by Sadie Marks
The study officially ended in 1961 local time, when a Russian cosmonaut was successfully launched off the planet to complete a rotation around the Earth. The ability to leave the planet had long been deemed as the pinnacle moment in a race's development and it was the moment Earth people, who called themselves humans, went from being test subjects to real people in the eyes of the universe.
That's when things truly began to get interesting. For years, Earth had been a source of entertainment for other cultures. An interesting curiosity with a side of education—not unlike a nature documentary—and many who watched the monthly episodes cheered for their accomplishments and lined up to be the first to visit the planet when the experiment was over. So many people had been invested in the growth of the little planet that the Council of Affiliated Sentient Beings had to step in to keep them from being entirely overrun with tourists as soon as the quarantine ended.
There was a great deal of concern, given the movies and books the humans had created, that they might panic upon finding out they weren't alone in the universe and blow themselves up somehow. The paranoia of the humans was amusing to some, but most felt a need to protect them from themselves, at least a little bit. They had to negotiate, too, with science teams who weren't willing to step back quite yet and saw this only as the next phase in their studies. Eventually, an agreement was made to introduce Earth people to the rest of the universe slowly, with an eye towards preparing them for the real truth.
Tourists would be allowed in small numbers but disguised as humans to fit in. Advanced holographic morphing technology made it easy enough for most races to blend, and the few who simply could not be disguised well enough were made to wait, much to their chagrin. Scientists were given permission to continue their studies but would taper them off slowly, and then, one hundred years to the day from the first space launch, humans would be greeted openly with the truth. The decision caused a lot of frustration in some quarters but, overall, was accepted as a reasonable solution to a rather unique problem.
But barely fifty years into the adjustment period, an interesting development occurred. The first of the warlike Sadecs set foot on the planet and discovered something they'd never found before—people who were willing, in fact, eager to accept pain and some who could even turn it into pleasure. Not all humans, not even a fraction of the population, but enough to change everything. The Sadecs were sadistic by nature, and it had been suggested that the similarity in the words was no coincidence, but none of their race enjoyed receiving pain so there was nothing to balance that desire to give it.
It had long been thought that this interest in causing pain was what spurred their warlike tendencies, for which they'd been sanctioned a number of times. As a member of the Affiliate of Sentient Beings, their victims were supposedly restricted to unaffiliated planets, and technically, Earth currently fell into that category, or would have but for the protections the council had placed on it. Luckily, those protections would continue until the humans had been given time to metabolize the truth and make some decisions.
Then Welcome Day had come, and everything changed for the isolated little planet. There had been panicked attacks that did no damage and were quelled with no harm to the frightened people. Once they were assured that no invasion was imminent, the adjustment had happened quickly. Gifts probably hadn't hurt. A number of races were there, willing to bestow gifts of advice and technology to help the humans advance past the problems they'd made for themselves, and as the air and waters cleared, humans became willing to accept the offers of friendship and trade.
The Sadecs, alone, had been held back from making their offer of trade. The will of the council declared their offer needed to wait until the humans were over the shock, and two years later, they finally allowed the warriors to step forward. Already, the Earth had changed a great deal because of the enhancements, but the Sadecs had something special to give. They were the only race who had access to the technology necessary to not only grow a new body, but to transfer a complete consciousness into it, memories and all, with no retraining necessary. The last was what made their offer so appealing to most volunteers, of course. Growing a new body through cloning was something humans could already do.
They could even fix various issues in the strands of DNA, solving some of the genetic diseases that had plagued humanity for centuries. Sadly, they'd created new problems through shortsighted mistakes. A tweak that seemingly made humans resistant to cancer, had, in the second generation, caused birth defects with a one hundred percent fatality rate. The death toll had been high, and after that, research in these things had been halted almost completely; only the most basic genetic tampering was allowed. Humans did tend to overreact to mistakes, and many alien scientists had been chomping at the bit for years to get in there and explain exactly what they'd done wrong.
But cloning had remained legal and widespread. The bodies were used for organ transplants, marrow and blood donations, and people who could afford it usually had a fully-grown clone stashed in cryo in case of emergencies. People who lost children sometimes chose to have them cloned to try again, too, but in no circumstance had scientists been able to figure out how to transfer consciousness from the old body to the new.
Clones were essentially an identical new person who might be medically useful or might look like the loved one who had been lost, but that was it. The Sadecs had no such limitations. Their science was far advanced and seemingly without limits. Kenzi had some doubts before she'd experienced the magic herself, but she'd simply gone to sleep in one body and woken up in her new perfection. Her fears about needing to learn to walk and talk all over again had come to nothing—there'd been no noticeable transition for her, but it came with a price tag attached.
During their years of investigating the planet in disguise as fellow humans, the Sadecs had discovered masochism by accident, but when they found out there was a whole section of people who wanted to be hurt, they quickly infiltrated the BDSM underworld on Earth as dominants. It didn't take long to realize that they enjoyed causing pain to willing victims—and having them enjoy it in return. Causing pain was nothing new for them; they were a warlike race and that hadn't changed when their society advanced and their technology grew more sophisticated. They'd barely launched themselves off their planet before they were plotting to attack others—but never had their victims begged them for pain the way some special few on Earth did.
It was intoxicating. It was addicting and arousing. They wanted—they needed more.
There was horror across the stars at the idea of a fledgling race being exposed to the Sadecs and their cruelty, and yet some saw it as a chance to temper those violent urges. The Sadecs were known and feared because of their penchant for destruction, but ever since groups of them had begun to visit Earth, it seemed like those habits had slowed significantly, which was a relief for the people who lived on nearby planets. Sanctions or not, the Sadecs were unpredictable and didn't always follow the rules.
It was possible that the uniqueness of having a victim who enjoyed being hurt was a fad that they'd get bored with and they'd go back to attacking every ship that accidently crossed their territory, but in the meantime, their attention seemed taken up with trying to figure out how to get their hands on people of Earth so they could satisfy their urges. It had started with kidnapping their human submissives and lovers, but the Council of Affiliated Sentient Beings had put a stop to that before they'd gotten many.
In return for being allowed to keep those few they'd taken already—and those interviewed by council representatives hadn't wanted to leave anyway—the Sadecs were willing to discuss future alternatives. With council mediation, the government of Earth and the generals of the Sadec armies were able to come to an agreement. Earth received various boosts in technology, and the Sadecs received the right to tempt volunteers to enter consensual slavery. Neither the council nor the generals felt it worth mentioning that they'd already grabbed a few dozen slaves, but from there on, ev
erything would be on the table.
Strict guidelines were set up to ensure that all volunteers were, in fact, willing and a department was set up in the Earth government to screen volunteers before passing them on for further testing—because while the Sadecs would take those who were just willing to suffer for the payment, what they wanted most were humans who would suffer and enjoy it. Being able to inflict pain on those fragile bodies and watch as they writhed in pleasure and begged for more had become the drug of choice for many of them.
In their time on Earth, some Sadecs had become quite skilled at delivering just the right amount of pain, and it had become a mark of pride to be able to bring a human to orgasm while hurting them, so they'd set out to learn all of the tools and techniques they could, even attending classes and reading human books that described such things.
What had been purely physical sadism at first had branched out to incorporate the mental aspects as well. Kenzi had heard a story that one of their number, a female named Landrii, had become so skilled, she'd begun teaching classes on Earth, herself, under the name Mistress Lilith. When Welcome Day came and the people of Earth were officially initiated into the truth, she'd stepped out of her disguise like the others, and not one of her slaves had run. They'd been among the first to sign up to be volunteers, in fact, though Kenzi bet they hadn't been as pleased when they found out they couldn't all stay with Landrii.
The story went that she'd gotten a signing bonus for grooming all of them and used it to purchase her favorite, though that may have been wishful thinking. At least those slaves had known what they were signing up for; Kenzi had had no idea when she volunteered. She was only just starting to understand now. She hadn't even known all the facts. Like most humans, she'd had a limited view of the situation until she'd arrived on board.
She was positive she'd never run into a Sadec before Welcome Day and definitely had never experienced their exquisite pain until she'd passed all but the final test. In fact, she'd never even worked up the nerve to play any BDSM games with other humans, though she'd known it was inside of her from her earliest childhood memories.
Fighting against her own nature had kept her from so much. Instead of seeking external pain, she'd inflicted it on herself when depression set in. She hated herself for wanting things that felt wrong, and it had spawned a number of self-destructive habits; some had left scars on her body that shamed her, others left scars in her mind that kept her locked in a never-ending cycle of self-hate when her relationships invariably failed because she hid too much of herself from her lovers.
When the world woke up one morning with everything changed and new opportunities on the horizon, she'd been as stunned as everyone else, but the news had sent her flying emotionally. If humans weren't alone in the universe, then there were really no limits. The Earth started to change around them, and everything began to get better. She'd still been on that excited high two years later, when the announcement came offering rewards for those brave enough to submit.
For the first time in her life, she dove out of her comfort zone and embraced the possibilities. She'd presented herself at the nearest volunteer clinic as soon as it officially opened, and bold as brass, she had signed on the dotted line. Maybe it had been mostly to prove that she could, and she hadn't entirely believed she'd be accepted. Submissive fantasies aside, that stubborn need to control would disqualify her, she'd thought.
To her surprise, she passed the first wave of tests. Those had been a combination of knowledge-based and emotional temperament exams, and she seemed to be exactly what they were looking for because she was quickly ushered into the second phase. They almost lost her then, because while they now knew she could handle everything on a mental level, there was no point in going forward if she wasn't able to give the physical reactions the aliens preferred.
When they'd explained about the physical testing that would be the last phase, she'd almost run. Even the milder medical testing before then had been hard to get through and very embarrassing, but it was nothing compared to the final test.
Remembering it now while she was kneeling here, alone and vulnerable with a burning ass, was probably not the best idea, but once it had crossed her mind, she couldn't really stop herself. Her cheeks flushed, and she shifted to press her knees together tighter as a drop of arousal tickled between her thighs. She didn't know why she was so embarrassed; after all, these reactions were why they had wanted her to begin with, but still the humiliation level was high, as it had been during the testing.
"You understand what's about to happen?" the examiner said. Mrs. Harshaw, according to her laminated badge, was an older professional-looking woman with greying hair tucked up in a neat bun at the back of her neck. She looked like a sweet grandmother type and it seemed at odds with the things she'd just been explaining.
"Y-you're going to do things to me to see how I react," Kenzi said, hesitating over the exact words because she found them impossible to say. She hoped her vague response would be enough for the other woman; it wasn't.
Mrs. Harshaw shook her head firmly. "Please be specific, Kenzi. We need to be sure you know exactly what's going to happen here. We don't want any unpleasant surprises on either side," she said. Her stern look softened the tiniest bit after a second, and she added, "I know this is difficult to talk about, but, well, let's be honest, if you can't even answer the questions—experiencing it is going to be impossible, right?"
Kenzi sighed, nodding her reluctant agreement. There was that, but when she'd fantasized about these things, it had been in such a different environment. All the books she'd read, fiction mostly, had been filled with romance and sexy encounters—not clinics where everything would be recorded and studied.
After a second, she forced herself to answer, trying to ignore her flaming face. "All the pamphlet said was testing may include spanking, light bondage, and sexual touching. Y-you explained in more detail, about, um, implements, and y-you said that since I've n-never done these things before, it would start slowly." She looked at Mrs. Harshaw for approval.
"Correct." The older woman hesitated then closed Kenzi's file and pushed it aside as she leaned in. "Listen, I'm not really supposed to tell you every little thing that's going to happen because my superiors feel that listing it out will make it seem too clinical and you won't be able to respond naturally, but I can tell you that the Sadecs enjoy breaking in newbies. People like you, who have the fantasies and desires but have never actually experienced these things, are at the top of their list. It's very rare to find someone who has never been spanked at all, not even during sex, by a lover, or as a child, for punishment. You will be extremely desirable to them."
She paused there, her eyes flicking nervously to the mirror that covered most of one wall. Kenzi had noted it when she'd entered, and because she'd seen a lot of old movies, she had immediately guessed, correctly, that it was a one-way mirror with people or recording devices behind it. Every room she'd been taken to on all her visits had the same type of mirror. Since there were plenty of other, less obvious, ways to watch someone, she had to think it was deliberate. They wanted to remind her that she was being watched.
It had made answering these questions harder, wondering who was back there listening. Mrs. Harshaw seemed to be debating whether or not she'd get in trouble if she said anything else, but after a few seconds, she continued with one last bit of information.
"Your response testing will be extremely brief if your body reacts as strongly as I expect it will. They won't want to 'pop your cherry', so to speak, in a setting like this. They'll want to turn you over to them still inexperienced, because you'll be more valuable," the examiner said. And that was important. Her value mattered to everyone involved because the more she was worth, the more she'd help her planet reach the next tier of rewards.
"So, if you want to avoid the extra embarrassment, just try to relax and let yourself go," the woman advised, keeping her voice low. She sat back immediately and busied herself with the file
again as if they'd just been exchanging pleasantries.
Since Kenzi was sitting there in embarrassingly damp panties just from discussing these things, she was pretty sure her body was going to react strongly, too, but the advice was worth remembering. It made sense when she thought about it. Being stressed and tense would mean dragging things out, so they could get what they needed. The quicker she gave in, the faster things would go. She had to admit this wasn't how she pictured her first spanking, though, and no matter how much they tried, it was going to feel clinical.
How could it not when a stranger was about to bend her over and touch her in intimate ways, probably while making notes on a clipboard about her arousal response time. She'd thought the earlier tests had been bad enough, but those had been solo activities at least. Short clips of BDSM videos had played while she sat alone in a small booth, hooked up to monitors that tracked her reactions, and judged which things turned her on. She'd been soaked by the time they'd come to unhook her, but at least she could pretend they didn't know.
What she had pictured wasn't exactly what she found when she was led to a room for the final test. The rest of the facility resembled the offspring of a hospital and an office building, but this room was straight out of a BDSM novel. She stopped short in the doorway with a little gasp, staring at the furniture, covered in black leather, and the display of implements that covered an entire side of the room. The only things that seemed off were the pristine white walls, which matched the rest of the building.
The examiner chuckled. "I know, shocking, isn't it? It seems to help set the mood with many people, though. Go on inside," she said, giving Kenzi a little nudge.
Kenzi obediently stepped into the room, turning as she moved to see everything. When she was facing the door, she gave the other woman a curious look. "Are you the one who…" she trailed off, looking uncertain.
"Am I the one who's going to test you? No, dear, not me. I just do the interviews; they've hired professionals for this part. It's very important that there aren't any mistakes about these things; after all, five years is a long time to regret your choice, and if you can't enjoy pain, then you will definitely not enjoy being a slave for them," Mrs. Harshaw pointed out gently.
