[irulan]: 73.Will

Ice cold wind bit at my cheeks. It tore and stung. I brought my hands up to shield my face, as if checking to make sure the skin was still attached. How many years has it been? Shouldn’t I be unaffected by this by now? The body only has so many defenses – skin and flesh is only tough to a point. Time wears through the layers. At what point I’m not sure, but instead of building endurance it is the opposite. I lose strength every day. I wondered as I often have, if it is to do with the vile magic of this place. The magic that is nearly tangible, choking the air. I am weary; no amount of rest will change it. I am worn thin. My body may be weakening, but my soul is still strong.

The sharp snap of an ecton against my bare shoulder harshly interrupted my thoughts. My skin nearly broiled from the brief touch. I am so accustomed to the frigid weather of this world that the intense, white heat of the ecton sears and burns. I have tolerated immeasurable amounts of pain from them. Many others have too. The guard sneered as I bowed my head and continued my work. I will not put up with this forever. I did nothing to justify this enslavement, except to be born. Who would think of birth as a grave crime? It is for this crime that my race is punished. The role of my kind, the Uchnid, is to serve – to serve an unknown entity at that. We are force fed this from birth and a compulsion spell has been added to solidify the belief. Memories are erased on a regular basis as well. Any who are discovered to know the truth are tortured by multiple guards with multiple ectons. However, my mind is now free; a genetic flaw has prevented my brain from being compromised. I cannot abide their commands much longer. I have gained new sight and learned too much. The guards are not aware of my knowledge; I have been careful. Few of the hundreds believe in freedom. Few even realize how severely we are tortured and mistreated. We work to find a mysterious artifact; our race has been forced to search for this item over five hundred years on this wretched excuse for a planet. Conditions on this world are so bleak and freezing, even the guards are banished here to make amends for some misdeed or another. They take out their bitter frustration on myself and the others.

The reason my race was chosen for this task is lost to us. No one knows, and sadly enough no one cares. They work and serve as if programmed drones. What would our potential be if we were not brainwashed by some being too powerful for its own good? What could we have accomplished? I have played this game too many times. The time for action has come. I will be free. It is an immense planet; I know we cannot occupy it completely. I have a plan, a map, and supplies. Once I am settled leagues and leagues away from here, I will begin to save the others. We will breathe as free men and women before it is over. I need only to put my thoughts into action.

I continued to work. The day was nearly over. We are forced to work from light until dark with few breaks and a meal before and after (if it could be called a meal, unrecognizable sludge that it was). If one was lucky, he could get away with less than five touches from an ecton per day. Plenty of guards kept a careful watch at all times even as we slept. Planning my flight had not been easy. I am as ready as I will ever be; after dinner I will run. 

I will run and be free. The scars will heal and eventually fade. My body will grow strong yet again. The memories will not leave me though. I will carry them with me always. I cannot forget the evils and misdoings I have witnessed. They will be forever imprinted upon my soul. I will liberate as many as I can. We will start anew together. As brothers and sisters we will work together and discover our potential. Our race will advance, and we will leave this world. If we have to, we will fight until all are freed. My soul is strong enough to believe this. I do not know if I will succeed, but I must try…and I will.