Page 67 of Protected By the Convicts
“Do you know what Tang needs?” Vaughn asked Ren. Another fucking transaction, life back to normal on Narkos. Except it wasn’t.
Maybe after the assembly, he’d go to his lab and. . . The memory of sliding into Hannah in the lab took him off-guard, making him inhale sharply.
“You okay?” Vaughn asked.
Sersie glanced at the man. Vaughn would probably make Sersie run laps and do other chores to keep him busy, get his mind off of Hannah and The Company.
Hannah. . . He’d promised her.
He’d promised himself.
“Why bother with anything?” Sersie said. “Hannah and Ky’Li are dead.”
He’d never said those words because doing so would make it real, but it was time Vaughn and Ren faced the truth. There was no way Hannah and Ky’Li survived the last two weeks in the jungle without a source of clean water.
Sersie didn’t see Ren’s fist flying at him until it was too late to duck. Sersie landed on his back, while Vaughn grabbed Ren’s arms and restrained him from behind.
“Shut the fuck up!” Ren shouted at Sersie, not caring how the men around them had moved away, giving enough space for a fight to break out.
That’s all the men here wanted. Violence. Whether they were part of it or watching it, it’s what they craved. They had destroyed her, killed her by forcing her into the jungle.
“Both of you shut up, before the guards notice,” Vaughn scolded between gritted teeth. Even Vaughn, calm practical Vaughn, barely maintained his composure these days. He no longer took an interest in his patients the way he used to. It was as if he knew that Hannah and Ky’Li were dead, even though he wouldn’t admit it.
Ren yanked free of Vaughn’s grip. “They’re not dead,” he practically spat from between clenched teeth. When Vaughn didn’t say anything, Ren got in his face. “Say it, Vaughn. Hannah and Ky’Li aren’t dead.”
“It’s been twenty-three days since our last water drop,” Vaughn said, his eyes rather lifeless as they stared into the jungle.
“We don’t give up,” Ren said. “We agreed.”
“We’ll talk to Tang,” Vaughn said, though it sounded like he was going through the motions. Maybe he was, for Ren’s sake. Hell, even Sersie’s.
The defeat in Vaughn’s voice scared Sersie, the small part of him that held onto hope, the part of him still not ready to give up on Hannah and Ky’Li. Vaughn had always been stronger, stronger than him at least. Sersie needed Hannah, not to stay clean, but to have hope again. With her here, he had stopped counting the days, weeks, and months. He had stopped living.
“We failed her. We failed both of them,” Sersie said, still on the ground.
Foley’s assistant, Potiv, shot a blaster into the jungle. It was a jarring and effective way to get the colonists’ attention and to remind them who had the power here. Foley stood tall and proud up there on that dais. He wore The Company’s uniform, complete with logo, the symbol of Argus, on his left breast. His neatly trimmed hair and clean-shaven face gave him a professional air, so different from Dresden. Foley was Company, through and through.
“The honeymoon period is over, colonists. I intend to work you hard, but I will be fair.”
“Same bullshit, different day,” Ren whispered as he helped Sersie up.
“But don’t get me wrong, there will be changes, ones you will like, most of you, that is. Narkos was initially designated as a Level 4 colony. Despite talk of it being relisted as Level 5, I will be implementing procedures and changes to ensure we keep our Level 4 status. Quotas won’t be lowered, but the Company won’t take as much of a cut from external services as under Dresden’s command. Actually, that is misleading. The Company will take the same cut as before but there won’t be an added fee that goes to me, or other staff, as you had under Dresden.”
“I knew he padded those numbers,” Vaughn mumbled. “Fucking Dresden robbed us blind.”
“Units are also permitted to disband, if they choose. Colonists may choose new units. A clean beginning for you, including the women. All units will appear before me to formally declare if they are continuing or disbanding their present unit. I will make the final decision over which units remain intact and are formally registered with the Company.”
“Another way to collect a fee,” Sersie said to Ren and Vaughn.
“And before you decide, you should consider other changes,” Foley continued. “I will be bringing many Level 4 females to Narkos to improve the ratio of men to women here and to hopefully reduce the incidents of aggression among the males. As a result, many of the males here will be reassigned to the mines, opening positions for the females. All colonists must fill their quota. The women will run the water treatment plant, most of the positions in the port and other machine-based operations in West Side. Non-professional men will be reassigned to the mine.”
Some grumbling ensued. Foley raised a hand to quiet the crowd. “Would you rather I keep the planet all-male, even removing the females that are currently here?”
Murmurs rose. “Bring the females,” one shouted.
“We’ll work any position, if we have a chance at a female.”
Foley’s eyes narrowed. “I am not running a brothel, colonists. The women here will be protected. I will not allow abuse or subjugation as has occurred under your previous manager. Women in a unit will be protected. The males of any unit abusing a female will automatically receive level 5 status and be shipped off Narkos to a level 5 colony where I guarantee there are even fewer females than what you have here.”
