“Next!” Boomed the man at the front of the line. With his white uniform, beardless face, and soft hands he seemed more administrator than soldier.

Bryan shuffled forward as best he could with shackles around his legs.

Barely glancing up from his clipboard, the soldier asked, “Name?”

""Bryan with a ‘y’. Surname is Visellia." Bryan held out his tattooed wrist without being asked and waited for the guard to scan it with the clipboard’s sensor.

“Ooh, I haven’t seen that before. Heh. Well I hope the transfer works out for you. Welcome to Aurior.”

-the Rogue planet, Bryan finished in his head.

The soldier typed something onto the clipboard and the shackles around Bryan’s legs fell away.

Bryan couldn’t resist rubbing the white skin, which flaked off at his touch. “Aren’t you worried about me running off?”

“Maybe anywhere else. Not here though. Aurior’s got all sorts of neat tricks to dispose of runaways. Plus we have food. Now get with you. Hopefully, I won’t have to see you again.”

“Yeah, same to you.”