The broken plastic lid skids to a stop, bumping into a pile of broken glass in the dimly lit alley.
“I win!” cheers the excited Ni-Kunni boy.
“Yes, you win. Now go back home and I'll be there in a while,” replies his thin... too thin, sister.
He scuttles off whence they came, giving his makeshift ball an occasional kick as he weaves between the junk and other debris littering the alley. She watches him as long as she can. Normally she would let him win, just to see his excitement. But not today. Her body ached so bad, her joints grinding like broken gears. She was certain the pain in her stomach meant that her body had begun to feed upon itself. It had been days since she allowed herself even the smallest bit of food. She made sure Kaleb got as much as she could, rationing only a tiny bit for what had once been their mother. “You git on home now before it gets too dark!” Her shout is weak and hoarse. She's not sure if her blurred vision is the reason she finally loses sight of him, or that he has rounded some corner, either way she must now focus on her task.
It had only been two weeks since they had cut back shaft R-37 to two shifts, and already there had been a few near riots that had quickly been dispersed by ever increasing Imperial patrols. They had suffered worse than she thought they might. There were more people vying for the attention of the remaining workers for starters, and what she was able to get from them was less and less as the miners started to horde what they could in anticipation of the shaft being shut down entirely. She was so tired. All she wanted was to sleep, yet she plodded on. The occasional functioning alley light helped guide her towards the center of the city. Usually a better chance to find something she could use would be had there.
“I could give you something. That is, if you have something to give me?” The Khanid accent was thick. The twenty-something man stepped down off what must have been some kind of loading dock. His dirty white shirt was not worn, or ripped at all. “I've seen you come by this way before. You need something to eat?”
She nods back to him, “I would make music for you, but...” she lifts her heavy arm, pointing far down the alley.
“S'ok, we can figure something else out.” he says as he pulls a low crate aside and sits on it. He reaches into one of the over sized leg pockets that adorn his pants and pulls out a packet of dried rations, something the miners are given when they go very deep below the surface. “I've got this for you.”
“But I don't have nothing to... “ she finds the words so hard to say, knowing the weeks worth of meals is beyond her. Her head droops and her lips involuntarily pout.
“You can dance, right?” the Khanid leans forward resting his elbows on his knees, “Let me see you dance, pretty thing.”
She bobs her head in agreement and begins swaying from side to side, trying with all her might to move her arms in a graceful motion. Tears begin to well up as she hears the sounds of his laughter.
“Ha ha! No, you silly girl, not like that!” He jumps up from his seat and moves behind her, half leaning over her, his sweaty face above her head. “I want you to do it like this.” Her puppeteer begins moving his hips against her back and she sways with him in return. She closes her eyes, focusing on the pain in her belly.. “Yeah like that, now you're getting it.” He reaches over the top of her, taking hold of her wrists. She lays her head to the side praying for sleep to take her. He guides her hands up and down her preteen body, “That's good, very good.” Tears roll down the side of her face.
“Mother and Kaleb need you” she tells herself.
* * *
“You don't like my song!” cries the young girl standing in front of her.
Mitara feels her wet cheeks and shakes her head at the distraught child. “No, no, you did fine.” She kneels down, “You did wonderfully” displaying the coin in her hand, she holds it out. Both Ni-Kunni, adult and child, smile at each other with water streaked faces.
The young child snatches the coin and runs down the street, “Thank you, thank you!”
Mitara remains kneeling a moment, watching the girl down the street turn up a flight of stairs into what passes as an apartment building. She then looks down at the rough sidewalk where a couple of tears have dropped from her face and splattered.
* * *
She falls forward, limp, as he tries to work his hand under her tattered dress.
“Don't you know anything!?” the Khanid yells at her.
Her face scrapes against the dirty concrete of the alleyway and she rolls to her side as the force of his kick connects to her lower back. Her body responds with a yelp and begins heaving with sobs. She blinks a couple times looking at the few drops of blood smeared on the pavement inches away from her mouth. A couple of his footsteps are heard before the flash of white and the sharp sting on the side of her face that immediately begins to throb.
“Now we have to start over!” He grabs her by the armpit and attempts to hoist her up, her body refuses to help and he loses his grip, “Damnit, get up!” The soft thud of his fist hitting the backside of her shoulder is easily drowned out by the cry she emits.
“Please please please” She sputters between gasping sobs.
He hovers over her and spits to the side, “You want what I got, I know you do! Now get up!” His body freezes has he begins to bend down.
“Stop!”
The voice is confident and authoritative. The sounds of many men running grow louder as the sound of his retreat grows softer. She closes her eyes and begins to tremble as the sounds become a roar closing in on her. Even as they pass, she is too terrified to move.
“Come now, it's ok, it's ok.” It's the same voice as before, now soft, gentle.
She recoils, balling up in a fetal position at the light touch.
“It's ok, I'm not going to hurt you. Come on now.”
His hands and arms are strong. They pick her up and carry her to the nearby dock, gently he sets her at it's edge, sitting her up. She opens her eyes and sees a look of concern on the Amarrians face.
“We'll have to have that tended to. Can you tell me your name?”
She stares blankly at the Imperial Navy insignia on his uniform.
“I know you are scared, but I can help you. If...”
His head quirks away listening to something only he can hear, then back in a commanding voice says to nobody she can see, “Yes, thank you, Marine.”
His voice softens, “You're ok now. I'm going to help you. I'll be right back.”
She doesn't turn her head to watch him follow the way the rest went, she just sits looking forward.
“Mother and Kaleb” she says out loud.
She slides off the dock and her body wracks with pain as she lands. She whimpers as she tries to move with haste, grabbing the ration packet and starting towards home.
Her lungs are on fire and her muscles scream at her to stop as she nears the back of the apartment building. The sounds of Kaleb crying drives her to get there faster still even as her body rebels again her.
“Where is Mother?” she pants out.
“I don't know” wails her brother.
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