Lady of the Stars Pt. 01

The bindings were tight around my wrists as I was lead down the passage, and held my arms firmly behind my back, though I did not struggle. My white dress seemed to glow even in the dim light of the guestroom area, and my bare feet were silent on the soft carpet. I bowed my head as was expected of me, though my heart raced and I desperately wanted to look into the eyes of my coming fate.

Forgive me, I should introduce myself. My name is Sechs, or at least it was on that day. I was 23 at the time of these events. Like most people on my home planet, I have a slight olive-tone to my skin, with dark hair, and darker eyes. I was born into slavery on the planet Sacchari, a planet very distant from the long-abandoned Earth from which the first colonists on Sacchari originated. In accordance with tradition, as my Master's sixthly acquired slave, I was known as Sechs, the word six in the half-forgotten ancient language spoken by those original colonists.

This story is of a great deal of importance to me. Probably the most important story I will ever have. It is the story of how I came to be where I am, and why my collar bears the sign of the "Lady of the Stars" But I suppose I should start at the beginning.

The Master in who's service I was born is the same who I served at the beginning of my 23rd year. He was a strict Master, though not brutal. I was certainly no stranger to the shackle or the whipping post, but I was spared the bloodlust and outright execution suffered by many of my class. I served my Master in his small spacer's pub that he owned next to the spaceport, in the city of Bagra, capitol of Sacchari.

I was content in those days, counting myself lucky even. How many slave girls got the momentary freedom of listening as visiting spacers recounted tales of the planets they had seen or the pirates they had fought over the drinks I served them? More than often Master had me put in ankle chains as a reminder to stay grounded when my daydreaming distracted me. But the daydreaming continued, even as the shackles clinked with every shortened step.

So it was on what would become the most momentous night of my life. The chains clinked as the ever-present reminder of my status, as I brought a particularly harsh drink to a visiting captain. He was the closest thing to a regular we had in that pub, blowing in every few months for far too many drinks and a room for the night. He was always very quiet, but polite to me and the others, a noted rarity for slaves. And he was devilishly handsome. He was only slightly older than me, with similar darkened hair and eyes. His skin was weathered and rough, it might have been ugly on anyone else, but on him it only added to his persona of the space age buccaneer. I think I had something of a crush on him, though I dare not show it. Such a thing would have earned me a severe session at the whipping post, and a night in the stocks. But still...my smile was genuine when I got to serve his table.

As I was bringing him another round of drinks...and nearly tripping when his eyes made me forget the fetters on my feet...a sudden crash came from the door. It blew in as if it were hit with a rocket, and three men followed quickly behind it. These were rough men, brandishing rifles and armor, and they called for my Master by his proper name. To this day, I do not know what the quarrel was, but the moment they saw him, they leveled their weapons at my Master's head. Like him or not, my duty as a slave was to defend him, and I clumsily tried to step in front of the attackers...only to again forget my restraints, and trip flat on my face. My eyes were closed when the shot rang out. The another...and another. I looked up, expecting my Master to have been blown to bits. Instead, he stood unharmed, looking first in bewilderment at the bodies of his three would-be murderers, and then at the quiet captain in the back, who was returning a deadly pistol to a hidden holster under his black leather jacket.

He simply muttered something angrily about "interrupting my day off!" and returned to his drink. As I hurried to help my Master, he simply looked at me, almost in a trance. He told me "Sechs...you're shaken, return to your quarters and clean up." Not needing to be told twice to take a night off, I quite happily scurried to the back.

I was in the middle of showering, not easy considering Master had forgotten to remove those bothersome fetters, when Drei, another of the slaves found me. "Sechs!" She whisper-yelled, "The Master wants you in his office, right away!"

My blood chilled. There may be a thousand reasons for a Master to request a private audience with a slave. Approximately two of them were good.

I rushed through curling my hair and pulling on my best white dress. It was almost identical to my other two ,but seemed just a bit whiter, so I saved it for special occasions. Finally, I hurriedly polished the silver tag hanging from the steel collar locked around my neck. It bore the Master's symbol, and to present myself with it tarnished would spell bad things for me. Ready, I bowed my head and strode to the Master's office.

I closed the door behind me, and silently made my way to his desk. As protocol demanded, I dropped to my knees, toes back, back straight, head held aloft but bowed. My hands were placed palm up on my knees. I awaited his word. Finally, after a loud silence, he spoke. "Sechs...you witnessed today's event, yes?"

I gulped and nodded "Yes, Master." Was Master angry at my failure to protect him myself? For a moment, I almost began to fiddle with my dress in my nervousness. I didn't, of course. I was trained far too well for such a breach of protocol.

"The captain in the bar...he saved my life. I find myself indebted to damned offworlder spacer." Not sure how to answer, I remained silent. "But, hate it as I might, I owe him a debt of life. The honor code is clear on this." Still uncertain, I waited. "A life for life, Sechs. That is what it must be. Your life." For a moment, I nearly forgot myself to look up in shock. "After tonight, you will belong to the Captain, Sechs." I gulped hard now. Transferring owners is the most frightening event of a slave's life. Not that anyone was asking my opinion on the matter. "Come, Sechs, better to rid myself of the debt as quickly as possible."

Master bound my wrists behind my back with a length of strong cord, and tightened another around my elbows, leaving my arms locked behind me. Without a word, I struggled to my feet to follow him.

And so I found myself in that passage, weighing my fate as we approached the room the captain had rented for the night.

Again I knelt, heart racing as I stared at the floor. The Master gave three strong knocks at the door. There was a great deal of shuffling, and I heard the captain's voice. "God damned...hold on!"

After more shuffling, the door opened. He had obviously been sleeping. He was half undressed, revealing a toned and unevenly tanned body covered in spacer's tattoos. His hair was disheveled, and his right hand held the same pistol that had killed three men less than an hour prior. He looked first at my Master, then down at me, an eyebrow cocked. "Uh, yeah...can I help you?"

"Captain," the Master spoke, "you saved my life tonight. I am in your debt." The captain simply stared at him for a long moment, as if he were trying to understand exactly what Master was talking about.

"Uh, sure, can you just forgive my tab and we'll call it square?" The captain asked him, oblivious to the gravity of the moment.

The Master sucked in hard. In terms of the honor code, the captain had just equated the life of the Master to the worth of a few drinks. Red in the face, the Master continued, "No, captain, that will not do." The captain's face was beginning to harden into a look of obvious irritation. "This is my finest slave, Sechs. In recompense of my debt, she now belongs to you."

There was a long silence. The captain's eyes had widened at Master's last statement, and his mouth opened and closed several times before he found the words to respond. "Um...no, no she doesn't...we don't do this slavery...thing...where I am from. Or anywhere that isn't Sacchari, really."

"There is no other option, captain. A life for a life." There was more arguing, but I barely heard it. As nervous as I was to become his...I was more dismayed that he clearly didn't want me. Was it my hair? Or perhaps he was offended at the clumsy way I tripped over my shackles while serving him? I cursed myself silently. My ownership had not even actually transferred yet, and already I had displeased my new owner.

But, the Master had the final say. "Captain! You may take the bitch with you, or take her and shoot her in the street for all I care, but she is yours now, and my debt repaid!" For a moment, I was worried the captain may actually raise the pistol he held.

"Jesus, fine! ...fucking Sacchari, fine, I'll take her." The captain relented, with a look of pure venom.

The bar owner, no longer my Master, knelt and unlocked and removed his collar from my neck. "Here is the key to the girl's ankle chains," the bar owner said, handing them to my glaring Master. "Those, along with her dress and the cords on her wrists and arms, you may keep." Master continued to glare as the bar owner finished the duty, and with a final look into my eyes, strode away to his private chambers, nose held high.

Master stared after him, still seemingly considering the weapon in his hand, but finally looked down and seemed to notice me for the first time. "So, uh...you can come in, I guess..."

Hoping to change his obviously sour opinion of me, I smiled my brightest smile to him, and answered "If that is what you wish, Master!" Again I struggled to my feet. Not easy, considering no one had shown an interest in removing my restraints just yet.

"Okay, let me stop you there. I'm not your master, and you don't belong to me." Master responded, placing his pistol on the bedside table and rubbing his temples.

His words hurt. Whatever I may have felt about the change in owners, it hurt deeply to be told I was unwanted. Surely I could make him happy if he gave me the chance! Near tears I knelt before him and laid my forehead to the floor "But, Master, you are my owner, I am bonded to you!"

Master's shoulders sagged as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Okay, I guess this is a conversation for another night. Look, I'm shipping back off planet tomorrow...I dont suppose it would do me any good to tell you not to come?"

"I have to come, Master, I have no right not too!" A slave, letting her Master go running about the galaxy without her there to make sure his needs were met? The thought was unbearable!

Master looked at me for a moment, with eyes that suggested...pity? Sympathy, perhaps? He sighed and slumped on the bed before drawing a cigarette from his jacket and lighting it.

"So you're telling me that tomorrow I get to explain to my crew that not only am I now taking part in the highly criminal slave trade, but we will be illegally transporting you along the hyper lanes?" The question seemed rhetorical, so I remained silent, desperately trying to contain myself before offending him any further.

"Have you got a name, miss?" Master asked, drawing slowly from his cigarette.

"Well, my old name was Sechs, but that name belongs to the barkeep here. My name is whatever you tell me it is, Master!" I looked up a bit from the floor and smiled at him as I spoke. His eyes had been softening a bit, but he gave me a dirty look as I called him by his title.

Now traditionally, if you have no other slaves..." a dirtier look told me he did not, "my name should be Ein."

"Ein?" Master said with a newly cocked eyebrow. "You really want to be called Ein?"

"Well, Master, that is just the traditional naming convention. I'm your property, so you can call me whatever you like!" This Master was clearly anything but traditional.

"Okay, look," Master said as he took another drag from the cigarette "A while back I went on a voyage to Earth, heard of it?"

"Yes Master!" I nodded with a wide smile, delighted to finally be able to give him an answer he wanted to hear.

"Okay, good. The city we parked in was called Seville. Real pretty, lots of flowers like you girls all seem to like." I blushed a bit. We didnt have flowers on Sacchari. I always thought they looked pretty in pictures though.

"Alright," Master said, producing a knife from his belt and cutting the cords on my wrists and elbows. "That's what I'll call you. Seville" I smiled again, a real smile. I liked this name. And I was beginning to think I would like this Master, too.

The night was long, but cozy. Master battled long and hard for me to take the bed before I made him understand that a slave could never take a position of comfort over her Master. Finally he relented, and I curled up in a chair with the warm blanket he insisted I take. He had even removed my manacles. Such kindness to his slave of less than a day!

The next day we were up before the sun. "I want to be out of here before I get a whole flock of you following me around." He had said, throwing on the leather jacket with captain's wings pinned on the breast. He strode quickly out the door, and I struggled to keep up, and carrying the ankle chains he had nearly forgotten in the room.

The rocky road was rough on my bare feet, but luckily still cool. "Don't you have some shoes...or something?"

"No, Master" I said, preparing to give him a full lesson in why the simple white dress is the only clothing given to a female slave, but he cut me off.

"Jesus Christ, okay, there should be some spare boots in my locker, you just need to make it to the ship."

As we strode towards his docking area, I took in the city around me. The kilometer-high buildings, covered in brown dust from the frequent windstorms around Bagra. The noble merchants, strolling about in their fine robes of purple and gold. The visiting spacers, in all manner of shipboard uniforms and work clothes, often accompanied by a holstered weapon.

"My ship is in here," Master said, indicating a row of docking stations. "She's not real pretty, but lord does she have it where it counts!" Master smiled as we approached a steel grey vessel, long and sleek, emblazoned on the front with what centuries past may have called a "pin-up" girl, riding a rocket through space. "Welcome aboard Lady of the Stars, Seville".

As we walked up the ramp, I realized Master needed my help. He wasn't from Sacchari, and had never had slaves before. But that was okay. Because he had me now. I smiled again at the back of his pretty head. "Dont worry, Master," I said under my breath, "I'll teach you everything!"

...to be continued