Recap: In the run-up to this final part of the story, our main character was abducted by Gnosians, and came to, on a ship filled with aliens, all with no idea where they were being taken. Sagan noticed that each of the captives was not only one of each species known to the Galaxy, but all were male. A Gnosian was then captured, which was strange to see, considering the captors were Gnosian themselves, nevertheless, they all hoped that upon waking up, the new prisoner might shine a light on their situation.
"So, wait. Let me get this straight because I guess I'm just a bit slow." The Trisken said, taking a deep breath while looking over at the Gnosian's cell. "There are half-breeds and pure breeds of Gnosian?"
The Gnosian nodded in a bored manner, as if not having the energy to carry on explaining this stuff to aliens. "Yes." They replied, maintaining eye contact. Sagan could tell they didn't want to get asked any more questions; or at least questions that the Gnosian considered beneath response.
"They aren't slavers anyway, at least we ruled that out of the equation." The Mulu said with a smirk.
"It's a different kind of slavery, and trust me, when you see a Gnosian queen, you'll pray to be sent to the mines." The Gnosian snarled. "I don't think any of that matters now though, there doesn't seem to be a way out of here."
Sagan looked back at the floor. "Well, on Sole Survivor they used ships similar to this to drop off contestants to the arena. The floor opens, and is lowered down by a magnetic lift."
"No use trying to get it open now, or we'll all be left floating through space. Although, that prospect doesn't seem that bad." The Gnosian said while eying up the inside of their cell. "There has to be some sort of emergency hatch."
The Trisken looked over at Sagan. "Well, you seem to be the expert when it comes to that stupid show. Were there ever any breakouts?" Sagan tried to think back to some of the season and couldn't recall any time something like that happened. In defeat, he shook his head. "If there was a way out, I'd imagine it being somewhere around the toilet. It seems to be the only part of our cells that open." Sagan said, staring back at the movable panel, concealing the hole in the floor.
There was a large hiss and shudder, and he looked over to see that the Gnosian had lost it and was in the process of kicking and hitting the energy shields that they were all imprisoned behind. "Calm yourself, it's no use. Nothing can disrupt those shields, not even the strength of a raging Gnosian." The Trisken told him, but the alien didn't listen. Instead, it continued to hurl itself at the barrier, punching, kicking, and even headbutting the thing. Each time he made contact with it, the blue wall would shimmer white and it occasionally swirled wherever it was collided with. Sagan turned from the light show and stared at the toilet once more. "I wonder."
"Wonder what?" The Trisken asked. But, Sagan was too focused on the button which sent the panel into the wall, revealing the hole. After pressing it, the panel slid back, churning as it did, rusted and buckled squeaks followed the movement and he got on his hands and knees, staring into the disgusting pit. "I think he's about to get sick." The Mulu laughed.
The smell was almost enough to make him vomit; Gnosians obviously weren't the most hygienic by the smell emanating from below. Either that, or they didn't see the point of wasting time cleaning cells to house their captures. A putrid stench wafted up as if a decade's worth of feces had petrified in the belly of the ship somewhere, most likely overflowing with every bodily fluid known to this side of space. He didn't want to look at the others, to see the faces of those he had been sharing these cells with staring at him in confusion and disgust, he didn't want to explain his rationale, no, he just wanted to attempt something; all Sagan could do was hope it worked. Perhaps praise for his thinking might overshadow the disgusting act he was about to carry out.
He plunged his hand into the hole, and as he touched the slightly warm water in it, he could hear the gasps and gags of those in his vicinity. The steel of the pipework was slick with what he hoped was grease, and there were chunks floating in the liquid; every time something brushed off his hand he felt like heaving. Sticking his other hand into the slop, he cupped them together and took out some water. It was cloudy and brown, but he tried not to look at it. Sagan got to his knees, careful not to spill too much of the water, and hurled it at the barrier across from him.
As it connected with the energy shield, he heard it hiss and saw it spark and shudder in an amazing display of colours, along with the shield's sporadic shimmer, the lights that lit the hall and cells alike started to flicker. He dived onto his knees once more and grabbed another scoop of the stinking water, and hurled it at the barrier once more. This time, it fizzed and he noticed some smoke coming from it, no doubt the water's vapor, which he didn't like the idea of inhaling.
Every shield and light in the cell block shut off within a few moments, leaving the entire bay in darkness until red emergency lighting came on, along with a siren of some sort. "You did it!" The Trisken shouted with glee.
Sagan was happy that they were finally free, but one aspect of freedom that he didn't think of was their captors. He knew they would have a fight on their hands, especially since none of them were armed.