by Amy Pennza
At least her lungs didn’t hurt anymore. Aside from a lingering scent of oil, she felt no residual effects from the lung modification. She stepped away from the instrument panel, relieved that she was steady on her feet. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. She was alive, wasn’t she? And there were other humans here.
Other places throughout human history had started out as prison colonies, only to develop into prosperous societies. Tolbos had been under warlord rule for at least eighty years, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t some sort of social structure in place. It couldn’t be all nonstop death and violence, could it? This could be the start of a whole new life.
She glanced around the pod one last time before stepping to the door and pushing the release button. As the heavy panel slid open, she spotted a Tolbos tree in the distance. They were actually sort of beautiful. The white bark stood out like a beacon in the gray night. On the horizon, the first rays of Tolbos’ twin suns glowed a dull red.
A little zing of excitement shot through her stomach. This wasn’t the end. Not by a long shot. She jumped down from the pod deck onto the planet’s surface and grinned when she bounced a few inches in the air.
Turning, she looked up at the sky, trying to gauge the direction of the starship. When she was reasonably sure she had it, she stuck both hands in the air and flipped it the bird. Buoyed by her newfound optimism, she patted the side of the pod one last time and set off toward the horizon.
3
By the time the suns were directly overhead, Nadia knew she was going to die. She stumbled up yet another hill. When the terrain in front of her looked exactly as it had on the other side, she let out a small sob.
By her reckoning, she’d been walking for at least six hours. Blisters had formed on her heels—caused by a combination of her thin prison-issue socks and too-small boots. Pausing on the crest of the hill, she gathered her long hair in her hands and twisted it into a loose knot at the base of her neck. At this point, she would have traded two years of her life for a hairband and an hour alone with a water dispensing unit, or WADU as they were sometimes called back home.
Home. This was her home now, she reminded herself. This filthy, boring, dirty place with nothing but ugly brown rocks and ugly white trees. Seeing one at the bottom of the hill, she half-walked, half-slid down the slope so she could kick it. As she approached, however, a flash of light caught her eye. Besides the anemic sunlight, it was the first light she’d seen since she’d stepped out of the pod.
She stood next to the stunted white tree and turned in a slow semicircle, desperate to see it again. Another burst of light appeared to her left, pulling a gasp from her. Heart pounding, she hurried toward it, grateful for the low gravity that allowed her to move much faster than normal. The light sparked again, then again, and she broke into a run. It was stronger now—just one more tiny hill and she’d surely be able to see what was causing it.
Her boots skidded in the loose soil as she crested the final hill; then she stopped, shock making her stomach flip. The transport pod stood before her, its metal heat shield glinting in the sun. Her legs gave out, and she sat down hard on the rocks.
She’d walked in a big, stupid circle. Six hours up and down hill after hill, and she was right back where she’d started.
She slammed her fists into the ground, screaming her frustration.
A heavy hand clamped her shoulder, and she froze, her insides churning. In one movement, she whirled on her butt and jerked her head up to see a hard-faced giant staring down at her, his mouth twisted in a parody of a smile. Her heart pounded so fast she felt light-headed.
His smiled broadened. “You’re going to be a wild one. I like that.” He lifted his gaze and nodded at something—or someone—over her head.
Before she could open her mouth to scream, rough hands grabbed her and hauled her to her feet. Someone pulled her arms behind her until her elbows touched. Her shoulders burned. The position thrust her chest forward, and the giant’s gaze dropped immediately to her breasts. When he reached forward to touch them, she kicked at him, and he yanked his hand back.
The sneer fell from his face, replaced by a forbidding expression that made her gut clench. The fear she’d felt on the restraint table was nothing to the terror pounding through her now. Slowly, he lifted his fingers to his mouth and blew a shrill whistle. Within seconds, half a dozen men moved out from behind the pod and flanked him.
Like their leader—and there was no question the man in front of her was in charge—they all wore a mishmash of clothing that looked like it had been repaired and patched repeatedly. To a man, they were also heavily muscled and taller than average. If these were miners, they certainly weren’t slacking on the job. Each one regarded her with an impersonal stare that made her blood run cold. Behind her, the faceless man tightened his grip until she thought he’d pull her arms out of their sockets. The burning in her shoulders grew unbearable. Tears smarted in the corners of her eyes.
The giant she’d tried to kick held his arm out to his side and flicked his wrist in an odd motion. A blob of silver slid down his arm and puddled in his open palm. She stared, mesmerized, as he twitched his wrist again, and the blob shifted, shaping itself into a flat disk. He stepped close and held the edge to her neck.
“One more move like that and I’ll cut your throat. Understand?”
Afraid to nod with the blade so close to her neck, she whispered, “Yes.”
He used the flat edge to force her chin up. “Yes, what?”
Her eyelids fluttered. “Yes…” What did he want her to say? “Sir?”
He growled. “’Yes, master.’ Get used to saying it.” He leaned back and glanced around at his men. “What do you think, boys? Think she’ll fetch a high price at the market?”
A round of whoops and catcalls scalded her ears as the men hooted and pumped their fists in the air. Nadia closed her eyes and swallowed, her mouth so dry her tongue stuck to the inside of her cheek. He’d said price and market. He meant to sell her?
Her thoughts were interrupted by the giant leaning in close again. He captured a strand of hair that had escaped her makeshift bun. “Tempted to keep you for myself, though,” he murmured, rubbing it between his fingers. He grinned, displaying two rotted front teeth. She nearly gagged from the stench emanating from his mouth. “I like screamers.”
She closed her eyes. This isn’t happening. I’m still back in the pod, dreaming. A sharp pain at her breast made her open them again. The giant’s face filled her vision, his dark eyes boring into hers as he squeezed harder. “S-stop.”
He released her breast, only to seize her nipple through the rough fabric of her prison top. Cruel fingers twisted her tender skin, sending zips of electric fire shooting through her chest. “What’s that? I don’t think I heard you. Is my property trying to tell me to stop touching it?”
Her gaze darted to his other hand, which still held the blade. Kaptum responded to the will of the person who held it. It would reshape itself into a spear for him to plunge into her heart if he told it to. “No…master,” she muttered.
He released her nipple, then put his hand behind his ear. “What’s that? I don’t think I heard you, slave.”
She cleared her throat. “No, master!”
He tugged the neck of her prison top away from her body and peered down at her bare breasts. “Mmm, that’s what I thought.”
The urge to kick him in the groin was overwhelming, but she forced herself to stand still while he looked her over. From the knowing sneer he gave her, he knew it was taking all the self-control she had not to spit in his face.
Finally, he made a sweeping motion in the air and yelled to his men. “Mount up, boys! It’s a two-hour drive to the market, and I don’t want to be late. This piece of ass is going to keep us fed for the next six months!”
He continued to fondle her as they loped out of sight. She kept her eyes trained on the horizon, thinking maybe he’d grow bored and stop if she ignored him. He withdrew
his hand. She inhaled, grateful. He looked behind her and said, “Tie her hands and feet. I don’t have the patience to put up with any escape attempts today.” Her sigh of relief died in her throat.
She was spun around and came face to face with another dirty giant, this one with dark blond dreadlocks that hung over a craggy face. As she lifted her gaze to his, she was astonished to see there was a puckered scar where his right eye should have been, and the entire right side of his face looked like someone had taken a blowtorch to it.
“Yeah, I’m a pretty one.” He grinned, then threw back his head and laughed. Clearly, no one in this group was big on oral hygiene.
He was still chuckling as he withdrew a length of narrow rope from his pocket and crouched at her feet. He flung his dreads over his shoulders and began binding her ankles.
Nadia gazed down at his head. The better part of valor is discretion. One of her professors at the Academy had believed that an officer’s best defense was their brain, and he’d been fond of forcing his cadets to reason their way out of conflicts. “The time will come,” he’d say, “when you’ll be stuck in a shitstorm without a weapon. If you intend to survive, you’d better be prepared to think your way out of it.” His version was admittedly less elegant than Shakespeare’s, but Nadia had never forgotten it.
If her present situation didn’t count as a shitstorm, she wasn’t sure what did. She was certain of one thing, however: she couldn’t let fear or anger make her stupid. Fighting these men wasn’t an option. She was outnumbered and outsized, not to mention completely unfamiliar with the terrain—hell, the entire planet. But she wasn’t defenseless. She still had her wits, didn’t she?
And she intended to survive.
She took a steadying breath as the man lumbered to his feet and pulled out another piece of rope. She stuck her wrists out, but he shook his head.
“Nice try.” He circled her and pulled her arms behind her back. Rope burned her skin, and the bones of her wrists ground against each other as he fastened her arms at the small of her back. He circled her and looked her up and down, as though admiring his handiwork. “Nice and tight, hmm?” He bent and drove his shoulder into her stomach, expelling all the air from her lungs. She wheezed, struggling to breathe.
The world dipped and spun as he tossed her over his shoulder. With her hands bound behind her, she couldn’t brace herself. Her head bounced against his back as he carried her across the sand. It was too much for her bun, which unraveled and fell down her captor’s back. He held her in place with one huge palm clamped to her ass, and his fingers dipped between her legs. She tried to clamp them together. His chest rumbled with laughter, and she gritted her teeth. The voices of the other men drifted to her, along with the unmistakable sound of gasoline-powered engines. She hadn’t heard one in years—not since her last trip to Earth.
The world spun again, and her tailbone struck something hard and unforgiving with a force that made her teeth click together and pain shoot up her tailbone. She tilted her head back and shook the curtain of hair out of her face. She didn’t have the luxury of dwelling on physical hurts. The giant had deposited in the rear seat of some sort of vehicle. Roofless and crude by any standard, it nevertheless looked capable of carrying her away from the landing site—her last link to her old life.
Two similar-looking vehicles idled near her transport pod. Three of the men had climbed it and were cutting it apart, the kaptum on their hands fashioned into circular blades that spun so quickly she couldn’t see them moving. The pod’s metal parted like butter and fell to the ground in long sheets, which the other men piled in the vehicles.
Nadia’s seat dipped as the giant who’d originally grabbed her climbed in and sat in front, where a steering wheel rose out of a primitive looking control panel. The one-eyed man plopped into the seat next to her, his mouth forming what she assumed was his version of a smile. It was hard to tell with all the scar tissue.
The giant turned and tossed a dirty rag over the seat. It landed in the one-eyed man’s lap. “For her mouth.”
The one-eyed man retrieved it. He grabbed her chin and squeezed her jaw.
“Don’t! I won’t talk, I promise!”
He lowered the rag. “Axos?”
The giant glared at her. “You keep your mouth shut, or I’ll cut your tongue out.”
The one-eyed man laughed. “Look at her face. I don’t think she believes you.”
Axos shrugged. “She don’t have to believe me. She just has to keep her mouth shut.” He faced forward and flipped a couple switches. The vehicle rumbled to life with a bang. Vibrations shot up her aching tailbone. He turned the wheel, and they lurched sideways. Her momentum kept her sliding, and panic leaped in her stomach as she felt one butt cheek leave the seat. She squeezed her eyes shut as the ground rushed up. A hard fist gripped her sleeve and yanked her back inside. She opened her eyes to see ridges of scar tissue inches from her face.
Her rescuer turned his head to peer at her with his remaining eye. “Don’t pay him any mind, sweetheart,” he said. “You don’t have to keep your mouth shut around me. In fact, I prefer it open, if you know what I mean.” He laughed and threw an arm around her shoulders and then squeezed her against him.
Nadia shuddered, adrenaline making her heart thump so hard she wondered if he could hear it. Her head was lodged under his armpit. The stale smell of old sweat surrounded her, but she was so relieved to be back on the seat she didn’t pull away. A fall like that wouldn’t have killed her, but slamming against the ground with her hands behind her back wouldn’t have done her face any favors. She glanced up at her captor. Clearly, Tolbos didn’t have the resources to treat injuries. She’d been a fool to think she could just skip away from the transport pod and start her life over.
The vehicle hit a bump, and he tightened his grip, sending the reeking scent of sour, unwashed flesh straight up her nose.
Wherever they were taking her, it was going to be a long ride.
Nadia used the next two dusty, uncomfortable hours to study her captors. Were they warlords? They were terrifying enough to merit that title. Axos had looked her straight in the eye when he’d threatened to cut out her tongue.
Although, he’d said he planned to sell her. That meant there were buyers. Why would a warlord need to sell anything? When you were the biggest and baddest, people gave you what you wanted in exchange for staying in your good graces.
Great. There were even bigger assholes on this planet.
She flexed her fingers and tried to loosen the rope binding her wrists. Her right hand had gone numb, and she was beginning to worry about permanent damage. She glared at the back of Axos’s head. They were going to sell her like a piece of furniture or an item of clothing—and there was nothing she could do about it.
Even if she managed to get her hands on kaptum, she’d never trained with it and had no idea how to control it. She’d met just one starship officer who’d seen it, and his face had paled the few times she’d persuaded him to speak of it. She was just as likely to lose a hand as she was to overpower her captors, all of whom handled kaptum with an expertise she hadn’t known was possible.
She licked her lips and immediately regretted it when a fine coating of dust filled her mouth. Her situation sucked, there was no question about it. But she had to stay calm, and she had to be smart.
The brown landscape was so monotonous, she started looking for the trees just for something to do—and to distract herself from whatever lay at the end of the journey. She’d counted thirty when the vehicle slowed for the first time since they’d left the landing site. She eased away from the man next to her and looked around, trying to find a reason for the change in speed. The scenery hadn’t changed—not once—in the two hours they’d been driving. It was all dust, rocks, and the occasional bleached white bark of the Tolbos tree.
The dreadlocked man nudged her arm and grunted. “There.”
She followed the direction he pointed toward a spot on the horizon. At first
, she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to be looking at. More rocks? Except these rocks were moving—some of them quickly.
As they continued barreling toward them, she realized they weren’t rocks at all—they were other vehicles. Dozens of them. She’d had trouble seeing them due to the huge clouds of dust they kicked up as they raced across the ground. They were all headed toward the same spot, but she still couldn’t make anything else out in the distance.
Chalky, brown powder coated her face and hair. She blinked rapidly to clear the grit from her eyes.
They slowed again, and she saw there were far more vehicles than she’d first thought. No two were alike but they were all open to the elements and obviously cobbled together from scrap metal and other parts.
Axos brought the vehicle to a crawl as they began to encounter people on foot. Nadia tried not to stare. Like Axos and his men, they all wore the same drab, patched clothing. Some carried white baskets. She wondered why so many people had the exact same basket, then she realized they’d been woven from strips of bark from the Tolbos tree. They were appealing in a strange way. Almost ethereal, the milky white shapes bobbed like beacons in a sea of unrelenting brown. One man walked with his balanced on his head. He wove through the crowd effortlessly, his basket never slipping.
When they’d gone as far as they could, Axos parked and got out. On either side of them, his men did the same. A few cast furtive looks at Nadia, but the others kept their eyes trained on Axos, obviously awaiting his command.