Day 24 (Comms Series #1)
05 Feb 2018Viridian
Viridian leaned her head back against her headrest and took a short breath. Then she tapped her communications panel, where the same six messages had been sitting and taking up a handful of bytes of system memory for weeks now. Lazily, her fingers tapped on the panel until she reached the "Sent" folder.Date: 12 JAN 3304
To: CMDR RAVEN
From: CMDR VIRIDIAN
SUBJECT: Winter
Raven,
It's been a few weeks since I migrated down south with another flock. But I think it's for the best. The weather is certainly better and the formations have been agreeable.
I know you didn't agree. Just understand that I had to. If the new nest is agreeable, I'll come for you. Just tell me when you're ready.
- Viridian
She flicked back over to the inbox, staring at the same six messages that had come through since that date. None had been from Commander Raven.
"Welcome to the Federation," said the man that they both would call 'The Fed Suit' when they laughed about it later. "We are excited to have you all the best Navy in the galaxy. We are certainly quite saddened by the situations you previously found yourselves in and quite happy to have liberated you from your masters. Now that you are all seated, you will be served the finest rations provided to our pilots."
She sat across from a red-haired girl whose bones were wanting of fat and muscle. Neither of them had been bathed. Beneath the nest of red hair was a pair of sunken blue eyes, framed in dark, heavy circles. When the food arrived on flat metal trays, neither of them fully appreciated just how dry the meat was or how bland and unseasoned the vegetables were. They ate feverishly and she nearly choked on her food.
"Unfortunately, most of you do not have much in the way of paperwork. We understand that most of you were sold prior to adolescence. For this reason, we feel it is important that you use callsigns until our analysts can find more on your identities. You will be assigned a callsign once your meals are finished."
Another ex-slave lifted his head, food stuffed in his cheeks, as he looked up at the Fed Suit. "Can we name ourselves?"
The Fed Suit paused and rolled his shoulders in a shrug. "Why not. You have until the end of your meals. Then you're all off to the medical clinic, which is expecting you in the next twenty minutes. Enjoy."
She stuffed another piece of food in her mouth, giving no care what they called her. Anything had to be better than the names he had used when he was stringing her hair through his fingers, pretending to--
"Raven," the red-head said.
"What?" she asked.
"I want mine to be Raven. They're ancient birds, black and sleek. Fully independent."
She looked at the pale girl's pocked face. "But... you're none of those things. Your hair is red."
"Exactly," she said. "They'll never find me again."
She found herself smiling. "I'll just let them pick something for me."
Raven shook her head. "No. Don't you think you've had enough of people choosing your life for you? You need to start by naming yourself."
She shrugged. "What do you think it should be?"
Raven looked clearly into her green-blue eyes. "Viridian."
Viridian leaned her head back and caught a breath. "Where are you?"