Dependent Days

by Chris Sapp

  “Thank you for disposing of your waste properly,” said a friendly pre-recorded voice. Ignoring the waste disposal unit’s programmed appreciation, he turned away from the wind and lit another Fenix Tail. Roe had seen his share of sad ships in his years of travel but occupying the platform adjacent to him was the saddest ship he’d ever seen. It had so many patch jobs that Roe couldn’t tell what was original and what wasn’t. A decent paint job would’ve helped alleviate that but it seemed the ship’s owner was perfectly content with rust and grime. Said owner, a 9ft tall black ogre, was sitting in a lawn chair at the base of his ramp drinking a bottle of milk. A three-armed slave, wearing a neck collar and not much else, stood next to him.

  “Milly!” yelled the ogre.

  “What?” asked a green ogress from the top of the ramp.

  “This milk’s fresh. Tastes like shit.”

  “No, I bought curdled,” said Milly descending the ramp.

  “Are you saying I can’t read? Cuz, it doesn’t say curdled anywhere on it!”

  “Let me see,” she said reaching for the bottle. Her hands never made it. The ogre seized the back of Milly’s head with one hand and smashed the bottle against her face with the other. The bottle shattered and Milly screamed. The ogress sank to her knees and both hands went to her face. White milk mixed with red blood ran through her fingers.

  “Now is that shit curdled or not?” the ogre demanded.

  “Not,” Milly answered in between sobs.

  “That’s what I thought,” he roared. “Now get your ass back to the store and buy the right shit.” He gave his wife a swift kick in the rear to get her moving, even though her face was still bleeding. Without another word she got to her feet and headed back up the ramp.

  “Zara!” hollered the ogre.

  “Yes, master,” answered the slave.

  “Stop standing around and clean this shit up. If I wanted a slave that just stood there I would’ve bought one with no arms instead of three.”

  The slave obeyed. What choice did she have? She was a slave and if the ogre abused his wife like that, then he would surely abuse a lowly slave. The waste disposal unit chimed that the emptying process was compete. Shaking his head in disgust, Roe collected his waste container and headed back towards his own ship. People amazed him. Of course the bastard hadn’t had any qualms about abusing his wife in front of his slave. People would do and say anything in front of their slaves…that was a known fact. But that foul smelling prick had abused his wife in front of Roe, the Gods, and anyone else that happened to be watching. Roe stopped in mid stride halfway up the ramp as his own thoughts slapped him across the beak. Smiling, he hurried back inside.

  When he returned to the galley, Izabel had her bare foot propped up on the table and a needle positioned between her big toe and the smaller toe next to it.

  “Slaves,” Roe said when he returned to the galley. “Did your old man own slaves?”

  “Uh…I think so. Why?” asked Izabel, depressing the plunger. Then she closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair as her morphagen flooded into her bloodstream.

  “Because people will say or do anything in front of their slaves.”

  “Like discussing a fake suicide plan,”she said, opening her eyes. Her smile announcing the fact that her thought-train had linked up with his.

  “Let’s hope. Get dressed. I’ll start the thrusters.”

  “Where are we going?” Izabel asked.

  “To see a Giant about a slave,” Roe said as he turned towards the cockpit.

  IZABEL

  TERRA GIGAS WAS not only the home world of the Giants but it was also the slave market capital of the galaxy. Durga Zane, had ruled with a giant sized fist over both since the assassination of her mother. According to Roe, if Phaelan had owned any slaves then Durga was the only person that would know how to find them.

  “Look at the size of that thing!” she exclaimed, pointing at a shuttle that passed outside her window. It was a shuttle large enough to accommodate sixty Giants. Each one standing around 25 feet tall and weighing about 1200 pounds. Even though Giants needed a lot of land to develop structures that could handle their enormous size, half the planet was still undeveloped wilderness because the size of the Giant population ranked forth from the bottom.

  They docked in Crystal City which was located in the heart of the famous Terra Gigas Mountains. Izabel could see hundreds of slaves mining for diamonds. They landed and Roe’s datapad hadn’t been mistaken about the weather on Terra Gigas. It was sunny and in the low 70s. She was glad she had pulled her hair into a ponytail and forgone her hoodie.

  “Watch it elf,” barked a Giant that nearly tripped over Izabel as she stepped off the ramp.

  “Well, their hospitality’s humungous,” she snarked.

  “So is their appetite. Watch your step and your tongue,” Roe warned.

  Izabel didn’t have much experience with Giants. She heard stories that they ate other species but she had always thought that they were just that…stories. Guess not.

  “Got it,” she said. “So where are we headed?”

  “Up there,” Roe said pointing up at massive stone house located on the shelf of the nearest mountain.

  “Durga lives in a castle? Neato!”

  “Yeah. Come on.”

  He moved away from his ship and out into the dirt street. Izabel followed. Staying mindful of where she was walking, she kept stealing glances at Durga’s impressive abode. It even had turrets, four of them. She had never seen a castle before and she couldn’t wait to see what it looked like on the inside. They had traveled four blocks when they came across one of the most disgusting and humiliating things Izabel had ever seen in her life. The dirt road that intersected the one they were traveling on, ended at a bar called The Piss Puddle. Now, it wasn’t the name that bothered Izabel. She appreciated crude humor. It was the entertainment the bar endorsed that offended her. The bar’s clientele was strictly Giant and apparently it was tradition for the patrons to empty their bladders by urinating over the side of the balcony. Normally this kind of behavior wouldn’t be a big deal but the Giants weren’t just urinating into the street, they were using their streams of urine to knock down the slaves that had been ordered to stand in the line of oncoming bodily fluids. Giants were four times the size of any undesirable so getting urinated on by one was like getting hit with a fire hose. Izabel watched in utter disgust as the slaves were knocked viciously to the ground. If they didn’t get a face full of giant piss then they got a face full of piss soaked mud. Each time a slave fell the patrons of the bar laughed and celebrated. All of them, not just the ones with their flies open. It was horrible.

  “No,” Roe told Izabel when she started towards the fallen slaves. She stopped.

  “What do you mean no? This isn’t right!”

  “No, it isn’t. But interfering is against Terra Gigas law. Slaves can be bought, sold, and abused, same as any other property. Let’s keep moving.”

  Roe turned his back on the maltreatment that was happening at the Piss Puddle and kept walking. At that moment Izabel hated him for it. How could he be so cold? Izabel saw that one of the slaves had fallen into the mud and the poor girl was struggling to get up because she only had one arm. A fresh wave of urine knocked another slave down on top of her. Izabel nearly lost it. She almost rushed in. But then she remembered everything that Roe had done for her. Trying to help would only cause more trouble for him. How many times had he saved her life now? She’d lost count. Plus, how much help could she really offer? She couldn’t free them. She couldn’t stop their cruel owners from abusing them. So as hard as it was, she followed Roe’s lead and continued up the dirt street. As much as she wanted to help those poor slaves, it had nothing to do with whatever was going on with her father. Trying to help, would just stalled their search for the truth.

  There was an elaborate cable car system that allowed travelers to go from the street to the top of the mountain. By the time she caught up to Roe, he
had already purchased their tickets.

  “I know that was tough. I’m proud of you for staying focused,” said Roe once the cable car was in motion.

  “Yeah,” she nodded. She forced the atrocities that occurred at the Piss Puddle from her mind and concentrated on the landscape spread below her. Despite the harshness of its people Terra Gigas was quite beautiful. Except for a small group of rain clouds that were brewing in the South, the skies were blue and clear. Snow capped mountains were separated by dense sections of green forest. To the West, a crew of lumberjacks were busy clearing away trees. The sun gleamed off skin and metal alike as Chromeys wielding axes chopped the trees down. Teams of blue skinned G heads would catch the trees as they fell and then fly them over to the staging area.

  Their cable car passed not one but two hotels that had been built into the side of the mountain. Each one looked very inviting had they been looking for lodging. Finally they reached their destination and Izabel bounded out of the car before it came to a complete stop. She couldn’t help it. She was too excited.

  “What’s that?” she asked, pointing up at a stone statue that had been erected in the center of the courtyard.

  “Adra Zane’s memorial,” Roe answered, as he secured the cable car. Adra’s statue stood forty feet tall and casts a shadow on the gravel road twice as long. A pair of slaves were cleaning the statue’s feet with sponges and buckets of soapy water.

  “Come on,” Roe said, leading Izabel up the gravel road towards a rod iron gate. Beyond the gate loomed Durga’s great castle. Down on the street, the prospect of seeing the castle up close had been exciting but now it was a bit intimidating. That and the idea of disappointing Roe kept her from sprinting up to the gate.

  “Halt!” boomed an unseen voice when they were still five feet from the gate. Both Roe and Izabel obeyed. She cast a worried glance at Roe when she heard the sound of footsteps. Each step shook the ground. They were coming from behind and getting closer…and closer. Finally, the footsteps stopped, but Izabel didn’t sigh in relief. Her terror had multiplied instead of dissipating. When the footsteps began Roe and her had been standing in the sun, now they were drowned in shadow as if Terra Gigas’ sun had suddenly ceased to exist. Curiosity made her want to turn around and look but raw fear kept her frozen in place. She was about to ask Roe what they were supposed to do when something closed around her head and she was lifted high into the air. She screamed!

  Izabel’s head was being pinched between the thumb and index finger of a Giant. He had a red mohawk and a grizzly beard that came down to his chest. His blue eyes might’ve been pretty if Izabel had seen more sanity in them.

  “Put her down, Ragnar,” Roe said. His voice was stern but not angry. In fact, Roe didn’t seem nearly as alarmed as Izabel thought he should be. She supposed that should comfort her…but it didn’t.

  “I’ll put her down, when you give me riddle I can’t solve, Driskell,” said Ragnar, his eyes never leaving Izabel. He seemed to be studying her as if she was some sort of insect he’d never encountered. A riddle? Seriously, thought Izabel as she tried to squirm her way free. It was futile. They said there was nothing in the galaxy like the strength of a Giant. They were right. Bastards.

  “Alright,” Roe said. “You play with me at night before going to sleep. You can’t get caught fiddling with me at work. You only let a select few people touch me. What am I?”

  “A datapad,” Ragnar answered. “Come on, Driskell you can do better than that.”

  “I don’t know anymore riddles,” Roe said and Izabel wished he hadn’t because Ragnar’s grip on her skull seemed to tighten.

  “Give me another before I eat half your elf in one bite.” Ragnar opened his mouth and the stench of his warm breath hit Izabel like a tidal wave. She kicked her legs and flailed her arms. The Giant laughed.

  “Alright,” Roe soothed. “What gets longer if pulled, fits snugly between breasts, slides neatly into a hole, chokes people when used incorrectly, and works well when jerked?”

  The Giant was silent while he pondered, but his large eyes never left Izabel.

  “Well?” Roe prompted.

  “I give up,” Ragnar mumbled. “Tell me.”

  “A seatbelt,” Roe answered.

  “Will you please let me go now?” Izabel screamed.

  Ragnar nodded and then he tossed Izabel into the air. She landed on the gravel road two feet inside the rod iron gate.

  “Are you okay?” asked Roe as he ran up to the bars.

  “I think so,” she said, dusting herself off. “Where’d he go?”

  “He wandered off. Let me in,” Roe pointed at the control panel located on her side of the gate. She pressed the appropriate button and the gate slid open. Roe stepped through and together they approached the castle.

  “Riddles?” asked Izabel as she massaged her neck.

  “That’s Ragnar. Not all Giants are like him.”

  “God, I hope not.”

  They followed the gravel road until it ended at a set of stone steps that led up to the castle’s entry doors, which were covered by a wraparound porch.

  “Do we just barge in?” Izabel asked, once they were standing in front of the large oak doors.

  “Wait. What time is it?” Roe asked.

  “One twenty-three,” Izabel said after glancing at her watch.

  “Come on. I know where Durga is.”

  Roe turned away from the oak doors and followed the porch around the corner. Izabel followed. Roe lead her to a spiral staircase located in the center of the hallway. Izabel’s thighs were on fire before they were even halfway to the top. The steps had been designed with Giants in mind so climbing them was exhausting. To Izabel’s complete surprise they found a sun-deck at the top of the stairs and lying naked on an enormous cushion was Durga Zane. Like her brother, her hair was also red. But where his skin had been pale, hers was tanned. Evidently, sunbathing was habitual for Durga. That must’ve been how Roe knew where to find her. Ragnar’s size and demeanor had been scary and unsettling but Durga’s seemed to be the exact opposite. The Giant seemed almost vulnerable. But that was probably just because she was naked and there didn’t seem to be any guards to protect her.

  But despite the lack of guards, the Giant wasn’t alone. She had slaves tending to her every need. One slave was using all four of his hands to massage her feet. A second slave was braiding her hair and it was apparently the job of another slave to keep her hair off her bare back so her tan would be even. Two more slaves were carrying a large silver platter filled with fruit on their shoulders. Izabel had never seen food of that magnitude before. The grapes were the size of her fist and the bananas were longer than her arm.

  “Durga!” Roe called from where he stood at the top of the spiral staircase. The Giant woman sat up and looked back at them. She shielded her eyes from the sun and Izabel couldn’t help but notice the fullness of her breasts. They were quite literally the biggest boobs Izabel had ever seen. They would be like a Z cup in a two-legger size.

  “Roe Driskell? I heard you were dead,” Durga said.

  “Then maybe you should stop conversing with liars,” Roe said.

  “Come here Driskell, so I can pinch your head off and then the lies will be true,” Durga said this with a smile and a wave of her hand. Roe obliged and Izabel followed. As they got closer, Izabel noticed that the woman’s tanned body was completely hairless and she wondered if the Druglord groomed herself or if she made her slaves do it. Probably the slaves, they were doing everything else. What was the punishment for accidentally nicking the boss? Were they sent down to the Piss Puddle for reprimanding? Or were they simply whacked? Why not since she had so many slaves at her disposal.

  When they reached her, Durga used the tip of her index finger, to stroke Roe’s head, ruffling his red feathers. He endured it.

  “Who’s this? A bounty huntress in training?” asked Durga. Izabel noticed that the Giant’s eyes were just as blue as her brother’s and almost as insane. She made
a mental note to be cautious. The woman seemed pleasant enough but if what she glimpsed in her eyes was any indication…Durga Zane was not someone to trifle with.

  “No, she’s a News reporter for the San Andreas Times” said Roe, “Izabel Barnes meet Durga Zane.”

  “Ma’am,” greeted Izabel with a head nod. Durga smiled.

  “What brings you to Terra Gigas, Driskell? Need help tracking a Giant stray?”

  “No, actually I need to know if Phaelan Lennox owned any slaves?” answered Roe as he lit a Fenix Tail.

  “Oh, poor Phaelan. The stars that burn twice as bright, stay lit half as long.”

  Roe cast a warning glance at Izabel. He wanted to keep what they knew about Phaelan a secret. Well, he didn’t have to worry. She had decided that she didn’t trust Durga and therefore she wasn’t going to tell her anything.

  “Thirteen!” Durga called, “Bring me my datapad.”

  One of the female slaves that had been standing off to the side, turned around and lifted a huge datapad that had been lying under an umbrella. The datapad was four times the size of Roe’s and it would’ve taken two slaves to carry it, had the slave not sprouted two extra arms during her detox. Izabel gasped when she saw that the number 13 had been branded into the slave’s forehead. Her stomach knotted when she realized that all of the slaves had numbers branded into their foreheads. The numbers ranged from 2 to 24. So, Durga owned as at least 24 slaves. Slaves that had once been addicted to morphagens just like them. Izabel’s distrust for the Giant was quickly turning into disgust. Durga took her datapad without so much as an acknowledgment to the slave.