Solidarity: Sins of our fathers - Chapter 1: Switch

The lone star planetary system, a single star with only one planet orbiting it. This lonely, desolate planet has been dubbed by the Daiva council as “Solidarity 248.” It is known throughout the universe as the dumping ground for criminals of the Excara republic. The planet is moderate in size and is much like the ancient planet Earth except for its lack of oceans. It is considered by many a death sentence, an uncivilized, barbaric land run by the strongest of the criminals sent there.

7,598,234 kilometers from Solidarity 248 flew a single spacecraft, a two hundred passenger type-D transport ship. It was a small ship, but fast and reliable. Aboard the ship were one hundred and forty four prisoners of varying classes, races, ages, and genders, with only a measly fifty staff members running the entire ship.

The mess hall was as bustling and busy as ever. The air was thick with tension as prisoners were growing increasingly anxious, knowing that by this time tomorrow they would be dumped onto the unforgiving prison planet and left to fend for themselves. From the view of the colored CCTV Monitor in the security office, the room looked like a disorganized rainbow cluttered with red, orange, and blue jumpsuit wearing prisoners. Captain Higgs sat in his padded swivel chair looking diligently towards the screen. The prisoners always got more aggressive at this point of the trip, and after working on this transport ship for the past fifteen years he wanted to avoid any and all conflict.

“We have yet to see any unusual behavior.” Sargent Kilse said as he spun around around in his chair, looking clearly bored.

“Just wait, Owen.” Higgs responded, his eyes never leaving the monitor. “ These are prisoners, a large majority of them being Class-3’s. The fact that nothing has happened yet is unusual behavior”

“Yeah, yeah.” Owen said as he stopped spinning and looked at the screen “You see killers, rapists, arsonists, and big time thieves, and all I see,” He said pointing at an inmate wearing the red jumpsuit of a Class-3 criminal, “Is a red jumpsuit.”

“It’s not even the Class-3’s we have to worry about.” Higgs said, leaning back and rubbing his sore, tired eyes.

“I know Dan.” Owen replied, standing up and walking to the coffee machine on the table in the back of the room. “It’s that Class-C we have to keep an eye on,” he said as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

“ Exactly. So far, he has shown no real reason why he is a Class-C.” Dan Higgs said looking back at his partner. “ I’m still wondering what the Republic is thinking sending us a Class-C when we usually only deal with Class-1’s and 2’s.” He glanced at his watch.

“It’s only 8 P.M. Get me a cup, too. It’s gonna be a long night.”

A low buzzing sound came from the intercom placed above the door followed by a crackling voice “Can’t anybody hear me? I said we need backup!”

“Nice try, Davis.” Owen said hitting the small button on the intercom. “I’m looking at the screen right now. Nothing.”

“Yeah,” Higgs added, “There’s nothing, so stop pulling our le-” At that moment a small blip appeared on the screen, but reset less than a moment later. The miniscule blip was so small that unless you looked for it, there was no way you would ever notice it. “Shit!” Higgs yelled as he swiftly dashed towards the keyboard under the screen. With a few quick taps the screen went black and then became vibrant with a color most jarringly red.

“By the gods!” Owen gasped as he dropped his coffee. The shatter of the cup reverberated throughout the room. “All that-”

“Blood.” Higgs finished, quickly standing up. He grabbed his 9mm Glock, placed it in the holster at his hip, and headed towards the mess hall.

The Class-C prisoner sat alone, his brown hair illuminated by the light directly above him. He looked down at the handcuffs that tightly bound both his hands, and his gaze slowly continued down to his legs which were also chained together. Another chain coming from the one that imprisoned his legs was hooked into the wall keeping him exactly where he sat, a solitary corner in the mess hall where no one could bother him. The food in front of him looked disgusting, well at least to him. The only edible looking object being a meager apple which he picked up and took a small bite out of.

“You look like absolute shit,” remarked another prisoner, standing across from the brown haired inmate.

“It’s the last day before we get sent out to our death, and I’m still chained to this damned wall while we eat,” the C-class said looking up. “ We’re allowed to stay out in the mess hall all night since this is our last night on this ship. I expected they would at least unchain me for tonight.”

“Oh, cheer up Aric. You could be put back into solitary confinement, but they decided to give you a chance. So, relax,” said the brute man.

“Heh, okay, Martin,” Aric said letting his shoulders relax.

“Anyways,” Martin said sitting down, “You should consider yourself lucky. Because of your status, no one dares mess with you.” He looked at the 18 year old boy. “I’ve gotten in a fight at least once every week so far.”

“Heh, yeah. Being considered the most dangerous person on this ship, so much fun,” Aric said rolling his eyes. “Heh, it’s only 7, looks like this is gonna be a long night.”

He looked forward at Martin, who was a tall, muscular man with broad shoulders. He was very imposing looking, not the type of guy you wanted to mess with. The light reflected off his pitch black hair, which greatly contrasted his almost white skin. His brown eyes looked at Aric and he smiled a heartwarming smile, one you would never expect from a brute of his size.

Switch sat at the table in the middle of the room, his eyes nervously studying the area. He made eye contact with Thorn, a seductive redhead who looked at him with a glare that made every cell in his body feel as if they had gone numb. An intense feeling of power emanated from her. She was in control and she knew it. She was as intelligent as she was seductive, and she was twice as cruel as even some of the most notorious Class-3’s. She would have been a Class-C for the assassination of an Excara General, but somehow managed to sweet talk the judge into making her a red suit. She stared back at the small, nervous man across the mess hall. She absolutely loved the effect she had on him and any other lowlife on this ship. He stared back at her doing his best to keep his composure. She made a small nod towards him, and his heart skipped a beat. “It’s time,” he said quietly to himself as he stood up and walked to the nearest guard that was surveying the room.

“E-excuse me, sir,” Switch said as he stepped into the eyesight of the guard.

“What do you need, eh?” the guard glanced at the man’s orange jumpsuit and read the number stitched into it “Class-2 number 8792”

“I was wondering if I could use the bathroom?”

The guard let out a sigh. “Fine” he replied, turning around and walking to the doors that led to the main hall of the ship. The guard took out a pair of handcuffs, and then placing them on Switch’s wrists proceeded to lead the man out into the corridor. The seemingly endless hall was the center of the ship. It lead to every section of the ship. The lights up above slightly flickered from their overuse. The light reflected off the white metallic walls. They walked down the hall for about thirty seconds before the guard stopped in front of a door with the word “Men” inscribed above it.

“Go,” the guard said looking to Switch, who was anxiously shuffling his feet.

“C-can’t you come in with me?” Switch asked looking at the guard. “You know, for like protection?”

“From what?” the guard said raising his voice obviously annoyed.

“You know..” Switch said looking down, his face getting red from embarrassment. “Other inmates.”

“You’re a fucking coward. I’ll go in with you, but don’t expect me to hold your fucking hand or anything.”

Switch walked into the bathroom as the guard followed him from behind.

“Just go already!” the guard yelled as Switch walked up to a urinal.

“T-turn around,” Switch stuttered.

“Fine,” the guard replied, sighing. “Just hurry the fuck up.” The guard turned around and looked at the door. He counted the seconds in his head 1...2...3.. until he finally got to thirty.

“You done yet?” he asked impatiently.

“Yeah.” Switch replied, but something was different with his voice. The nervousness seemed to have gone and it was replaced with what sounded like anger.

“Good.” the guard said turning around.

Switch stood there, his whole demeanor suddenly changed. He seemed to have confidence now.

“Let’s go,” the guard commanded as he reached out for Switch’s arm. Switch moved quickly, grabbing the wrist of the guard with his left hand and the guard’s elbow with his right. In one swift motion he pulled on the guard’s wrist while simultaneously pushing on the man’s elbow until a loud “snap” echoed across the room. The guard screamed in pain as he fell to his knees. Switch pulled the man up to his feet and pushed him into the sinks, causing the guard’s head to crash into the mirror and shattering it. Switch then walked over to the man who was now laying on the ground, groaning in pain and discomfort. His face was covered in blood from tiny cuts inflicted upon him by the glass. Switch grabbed a shard of glass from the floor and placed it against the back of the man’s neck. The man tried to scream, but Switch quickly covered the man’s mouth with his hand.

“Shhhhh,” Switch whispered as the man’s screams became muffled. “Just let it happen.” He placed the tip of the blade to the base of the man’s skull. “I promise it won’t hurt for long.” He pushed the blade into the man's skull.

Once he felt the blood had ceased pumping through the guard’s veins, Switch rummaged through the man’s pockets until he found the keys to his cuffs and un-locked his hands. He looked around the bathroom and then back to the dead man. He quickly undressed the man and switched his clothes for the guard’s uniform.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” Switch said, the fear and anxiety creeping back into his voice.

“Shut up!” He growled at himself.

“What if they catch us?” Switch said nervously, glancing at one of the broken shards of mirror on the ground.

“Then we kill them,” he spoke aloud, his voice filled with cruelty.

“B-but.”

“You’re a coward, James.” His voice was vicious.

“And you’re a blood thirsty killer, Mors.”

“That’s why I’m running the show, now shut up!” With that Switch, or rather Mors,walked over to the guard’s body and pulled him into one of the bathroom stalls, making it appear as if he was simply using the john. Mors walked over to the mirror and looked at his own reflection. He looked good in a uniform.

Switch wasn’t the birth name of prisoner 8792. He was James Riley. James grew up normal . He lived a normal life, got normal grades, had normal friends, and even got a normal job working in a cubicle somewhere. He was married to a beautiful women and he had three beautiful kids.

No one knew the direct cause of his mental collapse, but whatever catastrophe James had lived through, it was at that moment his sadistic alter ego Mors was created. Mors was a ruthless killer. He delighted in seeing blood and watching the life slowly leak from his victims’ bodies. He killed unbiasedly, and if anyone was at the wrong place at the wrong time, he would shortly become his next victim. James was a coward who hated violence, the very sight of blood making him weak in the knees. It was because of this that Switch wasn’t given a Class-3 charge. James somehow convinced them that because Mors wasn’t him, it was manslaughter. While James was the one who was out for the majority of the time, Mors could easily take control as he saw fit. This seamless transition between the two personalities earned the nickname “Switch” .