by Maia Starr
“No, it is not, but house slaves never really leave the home,” I said as I moved to the meal preparation section and poured Icannet into a cup. Icannet was a rich drink made from the plant Icanis here on Kaethon. It was fermented to the point of providing a pleasant mind calming experience. I was told humans had something similar called alcohol.
“What?! What do you mean?” she shouted not able to control her emotional outburst, which I found fascinating. “I am confined to these living quarters forever! That cannot be! I cannot have that…I!”
As she spoke of leaving the living quarters I imagined her being out in the market and stolen by Commander Yun. As I thought about it I grew heated and I let out that heat on her.
“You are a slave and you must obey! I cannot have you out there it is not safe!” I snapped at her. My outburst shocked and frightened her and I felt a bit of guilt as her face dropped, but she did not show fear. She was a defiant and strong female and I knew that this would be trouble. How could I keep a vibrant spirit like her indoors where it was safe when she longed to be outside?
I stared her down trying to make my point. She simply stood up taller stretching her neck and jutting out her chin in defiance. I held back a smile at her response and after a second relaxed and some of the tension left me. “My apology Jade. It is just not safe for you to wander the surface alone.”
“Then come out with me. Show me the ways of your race. I want to learn. I want to experience. Show me,” she said. I was impressed with her curiosity but also felt a bit suspicious of it. Why was she so ready to go out into the city? Had she planned to escape? She was a slave after all and had I been a captive it would be all that I thought of day and night until I was free. I was a strong warrior, she was of a strong mind. Why would she not try to escape me?
My eyes narrowed a little at her and then I said, “Perhaps I will think over it.”
That answer was not good enough for her, of course. So she continued in defiant anger as though she was trying to win me over, “So now what? I am to be your house slave yet I have no idea what I am supposed to do. Your technology seems to do everything for you. I do not understand. Am I not to go fetch food and drink and supplies and bring them back here? Why am I here Dalik?” she said with a feisty tone.
I poured another glass of the Icannet and handed it to her, “You are to clean the surfaces of the living quarters when needed. You are to prepare the meals and drink and program the inventory supply. There are many things I have yet to show you, and yes most of the technology is there, but you must work the technology. I will not have time to do such things. Mostly…” then I paused because I felt a sense of weakness as to why she was really there, “you are to be a companion to me.”
“A companion? But you said before I was not a sex slave!” she shouted.
“Calm Jade. A companion is a being that hears your ideas and shares in laughter. These are the things a mate provides but I do not wish for a mate now, so you will provide that type of conversing and listening.”
“Oh…” she said.
She moved toward the view of the city against the glass, “It is just…I thought I would get to see the capital city of Konthos for myself. Not just from high up here.”
“Why do you want to see it?” I asked still with my suspicion that she would utilize the city to disappear. If I were planning an escape I would learn all that I could about where I was and gather that data to plan a good escape.
“I don’t know I just do. It is part of my nature to want to experience new things and be curious about them. It is why I am a scientist.”
“Scientist?”
“Yes, I am a scientist…” she said as I looked at her waiting for her to explain to me what this scientist was. She finally said, “A scientist observes and studies to find answers.”
“I see. Such as our wise solvers?” I said.
“Yes, precisely. I studied your wise solvers and yes what I do is like that,” she said.
I said nothing for a long time as I looked at her up and down. So she was a very intelligent human. She was too intelligent to be a slave and she was giving me more of a reason to fear her escape. An intelligent being would be able to pull that off. However all it would do is expose her to danger. She might be intelligent enough to escape from me into the dense city, but she will never be able to hide the fact that she is human and it would be dangerous for a human out there like her. Some scum warrior would find her brand and hold her hostage for a ransom from me. It happened often and I knew exactly what brutalities they would do to her while they had her. Still I was impressed that she held such a position on Earth.
“So the females of your race are more than just breeders,” I asked.
“Yes of course. We run society and systems just as the men do. No, we are not just for…breeding,” she said knowing very well it was my polite way of saying ‘used for fucking’ the way the Kalazaron females were. The way I had used Grata Peren just hours before for a release, but with no intention of making her my solid mate for life.
“This makes sense. That must be why your shipmate was sent to Belvenreed.”
“What?! What shipmate?” she said suddenly shaking with emotion.
“The shipmate that worked in the infer manary,” I said surprised at her surprise.
“Infer manary?” she said coming to me. She put her hands on my forearms and pleaded, “Do you mean the infirmary? Dalik, tell me all that you know! Was her name Lavender Prost? Tell me!” she shouted as she squeezed my arms in her small hands. She was so panicked and distraught I wanted to scoop her in my arms and calm her.
“I do not know of the human females name. Only that she is known to fix injuries of the body. Therefore Master Bresh had her sent to the outpost of Belvenreed where the warrior station often endures battles against rebel bands. The Master thought she may be able to teach our fixers something new.”
“That’s Lavender! It has to be! Oh my gosh! I thought I was the only survivor! Dalik is she well? Is she in danger? Please Dalik tell me all. I need to know if my friend is safe,” she begged as tears welled up in her eyes.
I did not have the heart to tell her what was happening, but I could not keep it a secret either, “She may be.”
“What?! Why?”
“Commander Yun has asked the Master to fetch her back to the city to be his property.”
She gasped in horror.
Chapter 7
DR. JADE ROBERTS
I could not believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. Could it be? Was there another survivor from my ship? I thought that Commander Yun had done away with everyone. Then again I was put under as soon as the chaos started so I had no idea what really happened and suddenly I was hearing words of hope.
“The shipmate that worked in the infer manary,” he said.
“Infer manary?” I said walking to him. I put my hands on his forearms and pleaded, “Do you mean the infirmary? Dalik, tell me all that you know! Was her name Lavender Prost? Tell me!” I shouted as I squeezed his arms in my small hands not able to get an answer out of him fast enough. I needed to know right now if I was not the only survivor.
“I do not know of the human female’s name. Only that she is known to fix injuries of the body. Therefore, Master Bresh had her sent to the outpost of Belvenreed where the warrior station often endures battles against rebel bands. The Master thought I may be able to teach our fixers something new.”
“That’s Lavender! It has to be! Oh my gosh! I thought I was the only survivor! Dalik is she well? Is she in danger? Please Dalik tell me all. I need to know if my friend is safe,” I begged as tears welled up in me eyes at the relief that another had survived the capture of our ship. Even though she was not in the city, I suddenly felt less alone knowing that she was out there somewhere.
“She may be.”
“What?! Why?”
“Commander Yun has asked the Master to fetch her back to the city to be his property.”
I ga
sped in horror.
I couldn't imagine anyone in the hands of that sadistic alien Commander Yun, the warrior that killed all of my crewmates except for Lavender Prost and I. I had felt lucky that Dalik had saved me from the evil warrior commander but now I felt like I had to do something in order to help Lavender. Perhaps she was doing well out there in the outpost where she was allowed to practice medicine. Even though she was a slave as I was, I'm sure she had her hands full as she was learning new medical technology that she probably found very interesting. I wouldn’t let her be brought back to the city just to endure a brutal life with the commander.
“Dalik, you must do something please. You have power. You are the Consulate. I studied the politics of the Kalazaron, you are second in command after the Master. There must be something that you can-do. If not for Lavender, then for me, please I beg you. I will do anything," I said as tears began to well up in my eyes. I hated to let this warrior alien see me in a weak state, but something told me that I could trust him. Something told me that I could trust him with my emotions and he would still think of me as a strong smart scientific woman, even though I was a female human.
"I will see what I can do but I cannot promise you anything. It is up to the master to make up that type of property decision. I can definitely put in thoughts on the matter and remind the Master that a female human with technology and knowledge of fixing bodies would be wasted in the hands of the commander who would just brutally use her. His female human slaves have never lasted more than a few months."
"What do you mean by that?" I said as I looked into his eyes and he averted his gaze. The fact that he could not tell me let me know exactly what he meant by that.
"Please do what you can. I trust that you will try hard to keep her away from him."
"I must admit I have a very selfish reason for making sure that he does get her,” Dalik said to me.
"What do you mean? How can you say such a thing?"
"The reason he has asked for her return and to be given to him, is because you were taken from him. He feels that he is owed a human female slave, and he wants that slave to be you. He wants you badly Jade. I think that if he were to get your crewmate than he will leave the matter of having you alone."
"That may be, but I cannot do that to a crewmate. Lavender does not deserve that. This is my mess. I should do all that I can to clean it up. And as you said she would only last a few months once he gets a hold of her anyway," I said. He was silent for a long time, and then he looked at my glass and said, "Drink. It will help calm you. I promise. In times like these it is a good way to deal with such stress."
I drank of the rich liquid that tasted a little like wine to me. The calming affect was instant. I looked up at him with wide eyes as I felt the liquid course through my body and I felt very calm as though I had taken a Valium. He was right. It did help immensely.
"Thank you, you are correct on the beverage. I would like to know how it is made," I said as I held out my cup up to him and he poured more. He smiled and said, "Of course you would. Your inquiring mind is very curious. Tomorrow morning I shall take you to the market and to the Iccanis growing fields so that you can see for yourself."
"Really?! Thank you Dalik!" I said as I ran to him and jumped up wrapping my arms around his neck in a hug of gratitude. As soon as my breasts met his chest through the sheer fabric of the dress my nipples hardened. Flashes of my dirty dream hit my mind. I quickly pulled away from him.
"Sorry, I just became very excited is all," I said as I took another drink from my cup and moved across the room toward the windows. Now that it was nighttime, the city was lit up in beautiful vibrant colors of neon light. It was absolutely stunning.
"No need to apologize for touching me. You can touch me anytime you want Jade,” Dalik said as he moved beside me and looked out the windows with me. "It is a beautiful city is it not?"
"Very beautiful. I understand why you seek a position of power to watch over it. A good city needs someone like you in charge."
"You mean, someone with power and arrogance. I'm a very dominant warrior here after all," he said as he stood up taller and stuck his chest out. His words turned me on and he was right he was all of those things, but I was thinking of something else.
"Actually, I was thinking about someone with a good heart that is just and fair. Power corrupts no matter what alien race. It takes a strong heart to not give in to the dark side of power."
He looked at me. It was a different look as though he was looking deep into my soul. I swallowed the rest of the liquid and as I did so my knees went weak. Dalik grabbed me in his arms and held me up as he said, "I think you have had enough my little scientist." He scooped me up into his arms and carried me to my sleeping bed in the corner of the room.
"Sleep well Jade," he said as he slowly lay me down on the bed. His lips were only inches from mine. And as if I had no control over myself, I reached up and kissed him. He groaned into my mouth as he kissed me back. I moved my hands to his chest and slid them down feeling every hard muscle that lingered there. His large hand rested on my belly and moved down the side of my body letting his long fingers move under my bottom and over my thigh. My legs parted instinctively and I moaned out the words, "Yes Dalik, take me. I want you."
He growled as he pressed his body on mine. I felt his hard cock grind into my thigh and I wanted him to take me. Then suddenly he pulled away from me and he shouted, "No!" He stood up from my bed and towered over me. He looked down at me, and I could only see him in a foggy haze.
"Not like this. Trust me Jade I want to fuck you so hard. I want to take you like I own you, but not like this. You have had too much to drink. I won't take you."
Then he disappeared. I fell into a very deep sleep. The best sleep I had experienced since being on earth.
The next day I could not remember very much. A vague memory of kissing Dalik and pulling him on top of me that night had faded in with the sexual dream that I had earlier that day. Were they one in the same? I was not able to tell and so I did not bring it up to Dalik who seemed to look at me differently than the first day that we had met. For now however I was too excited about going into the city to talk about anything else. Dalik was careful to wrap me up like a present. I wore one of the long dresses he had purchased for me. But on top of that I wore a hooded cloak that he pinned over my hair. He covered my shoulders and pulled the cloak closed down the front.
"I am sorry to do this. However if you want to go into the city this is how it must be. Remember what I said about the commander wanting you. He will go to any level, including taking you when my back is turned, to have you. You are safe here in the living quarters because only my handprint can open and close the door. I also have a guard station outside. However the market can be chaotic and very full. It would be easy for him to snag you from me. He could've hired many hands to do that for him by now. Do you understand me?”
"I do. I will stay by your side. I know to trust no one," I said as I bounced up and down nervously in front of him. I was ready to get out into the city. He smiled, as he looked at me up-and-down.
"Very well, let us go into the city," he said as he pressed his hand against the wall and opened it.
Moments later we were walking out of the main lobby of the Building of Orders that we lived in. I took in a deep breath as the cold air hit me. Although it was a cold planet, there wasn't exactly snow on the ground or ice. It was simply cold air. I watched as the Kalazaron alien race moved about their daily lives conducting business and walking from one area to another. It was magical to watch. Dalik grabbed my arm and led me further into the city. I looked up at all the buildings with wonder. I was very excited and soon we were in the market sitting down to sample various foods. I laughed as Dalik tried to feed me one thing after another and I either enjoyed or hated it. We had a good time.
"Now, let us go to the Iccanis fields as promised," he said as we left the market and headed toward the edge of the city in a pod that went very fas
t. I was impressed with the technology of the Kalazaron. Soon we were in the fields being led by the keeper of the field.
"We are honored to have you here Consulate," the keeper said.
"I have a matter to discuss with you. As you can see the Iccanis that is further out into the field is doing very well and flourishing. We planted a new field right here closer to the edge of the city and it is not doing well, we cannot figure out the source of the problem," the keeper said to Dalik.
My scientist mind immediately went to work as I looked over the field while Dalik talked to the keeper. I admired Dalik for listening to what the keeper had to say. As the new consulate it was his duty to fix problems such as this. Then it hit me. I knew what was causing the problem. Or at least it would be a good theory "
"Excuse me. If I may be so bold I think I know what is causing the problem," I said with confidence.
Dalik arched an eyebrow at me and said, "Very well Jade. Please tell us," he crossed his arms over his chest and smiled as though I was some simple female that cannot possibly know anything about this planet. He was teasing me. I would prove to him damn it.