FIC: The Slave's Tale (Valiant Tales)

[lindenharp]

Title: The Slave's Tale
Series: Valiant Tales.  Read them in order here.
Rating: PG-13, for mentions of violence and sexual assault.
Characters: The Master (Simm), other characters
Genre: drabble
Spoilers: Minor spoilers for The Sound of Drums and Last of the Time Lords.
Summary: A series of drabbles about the people who lived, worked, and suffered on the Valiant during the Year That Never Was. 100 words according to MS Word.
Disclaimer: The sandbox belongs to RTD and the BBC. I'm just playing here, in the corner, making little sand-TARDISs.
A/N: I was deliberately vague about where the narrator of this tale spent his childhood.  Sadly, there are many places on Earth to choose from.


I was twelve when the raiders came.  They killed most of my family, and made my little brother a soldier.  My sisters-- I won't think about that.  I became a slave.  There were many of us.  One cried.  They cut his tongue out.  Another ran.  They killed him... eventually.  I didn't cry, even during whippings.

I rejoiced when the Master's soldiers took everyone as slaves.  They brought two of us to work in the laundry.  We eat good food.  Our overseer is strict, but he never beats us.

I hope the Master lives forever, so I never return to Earth.

Comments

[garpu.livejournal.com]

Yikes...I know people who're working to end human trafficking, and I can see how the Master would be a step up from those conditions.

[finisterre.livejournal.com]

I love this series. They never cease to surprise me with how much they pack into so few words -- and indeed how the perspectives shift so constantly. I still think about the Jimmy Stone one.

[the-summoning-d.livejournal.com]

o.0

That there? That is me being UTTERLY SPEECHLESS AND AWED
You = win

[lindenharp.livejournal.com]

I can see how the Master would be a step up from those conditions.

In this case, yes. The Master is capable of equal horrors.

[lindenharp.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Writing these has been a real learning experience.

I still think about the Jimmy Stone one.

I must confess that's one of my personal favorites. Have you read the excellent double drabble that Golden Orange wrote as a followup?

[lindenharp.livejournal.com]

*blushes* Thank you.

[hab318princess.livejournal.com]

wow, that was amazing,

*speechless* (and trust me that does not happen often)

[kaffy_r]

Oh, my god. What an inversion - here's a situation where I find, to my horror, being glad this one was brought to the Valiant - at least when he returns to Earth, there's a good chance he won't return to his previous life. I really run out of language to use when describing the quality of your series, and the blazing intelligence of your creativity.

[lindenharp.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[lindenharp.livejournal.com]

He'll still be an orphan after the reset, and under 21. I imagine he and his fellow slave will be retconned. Easy enough to convince them that they were delirious or in a coma following the government raid that rescued them from the rebel encampment. Then a placement somewhere safe, probably not in their home country.

I really run out of language to use when describing the quality of your series, and the blazing intelligence of your creativity.

Ummm... my turn to run out of language, so I'll just say "thank you".