He had no name. As he grew up, the people around him called him boy, or you, or child. Just like everyone else. Some children had been given names by their mothers. When the masters found out, they had beaten them bloody and removed their mothers. He was grateful that his mother had not given him a name. It had allowed him to stay by her side until she was sold. But even
so, that was more time than most children had.
Growing up had not been too bad.
Some of the children were sold at a young age, which was seemingly bad, but no one ever told him why.
The rest received an education that suited their abilities. Nothing exceptional, but at least now he could tell the quality of the other slaves by their price.
He was stupid. That's what his masters kept telling him. Anything but the most basic education gave him a headache, and often he would rather draw pictures in the mud instead of listening to the teacher, who was also a slave.
Eventually, he was given mostly physical training. He managed never to seriously injure himself and had a pretty face, he did not end up in the mines like most of his peers but was brought to the market in the big city.
At first, he thought the market was the grand new world, but that changed over time. He was bought by one slave trader and then sold to another in a seemingly never-ending cycle.
After spending a few years in the market, he began to dread that he might end up in the mines after all. He had learned a lot about this world, but he was still bad with words, and his selling point was his strong body.
When he was taken to one of the VIP rooms with a few other slaves, he didn't get his hopes up. The master would not buy him either.
He had long since learned to look at people with downcast eyes and to recognise the little signs that told you what kind of master you were dealing with.
The Master was slim, which was unusual for merchants or traders, but lacked the brutish aura of an arena master. So the chances of having to fight were slim.
The slave, that was with the master, on the other hand, made it more than clear what the man was looking for. The woman sat at his feet and draped herself around him like an ornament. She was a slave, just like himself, but she was so much more at the same time. It was easy to see that she enjoyed the master's full trust.
She was exactly the kind of slave he had always admired. She understood her master's intentions without words.
He and all the others in the rows next to him saw her putting something on the secretary's clipboard, but no one dared say anything. If they had been asked, they would have answered honestly, but no one asked slaves.
To his great surprise, the master ended up buying him.
The air outside the door felt fresher than usual and the sun seemed warmer too. He had no problem following the master's hoverboard and secretly laughed his head off at the fat employees. Of course, he didn't show any of this on his face.
They visited several other slave traders that day, but no one was bought except him, which made him a little proud. They drove back in a darkened vehicle and he made no effort to find out where they were going, no need to upset the master.
When they got out, he realised that they were at the spaceport. In the middle of a large hall, there was a spaceship with dozens of people working on it. The master and his slave entered the ship and he followed them. On their way through the steel corridors, they met several people, but no one spoke to them. Finally, they reached a door. He was told to wait and sometime later they came out again. She had changed her clothes and her aura had also changed. Briefly, he wondered if they were still the same people.
The Man immediately left, while the woman addressed him.
"My Name is Lyna, do you have a name?"
He shook his head.
"I have to analyze the data we collected, you can follow me. I will tell you about your future here with us."
She led him into a big room with many technical devices in it. There she sat down in front of one of the screens and plugged the little gadget in she and the master had used on the market.
"The man who bought you is Captain Jack Halo. We are all Voidfarers and so will you. Do you know of Voidfarers?"
He nodded, through the talk on the market he had heard of a lot of things.
"Well, that makes things easier. We got a lot of new recruits, so you will share a quarter with them. Do you got anything besides muscle and good looks?"
"No."
"Did they tell you that or have you tried other stuff?"
"They told me."
"Great, in that case, you will go with the different professions here so we can give you the job you are best suited for. You will have to give an honest opinion at the end, ever did that?"
"Nobody ever asked."
"They never do, right?"
She laughed beautifully and after a moment's hesitation, he showed a little smile on his face.
"We can start right now if you want, or you can go to your quarters or the hall first."
"Where do you want me to go?"
She stopped her work for a moment, then she chuckled lightly.
"Right, I forgot. Are you hungry?"
"No."
"And now take a moment, ask yourself honestly and then answer again."
"A little maybe?"
"Good job!"
She turned around and handed him something.
"This is a wrist computer, everyone in the crew has one. It has all the basic functions you need to not get lost on the ship and also sends you vitals to the Med Bay, so we know if something is wrong."
She smacked herself in the head with the flat of her hand.
"Maybe I should have brought you there first. not to be rude, but you could have all kinds of diseases."
He didn't feel insulted at all. Diseases and sickness were parts of slaves' lives and most of the learned to bear with it.
"But I already started the decoding, I can't leave. Do you think you will be able to get to Med Bay on your own? I will show you how the wrist computer works then it should be fine right?"
As she was talking mostly to herself, he didn't disturb her and simply nodded. The workings of the Computer were pretty easy to understand, even for him. He thanked, bowed and left for the Med Bay.