The Prisoners

The clicking of Ta’lek claws dragged him out of a deep sleep. His eyes cracked open as he took in where the creature was pacing up and down the aisle of the compartment they were in. Its bony shoulders were hunched, displaying ragged leathery wings that dragged along the floor behind it.

He moved slowly, not wanting to startle the usually temperamental race, pushing himself upright and clearing his throat to let the Ta’lek know he had been seen. It whirled on him, beady eyes narrowing as it took him in. It chittered with the clacking of its mandibles, and he was grateful for the universal translator chip in his head.

“Good, you’re awake,” it said, looking at him suspiciously, “What took you so long?”

He frowned, taking in their surroundings. It seemed they were on a hydro-train, racing through the desolate landscape of an unfamiliar planet.

“How am I supposed to know that?” he griped, keeping his eyes lowered in deference to the Ta’lek, “I just woke up.”

He surreptitiously looked around the carriage of the train, spotting a grossly large Olgkruts, its mass taking up three seats, seeming to be lounging comfortably, its obsidian eyes a stark contrast to the pale pink of its body. Across the aisle in perfect antithesis to the Olgkruts was a spindly Vrok’ed, looking far less comfortable than his portly neighbor. He could have taken more time to look around the cabin, but instead he cautiously continued to address the Ta’lek.

“May I inquire as to your name?” he asked, avoiding adding a pronoun. It was difficult to tell the difference between males and females of the race, and some of them actually presented as both.

“My name is…” it paused, looking uncomfortable for a moment, and he remembered that Ta’lek’s believed that providing one’s name provided power over them and he quickly amended his request.

“Should you deign to provide it to me, of course.”

The Ta’lek nodded, shifting from one clawed food to the other.

“My name is Kaietti Mazok,” it finally said, “And yours?”

For a moment he drew a blank, unable to recall his own name. He looked down at his identification watch blanching when he realized it was missing.

“What the hell?” he muttered, checking his pockets for the watch in case it wound up there somehow, but came up empty. He looked up at the Ta’lek.

“Do you have your watch?”

The Ta’lek tilted its head curiously and held up its bony wrist, displaying its identification watch.

He shook his head and the Ta’lek gave its version of a laugh, which meant mandibles clicking ridiculously fast and he felt himself shrink back into his seat. He had never heard the insect like species laugh before and it sent a shiver up his spine.

“And you cannot even recall your own name? Truly, I pity the human species,” it continued chittering and he stood up, preparing to face down the Ta’lak who spread its wings at the perceived threat, “Careful, human. I could rip your throat out without even trying.”

“Come now, Kaietti,” came a rumbling voice from behind them, and they both turned to face the Olgkrut sprawled across several seats, its large eyes watching the interaction with clear amusement, “You know its name. Just tell it already and we can discuss our escape plan.”

The Ta’lak let out a loud sigh, looking as though it would rather tear off one of its wings than provide a puny human with its name.

“Your name is Jason Covington, or perhaps you should go by your current number,” it chittered at him and he tilted his head in confusion.

“Number?” he asked and the Olgkrut let out a bellowing laugh.

“Since Kaietti isn’t in the best of moods right now, I will inform you of our situation,” the pink creature managed to heave itself to its feet, or in its case, several squishy tentacles, and Jason couldn’t help but wonder how the Olgkrut, usually an aquatic species, had managed to stay out of water for so long.

“You have performed an infraction which has deemed you worthy of being shipped to one of the gypsum crystal mines on Titan,” its large jowls moved in what Jason would normally assume was a smile, but it chilled him more than the Ta’lek’s laugh.

“What did I do? I don’t remember committing any crimes…” he started and the Ta’lek interrupted him.

“That is not surprising, considering you could not recall your own name,” it said dismissively, waving a clawed hand, “But as we were all involved in the same crime, we are all doomed to the same punishment."

Jason waited for the explanation, but the Ta’lek seemed done talking and turned away to continue its pacing up and down the aisle.

“We all conspired against the Empire,” a new voice, higher pitched, and Jason turned his attention to the pale Vrok’ed, still perched on the edge of its seat, long arms pressed between its legs. That news made Jason want to vomit. Anyone who conspired against the Empire was either a fool or desperate. Or a desperate fool.

“Wait…we…we conspired…please tell me you are joking,” he said weakly and the Vrok’ed looked at him with a blank expression. Jason suddenly remembered the Vrok’ed were incapable of lying and had absolutely no sense of humor.

“What did we do? And why am I the only one who can’t remember a thing about me…or even you?” he asked, although he had no desire to hear the answer. The Vrok’ed looked helplessly over to the one who seemed much more inclined to talk. The Olgkrut hefted its girth down the aisle, unceremoniously pushing the Ta’lek to the side, ignoring the warning hiss.

“Perhaps they thought your memory of what we did would make you descend into a psychosis,” it rumbled, and Jason stared at it.

“Well, I think I deserve to know how we wound up on this hydro-train heading to servitude in perpetuity,” Jason demanded, still standing and facing down the Olgkrut. From this distance, he could detect the smell of rotten salt water, as though the Olgkrut had been out of water for a very long time. The creature would not make it more than a week in the gypsum crystal mines of Titan. He felt an unexpected surge of pity for it, and as he did, he recalled the Olgkrut’s name, as well as the name of the Vrok’ed.

“Please…tell me, Osaeks Olkidd,” he pled with the Olgkrut whose eyes widened as he realized Jason’s memory wipe had not fully taken effect.

“We conspired to assassinate the Emperor,” Osaekis said bluntly and Jason fell back into his seat, feeling bile rise in his throat yet again. The Vrok’ed, Matet, his name was Matet, sighed and unfolded himself from his seat, pale, spindly body rising to the point where his head brushed the roof of the train car and stepped around the still fuming Kaietti, ignoring the Ta’lek just as Osaekis had done.

“Our great Emperor of the Centurion Galaxy saw fit to destroy our worlds, including yours, Jason,” he explained, “His official statement was our planets were a drain on the resources of the Empire. Although, truth be told he saw each of us as a threat to his rule. Osaekis was the High Duke of Ares II, I was the Archdeacon of Genesis, Kaietti was the First General of Austea, and you, my dear human, were the Imperator of Europa. Your position and moon had the highest chance of overthrowing the Imperial Emperor Ghetis, Second of His Name.”

Matet took a breath and Jason realized that was the most he had ever heard the Vrok’ed utter and he looked to Osaekis to continue the story, remembering how speaking was taxing to the Vrok’ed. The Olgkrut took up from where Matet had left off easily.

“So, the four of us gathered at different times, never all at once, of course, as that would draw unnecessary attention to our plans,” Osaekis continued for Matet, “We were very cautious in our plans and had determined that one of us would sacrifice ourselves to assassinate the Emperor with a poisonous gas hidden in one of our teeth. We would bite down, expel the gas, and kill the Emperor and whomever else was in the room with him at the time.”

Jason gaped at him.

“Everyone else in the room? But what if they were innocents?”

Kaietti scoffed, pausing in her incessant pacing.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Jason. The sacrifice of a few for the benefit of the many was worth the chance. You always were too soft.”

“I don’t care if I’m soft,” Jason scowled, “That is why I was a great Imperator. I showed my people mercy and we flourished. One leads better through compassion rather than instilling fear and loathing in their population.”

“Be that as it may, Matet volunteered, but we all fought over it, until we finally determined I would be the one to carry out the deed,” Osaekis said, “The Emperor was suspicious of me the least and I was able to get closest to him. Unfortunately, there was a spy in one of our houses and we were revealed before I could even get into the same room as Ghetis.”

“If that’s the case and we were discovered, why didn’t he execute us immediately?”

“Executing four of the most powerful people in the Galaxy would undermine the Emperor’s power. It would show that he is afraid of being usurped and others would attempt to take up our cause,” Kaietti explained, as though talking to a very slow child, “Shipping us off to the mines shows he still can strip power from the most powerful and is not afraid of the consequences. In my opinion it was a stupid decision to make.”

Jason sighed, resting his head against the backrest of the seat.

“So, you mentioned something about escape, Osaekis?” he asked, feeling utterly drained. How he had managed to plot this with the three other leaders without wanting to strangle at least Kaietti was beyond him.

“Ah yes, we have already spoken to the other prisoners aboard the train and have devised an idea for how to get off this blasted thing before we even get close to the mines,” Osaekis said and he turned his head to look at the Olgkrut curiously and Osaekis continued, “They are to start a riot throughout the train and when they slow down to handle the situation, we are to break open…” Kaietti gave a pointed chitter and Osaekis quickly amended himself, “Kaietti is to break the doors open and let us out.”

“And if they don’t slow the train even with the rioting?” Jason pointed out and Osaekis looked at Matet and Kaietti.

“Then one of us will make for freedom and bring news to the rest of the galaxy about the weakness of the Emperor and the truth of his fear.”

“So, Kaietti will free herself and we have to hope we don’t die in the mines before she is able to get help,” Jason said, thinking the choice would be obvious, as the Ta’lek was the only one with wings and would be able to make the fastest escape. Osaekis would no doubt slow them down and both the Olgkrut and Vok’red would both stand out too much on the barren landscape of Titan.

The three other leaders looked at each other and Jason sighed, settling back into his seat.

“When is this riot supposed to start?” he asked.

“It was supposed to begin twenty minutes ago,” Osaekis started when they heard a commotion in the next car over, and the rolls on his face twisted into what could be described as a smile, “And right on time.”

The four leaders waited, expecting the hydro-train to as least slow somewhat, but it plowed ahead through the unforgiving Titan landscape, and Jason cursed internally.

“You didn’t have them start with breaking into the conductor’s car?” he snapped and the other three seemed distinctly uncomfortable. Of course they didn’t think of doing that. They were so removed from the goings on of their planets’ residents they had no idea how trains worked. Jason stood and pushed past Kaietti, ignoring the warning chitter from the Ta’lek and heading to the door between cars. He could see people of all types and species fighting with heavily armed and armored guards, and losing.

Whirling on his co-conspirators he finally lost his patience.

"What were you thinking letting unarmed prisoners fight against Imperial Guards?” he growled and they looked at each other again. Suddenly, Jason’s senses tingled and he saw the set-up the other three leaders had created focused just on him.

“The Emperor requested we take care of you specifically,” Osaekis said, looking as though he regretted nothing and gestured to Kaietti with a large tentacle, “Take care of the human, sister.”

The Ta’lek approached him, claws extending and it all made sense. They had removed his identification watch so he would not be recognized when his body was found. The only thing his people would know is that he had been shipped off to the gypsum mines on Titan and the Emperor had probably already replaced him.

Closing his eyes, not letting despair overtake him, he rushed to the next car, ignoring the screech of the Ta’lek behind him. An armored guard noticed him too late and he dropped down, sweeping his legs, making him fall hard to the ground.

Then it was a matter of stomping down on the one unprotected spot on the guard’s body, his throat before swiping the card that would open the door on the train. He felt the talons of the Ta’lek scratch over the back of his neck, but he was moving to the door, waving the card and before the door was fully open, diving out into the unforgiving Titan landscape. He rolled when he hit the ground, watching as the train flew onwards, the other leaders’ faces the last thing he saw before he was turning and walking back along the tracks. Time to start a revolution.