know something else, something great."
Ghar didn't look entirely convinced. "Can you really promise that?"
"I *swear* to it." Heve said. He knew it was safe here. Illians didn't watch their slaves relentlessly. They relied on their programming too much. It would be their downfall. "We have to be very ver careful though. If we are found out, we die."
"I know."
"We will go slowly, take in other like ourselves, with weak programs. Ones that are damaged. But only Irkens. No other race."
Ghar nodded again. "I understand."
Heve lifted a hand. "Don't say it like a slave." His hand clenched into a fist. "Say it like an Irken."
Purple-eyes lifted off the ground, only Irken eyes could see the pupil move. "I will trust only my own kind."
Heve smiled and nodded slightly. His face suddenly fell and he jerked back away from Ghar.
Startled the newly freed slave curled up on the table. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." He turned away. "Nothing, I'm sorry." He took a few steps forward to his sleeping room. "The suppressors. You may want to continue to take them."
"Sure Heve." Ghar said blinking in confusion. "If you say so."
Heve only nodded slightly and disappeared into the other room.
