We had to wait until the boy, who was not much older than me, was dragged forward and secured on the same bloody instrument that had just been used to eliminate his fellow runner.
He screamed every plea he could probably think of, but nobody bothered listening to him.
When he was finally secured, Hato, who had been checking the datapad that had been brought to him at his request, began dragging his metal rod toward the boy.
"Deserters are worse," he said calmly. Too calmly for anyone to feel any kind of reassurance.
"You know why? Because they are also thieves. Take this one for example."
He stopped in front of the boy and gently tapped his head with the metal rod, as if testing how hard his skull was.
"This one here owes me thirty six thousand credits, and he was ready to run without paying me a single credit. What do you call that, if not stealing?"
I wondered to myself how the debt had reached thirty six thousand when running was supposedly meant to clear it faster.
"But if it is freedom you want, then who is Hato to refuse?" he continued. "I told all of you, nobody here is a slave. You are assets working to clear your debts, and then you will be free."
"All he had to do was be patient."
The word patient came out calmly, but the action that followed was anything but calm.
The metal rod swung again and the sound of snapping bone rang across the square.
Hato had broken one of the boy's arms.
It took the boy a moment to react. The previous one had screamed instantly, but this one just stared at the twisted arm and the blood pouring out of the wound.
Then he screamed like he was trying to tear the air apart.
Hato did not wait.
A second swing snapped the other wrist as well.
"Now that barely scratches the surface," Hato said as he straightened up. "But since Hato is kind, I will consider the stealing paid for. Now we move to the second crime. Desertion."
He dropped the rod and walked toward the man holding the datapad.
"I cannot blame him though," Hato said, taking the datapad.
"What he wanted was freedom, right?"
Hato grinned at us.
Nobody grinned back.
"So who am I to judge? I suppose all of you crave freedom. It is only natural, right? So I will give him his freedom."
"Release him."
With blood pouring from both of his hands and bones sticking through the skin, the boy was released from the restraints.
"You are free to go," Hato said, staring at the datapad.
The boy looked at the enforcers, then at his shattered arms.
Just like me, he could see there was a game being played.
He already knew he was crippled. That much was certain. There was no fixing those arms.
But someone would have to be a complete idiot to believe Hato would simply forgive him and let him walk away.
He himself had said forgiveness was not one of his traits.
"I said go. Do not make me change my mind. You know where the gate is."
The boy turned.
Still whimpering from the pain, he started staggering toward the entrance.
He was just about to reach the gate when the collar around his neck exploded.
I cursed silently as I watched his head snap off his body like a ball kicked loose.
The boy's head rolled across the ground and almost came back to the same place he had started from.
One of the enforcers kicked it toward us, and the line of slaves parted as the head rolled between us, smearing blood across the ground.
The worst part was that the boy's eyes were still moving.
They rolled wildly, like they were still trying to understand what had just happened.
Behind it, the body was still spraying blood across the square, soaking the concrete with his life force.
Something we would later be forced to clean.
"That," Hato said with a grin, "is the price of freedom."
"It is expensive, I know. But it is worth it, no?"
He began walking slowly through the lines of slaves, studying our faces.
"Anyone else want freedom? Hato is kind. I will give you freedom."
"You either choose your freedom, or you take mine."
"I offered you a way. Do your honest work. Once you clear your debt, Hato will be an honest man and free you from your collars."
"Look at this," he said, turning toward his enforcers.
"Some of them were slaves just like you. They worked honestly and cleared their debts. After that, they asked for jobs and I gave them work with pay."
"Some of them even chose to leave. Real freedom."
"But if you do not want that, you can also choose this."
He kicked the severed head back toward the body.
"Let that be a warning to anyone else who thinks about trying something like this."
He handed the datapad back and turned to his assistant.
"We are two runners short. Do we have trained replacements?"
The man shook his head.
"No, boss. But I could select some from the older slaves."
Hato shook his head, then suddenly stopped.
"Wait. Where is that Zeltron boy?"
Koji, who was standing next to me, suddenly stiffened.
For God's sake, I thought. These people were magnets for trouble.
"Two stroke ninety six," the enforcer from the lower levels shouted.
Koji stepped forward like he was being pushed by some invisible force.
"Yes. This one will do," Hato said, looking him over carefully. "The vacant roles are new acquisition and the pleasure hubs."
"Our Zeltron will do well in new acquisition. Train this one and have him ready as soon as possible. His species skill set will thrive there."
"And we still need one more."
"Yes…"
"The one we rescued. The one whose father was a smuggler."
The enforcer checked his datapad again.
"One stroke ninety six."
Fuck.
So much for thinking only Koji was a trouble magnet.
I stepped forward like he had, not wanting the enforcer to repeat my number.
Hato walked over and stopped in front of me.
"You said your father was a smuggler. Maybe the old man wanted to teach you the trade."
"How about I give you the chance to learn who your father was?"
"I mean, everyone has to start somewhere."
"What do you say?"
I was not stupid enough to think that was a question.
I nodded.
That was as good as saying yes to a command.
"Good."
"Train this one as well. Let them be the new replacements."
"It should only take a few days."
"Have them ready before the commissioning."