Escape Attempt

**Shaira's POV**

"...have been receiving weapons from some unscrupulous settlers," I overheard one of the soldiers telling the doctor. "If these savages arm themselves with our weapons, there will be no way to guarantee the safety of the colonists."

"We know you're an important member of the local militia," said the second soldier, clearly referring to the doctor. "You're our eyes in this part of the colonized area. We need you to report any suspicious movements, any transactions between the savages and the settlers, anything that seems off."

My heart tightened in my chest.
The soldiers were talking about exactly what Assu was doing—the arms trafficking that worried them so much.

"Of course, I'll cooperate with you, gentlemen. You know I hate all these savages, that my commitment to the colonization of this planet and the purge of all its primitive inhabitants is a core belief of mine. Those who don't civilize and think like us don't deserve anything but extermination."

The doctor's words were harsh, but that hadn't stopped him from saving one of those "uncivilized savages" just to take advantage of me. He was a true hypocrite who, without knowing it, had actually treated the very man supplying weapons to his enemies.

"Two days ago, there was an incident caused by the acquisition of those weapons," said the first soldier, whose face I couldn’t see due to the spot I had chosen to hide. "A transport ship carrying personnel was shot down not far from here, killing all the occupants. We had to evacuate the area quickly before those savages got hold of the military equipment and did who knows what kind of profanations with our soldiers' bodies."

"A terrible situation, Sergeant," the doctor replied. "I’m sorry to hear about it."

"There's one missing from that incident, sir," said the second soldier. "We couldn't find the body of the co-pilot."

"The co-pilot?" the doctor asked.

"Yes, I remember now. Thanks, Corporal. That's right, a young woman, a second lieutenant. We haven't found her, her body wasn't located where the transport ship crashed. We don't even want to imagine what the savages must have done to her if they captured her alive."

"They must have tortured her before eating her, because we know that's what they do with prisoners," the Corporal added.

"Really? A second lieutenant, you say? How old would this girl be?" the doctor asked with genuine interest.

If my heart was already tight, it now sank down into my stomach.

"I'd say about twenty years old, no older than twenty-one," the Sergeant replied. "She was a recent graduate from the academy on Solaris X, you know, the best academy in this sector of the galaxy. And, from what I've been told, she was top of her class. A major loss for all of us, especially since the girl showed great promise."

"Twenty years old, Sergeant? Do you happen to have a holoimage of the young woman?" the doctor asked.

I knew I had to get out immediately. The missing twenty-year-old second lieutenant could only be me.

"I'm requesting one right now," I heard the Sergeant say. "Although I’m afraid communication here is still unreliable, even with the new satellite in orbit. As soon as I have it, I'll send it to you, no doubt about that."

"I'll be eagerly awaiting it, Sergeant. Thank you very much."

"Well, that's all for now. Thank you for receiving us."

I felt my soul return to my body. They were leaving. I had come so close to being discovered.

"One moment, gentlemen," the doctor interrupted. "If you have a few more minutes, I'd like you to meet my new housemaid. She's quite an unusual girl, happens to be fluent in both our language and that of the savages, and she's white."

"That is quite rare, I admit," said the Sergeant. "How did you come across her? How long has she been working for you?"

"Oh, I met her just two days ago, but I think she could be very useful as an informant, you know, if we offer the right incentives," the doctor replied, with a clearly malicious tone in his voice.

What kind of incentives was he talking about?
I doubted it was money.

I started sneaking away, knowing the doctor would soon be calling for me. It was time to leave the house and pretend I had been busy with some task elsewhere.

"Girl!" the doctor called just as I was heading towards the back door. "Girl! Shaira!"

All the air left my lungs when the doctor called me by name. Did the soldiers know the missing second lieutenant's name? I didn’t wait to find out and ran towards the back exit, only to bump into a third soldier I hadn’t seen or heard before.

"What the...?" the soldier said, smoking leisurely in the backyard when I ran into him.

As I saw him, my mind flashed with a sudden burst of memory, but I didn’t have time for that. What I did recognize, though, were his rank insignia, his emblems, and even the type of weapon slung over his shoulder.

"Hey, stop. That’s an order!" the soldier shouted when he saw me continuing to flee. "Don't make me shoot, girl!"

The soldier carried a tracer rifle, an assault weapon that missed only once every two thousand shots. It was best to stop.

I raised my hands, facing away from the soldier, who approached cautiously while keeping his weapon trained on me.

"Shaira!" I still heard the doctor calling from inside the house.

"Are you Shaira?" the soldier asked.

I turned to look at him, but this made him more alert, and he pointed the rifle directly at my forehead.

"Stay still, I said!"

"Listen, I need to leave. It's urgent. I can’t stay here right now."

"Turn around, or I’ll shoot. Now!"

The soldier looked quite nervous. A wrong move, and he would shoot, driven by fear more than intent.

I turned around.
It was too late now.
There was no escape.

I heard the soldier's footsteps behind me as he came close enough for the rifle's barrel to nearly brush against my neck. He extended his free hand and began to search me.

"Carrying any weapons?"

"Of course not," I replied angrily, knowing full well he was just pretending to frisk me so he could grope me. His hand brushed over my chest and then down to my rear. He was a damn pervert, and there was nothing I could do about it.

"Shaira, here you are. What’s going on?" the doctor asked as he came out and saw what was happening in his backyard.

"Soldier, leave her alone, now," ordered the Sergeant, from a bit further away.

I heard the soldier step back.

"Shaira, what the hell is going on?" the doctor asked, grabbing me by the arm to turn me around.

"She was trying to escape, sir," the soldier said. "I stopped her."

"Escape? Were you trying to escape, Shaira?" the doctor asked in disbelief. "You have nowhere to run, girl. Come, the Sergeant wants to meet you."

I had no choice.
I was surrounded by four men, three of them armed soldiers. Resigned, I went back the way I had come.