11 - KORA

11

KORA

          The heat of the day slowly abated as the great orange sun crawled under the sandy horizon.  Cadmus' night sky began to pepper with the light of bright, distant stars capable of penetrating the city's light pollution and haze of industry.  The sand and dirt were still quite warm on her bare skin as she crawled up a dune, Dardan doing the same on her left.  The two maintained silence between them, as they didn't want to alert anyone at their destination before they got there.  The compound, thankfully, was relatively remote compared to other similar areas of the city.  Kora could only speculate at the many possible reasons, each seemingly just as horrible as the other.

          Dardan didn't tell her much about the place and the people who lived there, but Boom could infer that any redeeming qualities about them were few and far between based on the venomous expression her comrade took on when describing it.  That, and the revealing garment she had Kora wear, caused her to fear the worst about what she was about to experience.

          After what seemed like an eternity of crawling up and down dunes, Dardan signaled for the two to stop.  The two made eye contact before Dardan spoke, her voice barely over a whisper.

          "Should be just over the next dune.  Keep your head down, and stay quiet."

          Boom nodded, then looked back toward the dune's peak ahead.  She moved deliberately, conscious of every move she made and every breath she took.  Her heart started beating harder and harder as she made her way closer to the summit.  Dardan reached the top first, her longer arms and legs allowing her to cover ground more quickly.  A moment later Kora was beside her, panting slightly.  

            A large compound sat before her, consisting of several brown, domed buildings.  People came and went between them, mostly an assortment of mean or dangerous looking men.  From time to time a woman or two, clothed in barely concealing white fabrics, made an appearance, each looking just as somber and oppressed as the other.  At the sight of them she understood why Dardan had dressed her up in such a fashion.

          "I still don't know why you had to hit me."

          Dardan studied the compound while she spoke.  "You need to look convincing."  After a moment she turned to Boom, carefully inspecting her left eye with her fingertips.  Her face was still sore from the hit, accentuating with each touch.  "That's bruising nicely."

          "Thanks?"  Boom remained still during the process, finally able to relax again when Dardan turned her attention back to the compound.  "But why couldn't you have dressed up and done this?  Why do you need me?"

          "Waltyr has a propensity for young human girls.  I'm too old and... not human."

          A smirk briefly flashed on Boom's face.  "Is that what Hadarans consider a joke?"  Dardan shot her a scornful look, and the smile on her face melted away.  "So what's the plan?"

          "Well we need to get in there.  That's the reason for your disguise.  There are guards posted at every major entrance.  But I have a feeling... yes!"  She pointed to one of the smaller buildings, as one of the slave women exited a back door carrying a bundle, and Kora guessed it contained food for one of the guards.  "That's our way in.  You need to sneak in there and open that door for me.  Most of the buildings are connected, so once I'm inside it should be relatively hassle free.  But I didn't know he had this many slaves, so getting out with them all might prove difficult."

           "What do you plan to do with them all if we do successfully get them out?"  Kora knew that Torev would never approve of allowing them passage on the Horizon, and therefore was curious indeed as to Dardan's intentions.

          "Let me worry about that when the time comes.  Your only job is to get in there and unlock that door."

          "And how exactly am I supposed to do that?  The entire place is swarming with armed men."

          "It's dangerous, I know, but once you get me inside I'll take care of everything, providing no alarms sound."

          "And if they do?"

           Dardan paused before continuing on.  "Run.  As fast as you can."

          Kora swallowed hard at Dardan's words, looking back to the compound.  She was surprised that the vast majority of its security consisted mostly of armed guards, especially with the technology available in their day and age.  This observation led her to believe that something far more sinister was going on than appeared to be.  She'd been through some hard times herself, but couldn't fathom what could be worse than what she'd seen.

          "Dardan, I don't like this.  Can we just forget about them and go back to the ship?"  Kora hated slavery, after all she had recently been one, and was all for freeing these women.  But she didn't like the idea of risking going back to that life, since she thoroughly enjoyed her new one.

          "You're welcome to.  But how would you feel knowing you could have done something, but didn't?"  She was right, and for a moment Boom hated her for it.  The thought of those poor girls enduring what she had gone through for so many years saddened her.  There was no way she could abandon them, nor Dardan for that matter.  Her and Torev had been so kind to her, where they could have just as easily returned her to her former master on Coriolis.

          She looked toward the ground in resignation.  "Terrible."

          Silence ensued for a moment as the two watched the compound's activity.  Kora's anxiety was on the rise, but Dardan seemed as calm and composed as ever.  For a while she had wondered about her crewmate, what she had been or done before joining the Infinite Horizon.  She didn't know much about Hadarans except for what they looked like, but she got the feeling they were a very introverted and exclusive people.  These musings were, of course, based solely on her interactions with Dardan and the word of others, and therefore could very well be wrong.

          "Alright there's a group of them." Dardan pointed to four women walking closely together.  "Get in there, blend in, and get that back door open."  While she spoke she adjusted Boom's garments with careful slender fingers, making a point to ensure that her throat was covered for some reason.  "And don't say a word."  

           Boom nodded, and slowly stood up.  She surveyed the ground before her, and realized she had to move quickly without attracting attention, or risk losing sight of her target group.  The sand was warm in her bare feet and she moved towards the compound, the sinking ground beneath each step making the action difficult.  She quickly assumed position behind the group, which was moving slowly and quietly.  For a few minutes they walked in silence under the night sky before rounding one of the buildings and heading toward an entrance.  

          A single guard stood watch at the door, a look of intense boredom upon his face.  When he saw the group moving towards him he stood off to the side to allow them entrance.  The women bowed their heads as they passed by him, and Kora did the same.

          "Hey you!" The guard called out, and Kora hoped his words weren't directed at her.  A firm grasp clasped her arm and she looked into the eyes of the guard, who meet hers with a look of malice.  He looked her up and down hungrily.  "Your clothes are filthy.  Clean yourself up."

          She looked down at her garments, which were dirty from the crawl to the complex, then looked back at the guard, wide eyed.  Fear gripped her as she wondered what she should do.  Some of the other women in the group looked at her curiously, and she looked back at them, hoping they would do or say something to help.  

          "Answer me when I'm talking to you, slave!"  She looked back at the guard, his stare relentless.  She didn't know what to do.  Dardan had told her several times not to say a word to anyone, but she didn't want to disobey and give herself away.  She formulated the words to apologize in her mind and began to open her mouth to speak when the unexpected happened.  The guard grinned sinisterly and let go of her arm.  The rest of the women resumed walking into the building and she followed suit as soon as the guard turned his attention away from her.

          Kora resisted the urge to breathe a sigh of relief as her eyes adjusted to the brightness of the building's inside.  It was cooler within, almost to the point that her skin developed bumps.  Her mission returned to her thoughts as she collected herself. 

          Suddenly her arm jerked to the left, and she was pulled by a slave into another room.  The slave said nothing as the door closed behind them, and Kora was confused as to why she had pulled her in.  The slave got to work digging into a bin that was against the wall.  Kora said nothing through the process, not wanting to give herself away.  The slave then straightened up and tossed fresh garments to her.  The fabric was thin, and ghostly white.  Kora looked from the garment in her hands back to the slave, who stared at her.  Her message was clear, and Kora began removing her dirty garments.  A confused look came from the slave once Boom's undergarments were revealed, and she noticed that the slave wore none.  A sinking feeling grew in her stomach upon the realization, and the slave came up to her and inspected them.  Fingertips grazed the outline of the clothes for a moment then they stopped, a shocked look coming across the slave's face.  Her hands touched Boom's throat, then her own, and Boom saw a scar on hers.  Suddenly it occurred to her why Dardan had emphasized that she should not talk while she was here, and why she had taken such care to ensure her neck was covered, and anger welled up within her.

          A sound came from the other side of the door, and Kora turned her head to look.  The slave grabbed her undergarments and ripped them clean off, then draped the fresh garments over her naked body just as the door opened.  Another slave came in, looked at the two, and went over to another bin clutching a bundle of clothes, evidently oblivious to what had just happened.

          The slave grabbed Kora's hand and guided her out of the room.  The two went down the hallway for a little while until the slave opened another door.  The room was empty save for them, and as soon as the door was closed the slave turned and looked at her.

          "What are you doing here?" She mouthed the words angrily.

          Boom didn't know how to respond, and was unsure if she should elaborate her mission to this woman.  She could easily give her away, not wanting to incur her master's wrath.  Kora knew the fear a master instilled in their slaves all too well, and would fully understand her reasoning if she chose to do so.

          "I'm here to-" the slave's hand covered her mouth, silencing her already low whisper.  The slave put a finger to her lips.  Kora simply mouthed her next words.  "I'm here to free you."

          Excitement, sadness, and disbelief all filled her expression simultaneously with varying degrees of intensity.  Tears slowly welled up in her eyes as she mouthed, "You need to get out of here."

          Boom wanted to heed her advice.  Every moment she was here her heart broke more and more.  But after what she knew of the place, the degradation these women were subjected to every single day, she would never be able to live with herself if she left without them.

          "I need your help," she mouthed.  "There's a door to the south building I need to unlock."  The slave considered her words for a moment.  After this the situation could go in one of two ways.  The slave could aid her in her mission or turn her in to the guards.  Kora sorely hoped the slave would choose the former.

          A look of steeled resolve came over the slave, and again she grabbed Boom's hand.  The two left the room, nearly trampling yet another slave girl in the process, from whom the two received a dirty look as they made their way further down the passageway.

          Going through doors and rounding corners, Kora couldn't believe that anyone could know their way around this awful place.  All the halls and doors looked the same, and there weren't any markers of any sort to help someone get their bearings should they become lost.

          They went through yet another door only to be greeted by a particularly dangerous looking man, and nearly ran into him.

          "Watch where the throck you're going, slaves!"  Kora and presumably the slave as well flashed him an apologetic look, stepping to the side to allow him passage.  As he walked by, Kora stole glimpses of him as she looked downward in supplication.  He was older, human, and bore facial scars that suggested he'd been in the slaving business for a long time.  He regarded the two with utmost disdain as he walked past through the door and continued on his way, but she could feel his eyes piercing the thin fabric barely covering her body, chills running up her spine from the animalistic look on his face.

          The two went on, Kora and the slave, for only a little while longer until they came through a door to an empty room.  Finally they had reached their destination.  Her heart was pounding by this point, fearful from being discovered by those horrible men and what they'd do to her if she was.

          There was a door on the far wall, and inbetween it and Boom were dozens of crates filled with preserved food.  It was some kind of store room, presumably so that the numerous guards could be fed while they were on duty without having to take many steps to prepare their meals.  The slave slowly made her way to the door, Kora following in her footsteps, careful not to hit any of the crates or catch her loose fitting garments on one.  The slave put her hand on the door's primitive latch and gestured with her other for Kora to join her.

          "I have to go back," the slave mouthed.  "Please be careful."  At that she unlocked the door and turned to walk away.  Boom watched her hastily leave the room them turned back to the door.  Hopefully the hard part of her mission was over once this door was open.  She carefully undid the latch and slowly opened it.  Luckily Dardan was just outside and quickly squeezed through the doorway.

          "Excellent.  Have much trouble?"  Her whispers were a little too loud for Kora's taste, prompting her to put her finger to her lips and simultaneously shake her head in response.  "Good. Let's get this done."

          A commotion could be heard coming from the other side of the room's entrance.  "Hey you! Where's the other slave?"  Kora looked to the door, fear in her eyes.  Thinking quickly, she turned back to Dardan and put both hands on her, shoving her down to the floor out of sight as the door opened.  Turning back her view fell on three particularly reprehensible looking men.

          "There she is." The one in the middle spoke, a chilling grin on his face.  It was the same guard that Kora and the other slave had run into before.

          "You were right, Ren, she's a pretty one."  The one in the left said, a fatter man with a full beard.

          "Must be one of the new girls that came in earlier today."  The third was thinner than the other two, and sported some sort of optical device.  "Looks like she already pissed someone off, check out the eye."

          Out of the corner of her vision Kora could see Dardan stirring, possibly readying herself to attack these men.  Slowly, she gestured with her right hand that Dardan should stay out of sight.

          "Look how scared she is.  Come, love, we ain't gonna hurt you."  The one in the middle, Ren, was apparently the de facto leader of this little gang.  He held out his hand, beckoning Boom to come to him.  

          "Boss isn't gonna like it if you have too much fun with her, Ren." The fat one said.

          "Long as we don't leave any more marks on her how can he know?  He's got so many slaves.  Besides, she ain't gonna tell him or nothin'."

          Boom swallowed, a tear welling up in her eye.  These men had the worst intentions and there was nothing she could do about it.  Even if Dardan did something, there was too much of a risk that one of them would escape and warn the others that there was an intruder.  She would just have to let this play out for a little while and hope that Dardan would save her before anything truly horrible happened.  Slowly she walked to them, careful not to get her garments caught on any of the crates.  She could feel each set of eyes studying her figure, sickened by the repulsive looks she was getting from the men.  

          "That's a good girl, come to Ren.  All the new girls have to do this, so just consider yourself lucky it's with me than someone else."  He grabbed her arm once she was within reach, his two comrades chuckling sinisterly.  He led her back out of the room, eyeing her with a sickening look.  The other two traded looks with her and each other as equally repulsive.

          As they exited the door she looked back into the room and could just make out Dardan's face peeking out from behind one of the crates.  The two made eye contact up until the door closed, and with its shutting went any hopes of Boom getting through this ordeal unscathed.

          She was led down the passageway, all three men in tow.  Minutes went by as they walked, the three of them breathing heavily.

          "Stop staring at her like that, Nikil, you're scaring her."

          "Sorry Ren, but she's awful pretty.  Waltyr must have paid a high price for this one."

          She looked up at the fat one, Nikil, then back to Ren, who meet her gaze.  He looked deep into her frightened eyes for a moment, never blinking.  "It would seem so."

          The look he had gave her chills, but not in a threatening way.  She couldn't describe it, but she felt like something was off about him.  Were the situation different, she may not have been so scared in his company.  He looked away, down the passage.  "Here we are."

          They stopped before another featureless door in the bare hallway.  Ren was silent add his two friends chuckled to themselves menacingly.

          "I've got this, boys.  Me and this fine little lady gonna have some quality time together."

          "Now just a minute!" The skinny one stood in front of Ren as he voiced his objection.  "Why do you get to have all the fun?"

          "Easy, Fior.  You'll both get your turn."

          "See that we do."  Fior backed off, returning to his place by Nikil.

          "I'll come get you two when we're finished."

          "I think we should wait out here, make sure you're not disturbed."  Ren looked to Nikil, then to Fior, an irritated look on his face.

          "If you must."  He opened the door, a dark room beyond, and forcefully pushed Kora inside.  Her heart was racing, tears in her eyes,  flashbacks of her old life racing through her mind.  She didn't know how many times this had happened to her at the hands of her old master and his cronies.  She'd learned to shut herself down when it did, but after a while she had found it difficult to come back.  She'd be numb constantly, to the pain both physical and emotional, and to anything else.  It was like she was dead inside, an empty shell walking around with eyes glazed over.  She learned to feel again under Torev's care, which wasn't the easiest thing to do.  Now it was back to get slave years all over again, and she didn't want to regress back to the person she'd been.

          A light turned on, and Kora turned to see Ren looking at her sternly.  "Alright, who are you and why are you here?"  Her heart skipped a beat at his words, she'd been discovered, and Dardan seemed so far away from her.  She wasn't sure what to do, and said nothing.  "You're not one of Waltyr's, I know just about all of his girls, and you weren't in the shipment that came in today.  I would know, I was there.  Now I'll ask again.  Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

          Kora still didn't know how to respond.  She was unsure if she should tell him about her mission, her purpose for being here.

          "I'm Kora," she spoke as softly as possible, daring not to alert the two men outside that anything but what they thought was going on in here.  "I'm here for the girls."

          Ren laughed sharply, a look of confusion and amusement on his face.  "All by yourself?  You seem to be pretty successful so far."

          "I'm not alone.  I have a friend here."

          "Well let's hope her luck is better than yours.  You run a great risk coming in here like this."  He stepped forward, and Kora fearfully moved back.  "I'm not gonna touch you, sweet.  I've never touched any of these girls.  Frankly I find Waltyr detestable, but he pays."  Kora found his words somewhat difficult to believe, but she needed a glimmer of hope, no matter how small.  It wasn't like she felt she could trust him, not yet, but perhaps she could convince him to help her and Dardan.  "And now I see two options.  I can turn you in, or turn a blind eye, maybe even help you.  But why should I do that?  I owe Waltyr no true loyalty, of course, but why should I give up my meal ticket?"

          Kora couldn't believe the words she was hearing.  Could this possibly turn out in her favor, or was this all some clever ruse to let her guard down in the name of some twisted jest?  Whatever it was, she never found out.  A commotion was heard from the other side of the door, coupled with the sounds of muffled groans and bodies hitting the ground.  

          The door opened.