It doesn't take long until the glider reaches its destination for the automatically predetermined route. Kaera, that's what Mak called the city.
I startle as the machine suddenly descends into landing position.
Mak's steps seem light as he heads towards the control panel. He's grown up with all of this, yet his gaze upon my outstretched arms for balance doesn't escape me, amused.
At least, that's how it seems to me.
He enters a command causing the control panel to disappear.
"Here we are!" Mak calls out loudly. He slowly makes his way to the door. I follow him, full of curiosity.
What awaits me out here?, I wonder. What does the city look like? I imagine it to be huge. With buildings reaching into the sky and bustling activity. A city like the ones seen in most science fiction movies.
But I was already mistaken about the palace, and here...
The door opens slowly. As soon as I step outside, I don't see any towering buildings.
Like the palace, this city appears ancient. The paths are sandy, as are the colors of the buildings. The tallest of the houses seems to be four stories high, but most have two floors.
The only thing that doesn't fit into this picture are the spaceships and gliders parked on this square.
However, it also stirs hope within me. Hope that I may be mistaken in my fear for my mother.
As I look at Mak, he seems amused. Apparently, because I've been looking around so astonished.
"Everything is somehow different than I imagined," I confess to him.
"And how did you imagine it?" Mak asks me, looking genuinely curious.
"Huge metal blocks towering into the sky as buildings," I explain to him, lowering my gaze somewhat embarrassed. He'll probably find it silly.
But the opposite is true. "One of our former rulers loved such ancient buildings," Mak tells me. He starts walking, and as we walk along the alley, he continues. "This ruler also had the palace built. The later rulers hardly changed anything about the appearance of the palace or Kaera. If anything, it was the opposite. Some other cities were designed to be somewhat more ancient in the style of Kaera. Simply because most people are fond of such a setting. Especially for certain activities." I can imagine what he means. "Tormahs has been a slave planet for a very long time." Mak suddenly stops, I follow his example. "But there are other cities on Tormahs that are more modern. Huge metropolises even."
With his hand, he points in a certain direction, which immediately catches my curious gaze.
In the distance, I see black monsters towering into the sky. But other than these black colossi, I can't make out much.
"The city you see there is called Malir," Mak explains to me. "It is the largest city on Tormahs and has the highest population."
"But you seem to know your way around here quite well," I remark smiling.
"When you're born on a planet, you should at least know its history and the major cities," he replies. "Especially if it's also your birthplace." His gaze is absentminded in the distance.
I'm surprised. I tap his uniform with my hand. "I wouldn't have thought that," I confess to him.
A smile forms on his lips.
"Living under Torsos' rule has its advantages; even slaves here have the chance to reach a high position," he explains to me.
Mak continues walking. Again, I follow him.
After a short time, we reach our first destination. A bustling market with many interesting things, but also some I'd rather not even think about.
We stop at one of the stalls. Clothing is being sold there.
"Just pick something out!" Mak urges me.
I follow his instruction.
For a while, I look at the clothes, but I really don't like any of them. A groan escapes my lips as I disgustedly go through the clothes.
None of it would ever find its way into my wardrobe, let alone that I would willingly wear it.
Most of the items are gray or black. They also look like they're meant for work. It doesn't even look like women's clothing.
"So, I could also buy you a pretty little dress," Mak suggests. His voice sounds slightly annoyed but also very impatient. "Some might find that chic on you in prison."
Immediately, my hands grab the first thing that looks like it might fit me. Two attacks on me are enough! I don't want to provoke another one!
"A pretty girl!" suddenly the voice of a man behind Mak sounds.
Slowly, I turn to the one who said that.
Next to Mak stands a small and very corpulent man who looks at me with great interest. The few hairs that the old man still has on his head are dark brown, just like his eyes, which seem very taken with me. His appearance is not particularly appealing to me. Rather repulsive. So much so that I'm surprised to see two beautiful young girls, slightly older than me, by his side. One has long blonde hair, the other fiery red; full, long, and curly.
They are too beautiful to be voluntarily with such a guy.
This here is a slave planet!, I remind myself. And I can also very well imagine that these women are love slaves.
There's a smile on both of their faces, but I immediately sense that it's not genuine.
"What do you want?" Mak growls at the old man. Contempt for the guy speaks from his gaze. Mak seems to be downright disgusted by the guy.
A disgusting grin forms on the fat man's face. The way he scrutinizes every inch of my body sends shivers down my spine.
I just hope Mak will disappear with me as soon as possible.
"The girl really looks pretty." I can't shake the feeling that he doesn't mean it just as a nice compliment.
My gaze pleads with Mak.
"But what else could I expect," comes a sigh from him, directed more at himself than at the others present. He looks directly at the next one. "Forget it!"
"But I would pay very well for her," the man tries to persuade Mak, his gaze still on me.
Please let's go!, I silently beg him, anxiously pressing the clothes in my arms close to my body.
Mak walks over to me. He wants to pay finally, but hesitates at the last moment.
"Why not?" he says, seeming to contemplate. "Why shouldn't I just sell you to the guy? Although he's certainly not quite as nice."
But I just keep looking at him incredulously. He can't be serious, can he?
Something else stirs in me. Anger.
"Fine!" I shout loudly and defiantly. "I'll take that from a certain lady very gladly!"
"Forget about her!" Mak shouts. "That's from me, or from..." He doesn't need to finish. I know who he means.
"If not, I'll just sell you to that idiot!" he says, shrugging.
"Hey!" a protest comes from me.
I stand in front of him, my eyes glaring at him angrily.
"That's what I call a lousy extortion!" I accuse him. "Besides..." My voice lowers. "Besides, I'm supposed to be descended from a race that apparently hardly exists anymore. What do you think your ruler would say if you just sold me to some random guy?"
"He'd probably be glad to be rid of you, you nuisance!" Mak laughs. His hand runs through my hair. "You know what, girl," I look at him confused. "I like you!"
I'm relieved. Apparently, it was just another attempt to get to his goal. But only with the result that I'm really scared.
"My name is Janine," I call out smiling.
"Sweetie," he says with a wink.
A sigh escapes my lips, then a brief giggle. What else could I have expected from him?
He turns to the man. "The little one is not for sale!" Mak calls out to him, then he turns to the saleswoman. He rolls up the sleeve of his uniform and briefly shows the woman his bracelet.
"You'll regret this, you stupid boy!" the old man snarls. But Mak completely ignores him.
"Come on!" Mak calls out to me after paying. I follow obediently and am glad to finally get away from that creep.
We walk back the way we came. Then we continue into the city with the glider. And the closer we get to our destination, the greater my fear and apprehension become.
Now we're in the glider. I'm sitting on one wall, Mak on the other opposite me. My gaze is on the floor, but as I look up at him, he looks at me with pity.
"You don't have to go in," he breaks the silence. There's a kind smile on his lips. "I promise to make sure they don't treat your mother as harshly as the other prisoners."
Sadness fills my eyes as they drop to the floor.
"But I want to see her!" I assert firmly. I pause, looking mournful. In my mind, I go through everything that has happened in the past few days. "Your ruler didn't have a very nice conversation with my mother," I mention. His gaze on me is curious. "No matter how she's doing, I don't want her worrying about me as well."
Tears well up in me, but I manage to hold them back.
"I can tell her you're doing well," he suggests.
I shake my head. I raise my gaze to look at him directly. A smile is on my lips, but it doesn't look happy, rather strained. "She won't believe that."
Mak nods. He's about to come to me, but the glider stops. As with our first stop, it slowly descends to the ground. Mak closes the control panel again and then calls for departure.
The glider has landed on a huge courtyard where many other gliders and spaceships are parked. With an amazed look at the companions, I follow Mak.
"We're not here on a pleasure trip," Mak reminds me. "But you shouldn't get too used to this sight. When you have your room in the station, only certain areas will be accessible to you. And the hangars certainly won't be among them."
I nod. "I understand that," I say. "Kaia said the same thing."
"Girl, don't fool yourself into thinking you can be friends with Kaia," Mak sighs. He stops and looks at me directly, his gaze warning. "Maybe she was really nice. Sometimes even she finds someone interesting. But her interest doesn't last long, and then she can become a fury, even if you just say one wrong word or even just look at her."
I can't quite believe his words, as nice as Kaia has been to me. And she seemed to mean it sincerely.
Maybe he's wrong about her.
"Ask Larana and Marata, they've both experienced Kaias's most unpleasant side," he sighs.
"So far she's been nice to me," I notice.
"Then you're lucky," is Mak's opinion. He continues walking, and I follow him.
The building in front of us is a two-story stone block, that's the only way I can describe it.
What I see are only bare stone walls. There's not a window to be seen anywhere, at most an entrance leading inside. However, it doesn't make the prison any more inviting.
I hesitate for a moment as we approach the heavy door. But not because of what might await me inside, but because this whole building sends a shiver down my spine.
Only when I notice Mak's gaze, curious on me, do I force myself to keep going.
The inside looks even more frightening than the outside. It's as if I've been sucked into a horror movie.
We walk along a long corridor illuminated only by a faint light. The walls are made of gray stone, iron doors on both sides, and a disgusting musty smell hangs in the air. Everything looks so gloomy and eerie.
The death zone is certainly not inviting either, but I'd prefer it a thousand times over this prison.
I automatically move closer to Mak.
He puts his arm around me and stops. "Don't you want to turn back?" he asks, but I shake my head vigorously.
We stand here for a few minutes. Screams reach my ears. Loud, desperate screams, almost as if they're coming from some tortured animal rather than something human-like. With each of these screams that pass over us, I visibly flinch. But still, I don't want to leave.
Only after a while do two guards come to us. Like in the station, they wear gray uniforms.
When the two come to a stop in front of Mak, they bow to him.
"What brings you here?" one of the guards asks.
"I just want to visit someone," Mak replies to them. After this answer, they continue on, and we do too.
Mak walks to the last door in the corridor. An elevator, which I only notice when we enter. But it doesn't go up, as I expect, but down.
"It's creepy here!" I remark as we descend to one of the lower floors.
"Well, it's not a nice place for little girls," he calls out smiling. I shoot him a grim look for the remark.
How dare he call me a little girl?
"Very dangerous types usually end up here," he explains further. "Unlike the death zone, there are only individual cells here. They have the advantage of better control over the prisoners."
The elevator stops, and we step out.
This corridor looks just like the one at the entrance. Equally dark, equally musty, and equally eerie.