What is a Slave without a Master? Ch. 04

As ET4H2-5C slowly drifted back into consciousness, the first thing she noticed was that every part of her body hurt. She still felt the lingering effects of the Supervisor's celebration, but it also felt like someone had taken the time to beat her all over with a length of conduit. She groaned weakly, feeling her bruised body raise complaints at even the slightest movement. But as she floated in place she suddenly realized a second thing.

She wasn't dead.

The memories of the Megaship came flooding back in vivid, horrible detail.

The slave's eyes snapped open. She tried to extend her arms to steady herself but found them contained within some kind of sack. After a moment of struggle, she managed to free herself and grabbed hold of whatever she could. Her own frantic breathing sounded strange in her ear, prompting her to reach a hand up to her face where she found something covering the lower half. She awkwardly pulled it off, turning it over with a confused expression.

"An oxygen mask?" she whispered to herself, her fingers turning off the valve out of instinct. In the background she heard a gentle whistling. Whatever ship this was, it was in Supercruise.

She looked around the room she was in as she slowly pushed herself into a sitting position, noting the strap across her waist. It was a small sleeping compartment of some sort. Not much more than the bed above which she floated and a series of metal storage lockers for personal effects. But most noticeably there was the logo of the ship manufacturer Faulcon DeLacy stamped on the inside of the door. She squinted, DeLacy ships were a common sight within the Empire, and she had worked on dozens of them. But this couldn't be an Imperial Navy vessel.

With a sinking feeling she remembered someone had once told her that DeLacy ships were also a popular choice among the less savory pilots of the galaxy: like whoever had attacked the Megaship. Their attacker would also have been the closest ship that could have found her, she realized solemnly. Her heart began to pound inside her chest and to distract herself she let her gaze wonder around the room, trying to match it against be layout of the DeLacy ships she knew. After a moment it was clear it was one of the Cobras. Likely the Mk III. The Mk IV never caught on, and the Mk V was too new to be common yet.

But her thoughts were interrupted by a metallic voice ringing out overhead.

"Greetings Passenger," came a woman's voice. The slave jumped, letting out a tiny squeak of surprise before regaining control of herself. She quickly recognized the voice as a COVAS, a Cockpit Voice Activated System: a program used on smaller ships to assist solo pilots. In fact, she even recognized the voice profile. It was Verity, the most default female voice that came preloaded on all systems.

"Umm, greetings Ma'am," the slave replied unsurely.

"The Commander is pleased to hear you are awake. She confirms she will be with you momentarily."

ET4H2-5C's eyes widened in terror as her mind was flooded with images and stories of ruthless pirate captains and what they did with slaves. She let out a startled gasp as she lunged down, scrambling to release the strap across her waist and wriggling her way out of the sleeping bag. She desperately scanned the room, frantically looking for something, anything that could let her escape whatever monster was on their way towards her.

"The Commander asked to be notified if you appeared in any distress. Are you in distress?" Verity asked as the slave spotted a small maintenance access panel overhead. Without hesitation she kicked off from her position, gliding through the air towards it as her muscles protested the sudden movement. She hit the ceiling and she spun herself over so her feet and knee magnets could lock her in place upside down. The slave grabbed hold of the panel and popped open the clips with trembling hands.

"I have no record of the Commander giving permission to access maintenance areas. Passenger, did she grant you permission?" Verity asked, the question taking on an air of menace despite her voice remaining unchanged.

"I'm sorry Miss Verity, but set COVAS volume to zero!" ET4H2-5C squeaked, recalling one of the admin commands she knew. The panel swung loose in her hands, and she dived through the gap just as she heard the hiss of the door opening behind her. The slave found herself in the cramped ceiling void, full of intertangled cable trays, conduits, ventilation ducts, and god knows what else. She desperately pulled herself deeper, trying to snake her body through what little room there was.

"Hey, Hey! What the hell are you doing?!" the slave heard a shocked woman's voice call out behind her before she felt a hand clamp around her ankle. ET4H2-5C let out a terrified gasp as she twisted around, but in the darkness she could only make out the ominous silhouette of the pirate with their head and shoulders though the opening. Her leg very firmly in their grasp, and their other arm poised defensively as if they were anticipating a kick.

"Look, I get it," the figure began. "You went through hell out there, and now you're scared. It's okay to be freaked out. But you're safe now. I promise I'm trying to help you," they said, their voice tense and wary. But the slave could barely register their words, her mind only focused on the fact she had been caught and given her captor another reason to be angry.

"But you can't go crawling around in my ceiling. Not safe for you or my ship. So can you come back? We can talk. I swear I'm not going to hurt you," the figure added after a moment, but again the words seemed to just pass over the slave. All she could do was let her muscles go slack and allow herself to be gently pulled backwards towards the access panel and her fate.

"Lady, this'd be easier if you weren't being such a limp noodle," her captor complained as ET4H2-5C was pulled back into the sleeping compartment and given a soft push towards the floor. The slave touched down and quickly backed into the corner of the room, fearfully pressing herself against the wall as she got her first proper look at the pirate.

ET4H2-5C felt a moment of surprise as she saw that they were a young woman, just landing in the middle of the room and making no move to come closer. She was dressed in a black flight suit, hugging her body with the exposed ports that a life support system could attach to if required. But the woman had the zipper of the front of her suit pulled down, just enough to expose a hint of collarbone and upper sternum. Over her suit she wore an open brown leather jacket, the collar high behind her neck and the sleeves rolled up to leave her hands and forearms bare. A leather belt rested around her hips, from which hung a handful of small pouches and what appeared to be to be a knife.

She looked like a sleek panther standing there, the slave thought nervously, remembering back to books she had read on long extinct animals. But not one poised to strike, one simply watching its prey. In the air currents ET4H2-5C noticed a long jet black braid floating behind the woman. Panther tail, she realized as she swallowed.

But what really caught the slave's attention was the Pirate's face. She looked young, maybe slightly younger than the slave. And she was even slightly shorter too. But just in the confident way the woman held her head, she looked like she had the entire galaxy laid out before her.

And her eyes... ET4H2-5C had to hastily remind herself that she wasn't looking at Jade, for their eyes were strikingly similar. Full of fire and independence. Burning with a spirit that could not be tamed.

The two stared at each other silently for a few seconds: the pirate wearing a cautious expression, and the slave wearing a terrified one. But it was the other woman who spoke first.

"It's okay. It's okay," Alex repeated slowly. "I know being in an escape pod sucks. But I promise you're safe here. No one's going to hurt you," she added, trying to be reassuring as she took in her passenger's petrified face.

"My name is Alex Turner," she introduced herself after not getting a response. "Independent Commander with the Pilots Federation. I was in the area and just happened to find your pod."

And finally the slave managed a reply, her voice sounding minuscule even in the small room.

"you're... not a pirate, Miss?" she squeaked in a combination of disbelief and shock, her formal tone cracking. Alex couldn't help but let out a surprised laugh.

"Me? A pirate? Seriously?" she chuckled.

But her smile evaporated as she watched what little colour there was drain out of her passenger's cheeks.

"Sorry," Alex muttered before clearing her throat: regretting her reaction.

"No, I am not a pirate," she began gently. "Like I said, just a freelance pilot who stumbled across you by chance and picked you up. You were in a Megaship right? You got attacked? I promise I'm not the one who shot at you," she stated with what she hoped sounded like sincerity.

"You might also be relieved to hear your Megaship wasn't destroyed. I know they made it back into Hyperspace," she added hopefully.

To Alex's relief she did see a tiny bit of the tension begin to loosen in her passenger's shoulders. But the woman's expression was still pale and mortified, and she made no move to speak.

"How about this," Alex asked with a grin as she remembered something in her pocket and dug it out. "Would a pirate offer you snacks?" she asked as she gently tossed it across the room. The object lazily turning through the air in the lack of gravity.

ET4H2-5C jerked back in confusion but instinctively managed to catch the object. She turned it over, examining the package of dehydrated synthetic fruit in surprise. She glanced up at the Commander before finally speaking, her voice tentative and quiet.

"You're... a good samaritan, Miss?" she asked in disbelief.

"I guess that's one name for it," Alex agreed with a nod. "I sure as hell wasn't going to just leave you after I found your escape pod."

ET4H2-5C stood stunned. She had only been awake a few moments, but even so her mind was struggling to process everything. And all at once she felt her adrenaline begin to crash. She swayed gently in place before she pulled herself down into her knees as she felt tears of shame and relief beginning to build up below her eyes.

"I'm sorry Miss Turner, I'm so sorry. I was... so scared. Please... forgive me. I swear... I'll fix your access panel," she begged in a faltering voice.

Alex's eyebrows shot up in alarm.

"Hey, hey hey hey," she said gently. "I'm sorry for laughing. You've just lived through a pilot's worst nightmare. It's okay to be scared. Don't worry about the panel."

"Is it okay if I come over there?" she added carefully after a moment. The slave froze, but eventually managed a shaky nod. Alex gently crossed the room and pulled herself into a sitting position against the wall next to her passenger. It was an awkward stance given she only had boot magnets. She reached inside her jacket and dug out a tissue then offered it over.

"You thought I was a pirate? Is that why you were trying to run away?" she asked. ET4H2-5C tensed her shoulders but gave another slow nod.

"I'm... so sorry. I never should have assumed, Miss Turner," she managed, avoiding Alex's gaze. The Commander chuckled.

"You woke up on a ship you don't know, with a person you've never met," she shrugged. "It's okay. I expected you to be freaked out; I was just totally not expecting to come through the door and see feet disappearing into my ceiling. But... do you believe me that I'm not a pirate?" she asked.

"Yes, Miss Turner. And thank you... for saving me, Miss," the slave stammered, her voice catching.

"Glad to hear it. And you're very welcome," Alex said softly.

"You don't need to call me 'Miss Turner', just 'Alex' is fine. And speaking of which, you have a name?" she added after a moment.

The slave closed her eyes: terrified of how the Commander may react but knowing she couldn't lie about it.

"My... designation is ET4H2-5C. Slave to the Empire of Achenar. At your service, Miss."

"Hold on, what?" Alex muttered as she dug into her jacket pocket, pulling out the ID card she had found. She stared at it for a second before turning towards ET4H2-5C and pointing at the string of letters and numbers at the top.

"That's your name?" she asked in confusion.

The slave also stared at it for a long moment, stunned.

"... my identification..."

"Ahhhh righhtt," Alex said slowly, realizing what she had just admitted to.

"Uh yeah, I dug around in your escape pod after I got you settled. I wanted to find out who you were. I... realize that was probably rude. I'm sorry," she added embarrassedly, offering over the ID card. But the slave made no move to take it.

"Please... do not apologize to me. You've done nothing wrong," she managed, her tangled emotions having mostly given way to exhaustion. "But you already knew I was a slave?"

"Uhh yeah?" Alex responded with a raised eyebrow. "It just feels like it would have been weird if I opened with that."

"Why... would you comfort a slave? Especially after I disrespected you by trying to flee?" ET4H2-5C asked in disbelief, glancing down at the fruit she held. Alex shot her a stern expression.

"I ain't Imperial. As far as I care, you're a human being. And one who's had a really shitty day," she said firmly as she reached over and took one of the slave's hands before placing the ID card in her palm.

"You look beat. You should try to get some more sleep. There's a Starport I'm heading to, but we've still got... a bunch of hours until that," she added as she pushed off to retrieve the sleeping bag from where it had floated.

"If I leave you alone will you promise not to hide in the ceiling again?" Alex asked, unable to stop a small laugh as she returned and held it out to her passenger. ET4H2-5C looked horrified and nodded frantically.

"Appreciate that," Alex chuckled. "But eat the fruit and try to sleep. It will make you feel better. If you wake up before we dock you're welcome to come hang out in the cockpit. Verity can tell you how to get there," she offered simply.

"Thank you, Miss Turner... You're far too kind," the slave whispered as she tentatively took the bag.

"Just Alex is fine. And you're welcome. I'll see you later," Alex replied before kicking off and drifting towards the door, knocking the heating control back to normal as she left.

A moment later she settled herself into her pilot's seat with a tired sigh before she raised her eyes to the ceiling, her mind refusing to sit still.

"Verity, can you find me any articles on cultural norms around Imperial Slaves?" she asked, but got no reply.

"What the fuck?" she muttered as she glanced over at her control panels in confusion.

It was several hours before the door into the cockpit hissed gently and ET4H2-5C entered. She took in the sight before her as she adopted her familiar attention position. The ship was equipped with two seats, with Alex already seated in the left one: the woman twisting around to greet the slave. A large window wrapped around the front and over the heads of the pilots, giving an incredible view of space beyond. She so rarely got to see space while moving, the sight was a rare pleasure and she couldn't help but take a moment to be mesmerized by the view.

"Welcome back," Alex said in surprise as she quickly glanced over at the COVAS comms log, noting that her passenger hadn't asked Verity for directions to the cockpit.

"Thank you very much Miss Turner," the slave answered politely, and sounding much more in control of herself than he had been the first time Alex had talked to her.

"How you feeling?" Alex asked after a moment, trying to sound gentle. ET4H2-5C nodded.

"I still feel ashamed of my transgression, and I deeply apologize. But beyond that, I am feeling much better. Thank you. You are far too kind, Miss," she said, her gaze lowered to the floor.

"I accept your apology, you can stop feeling bad about it," Alex said, waving her hand dismissively. "And glad you're feeling better otherwise. But you don't need to stand like that, and seriously just call me Alex."

The slave blinked in surprise before loosening her shoulders and self-consciously pulling her hands into view.

"I... I'm sorry Miss, I couldn't possibly...," she started, taken aback slightly.

"Really? Like what if I order you to call me Alex? Does that count?" the Commander asked, slight exasperation in her voice.

ET4H2-5C was silent for a moment, having never considered such a loophole before.

"I'd even settle for Miss Alex," Alex sighed. "Just calling me Miss Turner makes me keep thinking you're talking to my mother."

"I could manage Miss Alex," the slave replied gratefully.

"Cool. Thank you," Alex replied with a chuckle. But after a long moment of her passenger standing at the back of the room in silence she nodded in the direction of the second seat.

"Are you going to sit down?"

ET4H2-5C blushed uncomfortably and glanced down.

"I am a slave, Miss Alex. I can't take an equal position to you," was her simple response. Alex rolled her eyes as she let out a quiet groan. This matched what she had read, but it was still going to get annoying.

"Well you're going to have to eventually. Not safe to land without a harness. But until then... whatever. Where do slaves sit?" she asked, trying to keep her annoyance out of her voice. Her passenger hesitated for a long moment before speaking.

"With you... if I may Miss Alex?" she asked tentatively.

"uhhhh... sure?" answered Alex, not really knowing what that meant.

"Thank you, Miss," the slave responded. She hesitated for another moment but before stepping forward. Alex glanced back in confusion as she saw the slave walk up next to her and lower herself to her knees directly beside the pilot's chair. Her back was straight and her hands were neatly folded in her lap as she looked up at Alex, a gentle smile on her lips. Alex felt a sudden heat flair up in her lower gut that she quickly stamped down.

"Never expected to see knee magnets used like that," she muttered, trying to distract herself.

"Their primary use is for allowing me to steady and anchor myself while working. This is secondary," ET4H2-5C clarified simply.

Alex looked down at her passenger for a long moment, trying to not let her expression shift over to 'glaring', but still unsure how she felt. She let out a long breath as she looked for something to change the subject, and her eyes landing on the COVAS logs again.

"You found your way here without asking Verity?"

"That is correct Miss. I didn't want to bother her. And I am already familiar with the internal layout of the Cobra Mk III," the slave said with a pleasant nod. Alex jerked her head back in surprise.

"What?"

"Your ship is a Cobra Mk III is she not? One hundred and eighty ton, forty-four meter wingspan, twenty-seven meter long multipurpose role craft produced by Faulcon Delacy," the slave replied cautiously.

"What. The fuck?" was all Alex could manage.

"Like you're right, but what the fuck? You've seen my bedroom and like... the walk from there to here. How did you recognize it from just that?" she asked, her mind flashing back to the starship technical books in the escape pod's storage compartment.

"I..." the slave began, wondering if she had misstepped. "... am an Engineering Technician, Fifth Class. I've worked on ships from all the major manufacturers that do business with the Empire."

She pointed upwards tentatively.

"I've done maintenance on ships exactly like this many times. I'm very familiar with them."

Another stunned silence fell over the room, before Alex lifted her arm and made her same saluting gesture, elbow bent, fingertips to temple.

"Well you're cool as hell," she said simply, still in disbelief as the slave blushed. "If that was written on your ID card I must have missed it, I apologize."

"Please do not apologize to me, Miss Alex," the kneeling woman responded as she pulled the ID card out of her pocket and confirmed that in fact no it was not.

"Too bad. Well seeing as how you know my ship so well: you might as well know her name's Peregrine," Alex offered as she pointed down at the top of the card. "But you've got an impressive title, and then that's your name?

"ET4H2-5C?" the slave replied in confusion.

"Yeah that's not a name. That's a serial number for a gasket or something. What am I supposed to call you?" Alex asked, pressing the issue slightly.

"You may call me whatever you wish, Miss."

Alex pursed her lips.

"And if I wished to call you a more human name, what would that name be?"

"My... " the slave began slowly. "... my Supervisor has me answer to Coco," she offered.

"What the fuck?" exclaimed Alex. "That's a stripper name. That might be worse than the serial number. Why the hell do they call you that?"

"My Supervisor has given names to all his preferred slaves for when we meet with him privately," was the slave's nervous answer. Alex for her part felt a boiling rage start up in her gut, dreading what details she was going to hear next.

"Why does he have you meet with him privately?" Alex growled.

The slave leaned back, cowering slightly before the Commander's anger.

"The... Supervisor's business is his own, and it is not my place to share it," she stammered.

Alex glared at her.

"He's not here. I am. Spill it."

ET4H2-5C swallowed nervously but quickly relented.

"In addition to my regular duties, I am happy to provide... intimate services to the Supervisor whenever he requires," she managed nervously.

There was a tense silence for a moment, Alex's scowl darkening before speaking.

"I know for a fact that's not legal, even for Imperials. No one should have to provide 'Intimate services!' That is -not- okay!" Alex shot back. "Fucking punch that asshole!"

The slave made a terrified squeaking noise, her eyes wide.

"What, do you not want punch him?" Alex seethed. "Do you like the guy?"

"I..." ET4H2-5C began, desperately trying to put together an appropriately subservient reply. Alex stared intently at her for a long moment, which only made it harder to gather her thoughts.

"You hesitating does not make me feel better about this," Alex muttered.

"The Supervisor is a very fair man," the slave blurted out. "He works diligently to ensure each slave is assigned work commensurable with their abilities. And has awarded praise and recognition for achievements."

"Okay, those are two positive qualities of a boss, but that doesn't change the fact he's illegally using you for 'intimate services.' It's that part. That's the part I'm pissed about," Alex growled before glancing back down at her passenger. Her heart sinking when she realized the woman was frozen in terror and again on the brink of tears.

"Ah fuck," Alex said with a long sigh. Her shoulder slumped as she felt a rush of guilt at her outburst.

"I'm... sorry. I promise I'm not mad at you," she began slowly. "This isn't your fault. It's just..." she managed. It was her turn to struggle to find the right words.

"Look, I'm from the Alliance," she finally continued in a softer voice. "We don't think highly of slavery. We were formed by people who broke away from the Empire and the Federation because they wanted to govern themselves. I grew up surrounded by that spirit. That desire to lead my own life. That's why I became a pilot," Alex added, gesturing around the cockpit.

"Yeah the Peregrine is no luxury ship like what Saud Kruger would make, but she's mine. My hand on the stick, my ass in the seat. Because that's important to me. But then I look at you..." She paused, planning her next words carefully.

"then I see you, and I see a woman who's apparently been forced to give up so much... give up her autonomy, give up her ability to choose who she sleeps with, give up her fucking name... It just... It just makes me mad because those things would matter to me."

"Like... I shouldn't be giving you a lecture. You just... deserve better even if you don't think you do," she added tiredly after a moment. An uncomfortable silence fell over the cockpit, but eventually ET4H2-5C spoke, her words sounding careful and deliberate.

"Thank you, Miss Alex. For the... lesson. And I desperately want to put your mind at ease. So... may I... have your permission to speak... more freely?" the kneeling woman asked.

"You... could have had that from the very beginning. But yeah of course," Alex replied in surprise, making an effort to be gentler.

"Thank you, Miss," ET4H2-5C began before taking a deep breath.

"Would you... feel more at ease if I told you that I chose to be a slave? Or that I choose to visit the Supervisor willingly? You are correct that intimate use of slaves is not permitted within the Empire, so I would be allowed to decline him without consequence."

Alex's head jerked back in surprise. Her eyebrows shooting up. She was speechless for a long moment before composing herself.

"I guess... yeah that does sound better. And... in that case yeah sorry for jumping up your ass. But I'm going to need you to explain both of those. Sex with the boss first. Why didn't you just say that?"

"Jumping... up my...?" the slave repeated slowly, a look of utter bewilderment across her face.

"It's just an expression. Sorry for giving you a hard time," Alex clarified awkwardly.

"I see. And... the situation with the Supervisor is complicated," the woman proceeded slowly as she wrung her hands.

"I... I'm sorry Miss... These are things I've never said aloud before," she stammered, her voice slipping back to fear.

"Take your time," Alex said softly.

"Thank... you Miss," ET4H2-5C said before taking in a deep breath. "I do choose to go willingly. I promise you that is true. But not for the express purpose of intimacy with the Supervisor alone."

Alex raised an eyebrow.

"If you don't go to sleep with him, why go at all? Does he share really good booze?"

"On occasion," the slave said with a nod. "But the main reason..." her voice faltering again.

"The main reason is that it is very common that he brings multiple slaves at the same time, always female. Intimacy between slaves is normally forbidden, so these meetings are my sole opportunity... for intimacy with women."

There was a stunned silence in the cockpit before Alex managed to pick her jaw up off the floor.

"Wait... are you... gay?" was all Alex was able to ask, still trying to recover from that gut punch of a revelation.

"That is not a term I've used since before becoming a slave, but selfishly yes," the woman nodded, her face bright red.

"Why the hell is that selfish?" Alex exclaimed indignantly.

"Because it pertains to my own pleasure instead of my Supervisor's?" the slave responded, slightly taken aback by Alex's question.

"You go to orgies with him because it gives you the chance to play around with other chicks. He's still got multiple ladies in his bed, I think he's doing fine pleasure wise," Alex said flatly, impressed at the slave's craftiness.

"Okay fine, you win. If you meet with him because you get something you want out of it, then I'm less mad. To be clear, I still hate that you're a slave, but I'm glad to hear that part is your choice," she relented.

"Does he know why you agree? Are the other slaves into it?" She asked, pervy curiosity bubbling up inside her.

"He is either unaware, or unconcerned with my desires. As for the other slaves," ET4H2-5C added as she reached up to her neck. She quickly loosened her tie and tugged down the zipper of her jumpsuit. The material fell away to reveal the bite marks up and down her neck and shoulder.

"These were gifted to me by another slave quite recently. She gave every impression of enjoying herself very much," ET4H2-5C stated, a tiny smile tugging at the corner of her lips even as she didn't meet Alex's gaze.

Alex leaned down, eyes scanning over the marks across the slave's smooth skin.

"... nice..." she whispered to herself, not even realizing she had said it until the slave replied.

"If you feel so I'd be honoured if you added your own marks," the slave replied tentatively. "I owe you a debt for saving my life. I am obligated to repay it somehow, Miss."

Alex froze completely, her brain misfiring in every way it was capable of. She slowly made a T shape with her hands flat in front of herself. And even so it was a long moment before she was able to speak coherently again.

"I'm flattered, but I don't -- " but she didn't get any further before sudden movement on her scanner display caught her eye. She turned to look just as a low alarm rang out through the ship. Alex felt silent relief at the alarm saving her from this horribly uncomfortable moment. ET4H2-5C felt her heart leap into her throat with panic at the sound.

"Verity, is that was I think it is?" Alex asked warily, eyes fixed on her scanner and the floating dot representing another ship that was following them.

"Supercruise proximity alarm," the slave replied in a terrified voice as she hurriedly closed her suit. Alex glanced down at her in surprise before Verity responded as well.

"I do not know what you think it is Commander. But a vessel has matched our velocity in Supercruise. They are maintaining a position behind us."

"I'm impressed, good ear," Alex complimented her passenger before her hands flew back to her controls.

"Verity, get me a scan of them. And you," she added, nodding down at the slave. "Get in the other seat and strap in. No buts!"