Chapter 11: On the Run
It's been two months since I grabbed Joa and ran from Nel's grandfather's home, I've tracked her to a planet known for its harsh winters, Raph is somewhere around here too. There are signs up everywhere with my face on it, Joa is scared out of his mind, clinging to me and begging to be allowed to find his parents.
I can't risk slipping into a city to hand him over to the authorities, they'll grab me and drag me off to the person who bought me off of that vile man.
Its night right now and we've bedded down in a clearing and made a small fire. We can't risk sleeping long, even though days without decent sleep are catching up with me.
I sit up as I hear something snap in the trees around us.
Joa jerks awake and whimpers softly.
I grab my Katanas and start to sit up.
"This is private property," I hear a man growl before the hum of a laser pistol fills the air.
Joa whimpers again and looks at me in terror.
"I'm sorry, we…we just needed to rest for the night," I whisper.
The pistol turns off as a light flickers into my face, I squint and cover my eyes with my arm.
"Well…you could've just knocked on the door. You two hungry?" he asks.
I blink and nod, my stomach growls at the thought of food.
"Why…why're you…" I start.
"Was a slave myself once. Come on, let's get you two inside it's supposed to pour tonight," he replies.
I get up and slowly follow, urging Joa to follow as I make sure my things are close by.
We move slowly, Joa watching me for my signal to run if things turn bad, I walk carefully, just within seeing distance of the man.
We follow him to the edge of the woods and I pause, Joa beside me.
The man stops and looks at me.
"Well come on," he urges.
"How do I know you won't turn us in?" I whisper.
"You don't, but I'm offering you food and shelter for the night. Like I said there's supposed to be a bad storm coming in tonight, make your choice, but I won't hold it against you if you chose not to come in," he replies softly.
"Leh'ya," Joa whispers, "please."
I glance down at him and make a choice. I look back at the man and shift nervously.
"Ok," I whisper, so quiet I barely hear it myself.
A few minutes later the man, Joban, leads us into his small home, not moments after we walk in it starts raining.
Pouring, lightening streaks across the sky before thunder shakes the house.
"You must be new around here huh?" Joban asks as he starts up an old stove.
"Honey? What's going on?" I hear a woman ask.
"Found these two in need of some where to rest for the night, figured I'd make them something to eat too," Joban replies.
I get a good look at him then and gasp. He's huge, standing over seven foot, his skin is a pebbled blue-grey with white markings. His hair is dark and coarse and he has large pale yellow eyes. But as he turns I see a more human features, his face is more human, so are his ears and hands.
"Ah…yes. I'm half human and half Juorg," Joban tells me.
I manage a nod.
The woman steps forward out of the stairwell and smiles at us, she is a mimicry of Joban only a little shorter and her skin is a creamy-grey with yellow markings against her dark hair, her eyes are the same though and her features are more alien, no human influence in them.
"Oh you poor thing," the woman whispers when she sees Joa hiding behind me.
Joa only comes forward after I give a nod, to which she takes him off and gives him something to eat.
Minutes later as I smell the food cooking, I collapse, knees hitting the floor. Joban catches me and helps me sit.
Exhaustion and hunger have finally caught up.
"I'm fine," I mumble.
Joban snorts as he urges me to drink a broth.
"It's not much for now but it'll give your stomach something to work over. Kuya grab me a Cun," he calls to his wife.
She grabs what looks like a cookie or a small candy bar and hands it over. Joban urges me to eat it as I lean against the wall. It's sweet, pure energy I learn later. Joa glues himself to my side and huddles there, eyes huge with fear, he keeps looking at me.
I don't know when I drift of despite the energy bar thing, but I do and when I wake I'm curled on a mat with a blanket tossed over me. I hear people talking in a foreign language and start to sit up. I freeze when I realize Joa is curled beside me, sound asleep.
The voices stop and I hear someone come over.
I look up to see Joban standing over me.
"Go ahead and rest," he urges, "it'll be alright. We'll have a big breakfast ready for you in the morning."
I manage a weak nod and sink back into the blankets and let my strained body relax.
When I wake the next day Joa is gone, but I can hear him chattering in the other room. I sit up slowly, feeling rather shaky and know its because I haven't eaten in nearly four days, not a good thing when you're pushing to find two people.
Every one of my joints pop as I sit up, muscles protest, I'm stiff and sore.
"Ouch," I hear Joban chuckle softly, "here."
I glance his way to see an offered hand and take it. He pulls me to my feet and I finish stretching out the tight muscles.
"Thank-you," I whisper.
"Young man, it is no problem," he whispers, "your things are by the door. We've stocked food for you if you chose not to stay but I hope you'll stay long enough to get some weight back on."
I wince and shake my head.
"I can't…I have to find my brother and wife," I mumble, "they were kidnapped and now they're slaves somewhere around here."
Joban scowls and shakes his head.
"My mother was snatched from in front of her home so I feel your sorrows. Stay and I will help you find them," he tells me.
I look at him and can't help but wonder.
"Why?" I whisper, "why help me?"
"I was a slave once two, my mother was raped by her foreman and bore me. I was born a slave, managed to earn my freedom and I wish to help slaves become free. Anyway I can," he replies.
I nod and glance toward Joa.
"I have to be the one to free them…but I'd ask that…Joa…would you…?" I start.
"Of course, I'll raise him as my son. He is not yours I can see that," Joban replies.
"No, but he warned me that the man that sold my wife was waiting for me so I took him from his owner. I believe he is of Hugini decent," I reply.
"Close. He is of the Hugani, a separate race that closely resembles the Hugini though," Joban replies, then looks at me quietly, "you are young to have wed."
"We hoped that it would prevent us from being separated," I whisper.
It had been Nel's idea, spurned on by her grandfather's talk of a wedding. She figured that my father couldn't make me step away from her if we were wed. So I agreed, oh how I miss her, holding her, having her sleep beside me.
"I am sorry," Joban tells me.
I look at him and nod.
"Your brother…tell em about him, perhaps I have seen him in the slave yards," Joban whispers.
"Bigger than me, darker complexion, nasty attitude," I mutter.
Joban snorts before laughing.
"That is vague my friend," he laughs, clapping me on the Carapace and nearly knocking me off my feet.
I grunt and give him a startled look before cracking a grin and laughing too. I was vague. It feels good to laugh.
"Sorry," I get out finally, "he's built more muscled, broader in the shoulders and a thicker frame, more of a emerald/forest skin tone, and he has a vicious temper."
"Fair enough," Joban says softly, scratching his chin.
His eyes take on a distant look as he thinks, then, he snaps his fingers and stands up straight.
"I remember someone, a Terripan of that description, a savage, he was taken to some sort of mining place. Bought by a man that is rarely seen anymore," Joban murmured, quickly dashing off down the hallway.
I start to follow and nearly lose my balance before grabbing the wall for support. I slowly sink to the ground and listen to Joban as he comes back, fumbling through some papers.
I think I'll stay here for a second.
"You ok?" Joban asks.
I nod before promptly passing out, low blood sugar is apparently bad for me.
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