A big jolt snapped her out of her momentary daydream.
“Landing,” the pilot called out. “Hold on.”
The men all gripped their seats, preparing for what was apparently going to be a rough landing. Shalia did the same, holding on with all her might, unsure just how bad it was going to be. As it turned out, aside from a stomach-wrenching deceleration just before they touched down, it wasn’t all that bad.
She filed out with the others, breathing the fresh air of the planet’s surface for the first time in days. She was back in the fields, as she’d feared, but at least there was sun on her skin and a clean breeze filling her lungs.
“Over there,” a guard said gruffly, shoving her toward one of the fields. “Start picking.”
She recognized these plants. And from just her short time working them, she knew these were overripe. Had she picked them in this condition when she’d been working in her labor team she would have been punished.
“Uh, these are too ripe.”
“What did you say?”
“I said they’re?—”
“I heard you, prisoner, and I don’t care. Now, get to work.”
“But these will make everything else rot if you?—”
The slap sent her to her knees, her eyes watering. “You donottalk back to me. Do as you’re told and keep quiet.”
Shalia was trembling, but not with fear. She was pissed. Pissed, and, surprisingly, feeling almost up for a fight. Of course, if she took a swing at the much larger alien she’d be squashed like a bug. Not only was he big, but he was also wearing armor, like many of the Dohrags in their little group. The only ones not wearing any were the poor few selected to pick the crops. The others, it seemed, were. Acting as sentries. But unlike when she had been a prisoner in the camp, they weren’t trying to keep people from escaping. They were ready to fend off any further attacks.
Shalia knew there was no way the Oraku would be leading any assaults on this place, but she wasn’t about to share thatinformation with the guards. Not when doing so might make their lives easier. And certainly not after her harsh treatment.
Fuck these guys, she thought.They can just work their asses off and learn the hard way.
She went ahead and did as she was told, picking the ready to spoil crops, loading up as much as she could, quickly making her way toward the far edge of the field. She looked around. The trees were much closer than she’d anticipated when she started working. The Dohrags were spread thin, and as she was just a lone prisoner, they’d focused their attentions elsewhere.
“I can make it,” she realized. “They’re too far away to stop me.”
It would be a run, but her legs felt strong. In fact, with the new runes adding power to her limbs, she felt certain she could be well into the trees before the Dohrags could get anywhere near her. Shalia moved casually, setting her collection bag on the ground, then, without so much as a hint of what she had planned, she spun and took off running.
The ground was absolutely flying under her feet, her body feeling light and alive as she truly pushed her muscles for the first time in far too long. She’d never been a runner, per se, but if it always felt this good, she might have to take it up seriously.
She heard shouts behind her and the stomping of heavy boots. Boots of men in cumbersome armor slowing their pursuit. They were bigger and stronger, sure, but they’d have to catch her first, and that wasn’t about to?—
The ground in front of her erupted in a crackling explosion of bright energy, knocking her aside. A second explosion followed seconds later only a few meters from her.
“You turn your ass around and get back here, NOW!” the Dohrag guard shouted, his rifle pressed into his shoulder, ready to fire. “I’m not giving another warning.”
She hadn’t seen anyone carrying a rifle when she boarded the shuttle. Apparently, they were stored somewhere onboard, and at least a few of the guards had taken them out into the fieldswithout her noticing. She’d been so focused on the ones closest around her she’d failed to take a proper look at the entirety of the group. It was a mistake that had nearly cost her her life.
Shalia quickly rose to her feet, her hands in the air. The trees were so tantalizingly close, but not close enough to risk it. If she took another step in that direction, it would be the last thing she’d ever do.
“I’m coming back,” she called out, walking very slowly, making no sudden movements. There was more than one weapon trained on her now, she noted as she drew close to the others. All of them looked absolutely enraged.
“The commander’s gonna have our hides for this,” one grumbled, staring daggers at the human female. “We should never have brought her with.”
“It was his order,” a guard with a rifle replied, casting a frustrated glance at their prisoner. “We just did as he said. It’s not our fault she tried to run.”
“Well, we can’t have her doing that again. And we’re falling behind schedule. Just lock her in the shuttle. We’ll let the commander deal with her later. If we don’t move, we won’t meet his quota.”
“We shouldn’t be doing this. It’s slave work, not Dohrag.”
“Do you see any around? All we have is this one, and she’s more trouble than she’s worth. You ask me, we should just kill her and be done with it.”
