Author's note:
This is my first shot at an original Trekfic—portraying Reanla's backstory. Any connections with DS9 canon characters are entirely dreamed up by me. Enjoy!
Disclaimer:
Trek belongs to Paramount.
Kerok Nor belongs to GT.
Reanla belongs to me. Simple enough? Good. Then move on and read already.... ;-)
Dochloíte Anam (Unbroken Spirit)
by
(-|-) Torakim camp, Dakhur Province, 2353 (-|-)
Life was hell.
Eleven-year-old Reanla Kaelinn had long since decided this. Since she was old enough to understand that she'd been born into what amounted to slavery. At first, she had a young child's hope that a day would come when these strangers--the Cardassians--would leave her home and never return. But as her child's innocence was slowly stripped away, first by the loss of her father when she was three, and then her mother only days before her sixth birthday, leaving her and her elder sister Blaisrai orphaned, she came to realize the cruelty of the truth. A truth that
was constant on her mind from the second she awoke to the minute she fell into a fitful sleep from exhaustion every night.
The Cardassians would never leave. Which meant Bajor would never be free again.
(-|-)
Every day was depressingly the same. Be awoken by the camp's guards at the crack of dawn, only to have to wait for the head count--and the camp's count took an hour at least, if not more, because someone always miscounted so they had to redo the count--then and only then would they get fed. If you could call a horrid form of gruel and hard bread breakfast. Blaisrai always made the crack that "it's a wonder the Cardassian Military hasn't starved themselves by now". She used to be able to laugh at that, but now she could only manage a faint smile.
This morning was no different. Except there were two new guards, looking over the line this time. Reanla and Blaisrai watched curiously as a couple of the older women plus a few of the men and boys were pointed out by one of the strange guards. Young Glinn Rekben, who was always in charge of the head count nodded when each was chose, occasionally offering some comment if asked by the one with the Gul's rank, who was clearly in charge. After the count was over, the Bajorans were allowed to disperse. Blaisrai took her sister's hand and started to head away but the gul stopped her.
"What about this one?" he asked.
Rekben glanced at his padd. "Reanla Blaisrai. She's sixteen."
"How strong is she?"
"Dunno really, sir. Far as I'm aware of, she works well. Hasn't ever slacked from what I've seen. Just does her work and glares murder like she's doin' right now."
The gul turned to look at Blaisrai, who was doing exactly as Rekben described. Her stormy gray eyes were furious. Rekben shot Blaisrai a look meant to intimidate but she ignored him. The gul smiled with amusement. "If she were a year older, she'd likely be worth bedding."
"That would be a cold day in the Fire Caves," Blaisrai spit. "You'd have to knock me out before I'd sleep with you spoonheads."
Rekben looked ready to come up and hit Blaisrai but the gul laughed and waved him off. "Spirited too. Well, I'll take her as well, Rekben. That spirit can keep her busy in the ore processing plants." Rekben simply nodded and smirked. Blaisrai's eyes widened, then narrowed. Reanla gaped. They were taking her sister?! They couldn't! "No!" she protested.
The gul looked around for the owner of the voice before remembering to look down. Seeing the angry red-haired girl, he laughed lightly. "Are you telling me what to do, child?"
"I won't go without Kaelinn," Blaisrai said firmly. "Take her too."
"I would love to accommodate you, my dear, but I'm afraid your sister--she is your sister, correct?--is a little young for such hard work. She would not be useful in Terok Nor's processing plants."
"She's eleven already," Blaisrai retorted. "And she's slaving here in the mines on Bajor. What's the difference?"
"The difference is, I decide who goes and who doesn't." The gul jerked a thumb at Blaisrai. "That one too," he told one of his officers, who moved up obediently to grab Blaisrai's arm and haul her towards the waiting transport. "Move it, girl." But Blaisrai was not meek and cowering in fear of being struck like a lot of the Bajorans did when faced with a Cardassian a head taller and twice as heavy. She tried to wrench her arm away. "I SAID, move it."
"Take my sister or I'm not going to your orbiting junkpile," Blaisrai snapped. She was about to continue when the gul strode back and slapped her sharply across the face. Blaisrai took the blow without a sound but Reanla shrieked in anger. Forgetting to think about what she was doing, she dashed forward. Rekben moved to grab her by the hair but she avoided him and reached Blaisrai, clutching around her waist. "Leave her alone!!" she hissed at the gul, who had drawn his hand back to strike her. Blaisrai saw what his intentions were and shoved her sister behind her, taking the blow instead. It nearly knocked the teenager down but she somehow stayed wobbly on her feet. Her smoky gray eyes burned back at the Cardassian's pale blue ones with defiance. He sneered at her in return, then ever so casually pried Reanla's grip free with one hand, jerking her around to wrench her arm behind her back. Meanwhile, the other Cardassian got a better grip on Blaisrai and hauled her towards the transport.
"You better not harm her!" Blaisrai yelled furiously as she tried to struggle. "You better not!"
"Blaisrai!" Reanla wailed, fighting in the arms of the gul, even though it did no good whatsoever. The one dragging Blaisrai reached the transport and threw her sister inside. The door slid shut. "Blaisieeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!"
She was dropped to the ground and immediately she made to dash for the transport. But the gul grabbed her by the hair and tossed her back to Rekben. "Deal with her," he said coolly, then walked down to the transport himself.
"Gladly, sir," Rekben smirked before punching Reanla hard in the stomach. She choked out a moan and doubled over, coughing as nausea overwhelmed her. He laughed and without a second glance, brought a fist against the side of her head. The blow felled her easily and the last thing she heard was Rekben laughing as darkness consumed her.
(-|-) tbc, Dh'lar labor camp, Ilvian Province, 2355 (-|-)
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