TRIAL'S OF DECEIT

"Your master is your new Lord...you must obey". Instructor Lohkam commanded. She was a stout female with a temper to match, not very attractive but powerful. Her forehead had a Cal of four lines in a whirling pattern, signifying that she came from one of the most powerful tribes in Razeh-Cal. "My master is my new Lord... I must obey him". The dull voices chanted the reply with little to no enthusiasm whatsoever. Kneeling, head bowed and hands clasped in front, Abriella was not excused from replying, and she could barely pick up her own voice among the seven hundred other slaves in attendance. At only twenty-one years of age, she'd far exceeded the age of ownership and yet she still could not believe that she was still at the center. On some days, Abriella felt she was going to be a permanent slave to the center, the one's who never gets to leave and has no rank or cal of protection from a master. They become the lowest of the low, used for chores and errands, commanded by helpers and anyone available, sometimes submitted as s****l consorts. "You are born to serve, so serve you must". The instructor barked, breaking Abriella's train of thought. "I am born to serve, so i must serve". They replied in unison. "Gone are your choices. For only your masters do you know". "Gone are my choices. For only my masters do i know". The sharp hissing sound of buzzing electricity made more than a few shoulders tremble in fear. A scream wrenched the air, the piercing sound paled a good number of faces and wrenching muffled gasp from parted lips. The air became thicker with terror and anxiety in reaction to the unsettling sound. Abriella tentatively peeked from her peripheral to the direction of the unlucky slave quaking on the floor. His trembling fingers clutched at his arms gauging the poor flesh, purple blood seeping from the now open and abused area. "Gone are your choices. For only your masters do you know". The now angry instructor barked down at the rocking figure. "Gone are my choices. For only my masters do i know". He whispered. The slave started violently twitching as a reaction to the incessant hissing sound of electricity. The obviously gleeful and unsatisfied instructor repeated the order. "Gone are your choices. For only your masters do you know". She seethed. "G-G-Gone are my c-choices. For only my masters do i know". Came a more audible stuttering reply. "Hmmm, very Good" . The instructor praised, humming in pleased satisfaction. The low hissing sound seized, the silence leaving a gaping chasm in the hall. The abused slave coughed twice, purple blood escaping his lip before he twitched once and promptly passed out. His head fell on the instructor's feet, splattering blood on her sandals. Hissing in disgust, she pulled her feet from under the unmoving jalak's head. She gave a sharp kick to his unconscious form right before she made a sharp turn heading towards the door. Making her way around the unconscious body, she barked out commands to the sentry standing guard. "Get that thing away from here and clean up the area." Feet stomping towards the exit, she barked again. "Class dismissed, Jalaks back to your quarters". The first roll of kneeling slaves quietly and demurely rose to their feet, and with shoulders bent, hands clasped firmly in front and heads bowed in forced subservience, they filed gracefully out of the large hall. The second roll repeated the same process and roll by roll the Jalaks gradually filed out. Abriella repeated what others did until she crossed the doorway of the training hall. Her footsteps slowed to a walking pace before she unconsciously stopped. A sigh escaped her parted lips as she lifted her head to admire the vast open space in the corridor where the Jalaks filed out. A rich teal, almost aquamarine in different lighting covered every inch, exempting the white flooring and golden brown ceiling. Every little nook and cranny had a hint of art portraying different unique features, while some were significantly more pronounced than others, each line worked hand in hand to display beauty in various colors and forms. A common feature made up each line crafted and connected to tell a story of each creative and emotional expression of mental imagery speaking a unique language. All the lines forming the craft were inlaid with liquid gold lining its unique beauty and intricate design. The corridor itself was wide enough for the Jalaks to spread out and stretch their arms wide, five people in a line, but in Abriella's opinion, what made the corridor more special was the floor to ceiling opening lining one side of the hallway. Made with reinforced force fields sealing the building from external interference and caging those inside, the view below, especially standing on the ledge, was at once awe-inspiring and vertigo-inducing. Abriella made no attempt to understand the engineering behind the ingenious technology, but her appreciation could never falter each time she laid her eyes on it. With the sky the lightest hue of lavender, the fluffy white clouds forming little misshapen balls, the green and golden sun working together to set a brighter hue on the planet. Not contrasting in any way but rather highlighting the already bright sky, each ray piercing the clouds somehow making them brighter to gaze upon. The breathtaking sight never failed to lift Abriella's depressing mode and with each breath of fresh air it involuntarily brought a smile to her face, dissipating the common feeling of nothingness. Despite the years she spent living on the planet, the whole of Razeh-Cal was still foreign and new to her, but Abriella never bothered to deny the planet's beauty. On her left-hand side, the open floor to ceiling windows would scare most away from standing too close to the edge, but on days like this, she found time to relax. Abriella found it freeing and relaxing. The fresh air caressing her cheeks, flailing her coal-black tresses loosely like they are indulging in a secret dance, their tune known to only them, their sway casting a mild hypnosis on Abriella allowing her always troubled thought to wander from her harsh reality while also undulating, caressing and embracing her all the same time. From her vantage point she could make out the tiny buildings that made up the city below, probably in different shapes and sizes. Some of the slaves whispered about how tall the buildings actually were but Abriella couldn't say she believed a word they said. From experience, she found that nothing was as scary as a bored Jalak making use of stories or tales - based mostly on false truths rather than actual facts - as a means of passing time. Some of the time, Abriella caught sight of hover vehicles. Too far to make out the accurate shape, and it's made but close enough to flame her yearning for more from life. A not so gentle tap on her shoulder reshuffled her thoughts back to the present. She glanced back to see a familiar freckled face. She couldn't recall her name but the way her nose scrunched up in obvious annoyance made Abriella realize that her name was of no importance at that moment when the girl looked like she was just shy of choking Abriella. "You are holding up the line." She hissed. Voice coated with irritation. Abriella gave her a quick bow while muttering an apology to the affronted Jalaks. She walked - almost running - to catch up to the line of Jalaks already making a turn for the hallway leading to the slave quarter. Sensing their approach, the automatic golden brown doors burst open by it's own volition, and like a lover embracing his partner after a long day, the familiar environment lifted most heads from their subservient bows and sagged more than one shoulder in relief and comfort. The reassuring sound of the doors sealing shut after the last Jalaks stepped in made Abriella release a non too quiet sigh of relief. For as much as they were monitored and observed even from this room, it did in no way reduce the amount of comfort the sound of the now sealed doors brought the broken-down slaves. More than one relieved face turned towards familiar voices and faces. For even in this hopeless environment, friendships and bonds were formed and preserved as a source of solace for difficult days.