The gripping fingers of hunger wrapped around Lexx's consciousness with oppressive force. It had been a long time since he'd last felt that. He had almost forgotten. His shoulders ached and he could feel the cold bands of metal around his wrists.
Then, they were there, the towering forms of guards larger than life, roughly shoving a small scraggly form between them. It was Lexx. He couldn't remember how old he was at this time, but he could feel the despairing air that clung to him. One of the guards spoke, "Station rat, caught him in the gold sector stealing rations." Lexx was angry. They accused him of stealing when he was hungry. He had to eat. Did they expect him to just starve to death? He was too young to work and remembered constantly being shuffled to the side by supposedly well meaning providers. They ate his food, sold the things that were meant for him … squandered the entitlements that he would have inherited from his parents. He couldn't speak out and even now, facing the form behind the giantesque desk, he was silent, waiting for a chance to speak.
"What do you say for yourself, boy?" The Rishan judge looked down over the edge of his desk with a bored look. Another good for nothing orphan. He didn't care. It was easy to see in his eyes that Lexx was nothing more than a bother to him and the child could easily see that.
"I was hungry." Lexx replied flatly, trying not to sound like a weak child.
"No excuse." The voice cut unsympathetically through the cloudy memories. "Hand him over to the Educational Services Officer. She will find a good use for him.
