Chapter 1
I lay in the light blue grass. The cool air covers my face with its soft touch. Relaxation at its finest. I curled my toes in my shoes and took a deep breath. My robe flapping in the breeze. My only possession was the enjoyment I felt that day. It felt like searing greyness, a happiness of my own in comparison to the bright flowers underneath me. What could be better than a day like today? Above, the purple sky shined with its majesty. The orange "Horos" flowed past singing their tune. Their orange color mixes beautifully with the sky. Their song, one of absolute beauty. A quartet of majesty. Each note brightening up my life like a sunlight all my own. Their figures are hard to discern from their height up in the air. A simple russet hue. I knew them as small bodies with medium sized feathery wings that allowed them to float through the sky.
A Dirda of them was hovering over my head as the smooth sunlight of the afternoon wafted over. Today was one of the best days of my life. I thought to myself that nothing could go wrong. My hopeless enslavement would not break me this day. I was happy. My master's balloon was sitting in the colorful array of purple and white Foluips that were spread throughout this valley of flowers. A new directive for the great deed I had done. I was a human being given freedom to lay in some alien growth. I smiled as I breathed in the vapors and the spores. My black hair being invaded by the petals that were somehow all over. From the top of my head to the inside of my ears. I brushed them away only to find more.
I laughed as these petals decided that my hair was worthy for their slumber. To make my head a colorful display. My black locks were spotted with yellows and green. More colors than I could imagine. A bonanza of freedom. A joy that came with being able to make a movement by your own volition.
I looked up at the sky and drank in this moment. What else would I be thinking about? Nothing else was worth even dreaming about. What was a dream when it had no fruit? What if the fruit came and for a moment you were allowed to eat it? The ability to feel the juices of something that you thought was imaginary. An imaginary vision of splendor that was forever lost until it wasn't. Like Shangri-La, it appears to you. Would you rue your situation, or would you enjoy yourself to the zenith degree before it faded away. Even if it was falling out of your hands like sand in an hourglass. Every moment it falls away until it is empty again. I always knew with dramatic despair that the sand would stop falling.
As I laid there in my personal sanctuary. The foliage rubbing up against me. The flowers embracing me with miraculous grace. With beauty that called for nothing in return. Tears dripped down my face as the flowers exuded out their beautiful aroma. A smell that I could love forever. A sweetness that calmed. Love in its simplest form. From one species to another. Ignorant beautiful love. I could close my eyes and be in the midst of a parade full of exotic smells. They all were meant to bring me happiness. Lavender, chocolate, Peanut butter. It's smell now extinct. Smells that would never again grace my nostril. A ghostly parade for me. The skeletons holding the banners for places and sentients long dead. Street corners that no longer existed. Celebrating the end and holding out the treats of remembrance. Sweet tranquility. Sweet tranquility, nothing that could ever be the same but remembrance all the joyful same.
Interrupting my serenity was a buzzing noise. It cut like an axe through my parade. The fires of reality ripping through the crowd destroying the beauty. But what could fire do to the dead. Simply vanquish it for a little while until it reformed again. Sweeter and more beautiful. I looked down at the watch on my arm. A small watch-like device with a black screen. On the screen was the always angry Mrs. Kalofild. Her blue skin blends in with the background of the screen. I always thought her blonde hair made her look silly. Her large head barely fitted the screen and her nose was too large for any being in the universe. Her mouth though fit perfectly and flapped at a speed that made me want to vomit. She yelled,
"Roilland, where are you? Shirking your responsibilities? Always so ungrateful to my husband. Always flaunting his good nature. He could have sold you a hundred times over, and made good money. I could have a personal female slave who feeds me Havinuts all day and takes care of my children. But now my husband has his little worker bee. A lazy one that sits in the meadow all day. Can you imagine if the magistrate knew? Oh they would kill my husband and leave me with a nasty replacement. Do you understand how your recklessness could ruin this family? Do you? You are so dumb, you never respond to me. I had a hard day today. My son, your little master, he was sick with the Pox and had to stay home from ritual school. He laid on his back puking and had a fever. Could you imagine as you live your easy life while your little master died? It would be truly terrible. How could you almost let that happen? Roilland you know your little princess? She hurt her foot today while walking to the bistro with me. What if she became crippled? With our wealth tied up in your lazy person. She would not have a handmaiden. We would have to turn one of the five cleaners into one. Can you imagine, four house slaves? You need to understand that your laziness is taking a toll. My husband is sitting here unable to make it to work because his driver is sitting in a field for a few minutes longer than he promised. You were allowed to sleep away from the hut, and you dare disrespect us now. You better be back soon or there will be consequences".
I felt the power cell turn off beneath my arm. The little device implanted deep within and I sighed as the bondage began to break through paradise. The screen went blank as I slowly stood up. The ground imprinted from where I had lain for a full morning and night. My body is unhappy for such movement. My brain calling for me to lay back down. The gentle breeze singing a song of peace. The ground soft against my feet. My legs begging me to lay back down. The beautiful and peaceful sanctuary beckoning me to stay forever. An idea that comes across the mind of all those in untenable situations.
Alas that would not be the plan today. Another day being a slave to another, I was to follow the harsh directives. My balloon sadly in one piece. No problems at all. I checked a few times before giving up and climbing inside. It was as close to a pontoon boat from earth as possible. The main difference was the red alien writing on the front. It floated because of the chemistry of the planet. The air being as light as it is. I was surprised I didn't simply just float away sometimes. Why travel on the ground when the sky was so easy to traverse. The inviting planet allowed the Glomans to ascend to the heavens.
The metal frame that held the craft together was lighter than air but somehow able to withstand the girth of the passenger. This meant that the vehicle could be pushed upwards by a simple fan made of the same light metal. It was so durable that it could withstand the elements but brittle enough to be molded into whatever was needed for flight. A truly miraculous marvel. The fan underneath the car was swirling and lifting the car skyward. All it took was a circular fan underneath the cab to move the vehicle skyward.
I climbed inside the balloon. The dashboard had a few blinking buttons. I clicked the dull button. A grey button on the left side of the dash. It turned on the fan. This caused the craft to start levitating into the air. I clicked a lime green button on the right side of the dash. The fan on the back began to spin. Then it was simply directional flying using the rudder which allowed for movement side to side. The craft was zipping through the sky. I always felt like I was flying a large grape. It had a lot of royal purple, and the bulbous nature really brought the fantasy home. It was a grape that could float through the sky. One of my many joys was this one.
The ability to fly a giant grape was one of my weird fantasies from when I was younger. The fan picked up speed below me and the ship began to lurch upward. The beginning of ascendance in the craft was a bit nerve-wracking. The balloon was meant for being in the sky not landlocked. So, it fussed and squirmed as it began its slow journey upwards to a respectable height. My heart always beat out of my chest as the grape acted like it was going to fall back. I had seen quite a few accidents to know that it was not a rare occurrence. I was silent as the whirring fan below kept me heading upward. I could begin to feel the moisture of the sky. It always felt like a rainstorm. Most would cover the craft to protect themselves, but I loved it. An alien world with its very different gases and molecular development.
While water on earth was a tangible fluid that could fill a lake. The liquid on this world was fully gaseous. It never could become a solid or a liquid.The water hung in the air and waited for my embrace. I felt it enter my pores and fully integrate with me. That was the miracle of this liquid. It was evident in the sky all the time. A yellow tinge that was in every cloud. A miracle that existed on this planet. Made to enter the body of any creature almost immediately. As though you were continuously drinking in the fluid the entire way. Like your body was always in a refreshing spring. The ability of a planet to take away the need to drink liquid of any kind. As if a God was filling your body himself and taking care of his livestock.
The idea of a planet where its inhabitants drink things like liquor, soda, milk, and any beverage was never created. It was all done serendipitously as though through magic. Magic that had always been ordinary to them. What they must feel when they enter a foreign world to not find the familiar atmosphere. Not to find the friendliness that they were blessed with. Their amazement about liquid having to be drunk. That they would need to replicate their environment in their crafts. Finding that they missed it so much. That home was so far away, and the creature comforts were gone. The hills, mountains, and structures that were uniquely their own were many light years away. I sighed as I thought about all this information I had absorbed in another civilization.
The civilization that I was now forced to live with. That I was now beholden too. My new home. A home that was nice to others and created a circumstance where they were able to defend themselves. Quickly entering the space age and in a unique place for accelerated improvement.I could see the outline of the small village in the distance. The large trees of Altear awaiting me with open arms.
Its large trunk blocking out large swaths of land. The grand Alstaire tree of the valley. A king tree with over four hundred branches that could be seen from hundreds of miles around. The violet oak strutted out like a sword through the sky. The tree had a thick trunk with the creases telling a story of eons. The majesty from sprout to the elder old tree that it had become. The branches fanned the king in its stead. The village bowing to the great tree "Alsloman". It greeted me with solemn silence. I moved the craft slowly towards it. The massive tree's stature stupefying all with its majesty. From the tips of the large leaves. Leaves that were the size of boulders. Sharp as knives and the basis for my master's business. The crispness reflects in the light. Saturated by the intense moisture of the sky. The yellow coating beautifully radiating like the sun. I always liked to look straight up at them as they flowed in the wind. Their coloring reminding me of better times.
I allowed myself that small pittance of reverence as the balloon joyfully floated in place. The large tree's exterior like a sea. A coat of solemn brown bark of the emperor of the forest. The God of this world. The almighty that peered down over all below him. The lighthouse of the village and the caretaker of the forest. The Septor's will infused into the great tree. Allowing all in the valley of the flowers to feel his radiance even though he is situated hundreds of miles to the north. I always thought the tree was a great landmark. Taller than anything on earth. Taller than any mountain or building. Truly unbelievable that it was only the fifth tallest tree on the planet. A tree that was said to have been birthed by fifth Septor as he rejuvenated the land for all his subjects.
I took another look at the tree. I breathed it in allowing the aroma to overwhelm me. It was a Smokey smell. It smelled like the musk of a thousand years of life. A smell that drilled into your soul and allowed you to connect to the history of the planet. A history that came from the planting in one spot. To oversee the world around your position change while you become taller and taller. I grabbed for one the loose branches. The wispy branch easily escapes the monolith that bore it. A sign of good luck to the village as each branch was said to bring good fortune for any who dared approach the monolithic arbor. I knew that my master would appreciate it and would probably forgive my lateness. I waved goodbye to Alsloman as I began to descend slowly down its trunk.
The base of the tree growing wider and wider. I began to see the sea serpent-like roots holding its massive frame into the ground. The coils of the "Kitar". Kitar being the wood frame that most of the village used as a frame. These frames were known as the most durable on the entire planet. More facts that had been drilled into my brain with my master's constant lecturing. I found the Kitar roots to be quite unattractive. The roots were painted with the soil and had a rustic look. It was like they had taken on the unsavory pieces of the planet below. Where Alsloman has a heavenly crown, the Kitar were the disgusting underbelly that propped it up. My balloon passed over them as the village came into view. The tiny triangle shaped buildings jutting out of the ground like a herd of porcupines. The sight of my master's wealth that always was the final death nail of my tranquility.
I slowly descended downwards. The residences of the Florts, Maners, and Kolquats always came first. The beginning of the uniform conformity of the sentients of Kalvar. Their homes built in order to bluster my masters own brilliance. They were followed down the line into the hive of over one hundred homes built directly next to one another. The village of Kalvar under one design. The dark colors to undercut their independence from overreaching thoughts. They were in sharp contrast to the beautiful senses that nature brought. Inside of their keeps, these villagers stayed until work began. They enjoyed the riches that came from the many slaves that worked for the families all the same.
A rich and plentiful town that took its great circumstance to become a wealthy trading planet. One that competed with even the great empires of the other sectors. These thoughts of exposition floating through my head on a rather uneventful descent. No one screaming at their slaves or the rush of another balloon almost knocking me out of the sky. I gripped the rudder much tighter as the ground grew closer. I felt the rough transition of Neu to Zo as the whole balloon buckled. I kept my tight grip until finally and mercifully the balloon touched the ground. I flipped off the motor and opened the carriage door stepping off onto the cold hard ground of the village. Built on a basin in an effort to not destroy the amazing flowers on the hills that would come later. I was now in front of the residence of my master Mr. Kalofild, the family of Grat, Klat, Flo, and little Slo who had bought me here so long ago. They were a hardworking family who wanted nothing but the best for themselves. That is why they bought me and put me to work building their wares.
I hoped that the children would see me as a person as they grew instead of a product like their parents. The hope was born by what I saw as a lack of institutional conditioning that was particularly evident. The evidence being was a smidge less air of superiority that drafted endlessly from their parents. They had not been corrupted fully yet. I smiled as I thought about the time I kicked a sphere around with Flo. He was bored and was kicking the sphere at the wall of his house. I asked if I could join and we passed it to one another for an hour or so until I was found out by Klat. I always will remember the look of confusion of Flo's face as he could not understand his mother's vitriol. She sent me packing and since then had been keeping a more watchful eye on her son.
I remember the green sparkled ball that effortlessly went into the air with even the tiny bit of momentum. It was like a balloon but with substance that could resist the call for explosion. Another technological marvel of this planet. One that I had the pleasure of being able to kick. I tried to find another for my own personal usage but found that slaves were not allowed them on punishment of death. That is why even the black market had none. I sighed as I thought about my spot of silence. It was miles away now. Given to me by my master with clenched teeth. His balloon was an accessory to the wholesale enjoyment of his own slave. A punishment that would rip through his household if anyone were to find out. I smiled as I thought about his family in irons.
The punishment of the Septor wiping away all that he had built simply because he showed me an ounce of kindness. A kindness that to me meant so much simply in relation to the nothing I had. More than that. The thought of my owner in chains and with nothing also added to the pleasure I obtained from it. Truly something I could value.
As though he could sense my thoughts. My master Grat Kalofild stood in the doorway of his home. His robes with the pristine red on them. The red that came with his high office in the universe of the Sultan. Within one hundred bodies. His belly protruding from underneath. His scowl evident on his plump face. His blue skin shimmering in the morning light. His hair as short as could be. He was bald but it was a big deal to him that he still had some. Behind him was the palace that a slave would never traverse. The hovel of the wealthy. A place that I would never be allowed. I always imagined the extravagant items on the inside from the statue of Viofrobus that I saw him purchase many rotations ago. The Viofrobus was a grey statue that portrayed the great Lord Fundel. The other treasure would be the Blareyus from the Septor's palace. A prestigious and altogether amazing looking bright yellow crystal that was said to be six feet tall and four feet wide. Those treasures did not interest me.
The furniture from the city of Valuton was all I cared about. Made from the Barnos who populated the area. It was said to be like sleeping on a cloud. This interested me as I was not allowed on anything but the ground so furniture that was not rock hard sounded like heaven. I climbed out of the craft and fell fully onto the ground.
With my mouth in the lite-green dirt croaked, "My Lord, I thank you for that wonderful excursion, and I am ready to again bring you comfort and wealth. The Septor blesses you this wonderful day. Grat coughed, "Mitchell, get up".
He walked over me. His scent was that of a man who had not stood or moved in many hours. A fresh night sleep. I grinded my teeth as his new shoes protected his feet. I stared down at my feet bare to the world. Susceptible to the harsh environment while his master's shoes were the protector of luxury and general sloth. I watched as his heavy body meandered its way towards the balloon. The many meals that he had devoured evident with every movement. He opened the door and fell into the balloon. He grunted as I took my time standing up. I silently with no urgency made my way into the balloon. The two of us began our silent journey up into the sky.
After a few moments, he whispered, "Here you are". He discreetly handed me a bag full of coins. I said nothing as I skillfully placed them in my robes. I could feel the jangle of what I hoped would be the beginning of my accumulation of wealth.
Grat smiled, "I can't believe you found it, my lad". I looked around as if there were spies in our midst and replied, "Was there any doubt". Grat grabbed my shoulder, "Son, you know how much money I have made off of your discovery, the Fundel of Nosoma has put in a bid of over ten thousand Septars". My mouth dropped, utterly speechless. Grat continued, "Yes, the relic of Sonjorbin being found has brought great pride to the nation. I heard the Septor himself wants to view this little object. I heard that he is sending one of his daughters with the Fundel, so I need to get the house in order. You of course will say nothing as was agreed".
I nodded, "Sir, since you are taking in so much with this job would you please buy yourself another balloon and allow this weary slave the honor of continuing to ride this old run-down one"? I knew his answer but wanted to hear the response. Would my master follow through or simply disappoint me again?
Instead Grat ignored me, "You know I wonder what Erica looks like, they say she is quite beautiful. I interrupted, "but in comparison to her sisters, she is quite plain". Grat glared at me, "Do not interrupt my merriment, it is a privilege that I would even allow you in my private matters. You understand that right"? I sunk back in my seat realizing that Grat was a liar. Grat looked out over the pristine hills of Dozertain where the large globe making factories were poking their sharp heads out. He yelled, "The acquisition of wealth at the rock bottom prices of nothing is truly the only way to live". I replied, "The blessings of Septor on yours and ours". Grat sighed, "Don't be like that Roilland, you know I can't allow you that much privilege. Your excursions out into the calm lands draw a lot of attention. My giving you a vehicle would be a black mark that could bring ruin upon my family. You're a good man but I can't do that. You understand, don't you"?
My expression hardened, "I understand my lord and master". Grat whispered, "Don't take that tone with me. I have treated you more than fair. You know that. Don't you"? I nodded at him not willing to voice any of my true feelings.
Grat sadly looked off the side of the vehicle, "I can't do anything else, and I have taken such a risk already. You know the laws of the land. Your value is nothing but your work. Your reward is living. The Septor allows the freedom of slaves but not until the allotted time of the just. Your clock still has over fifty cycles. You know that." I replied, "The Septor blesses your house and at his mercy, I live with you". Grat sighed, "You will work today down below. Now go, I have some work to do in the executive corridors".
I said nothing as the balloon touched the ground. I was so upset I did not even worry about the rough landing. I silently stomped off towards the factory. The factory was a sleek white building with a large spiked ceiling. It jutted out into the sky like all the other buildings in the village. All around it was the beauty of this world. The magnificent never-ending hills of a variety of planets. The forest in the far reaches that called for exploration. The sky with its welcoming call for a voyage. Yet I was forced into this large blight. A place of pure greed and exploitation. A gateway. A gateway into the netherworld.
I headed around the side of the building. The flower fields that populated the ground was burned away till all that was left was black dirt. I thought of it as a crater. A place devoid of what makes this planet wonderful. A wonder that could see easily be walled away. The helpful surroundings closed away as the population threw away the training wheels. It began to move forward on its own. It closed itself away from its own beauty and began to build walls. Walls that would need more and more attention. As the outside world began to drift away. The beauty allowing darkness to encompass all that was and ever will be.
The sentients breaking contact with the only goodness that they would have ever encountered. The employee entrance brought a white hallway about eight feet in height with a narrow width. I felt the familiar pull of anxiety. My freedom restricted in the literal hallway I was walking in. My life as a building. A building built around my indentured circumstance. I stopped and looked back towards the large entrance with its dark plating. A literally gate to the underworld. I thought about running back into the world but there were consequences that came with that.
After a few minutes jaunt. The room opened into a medium sized locker room. The plain room had small lockers full of mining equipment, from a long time past. The creation of the shaft took many years and the death of hundreds of slaves. That was for this facility alone. The other tunnels replicated that death count. I sighed as I felt like I was in a graveyard. The bones of my predecessors welcome me whenever I stepped inside. Their laughter reverberating throughout. Holding it over me that they no longer were part of the enslavement. Their actions were their own. They would never have to be a slave for anyone ever again. While their deaths were tragic, they were finally free. Free, a word that I thought about for many rotations. The world would change all around me and I would stay in chains. Chains that erupted from this planet. A beautiful planet that had given so much to its spoiled children.
Who sought nothing from them, except for their personal success? I continued to feel bad for myself for a bit longer. I breathed as I looked around the room. Alone still. The array of helmets with flashlights. The heavy clothing and jeans. The black and white logo of the Narnja Corporation on them. My master was a member of this group. It allowed him to build his tunnel and be part of the global market. A group that allowed the ability for enslavement. For ultimate wealth for Grat. Wealth that allowed into the pantheon of the planet. A pantheon that many would give their lives for association with. A fact that his family pushed into me on every occasion. A great man who shouldered the pain of success. Success that could drive him and all his possessions, including me into the dirt.
I stripped down out of my robe and slowly put on the heavy clothing. It was enough padding that I could probably survive falling down a steep cliff. It weighed down on me like a barrel of stones. I looked down at my bare feet. I always thought it was funny that my body was covered for protection against the elements yet my feet remained uncovered. The pants I wore was starchy against my skin. I felt them drag on the ground. Finally I put on the hard hat. It had a large bulbous light on it. I looked downward at my clothes. The dull orange pants along with the brown jacket felt like chains.
Chains that pulled me down further and further. Thus the ensemble was complete. An ensemble that connected me further with the previous slaves before me. All those who had been mercifully released from bondage. Who I knew were looking down upon me with hopeful eyes, knowing that there is a grand future after my horrible ordeal. I sat down on the bench in front of the locker and began thinking about the relic of Sonjorbin. How I had broken so many rules to acquire it. How Grat had lied to me about my reward, such a paltry request could not even be accommodated. The thought that if Grat could lie about that, maybe he was lying about my freedom. That I would have to endure this for only fifty more cycles. I suddenly stood up. My mind pulsating off in different directions.
One calling me to run backwards towards the door. The other listening to the laughter above me. All the masters in the Executive area enjoying a drink. Nothing on their mind while they passively made their wealth. I began to block these thoughts out as the day's activity started to weigh on my brain. I absent mindedly began to head towards the back of the room. The meadow with the flowers dancing happily around my brain. The freedom I was promised. So much better than the reality I lived in.
At the edge of the locker room was the large grey gate. The Narnja logo in large white font across the front. Alongside the top of the door was large printed red font that read, "Warning, The city below is unstable". A warning that I took little interest in everyday that I worked. I opened the gate with a loud creak. The creaking gate unveiled a tunnel held together by fluorescent orange metal. The metal allowing for the tunnel to open about eight feet. More than enough room for objects to be pulled out of it. It stretched down for miles seemingly into the planet's core. I slowly made my way down. I was not being cautious but I understood that the work would be tedious. The images of the flowers floating away as it got darker and darker. I held my head down at the cobblestone underneath me. My feet feeling every freezing pebble as I went further and further downward. A large glowing gate met me at the bottom with another sign reading, "Trade will begin once your feet have entered the Globe". I sighed as I walked through the doorway.
The other side was the open pit of the Globe. A world under the surface where traders from across the planet had access. They sold their wares. From the land of the Garo to the Sultan's utopia. Traders were energetically filling their pockets. The robes of Calysoio to the writings of the great philosopher Gioten which I was more than little interested in reading. The coins in my pocket jingling awaiting that transaction. I never thought that I would have the chance for a personal purchase like that. I looked up at the florescent sky that shone an almighty orange tinge as I felt a tinge of positive energy. That all changed when I became immersed in the Globe.
Crowds of merchants flowing past me like a stream of fish. With my trader's colors they cared little about me in any way. We all wore the heavy clothes. It meant that we were safe and in agreement about the sanctity of fair deals. An uncommon practice among the merchants. Crowds of blue skinned natives flowed past me in their red robes. Taking one look at my face and walking away. Slaves were known by the red markings on our foreheads. They were tattooed on and served as a reminder of both our servitude along with our status as property. I walked up to a large building. It was painted white and had a single door.
I tapped on the door and waited. It was a plain building one that could be overlooked but many knew its true purpose. The door creaked open. The whiskers of a Mouslath looking down at me. His red markings overwhelmed by his orange skin. He whispered, "What can I do for you"? I lifted up the bag of coins. He looked around and waved me inside. The inside of the shop was an array of junk. Junk that spanned from across the whole planet. From the Pitts of Ray to the Forests of Gleam.
I asked, "Have you found Gioten's writings yet"? The orange fellow slinked up behind me. He whispered, "You think my master would sell such writings to one such as you"? I smiled, "Of course not, but you would sell it without your master knowing". Gako looked down at the bag of coins, "No, he has not found them yet. Can I interest you in ratings by Heroteck or maybe Sepsa"? Ignoring him, I started wandering through the shop. Passing famous art from Gao to a feather from the cap of the Septor. I picked up a small piece of metal. It had weird markings and was weightless.
I asked, "What is this". Gako grabbed it out of my hands, "Be careful with that, it is a talisman of power". I sighed, "What does it do". Gako laughed, "It does nothing but let the elite into off limit places in the holy city". I asked, "How much would it cost"? Gako threw it at the ground and we both watched it shatter. He looked towards his window, "Simply a fake added to the collection in order to deceive gullible customers". I nodded and asked, "Now what in here is actually valuable"? Gako smiled, "Finally a question I can work with"?.
I followed him as he led me over to a table. He peered at the door. He quietly said, "I will only show you this if you take the object off my hands. There will be punishment if you are found in possession of it, but yours will not be as bad as mine. I nodded. He took a necklace out of the drawer. He put it in my hands. We both stared at its radiance and I asked, "What is that". Gako nervously whispered, "It is a necklace from the Septor's first wife. An object of extreme wealth and beauty. I'm giving it to you because if my master ever sold it. He would be murdered and I would be crucified. The necklace is an important heirloom. I know you will be seeing the Fundel soon. Maybe you could sell it to one of his slaves. It will bring you more wealth than that paltry sum in your bag".
I asked, "Why would you give it to me"? Gako whispered, "My master has a buyer. This will save me. Please take it". I nodded as the necklace was deposited into my pocket. I handed Gako my bag of coins. He looked at the ceiling with tears of relief dripping down his face. I grimaced, "I am guessing that you will have Gioten's writings next time I come in here"? Gako smiled at me as I left the shop. His performance having coming to an end and now I was carrying his contraband like a sucker.
I tried to push those thoughts down as I gazed across the downtown. The area was a part of the city built fully for trading. The mass of colored stands with all different kinds of wares. Merchant's rushing around following all the citizens who would make their way here. I liked watching the unsuspecting buyers being overwhelmed. His pockets emptied as he bought more and more. Unable to withstand the volley of good deals and loud voices showcasing their legendary products. The magistrate watching the crowds for pickpockets and crime. A hanging was a jolly event for the merchants as it made the buyers even more susceptible. They would watch the neck break and their wallets would be empty. The need for comfort after watching a life float away.
The backdrop of the tunnel showcased a grim and tragic death. I walked past the large platform into the middle of the square. Ignored by the populace until a victim was ultimately chosen. A victim that often was a slave on the orders of a greedy master. One that wanted more to buy and sold his slave to the many merchants. Merchants who would either put them to work or on the gallows. In the stalls on the street were slaves nervously selling wares from overproduced books to extravagant paintings to an overzealous population always in the mood for more prestige.
In their zealous bid for products, they would work up an appetite. The food being sold was often discolored and terrible looking. I was not allowed to purchase it so of course I thought it looked disgusting. On the other side of the street were clothes that were tacky and oversized for sale. The modicum being that they were worn by some famous noble or even the sultan himself. I turned my head from the products that I was not special enough to purchase.
I took a breath as I began to collect myself. The hardest part of being enslaved was knowing that your dreams were now fully unattainable. The days of working in the small hope for salvation were replaced with a closed door. It was enough to make one go crazy. I had thought about that action for a long time. It was a salivating action. Blood for all the pain. The one roadblock being that I was the last. The last of a my people. How could I throw away their sacrifice like that? How could I end my civilization? All because I was uncomfortable. My sentients would never have that opportunity again. I was the last and would stay the last. No other humans. No other way of pushing our genes without mixing them with the other slaves. I had nothing against other civilizations. A small part of me deep down always will miss her. She was like me with the same appendages.
I pushed it deep down as I looked across the street a Valoiran slave with his twenty arms pushing his tiny yellow body down the street. It would always make me laugh because of how riduculus the design was. Basically, a large ball propelled by four hands and sixteen more for other purposes. His three huge eyeballs populating around the front of his face in a triangle formation.
Underneath that structure was a large mouth with great big grey teeth populating it. I wondered if I looked physically handicapped to him with my four appendages. I always wanted to ask him, but Slaves talking to other slaves in a nonprofessional standing was punishable by death. Slaves selling anything to another slave without a master's permission was also punishable by death. Slaves leaving without a master's permission was punishable by death. The spies were everywhere.
I kept my face down as I passed by not even wanting to make eye contact. This was not a game. They were out for blood. Every execution another opportunity for someone else to take wealth and glory. The magistrate full of vipers willing to gain wealth in any way that they could. With the religious fervor behind them, they could commit whatever act they wanted.
My mind left that area. I had to somehow move past all this information. Dwelling on it all day would make me go crazy. I mean can you imagine having to remember so many rules. Knowing that if you made a mistake then it would be all over. I pushed that thought away and looked at the one place in the entire marketplace I could fine peace. The exception of stall seven. A stall a few blocks from my place of work. My brain pushing a false narrative as I saw the only other human on the planet.
A female. She had droopy eyes and her skin was very light. The hours of struggle were on her face. A soul who was fully trapped in her enslavement. The torment of the last six years drenched on her face. I walked past and stared at her. The last vestige of my planet. I couldn't talk to her and while her assortment of books might be interesting. It was something my master would never allow. If he knew that I was interested he would tell her master and she would die. I couldn't let that happen. The rule could not be broken. My master pushing that saying like a mantra multiple times a cycle as I learned the ropes in the beginning of my service. It killed me as I walked past her every day and said nothing. She never noticed me just continued to sell to the next customer.
Her empty eyes showcasing the inevitable depression that would encompass me someday. I tried to imagine her with a smile on her face but after so many months I could not even muster such imagery in my head. After she had left my view. I stared at the ground and wallowed. It was unfair that I couldn't do what I liked. I didn't want to be down there in the muck. I wanted to be free. I thought that when I woke up that we had somehow found freedom in the sky. Instead, we were bottled up under the heels of others. It took everything in my being to continue onwards under such a circumstance. I needed to persevere as Humanity was left in me. I needed to stay strong, or it was over.
I made it finally to my master's office building. It was a nonchalant grey building on the edge of the Globe, In what was affectionately called the Romdrum district. My master's first building. His pride and joy. I always thought of it as a joyless symbol of achievement for a man who enslaved sentients. I opened the door and stared at my workspace. No books, no trinkets, no food, nothing but the selling of a ridiculous idea. Walls made of whatever grey material came from this planet. Above was a low ceiling in order to minimize his risk. The walls thin so the outside air came inside.
More of a cave than a building. I looked across at the single counter. It sat lonely with mounds of office supplies sitting on the floor behind it. My feet freezing from the floor which was not paved or anything. It was simply a rocky unpaved floor. Cold and uncaring just like my master. The walls adorned with my master's designs. The bleakness of the building unparalleled and popular around the planet. My mind could not even comprehend how such a gem of a planet could birth such a boring design. A person who owns slaves and does not use them to make his place of work interesting. That is probably why he likes his home so much. His wife probably makes it at least somewhat interesting.
I mean a building designer who couldn't create a lovely place of work should have dissuaded customers. I sighed as the workday was about to begin and I started to refresh my ideas of what exactly my master made. An incredibly simple and idiotic design that made me weep. Weep for how someone with so little creativity could be a master over me. My master…
My master who explained in great detail that his design was specialized. The designs were the next wave of imagination. On the wall were the sketching of my master's famous buildings. The buildings with the sharp-top was a design specifically made by my master. He had found a way to cut the ceiling so thin that it created the spike-like aesthetic at a young age by accident. His uncle was murdered by one of Alsoman's large leaves. A common occurrence many cycles ago. My master found a way to protect his family and thus the idea was born. It morphed into a planet-wide phenomena that made my master many riches. Even in areas where it was not needed.
It became a status symbol wanted by everyone. The problem being that over time, as with most things, the technique was stolen. Soon others were copying his craft. The business began to slow and his giant home near the Septor's holy city was too expensive for him to afford. That is why other ventures had to be started. I took out a tiny sign reading "Grat's Building Prep". I placed it on the bar and flipped on the switch under underneath. The light illuminated the small building space with pictures of the cone shaped building.
I took my post behind the bar spraying myself with what Grat called, "welcoming scent". To me it smelled like the combination of elk urine and diarrhea but the wealthy who could afford his extravagant design were attracted to it. I took a deep breath of fresh air before my scent made me want to throw up. My only comfort was my secret chair that I had secretly purchased with my secret money supply and took a seat. A calmness entered my life as I relaxed in my chair. My body floating further and further away. It was as though I was heading home. Through the endless space and beyond towards my destroyed planet. Now alive and well.