Calysta slipped into the bunk trying not to curl her nose at the stink of body odor covering the mattress. Just because they were pirates didn't mean they couldnt bathe properly? A sudden jolt went through her when she thought it might be her instead. They had been working hard after all and given no chance to bathe. As Illya glanced down the corridor, she gave herself a quick sniff test and determined it was in fact the mattress. "Filthy for sure," she replied in Qouti as he settled in close. The truth was if he hadn't been there, these men would have already had some fun with her and there were too many to fight on her own. Shuddering at then idea, it made her even more thankful Illya was there. She curled up close and ignored the angry pirate whose bed they stole. He growled at them and then stalked off, leaving them alone for the first time in that very long day. Illya was looking at her like he might try whispering but wasn't sure it was safe. Slipping a hand to Illya's chest, she sighed. "It's Ariel. They'll know both my names more than likely. Pirates thrive on thr rumor mill as much as stolen goods. We have to get out of here, David."
A brief expression of surprise came to Illya's face. He hadn't thought that he would be hearing Kalizda sound so scared. "No reason to hurry. I think they'll be just fine to travel with. Maybe we'll get them raiding Federation and I'll pardon them if they do good work for the Alliance. Find a home for them and then I will be commander." In a way it struck Illya funny. There was always a way to use the questionable ruffians of society if you gave them a way out of their circumstances. Well, most of the time. "We disguised very well here and they have no reason to say that they have us here unless they want all the Federation hunting them." Holding her a little closer he nuzzled the back of her neck. "I love you." It was at least good that he could speak in Quoti without having too many ears or anyone that would know what he was actually saying. In a way it was difficult because he had to control the inflection of his voice so as not to give himself away.
Illya sounded so confident that he could turn an entire pirate crew to follow him. It wouldn't put them into the lime light if they managed it at least. Turnovers in the Novas were frequent and no one captain stayed that way for long unless they moved up in the brotherhood. Still his idea wasn't a bad one if it was done right. "It's possible. Getting the leadership is easy if we can stay alive and together," she whispered back, "But keeping it will be harder. There's always someone new to challenge you. Don't get close to the Udine...the leathery one or the one with the quills on his head...a Jak can put a man into a coma for days with them if he feels like it." Illya nuzzled her neck and she relaxed back into him some. They had to be careful with shows of affection here. If they suspected her to be more than a slave they would use her against him and vice versa. At least they could stay close and whisper in Qouti to one another. "I love you, too," she replied, before letting out the smallest of chuckles, "An outlaw, a general, a pirate captain...quite the employment history." Curling closer, she tucked herself away and closed her eyes until something grabbed wrenched Illya away. The pirate whose bed they took, a nearly feral Kleete was back for it and he wasn't alone. Rambling off in Kleese, the other men laughed while they snatched up Illya's legs and pulled him front the bunk into the floor. "He's a heavy'un!" Crowed one of the attackers.
All seemed to be fine until Illya felt himself being pulled off the bed. Quickly he let go of Kalizda so she wouldn't be drug down with him and he went slack. It was less likely to get hurt if he relaxed instead of tensing up. The pirates were all talking in a language he didn't know and he waited for the first one to throw a punch. Squirming to the side he managed to wrench an arm free and he pulled the attacker off balance and then bit his arm and punched him several times. Already he could feel the others losing grip with his weight and the first unsuccessful assailant on top of Illya. The Chip hit the floor and he pushed the body of the pirate off himself, spit the blood from his mouth and grabbed a sheet from one of the other beds. It wasn't going to be for what they thought. Running at the first one in range Illya wrapped the sheet around his neck and pulled it tight. "Yah get close and I use him like a little ball. Goes where his head does unless et pops off."
Calysta felt Illya being torn away as a group of pirates set in on him. Illya punched the larger one several times making the creature let out a grunting 'oofs' with every blow before he scrambled away. Calysta rolled and kicked the nearest pirate in the back of the knee, making him pitch into another. Both slammed into the bunk on the opposite side while the rest went for Illya. As Illya snatched up the other by his neck, the man gave a gurgle, clutching at his neck and shaking his head, begging them to stop. The group considered it for a moment, but there was more than one way to taunt a man. Especially one so keen on keeping his slave so close. "Grab dey wo-man!" One of them to a side long glance at Calysta then dove for her. "Dey slave man gets a slave. Captain is crazeh!" She kicked at his face, though she was backed into the wall of the bunk. One got close enough and Calsyta reared back, giving him a solid punch to his nose. Her knuckles ached, but his nose gave a solid snap too, sending blood everywhere. While she tussled, the rest of the group zeroed in on Illya
There wasn't much Illya could do about the men going after Kalizda and he knew that jumping for her right now would make it worse, but he could easily make an impression in other ways. "Yah have trouble." Whipping the choking man toward the others there was an audible gurgle and cry. Pulling the sheet tighter he jerked the man to his feet and pushed him into one of the other attackers. Illya brought his boot up to catch one man under the knee and hyper extended it. Looking to the others he snarled. "Yah dun put meh slave back and I dun let yah walk away. Ets meh bunk, meh slave, and meh space."
Calysta gave another one a vicious kick as the others circled on Illya. The man in Illya's grip was squirming desperately now as the other howled in pain from his knee. "Me knee! Auhg!" He wailed from the floor as he clutched at it. The rest were starting to doubt their resolve to mess with them though they werent exactly backing down. Suddenly, there was a sharp cracking sound a whip lashed out, catching one of the pirates in the back. He yelped as someone squealed "Dey captain!" The privateer had come upon the scene and began bellowing in Kleese, snapping the metallic whip, causing the men to scatter until he was face to face with Illya. The mans mismatched eyes gazed at the Chip with mild interest as his crew member turned purple bound up in the sheet. "Well, looks like you've seen the way of it aboard," the privateer said, "What do you plan on doing with him?"
Never lowering his gaze Illya stared the captain in the face. He wasn't about to show weakness because it could be a fatal error at this point. It seemed that the man was giving Illya a choice and the Chip shrugged. "I tink dis man should be meh slave." It was a good trade off and Illya was sure he would get some kind of credibility with that move. He would kill if he had to, but for now he was more interested in the idea of keeping the man alive and gaining an ally.
The privateer peered at Illya, one blue and golden eye sharply taking in the man before him. It was an interesting move on the slaves part and it sounded amusing to watch the Kleete squirm a little, but it was also a smart move. This slave was more intellegent than he appeared. His crewman shook his head, though it was more of a limp lolling now than anything else. "Hmm...a slave owning two slaves, eh? Well, he got caught and that's on him. A lesson in dealing with men smarter and stronger." The crewman soon went limp but the captain didn't seem particularly concerned as he nodded to the Chip. "Leave that idiot there. Come with me." Then he turned on his heels with the Udine ducking under the beams behind him.
While Illya was busy holding eye contact with the captain he could feel the sheet sway one way or another as the man still struggled to breathe. He didn't seem real fond of being a slave, but Illya didn't particularly care and he was completely intending on creating a small slaves quarters in the best part of the cabin. It would be preferable to be one of his men if he got that far before the captain was forced to make him a full crew member. As the body hit the floor Illya pulled at the sheets to loosen them so his new slave wouldn't be choked to death by them. It seemed the captain wanted to talk with him and in a way it made Illya a bit nervous. However, he couldn't show that. Motioning to Kalizda he said, "Yah come wit." Before stepping out the door behind the captain he peered around at the other men. "I come back for meh bunk and I kill any man dat takes et. Remember she's mine dah bunk es mine and now" pointing to the unconscious pirate he smirked. "He's mine."
Calysta slid off the bunk, shooting dagger eyes at the pirates and followed Illya. She had caught a good look at their captain now and noticed something interesting. His mismatched eyes distracted from a small jaunt to his walk as they followed him down the rows of bunks and into the main corridor. The eyes were could be coincidence, it happened naturally in some species but other times it was a mixmatch of genes. A mutation of half breeds. The captain lead them into a small reading room and then looked to Illya as he opened the door. "Your slave can wait outside with Ubrek," he said, nodding to the leathery Undine, "He doesnt care for humanoid companionship and wont be interested. What I want to talk about isn't a bedroom slave concern."
Quietly Illya followed after the captain and he stepped into the room with the man. Kalizda he had intended to keep by his side during this conversation. However, the captain had a different idea and Illya didn't like it so much. There wasn't much choice and he looked to the Udine with a hint of distrust. "Den ef she goes wit Ubrek I expect none touch meh slave. I dun share meh little slave woman." Nodding to Kalizda he gave her the go ahead. He wasn't going to compromise her well being for anything in the world. Illya just had to play it smart and keep her close. Once he and the captain were alone he looked to the man. "Yah talk now. We alone."
Calsyta hated being reduced to a simple bedroom slave, but it was smarter just the play the part, even if it grated on her nerves like sandpaper. Giving him a nod she leaned against the wall next to the Udine, who practically dwarfed her, and crossed her arms. The captain led the Chip inside and offered him a seat, then reached for a crystal decanter to pour himself a drink. "The documents we found on the ship say your name is David Shepherd," he said, taking a sip of his drink as he opened up another drawer on the table nearby. He pulled out an info pad and tossed it at the Chip. "That's a very Terran name for man who isnt Terran. So, my question is: What's your name, Dave? And where are you really from?" The captain already had a suspicion, but he wanted to see what his slave would say.
Illya remained standing and he caught the pad when the man passed it to him. He only looked at the pad for a few moments before he set it on the desk. It seemed that the captain wanted to know and Illya shrugged. "Meh name es David. Yah take meh ship, take meh tings, and den expect tah have more dan documents. For now I am David." There was nothing more for him to say about the situation and he didn't really care to divulge any more than he had to.
The captain smirked at Illya and swallowed the rest of his shot in one long swig. It was as he expected and he wasn't disappointed necessarily. "Hmm... you know you bear an interesting resemblance to an old race my great grandfather used to talk about. Vicious, warriors with strength and bright eyes. I've heard a few stories on the outskirts here and there. They disappeared ages ago, only to return as part of the Kaerelean alliance. Quite a feat. I couldn't believe it at first but on my way from the fringes I kept up with the news. The Chips have been a big ticket issue around here. You're one of them, aren't you." It wasn't a question so much as a statement of fact.
Somehow the pirate seemed to know more about the Chippequoti than many of the others that Illya had heard about and he stared blankly at the man. "Yah listen ta old tales." A smirk came to his face. "I hear about dese people yah talk of to. Hear many stories of dem growing up." Shifting his weight from one foot to another he let out a long breath. "Dis all yah tink so important dat I can't have meh slave wit?"
The man was dodging and both of them knew it, but that was beside the point. If the man really was Chippeqouti he could be useful on raids and ship boardings. This man was muscle and smart muscle at that. It made him an asset as well as dangerous. "She is my slave which I've allowed you to keep and nothing more. Talk of business isnt for her. You could be much more however. Pledge as a member of the Novas and be a part of my crew. You get a cut of whatever we take a free member." He had no intention of trading a man so valuable and rare when he could be useful. It would be even better if joined up willingly. If not, he could continue being a slave. It was a fine line to run, controlling this man, but he would walk it.
Illya glowered at the captain when he mentioned owning Kalizda. "I dun serve any man dat takes meh property. She es mine and dats et." There wasn't any other answer to offer for the time. At this point he expected that the captain would have to make up his mind and Illya was ready to fight if he had to. There wasn't anyway he was going to even pretend that someone else had control of her or that they would have rights to her.
While they talked, Calysta stood in the corridor with her grey eyes straight ahead, but not seeing the wall in front of her. She was listening for any sign of a struggle or fight. There was something else that seemed odd about the captain and she wasn't about to take a chance with Illya being in there alone. If heard anything at all, she would go in, whether she was welcome or not. Rather than Illya or the captain, her ears picked up on another sound. Two of the crew members in their black and yellow Nova vests were strutting down the hallway, one of them a tall man with blue skin and another who looked to be Terran or Kaerelean. The blue skinned one grinned at her and flicked his forked tongue out, tasting the air around her. "Thass new sslave woman. Ssshe with-th big one."
"The one the captain let the guy keep? She's not all that special looking," the Kaerelean replied in traders tongue.
"You sseen what we found in her ssstuff. Anythiiing lookss ssspecial in little red lace," the blue one grinned.
Calysta's face turned red as she thought about the pirates going through her personal items, even though that particular item wasn't hers. Still it was smarter to let them think what the liked and say nothing. The both of them laughed and the blue skinned one shot her a wink before they wandered on down the hall. The captain sighed and shook his head. He had played the game, hoping the man would want the better deal offered and instead he had taken the hard route. Perhaps he wasn't as smart as he seemed and this woman meant more to him than just a simple slave. With his offer to become a free member, the man could have bartered for his precious little slave woman to earn her back, but the offer was passed. "So, you remain a slave aboard my ship and we have nothing more to discuss. Back to your bunk with you then."
Without showing any kind of remorse Illya took himself out of the room and he beckoned to Kalizda. More than likely in the future he would have to fight, but he was not about to give his word to a man that he didn't intend on staying loyal to. They were pirates and they weren't Alliance or Chippequoti. All these things meant that he would break any promise he made to them and so his word would be no good if he did promise.
Calysta's face was pink as she followed behind Illya. He was walking fast, taking one step for every two of hers and it was near impossible to keep up. He was angry by the way he was stalking back toward the bunk room "What did he want?" She in Qouti as they rounded the corner into the row of bunks. The crewmember from earlier was still passed out, slumped over their bunk with his mouth open, a long string of drool puddling beneath him.
When they reached the room Illya moved the man beneath his own bunk and he motioned for Kalizda to get into their bunk first and then curled around her again. "I stay slave because I refuse to swear my loyalty as crew member." It shouldn't have been surprising. He couldn't do that and he knew it. More than likely there was going to be a ramification of sorts and he didn't even want to know what it was. "The captain claims he owns you. If anyone touches you I'll kill them and I expect you to tell me." Looking into her eyes he waited for only a brief second and then grunted as he shifted in the bed a little more. "We can't swear anything to them and we just keep working as we must."
Calysta settled against Illya trying to get warm and feeling angry, not just at the captain but at herself. If she had been just a little faster on the restart they wouldn't be here. Illya wouldnt have to be worrying about this. A man called out into the bunk room, "Lights out!" And the whole corridor went pitch black. "Nobody owns me but who I let have me," she whispered to him in the dark. Her hand crept to his and pulled his arm around her waist, lacing her tiny fingers over his. She didnt want him to worry about her. "The captain wants you and that's a good thing. It keeps you alive, though there will be a punishment for the refusal. It's all about the hierarchy here. We keep working and find a way out, even if its mutiny." Squeezing his warm hand, she leaned back and left a quiet kiss at the corner of his mouth in the dark.
**************
Calysta glowered at the Udine she tossed her scrub brush into the soapy bucket to rinse it out. They were on their 7th hour of work after a small breakfast of soppy, flavorless oats, and orders barked from what she had determined as the captain's first mate, Ubrek. He was silent, but also unyielding when it came to tasks with no offered breaks or tolerance for slacking. She stayed close to Illya for the most part, particularly when the actual crew members were around. They chuckled at her and occasionally made the odd remark about having a little fun, but never in trader's tongue. Most of it was mocking comments. She was a naughty little slave and they'd better watch out for her master. It was more than enough to make her blood boil with anger, but she kept silent and to her work. By the 5th hour her hands were sore from scrubbing as were her knees, from kneeling on the hard floor. It didn't seem like the list of chores was going to end anytime soon either. Once the ship was clean, there was laundry to do for the crew, clothes and bed sheets among other things and then Illya had been assigned to scrubbing the captain's quarters, which included polishing their captors boots. Sometimes the captain would walk by and smirk at the Chip, then keep going with his jaunty walk as if they didn't exist.
The slave that had fallen under Illya's charge was skinny, but tall Kleete, a race of creatures who sported cat-like eyes and sharp claws for fingernails. The man's claws had be stretched out and clipped off by the Udine however and he sat on his knees across from Calysta with wild looks. His yellow eyes would bounce from the first mate, to Illya and then to her with a mixture of uncertainty, fear and anger. "You think you're special," he grumbled at her, "But Captain always sells off the women. They cause too much trouble and you're a prime example."
Calysta had been quiet about his angry looks at her. It seemed he blamed her for his circumstances and she was about tired of the looks between the salacious ones and the angry ones, the feeling of being watched was getting old. Still, she had to try to talk to the slaves like her. If they were going to build any sort of reputation on the ship, it needed to be a good one. Some of them were just as trapped as she and Illya were. "Just hush and let me work," she replied, "I'm not any different than you are scrubbing floors right now."
The Kleete couldn't argue with that and that seemed to make him angrier. He slammed his scrub brush into the bucket, which caught the attention of Ubrek. The leathery creature barked an order in Kleese and the man rolled his eyes before dragging out his brush again. Sighing, Calysta caught the man's eyes, with a more honest look. "Look, I'm not here to cause trouble. My name is Ariel, yeah? What's yours?" The man's cat eyes focused in on her like two large lamps and stared hard. What was he thinking of? Had he been offended by her asking his name?
"Rexe," he replied after a long moment, "My name is Rexe."
The first mate caught them talking again and marched over with his large elephant feet stomping on the metal floor. He reared back and gave Rexe a kick in buttocks, which pitched his face forward into the bucket of muddy water. The bucket tipped over as the Kleete tried to escape, sending the suds everywhere. "Leave him be!" Calysta yelled. In the back ground she could hear the other crew members laughing. The Udine circled on to her instead and she growled ready for a fight, though it wouldn't do much good against something like him.
***********
After the scuffle with the Ubrek the captain came out of his ready room with his whip in hand and a scowl on his face as he stared at all three of his unruly slaves. Not only had they disrupted the flow of the ship, but they had injured his first mate and that sort of behavior could't be tolerated slave or not. He had no plan on whipping them however. That would just put the two slaves he intended to keep out of commission and the one slave he intended to sell as damaged goods. There were other ways of keeping authority and punishing those who would challenge it however. Snapping his fingers, the captain had one of his crew members bring over a box and toss it Calysta's feet. The woman looked confused when she pulled out the space suit from inside. "The outside camera's need cleaning and you're just the woman for the task," he said casually.
Calysta frowned and dropped the suit back into the box. He wanted her to suit up and go out onto the hull? It wasn't that she hadn't done it before or was afraid to do it, but it left Illya alone on the inside the rest of them and it felt like a bad idea. The captain could already see the protest growing in the Chip man's eyes and he held up his hand. "You can stand at the airlock for all I care," the captain told him ,"But I only have one size suit and that's extra small. If she's too afraid to do it, you should find yourself a better woman."
She grit her teeth at the comment and looked to Illya with a determined gaze. "I've done walks before. This one would no different. We work the same as the others."
The captain looked at her with a raised brow and lead them toward the air lock. Rexe had gone strangely quiet as Calysta hauled out the suit and stepped into it, locking in the gloves and boots to their seals and then picking up the helmet from the box as well. The suit was still a little big for her, and it was an older model, but the air scrubber on the inside looked in decent order and the suit itself had no holes or patches to speak of. The tool belt was equipped with tethered versions of all the tools she would require. Her grey eyes caught Illya's and she nodded to him. "Keep my lead going unless you feel me tug twice. There should be a comm link once I get out there but just in case they wont let you listen, you can feel the lead." She had the strong urge to kiss him before the stepped through the air lock door but that would be a show of affection she couldn't afford. Giving him a small, but confident smile, Calysta put the helmet on and made sure the seal was good before turning on the air circulator and scrubbers in the suit. With a final glance at Illya she stepped into the air lock and closed it behind her.
As soon as the air lock closed, a buzzer went off along with a timer until a long hiss released the door on the other side, leading her out into open space. There was something both terrifying and freeing about being in open space. There was nothing but a thin layer between her and death by vaccuum seal, and yet the view was spectacular. The stars seemed even closer and the bright greenish -blue nebula swirled in the distance with occasional flashes of electrical discharge. Normally, it wasn't a good idea to do walked so close to nebula's like that, but she hadn't known they were so close and it was her task to deal with now. The sooner she got it done, the better. She had to work to keep her breathing calm, despite the adrenaline rushing through her veins at such a sight as he free floated, bound only by the tether to the first of board camera. Clicking the control screen at her glove, Calysta heard the distinct whir of the magnets in her boots start up and her feet suddenly sucked down to the metal hull of the ship. It wasn't a strong magnet, but enough to keep her grounded on the ship in between steps. "I'm at the first camera," she said over the com-link. It seemed that Illya could hear her for now, and she cleared her throat, as she wiped down the first camera. "Moving to the second, stand by."
Releasing the magnet, she gave a good kick and then floated over to the next one. Going over to the fourth, she noticed the nebula growing brighter. They were adrift, but the cloud of gasses sometimes built up charges over time and then released them in powerful electrical arcs all at once. "Bring me inside! Now!" Calysta called over the comms. The captain could beat her to a pulp when she got inside, but it was all worth it if it meant she wasn't going to get fried. No answer came over the coms though and she tugged on the tether twice. "Reel me in!"
A brief expression of surprise came to Illya's face. He hadn't thought that he would be hearing Kalizda sound so scared. "No reason to hurry. I think they'll be just fine to travel with. Maybe we'll get them raiding Federation and I'll pardon them if they do good work for the Alliance. Find a home for them and then I will be commander." In a way it struck Illya funny. There was always a way to use the questionable ruffians of society if you gave them a way out of their circumstances. Well, most of the time. "We disguised very well here and they have no reason to say that they have us here unless they want all the Federation hunting them." Holding her a little closer he nuzzled the back of her neck. "I love you." It was at least good that he could speak in Quoti without having too many ears or anyone that would know what he was actually saying. In a way it was difficult because he had to control the inflection of his voice so as not to give himself away.
Illya sounded so confident that he could turn an entire pirate crew to follow him. It wouldn't put them into the lime light if they managed it at least. Turnovers in the Novas were frequent and no one captain stayed that way for long unless they moved up in the brotherhood. Still his idea wasn't a bad one if it was done right. "It's possible. Getting the leadership is easy if we can stay alive and together," she whispered back, "But keeping it will be harder. There's always someone new to challenge you. Don't get close to the Udine...the leathery one or the one with the quills on his head...a Jak can put a man into a coma for days with them if he feels like it." Illya nuzzled her neck and she relaxed back into him some. They had to be careful with shows of affection here. If they suspected her to be more than a slave they would use her against him and vice versa. At least they could stay close and whisper in Qouti to one another. "I love you, too," she replied, before letting out the smallest of chuckles, "An outlaw, a general, a pirate captain...quite the employment history." Curling closer, she tucked herself away and closed her eyes until something grabbed wrenched Illya away. The pirate whose bed they took, a nearly feral Kleete was back for it and he wasn't alone. Rambling off in Kleese, the other men laughed while they snatched up Illya's legs and pulled him front the bunk into the floor. "He's a heavy'un!" Crowed one of the attackers.
All seemed to be fine until Illya felt himself being pulled off the bed. Quickly he let go of Kalizda so she wouldn't be drug down with him and he went slack. It was less likely to get hurt if he relaxed instead of tensing up. The pirates were all talking in a language he didn't know and he waited for the first one to throw a punch. Squirming to the side he managed to wrench an arm free and he pulled the attacker off balance and then bit his arm and punched him several times. Already he could feel the others losing grip with his weight and the first unsuccessful assailant on top of Illya. The Chip hit the floor and he pushed the body of the pirate off himself, spit the blood from his mouth and grabbed a sheet from one of the other beds. It wasn't going to be for what they thought. Running at the first one in range Illya wrapped the sheet around his neck and pulled it tight. "Yah get close and I use him like a little ball. Goes where his head does unless et pops off."
Calysta felt Illya being torn away as a group of pirates set in on him. Illya punched the larger one several times making the creature let out a grunting 'oofs' with every blow before he scrambled away. Calysta rolled and kicked the nearest pirate in the back of the knee, making him pitch into another. Both slammed into the bunk on the opposite side while the rest went for Illya. As Illya snatched up the other by his neck, the man gave a gurgle, clutching at his neck and shaking his head, begging them to stop. The group considered it for a moment, but there was more than one way to taunt a man. Especially one so keen on keeping his slave so close. "Grab dey wo-man!" One of them to a side long glance at Calysta then dove for her. "Dey slave man gets a slave. Captain is crazeh!" She kicked at his face, though she was backed into the wall of the bunk. One got close enough and Calsyta reared back, giving him a solid punch to his nose. Her knuckles ached, but his nose gave a solid snap too, sending blood everywhere. While she tussled, the rest of the group zeroed in on Illya
There wasn't much Illya could do about the men going after Kalizda and he knew that jumping for her right now would make it worse, but he could easily make an impression in other ways. "Yah have trouble." Whipping the choking man toward the others there was an audible gurgle and cry. Pulling the sheet tighter he jerked the man to his feet and pushed him into one of the other attackers. Illya brought his boot up to catch one man under the knee and hyper extended it. Looking to the others he snarled. "Yah dun put meh slave back and I dun let yah walk away. Ets meh bunk, meh slave, and meh space."
Calysta gave another one a vicious kick as the others circled on Illya. The man in Illya's grip was squirming desperately now as the other howled in pain from his knee. "Me knee! Auhg!" He wailed from the floor as he clutched at it. The rest were starting to doubt their resolve to mess with them though they werent exactly backing down. Suddenly, there was a sharp cracking sound a whip lashed out, catching one of the pirates in the back. He yelped as someone squealed "Dey captain!" The privateer had come upon the scene and began bellowing in Kleese, snapping the metallic whip, causing the men to scatter until he was face to face with Illya. The mans mismatched eyes gazed at the Chip with mild interest as his crew member turned purple bound up in the sheet. "Well, looks like you've seen the way of it aboard," the privateer said, "What do you plan on doing with him?"
Never lowering his gaze Illya stared the captain in the face. He wasn't about to show weakness because it could be a fatal error at this point. It seemed that the man was giving Illya a choice and the Chip shrugged. "I tink dis man should be meh slave." It was a good trade off and Illya was sure he would get some kind of credibility with that move. He would kill if he had to, but for now he was more interested in the idea of keeping the man alive and gaining an ally.
The privateer peered at Illya, one blue and golden eye sharply taking in the man before him. It was an interesting move on the slaves part and it sounded amusing to watch the Kleete squirm a little, but it was also a smart move. This slave was more intellegent than he appeared. His crewman shook his head, though it was more of a limp lolling now than anything else. "Hmm...a slave owning two slaves, eh? Well, he got caught and that's on him. A lesson in dealing with men smarter and stronger." The crewman soon went limp but the captain didn't seem particularly concerned as he nodded to the Chip. "Leave that idiot there. Come with me." Then he turned on his heels with the Udine ducking under the beams behind him.
While Illya was busy holding eye contact with the captain he could feel the sheet sway one way or another as the man still struggled to breathe. He didn't seem real fond of being a slave, but Illya didn't particularly care and he was completely intending on creating a small slaves quarters in the best part of the cabin. It would be preferable to be one of his men if he got that far before the captain was forced to make him a full crew member. As the body hit the floor Illya pulled at the sheets to loosen them so his new slave wouldn't be choked to death by them. It seemed the captain wanted to talk with him and in a way it made Illya a bit nervous. However, he couldn't show that. Motioning to Kalizda he said, "Yah come wit." Before stepping out the door behind the captain he peered around at the other men. "I come back for meh bunk and I kill any man dat takes et. Remember she's mine dah bunk es mine and now" pointing to the unconscious pirate he smirked. "He's mine."
Calysta slid off the bunk, shooting dagger eyes at the pirates and followed Illya. She had caught a good look at their captain now and noticed something interesting. His mismatched eyes distracted from a small jaunt to his walk as they followed him down the rows of bunks and into the main corridor. The eyes were could be coincidence, it happened naturally in some species but other times it was a mixmatch of genes. A mutation of half breeds. The captain lead them into a small reading room and then looked to Illya as he opened the door. "Your slave can wait outside with Ubrek," he said, nodding to the leathery Undine, "He doesnt care for humanoid companionship and wont be interested. What I want to talk about isn't a bedroom slave concern."
Quietly Illya followed after the captain and he stepped into the room with the man. Kalizda he had intended to keep by his side during this conversation. However, the captain had a different idea and Illya didn't like it so much. There wasn't much choice and he looked to the Udine with a hint of distrust. "Den ef she goes wit Ubrek I expect none touch meh slave. I dun share meh little slave woman." Nodding to Kalizda he gave her the go ahead. He wasn't going to compromise her well being for anything in the world. Illya just had to play it smart and keep her close. Once he and the captain were alone he looked to the man. "Yah talk now. We alone."
Calsyta hated being reduced to a simple bedroom slave, but it was smarter just the play the part, even if it grated on her nerves like sandpaper. Giving him a nod she leaned against the wall next to the Udine, who practically dwarfed her, and crossed her arms. The captain led the Chip inside and offered him a seat, then reached for a crystal decanter to pour himself a drink. "The documents we found on the ship say your name is David Shepherd," he said, taking a sip of his drink as he opened up another drawer on the table nearby. He pulled out an info pad and tossed it at the Chip. "That's a very Terran name for man who isnt Terran. So, my question is: What's your name, Dave? And where are you really from?" The captain already had a suspicion, but he wanted to see what his slave would say.
Illya remained standing and he caught the pad when the man passed it to him. He only looked at the pad for a few moments before he set it on the desk. It seemed that the captain wanted to know and Illya shrugged. "Meh name es David. Yah take meh ship, take meh tings, and den expect tah have more dan documents. For now I am David." There was nothing more for him to say about the situation and he didn't really care to divulge any more than he had to.
The captain smirked at Illya and swallowed the rest of his shot in one long swig. It was as he expected and he wasn't disappointed necessarily. "Hmm... you know you bear an interesting resemblance to an old race my great grandfather used to talk about. Vicious, warriors with strength and bright eyes. I've heard a few stories on the outskirts here and there. They disappeared ages ago, only to return as part of the Kaerelean alliance. Quite a feat. I couldn't believe it at first but on my way from the fringes I kept up with the news. The Chips have been a big ticket issue around here. You're one of them, aren't you." It wasn't a question so much as a statement of fact.
Somehow the pirate seemed to know more about the Chippequoti than many of the others that Illya had heard about and he stared blankly at the man. "Yah listen ta old tales." A smirk came to his face. "I hear about dese people yah talk of to. Hear many stories of dem growing up." Shifting his weight from one foot to another he let out a long breath. "Dis all yah tink so important dat I can't have meh slave wit?"
The man was dodging and both of them knew it, but that was beside the point. If the man really was Chippeqouti he could be useful on raids and ship boardings. This man was muscle and smart muscle at that. It made him an asset as well as dangerous. "She is my slave which I've allowed you to keep and nothing more. Talk of business isnt for her. You could be much more however. Pledge as a member of the Novas and be a part of my crew. You get a cut of whatever we take a free member." He had no intention of trading a man so valuable and rare when he could be useful. It would be even better if joined up willingly. If not, he could continue being a slave. It was a fine line to run, controlling this man, but he would walk it.
Illya glowered at the captain when he mentioned owning Kalizda. "I dun serve any man dat takes meh property. She es mine and dats et." There wasn't any other answer to offer for the time. At this point he expected that the captain would have to make up his mind and Illya was ready to fight if he had to. There wasn't anyway he was going to even pretend that someone else had control of her or that they would have rights to her.
While they talked, Calysta stood in the corridor with her grey eyes straight ahead, but not seeing the wall in front of her. She was listening for any sign of a struggle or fight. There was something else that seemed odd about the captain and she wasn't about to take a chance with Illya being in there alone. If heard anything at all, she would go in, whether she was welcome or not. Rather than Illya or the captain, her ears picked up on another sound. Two of the crew members in their black and yellow Nova vests were strutting down the hallway, one of them a tall man with blue skin and another who looked to be Terran or Kaerelean. The blue skinned one grinned at her and flicked his forked tongue out, tasting the air around her. "Thass new sslave woman. Ssshe with-th big one."
"The one the captain let the guy keep? She's not all that special looking," the Kaerelean replied in traders tongue.
"You sseen what we found in her ssstuff. Anythiiing lookss ssspecial in little red lace," the blue one grinned.
Calysta's face turned red as she thought about the pirates going through her personal items, even though that particular item wasn't hers. Still it was smarter to let them think what the liked and say nothing. The both of them laughed and the blue skinned one shot her a wink before they wandered on down the hall. The captain sighed and shook his head. He had played the game, hoping the man would want the better deal offered and instead he had taken the hard route. Perhaps he wasn't as smart as he seemed and this woman meant more to him than just a simple slave. With his offer to become a free member, the man could have bartered for his precious little slave woman to earn her back, but the offer was passed. "So, you remain a slave aboard my ship and we have nothing more to discuss. Back to your bunk with you then."
Without showing any kind of remorse Illya took himself out of the room and he beckoned to Kalizda. More than likely in the future he would have to fight, but he was not about to give his word to a man that he didn't intend on staying loyal to. They were pirates and they weren't Alliance or Chippequoti. All these things meant that he would break any promise he made to them and so his word would be no good if he did promise.
Calysta's face was pink as she followed behind Illya. He was walking fast, taking one step for every two of hers and it was near impossible to keep up. He was angry by the way he was stalking back toward the bunk room "What did he want?" She in Qouti as they rounded the corner into the row of bunks. The crewmember from earlier was still passed out, slumped over their bunk with his mouth open, a long string of drool puddling beneath him.
When they reached the room Illya moved the man beneath his own bunk and he motioned for Kalizda to get into their bunk first and then curled around her again. "I stay slave because I refuse to swear my loyalty as crew member." It shouldn't have been surprising. He couldn't do that and he knew it. More than likely there was going to be a ramification of sorts and he didn't even want to know what it was. "The captain claims he owns you. If anyone touches you I'll kill them and I expect you to tell me." Looking into her eyes he waited for only a brief second and then grunted as he shifted in the bed a little more. "We can't swear anything to them and we just keep working as we must."
Calysta settled against Illya trying to get warm and feeling angry, not just at the captain but at herself. If she had been just a little faster on the restart they wouldn't be here. Illya wouldnt have to be worrying about this. A man called out into the bunk room, "Lights out!" And the whole corridor went pitch black. "Nobody owns me but who I let have me," she whispered to him in the dark. Her hand crept to his and pulled his arm around her waist, lacing her tiny fingers over his. She didnt want him to worry about her. "The captain wants you and that's a good thing. It keeps you alive, though there will be a punishment for the refusal. It's all about the hierarchy here. We keep working and find a way out, even if its mutiny." Squeezing his warm hand, she leaned back and left a quiet kiss at the corner of his mouth in the dark.
**************
Calysta glowered at the Udine she tossed her scrub brush into the soapy bucket to rinse it out. They were on their 7th hour of work after a small breakfast of soppy, flavorless oats, and orders barked from what she had determined as the captain's first mate, Ubrek. He was silent, but also unyielding when it came to tasks with no offered breaks or tolerance for slacking. She stayed close to Illya for the most part, particularly when the actual crew members were around. They chuckled at her and occasionally made the odd remark about having a little fun, but never in trader's tongue. Most of it was mocking comments. She was a naughty little slave and they'd better watch out for her master. It was more than enough to make her blood boil with anger, but she kept silent and to her work. By the 5th hour her hands were sore from scrubbing as were her knees, from kneeling on the hard floor. It didn't seem like the list of chores was going to end anytime soon either. Once the ship was clean, there was laundry to do for the crew, clothes and bed sheets among other things and then Illya had been assigned to scrubbing the captain's quarters, which included polishing their captors boots. Sometimes the captain would walk by and smirk at the Chip, then keep going with his jaunty walk as if they didn't exist.
The slave that had fallen under Illya's charge was skinny, but tall Kleete, a race of creatures who sported cat-like eyes and sharp claws for fingernails. The man's claws had be stretched out and clipped off by the Udine however and he sat on his knees across from Calysta with wild looks. His yellow eyes would bounce from the first mate, to Illya and then to her with a mixture of uncertainty, fear and anger. "You think you're special," he grumbled at her, "But Captain always sells off the women. They cause too much trouble and you're a prime example."
Calysta had been quiet about his angry looks at her. It seemed he blamed her for his circumstances and she was about tired of the looks between the salacious ones and the angry ones, the feeling of being watched was getting old. Still, she had to try to talk to the slaves like her. If they were going to build any sort of reputation on the ship, it needed to be a good one. Some of them were just as trapped as she and Illya were. "Just hush and let me work," she replied, "I'm not any different than you are scrubbing floors right now."
The Kleete couldn't argue with that and that seemed to make him angrier. He slammed his scrub brush into the bucket, which caught the attention of Ubrek. The leathery creature barked an order in Kleese and the man rolled his eyes before dragging out his brush again. Sighing, Calysta caught the man's eyes, with a more honest look. "Look, I'm not here to cause trouble. My name is Ariel, yeah? What's yours?" The man's cat eyes focused in on her like two large lamps and stared hard. What was he thinking of? Had he been offended by her asking his name?
"Rexe," he replied after a long moment, "My name is Rexe."
The first mate caught them talking again and marched over with his large elephant feet stomping on the metal floor. He reared back and gave Rexe a kick in buttocks, which pitched his face forward into the bucket of muddy water. The bucket tipped over as the Kleete tried to escape, sending the suds everywhere. "Leave him be!" Calysta yelled. In the back ground she could hear the other crew members laughing. The Udine circled on to her instead and she growled ready for a fight, though it wouldn't do much good against something like him.
***********
After the scuffle with the Ubrek the captain came out of his ready room with his whip in hand and a scowl on his face as he stared at all three of his unruly slaves. Not only had they disrupted the flow of the ship, but they had injured his first mate and that sort of behavior could't be tolerated slave or not. He had no plan on whipping them however. That would just put the two slaves he intended to keep out of commission and the one slave he intended to sell as damaged goods. There were other ways of keeping authority and punishing those who would challenge it however. Snapping his fingers, the captain had one of his crew members bring over a box and toss it Calysta's feet. The woman looked confused when she pulled out the space suit from inside. "The outside camera's need cleaning and you're just the woman for the task," he said casually.
Calysta frowned and dropped the suit back into the box. He wanted her to suit up and go out onto the hull? It wasn't that she hadn't done it before or was afraid to do it, but it left Illya alone on the inside the rest of them and it felt like a bad idea. The captain could already see the protest growing in the Chip man's eyes and he held up his hand. "You can stand at the airlock for all I care," the captain told him ,"But I only have one size suit and that's extra small. If she's too afraid to do it, you should find yourself a better woman."
She grit her teeth at the comment and looked to Illya with a determined gaze. "I've done walks before. This one would no different. We work the same as the others."
The captain looked at her with a raised brow and lead them toward the air lock. Rexe had gone strangely quiet as Calysta hauled out the suit and stepped into it, locking in the gloves and boots to their seals and then picking up the helmet from the box as well. The suit was still a little big for her, and it was an older model, but the air scrubber on the inside looked in decent order and the suit itself had no holes or patches to speak of. The tool belt was equipped with tethered versions of all the tools she would require. Her grey eyes caught Illya's and she nodded to him. "Keep my lead going unless you feel me tug twice. There should be a comm link once I get out there but just in case they wont let you listen, you can feel the lead." She had the strong urge to kiss him before the stepped through the air lock door but that would be a show of affection she couldn't afford. Giving him a small, but confident smile, Calysta put the helmet on and made sure the seal was good before turning on the air circulator and scrubbers in the suit. With a final glance at Illya she stepped into the air lock and closed it behind her.
As soon as the air lock closed, a buzzer went off along with a timer until a long hiss released the door on the other side, leading her out into open space. There was something both terrifying and freeing about being in open space. There was nothing but a thin layer between her and death by vaccuum seal, and yet the view was spectacular. The stars seemed even closer and the bright greenish -blue nebula swirled in the distance with occasional flashes of electrical discharge. Normally, it wasn't a good idea to do walked so close to nebula's like that, but she hadn't known they were so close and it was her task to deal with now. The sooner she got it done, the better. She had to work to keep her breathing calm, despite the adrenaline rushing through her veins at such a sight as he free floated, bound only by the tether to the first of board camera. Clicking the control screen at her glove, Calysta heard the distinct whir of the magnets in her boots start up and her feet suddenly sucked down to the metal hull of the ship. It wasn't a strong magnet, but enough to keep her grounded on the ship in between steps. "I'm at the first camera," she said over the com-link. It seemed that Illya could hear her for now, and she cleared her throat, as she wiped down the first camera. "Moving to the second, stand by."
Releasing the magnet, she gave a good kick and then floated over to the next one. Going over to the fourth, she noticed the nebula growing brighter. They were adrift, but the cloud of gasses sometimes built up charges over time and then released them in powerful electrical arcs all at once. "Bring me inside! Now!" Calysta called over the comms. The captain could beat her to a pulp when she got inside, but it was all worth it if it meant she wasn't going to get fried. No answer came over the coms though and she tugged on the tether twice. "Reel me in!"