Chapter 2
That evening, Mervyn sat in silence watching the rest of the slaves, mostly Ethrigians, but also a smattering of Zetoigs and humans. Two human children played round their mother, the eldest, a girl, with hair as black as space, wore a red coat. He wondered sadly how long they would survive -- not long. He could have gone over and played with them, but best not to involve himself: he would only feel their loss more acutely. He realised, even in this short time, how cold and insular the camp had made him; this place sucked at your soul. Defiantly, he made his way towards the children intent on joining their game. He never made it.
A slave, questioned by two Velcats, pointed in Mervyn’s direction. They made straight for him. Mervyn’s heart stopped. Someone must have reported the trick with Rauvic. He looked around, but there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. He waited as calmly as he could. ‘You,’ one of the Velcats said jabbing a clawed finger at him, ‘come with us and bring your friend.’ It waved its blast riffle in Loren’s direction and beckoned for her to join them. Mervyn’s mind began to race, he had heard stories from the other slaves of cruel punishments and executions; would they shoot him for getting one over on the working party’s guard? He forced himself not to panic and grabbed his bread before the guards herded Loren and himself from the main compound. They were going to shoot him for sure.
The Velcats marched them through a corridor of barbed wire to a small wooden shack. Inside, a broad Rinhus waited for them. Its tiny reptilian eyes peered at them through thick folds of skin. Mervyn had seen the Velcats escorting this individual around the camp, he assumed it was a camp commandant. Was this reptile to be their judge, jury and executioner?
‘You been propping up tunnels without authority,’ the Rinhus grunted. ‘You worked in mines before?’
Mervyn could not believe anyone would object to safer tunnels, ‘We’re from Starlight -- the mining asteroid.’ It was only a small lie, an economy of the truth, since neither had actually worked in the mines.
‘Homeless now then, aren’t you?’ the Rinhus grinned yellow peg teeth at them. Mervyn decided not to rise to the bait; instead he stared at a crack in the floor.
A door opened behind them. ‘Are these the two?’ Mervyn recognised the voice: Guthrik. He had last seen the leader of the humans on the spybot footage.
The Rinhus made a clumsy bow, ‘These are the ones, sir.’
Guthrik looked Mervyn and Loren up and down without any sign of recognition, ‘Let me see their hands?’
Mervyn held his hands out, palms upwards, for inspection. Guthrik grabbed them roughly and turned them over. As he did so he pressed something into the palm of Mervyn’s hand. He glanced up in surprise, but Guthrik’s face remained impassive. He closed his fist on what felt like a small card and lowered it to his side. He burned to see what Guthrik had passed him, but dare not; whatever it was the Rinhus must not see, he understood that much.
‘They tell the truth,’ Guthrik said, ‘these hands have worked in mines.’ The flaps of skin that passed for the Rinhus’ eyebrows folded together in a frown. Mervyn knew the reptile did not believe Guthrik, but would he challenge the human?
A commotion in the slave compound distracted them all. A fight had broken out between two humans. Guthrik nodded towards the door, ‘Does that needs your attention?’ The Rinhus leaped up, as though stung, and lumbered out the door. For a few seconds they had the hut to themselves.
Guthrik’s steely eyes found Mervyn’s, ‘When you leave you take the children and their mother with you,’ he hissed. ‘You know the ones?’ Mervyn nodded. ‘Otherwise, you don’t leave the planet. That’s the deal.’
Mervyn guessed the card in his hand opened one or more gates. Loren glanced from Guthrik to Mervyn and back again, clearly she had no idea what they were discussing, but wisely kept silent.
‘Should we thank you?’ Mervyn asked.
‘I do it for another,’ Guthrik said, but before Mervyn could ask who the Rinhus returned and Guthrik changed the subject. ‘There are too many cave-ins,’ He said clearly. ‘The Naga is concerned about lost production.’ The Rinhus snorted derisively, clearly there was little love between these two. ‘I need a team to shore up the tunnels properly, people who know what they are doing -- that’s you two. You will lead that team. If there are any more cave-ins the commandant here will have you shot.’ The Rinhus flared its nostrils threateningly as if would relish nothing better than relieving the Galaxy of a few more humans.
What Guthrik demanded was impossible; Mervyn needed to buy time, and quickly, ‘There are too few pit props,’ he gabbled, ‘with enough wood we can make the mine safe within a month, otherwise you might as well shoot us now.’ The Rinhus glared at him and reached for its holster while its tiny mind struggled to cope with the challenge. Mervyn looked imploringly at Guthrik, if he wanted their help he would have to reciprocate before the Rinhus blasted them.
‘It is reasonable,’ Guthrik said holding a hand out to restrain the Rinhus, ‘you have three weeks -- after that no more cave-ins. Take them away.’