Chapter 1: Episode 1: The Hypnoprison Harem and the Wildfire Warlord
Chapter Text
Raven looked at the scraps of fabric laid out before her in the dressing room. and tried to calculate how much they’d actually cover up. “Hey!” she called back. “How come I’m the only one wearing the skimpy slave girl costume in these escapades?”
“Trust me, you’re NOT,” called back her friend, frequent antagonist, and co-conspirator, Scarlet. “You’re just not as creative with the ops as I am!”
Raven disagreed; more like she was less likely to dress Scarlet up than vice versa. But that’s the way their arrangement had worked for years. They gallivanted around the galaxy in their ship, the Emerald Enchantress, bouncing from con job to con job trying to pay off old debts to very bad people and stay one step ahead of trouble. They’d agreed to take turns planning the jobs, which usually meant squeezing the other into some kind of unpleasant situation, escaping by the skin of their teeth, and moving on to the next job.
To be fair, Raven decided, while she hadn’t made Scarlet go half-naked last time around, she’d ended up putting Scarlet into far too close of an encounter with a highly lascivious species with tentacles evolved for very specific purposes, so she probably had this coming. Once more unto the breach and all that, threading the needle of the galactic slave trade for their own purposes, and to get a bit of payback.
The broader Galactic Alliance had banned slavery for centuries, but out here where enforcement was thin, criminal organizations and local warlords had made the enslavement of sentient beings into a way of life and the foundation of the economy. It was nicknamed “Slaver’s Sector” for so long that it finally became official. Even Alliance documents now referred to it as simply SlaveSec.
Raven sighed wearily and looked out the window at white stars streaking by. Their starsailor, the Emerald Enchantress, had once been a space cruiser designed both as an exclusive luxury liner for the powerful and a gilded cage transport for the most valuable and sought-after pleasure slaves. Raven and Scarlet had first met aboard it some years earlier when both were abducted and fated to live out their days as harem girls for the wealthy. But they’d managed to turn the tables, hijack the ship, and liberate the other girls. Then they dolled up the slavers themselves as pleasure servants and dropped them off on a planet of slug creatures known for their taste for humanoid playthings. Really, it has a happy ending for everyone except maybe the slavers, and who knows, maybe a few of them had enjoyed it. Ever since, Raven and Scarlet had travelled the stars as soldiers of fortune and made a few enemies along the way.
The ship itself was well-equipped for their purposes. It contained luxury quarters for a dozen VIPs and a secure area for an equal number of slaves being transported. The harem quarters were designed to make the owners happy, so they had their aesthetic uses, although the two girls mostly resided in the luxury compartment. The slave quarters were also equipped with a number of useful security features for any time they needed to transport live prisoners.
Scarlet had been planning this particular operation for a while and kept the details to herself. She liked to surprise Raven with the particulars. Already they were on their way to the target planet, whose name she had already forgotten. Raven stripped down and began to don the costume Scarlet had selected for her. A snow-white, half-transparent white skirt went over white satin panties, both lined with gold on the edges, and leaving little to the imagination regarding her shapely legs. A jeweled golden bra top was pretty much all she had going from the waist up. After that came jewelry to adorn her arms, hair and ankles, giving a jingly flair to the whole thing. She tested out the feel, walking back and forth, feeling the weight on her wrists and ankles and hearing the soft jingles as her naked feet scraped the floor. It wasn’t the worst thing she’d ever had to wear, but admittedly, it was close.
One last thing to do. She aimed a slender wand at her head, and a quick touch of a button recolored her hair from its usual red to a jet-black hue. Small details like that tended to make disguises work better in a society where many people only had vague descriptions to work from.
She emerged from her quarters into the central common area, where chairs, tables and viewscreens lined the walls. Nearby, Scarlet was working one of the panels. Her usual sensible clothing was replaced with a tight black catsuit with fishnet inserts and leather boots with high heels. Long red hair tumbled down around her shoulders. A grin of delight spread across her face as she saw her partner’s new look. “Well, you look delightful! How do you feel?”
Raven adjusted the thin skirt to try to cover more of her legs. It didn’t work. She sat down in the chair opposite Scarlet’s and gave up on modesty. “Faintly ridiculous, really. What the hell are you wearing?”
“Oh, you like it? This is a little throwback to the old days when I was still operating as the Scarlet Scorpion. The heels and fishnets really did a number on men. Guys are predictable, honestly.I had a couple of team-ups back in the day with the guy we’re targeting here, and I figured he might appreciate a little nostalgia. He might not trust me, but I’m pretty sure he’ll talk to me.”
Well, at least she wasn’t the only one putting her body out there as a distraction, Raven decided. “So what exactly are we doing traveling to a place so backwater it’s literally named Dry Mud?”
“Actually, it’s Earth, but not that the difference matters. Fun fact that’s not exactly secret but it’s still closely guarded: it’s where the Wildfire Warlord makes his retirement home.”
The Wildfire Warlord. There was a name nobody had given much thought to in years. He’d emerged about 20 years earlier as a freedom fighter and general all-around do-gooder. Nobody was really sure where he came from, but he’d picked up the customs and weapons of the galactic society and quickly made his name battling slavers and the criminal underworld. His home base was a ship called “The Stargrave,” and he and the ad hoc band of allies he gathered over the years were often known as the Stargravers.
He’d broken the back of the Infinite Loopers, the Lords of Misrule, the Negative Crusade and so many others. Countless freed slaves owed their liberation to him. After a final battle with the Hypnoprison Harems -- the former biggest slavers in the region -- he had chosen to give up the hero business and go into obscurity. He popped up every now and then but generally kept to himself and valued his privacy. Nobody really even knew exactly where he was from.
Scarlet continued: “Not many know that he hails from Earth’s distant past, before internal warfare basically turned it into a blasted crater. When he gave up adventuring, he’d acquired a vast collection of weapons and artifacts from some of the worst and most dangerous people in the galaxy. Now he maintains a residence on Earth where he catalogs this collection, carries on correspondence with quite a few people around the galaxy, and works to re-terraform the planet.”
Raven quickly understood. “So he wants to keep all this stuff out of the wrong hands -- and we, of course, are the wrong hands.”
“Absolutely! And he’s got an infamous soft heart for slave girls. We’re going to pass you off as a weird artifact from the Hypnoprison Harem lords: a girl who was brainwashed to be his perfect servant. He won’t be able to resist, especially since he’s the only person in the galaxy who has the means to reverse that process.”
It was a good plan in theory, but it didn’t quite sound right to Raven. “So he takes me in to cure me, I find out the layout of his place and the means to steal the best stuff, and we call it a day, is that about right?” Scarlet nodded. “How are you going to get him to believe you? The Harem lords haven’t operated for years. I’m pretty sure we’re the ones who took out the last straggler.”
“He’ll believe me once I show him this.” Scarlet laid something on the table, and it caused Raven to suck in her breath. A small flat metallic disk that sprung out six slender metallic legs and a single long tendril. Raven knew this thing all too well: a Hypnoprison Cell, the conditioning device they used to replace their captives’ memories with anything of their choosing. The duo’s battle against the last Harem lord had been one of their closest calls. Raven remembered with a shudder what it had been like to be strapped into a torture device while the Cell clamped over her eye and used its laser-like focusing light to drill into her mind and dump its data package of new memories into her mind. Scarlet had rescued her at the last second, but she remembered all too well what it felt like to feel her identity draining away and a new self pouring in. It wasn’t a pleasant memory.
“You kept that?” Raven asked.
“I did, for this very circumstance,” Scarlet said. “I’ve already arranged a meeting with him, using this to show him I’m serious. I’ll sell you to him and throw in the device as a show of good faith. It’s the last one in the galaxy outside of whatever’s in his collection. He’d like to see it taken out of circulation. Once you’re on the inside of his operation, find out everything you can about the security and see what we can do to steal everything we want. I can track you and infiltrate when the time is right. From what I understand, he’ll be quite lonely there, so if we get lucky, he’ll be a talker. Oh, and the fact he’s known to be respectful to slaves means you’re at least pretty likely not to be defiled or anything like that.”
Back when their partnership had started, a phrase like that might have alarmed Raven, but by now she just rolled with it. She had to admit, it wasn’t the craziest plan either of them had ever come up with. “I wish you’d briefed me on this stuff earlier,” Raven said. “We’re only a couple of days out from Dry Mud Earth or whatever, it’s going to take time to study up to convince him I was brainwashed to be a perfect servant.”
“Yes. About that.” Scarlet touched a hidden button, and Raven’s chair began to whir with mechanisms. In an instant steel restraints snapped out over Raven’s wrists and ankles, a chest strap drew her tightly against the back of the chair, and clamps on each side of her head held her perfectly still. A metallic gag slid over her mouth. “You like this? Another one of the booby traps in this thing I just found. The slavers who owned this ship wanted to keep restraining devices all over the place. Very resourceful.” She stood up and walked over to Raven. “If it makes you feel any better, you probably won’t remember this part when it’s all over.”
Raven couldn’t resist or even whimper as Scarlet placed the Hypnoprison Cell over her face. Its legs served as miniature clamps holding her eye open, and the last tendril directed an optic beam focused into her pupil. An eternal instant passed for Raven; she couldn’t even mentally struggle as the device dampened her memory and began to download its new data into her brain. She held on to every memory as long as she could, but before long there was nothingness and she was nowhere.
Chapter 2: Episode 2: The Golden Girl and the Gem of Carcera
Summary:
Scarlet takes her new "slave" Raven as a gift for the Wildfire Warlord, in hopes of getting a shot at his vast treasure trove. Things get complicated right away.
Notes:
[As the previous chapter already indicates, weird methods of sci-fi mind control have been of interest to me, at least as far back as those little eggs on the "Wonder Woman" TV show that turned you into a slave. Obviously this has its place. But I'm also interested in the weirder, more magical forms of imprisonment, like Princess Daphne being held in a magic snow globe. You'll see :).]
Chapter Text
“What’s your name, girl?” Scarlet perhaps enjoyed this part too much.
“Raven, mistress.” Raven answered in a calm monotone, seemingly unconcerned with her skimpy attire or Scarlet’s intentionally superior tone.
“And what is your purpose?”
“To serve the needs of my master or mistress,” Raven replied. “I am trained to serve and please the Wildfire Warlord.”
Scarlet smirked as she walked around her partner and checked that all was in order. The Hypnoprison Cell had done its job well. Raven’s memories and personality were still somewhere in the back of her mind, but the device had completely overwritten them with a personality Scarlet had designed herself. She’d spent weeks building the perfect slave personality based on everything she knew about the Wildfire Warlord they were seeking to steal from. So far, it seemed to be going perfectly.
The mind-altering process wasn’t something Scarlet fully understood, but she’d programmed it to the best of her ability, with a few backup ideas thrown in. The process was designed to create perfectly compliant slaves, hence her monotone when addressing her captor. She would become considerably warmer once handed over to her new master; in the meantime, as a slave in transport, her personality reverted to a trouble-free calm obedience.
“Good girl,” Scarlet said. Oh, she hoped Raven wouldn’t remember all these details, or else she’d REALLY get it on the next operation, when it was Raven’s turn to plan again. Assuming there even was a next operation. If this went right, they’d never need one again. If it didn’t go right, financial concerns would be the least of their worries. “Head back into the holding area and await your summons.” Raven nodded her head and padded silently away. Scarlet couldn’t help but appreciate the view as she walked off; just because they were professional partners didn’t mean she was blind to her friend’s charms.
Scarlet honestly did regret having to do this to Raven, but she’d forgive her once the process was reversed and they were wealthy and powerful beyond their wildest dreams.
Now that they were in orbit, she could contact the Wildfire Warlord as planned and set up their meeting. He was expecting their arrival, so she knew when and where to contact.
The beginning of the conversation went perfectly smoothly. Scarlet waited a few moments before bringing up the awkward question of location. “I know you value your privacy, so I’d be happy to meet you on any neutral territory you like. My ship is open to you but given the kind of negotiation this is, I imagine you wouldn’t want to meet entirely on my territory.” Scarlet knew she herself wouldn’t just walk into someone else’s turf with the intent to buy a slave sight unseen. Too many opportunities for traps. His answer surprised her.
“Nonsense. It would be my honor if you’d have me as a guest on your ship. With your permission, my servant Joanna and I can be on a shuttle to you in no time.”
She gave her assent and closed down commas. With some time before they arrived, she had plenty to think about. He didn’t seem bothered at all about meeting on her ship. He was either insanely confident in his own abilities or the most foolhardy person she’d ever met besides herself and Raven.
Joanna intrigued her. Most people in the know knew that Wildfire kept a single servant at his beck and call, but few understood the arrangement. She figured this Joanna would be something interesting to behold.
In short order, the shuttle arrived in orbit and docked with the Emerald Enchantress. Scarlet headed to the entry bay, took a deep breath, shook out a few doubts, and put on her character face. The Scarlet Scorpion, heroine, adventurer, general daredevil-about-the-stars, an ass-kicker with a heap of sex appeal piled on -- hence the fishnet inserts on her outfit and the high-heeled boots. She could actually fight pretty well in the boots but tended to try to avoid conflict if she could. She wasn’t getting any younger. She took a look at her reflection in a glass panel, tossed her hair a bit, and gave a satisfied smile. Sexy enough to be obvious about it and be a distraction but not so much that it would fill up the room. There was already a half-naked slave girl in the mix, she didn’t have to bump up the sex appeal much more.
She stood at the airlock waiting while the shuttle connected up, and finally the door hissed open. The Wildfire Warlord strode in, wearing some combination of a battle-ready outfit and military uniform, with a satchel slung over his shoulder. He did seem to like his formality. She was familiar with the tendency of certain warlords to overplay ceremony and a uniform look to puff up their importance. He wasn’t quite that bad, looking like he had dressed with an intent to look formal but not TOO formal. Unsurprising; she had chosen her appearance with equal care. He was a little older than when they’d last met, but still seemed in solid fighting shape. A big broad smile belied any concerns that he’d be overly stiff.
Behind him followed an attractive captive, with wavy brown hair and a lithe athletic figure. Joanna, of course. She wore a sequin golden bodysuit, flesh-colored fishnet tights, and shiny gold dance slippers that matched her costume. The cut of the bodysuit placed her exquisite thighs and legs on maximum display. A burnished gold collar graced her neck, and a long chain of similar color ran several feet to a loop draped casually around Wildfire’s arm.
This was not a new sight for Scarlet. In Slaver’s Sector, keeping an attractive slave — of whatever gender or species appealed to the master or mistress — nearby as an attendant was a common means of flaunting one’s power. The girl’s chain was plated with real gold and her leotard’s crystals were genuinely rare precious microgems — Scarlet could tell from their distinctive shimmer. Another technique to flex one’s power. Wildfire had enough wealth to outfit even his slave girl in finery that cost more than most people could dream.
But one thing was new: her demeanor. Slaves generally walked a few paces behind their owner, demure and quiet and eyes downcast, maybe even a little modest despite their usually scanty clothing, knowing that the only attention they should draw to themselves was their own beauty. Not Joanna. She walked a step behind but seemed less like a cringing servant and more like a confident backup person. She didn’t stride like a slave fearful of taking up space, but rather carried herself with a casual arrogance that said she didn’t care what anyone thought.
Scarlet was inclined to respect her on general principle, but she was a little worried at how Joanna watched her intently. It felt like a judgmental glare, as if she was being sized up and found wanting. Fortunately, it was general protocol to entirely ignore the existence of a slave trailing behind a master unless there was specific cause, so Scarlet was able to drop focus from her entirely and get to business.
“Welcome aboard the Emerald Enchantress,” she said. “It’s an honor to have the Wildfire Warlord grace our halls.”
He gave a sly smile, dropped his formal posture, and leaned in for a hearty embrace, which she returned. “A pleasure to be aboard, madam. But please, we fought the Nightmasters of Gardia together and saved each other from more than a few deathtraps, if I recall correctly. I think we’re familiar enough you can just call me Wildfire.”
This felt like a good sign. “Whatever makes you happy, Wildfire,” she said. “Come along and I’ll show you the merchandise.”
She led the two through the ship’s polished halls and sketched out briefly the cover story: that she’d been fighting one of the last Hypnoprison Harem lords (true), stolen his mind-control device (also true) and uncovered a plot to try to gain Wildfire’s favor by mind-wiping a girl who fit his desires and molding her into the perfect slave for him (also technically true, except she was the plotter.) She’d been through enough experiences like it that she could embellish the story with details that rang true. He certainly seemed to buy it.
Their path brought them to the vessel’s luxuriously equipped conference room, which had seen countless slave trades before she hijacked the ship. Her first time in this room, she’d been a captive up for auction herself. How times change.
She took a comfortable seat and gestured for Wildfire to do the same. He sat down and slightly crooked his head towards the table behind him as he laid a satchel down next to him. Jo picked up the satchel and hopped up on the table. Her neck chain clanked as it bounced against the back of his chair, and she perched herself casually and comfortably behind her master, ankles crossed and feet swinging back and forth. Another oddity for Scarlet to consider. Slaves generally stood or knelt beside their captor in social situations like this. Jo seemed to consider her leash to be more of a fashion statement than anything.
No need for more pleasantries. Scarlet touched a button and a door slid open, allowing Raven to enter and walk out on the small lowered stage where live merchandise was meant to be displayed. She walked with her head bowed, sheer veil scarcely concealing her beauteous face. Her hypnotized stride was ideal for a servant -- no awkwardness or self-awareness. She stopped before the group, dropped to her knees, and folded her hands before as if in prayer. “I’ve been waiting a long time to serve you, master,” she said in a soft tone completely unlike her normal sardonic self. “My name is Raven, and I hope I will be privileged to be allowed to serve your needs.”
From the smile on Wildfire’s face and the rapt attention he paid to every curve of her body, Scarlet knew she’d hit a winner. He studied her intently, seeming pleased on all fronts. A quick gesture of his head, and Jo stood up and walked over to Raven.
“On your feet, girl, let’s have a look at you,” Jo said with a disapproving tone. Raven did so, avoiding eye contact, hands crossed delicately behind her. Jo looked her up and down, then drew the veil down from her face, grasped Raven’s chin and forced her to look in her eyes. Raven’s expression was dead and obedient. “Turn around, let’s see your skirt twirl.” Raven obeyed, diaphanous white skirt making a dreamlike swirl around her.
Scarlet noticed Wildfire’s interest piqued when Raven went tiptoe to pirouette, his attention drawn to feet, legs and a shapely moving bottom. Her intel had indeed been good; the choice of costume and attitude she’d placed on Raven played right into her target’s appetites. He was watching his new prize intently (and paying more than a slight bit of attention to her own hips, Scarlet notices, which she was more than happy to accentuate a little bit while they talked.)
Jo nodded with a skeptical satisfaction. “Good. On your knees, slave, hands behind your head.” Raven obeyed and Jo returned to her perch. Scarlet couldn’t help noticing that while Jo tended to be casual and seemingly lackadaisical while behind her master, whenever she was in view she adopted a swaying walk and hip bounce that also fed right into his attentions. “I think you’ll find this one to be an adequate slave, my lord.”
“Insightful as always, my dear. Why have her kneel like that?”
“Oh, I just thought it would be funny.” She gave a smirk in Scarlet’s direction. “I take my entertainment where I can find it, and I enjoy it when I’m not the most humiliated person in the room.” Scarlet didn’t think Jo seemed to be very easily humiliated. Even chained by the neck and dressed in a costume designed to enhance all her master’s interests, she carried herself with a pride that seemed not at all slave-like.
He leaned against Jo’s leg hanging beside and behind him, idly running one hand against her nyloned knee while he studied the device. “You did well, Scarlet. I was never able to get my hands on one of these intact. I’m more than willing to meet your price for them both.” Scarlet breathed an internal sigh of relief but didn’t let it register on her face.
“I’m so happy to hear that,” she said.
He paused. “However, there is one more thing I’d like to discuss.” He waited a long moment and Scarlet held her breath, wondering how things might suddenly go awry. “I’ve been considering expanding my operation and could use someone as resourceful as you seem to be. I’d be willing to pay quite handsomely if you’d work for me. Or if you prefer, you’re quite a comely lass yourself. We could draw up an indentured contract and you could live as my slave for some years and come out of it an extremely wealthy woman. You handle slaves very well, perhaps I could put you in charge of caring for my harem.”
For the first time in the conversation, she was caught off guard. Her intel hadn’t mentioned this. She decided to play it loose and not try to bluff. “You sly dog, I didn’t even know you kept a harem! And here I thought you were the great liberator and all that.”
He shrugged. “For the most part, I am. But every so often I come across a girl who feels indebted to me and doesn’t know anything else but captivity, so they ask to stay under my care. Not many, maybe around half a dozen. My residence has more than enough luxury to handle ten times that number. It means a lot to me to keep them in luxury so they want for nothing.”
His confidence was spilling over into deep arrogance, Scarlet realized. He was talking about enslaving her, after all. Quite a few men and women of power here in Slaver’s Sector would have done the same; long-term indentured servitude was a common way for people to escape even worse situations by surrendering themselves to a powerful protector. It was often a good bargain. Free people with little power or protection were easy pickings for slaving bands, but nobody interfered with someone else’s slave. And an indentured contract would end with the willing slave being freed and sent off with a good sum of money. There was little honor among slavers, but indentured contracts were held in the highest regard in the culture. These agreements were recorded in the loose federation that passed as organization between the various slaving guilds, and a master who violated the contract by refusing to release their servant at the end would be committing a deep breach of protocol and lose face. Of course, an indentured servant trying to break the contract and flee would be punished with permanent captivity.
Scarlet considered the offer. This upended many of her expectations. She generally tended to be cynical about people, but everything she knew about him indicated he wasn’t the type to keep slaves. Even Jo had more of a reputation as his costumed sidekick than a servant, a rep that made a lot more sense now that she’d witnessed them together. Still, she hadn’t known about the harem -- if there was one, he could be lying -- and she HATED not knowing what was going on.
On the other hand, getting two of them inside his inner circle had its benefits. Worst-case scenario, she could negotiate a term of service of a few years and if all else failed, come out on the other side with a big payday. And it wouldn’t be the worst situation she had surrendered herself into for a big scam. The offer was tempting, but Scarlet didn’t like the idea of both her and Raven being under his charge at the same time, especially with a Hypnoprison Cell in his hands. Their schemes worked better with one in a collar and one not. “Much as I’m flattered by the offer, I’m afraid I must turn it down. You’ll just have to live with one lovely new slave girl as your consolation prize!”
He laughed heartily. “Oh, you really are feisty, aren’t you?” he said. “But fair enough. I’m not accustomed to being turned down, but I respect your commitment to your path. Let’s get to the matter of your payment, then. Jo, be a good girl and fetch the gem, would you?” The slave girl went through his satchel and handed him a large bundle wrapped in satin cloth.
He unwrapped the cloth and held out a gem. It was a bright green emerald, the size of a fist, polished to such a gleam that Scarlet could see her reflection in every facet.
“Please, take a look,” he said. She cautiously lifted it up. She was glad she’d worn gloves for this; he seemed to be taking pains not to touch it directly and she wanted to do the same. “The Carcera Gem, its previous owner called it. It’s said that merely by holding it, you can draw your desires towards yourself. Planets rose and fell due to battles over it. Or at least, so they said. I personally think it’s just a very elegant stone, no doubt valuable enough to trade for this favor.”
Scarlet turned the stone over in her hand. Valuable indeed; it could probably buy her ship ten times over. If this was a trinket he bartered with, imagine what was in the rest of the collection.
“Look closely,” he said. “Some say you can see the future in the gem if you concentrate hard enough.”
Scarlet didn’t believe that for a moment, but it was certainly worth studying more closely. The gem almost seemed alive, though she knew that was a trick of the light. Even with its perfect polish, it seemed cloudy within, like a mist flitting about around her countless reflections in its facets. Something wasn’t right but she couldn’t tell what.
The mist cleared a bit, and she could still see her reflection, but it was moving, as if pounding against the inside of the gem and mouthing silent cries. Instinctively, Scarlet tried to drop it, but her hand refused to obey and remained tightly clutched around the gem.
Wildfire continued to talk in a tone so casual he might have been discussing the weather. “My apologies for the minor deception, Miss Scarlet, but I’m sure you understand that I couldn’t exactly trust you. It will be significantly less painful if you don’t struggle, though I doubt you’ll heed that advice.”
The world shrank around Scarlet, as if every angle was suddenly turning ninety degrees away from her on all sides. In a moment there was nothing at all around her except emerald walls imprisoning her completely. She pushed from side to side, but she was as immaterial as a reflection itself. Even her attempts at pounding the gem’s walls were merely miming physical actions with a body that didn’t exist. She tried to speak but heard nothing. She was a spirit locked inside the crystal with no hope to escape.
He picked up the gem and regarded it closely. Inside, he could see Scarlet helplessly refracting around the various facets.
“You see, I don’t mind a loyal submissive like this toy you’ve brought me, but truth is, I much more enjoy a challenge,” he said. “Do stop yelling, I can’t hear you and your intent is clear. Oh, sulking now, there’s something I like to see. Attitude like that is why it will be my distinct pleasure and your great privilege that you will spend the rest of your life serving as my slave girl.”
Behind him, Jo idly twirled her chain, giving him a little smirk. “Do you ever get tired of that, my dread lord?” Jo asked in a tone not normally used when addressing someone as “my dread lord.”
“Not even slightly, young lady!” He unlooped her chain from his wrist, and handed it to her. “A very good day. Two new slaves, a Hypnoprison Cell, and a fascinating new ship. Go pilot it down to the surface and we can work from there.” He looked back into the gem at Scarlet’s helpless imprisoned form, and back over to Raven, still on her knees obediently. “I’m looking forward to getting acquainted with these two.”
Chapter 3: Episode 3: The Volcano at the End of the World
Summary:
“Welcome to my home, Scarlet. Or my villainous lair, as it were. I would apologize for the excessiveness, but honestly, if you’re going to be a powerful warlord, sometimes you have to roll with the classics, right?"
Scarlet's imprisonment and enslavement at the hands of Wildfire and Joanna begins in earnest as the hopelessness of her circumstances are made abundantly clear to her ...
Notes:
[The 1980s had a THING about magical prisons. Fantasy, pulp, and space opera art were awash in women being trapped in gems, crystals, spheres, or weird sci-fi prison chambers made of light. Princess Daphne's snow globe prison in "Dragon's Lair" is one of the best known examples. And because I like to focus on logistics, I got to think -- what would the experience actually be like? Daphne's crystal sphere prison didn't exactly follow any laws of physics; she seems to float, stand up, or swoon as the circumstances dictate to show off her body. Forget the kinky undertones; how does it feel to go into and out of a gem as a prison, and what happens to you while you're inside? The first half of this narrative is my attempt to answer that question.]
Chapter Text
A timeless period passed. Scarlet wasn’t sure what had happened. Everything felt like a dream. But as Scarlet’s senses returned, she could tell it was reality, no matter how maddeningly unbelievable it was. She was still formless, a restless spirit imprisoned in a gem. The walls seemed opaque; she could perceive nothing beyond them. Nothing existed save her thoughts. To the extent she could see her own hands and body, she recognized it was a comforting illusion created by her mind to process an experience that was beyond words. The edges of the gem refracted and reflected all around her; she could see her own ‘reflection’ at times. It was like watching herself from a distance, observing a trapped girl desperately flitting back and forth in an infinite labyrinth.
Scarlet took a moment to recenter herself. Imagining herself from a distance was no good; she felt so desperately sorry for the poor soul she could see locked up in here, perhaps for all time, and as soon as she remembered the poor soul was Scarlet herself, despair threatened to overtake her.
A warmth began to fill her. Had she found some solace in the depths of her own thoughts? No, this was something else, something from outside. The warmth was pleasant and comforting. It was like the sensation of being wrapped in a blanket, resting and holding no worries in the world. She allowed the feeling to overcome her. She had an instinct that fighting it would be useless anyway.
Scarlet swooned in the warmth’s embrace. For how long, she couldn’t tell. The passage of time fell away and became meaningless.
Again she emerged from the depths of wherever she had fallen. She could hear voices now, soft and distant, and the walls of her prison began to clear and become transparent again. She tried to make out what was beyond, but her perceptions were too warped by the experience and the forever shifting refractions of the gem.
The voices became clear. Jo’s voice first. “She’s beginning to come out of it, my lord. It seems to be working perfectly.”
“Excellent,” she could hear Wildfire intone. “I don’t want to play any mind control tricks with someone so delightfully feisty and rebellious, but this treatment should render our new girl a little less likely to resist for a while. Put the gem down and give some room.” He next spoke a word that she couldn’t perceive -- that is, she could hear it but her mind was either unable or unwilling to process it. The mists swirled and overtook her again. She felt herself -- what word was best? Rising? Expanding? The walls of her cell fell away, and slowly she came to find herself sprawled out on an extremely comfortable couch.
For a moment, that’s all she could really think of, as she shook off the warmth that had wrapped itself so neatly around her. When her eyes began to focus, she could see an ornate ceiling above in a largely darkened chamber, and her concentration was so broken that for a moment she found herself counting the panels. Finally she came to herself as more urgent thoughts pressed themselves forth. Raven. The ship. Something about a hypnoprison, and a girl in gold? A few more moments passed. Someone was giggling. At her? Hard to tell.
Finally, Scarlet willed herself to sit up. It was a difficult motion. The memory of the warmth was still foremost on her mind, and she didn’t want to let it go. But there was business at hand and she was pretty sure she wasn’t going to like it.
She was dressed in a plain white two-piece outfit, a simple top wrapped around her bosom and a white linen skirt around her waist, with white slippers on her feet. The skirt ran down to her ankles and was slit on both sides. It bore the hallmarks of slave-girl wear, in how much it didn’t cover her legs or stomach, but also wasn’t adorned with anything to accentuate her appearance. Like a basic first layer. She had no memory of having been changed. Perhaps it had something to do with the gem. Changing her clothes would certainly be no difficulty for a piece of technology, or magic, that could trap a person that way and release them just as easily. A smart move on Wildfire’s part, too -- her previous outfit had been bristling with weapons. Shorn of any equipment, she felt more naked than if she’d actually been naked.
She was in a large chamber, the likes of which she had seen many times before. A throne room, essentially, giving any occupant a sense of awe and majesty and intimidation before the seat of power. The warlords she usually fought liked to use such things to show off their power, and clearly her newest captor was the same. Stone and metal lined the walls, creating an aesthetic both futuristic and ancient. Most of the hall was darkened, with only a little light here at the forward portion. The room was built for larger crowds but the lack of light around the edges made it somehow claustrophobic.
Scarlet’s velvet couch lay on a red carpet running the length of the room. About ten feet ahead of her, at the head of the room, was a raised throne with the same stone-and-metal motif as the rest of the chamber. The Wildfire Warlord leaned back in the throne, seeming very pleased with himself. Cushions lined the front of the throne and the areas next to it. Raven was seated before him, making herself quite comfortable as she leaned on a pillow fetchingly. In other circumstances, Scarlet would have enjoyed the sight. She was now chained by the neck, with Wildfire keeping a tight grip on a short tether. Her hair was back to its natural red state. Great, thought Scarlet. He doesn’t just like redheads, he REALLY likes them. All I need.
Joanna sat at the end of the dais, as far away as her chain would allow, though Scarlet wasn’t sure if that was to put distance away from the throne or just to be contrary. She was sitting in the same casual way she had in the ship, and seemed entirely at ease with her place. She hugged one knee close while the other leg dangled off the dais. Her leotard was enhanced now with a sheer gold skirt with several slits, giving a different view every time she shifted position. And every time she shifted, Wildfire seemed to pick it up out of the corner of his eye and smile appreciatively.
But for the moment, all their attention was focused on their new guest.
“Welcome to my home, Scarlet,” Wildfire said pleasantly. “Or my villainous lair, as it were. I would apologize for the excessiveness, but honestly, if you’re going to be a powerful warlord, sometimes you have to roll with the classics, right? Technarcadia, I call it.”
“Count yourself lucky that I vetoed calling it ‘Eschatopolis,’ ‘the city at the end of the world,’ the way he wanted,” Joanna chimed in. “I have limits to how much of his pretentiousness I can handle!”
Scarlet put a hand to her head. Her red hair hadn’t been changed, at least, as it still flowed down around her shoulders. She was a little self-conscious about it at this point. Pull yourself together, Scorpion, you’re really in it deep this time, she told herself. Think of something sharp to say.
“As evil lairs go, you really need to turn on the lights.” Dammit. Brain fog still messing me up.
He chuckled. “We’re a pretty small circle here, my dear, no need to be more extravagant than we have to be.” The way he said ‘my dear’ burned her hard. Concentrate, Scarlet, don’t let him game you . “All I need in here is enough room to do my work and appreciate the view I’ve created for myself,” he continued with a gesture at Joanna. She rolled her eyes. “Now, now, sweetie, behave in front of the new girl or it’s the Slave Leia outfit for you, and in real metal this time.”
Scarlet had no idea what that was either but it sounded unpleasant. “Anything my lord desires is my pleasure to provide,” Jo said, not remotely sounding like she meant it. Oh god. They're flirting.
Scarlet tried to close her mind to the distractions. She knew her outfit and discomfort were both appealing to him, and Jo was taking tremendous amusement from her predicament, so she had to forget they were there. Don’t carry yourself like a rebellious slave putting up attitude, Scarlet, Act like you own the place.
She stood up and adopted the same disinterested stance she would have if she were still in her black battle gear. “Well, I’ve been in worse evil lairs, that much is true. Where are we, anyway?” Might as well pump for intel while I’m at it.
“Detroit, I think. Or at least it used to be. All of Earth’s cities are pretty much dust at this point, although I have a few terraforming projects percolating that might make it habitable again in some decades. More specifically, it’s a hollowed-out volcano that was already here when I got here, and if you knew anything about Earth like I did, you’d know that a volcano in Detroit is kind of a big deal. Whoever used this as a base centuries ago left plenty for me to work with, and I’ve expanded it ever since. If I’m going to live in a post-apocalyptic volcano, you better believe I’m going to go full Evil Overlord. If you behave, maybe I’ll take you on a tour later. But for the moment you’re going to become quite familiar with the harem levels of the Infinite Seraglio.”
“Wow.” She did not sound impressed. “Do you practice the villain speeches ahead of time, or just wing it?”
He laughed heartily and genuinely, like he enjoyed the joke. Somehow that bugged her more than his sarcasm. “See, this is why I’m going to keep you around, that attitude is a pure delight to behold!”
She crossed her arms skeptically. “You’re making a big assumption I won’t just choke you to death with my own chain the instant I get a chance.”
“Well, it’s not like there’s not precedent for that.” God, the most irritating thing about him is how much he seems to be carrying on a monologue with himself to enjoy the sound of his own voice. “But while I look forward to taming your rebellion, I’m not terribly concerned about your retribution going too far. See, I have some insurance.” He held out his hand and showed her the emerald gem.
Scarlet tried to keep her cool, but reflexively flinched just a bit at the sight. Wildfire grinned. “You respect and fear it. Good.” He closed his hand around the emerald. When he opened it, the jewel had shrunk down much smaller and was affixed to a silver ring, which he placed casually on his finger. “I’m sure you’d like to put some distance between yourself and it, but it’s no good. You’re bound to the gem now. You could be halfway across the galaxy, and with a single word I could draw you back in. My own genie on a bottle.” Scarlet had no idea what that meant either but was pretty sure she didn’t like it. “Consider it a bit of insurance if you get out of line. Not that I plan to use it. There are much better ways to get you to cooperate, and they’re all more fun. Still, if you push me, the owner of the gem has considerable power over the experience of its prisoner. You’ve already felt what it’s like when I choose to apply pleasant comfort and timelessness. Addictive if you take too much of it. But it can also be altered to deliver soul-searing pain to the occupant. Or I can simply make you awake and aware of your trapped state at all times, which would induce madness after long enough. Jo only made it four days before giving up.”
For the first time, Jo glared at him with what seemed like genuine displeasure, maybe even anger. For his own part, his eyes lit up at the thought of delivering this kind of sorcerous torture. Scarlet shivered at the glimpse of just how much he desired to inflict suffering on anyone -- let alone her.
“All right, then,” she said. “Suppose I accept that I can’t get away. What then, I get the same mind-altering treatment that made Raven here so cooperative?”
Wildfire leaned forward and stroked her hair. “Oh, Raven is a nice enough name, but she’s a long way from whatever she used to be, and names are the prerogative of the masters. She’s Tesla now, which is a name that pleases me greatly.”
Somehow, stripping Raven of her name seemed a greater indignity than all the slavery material. Scarlet took a moment to compose herself. She wasn’t the shot-caller here, and had to work with what she had. “All right. For the moment, you have the upper hand. I can respect that. What now?”
He seemed satisfied with her pastiche of a cooperative face. “A few ground rules. I’m not foolish enough to think I can break you completely right from the start, but I demand respect for my role. You’ll speak to me with some degree of respect at all times, and if you feel the need to address my name directly, you are to call me ‘my lord’ or ‘master.’ I want you to have to remember your place. Secondly, what happens directly next is up to you. Behave, and you can spend the immediate future locked up in my seraglio and start your orientation into your new life. Throw a fit, and you’ll stay chained here with me at all times and spend your nights in a prison cell that I assure you is much less comfortable than the harem. You can serve in pleasure, or I can send you right back into that gem and drop it at the bottom of the Grand Canyon while you scream for eternity. Take your pick.”
Scarlet pretended to take a long time to think it over, though she already knew where to take this. “Well. My curiosity means I can’t turn down a look at an ‘Infinite Seraglio,’ can I?” She let a long pause trail before adding, “Master.”
He chuckled. “Oh, this is going to be fun.” He tapped a control and Jo’s collar unlocked and dropped off. “Jo, take our new girl to the harem and introduce her to the others. I’m sure she’ll have a delightful time.”
Joanna took Scarlet by the arm and led her away to the chamber’s entrance. Scarlet made token resistance but played along, for now. She glanced sidelong at Raven, or Tesla, as it seemed, who was more than content to remain alone with her captor. I won’t leave you like this, Scarlet silently promised, and was gone.
Wildfire and Tesla were left alone together. He said nothing, turning his attention to a viewscreen and a book he was writing in, while Tesla continued to lounge contentedly.
Alone? Not necessarily. Wildfire, Tesla, and one other.
-- ‘Tesla,’ Raven thought to herself, since no one else was listening. Fuck, that really IS a horrid name, isn’t it?
NEXT: Things get weirder
Chapter 4: The Void and the Flame
Summary:
All alone with his new slave girl at last, or so he thinks, Wildfire begins to let down his guard and begin talking about what's really going on. But Raven is still very much present and listening in ...
Chapter Text
EPISODE 4: The Void and the Flame
“Do you enjoy your place with me, my dear Tesla?” Wildfire asked as he tugged lightly on her chain.
-- Say no. Say no say no say no.
“Nothing makes me happier than serving my master,” she said with a contented sigh.
-- Fuck me.
“There’s a good girl,” he said. While Tesla lounged in her usual spot. Wildfire was leaning on his seat and giving serious thought to whatever was on his screen. He spent a lot of time like this, reading, researching, writing correspondence. Raven wasn’t really sure for what, which was one of the few things going on that piqued her interest.
-- For fuck’s sake, at least look at his screen every once in a while, you little tart, give me something to work with here as long as you’re showing off our body. I’m going to die of boredom.
Tesla closed her eyes and leaned back against him, chain softly clanking.
-- Yep, it’s confirmed. I’m in hell and hell is endlessly staring vacantly while Captain Villainy monologues and gropes me and I have to hear that goddamn chain every time I move. First thing I’m doing when this is over is killing Scarlet. No, wait, planting all this in Scarlet’s head for a while and THEN killing her.
“I confess, just having you nearby is remarkably calming and intoxicating,” he said. “I suppose that’s a byproduct of who I am. Appreciating a lovely form is my favorite pastime, after all.”
-- I swear to fucking god I will set your face on fire if you touch me.
He started to caress Tesla’s hair while he considered whatever he was looking at on his screen.
-- Making a note. Face on fire it is.
At least whoever was driving her body had her eyes closed for the moment, which was handy since Raven’s capacity to tune out anything was limited. She was an unwilling passenger on the ride, observing her own existence like watching a holonovel about something that was happening to someone else. And this particular storyline ran 24/7, couldn’t be turned off, and was TERRIBLE.
Raven had plenty of time to think about her situation for the duration of her captivity, however long that would be. She didn’t really remember exactly when consciousness had returned after the shock of the mindwipe. She had all of the memories of what had happened to Tesla, but she had been in the situation for some time before she started remembering herself.
Was it the name change? Possibly. As much as she loathed Wildfire stripping her name and giving one he liked, it helped her clarify the situation. ‘Raven’ was herself. ‘Tesla’ was the intruder hijacking her body through all this. Perhaps the division of identity had reminded her there was more than one person in here, triggered her subconscious self to wake up again? She couldn’t tell. Not that it was doing much good. All she could do was sulk, gripe to herself, and watch what was going on. And quite frankly a lot of it drove her nuts. Wildfire seemed to operate in three speeds: boring as hell, like he was now; sleeping or disappearing for a while; and being gropey and creepy as hell when paying attention to her, which he also was now.
She envied Scarlet, who at least had the freedom to talk back and try to hang on to some semblance of herself. This wasn’t Raven’s first time chained to a slaver, but it was the first time she’d willingly cuddled up to one.
-- God, all she does is lounge around and tell him how much she likes serving him. Great for him. Not so great for me. I wish I at least knew what he was working on.
“Master, may I ask what you’re working on?”
-- Wait, what?
He smiled. “I was wondering when you’d find your voice. You know you’re welcome to speak up when we’re alone. I like a little conversation. And let’s be fair, I enjoy attention from a pretty girl as well.”
-- Please don’t call him master this time.
“Of course, master, you deserve nothing less.”
-- Eh, worth a shot.
“Come on up here and take a look.” Tesla stood and circled around to the side of his throne. She leaned on his shoulder and rested her head next to his. Raven could feel Tesla’s body, her body, relax and unclench. Most of the time Tesla’s concerns seemed to be with putting herself on display, making her body a show for Wildfire. For the first time since she’d become aware of herself, Raven felt Tesla stop being concerned with every motion. She wasn’t sure why.
The screen showed a long list of inventory, names and dates of devices and treasures whose names she had heard in whispers over the years, complete with locations and descriptions of some of them. The book was filled with handwritten notes and half-scrawled plans. Raven worked to memorize as much as she could. For once Tesla was focusing on what she wanted.
“What are all these things, master?”
-- Good going, kid, keep him going, his favorite hobby seems to be talking about himself to a hot chick.
“A map of the world, of sorts,” he said. “When I was still in the adventuring business, I acquired quite a few artifacts that I’d really rather nobody get their hands on. Doomsday machines, weapons, ancient secrets and new mysteries everywhere I looked. It was quite a dizzying feeling at times. Usually I just took it, secured it, and moved on to the next thing. But as we fought bigger and worse opponents, the discoveries were correspondingly more dangerous. And larger. The collection just under this mountain goes on for miles. The library alone is more than one person could read in a lifetime. But I learned something else: Earth has been a dumping ground for dangerous and toxic materials from all over the sector, not to mention the occasional secret schemes. I guess the radiation from all the wars made it an attractive place to stash hidden things. I found an entire fleet of fighter ships in Venezuela at one point. I’m almost more worried by what I don’t know about here than what I do.”
He took a moment to think further. “The upshot is, I have a collection here that may be one of the most dangerous in the galaxy, and I don’t understand most of it. So I spend most of my time trying to sort through it all. I have scanners and drones constantly monitoring it, but the sheer amount of data is overwhelming. I’m an administrator these days, and I can’t trust many others with this. Only a handful of people even know about this place, and what rumors do get out there, I tend to control them to only attract the kind of attention I want. That’s how I lined up my librarian, actually. You’ll meet her once you start residing in the harem, but for the moment I like keeping you near.”
Tesla giggled at this. “It’s a pleasure, master. I look forward to meeting the other girls but I like being near you, too.”
-- I hate literally everyone and everything about this.
“Honestly, I wish I could just relax in my retirement and enjoy the fact I can keep a harem of girls to entertain me,” he said. “Which I do, but I’m also busy on this stuff all the time.” He clasped her hand across his shoulder. “So I always like to keep a girl nearby, and you seem to be an excellent slave for that.”
“Thank you, master, it makes me very happy.” Tesla idly started twirling his long hair.
-- Now she’s CRUSHING on him. Great, just great. It’s not helping me, either. Proof positive we can’t choose who we like because I should NOT be finding him kind of handsome just because he’s intense and scruffy.
“You’re really quite handsome when you’re intense and a little scruffy, master,” Tesla said.
-- Oh hell. Sure, great, you picked up on THAT.
“Ha. Well, I plead guilty to the intensity. I take my property and the safety here very seriously. It’s why I had to be so harsh on your little friend there. You and I both know she was planning on stealing as much of this gear as she could lay her hands on.”
“Oh, yes, master, my job was to learn all I could about your security and help her escape with it all.” Tesla spoke brightly and calmly, as if she wasn’t giving the whole game away.
-- What the FUCK.
If he was surprised to hear this, it didn’t register. “I figured as much. As schemes go, it was a good one. I mean, if I was plotting to take someone like me down, a Trojan Horse slave girl would be a great first step. Unfortunately for her, that’s already been tried and I knew what to look for.”
“What’s going to happen to her?”
“I don’t know. I’ll keep her locked up in the harem for the time being. I don’t like that she knew as much as she did, let alone what she might know now. I can’t let her relay this information to anyone else. There are things buried in the archives beneath us that could crack this planet in half. There are things I have stored elsewhere on the planet and on the moon that could extinguish a sun. I have to protect it.” He paused and smiled. “Admittedly, being a beautiful redhead doesn’t hurt. She makes a nice addition to the harem. So at least I can enjoy the pleasure of her company while I figure this out.”
“You probably shouldn’t be telling me all of this, master. You know I can’t be trusted.”
-- Oh, you worry about HIS trust in you, sure.
“Can’t you? Part of your conditioning is that you can’t lie to me. You’ve already confessed your role in the scheme, happily and willingly. We all have our parts to play. And since I’m the villain of the story, it’s my job to monologue my evil plan to someone that can’t do anything about it.”
“You have a lot of funny ideas about the way things work, master.”
“Ha! It would seem that I do. The nice thing about slave girls is that you pretty much have to put up with my idiosyncrasies. I have some questions for you, too. Applying the Hypnoprison process to someone is not a small thing. Did you volunteer for the process, or did you get forced into it? Do you remember who you were before?”
-- You don’t know you don’t know youdon’tknow
“I … don’t know, master. I know my memories aren’t real. But they still feel real to me. I remember years of being trained as a slave, how to sit, how to talk in a respectful way to a master, even how to dance in a way that would most please you in particular. I spent ten years being taught to serve you. I didn’t exist until a few days ago, but I remember all those years anyway.”
-- If you were doing this in literally anyone else’s body but mine, I’d feel bad for you. But this is my place and it’s a one-bedroom apartment.
“Memories are electricity,” he said, not unkindly. “All our experiences are the sum of electrical bursts in our brain. Your existence is a pattern of memory, just as Raven’s were. You’re every bit as real as she was, but you’re here and she’s not.”
“Are you just saying that to make me feel better, master?”
“Maybe. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t true.”
Tesla pondered this a while. Raven hated that she couldn’t hear what Tesla was thinking. “But now she’s gone, as if she never was. Did she deserve it? Did she deserve to die like that so I could exist?”
— Slave-girl existentialism at its finest. Well, at least she cares.
His expression became serious. “I don’t know. I really don’t. One thing I’ve learned is how much we really don’t understand about magic and science and how they relate. But tell me. Would you bring her back if you could? Would you give up your existence to restore Raven’s?”
“I … I think she deserves to live again. But I’m afraid. I don’t want to cease to be. And all I want is to serve you. But if you were to ever tire of me and choose to be done with me, I would rather give up this body back to her rather than live without serving.”
-- I can’t literally throw up a little in my mouth right now, but ...
“You make a good point. But I think you’re safe for some time to come. You’re curious and you can’t lie to me. And I need someone I can talk to, someone who likes to listen, and Joanna honestly stopped listening to me long ago unless it was something she cared about. So let’s make a pact, my dear girl. I’ll continue entrusting you with the truth about myself, and you share anything that comes up that you remember about what Scarlet is really up to. Fair deal?”
“Without question, master.”
-- Maybe for YOU, but ohhhh, I have so many questions in the near future …
“Master?” Her voice was hesitant and quavering.
-- You really can stop calling him that any time you want, you know.
“Yes?”
“Will you get bored with me? Will you tire of me and cast me aside?
“Maybe.” He gave deep consideration to this. “It might take a long time. I don’t keep my own exclusive slaves very often. Jo has been with me for fifteen years, and I still enjoy having her around, after all. But yes, I can’t guarantee anything. The day may come I lock you into the harem and never see you again.
“If that day comes, will you tell me?”
Another long pause. “No.” She seemed surprised by this. Raven certainly was. “It would please me to know you were pining for me. I would enjoy it, very much, if every time you walked into the harem, you didn’t know if the door was closing behind you forever.”
“You have cruel fantasies, master.” It didn’t sound like a value judgment but a statement of fact. She leaned harder against him and rested her cheek on his shoulder. “You like to look at pretty girls and appreciate their bodies but also enjoy making them hurt. I supposed I’d be troubled if I didn’t enjoy being ogled and punished by someone exactly like you. But I was made to be this way. I’ve known cruel masters but not one who seems to think he cares about his girls at the same time. I don’t know how someone like you even exists.”
— Oh, god, you gave permission to make it all about him ...
“I wasn’t always like this,” he said.
— Annnnd here … we … go.
NEXT: Of History and the Last Man
Chapter 5: Of History and the Last Man
Summary:
"We were supposed to cheer for the hero, boo for the villain, and pretend we weren’t deeply aroused by the heroine in captivity. Still, I would think on these things, and wonder if the scruffy pilot hero would ask the uptight princess to keep her slave-girl outfit for special personal occasions."
Wildfire: former hero, current maybe-evil overlord. Who he is and how he came to be.
Chapter Text
EPISODE 5: Of History and the Last Man
The walk from the throne chamber to the balcony was Tesla and Raven’s first time outside of the darkened room. Wildfire led her along on her chain while they traversed polished steel corridors and elevators. Tesla looked all around with interest, and Raven made her best effort to memorize everything in case it would be useful later.
She could still physically feel everything Tesla felt, which bothered her nearly all the time. She loathed the weight of the collar on her neck, the pressure when Wildfire held it tight, and at the moment in particular, the cold floors as her bare feet glided along.
-- I wonder if he cares. Foolish question. Of course he cares, and probably likes it.
The duo emerged onto an observation balcony high up on the artificial volcano. “Best view on Earth,” Wildfire said. “Though admittedly that’s by default.”
She could see the structure of the complex itself -- essentially a conical technological building with a pair of cooling towers angrily spewing steam, smoke, and the occasional plume of fire into the air. The central core -- where the main vent of a real volcano would be -- projected a continuous, bright beam of light punching into the atmosphere and generating a deep shade of orange sky. Around them, other smaller buildings, equally bizarre and technologically complex, spread out for about a mile.
The further away from the volcano, the more the sky was streaked with pollution and choked with ominous black clouds. The clouds roiled and rolled, quickly overtaking the sky. “Superstorm cell coming through,” Wildfire remarked. “Always a remarkable sight.” Lightning streaked across the horizon, some faraway, some bolts striking unnervingly nearby. Every so often, one struck the volcano itself. At the loudest and nearest cracks, Tesla instinctively drew closer to Wildfire, and he wrapped an arm protectively around her.
-- Oh for GOD’S sake.
“We have lightning rods spread around the complex to draw the bolts away,” Wildfire said. “And this balcony is nicely shielded. You’re very safe here.”
“Having you nearby makes me feel safe enough, master.”
-- I wish I had something to write down every time she calls him master, because that number is REALLY gonna get on my nerves.
“I’m happy to hear that, my dear.”
-- You know, the ‘yes master’ thing would be a lot less grating if he wasn’t so damn condescending to us about it. And oh god, I just said ‘us.’
The balcony was small but, like all the spaces Wildfire seemed to use the most, luxuriously equipped. Several comfortable chairs lined the wall, along with a central chair surrounded by the cushions where he liked to see his attendants lounge.
-- He sure does love his throne imagery. At least he’s CONSISTENT.
A long moment passed; Raven wasn’t quite sure how long. Wildfire remained silent, and so did Tesla, drawing close to him and soaking up his warmth. Most irritatingly, Raven found she didn’t entirely mind the experience, though she would never tell him so.
-- Can we get to storytime already?
“Master. You mentioned you weren’t always like this.”
-- Good girl, you’re learning to listen, somehow.
“Quite right. It took me some time to collect my thoughts. This is harder than I expected.” He sighed deeply, his eyes still on the distant horizon. “It’s hard to believe how much of this wasn’t here 15 years ago, let alone that I was responsible for most of it.When I was young, on an earth that used to be and is no longer, I wasn’t remarkable or outstanding at all. I still don’t really know how I got into this position. Perhaps pure luck of the draw. But I had dark dreams and fantasies of girls I could see every day, girls I knew. Free girls, mind you. There wasn’t slavery in that world, not in the everyday way we know it here and certainly not in any way I would ever witness. There was nothing I wanted more than a beautiful girl who would talk to me.”
His gaze shifted, like he was somewhere else for a moment. “Classic lonely-boy stuff, really, it’s almost embarrassing. You said I was strange, and it’s true. I was raised on a steady cultural diet of entertainment that was geared specifically for the interests of young men like me. Where being a ‘good’ guy, whatever that means, was a guaranteed ticket to happiness if you waited long enough. As if the world built up karmic credit on your account and paid out when the time was right. And one of the prizes you earned for being a nice guy was a beautiful woman tailored to your exact standards.” He smiled thinly, in spite of himself. “And the big adventure stories always, always had the villain capture the love interest and dress her up for his amusement. The stories always cut away from the consequences, of course, and the love interest would be rescued by the hero before anything really horrible could happen. The villain would always meet his doom as a result. Evil overlords, we called them. We were supposed to cheer for the hero, boo for the villain, and pretend we weren’t deeply aroused by the heroine in captivity. Still, I would think on these things, and wonder if the scruffy pilot hero would ask the uptight princess to keep her slave-girl outfit for special personal occasions. Not something you ever saw in the stories, of course.”
He turned, deep in thought, and slowly walked over to his chair. Tesla followed along on her chain, and seated herself next to him when he sat down. “We were supposed to idolize the heroine and politely forget we’d ever seen her half-naked. But there were a LOT of half-naked heroines as damsels in distress. You have no idea. On top of that, I was learning my own desires and coming to terms with a yearning for girls who would dress and act, well, pretty much dress like you and Jo do for me. I have very specific ideas about the beauty I want. And the slave-girl scenario provided both fulfillment of my fetishes and the companionship I craved.” He sighed. “I ended up in this time and place through means too byzantine to really explain now, which is to say I don’t really understand it either. I was in college at the time -- advanced education, that is -- and aimless. But ‘unimportant nobody goes to fantastic world, becomes important and special and maybe gets everything they wanted’ is a classic storytelling device where I’m from. Maybe it’s so everyone has hope that one day, they can be the hero too.”
“Did you hope to be the hero, master?”
“Of course I did. I believed all that stuff. I really believed if I tried hard enough and if I was good enough, I’d get all the things I wanted. Sheer nonsense, of course. Stories for the young. But I ate it all up. And the more it became clear that it wasn’t reflected in reality, the more bitter I became, like someone had broken all the promises culture made to me. There was one girl I knew, in school and afterwards, who was my biggest crush. Beautiful, intelligent, and I wanted her. And because it was that period and I was me, I fancied that the fact I wanted her would be enough, should be enough to entitle me to get what I wanted. The fact she disagreed with this was, to my mind, a minor obstacle at most.”
“What did you do, master?”
“In the end? Nothing. Made some romantic attempts, got shot down, moved on. I take a certain amount of pride, I guess, in the fact that as entitled I felt, in the end I still respected her wishes more than my own. In those years and those that followed, I had this complex fantasy version of her in my head that bore no resemblance to reality. It was comforting to believe that perhaps she might harbor the same secret interests I did, a willingness to dress up, to dance, to wear chains just because I wanted it. Pure poppycock, of course. But it was comforting.” He nodded slowly, mostly to himself. “And then whatever happened, happened, and here I was, hundreds if not thousands of years later, in a universe I never made. Humanity had wiped itself out in war, which I suppose was definitely inevitable. But I had advantages. I had this base, which was the last remaining human installation. Nobody was left to man it, but the resources and equipment still worked and gave me tools to start out with. And funny thing -- in this new world, all the rules seemed to change. The hero and villain rules seemed to WORK for me, and I was able to become the action hero of my dreams and somehow get away with it all when I shouldn’t have. The stories always seemed to have reality itself bend to give the hero an extra edge, and that seemed to be happening for me.”
He pursed his lips in thought. “Sometimes I wonder about that.” Another pause.
“Anyway, it all seemed to work out for me, every single time,” he continued. “Even now, my biggest job is to make the planet habitable again. I and my allies built dozens of terraforming installations across the planet. These superstorms are actually a sign of health, that the cycle is underway again. Given a few decades, earth might once again thrive. And as for me, well, here I am, with everything I ever wanted.”
“And what was it you wanted?”
He gave a small, sad smile. “Mostly to have someone like you sit on my lap, say ‘yes master’ a lot, and ask me what I wanted. So, you know, here I am.”
-- Yeah. Here you are.
“Here you are. I’m sorry for all you lost. It must have been very lonely, with everyone you knew gone. Well, almost everyone, I suppose.”
He smiled, for real this time. “Ha. I wondered if you’d pick up on that little detail. Yes, there was a fluke once that created a portal similar to what brought me here. Long story. The relevant point is that I could bring forward one person, and I chose my crush. Joanna, of course, and all the hero rules seemed to apply to her, too. We made great adventuring partners. Frankly, she’s better at all this than I am, and doesn’t get nearly as many rewards, which I assure you is very in character for the story rules we’re working with here. She was … different when she came forward, but so was I. All stories, I guess.”
“Was her gratitude for this why she volunteered to be kept as your slave?”
“Well. I wouldn’t say volunteered. I guess it just seemed expected, and I didn’t give her any reason to believe otherwise. It was too perfect. Guys like me don’t end up with a beautiful girl tending to their needs, especially one as brilliant and caring as Joanna.”
“Does she like being your slave girl?”
— Damn, sister, hitting all the good questions, aren’t you? I wonder if I’m still influencing her. She’s definitely getting a lot of good stuff out of him.
“I … think so. She has the power to change it at any time. She knows that with a word, I’d give her anything she wanted, up to and including the entire planet. She’s like a cat -- an old earth animal that people kept as pets but everyone, the cats most of all, totally understood that it was just an arrangement to benefit the cats, who could leave at any time. They just liked having someone looking after them, too.”
“Is that what she is now? Your cat?”
“I suppose you could put it that way! It was never really love between us, but in the end, that’s not what I wanted. I’m not even here for sex. I like having a woman friend who’ll quip and snark at me and dresses up beautifully and plays kinky games, and here we are.”
“Is it what you wanted?”
“Yeah. Underneath it all, I guess I just liked being a person that could matter to her.” Deep sigh. “Anyway. That’s who I am and how I came to be.” One last pause. “I’ve … never told anyone that before.”
-- Cool story. Still makes you a bad person.
Tesla laid a hand on his forehead. “Thank you for trusting me to share that, master.”
-- Yeah, thank you. At this point I know ten times as much about you as Scarlet did. Damn shame I can’t do anything with that intel right now.
“You’ve given me a lot to ponder, Tesla. Thank you. I haven’t thought about these things in many years. Let’s head back inside, my girl. This has been a long day and I’m quite tired.”
-- Hm. First time sleeping while Tesla’s at the controls. Should be interesting.
In the throne room, Wildfire took up his seat while Tesla laid down on her cushions and arranged her skirts around herself. Always trying to look appealing, Raven noted. She closed her eyes and began shallow breathing. Raven focused on what she could. Tuned out the feeling of the cushions, the impending slumber, everything. Just … listened.
Aside from Tesla’s light breathing and the constant low hum of machinery throughout the chamber, Raven could hear nothing else. Not even Wildfire shifting in his seat. He wasn’t reading, he wasn’t writing, and he wasn’t sleeping. He was just watching her, Raven realized. Watching for what felt like a very long time. Eventually exhaustion took over, and before long both she and Tesla were asleep.
NEXT TIME: The Walls of the World
Chapter 6: The Walls of the World
Summary:
"This is a harem, after all. The door only opens from the outside."
Scarlet begins her first day in the harem and her orientation as the newest of a collection of slave girls.
Notes:
[I'm a sucker for exposition and orientation scenes, such as when a new harem girl learns all the rules that will control the rest of her life.]
Chapter Text
EPISODE 6: The Walls of the World
Joanna didn’t say much as she escorted Scarlet away from the throne room. As soon as they exited, she took Scarlet’s arms, drew them behind her back, and gripped both thumbs tightly. Jo worked fast and Scarlet barely had time to register before she was completely without leverage to resist.
“You don’t have to do that,” Scarlet said. “I’m coming quietly, aren’t I?”
“Yes, you are, and I don’t want you to enjoy a single moment of thinking you ever have an option otherwise.” She hustled Scarlet along a short hallway to an elevator door. “Lucky for you it’s not a long walk. He keeps a private elevator direct to the harem since we come and go so frequently.” Jo said nothing more as the elevator buzzed upwards, then hissed open out to a decorative hallway.
The aesthetic was completely different from the techno-terror that defined what she’d seen so far. Elaborate ceramic patterns lined every inch of the walls, ceiling, and floor. A large heavy wooden double door waited at the other end, with tightly laced wooden grates at both sides. She’d seen her share of hard-light holograms to tell the difference; the smooth polished stones beneath her feet were the real deal. “All of this is natural?” Scarlet said.
“All of it except our individual rooms, which use holotech to create whatever look we desire. But all the common areas are real marble, stone and silk. And the bathing pool has fresh water we bring in from off-planet.” Bathing pool? Scarlet thought.
Jo walked up to the heavy door and stopped. “Take a moment,” Jo said, suddenly serious. “This was built because your master has a harem fantasy. You’re lucky. You get to go in and out of your own prison. A girl in a real harem would go through this door once in her life and remained locked up for the rest of her days. Quite a thought, isn’t it?”
“Not really. Is it for you?” Scarlet saw subtle movement behind the grates, multiple shadows. They were being watched from within.
“No. But your master would like to believe it is, so here we are.” Jo flicked her eyes at whoever was watching and gave a quick toss of her head to the side. The shadows scrambled away.
“Are we waiting for someone to open the door?”
“No, nor would we be able to,” Jo said, finally reaching out with her free hand to unlatch the thick door and pull it open. “We’re in a harem, after all. This door opens only from the outside.”
It swung open and Jo walked her captive inside. When the door clanged shut and clicked up locked, Jo released her iron grip on Scarlet. “Behave and you won’t have to be restrained for a while.”
Scarlet rubbed her wrists and took in the sight. The harem was an expansive quarters that spread across several open-area rooms and numerous cubbyholes at the edges. Massive marble pillars with low walls between them created divisions between the sub-areas, and gently swaying silk panels created the thinnest illusion of privacy. A short foyer lead out into a broad areas of cushions, pillows and open spaces centered around a fountain.
Further past, a full marble pool, surrounded by dark silk curtains on all sides. And beyond that, a balcony overseeing a late fading sunset.
“Okay, admittedly, the skyline view is hologram,” Jo said. “But the rest of it is real. Come, time to get you prepared. New girl, ladies! You know what’s next.”
Movement rustled all around and action was visible beyond several cubbyholes. Two women emerged from either side. One sported long jet-black hair and a matching shimmering sheer black shawl the length of her body. The other had light hair and a red-and-black set of pantaloons and top, sheer transparent panels draping down her arms and legs. Most unexpectedly, she wore a small diamond-encrusted tiara atop her head -- an authentic one, from what Scarlet could tell, though whether it was the girl’s or one of Wildfire’s many relics.
“She’s all yours, girls, and you know I’ve been waiting to say this,” Joanna said brightly. “Bathe her and bring her to my chambers.”
Neither one seemed to appreciate the humor Jo seemed to find hysterical, and Scarlet thought the raven-haired one in particular didn’t like being addressed as “girls.” The one in the princess crown seemed oddly not to notice. Both of them remained stony-faced as each took Scarlet by an arm and gently guided her towards the pool.
The fluttering silks came open, and Scarlet could see the pool was bubbling up with a milky soapy substance. They were going for very traditional cleaning, she realized. Scarlet remained still while they drew off her white scraps of clothing, rendering her nude.
As this went on, Joanna glided past a silk barrier and shed her leotard and tights for a simpler gold lounging outfit. She perched on one of the ledges next to the pool while the two girls led Scarlet down the steps into the bubbling mix, taking carefully choreographed movements that made Scarlet feel as if she was being given a ritual treatment. Their costumes submerged into the pool with them but seemed to shed the water easily.
“We’ll cover basic orientation while you’re scrubbed and anointed,” Jo said. “They’re not allowed to talk while this goes on, so you get to keep listening to me.” Black-hair tossed another side-eye glare at Joanna, and Scarlet decided that at the very least, this one would die last and maybe even be spared.
Scarlet was nearly submerged in the hot, steaming water as the girls studiously bathed every inch of her skin. “Your black-haired friend is Mahaleth, a name that might have come across your radar in the past.”
“It has.” Scarlet looked at her closely. Mahaleth was in excellent shape but also, upon closer look, a clear veteran of more than a few violent campaigns. She matched Scarlet’s gaze with a steely glare. Scarlet continued to speak: “The Warlady of Antares. Also leader of one of the biggest criminal organizations on the galactic rim. And also having died spectacularly ten years ago when cornered by half the Syzygy Circle’s fleet, as I recall.” Mahaleth’s frown slightly cracked and she winked quickly.
“Quite spectacularly, yes,” Jo said. “What nobody knew is that Wildfire and I were there, too, with a lot more tech than she had. Mahaleth here was the first permanent addition to this collection after Wildfire got the bright idea on the spot to offer to save her life in exchange for being his slave for life. Given that she’d been trying to kill us five minutes earlier, that seemed foolhardy, and personally I’d have let her die there, but he’s the boss. And she didn’t really have a lot of choice.”
“And she stayed here for TEN YEARS?” Scarlet said in some disbelief. Joanna seemed to have the run of the place and she knew full well how resourceful the Warlady was.
Mahaleth suddenly spoke in a somber tone. “My word is my bond. He made a fair deal, my freedom for saving my life, and I accepted it.”
“WHY are you like this?” Jo asked skeptically. “You know you’re not supposed to talk when I’m narrating for the new girl!”
Mahaleth seemed to ignore her. “I’ve never broken a deal before and I won’t now. Even if it’s a life debt. And let’s be fair, this is a perfect hiding place and nobody STILL suspects I’m alive. It’s a pleasant retirement from watching my back every second.”
(“-- oughta be watching your back right NOW --” “-- I promised to stay captive, not listen to YOU--”)
The two guided Scarlet out of the pool and began to dry her down, the banter between Jo and Mahaleth thankfully fading.
A dark-haired girl of slight build walked by, eyes mostly focused on a book she was reading. Well, not girl, she seemed about Scarlet’s age. Most importantly, she was completely out of place among the grouping she had seen so far. She wore a plaid skirt, matching shirt with a bow at the neck, and white tights. Something about her looked studious. She paused near the edge, watched through the curtains for a moment. Scarlet caught her gaze and the studious girl moved on.
“She looked very … fully clothed,” Scarlet said.
“Oh, she’s a story in herself,” Joanna said. “That’s Shoshanna. She’s a researcher who asked if she could live here for a time and study the books in the collection -- we have literally millions from more planets than we can count, so she’s been compiling them. He gave his permission and only asked that she live in the harem and dress like that. It’s a thing from our shared youth -- a schoolgirl skirt, to the extent that means anything to you.”
“And she’s comfortable here?” The idea of a non-enslaved woman in the group surprised her more than the number of slaves.
“Oh yes. Happier than she’s ever been -- trust me, I know what book addicts are like,” Jo responded. “She’s been here three years now. She’s always been a little separate from us and sometimes we don’t see her for weeks at a time. I used to think we should take it personally, but now I just think she likes books better than people. You can ask her more yourself when she starts asking questions of you, which she will definitely do.”
Her attendants completed the drying and carefully laid Scarlet down on a low couch. Each began to rub oils and fragrances into her skin.
“You know, the sonic shower in even a cheap freighter ship is capable of doing most of this in seconds, right?” Scarlet said in slightly grumpy tone.
“Yes, but this way is more fun,” Jo said. “You’re going to be spending a long time here. It’s vital to see to it your first hours are done correctly.”
“Is that you talking, or Wildfire?”
“To you, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that everyone else here outranks you and you need to learn your place.”
Scarlet sighed. Watch, wait, listen, learn, she repeated to herself. This was a close-knit group. The more she knew about the dynamics, the better. Let them think you’re sulking and giving in. “Fair enough.” She cocked a head towards her tiara’d attendant. “Who’s Princess Blondie here?”
“That’s Princess Cassiopeia to you. Would you believe me if I said she was the lost sacred princess of the elven kingdom?”
Scarlet regarded her closely. Cassiopeia didn’t lift her eyes to meet hers. “No, no I would not.”
“That’s good, because I just made it up.” Jo seemed remarkably impressed with her own humor. She started pacing near the pool, gold skirts fluttering behind her. “But what she IS is, what, the eleventh daughter of the Magnate Dynasty. Technically a princess, but the kind of princess that ends up in the diplomatic corps. She’s been with us about a year because as it turns out, she wasn’t all that inclined to start negotiating large-scale slaving operations on the outer rim, especially the kind that dumped armies of slaves into the asteroid mines. So she’s stashed herself here for the same reason as Mahaleth, to lay low for a while, isn’t that right, Cassie?”
Cassie simply nodded. “She’ll be more talkative later,” Jo continued. “It’s very useful to have someone around who’s trained in the social graces and the ins and outs of galactic royal culture, because god knows Wildfire and I aren’t those people.”
The duo lifted Scarlet up and wrapped a dark green shawl around her. “All right, new girl,” Joanna said. “Time to start figuring out how you can serve around here.”
NEXT: The Blade in the Cave