Four grey metal walls surrounded me, interrupted with an ugly hatchway. I had no idea what was going on. It looked like I was in a storeroom. Somehow, I was expecting something grander than this. Del had a much better welcome into slavery in the vidmovie.
The thrum underneath my bare feet made me believe I was on a ship. That thought was confirmed when the gravity hiccupped as the ship fell away from its moorings. I tensed as I felt the ship fire its thrusters. After about five minutes, the drives engaged. I clung to the floor planking with my toes and clutched the bulkhead with my hands and nails. The dizzy feeling in my stomach took most of my energy to control. A slave covered in puke would not please my new master, whatever or whoever he or she was. I pictured the tentacled plant creature and felt queasy again. Please not that, I prayed to myself.
I struggled to my feet only to slide sideways and land on the floor in a heap. The gravity was not what I was used to. Perhaps the owner or the Captain didn’t stabilise the gravity until it cleared the surrounds of the docking bay. Gradually, I felt the spin engage, supplemented by an attraction field. My stomach adjusted.
I sat up but didn’t bother trying to stand. My head was spinning. Last time I’d been on a ship, I’d missed this part as I’d been out cold. Now, though, I got to experience the wonders of space travel. I slouched against the bulkhead, studying the ceiling tiles. There weren’t too many air filters in the storeroom but I was used to bad air.
I had almost grown used to the feel of the ship and the comfy storeroom, when the door slid open. My eyes snapped to attention and met the masked face of the Ridallian, who stood very tall, cloaked in his multicoloured robes.
‘Come,’ he said with a grating voice, turning his back to me.
My mouth hung open as a few astounding things crossed my mind. The slave woman’s trick had worked and oh god did that mean he expected me to know how to be a good slave? I had a great desire to fall to pieces, but I had to think of something else. How would Del cope with this situation? She always seemed to know what she was doing. I remember a few choice scenes that had always fascinated me. I shuddered. I couldn’t do that, could I?
Another thought crossed my mind, Dad’s, I mean, Captain Stroder’s checklist. It was an emergency checklist after all and should be applicable in this situation. I thought hard, trying to remember what it said. I started to get to my feet and lurched to the door as I ran through the list. Mmm act stupid, it had said, then deny everything, and what was the last one? Yeah, lie through your teeth.
The Ridallian turned back in a swirl of robes. I shook myself and followed him as fast as I could with bare feet in that gravity. He kept walking, his robes spread out like wings with each step. I’d never been this close to an alien before, except for the yellow tentacle incident.
My feet were sweaty and my grip slipped on the planking, making me look like a monkey. I noticed something, the ship was new, smelled clean.
The Ridallian entered a cabin, sleeping quarters by the looks of it. I glanced around trying to ignore the quaking in my stomach. It must be the gravity, I thought to myself. He pointed to the bed. I looked at where he was pointing and started to shake. Oh lord. This is worse than Gris, worse than the way Captain Stroder looked at me. This was real.
I began to sweat all over and tugged on my hair, twisting it into tight twirls. All of a sudden I couldn’t stand still and I started to squirm, foot over foot. I felt his eyes looking at me, dressed in my flimsy cloths tied together, and I stilled.
Thoughts of punching him in the head and making a run for it came to mind. Unfortunately, I recalled that the ship was already moving, and I couldn’t pilot it. I could possibly crash it into something but I’d probably stuff that up too. Right then I wished I had learnt more than reading checklists and watching vidmovies. But I knew enough that he would take exception to me stuffing around with his head and not giving him ownership rights. He did pay good credit for me after all.
‘Well,’ he said, his voice thick as it emitted from the mouthpiece of his mask. I edged over to the low bed, crawled over the top of it and lay back like a stiff rod amongst the pale coloured cushions piled up against the wall.
It felt kind of strange, the way his eyes seemed to burn into mine. I hoped I looked confident because I didn’t feel it. Goosebumps came out everywhere, I had to stop myself from trembling so much, and my breathing was all wrong. I think I was hyperventilating. Spots began to dance in front of my eyes so I closed them. What would he say if he knew I didn’t know how to cook or clean?
‘You do look very appealing, Rae,’ he said.
My eyes flew open. My tension released as I heaved out a whoosh of surprise.
‘You,’ I growled. ‘How did you get here?’
The robes slid off his shoulders and landed in a heap on the edge of the bed. The facemask dropped next to it with a clunk. ‘It wasn’t easy, I assure you,’ replied Alwin Anton.
‘But, you, he…’ He sat on the bed next to me and edged closer. I was so dammed mad I slapped his face and got ready to launch myself at him. ‘Of all the low down tricks.’ I struggled with him as he held my clawed fingers away from his face. I would’ve kicked him too, but my clothes felt like they would fall off.
‘Hey, hey, take it easy, Rae.’ He was panting himself in his effort to keep me at bay and nurse his stinging cheek. ‘It was no trick. I had to improvise and get you out of the market before Stroder caught up with me.’
‘But, you…I thought you were dead.’ I lowered my hands, but I was still itching to slap him again. I think attacking him helped me stop wanting to cry.
‘Yes, so did I. Sorry, I left you behind. But I had to act quickly. The least I could do was rescue you, after the way I treated you.’
‘You bought me at an illegal slave market,’ I pointed out indignantly.
He blushed and ran his hand through his short-cropped dark hair. ‘Yes, I did.’
‘That doesn’t sound very correct,’ I added, sensing a crack in his wall of bureaucratic procedure.
His blush deepened and spread down his neck. I enjoyed seeing him uncomfortable. I’d felt nothing but embarrassed and stupid since I had met him.
‘You’re right. I’m afraid the rules were hard to apply in this situation. You cost a lot believe me, and if your parents don’t foot the bill, I may be up for embezzlement myself. I used company money to secure your purchase.’
I stared at him open-mouthed, not quite getting it all. ‘You broke the company’s rules? For me?’
‘Well yes. And more than that. Trafficking in slaves is illegal. Possession of one is not, technically.’ He seemed to be looking at me strangely. ‘Right now you’re my property.’
‘I sort of know that part, Alwin.’ My eyes rolled up.
‘You chose me didn’t you?’ He seemed to be closer. I could hear his breathing, smell his soft-minted breath.
Now it was my turn to blush. I was distracted by my toes winking pinkly at me. How could I tell him what had happened? ‘Ah, yes.’ I had to explain quickly. ‘Um, the woman next to me recommended you as a possible purchaser of my services.’
His face was so serious, as I spoke. I could feel the heat radiating from mine. Silence ticked on. Without warning, he barked out a laugh that nearly made me leap to my feet. He kept on laughing, and his eyes brightened, showing reflected light. I gaped at him, couldn’t help it really. When he settled down, his face relaxed.
‘I’m glad you thought I was suitable slave master material,’ he said when he was able to talk again. His eyes grew serious and slid down my body, glittering with speculation. ‘I thought you were distracting in your ripped up body-stocking and salvage, but now…’
I felt my face heat up all over again. I put my hands up to cover my cheeks. His words made me ache in places that hadn’t before and I didn’t like that feeling. The clothing was very unsuitable. It made me look older and the way the pirate woman had enhanced my face with permanent make up didn’t help matters either. I wasn’t comfortable with how I looked at the best of times. At least when I was dirty and covered in rags, the auditor didn’t look at me in quite the same way. In my dreams, I might have wanted a handsome actor to look at me like that but in reality it scared me.
‘What about my…Captain Stroder? He’s in with the pirates.’ I decided to change the subject, so my breathing would ease.
‘I haven’t forgotten about him, and I had already put two and two together about the pirate connection. Now that I have you safe, AllEarth Corp enforcers would have moved in on him already. He stuck around to supervise your sale and to be sure he received top price. Luckily, my bid was well over his ridiculous reserve. He had the nerve to haggle even then. Well he’ll get his due now.’
‘Are you sure? He wanted to kill you. I heard him give the order.’
Mr Anton shrugged. ‘Yeah, well, it goes with the job, sort of an occupational hazard.’
‘I can see why,’ I said, smiling when his eyes grew round with shock. ‘Well you aren’t very pleasant.’
His left eyebrow rose. ‘It’s my job to be thorough, sceptical and objective. Being nice isn’t part of the job description.’
‘But you scared me half to death.’
‘Sorry,’ he said, brows drawn together. ‘I guess I bit off more than I could chew. I suspected that something was going on. Not the extent of it. And you were in charge of the station and you’re not exactly a typical AllEarth Corp employee are you?’
I shrugged. His explanation was getting way too complicated for me. ‘Okay, I guess not,’ I said.
‘Okay?’ He blinked rapidly. ‘Those payments and shipments did happen. But there has to be someone in the company that’s corrupt, some sort of collusion. Those pirates didn’t attack by accident.’
I drew back slightly at the tone of his voice. ‘I thought it was unusual at the time. Two ships so close together.’
‘I’m glad you’re safe,’ he said, and it felt like the truth.
‘Me, too. I mean, glad you’re safe. I’m happy to see you, too.’
He smiled, a genuine smile, and I laughed softly.
‘Believe me,’ he began, looking into my eyes, ‘no one is ever pleased to see an auditor.’
I moved closer, all of a sudden bold. Without fear, I lightly touched his hair and smooth-skinned face. Brushing my lips to his cheek, I said, in true vidmovie style, ‘I’m pleased to see this auditor.’
He backed away, his face heating up all over again. ‘Ah, well, I’m not sure there is a protocol to cover this situation.’ He stood up and ran his hands through his hair. He even leaned away from me as if I was contagious.
Obviously, I hadn’t got that down right. My first kiss and the boy practically runs away screaming. Life isn’t like the vidmovies after all. I had been watching them for so long I thought that they represented life elsewhere. Living on that outpost meant I never considered how normal people lived, really lived. Too busy trying to survive, I think. With all that I’d been through since being dragged off the asteroid, I couldn’t say this was my first lesson about real life. But it hurt like hell to be rejected, especially after what my supposed father had just done to me. I really didn’t understand my own feelings.
‘Never mind,’ I said breathily, blinking my eyelashes to hide my tears. I needed something familiar, an old friend. ‘Do you have any vidmovies on your ship?’
Alwin’s eyes narrowed. He seemed wary all of a sudden. ‘Ah no, some documentaries and sports.’
I pouted. I was feeling very out of sorts. ‘This will be boring.’
‘No, not at all. I have some news for you that should cheer you up.’
‘Really? Like what?’
‘Your name is Rayessa, not Rae and your parents are—’