When Chakotay and Paris rematerialized, they found themselves in what seemed like a holding pen. Nearby they could see another pen with a whole lot of other men in it. They stared about, confused for the umpteenth time today, but again were not given much time to protest as rough hands seized them. More women tugged on their chains and pulled them one at a time to separate spots. They were thrown roughly to the ground, knelt upon, and the chains taken off just long enough to tug off their clothes as well. Paris started protesting loudly from his place on the ground. The hell were they doing?! Chakotay shot him another look, even as his face was pushed into the dirt, but it was too late. "You shut up, boy!" A woman snapped at Tom, slapping him hard. The chains were reattached, and each man was stood up again on their feet.
"Nice," someone else purred as she took in the men with her eyes. "Too bad we have to cover that up right now. But we do. Rules and all. Still, good to know they look good under there." She laughed as she grabbed a loin cloth for Chakotay and expertly wrapped it on him, making no special care not to "touch" him. He certainly did feel odd, but hey, at least he was covered. So that was good, wasn't it? A number tag was slapped on his shoulder and he was done. After Paris was "dressed", they were pushed out to the other pen.
The two officers looked about them carefully before Chakotay nodded to the nearest man, "Hey, do you know what's going on here?"
The other man gave Chakotay a sharp look, and then whispered, "Shh. Keep your voice down. Yeah, we're being sold. First time at auction?"
"Wait, sold? Auction? What the hell?!" Paris snapped louder than he meant to. He was instantly shushed by pretty much every man close to him. The blonde haired man sighed and apologized with a much lowered voice, "Sorry. But what do you mean. Are we… slaves?"
A wry smile from the first man that had spoken to them before he answered, "You're very new. Transported off a ship, did you? Alright, I'll make it easy for you. Yes, we're slaves. Vordania Prime is a matriarchal society. Yes, we're human, with a few aliens thrown in the mix on this planet. The aliens are always treated nice. Us, on the other hand… male humans are slaves. We're the bottom of the barrel. We work or we are pleasure slaves. If you're good at that, you might become a Consort. But it takes a long time." He shrugged nonchalantly and started to turn away.
Chakotay called him back gently, "Excuse me? May we ask some more questions?" At the man's sigh but affirmative nod, the Commander hesitated before asking, "What is a Consort? And what can we expect at this… auction?"
The man looked over the two of them before deciding to have pity on them and answer, "A Consort is a male slave that has found favour enough in his Mistress's eyes and is allowed to father children for her. It's a bit of a process. As for the auction, well, you're asking the right person. I've been through this five times. This will be my sixth. They will already know the basics about you, as in when they caught you, what your titles were, etc. Then they'll announce it to the crowd as they parade you around. They'll bid on you and then you'll go with whoever buys you. You don't get a say in anything. Just get up there, do what they say, and keep your mouth shut. That's all." Now he shot Tom a warning glance before he shuffled off, not wishing to stand around and be caught talking for a long time. It was too dangerous.
The Commander had to face the facts. In a low voice, he soberly told Paris, "Well, that means that we'll likely be separated. Listen to me, man. Promise me you'll do your best, no matter what happens, okay? I'm sure Voyager will find us eventually. Try to behave yourself. And… and… I'll find you."
"What happened to behaving yourself, Chak?" Tom protested at that last bit. The rest he could do, but it seemed like this world could be dangerous. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, but still there was a feeling they both had. He wasn't stupid though. It had not escaped him one bit when the other man had said that "they worked or they were pleasure slaves". He could bet anything that if they were slaves, it would be not be consensual if they… he shut his brain off at that thought. They could find themselves in very bad places. And unable to help the other.
Gruffly, Chakotay replied, "Nevermind. See what happens. Hopefully we'll know who bought each other. Then we can sort out how to keep track of each other. And hope we go to good places. Alright?" He didn't wait for an answer as he perked up his ears towards the gate. It seemed that they were done bringing new men in. Now the women were taking the men out in small manageable groups and lining them up, taking note of their tags and writing on their pads. Paris could only assume it was for the auctioneer to keep track of the information of each man. He thought, That just sounds so bad. But hell, it is what it is. He wondered where Neelix went, but was confident that he was being taken care of somewhere. From what he'd been told, aliens were not slaves. In fact, they were treated very well. So the Talaxian would be okay. Maybe he'd be able to find them later and they could escape to the Flyer. Of course, that depended on them actually finding the ship. He decided that was a bridge to be crossed later when they came to it.
Tom and Chakotay stayed together, occasionally talking quietly, and they could hear in the distance the auctioneer shouting out prices in a currency they didn't know. Some slaves sold quickly, some took a long time. But the line continually moved. At last, the two found themselves in a group of six and shuffled into line, Paris ahead of Chakotay. There they waited nervously for what would happen next. A few times they got shoved around by impatient women guards, who kept a sharp eye on all of them. Once, one even tried to trip Paris up, and grinned with a cackle as he bumped into the man in front of him. Tom wanted to glare at her but then the line moved again and was unable to do so. He heard a whisper from behind, "You okay?" Tom sent a quick nod to Chakotay and a quick faint smile.
Sooner than he wanted, Paris was tugged by the leash up the stairs to behind the curtain. Chakotay couldn't see what was going on, but only hear the raucous crowd bidding wildly. Then a ringing voice silenced everyone, and claimed Paris. Despair washed over Chakotay. His friend, his teammate was gone. Would he ever see him again? Who bought him? Would he be okay? Grimly, he felt the tug of the leash around his neck and followed the woman up to the stage.
He stared out onto the gathering he saw below him. The majority were human women, but there were a few aliens of either gender. He startled slightly as the auctioneer started up with banging of her gavel on the stand. She announced loudly, "Look at this fine boy! Big and strong!" Chakotay barely listened to her as she rhymed off his good points. He just felt like a cow going through market as they used to have in the old days. It was just too demeaning to listen to closely. Though he snapped to attention as she told everyone, "Like the previous boy you saw, this one is from a Federation Starship! And he is a Commander! Wouldn't you just love to break him?"
That was quite enough to start the crowd to bid wildly. She let them bid a while, while Chakotay was made to walk back and forth on the platform to "show himself off". He was silent through this, knowing there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't bear the lecherous looks, and a stab of fear shot through him. What would his fate be? He could see a few… a very few… women who looked like they would be nice. He hoped with all his heart that they would get him. He hoped Paris had gone to a good place as well. Someone that would be kind to him.
"Alright, alright! Hold your bids. We haven't even gotten to the good part yet! Shall we show you now?" A shouted yes prompted the guard to yank on the collar and make Chakotay stand still. He did, not knowing what they wanted now. Then he froze and couldn't help the embarrassed flush as she whipped off his loincloth and he stood before everyone stark naked. His privates were handled not so gently as she displayed them to leering eyes, and he wanted to snap at her, but held himself back. This was neither the time nor the place to act up, however much he wanted to at the unfair treatment. He just wanted it over with as soon as possible.
"Look at that fine package! Yes, ma'am! This boy would be just as good in the bedroom as out working in the field!" the auctioneer trumpeted. There were a few more high bids before that same voice rang out.
"Silence! I will take him as well."
He looked up to a balcony he hadn't noticed before. A imperious looking woman sat in a comfortable chair. She was gorgeous, but cold looking. She stood up and leaned over the railing, asking, "He has come from the same ship as the other?"
"Yes, my lady Cassandra. He has. Fresh off his own ship as of yesterday," the auctioneer answered politely. It was obvious to Chakotay, this woman held much power. Perhaps she was the queen here or something.
Another careful look at him and she asked, "Is his ship still here?" That was answered with a yes, the Delta Flyer was going to be offered to her anyway after the auction. That satisfied her and she sat down. "Take him away. I will give you compensation later."
There were a few groans from some of the women in the crowd who had really wanted him, but they graciously accepted the situation. Chakotay was pulled off to the other side of the platform, down those stairs and to a wall where Paris had been chained by the collar. He was chained up next to him, and sighed, "You got bought by her too, I guess?"
The blonde man nodded tersely, "Yeah. Big boss or something like. Think we'll get clothes back or?" He sighed as he moved from foot to foot in uncomfortableness at his exposure. He was tense, but at the same time glad that Chak would be with him.
"Let's hope so. May it won't be so bad, Tom. I just wish I knew where Neelix was. Though I think he's okay. Just would make me feel better if I knew. At least we're together," the commander pointed out the positives of this situation.
Paris rolled his eyes but had to content himself with waiting until the auction was over. It took a little while, but at last a woman came and yes! She put a cloth over their nakedness. It wasn't quite the same as the one before where they had been wrapped carefully, since this one was merely a flap in the front, a flap in the back, attached by a string. Well, it was better than nothing at all. They were unchained from the wall and tugged outside.
Blinking at the brightness after the dimness of the hall, Paris took a good look around. Twin suns. That was noteworthy. Then they found themselves chained to a fancy looking cart with slaves pulling it. The street was bustling with pretty women dressed in bright colours, usually followed by plainly dressed men in collars. Some carried packages. Some just tagged along behind their females. Some pulled single carts. It was a lot to look at, and he noted especially some of the dead expressions on the men's' faces as they scurried around. Others had a worried or even scared look. This wasn't good at all, was it?
Now there was a flurry of excitement as the woman who had bought them came out of a different exit. She gave them a quick glance before settling herself onto the cart and nodding to her driver. Pretty soon they were in front of a large building, and Chakotay guessed it was something like a palace. The guards forced them to follow the woman to a room, then stood nearby in case they were needed. They were dealing with unbroken slaves after all. Caution must be exerted, especially with this woman. She turned around and acknowledged them for the first time.
"Greetings, both of you. I am Lady Cassandra. I am also known as the Phantom. You are my slaves. I want to make that very clear to you right now. You come from a world with no slaves, or at least it was outlawed years ago." Cassandra brushed her hand through her black hair and locked her grey eyes on both of them. "Now, you will begin your training. But first, tell me your names."
Chakotay stepped forward and as politely as he could, answered, "I am Commander Chakotay of the Federation Starship Voyager. This is Lieutenant Tom Paris. You have no right to hold us as slaves."
The Phantom laughed and shook her head. "Oh, but I do. Voyager is it? And who is your captain? I do not believe I have heard of your vessel."
After a moment's hesitation, Chakotay replied, "Captain Kathryn Janeway. We were lost in the Delta Quadrant. We're making our way back to the Alpha Quadrant."
"Such a long way! But Kathryn? If I do not miss my guess, your captain is… female?" At the man's nod, Cassandra threaded a hand through her slight waves in thought. "That does not happen often around here. A woman captain...she must be interesting. Anyways, your captain will be looking for you, I am sure. If she values you, that is. Perhaps I will let her find us. She could join us and be happy on Voldaria Prime."
That made Chakotay correct her immediately, "The Captain does not tolerate slavery. She would never want to settle here."
He got a quick slap for his impertinence, and a hard glare, "You will be respectful! You are speaking to the Matriarch of Voldaria Prime! You are new, I know, but disrespect is never tolerated. Ever." She ran grey eyes over them both and then nodded. "You will kneel before your Lady."
The Commander could sense Paris' tension and had to agree. He wasn't willing to kneel to this woman. They were not slaves. They were also chains! He hardened his jaw to protest this but the next moment, he found himself on the ground, getting to know the marble floor very well. The guard had kicked his legs out from under him. A half second, and Paris joined him on his knees with a grunt. "Ya couldn't have as-" the lieutenant was cut off once again as he got a powerful kick to the ribs to shut up.
Wheezing lightly, Tom looked up from his place on the floor and inwardly cursed. Dammit. That hadn't been fair. But he gritted his teeth as the guards kicked them around a bit more before the Phantom told them, "There. That looks a good deal better. Now, let's get you settled in, and training will begin today. But perhaps I should have a better look at you first, hmm?"
Oh no. I know what she means by now, Chakotay thought as he was dragged up to his feet. This world sucked. His flap was raised and he had to tolerate Cassandra's hands roughly on him, but he did not protest. He closed his ears to her "comments", not wishing to react to them. He also ignored whatever she was saying about Paris… it was none of his business, and he didn't look either. Finally she seemed satisfied, and the two officers were led away to what looked for all the world like a dungeon. There were iron bars across each door, making the prisoners… no, slaves… visible to anyone passing by. They could see now that each cell held only a blanket on the floor, and not a whole lot else. There was something in the back corner that seemed to serve as a toilet. But every back wall had hanging chains designed to hold a slave up standing if desired, which a few cells did demonstrate. At last, Chakotay was thrown into one cell, and Paris in the one across the aisle. Then they were left alone.
The officers took a brief glance of their new homes then leaned on the cells so they could down the aisle. Once it seemed clear of women, Chakotay asked Tom, "Are you okay? Those were hard punches and kicks."
"Well, you got them too, so I should be asking you the same thing. But yeah, I'm okay," was the reply, with a sigh added at the end. Tom blew out a breath and had to say, "We've landed in a heap of trouble, haven't we?"
The Commander nodded grimly, then noted the other slaves seemed to be settling down to sleep. "I guess we'd better do the same. See what the morning brings us. Answers, hopefully." He sighed again then looked at his blanket. Well, it was better than nothing at all. And it seemed like they'd missed their meal. Or maybe they didn't get an evening one. Well, it looked like they might have time enough to figure out the routine tomorrow. But hopefully, they wouldn't need it very long.