And today is update day! Yay!
So, this chapter is centered around Orion, and it's mostly about character development. This is the first chapter that an OC of mine will be introduced, but I think she's somewhat necessary. Her name is Stargazer, and she's Ironhide's mother. I hope you like her.
In this chapter, there will be some triggering stuff, such as abuse, and a case of PTSD on Orion's part. Just giving you guys a heads up.
And without further ado, on with the show!
Chapter 6
Orion's schedule mostly consisted with lab assistance, with three breaks for meals, and a general average of five minutes an hour of unscheduled breaks to either stretch his legs, go to the bathroom, or read. Whenever Alpha Trion didn't work, Orion didn't have to, which gave him some relief. Ever since getting lectured by Ratchet, both Orion and the other slaves of Alpha Trion's house were regularly getting better treatment, and the other slaves were genuinely happy about the liking the old doctor had taken to the young boy.
Today, Trion had to go to a high council meeting, so the entire staff of the house, slave and servant alike, got the day off, and where allowed to go out and to whatever they liked. For Orion, this ment going to the park to play with Ironhide and his friends.
He slipped on his robes and cloak, as well as his sandals and gloves, before walking down to the park. He had memorized the route to the place, so finding it was easy. However, when he got to the park, he found that the only boy there was Ironhide, and while the boy was his closest friend, he was hoping to play a team game.
"Orion!" The larger boy called, picking up the ball he had been playing with and giving the red-haired boy a wave. Orion jogged over, a smile on his face.
"How come I don't see you that often?" The dark-skinned boy asked.
Orion hesitated, trying to think of an excuse that wouldn't let the boy find out he was a slave. There was a large social gap between the slaves and free people, and while he didn't think Ironhide would mind, he didn't want the boy to get into trouble. "I've got a job," Orion quickly said, somewhat quietly, while he avoided looking his taller friend in the eye.
"Must be some job," Laughed Ironhide, before lightly tossing the ball to him. "Let's play some catch,"
The two young boys spent an hour tossing the ball back and forth to each other, each throw getting more ridiculous by the moment. The game ended when they threw the ball into the bird bath, and an upset park manager confiscated it.
"I paid for that!" Ironhide shouted at the manager, who didn't even look back at the two boys as he walked away with their ball. "Scrap," The tall boy muttered, with what could only be described as a pout. He then perked up, seeming to have gotten an idea, before turning to Orion and roughly punching him in the shoulder.
"Tag! Your it!" He shouted, before running away from the smaller boy, laughing maniacally.
"Not for long!" Orion declared, laughing as well, while he chased after his friend.
The two boys chased each other across the park, Orion having a difficult time keeping up with Ironhide due to his shorter legs and inferior athletic ability. His legs pumped hard, while the wind whipped his skin, but the small boy was determined to keep up, for no other reason than friendly competitiveness. Every so often, Ironhide would look back and smile, seeing that Orion couldn't possibly catch up.
The two boys eventually came to the incline of a large hill, that separated the park from the market square. Ironhide started to race down it, using the incline as acceleration. The larger boy held more endurance in himself than Orion did, and soon the small redhead had to stop, hyperventilating from lack of breath. However, he saw an old piece of bark in the dirt, which was covered with wet moss, giving him an idea that could provide him the edge he needed.
Ironhide looked back to see his smaller friend sliding down the hill, sitting on a large piece of bark, quickly catching up, much to the boys dismay. Much to his embarrassment, Ironhide let out a loud scream, before turning red with the realization that he just made that sound with his mouth. Soon enough, however, Orion was right on his tail.
The small boy tried to stand up on his makeshift sled, in order to reach out and tag his bigger friend, but the bark instead slid out from under his feet, leaving Orion to tumble down the hill. He crashed into Ironhide, and the two boys went tumbling down together. Some point along the way, Orion lost the glove that covered up his brand mark, but neither boy noticed.
The two crashed through a fruit stand as they landed at the bottom of the hill, with Orion landing on top of Ironhide. The two boys reached, their breath at a loss. Still, they tried to laugh, but often ended up choking on silent gasp of glee due to their shortened breath.
Suddenly, a woman screamed, and a set of large men wearing the uniforms of a slaver grabbed onto both Orion and Ironhide, pulling them apart.
"You're under arrest for the assault of a free boy, and the crime of absquatulation," One of the men snapped at him.
"Absquatulation!?" Ironhide snapped, both confused and angered at the actions the slavers had taken against his friend. "What the frag are you talking about?"
"Did this slave boy hurt you in any way?" Asked the head slaver, with a false cover of kindness across his words.
"I heard him scream before he crashed in here!" The owner of the fruit stand shrilled.
"But it wasn't, I was..." He didn't know if he could explain himself and his friend out of the situation, but free boy still held firm. "We were just playing, he didn't assault me! And he's not a slave; you can't throw him around like one!"
"His hand says different,"
Orion's branded hand was forced out from his body by the men's arms. Orion watched as Ironhide's eyes widened, a look of horror on his face. The look made Orion break down in tears.
"But, wait," Ironhide spoke out, almost in shock. "If he… if he," The boy swallowed, and then ran off, pushing through the crowds and soon fading into the distance.
Orion felt his heart shatter. He had been spending his months and slavery fading in and out of the reality of his situation. But now, it was kicking him in the gut; He was a slaves. Slaves didn't have friends. They didn't have rights. They were like the dust under the feet of the free people; their fate left to which direction they were kicked in. And much to his horror, we was kicked into the direction of the whipping post.
Slaves were rarely executed, since it was considered a waist to simply kill them. The island may have been well-populated, but they were still a small place compared to other countries, so the citizens of Primas wanted to keep their human resources alive. However, the more frequent punishment the whipping post.
Orion himself had never been whipped. He'd received beatings, and as much as he wanted to, he could never forget what that one slaver did to him at the auction house. But he was never at the receiving end of a whip. Not until now at least.
He was completely stripped of his clothes. The air was warm, but suddenly he felt cold, the sweat dripping down his body felt like water. He began to scream himself horse, feeling absolutely helpless. He called out to his mother, his father, his brothers, anyone who could've helped him. Nobody would. His family was dead, and nobody would help a slave.
"Please! Please! Don't touch me!" He screamed out, fighting against the slaver's hold, desperately trying to reach his clothes, wanting something to cover his exposed body back up. His fighting was useless, and he felt ashamed for it. If only he was big! Then maybe he could've just died with his family.
They shoved him into a pole, back to the crowd, and hands chained onto the other side of it. The old wood dug splinters into his skin, but he shoved himself closer into it anyways, hoping to bury himself in the rotting wood. The splinters where better than getting touched again. Anything would be better than that.
The feeling of fire suddenly struck his naked back, while some voice shouted out "one!". The fire struck again. "Two".
"Three". The leather whip struck against his skin, his threatening to break it. "Four! Five! Six!"
"Seven!" His skin finally cracked, a slash opening up, his blood beginning to drip down his back.
"Eight!" More skin was opened, while the smell of iron and broken flesh mixed with the stank of the crowd and the musty mold on the wood.
"Nine!" One more wound was opened, while a previous wound deepened as it hit across it.
"Ten!"
"Eleven!"
"Twelve!"
"Thirteen!"
"Forteen!"
"Fifteen!"
"Sixteen!"
"Seventeen!" His voice cracked, as his screams became silent, as he lost his voice. Everything was pain.
"Eighteen!"
"Nineteen!"
"Twenty!"
"Twenty-one!"
"Twenty-two!" His vision began to turn red, as the sounds faded out.
"Twenty-three!"
"Twenty-four!"
"Twenty-five!"
"Twenty-six!"
"Twenty-seven!"
"Twenty-eight!"
"Twenty-nine!"
"Thirty!"
"Thirty-one!"
"Thirty-two!"
"Thirty-three!"
"Thirty-four!"
"Thirty-five!"
"Thirty-six!"
"Thirty-seven!"
"Thirty-eight!"
"Thirty-nine!"
"Forty!"
"Forty-one!"
"Forty-two!"
"Forty-three!"
"Forty-four!"
"Forty-five!"
"Forty-six!"
"Forty-seven!"
"Forty-eight!"
"Forty-nine!"
"Fifty!"
By the time Orion regained conscious, the sun was setting, and the crowds around the whipping post had left. He was slumped against the wood, his bleeding back exposed to the air, and his hands still tied to the front of the post.
He heard the noise of footsteps approaching him, causing a course of fear to flow down his body. He could somewhat make out a pair of brown boots in the orange light.
The ropes around his wrist where cut, and he felt his cloak being wrapped around his naked body. He immediately felt much safer.
"I'm sorry I couldn't get back sooner," Said a voice that he recognized. Ironhide. "I didn't know what to do, but I knew my mama would. So I ran off to get her. I probably should've told you before ditching you, but I kinda panicked. Sorry, Orion,"
Orion began to sob. Not from pain or sadness, — well, a little bit from pain and sadness — but from overwhelming joy at the fact that his friend hadn't abandoned him. Hadn't ran away. Hadn't left him because he was a slave.
He was lifted up by a pair of slender but strong arms, and soon found himself placed on the back of a tall woman, who shared the same dark skin and dreadlocks as her son did.
"It's alright, baby," She whispered in a soothing voice; the voice his mother would use whenever she comforted him after he got hurt. "We're gonna take you home and heal you up. It's a long walk to our house, but you'll be ok,"
"Mama's pretty good with a medical kit," Ironhide told his smaller friend, squeezing the boys hand as they walked to his house; the hand that held the brand mark. "Your gonna be alright. I promise,"
When the small group got to Ironhide's house, his mother, who's name he found out was Stargazer, placed him onto their kitchen table. It was a one-roomed house, with a kitchen on the left side of the room, and a living room on the right. The living room had one old-looking couch, a fireplace, and two beds; one that could fit two people, though barely, and a small bed where Ironhide probably slept. She laid him down on his stomach, and laid his cloak over his legs and hips to keep him covered, before going to his back.
Orion Pax had been given fifty lashes. The skin on his back was practically peeled off, only hanging on in strips. His dried blood, exposed flesh, and scabs mixed together, giving his back the look of a butchered animal.
"You poor baby," Stargazer muttered under her breath. She grabbed a bucket, and went outside to fill it with water from the outside pump, and came back in. She grabbed a cloth from the kitchen rack, dipped it into the water, and wiped his back down. Orion shivered a bit.
"Sorry, baby," She told him. "I know our water's cold, but it's all we've got. It's gonna sting, but your gonna have to stay strong, alright?"
Orion slowly nodded. The walk to Ironhide's house gave him time to shake the delerium from his head, but he didn't have enough energy to think much. Ironhide pulled up a chair in front of him, and squeezed his hands.
"You should've told me you where a slave," Ironhide scolded, though his voice held no resentment, just regret and concern. "If I knew, I would've been more careful about our activities and stuff,"
"I didn't…" Orion choked out, tears beginning to drip out of his eyes once again. "I couldn't…"
Ironhide simply placed his forehead against Orions, in a comforting motion of affection. "Your fine, Orion, your fine," He told him quietly. "I just got scared, alright? When I saw that you where a slave, I realized that no matter what either you or I said, you'd still be taken to the whipping post. I'm sorry I made you think I was abandoning you,"
Orion just sobbed, using his dwindling strength to wrap his arms around his friend. Ironhide, too, began to sob. "I'm sorry, Orion. I'm sorry. I should've been more careful,"
Stargazer shifted her gaze from the back she was trying to patch up to the presence of the heavy emotions coming from both her son and his friend. She gave them a sad smile. "Baby, it's neither of your faults," She told them, turning back to continue her cleaning. "Those slavers gotta be monster's to do something like this to another human being. A child especially,"
Once she was done rinsing his back with water, Stargazer went over to the alcohol cabinet, and selected the drink with the least amount of toxins. She poured the liquid into a wooden cup, selected a different cloth, dipped it into the alcohol, and carefully placed on one of the gashes on his back. Orion gasped out in pain, as a stinging sensation burned throughout his body.
"I'm sorry, baby, it's gonna sting, but I need to clean it out," She told the boy, before once again going in with the alcohol. Ironhide grabbed his friends hands, squeezing them hard.
"It's alright, just squeeze back, you'll be ok," Ironhide assured him, as Orion continued to wither in pain.
"I'm sorry baby, I know it hurts," Stargazer cooed, trying to be as careful as possible with alcohol. "You're being so brave,"
Orion continued to hiss and whease, his hands turning white from their strong grip on Ironhide's large palms. And finally, it was over.
Stargazer rinsed his back with water one more time, whispering words of comfort to the injured boy. Finally, with all that done, she went into the medicine cabinet, took out a roll of bandages, along with some ointment for injuries. It was made for small cuts and scars, but it would have to do. She rubbed the cool, soft gel across Orion's injuries, careful not to hurt them too much, then, when she was done, sat the small boy up, and wrapped the bandages around his body until the entire back was covered.
Orion took a deep breath of air. The injury still burned like fire, but at least it would be allowed to heal.
"Okay, I should probably take you home now," Stargazer told him. "Your master," She spat the word out as if it were acid on her tongue, "will probably give you scrap if you return home late,"
Orion simply nodded, out of the energy it took to talk. Stargazer gave him a new cloak, and some of Ironhide's old robes, which, despite said boy having grown out of them long ago, they where still to big on Orion Pax's small body. But they would do for the time being. She also placed a pair of gloves onto his hands, just in case.
"I'm gonna carry you home now, baby," Stargazer told the boy gently, securing him onto her back. "Ironhide, honey, you stay here, alright? Try to get some dinner going, if you can,"
"Yes, mama!" He called out.
Before she left, Stargazer grabbed a small cloth which apparently held emergency food and drink. She then left the house, and began the long walk towards Alpha Trion's mansion.
Orion had fallen asleep for most of the walk, lulled by the rocking of Stargazers steady steps. She had been humming a song he didn't know as she walked, which served as a lullaby. It was dark out, but the streets where well lit by the activities in the city buildings.
Orion was woken up by Stargazer placing him onto the porch of Alpha Trion's mansion. She tried knocking on the door, but nobody answered.
"Everyone's probably asleep," Orion explained, mumbling somewhat. "I'll just wait here till morning,"
"I'll wait with you, then," Stargazer said firmly, sitting down next to the little boy.
"No, don't do that," Orion told her, with a mix of exhaustion and worry. "I don't want you to get in trouble,"
"I don't care about any trouble I get myself into," Stargazer insisted. "I'm gonna sit here, and make sure your ok,"
Orion shook his head again, his eyes beginning to brim with tears. "No don't!" He sobbed. "I can't– if you– I…" His words drowned out with his shaking chokes of tears. Stargazer eyed the poor child, debating what to do in her head.
"Alright," She finally relented. "If it really means that much to you, then I'll go. But I'm coming back first thing in the morning to check on you," She then stood up, about to retreat back to her house. She stopped when the small gloved hand grabbed hers, keeping her there. She smiled at little Orion.
"You sure you want me to leave?" She asked him.
After a few beats of time, Orion finally retracted his hand from hers, tucking it into his body. Stargazer looked at him sadly. "Alright then," She muttered quietly, and began to walk off.
She had left her rations with the boy, which he gladly ate, suddenly realizing how hungry he was. He felt himself choke up a little as he swallowed down the milk inside the container. He loved milk. He loved the food. And he loved Ironhide and Stargazer. He loved Ratchet. He loved the nameless boy he befriended almost a lifetime ago. And he loved his family, which was why their deaths hurt him so much. He didn't want to lose another person he loved, or see them get hurt. So that was why he told Stargazer to leave, despite desperately wanting her to stay with him.
Orion consumed the last of his rations, before laying down on the porch. He got into a position that didn't put weight on his still-stinging back, wrapped himself into his cloak, and drifted off to sleep. It was going to be a long night.
So, somewhat sad chapter. But hey, Orion's got friends on his side. I do feel bad for Ironhide though; what's a kid supposed to do in situations like that?
So, as we see, slaves don't have it nice. At all. But things have to get worse before they get better. Or more worse. Cause I think all transformers fans know what major event is creeping up soon. Oh well, pain's a part of writing.
Read and review please, and thanks to everyone who previously reviewed my other chapters. Seeing your guy's feedback is one of the greatest parts of writing. I hope you guys enjoyed.
~MotherUniverse signing out!
