The Labor Camps, Layal's First Job
Posted on Mon Jan 20th, 2025 @ 10:09am by Lieutenant Commander Corin Layal
Edited on on Mon Jan 20th, 2025 @ 8:05pm
1,648 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
Cold Cases
Location: Bajor
Timeline: Winter 2365
Winter was cold this year, not that Layal had much memory of last year’s winter. She was still too young to have a frame of reference to start remembering things like whether a winter was cold or mild. However, she did know that she was freezing as she huddled in the corner of the cave with the other children who were too small to be sent into the mines. When they weren’t moving the den mothers encouraged them to stay close for warmth.
That’s what they called the women who stayed back to watch over the children who were still too young to go into the mines or the fields. They were usually the women who had babies who were still nursing. These women took over the care and custody of all of the children when the Cardassians took the other adults and older children out to work. Layal hadn’t seen her own parents for a few days, they were presumably deep into the mines. She was always worried when her parents were gone. She'd seen both of her parents return with visible bruises, walking hunched over or with a limp. She also knew of too many parents had not made it back at all.
Juna and Faren whispered about what to do about the children. They knew that keeping them moving was the best way to prevent hypothermia, but food was scarce and they didn’t want the children to over exert themselves with so few calories when they didn’t know when their next meal would arrive. Layal was old enough to recognize the worry on their faces, and she strained to hear what they were talking about.
“But if they don’t get something to eat soon, they will start getting sick from malnutrition.”
Layal had heard that word a lot growing up. It was something that the adults were always worried about for the children, and it was why the adults would sometimes take less food for themselves and tell the children to eat more. Layal didn’t like that. Even when her stomach hurt with hunger, she had to figure that her mom and dad’s stomachs hurt also. It seemed to make sense to her that if they were bigger that they needed more food than she did. Even when they told her that growing children needed more to eat, she didn’t entirely trust that they were telling her the truth.
The heavy thud of boots pounding against the stone ground broke Layal’s concentration as she was trying to listen to the den mothers. Her heart began to pound in her chest as she both sat up straighter and tried to look smaller as she and the other children tried to shrink back into the wall. Juna and Faren stopped whispering and took a protective stance in front of the huddled children and waited for the Cardassian guards to approach. Layal reached for the hand of the girl sitting next to her and was comforted when the girl gripped her hand in return.
Four Cardassian guards entered into the clearing of the cave that the Bajorans had been making their camp in. They looked like giants to Layal. They towered over the Bajoran women in height, and their thick winter clothing and body armor made them seem larger than they actually were. Two Bajoran teenagers followed the men with a space heater. Layal could just begin to feel the faintest touch of warmth from where she sat. She resisted the urge to run toward the heater and claim a spot in front of it.
“You.” The Cardassian spoke sternly as he pointed a finger at Layal. She began trembling in fear, not knowing what was next, frozen in her spot. She didn’t hear the other three kids get called out, she was too stunned by the fact that she had just been noticed by a Cardassian. Until now she had been considered to young to be useful them. Invisible.
One of the other kids who had been called grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet, likely saving her from being beaten for show. She didn’t feel like she was in control of her own body as she marched out of the cave with the others. Somehow she managed to put one foot in front of the other and keep in step until they reached the compound that the Cardassians had made their base in. Layal had never seen anything like it. Even though it was an overcast day, her eyes squinted at the brightness of the sun as she examined the buildings.
Her awe was interrupted by a thud as one of the guards popped her on the ear with a stick. “Stop looking around and get inside,” he hissed. His voice was stern, but he didn't raise it. He didn't need to.
The children were pushed into a room, and a guard gave the order to someone to get the children cleaned up. The room seemed to spin around Layal as she tried to get her bearings, but remained disoriented. It was so bright and clean. She had never been in such a sterile location before and the lights were dizzying.
One boy was sniffling from the cold, but the children all had learned by now not to cry as they stood there uncertain of what to do next. When a Bajoran woman finally entered she looked like something out of a painting. She was dressed in a luxurious silk gown, her hair washed and coiffed and her lips painted red. To Layal, she didn’t look real.
The woman kneeled down on the floor and gestured for the children to come toward her. “It’s alright,” she said encouragingly.
The kids stepped toward her with hesitation. The Bajoran people were all family. They had learned to rely on one another, to trust one another, but she didn’t look like one of them, and the children didn’t know what to do without their usual guardians giving them guidance.
“Listen, I’m going to get you cleaned up today. You are going to take showers, and get some new clothes, and you are going to help out here this week while we’re here. Do you understand?” She asked. “You’ll be cleaning and working in the kitchen. Don’t talk back and do what you’re told. Got it?”
The kids nodded and murmured their yesses before they were shuffled into the showers, first the girls and then the boys.
Layal stepped out of the shower wrapped in a towel to find a stack of clothes waiting for her. There were several layers there that would get her through every season. She was given new socks and boots, and two new pair of pants, one pair was thin and she wore those under a larger pair with a thick lining and an adjustable waist. She was also given three shirts, a sleeveless shirt for underneath and two long sleeve shirts to wear over her clothes for the winter. She looked around suspiciously to make sure no one was watching her before dropping the towel and putting the clothes on eagerly. They were soft against her skin and smelled nice.
It was warm inside the compound and no one hit her after the first pop she got in the ear. Layal saw other Bajoran woman walking around, each of them dressed just as nicely as the first one that Layal met, though some of them wouldn't look Layal in the eye. She worked with another Bajoran, collecting linens, making beds, and tidying rooms for the first part of the day. In the afternoon she collected trays, and dishes, and washed pots and pans. The guards kept a close eye, but didn't yell as much as the ones in the caves. Layal worked as hard as she could to try to impress the Cardassians who would occasionally check over her work. She did not want to get popped in the ear again or worse.
They were to be taken back to the camp before nightfall. One of the guards from the morning escorted them into the same room that they went into when they first arrived, only now four large bowls of porridge were waiting for them at a table. He held out an arm and gestured to the table and smiled at the children. “Please, eat,” the Cardassian urged in what seemed to Layal like a sickeningly sweet tone.
Two of the children ran toward their bowls which seemed to please the Cardassian. Layal and her friend took more tentative steps. “Now I know you two must be hungry. You worked hard today. You’ve earned a good meal. Please,” he cooed. He put a tender hand on Layal's back that sent shivers down her spine as he held out an open palm toward the table with his other hand.
Layal gulped, and held her head high and walked toward the table. She pulled her shoulders back as she did her best to show what her dad called pride. Layal pulled a chair back and took her seat at the table and said her prayer. She then took the spoon and using her best manners went to take her first bite. It wasn’t just a porridge, it was one of the best things she had ever tasted, with pieces of sweet and tangy fruit mixed into the warm cereal. Despite herself she smiled as she took a second bite.
The Cardassian guard smiled to himself as the children ate. "Good," he said approvingly. "Eat up, little ones."
A Post By
Lieutenant Commander Corin Layal
Judge Advocate General, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
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