Minor
Shooter's sudden disappearance was distracting. Galaxy was pretty pissed and obviously worried, but determined to stay on task. However, he was definitely putting his anger to use, letting his intimidating aura keep our temporary prisoners in line.
He also directed Major to heal the people who had more serious injuries. A few Shooter had attacked were at risk of bleeding out or having permanent damage if not treated. My twin made sure everyone was stable, but didn't spend more energy than he had to.
Stardust, Qualin, and I went straight to the people being held in cells. There were a couple dozen being held in different sections of the compound.
The first group we went to were chained and had collars on similar to what Qualin had been forced to wear. Apparently, they had been captured fighting for the rebellion. They showed clear signs of torture. Most likely for interrogation. Thankfully, Qualin was familiar enough with their technology that he found the mechanical key that could release the collars.
"Thank you." A man said after we removed his collar. His voice was hoarse and it looked like he could hardly stand. "We were all resigned to be sold to the meat factories or fighting pits of in Lacrazah."
I briefly glanced through his memories. He'd heard graphic stories all his life as a fear tactic, and knew a few slaves that had supposedly been sold to such fates. As revolting as it was, sadly, it wasn't surprising. A glance in the minds of our prisoners revealed the thought that their slaves were little better than animals; selling them as livestock for slaughter or entertainment seemed like a fitting threat and punishment. Disgusting.
'I didn't know Nehwalians dealt with that too.' Qualin's thoughts gently brushed against my mind. 'They were always treated with such privilege. Guess slaves are still slaves if they piss off their masters.'
'We've seen all kinds of slavery. In my experience, even the most privileged ones are still at the mercy of the masters. And subject to the worst a society has to offer.' I fought to keep a growl from escaping during our silent conversation as we continued to release the rest of the collars and chains. 'From what I'm seeing in these peoples' minds, the mainstream society of the Rataran empire does value and care for their slaves as companions and helpers. Sort of like beloved pets.'
I looked into the mind of the young man we were currently freeing. I saw another young man, a Rataran. I saw glimpses of them as children. They seemed like good friends. Even now he had thoughts and concerns for his master.
I dug a little deeper; his mind was too tired to resist or even notice. He had ended up joining the rebellion after helping a small band of runaways hide. His master, his friend, had even helped. Then when they were compromised, his master had told him to run with the rest. It was clear from his mind that they both knew even a kind master couldn't save them from the oppressive government. He feared his master/friend had been arrested when he ran, and felt guilty that he'd been caught anyway.
I looked into another man's mind. He was older. There was a little more resistance so I didn't press too hard. I saw glimpses of training and fighting. Looked like he was part of a law enforcement team. There was a strong sense of loyalty, but a bitterness as well. He had joined the rebellion after trying to help a slave wanted for hurting her master. He was part of the team that had apprehended the runaway. All I could see in his mind was her terrified face, a sense that it was wrong, and the belief that getting her to the rebels was her only chance. He seemed hopeful that she was safe, and was closely guarding his thoughts related to safe places the rebels held and details of their operation.
They all seemed to have similar stories of how they joined the rebellion: either they were abused and ran away, or they decided to help others who were escaping abuse and punishment.
'Not too hard to put the pieces together.' Qualin commented as I showed him the fragments of memories I was gathering.
'Yeah. Even in a society that supposedly has laws protecting the rights of the enslaved, there are those willing to ignore the protections. And others willing to outsource their cruelty by selling offending slaves to even more barbaric cultures.'
'Yeah, even I know being sold as a slave to just about any world in the Lacrazah system is a death sentence.'
"What about our families?" The last man I freed, asked. "They brought some of our families here as leverage, or as a deterrent. They threatened to purge all the 'rebellious' bloodlines." He trembled as he spoke.
"Don't worry, if they're here, we'll find them, and we'll get you all to safety." I helped him stand and began ushering them out of the building.
'Stardust, how are you doing?'
'The group in this building isn't in too bad of shape. There are women, kids, and elderly. Sounds like mostly the relatives your group is worried about. They weren't even part of the rebellion. The kids were being put through 're-education and loyalty' training. The women were being put into breeding programs. The men who weren't part of the actually rebellion are being kept separately and will be used for breeding and hard labor. The elderly are being held as leverage, and will be worked until they can't, then sold off. Can you believe these people are willing to sell other people like livestock! It's bad enough that people treat animals that way, but how can they do that to other people they know are intelligent, sentient, beings!?!"
My sister growled and hissed over our link as she ranted about some of the stories she was picking up. It was pretty upsetting. Even Qualin looked relieved as members from the group we released were reunited with their family members from Stardust's group. The last man we'd feed clung to a woman and three children.
I reached out and help support a little one that was hanging from his father's neck. The man looked almost too weak to stand on his own, let alone hold the child. Supporting the boy's weight with one hand, I helped the man to carefully sit on the ground. He mouthed a silent, 'thank you', and continued to hug his family.
"Let's get the rest." Qualin gripped my shoulder, then turned to the man who'd been in law enforcement. "There are supplies in that building. Figure out who can carry stuff and get food and water to the rest."
"We'll be back to help as soon as we clear the rest of the cells." I added as the man nodded and headed that way, gesturing for another to follow him.
"I think there's only that building left." Qualin gestured to a building at the end of the row. "It's the only one that looks like it's build to hold people. But there's some strange energy in there."
I looked over at the building. Sure enough, the energy around it was a tangled mess. It was bizarre. Following the threads, they were even tied to the trees one the other side of the wall, bending the branches towards the building in an unnatural way. If I couldn't see the threads that were connected, I would have assumed the trees had been twisted or manipulated to grow that way.
"Yeah, a strange one is being held there." A woman spoke. "Not a Nehwalian. Part of a breeding experiment." She shuddered. "With the rebellion growing the way it has, the Rataran Empire has been looking at new potential slave sources."
"Great." I sighed. "Well, let's get this over with. I'll feel better once everyone is freed." I took Qualin's hand and led the way towards the building. Stardust started to follow.
"Maybe you should stay and help them."
"That energy feels wild and terrified. Sometimes a female is more comforting." She shrugged. "Besides, Major is done healing the ones we wounded. Galaxy can watch them on his own, so Major can help this group and I can go help with whatever this is."
"Sounds good." I glanced back to see my twin arrive. He already had a barrel of fresh water and was encouraging everyone to come get a drink. I could also feel his attention gravitating to the children and trying to decide which fantastical form he could take to make them smile and feel more at ease.
'Do you want to play with the kids too?' Qualin asked, amusement coloring his thoughts.
'Of course! It's fun seeing they're faces light up when we transform into something cool or super cute. More fun then seeing people scared and hurt.' I sighed. 'But I also really want to help everyone not be scared and hurt. We'll play with the kids later. I'm sure you'll get a kick out of it too.' I gave him a smile and wink before turning my attention fully to the building ahead.