The corridor outside was empty of life, but Icaan was still careful. Somewhere the commander must have been trying to do something. But what?
"Can you wreck something quickly if I can get a panel off?" Icaan asked, looking at me for only a moment before he continued to look down the corridor. I nodded, pretty sure I knew how to break important stuff on most ships. The trick would be finding the right sort of stuff.
He moved up the hallway towards the bulk of the ship and nearer more possible enforcers and I followed, not sure whether I should be looking for a panel to start or letting him pick a good spot.
As he turned the next corner someone lunged at him, wielding a large wrench. He dodged it and it clanged off the wall. Within seconds the would-be mechanic was also lying on the ground. It looked like the cattle-prod Icaan was using
Putting the ship on autopilot, Icaan got up and came to me. I'd been crying for a couple of minutes, the fear I'd felt and what the men had done to me so fresh in my mind I wasn't sure what else to do.Slowly I told the story while Icaan crouched beside me and handed me his handkerchief. When I was finally done, I wiped my eyes and tried to calm myself down."I'm sorry," he said. "The enforcers aren't meant to do things like that. No Frentin is meant to abuse the relationship like that.""Well, it's clear they do and have done plenty of times in the past. They didn't hesitate. They use all the human women they find, deliberately overwhelming them with pheromones until they can't say no even if they'd have wanted to."Icaan shook his head and looked away."You must
"Two million credits? They're making you pay them two million credits just to be forgiven for trying to win a war with the information you had available?""No. I had enough possessions and ships at the time to bring it down to a little over a million. They automatically take everything you have up to half the initial debt value. Thankfully, I inherited this ship later, once my brother's will had gone through, or they'd have taken this too."I sat back, too stunned for words. In some ways it made sense. It was an effective way to stop a lot of people committing a crime, but it also must have stung. He'd been trying to save his brother, and it had gone wrong. He wasn't entirely to blame, that was clear."I'm sorry," I said. "But thank you for telling me.""So you understand why I need to sell you fina
Time seemed to phase in and out, the pair of us lost in a combination of pleasure and sleep, reaching for each other whenever we stirred from our dozing to go for another round until I wasn't sure if it was night or day or if the entire universe had passed us by while we floated in space.Eventually, however, our stomachs and need of food brought us back to reality."Feel free to take a quick shower," Icaan said as he finally got up and started pulling his suit back on. He had the fancy kind that cleaned the occupier and took care of the bodies needs. "Unless you want to make us something to eat too? I should check on where we are and the ship's systems soon.""Check we're not drifting toward a black hole or a star about to go supernova and I'll get us breakfast. I want the meal of champions after everything you had your slave do for
My ship looked strange now I'd been off it for several days. It had been my home for so long, but it was clear that it had seen better days. Now I'd been away from it for a while, I noticed the wear and tear. Panels were scratched and warped where I'd had to remove them so many times. The floor was scuffed and dirty, feet having walked over it for years, dragging in all sorts from markets and planets the galaxy over.I slowly walked through the hallway to the main cockpit, trying to ignore the panels that Icaan had removed so he could get at the components underneath. Alarms blinked on the console, letting me know that the ship had been butchered, but there was nothing I could do. Some of the systems were on so it wasn't such a dead weight flying behind Icaan's ship, but otherwise her life, in at least my service, was probably over.After running my hand across the cons
I gripped the arms of the seat again and again as asteroids narrowly missed us. This wasn't my idea of fun. Icaan however, seemed to be as calm as anything, almost as if he was mesmerized by the task, in some kind of zone.I'd heard that Frentin had also been bred to bypass fear. That their brains literally thrived in situations that were dangerous and required skill and reflexes to see them through. Was this actually good for Icaan in some way?There was no way I was going to ask him or talk to him right now, the dangers far too in my face for me to risk distracting him and getting us hit by a flying space rock.Hoping nothing got any worse, I merely held on and tried not to squeal when he threw the ship hard into turns and pulled up or over far faster than I'd have thought possible.Behind us also
I sat in the kitchen, not sure where else to be as I tried to calm down. More than once I'd considered going to my own ship, but I currently didn't dare. I'd made Icaan angry and I didn't want to make it worse.This whole journey felt like it went from bad to worse. Not only was I a slave, but I'd been seduced by my captor rather than trying to get him to soften toward me and my ship had been used for parts while I'd looked on.I wanted to cry again, but I didn't let myself this time. There had to be some way through this mess that I didn't hate. The effort of trying to think through what I wanted and what was possible was almost too much, however."Figured you'd be in here," Icaan said a moment later, making me jump. "Look, I get why you did what you did. And it probably did save us from another run in with Kryan, but you need to run
I gave Icaan some space, letting him be in the cockpit by himself the rest of the day and eating my meals by myself in the small bedroom. I prepared food for him too, not feeling that cold toward him, but I did no more than take him the plates.When the evening crept closer I made myself a separate bed on the floor of his cabin and curled up in it. It wasn't the most comfortable, but I'd slept in worse in the past. Despite making myself a bed, I didn't find it easy to fall asleep. Once again, I could smell Icaan's scent and after an entire day since anything had happened it was having the usual affect on me.Rolling over again, I sighed. This was dreadful but I didn't want to encourage Icaan on any further after he'd basically given me the cold shoulder. I was starting to accept that there was no way I could convince him to keep me and no way to escape in the meantime.
It took me some time to work out how to phrase my first question. Not only was I not sure what I wanted to ask, but I wasn't sure where to begin. Even though I'd thought about it while going to sleep it was as if none of it quite made sense in the light of day. All of it I could remember anyway."What's the market like?" I asked as I finished eating. "I mean, I know the general gist. Biggest market in the galaxy, and there's loads of areas. But... How busy is it? How many people are there to actually shop? Will I be sold on right away? Auctioned or price tagged? Is there some kind of shop for human slaves, or an area with cages?""Would you like to slow down so I can attempt to answer all those questions or do you want to make yourself more anxious by spouting all the elements you're afraid of?"I snapped my mouth shut at Icaan's admo
It took a little while to get back to the shuttle platform, but immediately I noticed a similar large carriage to the one I'd used to get to this dome. It was sitting on a section of track out of the way, but as soon as we approached more guards in red hurried over to it and got it moving back onto the main line."Come on, I'll help you strap in," Icaan said, as he also helped me up and into the shuttle in the first place.There wasn't room for every single red guard and my own loyal team of six, but there was a second compartment on this shuttle and a selection of them made their way in there as Icaan got me safely in my seat and then sat down beside me and took my hand once more.The doors slid down again with a much gentler and less noisy motion and then, almost effortlessly and with almost no jerking the shuttle started moving. We
Silence had settled into the room for at least a minute as no one seemed to know what to do or say and my mind slipped into the turmoil it felt. I couldn't be bought by Icaan. Despite our best attempt at bringing in the credits, he didn't have enough.I couldn't help but cry as my fate ran through my head. Despite Icaan wanting me and me wanting him I was stuck as a slave and I had been put there initially by the very Frentin I loved. It seemed so heartless and unfair but there was nothing I could do about it.Although I considered trying to run again, I knew it was pointless. Every man in the room bar Icaan was now bound to keep me here and I didn't doubt Sadisk planned to punish me enough as it was. Shaking, I reached for Icaan, but he shook his head and pulled away.The movement broke a dam as almost half the room started to talk a
"Stop this madness and let my slave go!" Icaan's voice commanded from somewhere nearby. Immediately I opened my eyes, but the baton struck me anyway, catching me in the side. Despite my resolve to handle this with dignity I screamed, the pain as it shot through my torso so intense I couldn't do anything but."I gave a command. Let that slave go!" Icaan yelled and immediately the pain receded and I crumpled to the floor.Tears streamed down my face, the pain still so intense I could barely move. Frith appeared at my side and gently tried to lift me as Brinto and several of the other guards hurried to my side and surrounded me, physically pushing Sadisk and the other men back, but the slave trader didn't appear to want to give up."She's not your slave yet, and she needs to be punished. Twice now she has tried to escape."
Despite Sadisk's declaration that Icaan had abandoned me, I still didn't want to believe it. And it seemed neither did anyone else. No one moved."Come here, slave. I will begin by dealing out your punishment for escaping your masters and costing them a significant sum of money to have you returned.""No," I said, "Not yet. I said I would wait three hours to allow for issues with your transport shuttles. My heart doesn't believe me abandoned yet."Then I shall break your heart as well if need be, but you will learn to obey." Sadisk seemed to produce some kind of baton from somewhere inside his clothes and strode toward me.I moved to one side and attempted to put the sofa between us as Brinto also stepped into the way."You cannot be serious, Sadisk. Those things
The dawn light shone through the window and woke me from an uneasy sleep. Frith immediately looked my way and gave me a nod.I sat up once more but didn't get out of the bed."Do you know how long I've got until the council will have met and decided Icaan's fate?" I asked.Frith pulled out a small device and tapped at it."They're in session now. He'll know within the next twenty minutes," Frith replied a moment later. I sighed. This was the crunch moment. This was the next trial for me to endure.I got out of bed and neatened my clothes and brushed my hair as quickly as I could. I then made sure my pack contained everything that mattered to me and I carried it over to Frith."I know you have no reason to do anything for me, but
As the night went on I still found sleep didn't want to come and I considered giving up. With his shift up, Brinto was relieved by Frith and another of the guards and I listened as they talked quietly before Brinto and his companion left.Frith then ordered the guard with him to wait outside. Although I thought this was a little odd, the guard seemed to think nothing of it and moved into the corridor outside, shutting the door behind himself.It was still dark outside, but the room was lit by enough starlight and lamp light from somewhere that I could see Frith move. He came over to the bed, stopping at the foot of it when I moved."You're awake?" he whispered."Yes. It's hard to sleep when you don't know what your fate will be," I replied, keeping my voice quiet but not bothering to whisper.
Although sleep would have done me some good, I drifted in and out of consciousness, barely able to get more than a snatch of sleep here and there. I was too wired and ready to be back with Icaan.The sun had taken a long time to set on the planet and it appeared to operate on its own time zone, not helping me sleep when for everyone here it was still afternoon.I'd also been left with two of the more basic guards during the day, with Brinto returning six hours later to watch me through the late evening and first section of night. He gave me a nod when he noticed me checking out the handover between the two sets of guards but no one spoke to me and I soon lay myself down again.I drifted off again, but I came awake more when someone knocked on the door and the young slave with Sadisk came in carrying more food and drink for me and the
The nicest rooms in the compound turned out to be little better than a basic hotel room all to myself, with the slight advantage that it was at least large enough I could sit at a small table or sofa while the guards gave me enough space. It was also several floors up and I had a reasonable view from the two barred windows.It was clear, however, that it was still a gilded cage. I wasn't free and I was being kept here until Icaan laid claim to me.Brinto didn't leave me, and unlike before he seemed less talkative, even pacing back and forth while I sat myself down on the sofa.We'd only been there a few minutes when the Frentin in charge came in as well, a girl who couldn't be more than about fourteen following him, a collar around her neck and her eyes down turned.The Frentin carried a handheld co
As a much larger and more robust looking carriage came rattling down the tracks, my guards all got to their feet and I took it as an indication I should do so as well.The side panel opened up to reveal an interior with far less seats. The seats it did have were arranged in a circle, and they looked as if they were not only padded, but the straps holding the occupant in place appeared to be far less worn and much more sturdy.I allowed myself to be led inside and immediately aimed for the seat in the middle of the circle. I soon got myself seated and tried to work out how to do the straps. A few minutes later I was still fumbling with them, until Brinto came closer."Permission to aid you, ma'am. We don't really want to still be here when the next shuttle comes through.""Oh, yes. I have no idea wha