CHAPTER 13

 

The produce market in the old district of Dansek City was teeming with crowds and full of aromas that no food-dispensing appliance could ever replicate. That's why Rikana Lardis liked to go there on her day off. Her ancestors had been farmers, or that is what she remembered from stories her father had told her when she was a little girl. Her family made the trek to Dansek City to shop at this market every month until she was about fifteen years old. That was when slave raiders came to Trengos and killed her parents. Coming to the produce market was a way for Rikana to honour her parents' memory and to somehow still feel connected to them.

Rikana squeezed the namida fruit and brought it up to her nose. It felt good, the pale blue, teardrop-shaped fruit had a firm skin, but the smell said it was about to turn. She put it back down and tried another. That one was too soft. She tried another. From the corner of her eye she saw a hand grab one of the fruit she had discarded and heard a voice ask the stall owner "How much?"

"That one's no good. Try this one. It's much—" Rikana stopped talking and did a double take that was almost comical as she looked at the short blonde hair of the woman standing next to her.

"What's with the hair?" She looked the woman up and down. The green skirt and blouse were flecked with gold, and even though the outfit was loose fitting, it didn't disguise the athletic figure underneath. "And the clothes?"

"What?" asked the blonde haired woman.

"The hair? When did you get it cut?"

"I don't understand. Maybe you've got me confused with someone else."

"And the voice! What's with the accent?"

"Is there a problem?" A dark haired woman, who was slightly smaller in stature but formidable in comportment, joined them and glared at Rikana.

Rikana's first instinct was to pull her weapon and tell her to take a walk. But the first woman spoke to her.

"It's okay. She thought I was someone else."

Okay, they know each other, thought Rikana. I must be mistaken, but…

"Yeah, sorry," said Rikana. "Mistaken identity. Speaking of which." She reached into her pocket and brought out an id card. "Dansek Security," she announced. "May I see your IDs?"

"No," said the second woman. "We have committed no crime, therefore you have no right." She pulled the blonde haired woman by the arm, and they moved off into the crowd.

"Stupid rights," muttered Rikana under her breath and pulled out her comm unit.

~~~~

Yuniph Veilan squeezed the namida fruit and brought it up to her nose, just like Rikana had taught her to do. Satisfied it was still fresh, she put the fruit into a carton and sealed it. She heard the footsteps behind her, turned around, and held the carton out. "Here you go, Mother – lunch."

Asta tucked the lunch carton into her bag. "Thank you, Yuniph. You're such a good girl." She cupped her daughter's cheek, and then stroked the long blonde hair. "You have such long, beautiful hair. It reminds me of my hair when I was your age."

Yuniph reached out and stroked her mother's hair, which was cut at neck length. The honey blonde hair was peppered with a few grey strands, but from a distance one couldn't tell. "You could let yours grow long," Yuniph suggested.

Her mother forced a smile. "Too much effort to look after. Besides, it was how… my owner liked it."

Even after all this time Yuniph could tell how much it hurt her mother to mention the past, so Yuniph changed the subject. "I can give you a lift to work, if you like."

"No, it's your day off," Asta replied. "Besides, I've got plenty of time until my shift starts. Would you like a cup of tea?" Yuniph's mother asked.

"Sure!" Yuniph replied.

Asta went to the food dispenser and punched in a code. When the tea was done, she brought two steaming cups to the table. "What are your plans for your day?"

"I—" The beeping of her comm unit interrupted her. "Sorry." Yuniph stepped out into the hallway as she answered. "Hi, Rikana."

"Hey, Veilan, where are you?"

"At home. It's my day off, remember?"

"Yeah, I know. It's just that there's some woman walking around the market with your face."

"What? My face?"

"Yeah, dead spit, except she had short hair." Rikana paused. "And better fashion sense," she added.

"Thanks," said Yuniph dryly.

"No problem," Rikana replied. "So what do you want to do about it?"

"About what?"

"The woman with your face."

"It's not a crime is it?"

"Not exactly, but looking like a member of the Dansek Security could be a bonus if you want to get up to no good."

"Well, if she commits a crime, you'll know it wasn't me." Yuniph poked her head into the kitchen and signalled to her mother that she'd be right there. "Look I've got to go. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye."

Yuniph closed the comm unit and put it back into the pocket of her skirt. She returned to the kitchen table where her mother was sipping her tea.

"Where were we before we were interrupted?" Yuniph asked.

"I was asking you what are you doing today?"

Yuniph drank her tea. "No plans. I'll probably lend father a hand in the garden."

"He won't like that. You know that's his domain."

"Mother, it's only you he's banned from helping in the garden."

"That was years ago! They looked like dead leaves to me!"

Yuniph laughed. "I'll try not to help him too much."

Asta finished the last sip of tea and stood. "Well, I should be off. Those plasma components aren't going to inspect themselves." She hefted her bag to her shoulder still muttering about dead leaves. "When's your next day off? We should go out for the day somewhere. All three of us, I mean."

"Pick a date and I'll make sure I'm off," Yuniph replied.

"I'll speak to my manager," said Asta. She gave Yuniph a kiss on the cheek and headed out the door of their small semi-detached house.

Yuniph finished the last of her tea and ventured into the garden. There she found her father, Pallin, reclining on a lounger soaking up the morning sunshine from Trengos' twin suns and reading the news.

"Need any help?" she asked, taking a seat on the edge of the lounger next to him.

"I can read it just fine," he winked at her.

"I meant with gardening." Yuniph smiled at the lanky man, whose feet dangled over the edge of the lounger.

"Sure!" he replied. Yuniph's father was a gardener by trade and gardening was his hobby as well. High summer in Dansek, when the suns were at their greatest separation, was not a time to spend toiling too long outdoors, consequently Pallin took the opportunity to have time away from tending other people's gardens to enjoy his own.

A beep from his reader attracted his attention. "Damn! Raiders just hit Salnadar!"

Salnadar was a small settlement on the other side of Trengos, nowhere near Dansek, but any raid on the planet or even in nearby systems was news they all dreaded.

"Casualties?" asked Yuniph. She took a seat next to her father.

"Too early to say precisely, but the report is—" another beep signalling an update sounded. Pallin scanned it quickly. "Twelve dead, twenty-two unaccounted for."

The words 'unaccounted for' had an ominous meaning. It meant those missing were heading to The Hegemony and a life of slavery. Yuniph knew her parents had been slaves before she was born, but they were very fortunate in that they had been granted freedom. A precious gift that very few slaves are ever granted. She could see her father was visibly troubled by the story.

Yuniph placed a comforting hand on his arm. "It's a tragedy, I know, but we're safe here. Dansek City is too big for them to hit," she said.

"It's too big for slave raiders, but not The Hegemony. It says here that they recently seized Otopa from the Losper Empire. Trengos is too close to their border and independent. How long before they decide to invade?"

"Don't worry yourself."

"But I do worry." Pallin looked at his daughter earnestly. "Invasion by The Hegemony is a real threat, and Trengos has no worldwide co-ordinated government or planetary defences. If the invasion came, The Hegemony would probably not have to fire a shot. They would just land and claim the planet. And, it won't be twenty-two new slaves for them, it'll be twenty-two million."

"I'm sure Trengos isn't of any strategic interest to The Hegemony," Yuniph replied. "Besides, a newly conquered planet would be useless without a population; surely The Hegemony wouldn't take them all as slaves."

"Even one person, taken as a slave, is one too many," Pallin said.

"We could flee," said Yuniph. "But that would mean they've already beaten us. No, we can only stay and fight them when, or if, they come."

"That's my girl."

They spent the rest of the morning tending a few of the flower beds and the vegetable patch, but mostly just relaxing and enjoying their time together. The first sun was just reaching its zenith and the garden had lost any shade that it had earlier on.

"Father, we really should be going inside now. You know what Mother would say if she knew I allowed you to stay outside in this heat."

"Yes, yes. I just want to tie off this double-neck squash."

Yuniph was just about to insist that he leave it and come inside when a head appeared on the other side of the tall fence that separated the garden from the road.

"Hello, Rikana," called Yuniph's father.

"Hey, Mr V.," Rikana said, returning his greeting as she climbed over the fence. She trotted over to Yuniph and Pallin, and lightly punched Yuniph on the arm. "Thought I'd pop round."

"Did you," Yuniph said, eying her partner suspiciously. Everything about Rikana was everything that Yuniph innately disliked: she was too loud, too familiar, too uncouth – just like her taste in clothing. Rikana showed up dressed like a teenager in a loose fitting jacket, knee length leggings and a skirt cut from right thigh to left ankle, made in a light fabric that shimmered all colours as the light caught it. Though to be fair, Rikana was not far out of her teens at twenty-one, a whole seven years younger than Yuniph. Despite all of that, Yuniph actually liked Rikana – most of the time.

"What have I told you about climbing over the fence?" asked Pallin.

"That I should do it," she replied innocently.

She dipped her head and looked up at Yuniph's father, a little smile curling the corner of her mouth. It was a look no father could resist. He chuckled and patted her shoulder.

"Sorry, Mr V. I won't do it next time."

"We were just about to go inside and get a drink, maybe a bite to eat. Care to join us?" Pallin asked.

"Sure, Mr V. That's very kind of you."

He ushered the two young women inside and prepared a light meal for the three of them.

"Thanks," Yuniph said to her father as he placed the drinks and food on the table.

"Cheers, Mr V." Rikana took a sip of her drink.

"You've not come to take my Yuni away on her day off have you?" asked Pallin.

"Err, no. Well, maybe. I'm not sure. It's not work. Maybe. Yet."

"You're trying to confuse me with all that street slang you kids talk," said Pallin. "Well, I watch the daily dramas when I can and I understand it perfectly."

Yuniph gave Rikana a stern look not to say anything more.

"I'll leave you two to talk. I've got some things to do upstairs," said Pallin. He put his food and drink on a tray and wandered out of the kitchen.

"You didn't come all the way across town on your day off just to 'pop round'," Yuniph observed. "Is this about the woman who you said looks like me?"

Rikana got very animated. "Not just looks like you. It's like you've been cloned – only with short hair and better fashion sense."

Yuniph took a bite of the sandwich her father had prepared for her. "Last time I looked, it wasn't a crime to resemble another person."

"Didn't you hear what I said? She didn't just resemble you, she was you." Rikana paused. "Except with shor—"

"'—short hair and better fashion sense'," mimicked Yuniph.

Rikana cackled with laughter.

"It's still not a crime," said Yuniph.

"No, but you must have heard about the raid on Salnadar."

"Yes," Yuniph replied. "What about it?"

"The woman who looked like you, and her friend – it suddenly struck me..." Rikana paused and took another sip of her drink.

"What struck you?" asked Yuniph.

"Their accents. Heggers!"

Yuniph allowed the derogatory term to pass without comment. "There are plenty of Hegemony accents on this planet."

"Not that many. None I've heard in Dansek for ages."

"You need to hang out at the spaceport more," Yuniph said.

"They didn't look like traders or spacers," Rikana replied. "Besides, the dark-haired friend of your clone…guess what?"

"No idea, what?"

"She didn't have a normal Hegger accent."

Sometimes pulling facts out of Rikana in a conversation was like pulling strang-grass out of a flowerbed.

"Then what was it?" Yuniph managed to keep the sigh out of her voice.

"Elit!"

"What?" Yuniph was surprised.

"Elit! I'm sure. Never heard one in real life, but it sounded a lot like the accent actors use when they play Elit in vid dramas."

"Okay, so they may or may not have Hegemony accents and one may or may not have an Elit accent. What has that got to do with the raid?"

"Stop being dense, Veilan. Who do you think is behind the raids? We all know that the raiders take slaves to the Heggers. They could be here scouting for potential targets."

"You know I'm no big fan of The Hegemony, but I'm sure they're not going to be sending members of the ruling families here to scout for slaves. Besides, the raids happened at Salnadar – nowhere near here."

"Sure, we all hear the official denials that the slavers are not sanctioned by The Hegemony and that illegal slave trading is against their law. But I buy that as much as I buy Oelian spice cakes." Rikana rolled her eyes.

"There are many Hegemony refugees here with Hegemony accents that came here because they're opposed to what their government is doing – my parents, for example," Yuniph reminded Rikana.

"Hey, no one thinks more of your parents than me… except you… and maybe four or five others, but this is different."

"Rikana, until these women do anything illegal, we must assume they are innocent and treat them without suspicion."

"You're so tight, Veilan. I knew you'd say that."

"Then why did you come here?"

"Because, whether I like it or not, we're partners. We fight crime together. I just thought that you'd want to tackle something bigger than petty theft and missing cats."

"The small stuff is just as important as the big stuff."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'd be heartbroken if my cat got stolen – if I had a cat – and all that. But think, Veilan, it's our duty to investigate and stop something potentially this big before it occurs. Raids are happening more often. The raiders are getting bolder and hitting closer to bigger population centres. We need to act. If these women turn out to be innocent, then I'm all for not arresting them – Hegger Elit or not."

For all of Rikana's prejudice, Yuniph conceded she might have a point. "We need to clear it with Command before we do anything."

"Fine, sure."

"And we wait until tomorrow."

"Time is crucial. If there's a chance, however slim, that they're here for slaves, or perhaps they are even spies, then time is of the essence."

"I'm sure The Hegemony can find spies without give away accents for their top secret missions," Yuniph replied.

"If the Heggers know someone with a give away accent won't be suspected of being a spy," said Rikana, "that's what they'll use. They're clever bastards. Mostly just bastards, though."

Yuniph felt she was caught in the middle of something from which she was not going to escape. "Fine," she said. "I'll just get changed. You should, too."

"Changed?"

"Uniforms. If we're going to Command with this, then we'll be on duty. We wear our uniforms when on duty."

"Right, I'll go home and change," Rikana reluctantly agreed. "See you there."

~~~~

Rikana and Yuniph, both dressed in their uniforms, were cooling their heels in the waiting room of the station commander's office. It was located on the top floor of the Dansek Security central command centre. They had been told to wait while their superior officer considered Rikana's suspicions about the two foreign women she had met earlier that morning.

They had been waiting for more than an hour. Yuniph stood up and started pacing. Rikana knew the waiting was making her partner edgy. Yuniph had made it known, in their meeting with the commander, that she did not share Rikana's suspicions.

Rikana scrutinised her partner as she paced and thought how well Yuniph suited the uniform. The dark blue fabric was a good contrast to her pale skin and blonde hair. She just wished Yuniph would wear it a little looser, less buttoned up. She felt her own light brown skin didn't suit the colour as well. She had tried brightening it up once with a pink scarf, but Yuniph and her superiors had put a quick stop to that.

 Yuniph abruptly stopped. "This is silly. I should never have agreed to this."

"Quit griping."

Finally the office door opened and they were called in.

Their commanding officer, Commander Simeal, a short man with a bald head and seemingly no neck, sat at his desk. "Given the lack of any hard evidence, I'm loathe to give the go ahead," he said. "However, after the raid in Salnadar, I will allow you to bring these women in for questioning as 'persons of interest'."

"But Sir," said Yuniph. "Section 2, chapter 7, sub-paragraph 12 clearly states that we can't bring them in without a valid reason."

"I've just given you one, Veilan."

"Yes, Sir. What I mean, Sir, is that we should check them out, yes. But it doesn't have to be done here, or under caution."

"Yeah!" Rikana jumped in. "We should take them somewhere remote. Somewhere where we won't be seen and they won't be heard."

"That's not what I meant," Yuniph replied.

"Oh." Rikana was disappointed

"If," Yuniph continued, "and I can't believe I'm saying this, Officer Lardis is right, then they might already know we suspect them, which might be enough for them to leave before they do anything."

"If Officer Lardis is correct then we don't want them to get away," said Simeal. "We want them in custody and held as a warning to The Hegemony that we won't be messed with."

"But that might only provoke them more," explained Yuniph.

"They don't care whether we provoke them or not if they want to raid us," the commander replied. "At least this way we take a couple of them down first."

"Yes, Sir!" Rikana beamed.

"Find them first, then call for back up and we'll bring them in." He looked Rikana. "Though I like your idea of somewhere remote, Lardis."

"Thank you, Sir!"

~~~~

According to the spaceport manifests, their names, allegedly, were Tehvay Bastin and Kikola Trellon. They had arrived at the Dansek spaceport in a run-down freighter three days ago. Customs said the ship was carrying no goods and the women said they were here to look for business.

Yuniph and Rikana had set up surveillance in a spaceport lounge overlooking the docking bay where the suspects' ship was docked. The lounge wasn't very clean, though it did smell of cleaning fluid, as though an attempt to remove some of the grime had been made.

Rikana was laying on her back on a couch, watching some vid on her comm unit, while munching on something unhealthy that she had bought from a nearby vendor. Yuniph sat by the window watching the ship.

Yuniph stood up and stretched. "Your turn."

"Five more minutes. This is almost finished."

"I need the toilet. Now."

Rikana cursed and climbed off the couch.

As Yuniph headed for the door, Rikana called out, "Get me another one of these." She waved the remnants of her food in Yuniph's direction. "Wash your hands first!"

Yuniph ignored her partner's dig at her fastidious nature, which Rikana didn't necessarily share.

The restroom was as grimy as the rest of the port, and even after washing her hands thoroughly several times, Yuniph felt they weren't clean. She avoided touching anything on the way out, and headed to the food counter to join the queue. For several minutes the queue didn't move an inch. She looked ahead of her to see what was holding up the line. The man at the top of the queue paid for his purchases and stepped away, and the procession moved up one person. Yuniph was next, but something made her turn her head.

There, somewhere in the sea of people milling around the port, something caught her eye. It was her reflection staring back. Only there was no mirror there. It took a moment for both of them to realise what they were seeing.

"You…" Yuniph's reflection started to say.

Yuniph took a step towards her. "Are you Tehvay?"

"How do you know my name?" asked the woman.

At least Rikana was right about the accent.

"I'm with—"

"Tehvay!"

A dark-haired woman, slightly shorter than Yuniph came up. Yuniph guessed that it was Kikola. They were starting to attract attention and Yuniph didn't want to start a panic, so she refrained from signalling Rikana.

"She knows my name," Tehvay told Kikola.

"It's okay. I'm with Dansek Security. I'm not going to hurt you."

"Who are you?" asked Kikola, scrutinising Yuniph closely.

"My name is Yuniph. Yuniph Veilan." She suddenly remembered she was on duty and in uniform. "I am Officer Yuniph Veilan. I was told there was a stranger to Dansek who looked just like me, but this is uncanny."

"Nice to meet you," Kikola replied tersely. "Now, we really must be going."

A shiver went down Yuniph's spine. The accent was undeniably Elit, and the look in the dark-haired woman's eyes was piercing, fierce, menacing.

"Come on, Tehvay." Kikola tugged at Tehvay's arm.

"No wait! She looks just like me." Tehvay pulled herself free.

Suddenly, two shots rang out. Kikola fell at the first shot and Tehvay fell at the second. Rikana appeared and holstered her weapon.

"It's okay, people!" announced Rikana. "Security business. Nothing more to see. Move along."

"So much for keeping it quiet," muttered Yuniph.

~~~~

Kikola had felt the sting of the blast hit her a moment before she passed out. When she came to, her academy training instinctively kicked in.

Weapon? Gone.

Anyone near? No.

Injuries? No.

Where am I? A cell of some kind.

Who shot me? Not the security officer that looked like Tehvay. Maybe she had a part—

Tehvay! Where's Tehvay?

Kikola stood up and looked around.

The cell was about three metres wide and six metres long. The construction was basic, but solid.

Exits? No windows. Air vent too small. Door: no mechanism on the inside.

Electronics? Camera above the door. Force field projectors covering the room's interior space.

Kikola could only wait.

She didn't have to wait long. With a few minutes of regaining consciousness, the force field sprang into life, trapping Kikola at the far end of the cell, away from the door. The door opened and a young woman wearing a dark blue uniform entered.

She grinned at Kikola.

Kikola recognised the face. It was the young woman she and Tehvay had seen at the market, the one who wanted to see their IDs. A quick assessment told Kikola that she could easily overpower the officer, if the force field wasn't activated.

She had no option but to wait for an opportunity, and prepared herself for interrogation. At the Elit Military Academy, Kikola had learned not only how to interrogate, but how to withstand interrogation. This young woman, who looked barely older than Kamina, would be easy to resist.

"I am Officer Lardis. You are Kikola Trellon." Lardis paused and held up Kikola's ID. She frowned at it and then tossed it over her shoulder. "What's your real name?"

Kikola said nothing.

"Trellon is not a Hegger Elit name. And you are a Hegger. And your accent is Elit. So don't try to deny it."

Outwardly Kikola remained impassive, eyes looking nowhere, but observing. Inwardly she was thinking. She knows I have a fake name. She knows I'm Elit. Why is she telling me this? The smart thing would be to get me to reveal it. If you can get your victim to reveal information you know, then you can have reasonable trust in something they reveal that you don't know. It's the first rule of interrogation: Tell your subject nothing. Ask your subject everything.

"Let's see what else I have in here." Lardis reached into her pocket and pulled out another ID. "Oooh! What's this?" she asked brightly, holding up the ID card. "Tehvay Bastin. Another scummy Hegger."

Kikola cursed herself as she reacted to Tehvay's name. She locked eyes with Lardis for a second before looking away. She fought down the urge to ask about Tehvay.

Lardis tapped the ID with her index finger. "You know she looks very familiar. You saw my partner at the spaceport. Did you notice the similarity?" Lardis laughed. "Of course you did. Why do they look the same? Apart from the hair and fashion sense. Huh? Can you tell me that?"

Kikola couldn't. When she had seen the officer standing in the queue staring at Tehvay and Tehvay staring back, it threw her. Kikola's instincts told her to run. Now she wished they had.

When Kikola was not forthcoming with an explanation, Lardis continued her interview seemingly undaunted. "You Elit probably cloned my partner hoping to infiltrate Dansek for your nefariri… nefo… despicabable plans." The officer took a step closer. "Of course your mighty plan has failed. You're stuck in this cell and your little clone is being cut up by our doctors—"

Kikola flinched. Her muscles tensed, ready to launch herself at the officer – force field be damned. "If you—" She bit off the words. Must not react!

Lardis gave a mock shocked look. "Oh! Hit a nerve? Have I found something to get through that hard exterior you're trying to maintain? Well, beep, beep, news update, we know enough about you that you can't try and intimidate us with silence, and now that we've got you, we've got a lifetime to get stuff out of you. So I'll be back."

Lardis turned on her heel. Kikola almost cracked and asked about Tehvay. She helplessly watched Lardis exit the cell.

Kikola slumped into a corner and tried to shut out all the horrors she imagined could be happening to Tehvay.

~~~~

Yuniph had called her parents the night before to say she was going to have to work overnight. She hadn't told them anything about the woman who looked like her. Yuniph wasn't sure she knew how to begin such a conversation.

Now, Yuniph sat in a room with her commanding officer waiting for the forensic pathologist on duty, a cold cup of tea sat on the table in front of her. She stole the occasional glance at a monitor that showed the interior of the cell containing the woman with her face. The mystery woman had awoken from being stunned about thirty minutes ago and was curled up in the corner of her cell, rocking gently.

The door opened and the pathologist entered. He placed a piece of electronic paper on the desk, and Commander Simeal picked it up.

"What does it say?" asked Yuniph.

The doctor scratched his head and took a seat next to Yuniph. "Genetically identical."

"So she's a clone," said Simeal.

"Not unless Veilan was cloned when she was born." The doctor turned to look at Yuniph. "She's the same age as you and there's no sign of accelerated growth. So either she was cloned from you when you were born or she's your biological twin."

"That's impossible. I don't have a twin."

"Well, according to these DNA test results, you have a twin, and she's in a cell downstairs."

Yuniph tried to open her mouth to say something but she had no words. Suddenly her world made no sense.

"Perhaps you should go home and speak to your parents," said Simeal. "I'll go talk to her and try to get to the bottom of this."

"No! Let me," Yuniph stood up. "Look at her," she pointed to the monitor showing her duplicate. "She's scared. She's not going to talk to you, but she might talk to me."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Well I do, Sir."

"Veilan has a point, Commander," said the pathologist. "That woman is clearly on the edge. She needs to see a friendly face. Or at least one she recognises."

~~~~

The cell was cold and artificially lit. With only a hard floor to lie on, it was difficult to get comfortable, and coupled with the bright lights, made it impossible to sleep. Not that Tehvay could sleep. Once again, she found her chance at freedom snatched away. And worse, she had been separated from Kikola. Tehvay never felt more alone. She huddled in a corner for warmth and wept.

She had no idea what time of the day it was. She just knew it had been a long time since she had shed her last tear. Just as she was about to call out for someone to help her, she heard the cell door open and close.

"Tehvay." The voice was soft, friendly, somehow comforting and familiar.

Tehvay looked up into a mirror of her own face smiling back at her. She wanted answers and railed against her captor. "Who are you? What do you want with me?"

"My name is 'Yuniph'," the uniformed security officer replied. "The rest I will explain shortly. In the meantime, I've brought you something to eat and drink."

Tehvay's eyes fell to the tray that held a cup of water and a plate of bread and meat. She wanted to take it, but she didn't. She just stared at the plate, shivering.

The officer took her jacket off and placed it over Tehvay's shoulders. The jacket warmed her, and even though the scent was unusual to her, it was somehow familiar.

"The food is safe to eat," said Yuniph, and she broke off a piece of bread and ate it to demonstrate. "So is the water." She took a sip and handed the cup to Tehvay.

Tehvay drank deeply and let the cup fall, spilling the remaining water on the floor. She clutched at the jacket that had been put on her shoulders and pulled it tighter around herself.

Yuniph picked up the discarded cup and put it next to the plate. There wasn't the rebuke that Tehvay expected.

"First of all," said Yuniph. "I want to apologise for you being stunned. That was not my intention. My partner can be a little rash at times. She doesn't always think before acting."

Tehvay's anger overrode her slave conditioning to never question authority. "Where's Kikola, and why have we been arrested? We have broken no laws. And why do you look like me?"

"I know you have a lot a questions. So do I." Yuniph held up the plate. "Have something to eat, please. It'll make you feel better."

Tehvay reached for a piece of meat, then changed her mind and took the piece of bread from which Yuniph had just eaten. It was fresh, still slightly warm, and tasted delicious. She forced herself to take only one bite before putting it back on the plate.

"Your friend, Kikola, is nearby and uninjured. You haven't been arrested, merely detained for questioning, for obvious reasons," Yuniph said. "We took a genetic sample from you while you were unconscious," explained Yuniph. "We, you and me, are genetically identical. Do you know what that means?"

Tehvay shook her head.

"Either we are twins or you are my clone."

"Or you could be my clone," said Tehvay warily. 

"Yes, that is a possibility," Yuniph replied. "Who were your parents?"

Tehvay's mind went blank. She and Kikola had started concocting back-stories for their new identities, but they were far from complete and this was one area that they hadn't covered. Something in the familiar blue-green eyes looking back at her made Tehvay open up and tell the truth.

"I don't know. I never knew them. I was a slave." Her lips began to tremble as she fought back more tears, and Tehvay found herself being enveloped by strong arms that held her gently.

"You're not a slave anymore," Yuniph whispered.

~~~~

Kikola paced the cell floor trying to work out various escape plan scenarios. Since she was unconscious when she was brought here, she had no knowledge of where 'here' was or the layout of the building to plot a possible escape route. And she had no idea where they were keeping Tehvay, so even if she did have a viable escape plan, she was not going without Tehvay. Kikola determined that the only course of action open to her was to overpower whoever came in the next time – assuming the force field was down.

When the next someone came into her cell, Kikola was ready to jump the person – that is until she recognised the face, and then she almost jumped to embrace the woman but stopped when something was not adding up. The person standing in front of her had on a uniform and her long blonde hair was pulled back. This wasn't Tehvay, but except for the hair and the clothes, Kikola couldn't tell just by looking at her.

"My name is Officer Yuniph Veilan. We met at the spaceport. I have just come from interviewing Tehvay."

"How is she? What have you done with her?" Kikola asked.

Just then, another figure walked into the cell. She had the same familiar face as the woman already standing in the room. Kikola looked from one woman to the other. "Tehvay?"

"Yes, Kikola it's me."

"I demand to know what is going on!"

"That's what we are going to find out," Officer Veilan replied. "Come with me, both of you."

"We are not going anywhere with you until you tell us what is going on," Kikola said assertively.

"I know you both want answers. So do I. Please." The officer looked at Tehvay. "I am not going to hurt either of you. I promise."

"It's okay, Kikola," said Tehvay. "I trust her."

Veilan took them outside to a vehicle and asked them to get inside. They complied with the request, and Veilan drove off without a word.

Kikola could see that it was morning, which must have meant she had been in the cell all night. Though it was summer and the nights were short, she estimated it must have been about eight hours since they were apprehended.

Kikola felt Tehvay's hand slip into her own and she gave it a gentle squeeze. All the occupants of the vehicle remained silent until they pulled up outside a small semi-detached house on the outskirts of the city.

"We're here," said Officer Veilan as she turned the vehicle's propulsion system off.

Tehvay's doppelganger led them to the front door and gestured for them to follow her inside. Kikola was wary, though there was nothing threatening about the house. Tehvay, on the other hand, seemed calm and unaffected by the situation. Tehvay was used to being thrust into new situations and surroundings, Kikola surmised. Something else to admire about her.

"Is that you, Yuniph?" asked a female voice coming from behind the door at the end of the short hallway.

"Yes," Veilan replied.

"Is Rikana with you?"

Veilan opened the door. "No," she said, "but I have people I'd like you to meet."

"Well, bring them in and introduce them," a man responded.

Kikola stepped into the home's kitchen and saw a middle-age couple sitting at a table in the centre of the room.

"This is Kikola," said Veilan. "These are my parents, Asta and Pallin."

The couple greeted Kikola cordially.

Kikola immediately recognised the family resemblance. What she had suspected, after meeting Yuniph, now seemed a reality. As she returned their greeting, Kikola remained outwardly calm, but there was a maelstrom of thoughts and emotions churning inside her mind – foremost of which was how she was going to protect Tehvay if this did not go well.

"And this is Tehvay," said Veilan, her voice was strained.

Tehvay entered the room, seemingly oblivious to the significance of what was about to happen.

Asta stood up and took a few hesitant steps towards Tehvay, then froze.

"No! It can't be!" Asta reached out and stumbled.

Tehvay rushed forward and caught her. "Are you all right?" She helped the older woman sit back down.

"Is it really you?" asked Pallin.

"I don't know," said Tehvay. "Who do you think I am?"

"Yes. I'd like to hear an explanation," said Yuniph.

He sat back down heavily. Kikola in the meantime had filled a glass with water and placed it in front of Asta. "Do you want some water?" Kikola asked Pallin.

"I think I might need something stronger."

"I'm so sorry," cried Asta. She stroked Tehvay's cheek. "I'm so sorry. We had no choice."

"No choice about what?" asked Yuniph.

"It was in the contract," said Pallin.

"What contract?"

"Our release. When our master discovered your mother was pregnant, he petitioned to have us and our child released. That was what was agreed to. It was only when she was giving birth that we discovered your mother was carrying twins."

Kikola looked over at Tehvay and could see the realisation on Tehvay's face. Tears started flowing down the former slave's cheeks.

"I don't understand," Yuniph pressed. "What does that have to do with anything? I was born in freedom. That's what you always told me."

"You were." Pallin started crying. "But it was the law!"

"You're not making sense."

"I understand," said Kikola to Veilan. "The agreement of release was for your parents and unborn child. Singular. Once that agreement was filed with the Slave Registration Board it was bound into law." She turned to face Tehvay. "They were only allowed to keep one of you. The other was a slave by law."

"So what? You just chose one of us to give away?" Veilan bitterly accused her parents.

"No, it wasn't like that," sobbed Asta. "They came to claim one of you. We had no choice."

"How did you choose? How did you choose which one to give away?" Veilan's voice started to rise in anger.

"I couldn't! How could I?" Asta exclaimed. "Neither of us could make that choice. They made the choice. We couldn't look." She turned to Tehvay. "I'm so sorry. We had no choice."

"Shh," Tehvay held her mother close and comforted the distraught woman. "It's okay. I understand. I understand."

The officer looked at her long-lost sister incredulously. "How can you? They just said they let the slavers come and take you. They didn't even try to put up a fight."

While all the crying and accusations were flying, Kikola noticed that Tehvay seemed confused by her sister's angry reaction. "They were slaves Yuniph," she said. "They could do nothing."

"They were free! They weren't slaves when we were born!"

"You don't understand, Yuni," said her father. "You can't understand. You have never been a slave."

"You're right, I don't understand. I don't want to understand. I can't understand how anyone would let someone just take their child away to a life of slavery!" She stormed off, slamming the front door behind her.

"Leave her," said Kikola as Pallin moved to follow. "She needs time to come to terms with all this."

He nodded and looked at Tehvay – looked at his daughter. "Can you forgive—?"

"Yes! Yes!" cried Tehvay. "Of course I forgive you. Both of you."

All three family members were clinging to each other crying. Kikola stood apart, watching and trying to hold back her own tears at this family's reunion.

Pallin became aware of Kikola's presence. "I'm sorry, what was your name again?"

"Kikola."

"I'm Pallin and my wife is called Asta. You brought Tehvay… It's strange, we never had a name for you," he said to his daughter. "Where was I? Yes, you brought Tehvay here?"

"To this planet, yes. We had no idea this was where you were."

"How did you gain your freedom?" Asta asked Tehvay.

"I… um…" she looked at Kikola.

"She is not free," said Kikola.

Pallin's face clouded, and Asta doubled her hold on her daughter.

"It's all right," said Tehvay. "It's… technically I am still a slave in The Hegemony. But Kikola rescued me and we've come here to get away. If I ever go back, then I'll be classed as a fugitive slave."

"And you?" Pallin asked Kikola. "What will happen to you if you go back?"

"I don't know. I don't intend to find out."

"Are you Elit?" he asked.

"I am."

"What family?"

"Karthen."

"So what makes a member of an Elit family, a founding family at that, leave The Hegemony with a fugitive slave?"

"Your daughter, Tehvay. She is…" Kikola paused and glanced at Tehvay, "…special. I could not let her live as a slave."

Pallin looked back over his shoulder at his wife and Tehvay. "We would like to get to know you better, but we'd like to get to know our daughter first. Do—"

"Of course."

"You are welcome to wait in the garden," Asta said, pointing to a back door. "Pallin is quite proud of it."

"My thanks." Kikola replied. "However, I think I will go back to our ship. I need a change of clothes. She drew closer to Tehvay and gave her upper arm a gentle squeeze. "In the meantime you get acquainted with your family. Call me when you are ready."

"Thank you," Tehvay said with appreciative smile.

~~~~

It had taken Kikola the better part of an hour to get back to the ship. The first thing she did was strip off and take a shower. It felt strange to do it without Tehvay's presence.

What had started out as Tehvay's duty as a slave had become something of a bonding routine for them - a substitute for the sexual act. They would help each other dress and undress, thrilling at the occasional brush of skin against skin, but never touching each other in an intimate way. They would share a bed at night. Sleep entwined in each other's limbs. Sometimes they would share a kiss.

Thoughts of Tehvay flooded her body with a deep yearning. She had stopped taking the diproxaline once they had been reunited – she wanted nothing to dull her sex drive. However, Kikola could see the memories of abuse in Tehvay's eyes and never asked for anything more. She knew that if she did, Tehvay would say 'yes', but Kikola wanted it to be Tehvay who initiated any deeper sexual intimacy.

Kikola dried off and lay down on the bed, allowing her fingers to find the one place Tehvay had not touched and relieve the tension. Once sated, she got dressed and got some food from the dispenser. She was half way through the meal when her comm unit beeped.

"Kikola."

"Tehvay. Is everything all right? Do you want me to come get you?"

"Actually, can you go and get Yuniph. Rikana… um, that's Officer Lardis, she's the one that shot—"

"I know who she is."

"Right," replied Tehvay. "Rikana called, and said Yuniph is at her place. We think she should be here, but she refuses to answer her comm. Could you go and get her to come home?"

"Sure, but why me?"

"She's upset with her parents… our parents," Tehvay's voice caught as she said those words. "I thought she might listen to you."

"All right."

Kikola got the address and headed out.

~~~~

Yuniph had many friends, but when it came time to find sanctuary from the situation she found herself in, there was only one place she thought of going.

Yuniph sat on Rikana's couch with her legs curled under her, staring into the glass cradled in her hands. Rikana was not a sympathetic person. She would not put her arm around Yuniph and console her. It was the perfect place to feel the anger, because at that moment she wanted to feel it. In a single day, her life had fallen apart. She had discovered she had a twin sister – a twin sister that her parents had allowed to be taken into slavery. She could not understand or forgive them. She loved her parents but was enraged by what they had done. She was also surprised to feel a little anger towards Tehvay who had forgiven them.

Rikana sat on the arm of the couch, her feet on the seat next to Yuniph. She nudged Yuniph's thigh with her foot.

"Hey, Veilan."

Yuniph slowly turned to look at her. "What?"

"Do you know what I want more than anything?"

Yuniph shrugged. "Knowing you, probably me out of your apartment."

"Good guess. It's in my top ten wants of the week."

"I can't go back home." Yuniph went back to examining her drink.

"You can," said Rikana. "I can't."

Yuniph's lack of response seemed to annoy Rikana and she nudged Yuniph harder. "Veilan! Did you hear what I said?"

"What?"

"I said, you can go back. I can't. That's what I want more than anything.

"My parents drove me crazy and we argued a lot. One day I ran out and thought I'd give them a night to worry about me, and then the next day I'd go home and we'd be okay until the next time. Only it was that night the raiders came."

"I know this story," said Yuniph. She regretted her tone, but Rikana was thick skinned.

"Well, you're going to hear it again," Rikana stated firmly.

It's not like her to be so open, Yuniph thought.

"I want to walk up that street," Rikana continued. "I want to open the door. I want to smell whatever crap my father was cooking in the kitchen. I want to see whatever dumb piece of art my mother was working on in her studio. But, I'll never have that chance. You do. Don't wait until tomorrow or the next day or until you've calmed down. Do it now."

Yuniph stared at the young woman. She wanted to be angry at Rikana, but she couldn't. A slow smile formed on her lips. "When did you get so insightful?"

Rikana shrugged and looked out the window. "Dunno, probably spent too long hanging around you," she muttered.

"Was that a compliment? Rikana Lardis, did you just say something nice about me?"

"Don't make a big deal out of it. Just go."

"No, I'm sorry, I can't."

"You can."

"They gave Tehvay away. I can't forgive them that."

"Why not? Tehvay has."

Yuniph frowned. "I don't know how she can."

"Ask her. Just get together and talk and listen and try to understand. Anything to get you off my couch."

"Can I invite her here?"

"Does this look like a counsellor's office to you? You need to deal with this at home – your home."

An unexpected knock on the door interrupted her partner's efforts to offer advice to Yuniph, much to her relief.

"This isn't over, Veilan." Rikana climbed off her perch and went to answer the door.

To Yuniph's surprise, Rikana returned with Kikola in tow.

"Look," said Rikana. "I'd love to stay and… and stuff, but I don't need this family disagreement shit." She grabbed a jacket. "Just be gone when I get back." Rikana left.

Kikola frowned. "I thought she was your friend?"

"No. Rikana doesn't do friends. We just work together," answered Yuniph from her place on the couch. She looked Kikola up and down. "Why are you here?"

Kikola remained standing near the doorway. "I have come to bring you home. Your parents and Tehvay want to talk with you."

"No, I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because they gave her up, and I can't forgive that."

"They didn't give Tehvay up. She was taken."

"Semantics. They did nothing to stop it."

"Please, come and talk to them. They need you. Tehvay needs you."

"No!"

"You have to—"

"Don't tell me what to do! I'm not your slave! I'm not anyone's slave!" Yuniph exclaimed.

She wanted to jump up in defiance, but Yuniph realised that she was in essence shooting the messenger. She tried to calm herself with a deep breath, but it didn't help for long.

"I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, even Elit like you, but I've been betrayed. All my life my parents have lied to me. They gave a daughter away. It could've been me!"  Yuniph shook her head, realising how that must have sounded. "Sorry, I don't mean to sound selfish."

Kikola stood directly in front of the sitting woman. "Do you think slavery is bad?"

"Of course!" Yuniph was irritated by the question. "What sort of question is that?"

"Until I met Tehvay I didn't think so." Kikola took a step closer to Yuniph. "You think slavery is bad, but do you know what it is to be a slave?"

"I can imagine it's not very nice."

"No you cannot imagine. I cannot. Tehvay and your parents may not be able to tell you, because they don't want to dredge up the memories, or they don't have the words to make you understand. But I have some words you may understand."

"What are you talking about?"

"Let us play a little game, shall we? You are my slave and I am your owner."

Yuniph was in no mood for games. "This is ridiculous."

"No," Kikola said firmly. "We will play this game, and you will obey my commands. Yet, even when we have finished, you will have no idea of what it is to be a slave. Stand up!"

"Wha—" was all Yuniph managed before Kikola hauled her to her feet.

"You're my slave. When I tell you to stand, you stand." Kikola pushed Yuniph back down. "Try again. Stand up."

"No!"

Kikola leaned over and pinned Yuniph to her seat. "You're forgetting; you're my slave. You do as you're told."

Yuniph tried repeatedly to push the Elit woman away, but Kikola was very strong.

"Why are you resisting?" asked Kikola.

Yuniph felt threatened, and not at all in control of the situation which scared her. "You're insane!"

"No. I am your owner. Answer the question, why are you resisting my command?"

"Because I am not a slave!" Yuniph shouted. She gave one finally push and broke free, but only because Kikola let go and stepped back. Yuniph scrambled away and put some distance between her and the crazy Elit woman. Adrenalin was coursing through her body and Yuniph struck a defensive pose. She was prepared to fight if Kikola so much as took a step towards her.  

Kikola gestured at Yuniph with her hand. "See, you don't understand. You cannot imagine what slavery is like. You resist because you are free. You have been taught slavery is wrong. But what if you were not free? What if you were taught slavery is right? From the moment you were able to understand what people were saying, they told you that you were nothing. Your purpose was to serve and obey."

Yuniph remained in her stance, but Kikola's words were sinking in, if only a little. But she still couldn't understand how her parents could helplessly stand by and watch one of their infant daughters being seized and taken away to a life of slavery. It was too inconceivable for Yuniph to grasp.

"Did you believe what you were taught in school when you were a child?" Kikola asked.

"Yes," Yuniph answered.

"Why?"

Yuniph shrugged.

"I will tell you," said Kikola softly. "You believed what you were taught because you were a child and your teacher was an adult. You instinctively believe what you are told, because you do not have the experience to question it."

Part of Yuniph's mind wanted to shut out Kikola's lesson, but she found herself relaxing her stance and listening more intently.

"If you were taught that you had to obey or be punished," Kikola continued, "you would believe it. If you decided to test if that were true and you disobeyed a command, you would be punished. Therefore you keep on believing it; you keep on obeying."

Yuniph was beginning to see the merit of the Elit woman's explanation. Perhaps it wasn't entirely mother and father's fault that they couldn't stand up to institutional tyranny and protect Tehvay, she thought. Yuniph felt the adrenalin ebb away. She relaxed and gave the Elit woman her attention even more.

"If you were a slave," Kikola said, "you would not be resisting my command, because you would fear being punished. The very notion that you could resist and fight back is anathema to everything you believe. The concept is totally alien to you. You have no idea that the concept of resistance exists, let alone have a word for it."

"Hmm, I see," Yuniph acknowledged.

"Shall we try and play master and slave again?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I understand, all right!" Roiling indignation burst to the surface, and Yuniph barked at Kikola. "I get it! They were slaves! They had to obey!"

Kikola sighed and shook her head. "You may have heard what I said, but you can never understand. You can only grasp the tiniest inkling of what it's like to be a slave.

"As a slave you have no life. You exist solely for the benefit of your owner, and solely at the whim of your owner. If they don't want you, they can sell you or kill you. You are their property to do with as they see fit. Disposing of a slave is seen as nothing more than disposing of a tool you no longer need.

"If your owner decides to take a shit on the floor and tells you to eat it, you eat it. You don't think, you obey."

"You're disgusting," Yuniph replied.

"No, I am not disgusting, but if you were a slave your owner might be. As a slave you would be conditioned to obey, so eating a pile of shit would not seem disgusting to you. And your owner may be particularly depraved and like beating you as he raped you. But you would accept it, because it's what you have been taught, and you are only eight years old."

Yuniph thought of her sister getting down on her hands and knees and eating a pile of excrement. She wasn't aware that her feelings of disgust and loathing were showing on her face until Kikola reached out, grabbed her by the throat, and drove Yuniph to her knees.

"When you go home and see your sister, and she tells you that happened to her, you do not look at her like that. You look at her with compassion and love. And when your parents tell you one of their daughters was taken from them, you look at them with compassion and love, too. You will never, never understand what it is like to be a slave. But you will understand this: none of it is their fault. They are the victims."

Kikola released her grip and wiped away a tear.

Yuniph fell back on her rump and stared at the tearful woman standing over her, as she massaged her throat. She never dreamt she would ever meet a member of the Elit, let alone see one shed a tear over a slave. She didn't understand, couldn't understand, but Kikola's words had made an impact.

Beaten and raped at eight years old? Yuniph finally allowed this revelation to sink in. Poor Tehvay, she thought. How strong she must be to have survived.

 "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I am ready to go home."