Things quickly became the survival of the fittest as soon as the realization hit that the space was not enough to fit everyone.
Those who had already secured a spot on the mattress clung to it like a lifeline. I sat at the door, watching the ensuing skirmish.
After all, I was among those who had not secured a spot.
The first one to go was the damaged one. The human boy, from what I could judge, could not have been more than my age.
The one the enforcers had punished after dropping the crate full of spices.
He became the victim of the Devaronian slave.
The huge guy grabbed him without a question and tossed him aside.
The boy landed next to me, groaning.
"Excuse me, what the…"
"Just let it go," I said, cutting him off.
No amount of talking would get the spot back. Some amount of talking, however, might get the Devaronian into an even nastier mood. And with that door locked, the only law here was clear to anyone. Strength.
The Devaronian proceeded to sleep and somehow created even more space for himself, space that could have fitted the two of them comfortably.
The rest squeezed in, with the one closest to the Devaronian trying their best not to move any closer, which was a pity since everyone else was pushing against him.
After a while, some semblance of calm fell over the group.
Another guy got up.
"Here. Take my spot."
It was the Zeltron male. At first, I thought he was talking to me. Then I realized he was talking to the boy moaning beside me.
"Hurry up. If I stand, they will take the space before you can crawl in."
The boy seemed to realize what was happening and quickly rushed forward, inserting himself into the Zeltron's spot.
The Zeltron came and sat next to me.
Everyone was tired, but he looked doubly so. His face was creased, no longer carrying that pleasant youthful look that almost resembled his sister's.
For a while, we stayed quiet, watching the others try to find sleep. Try was the wrong word. In no time, some of them were already snoring.
The long hours of travel, coupled with the hard labor we had been subjected to, had taken their toll.
"I can't find sleep," the Zeltron said eventually.
"Well, you should try," I said nonchalantly. "Tomorrow is another hell awaiting us."
He did not seem to care.
"Do you know where they took them? Do you know what they did? Did they have to work like us?"
I did not need to ask for clarity. I knew he was talking about the girls, specifically his sisters.
Not work. That much was obvious.
What was even more obvious was the fate awaiting them.
Still, I did not want to be the messenger of doom.
"I think they took them to rest."
"You are lying," the Zeltron said accusingly. "You know something. What is it?"
I turned toward him.
I was about to ask what he meant, then I remembered he was a Zeltron. Those guys were empaths.
They knew when you were suppressing emotions. In some parts of the galaxy, even among smuggling syndicates, Zeltrons were used as espionage agents. Their pheromones and soothing presence made them terrifyingly effective.
I decided I might as well tell him.
"You saw them choose the beautiful women. Your sisters are Zeltron. If you ask me, any brothel in Mantel would kill to have them."
He suddenly sat up.
"Brothel?"
do not play dumb...i thought to myself. He had to have known.
"Where else do you think they were taking them?" I said out loud. "Zeltrons and Twi'leks are some of the most coveted pleasure workers in the galaxy."
I regretted my words immediately.
He began working himself into a frenzy.
"Calm down. You will alert a guard" I warned.
"Let him whine. He has a face for a brothel too. He will not survive long here anyway," the Devaronian said, having eavesdropped.
Neither of us answered him.
Like I said, with no guards present, the only law was strength. And all the strength here seemed to be packed into that Devaronian.
Still, the Zeltron trembled as he stared at me.
"They are my sisters. They cannot go to a brothel. I cannot let them."
"Oh, shut up. You cannot let anything," the Devaronian screamed.
"Please, do something. How about you begin with us here? Do not let us be slaves."
It was mockery, but the Devaronian had a point. The word let had no place here. None of us had a choice. Otherwise, we would not be here.
"And what is the big deal anyway?" the Devaronian continued. "You Zeltrons fuck each other like a ritual. At least they will only be used for pleasure. You, on the other hand, will be used for torture until you beg for death."
"I think it is better if we try to catch some sleep," I said, trying to squash the debate.
I had a feeling it would not end well.
The Devaronian would keep pushing the weak man, and the Zeltron, driven by fear and love for his sisters, would eventually snap and abandon logic.
Luckily, the boy succumbed to exhaustion. He pressed himself against the wall beside me. I could feel his restlessness as he tried to forget his thoughts.
I needed strength too, before tomorrow began.
I drifted into something like sleep, though I soon realized it was not the same kind the others were enjoying.
Suddenly, I was outside again.
I stood in the same square we had slaved over for most of the day.
What the fuck?
It was full of crates, untouched, as if we had never moved them. Around me, scenes from the day replayed exactly as they had during labor.
I looked around, wondering if I had died and become a ghost.
How was this possible?
"Hey. What are you standing there for? Move. I said move."
An enforcer swung his heavy boot. I dodged and ran back into the line.
So they could see me?
What was happening?
How was I back here?
I grabbed a crate and fell in with the others.
"Move, move, move."
When we reached the hold, I handed the crate to one of the slaves arranging them and turned to leave again.
That was when it happened.
The same hovering holographic display I had seen earlier appeared in front of me.
I looked around. Nobody cared. Nobody saw it.
I fell back in line and walked toward the crates again.
On the way, I watched the guards carefully. None of them reacted.
Nobody saw what I was seeing.
[Welcome to the dream state.]
The words were bold black against a blue background.
[The dream state is the only way you will access your force sensitive smuggling training.]
Smuggling training?
This was it. The force system I had been waiting for.
I remembered choosing a force sensitive smuggler.
So the system took it seriously.
That was insane.
Force sensitive smuggler training.
Thank God. Maybe I could escape now. With force skills, I might pull off something and save myself.
Then the next line crushed that hope.