The Aurigan Republic

Chapter 2

A group of men labored away under the watchful gaze of a man in uniform. The emaciated men were equipped with shovels and picks. Within the cave they had dug entirely by themselves, many lost their lives already in the excavation. The survivors had lifeless eyes as they worked without a sound. From time to time, one of them might stumble, which earned him an insult from the overseer. There was no need for whips, given that the work itself was slowly killing the slaves. The overseer made a mental note to request for more slaves to meet the deadline he was given. If the deadline wasn't met, the overseer could see himself joining those he oversaw. He snapped out of his thoughts when one of the slaves shouted excitedly about something. The overseer went to overlook what the commotion was all about.

The slaves moved to make way for the overseer. Their fear of the overseer surpassed their curiosity about what was dug up. When the overseer finally joined the slave who had shouted earlier, his eyes focused on some dark colored metal. The corner of something was pointing out towards the sky and the slave worked excitedly to reveal the rest of it. Everyone else watched from the sidelines with them all pondering what could be hidden in the cave. As the lone slave kept digging, the corner became more and more pronounced. Initially, everyone thought the corners belonged to a large container. It was not very unusual for containers to be dug up following a devastating war that saw the destruction of most of the cities and life on the planet. The containers usually held mundane objects but there were cases of treasure being discovered by those with fortune by their side.

Once a few more slaves were ordered by the overseer to help with the digging, the unknown object was revealed to be a section of some machinery. There were no symbols or any letters revealing the origin of the object. The appearance made the object seem very advanced, but no one present had any clue what it was. The overseer, likely the most educated of the group, made a note to inform the scholar who was part of the management. The scholar did mention likely treasures due to the research he had done. Most people scoffed at the idea of treasures found in such a barren place far from any known settlements, but their opinions could change depending on what the object was. If the discovery was massive, everyone part of the excavation could see their fortunes improve. Even slaves had the chance to not only be freed but also be given enough credit to live a life of luxury.

For the time being, the slaves carefully raised the object from its hole before placing it gently on a workbench. While some slaves went to work on dusting the object off, others expanded the hole to see if anything else had broken off from the main object. The discovery brought excitement to all those present and many eagerly waited for new developments in their dig. Several hours later, no other discoveries were made and the scholar called earlier by the overseer was making notes on the new object. The overseer was too focused on the object and the scholar, so the slaves were allowed to sit around as they watched the scholar go to work.

Their attention was interrupted when they heard a scream outside the cave. The scream was followed by a bunch of gunshots before all became silent. Despite the silence, all those inside the cave already ran for cover. Moments later, a group of masked soldiers entered the cave with their weapons blazing. No one was spared in the cave. Then, the masked soldiers backed a truck into the cave and loaded the object carefully. Without another look at the c*****e they left behind, the soldiers drove away. Their truck moved swiftly down the highway with no other vehicle in sight. The lack of traffic saw the truck driver making great progress and arriving at the intended destination an hour earlier.

The destination was a small airport with a handful of dropships. The ships all appeared as merchant ships meant to transport goods between different ports. They had large cargo spaces, while the crew quarters were small and cramped. The captain enjoyed a slightly larger room, but the life of a merchant wasn't a luxurious one until one made enough to retire from the trade. For an outsider, they would see the standard procedure of merchant ships being loaded. They would have no info as to what was transported and, even if they did, would have no clue as to the importance of the object. Shortly after the object was loaded, the dropship took off to rendezvous with a warship in orbit.

After seeing the dropship take off, the soldiers responsible for the delivery headed to the nearby town. They had accomplished their tasks with flying colors. With a big bonus expected for their completed mission, the soldiers wished to enjoy themselves in the town. The town was not quite the size of a small city but it offered plenty for those wanting to relax and enjoy life. Due to it being a town, the prices weren't outrageous either, allowing the soldiers to get more out of their pay. A bonus from their mission would see them affording some of the more expensive services available in town. Such was the life of these mercenaries.

Their work often consisted of high-risk, high-reward tasks that paid quite well at the end of the day if they survived and did their job. With no family to worry about, these mercenaries had no other expenses they had to worry about. Their earnings went entirely to what they needed and mercenaries tended to avoid creating any human connection due to how short life could be for anyone in their profession. These men would spend a lot of time in the brothels as those places offered a complete experience by catering to all needs while also ensuring a place to stay and some of the best food in town. As an early celebration of an easy mission that paid surprisingly well, the mercenaries chose to get started with their fun the same night they finished their mission.

At the brothel, one of the mercenaries, drunk on both alcohol and pleasure, bragged about his role in the mission to the woman he was with. The entire time, the woman poured him more alcohol and praised him for his achievements. The man eventually reached his limit and lost consciousness on the bed. The woman used the opportunity to sneak out and access a phone. The phone lacked any fancy encryption software so what she said could be easily intercepted by anyone monitoring for intelligence. For the next minute, she made up a story and spoke on the phone while the other side merely listened. As soon as she finished, the woman hung up and returned to her room. The man was still unconscious on the bed. She paid the man no heed as she made her way to the only chair in the room. She eyed the nearly empty bottle and emptied the contents down her throat.