by James McEwan
“Have it your way, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. After all, this is going to hurt. A lot,” St. Claire said. St Claire rose and walked over to Nora and held out his hand. “Come with me, you don’t need to see this.” She took his hand as he led her from the office.
Kára held the man’s face against the desk with one hand. The armored glove on her other hand folded away exposing her bare hand. Still holding his face to the desk she placed her other hand on the side of his head. “If you fight me this will hurt a lot, so I beg you please fight me,” Kára said with a wicked smile.
As St. Claire lead Nora down the stairs the blood curling screams began. St. Claire worried about the effect all of this might have on the poor girl did the only thing he could think of and that was to talk, “So London is nice this time year…..” he began.
Nora looked at him as if he was crazy, “Are you kidding me? It is cold, rainy, foggy, and gray skies most of the time right now.”
More screams emitted from the office above but he didn’t miss a beat, “Oh yeah you could look at it that way, but I spent the last thirty years living on a world where it is almost sunny twenty four hours a day year around. I could use with a little cold, rainy, foggy, gray skies.” Of course he was lying. He hated the cold and wet, but it seemed to be working as Nora seemed to forget what was going on about her as she continued to talk to him. She confessed that she would love to get off world and see some other planets.
After a few long screamed filled minutes there was suddenly silence. It was so strangely quiet that Nora seemed to snap out of her train of thought and return to reality. “He stopped screaming,” she stated.
“Yes. It probably means that Kára got what she was looking for. And, here is the best part, you never have to worry about that walking slime bucket hurting you, or anyone else, ever again,” St. Claire said.
The door opened and Kára joined them downstairs in the main part of the warehouse. As she walked up to them St. Claire asked, “Get what we needed?”
“He didn’t know much, but I did get a name,” she replied.
Nora was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. She had started out in fear for her life, followed by anger, and then relief and affection for her rescuers. She had to know who they were, “Just who are you people anyway?” She asked
St. Claire answered, “Our unit name is highly classified and if I told you I would have to cut your head off and lock it in a safe” St. Claire smiled his goofy smile showing that he was kidding but then simply stated to her “but we like to call ourselves Hammer’s Commandos.”
Chapter 3
It had been a long two months for the twins Fiona and Freya. Taken captive on Isis by Ralnai slavers, they sat on a slave ship with about a hundred other women waiting to be sold to a Ralnai clan that would use them to breed more human slaves.
The conditions on the ship were passible and the food was edible. While they had started out in a large cage, the slavers had sorted them by “value”. The most attractive women, about twenty five of them to include the twins, were given a room with bunk beds and a bathroom. They were considered premium stock so they were treated the best. The remaining women who were considered to be of lessor value were put to work serving the others and they had it the hardest. They were kept in the cage with nothing to sleep on but the hard deck plates and given the worst food. Lastly, if they even looked at one of the slavers they would pay dearly.
It broke Fiona and Freya’s hearts to see these women treated so poorly since their only “crime” was not having pretty genetics. Both women did their best to help ease their plight. They would hide portions of their rations and secretly share with the others when they could.
Life was no picnic for the reserve stock as they also had duties to perform. Each day they were bathed and dressed. Though the “dressed” part was not much more than glorified bikinis. They were adorned with beads and jewels. Their task was to serve the head human slave and his Ralnai masters. There were always at least two women with the greasy, fat, bald man who they had met on their first day, as well as two male slaves.
He had taken a special liking to the twins as he made sure that at least one of them was with him every day. It was usually Fiona during the day and Freya in the evenings. He liked to keep them close, not because of their beauty, but because he had been in charge of slaves for most of his adult life and he knew that letting those two together for too long was asking for trouble.
In their daily duties serving, Fiona and Freya had been able to learn a lot about the ship and the Ralnai operation. They had learned that the ship could carry about two hundred slaves, half male and half female, and all were treated the same. The best of the male stock had also been separated and were used to serve the slavers.
Fiona had made friends with a man in is mid twenty. He had once been a male model and was fit and toned. He looked as if he had been chiseled out of stone by one of the great masters. He was in the beginning of what seemed to be a promising career when Isis was invaded and he was taken captive. His name was Gryphon and he spent his days working with Fiona serving and looking pretty.
The Ralnai didn’t treat their slaves like humans treated their slaves. They looked on them as if they were pets. Many liked their pets and would become extremely attached to them. Even to the point that Ralnai had been known to fight duels and even die to protect their slaves. However, this didn’t mean that they wouldn’t punish them for bad behavior just as a human would beat a dog for pooping on the carpet.
The cruelest treatment came at the hands of the human slavers and the worst of them was the little fat, balding man. He referred to himself as Master Magnus. He was truly a little man in every sense of the word. He was mean, petty, cruel, and unforgiving. A hard man to please, as he seemed to find fault in everything and handed out punishment as if it were candy. His only single redeeming quality was the fact that he was a eunuch. All Ralnai human slave masters were eunuchs. The Ralnai found that eunuchs made better slave masters. That way they couldn’t sully the merchandise. Many of the slaves believed that this was the reason Master Magnus was the way he was. Gryphon had even made the comment that if his balls had been cut off when he was fourteen, as Magnus’s had been, he, too, would be an asshole.
The twins were grateful that the Ralnai had castrated this man. The thought of having to lie with him was more than enough to turn their stomachs and make their skin crawl. It was bad enough they had to be close to him all day serving his every want and need.
A funny thing happens to people when they have been captured and made into slaves. Some stay defiant to the end and will do anything to escape. Others identify with their captures and accept and embrace their new life. And some just accept their fate and wait for death. Sadly, a few cannot deal with captivity and seek to end their lives. This was the case with three women in the group. Two of which were able to carry it out successfully. The remaining one who had tried and failed was made an example of. Every day the slaves were assembled and forced to watch as she was marched out in front of them, stripped naked and whipped mercilessly. She would then be chained to a wall, naked and bleeding, and left there for hours before being taken down. She was then treated in a healing tank only so that she would be healed enough by then next morning to withstand another day of beatings.
This treatment went on for a week and broke her completely. She would then do nothing without command. She would never again be more than a mere shell of a human being. The twins burned on the inside with an anger and hatred towards Magnus that even they didn’t know was possible. Freya had almost stabbed him several times when the opportunity had arisen. She had held back, not because of fear that the Ralnai wouldn’t just punish just her, but that all the slaves would pay dearly.
It was about a month into the trip when a hierarchy started to form amongst the women of the reserved stock. Some of the women embraced their new life and choose to make the best of it. They began to believe that they were somehow better than the
other women. Maybe they always had and were just now showing it. It didn’t matter to the twins but it bothered them. One woman, Gwennan had taken it upon herself to become the de facto leader. She was a blond beauty from Ray’s world being born and raised in Sky’s End city. She had always wanted more than the dead end city on the edge of the former Republic of Commerce could offer her. She had left home in search of a more exciting life and had arrived on Isis at just eighteen. With little skills to offer other than her beauty, she ended up joining a companion guild. She trained hard and learned all the skills of the pleasure industry. She had worked hard and soon had become a well-respected and wealthy companion. She had been a companion to many in the entertainment industry on Isis and took to her new life like a duck to water.
She was just shy of thirty when taken as a slave and this made her one of the oldest in the group and the oldest one amongst the reserved stock. She could hold her own against any of the younger women even the twins. She had taken good care of herself and her body, After all, it was how she made her living.
Gwennan could be incredibly kind one minute and then as cruel as Magnus the next. It was if she was trying to train the women how to be companions and how to deal with their new life. In her own way she was doing what she thought best for the others, but this didn’t sit well with Fiona and Freya since they had no intention of embracing this new life. They were not done with their old one.
Freya didn’t like Gwennan at all, but Fiona was a little more accepting and understanding. This caused some friction between the sisters as if they didn’t need any more issues to deal with. For now, Freya was glad she was not seeing much of her sister. They hadn’t fought this much since they were ten years old.
Fiona was also glad for the break from her sister and for the distraction that Gryphon offered. She liked him and he was easy on the eyes. He was funny and kind and was always trying to make her smile. He told her that her smile helped keep his spirits up. Fiona knew that Thad would tear the universe apart looking for them and would never quit until he had found them. But right now in this moment she was lonely and Gryphon was so pretty. She, for the first time since meeting Thad, had let her thoughts wonder.
She had only ever been with Thad and she wondered what it would be like to be with this man. To feel his strong body next to hers, to be held in his arms. But it could never be. For one, she loved Thad and knew he wouldn’t abandon her, but more importantly it was strictly forbidden for the slaves to mate before being sold. She knew better that to entertain such thoughts, but she was only human and she couldn’t stop herself.
It was near the end of the trip when things started to go bad for Fiona. The day started out like any of the last two months. She woke early was bathed, scented, and dressed by two women. She ate her breakfast, careful to hold back half of it to pass on to the ladies that had helped her that day. She then would go to the galley pick up a tray of food and take it to the mess hall where she would serve Magnus his breakfast. Then she would stand behind him with a carafe ready to fill his glass should it fall below half. She would watch as Gryphon would serve the Ralnai. He would bring in a large covered tray that he would set on the table in front of the Ship Master and wait.
The Ship Master would stand up followed by two Ralnai officers who sat on either side of him. He would nod his head and Gryphon would pull the lid off the tray and retreat to safe distance. The Ralnai preferred their meals to be alive and moving. They all had sliver darts with a long chain that they wore on their cross belts. As soon as Gryphon pulled the lid, a bird like animal, similar to a chicken, would jump up and try to run off the end of the table. The animal was a native of the Ralnai’s home world. They were flight-less just like the Earth chicken, but they were covered in fur instead of feathers.
There were six of the little furry birds and they scattered looking for anyway to get away. The Ralnai would grab their little sliver dart and throw it like a spear. Once they had gotten a good hit they would jerk the chain hard. The little creature would be flung into the air and into the waiting gator like jaws of a hungry Ralnai. The jaws would snap closed around the little fury bird with a sickening crunching sound. Then the Ralnai would pull the dart free and then sallow the bird whole. They would repeat this process until all of the meat was gone. Both officers insured that they never got more than the Ship Master. They knew this was a good way to end up being sent to the breading pins, a fate worse than death for most Ralnai.
Normally Fiona would then follow Master Magnus around the ship inspecting the cargo and other duties. Today, Master Magnus was called into a meeting with the Ralnai masters and she was allowed to return to the reserved stocks quarters. She was on her way back when she passed a darkened corridor. Gryphon grabbed her and pulled her into an embrace. He kissed her and, at first, resisted, but she couldn’t resist any longer she gave in and kissed him back.
They kissed for a moment before Fiona came to her senses and pulled away, “Gryphon no we can’t it’s too dangerous.”
He pulled her close again, “I don’t care. I overheard them we have arrived at the Qoelara market tomorrow we are to be sold. I fear that I will never see you again and I had to know. I had to know what it was like to kiss you. Even if it costs me life, it was worth it.” He kissed her again and she returned the kiss. He wanted more and so did she. His hands moved over her body feeling every curve.
Fiona was ready to give into temptation when there was a noise behind them. They froze and every so slowly they parted carful to not make a sound for fear of discovery. They waited for a span of time then, still holding hands, they parted for the last time. He left the shadows first and then she did the same. There was no one around and it seemed that there was no source for the sound they had heard. What they didn’t know was the source of the sound was Gwennan who had secreted in the shadows and seen them embrace.
Gwennan was jealousy of the twins. She felt that she should have been Master Magnus favorite. Especially since she believed she was better at pleasing people that she was far more attractive than them. She ran straight to Master Magnus to tell him of her observations, even embellishing and adding things that had not occurred.
Fiona was sitting on her bed making light conversation with Freya when the two male slaves that served as Master Magnus’s bodyguards and enforcers, came to collect Fiona.
“You, come,” one said as he pointed to Fiona.
“Fie, what is going on?” Freya asked.
“I’m not sure,” she said, but inside she wondered if in fact someone had seen Gryphon and her together. No, she was sure no one was there. The meeting must be over and I am needed again, she told herself.
Fiona rose and followed the two slaves to a room she had never been before. She was lead into the room and her heart skipped a beat. There stood Master Magnus, his knuckles bloody. He was using a washcloth to clean the blood from his hands. Behind him chained to the wall was Gryphon he had been stripped nude and now had new bruises forming all over his body. His face was broken and bleeding. She looked down and notice a few teeth lay broken and strewn across the floor. Master Magnus dismissively waved his hands and the two slaves left the room.
“You know I really liked you two and how do you do to repay my kindness? You just go and break rules,” Magnus said. He walked over to a table and dropped the blood rag. “You two just couldn’t wait. I know that you are young and have all those silly hormones raging in side of you. But what you fail to understand is that the Ralnai like to bread their humans just like humans like to bread dogs. They even have papers and pedigrees if you will. Take me for an example. I come from a long line of proud slaves. The youngest son in the family for almost ten generations cut and made into slave masters. An Honor that my nephew is about to receive back home.” He paused and picked up a rather nasty looking curved blade.
“But Master, we didn’t…” Fiona started to say but was interrupted.
“Hush, do not talk when I am talking,” he said and then to make his poi
nt he pushed the button on the box on his belt. Pain ripped through Fiona as she felt her muscles convulse and she collapsed to the ground making a pained cry as she went. “Now I was saying. The Ralnai like to pick and choose who gets bread to whom and they will not stand for unsanctioned coupling.”
Fiona tried again, “All we did is kiss, nothing more I swear!”
“Liar!” Gwennan’s voice shrieked from the dark corner of the room. “I saw you two and it was disgusting. You were rutting around in the hallway like a couple of sweaty teenagers. No class, no style, and definitely not the way a woman of the reserve should act.” She had taken to quietly calling the woman in her group “The Women of the Reserve” and now she used the term openly.
“You lying bitch!” Fiona screamed as she came off the floor. She had death in her eyes and she was fast. She almost made it to Gwennan who backed up in fear. Fiona would have killed her where she stood if it hadn’t been for the damn control collar. Pain ripped through her again as she dropped to the floor trying to find her breath.
“Enough!” Master Magnus commanded.
Gwennan walked over and hugged his free arm glad that he had the controller. Gwennan knew if he didn’t, or had been any slower, Fiona would have killed her. “Enough of your lies whore,” Gwennan said while hiding behind Magnus.
He shook her lose and pushed her away, “I said enough woman, now get away from me unless you want to share in her punishment.” Gwennan withdrew to the corner where she had been standing without a word.
Fiona pushed herself up to her knees, but didn’t try to stand. She looked in Gryphon’s pained eyes and saw only pain and fear. This made her fell even lower. She had looked in to Thad’s eyes many times and had never seen fear, only love and defiance. She should have known better than to give into her human desires. Now it was costing this man dearly. He only wanted to love her. “Please Master, do what you will with me, but leave Gryphon alone. He didn’t know any better. He didn’t mean to do it. It was all me. I seduced him. I was lonely and wanted him,” She pleaded for him not because she loved him. She pleaded because she felt responsible. She felt that if she had not been friendly with him, this would never had happened.
