Hey everybody, the gorean word for today is:
Thassa (silent H, say it Tah-Sa): The sea. Human civilization on Gor only occupies one side of one continent, so there is only one sea. Grammatically used as a proper noun. You would say the river flows to Thassa, not the river flows into the thassa. As there is no other word given for water, I am using it here to mean that as well.
It was pointed out to me that I forgot a couple words from Ch 1's appendix.
-Sleen are creatures that resemble a weasel. They have six legs and range from ferret-size to six meters in length. They are fairly intelligent and can be trained to do anything a dog could do, and fill similar roles when domesticated. However they are vicious things and would never be kept as a family house pet like a dog would be. Also takes the dog's place in many profane phrases, as seen in ch 1.
-Tarsk are very large swine, more similar to a wild boar than a domestic hog, roughly the size of a tractor/lorry cab and weighing in around 6000 lbs earth weight. Shinji mentions some breakfast sausage tastes like Tarsk.
Some notes on the Kurii. First off, Kur is the singular, Kurii is the plural and the name for the race as a whole. Kur would be used where we would say man, kurii would be men or humanity, either one. Please don't ask about Kurii gender, they have four, only two of which actually live sentient lives.
Oh and just because I found it notable and humorous (cause there one and only one), shout out to my reader from Brazil. Thank you for taking the time to read this pile of porcaria.
And now that we are done with the fofoca, on to the story!
A Warrior From a Counter Earth: Chapter 2
When morning came, Shinji found himself with only a dozen warriors still awake. He was pleased to see Aida and Suzuhara among them and, surprisingly, Captain Katsuragi. Shinji congratulated those who passed his little test before waking his slave with a boot to her ribs and heading home with Misato. They both collapsed onto her futon as soon as they got in the door. They had stripped down with some vague ideas of making love, but that fell by the wayside in face of exhaustion.
It was early afternoon by the time they woke up. Misato had fallen asleep with her head on Shinji's chest and woke up with his arm still around her shoulders. She shifted her shoulders and laid her hand on his chest and waited for him to wake up.
"Hey." She said quietly as he began to stir.
"Tal, my captain." He said with a sleepy smile.
Misato smiled at first, then worry came to her face. "Shinji… I need to ask you something, and I want you to be straight with me. No joking or flirting, just tell me the truth, okay?"
Shinji moved out from under her and propped himself up on the futon with one elbow to look at her. "Of course Misato, what would you like to know?"
"What is the difference between me and… between me and Rei, in your eyes?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean…" Misato thought about how to phrase this. He didn't really understand referring to things nicely or trying to allude without mentioning. The best solution was to tell him exactly and honestly what you meant.
"I mean, what I want to know is what differences are there in how you view your slave girl and how you view me? I am concerned that what you and I have is just fucking and I don't want that. I've had plenty of that in my life and I don't need it from you or anybody."
Shinji nodded and his eyes wandered as he thought about it. His gaze even made its way to Misato's chest before she pulled up the covers of the futon.
"My slave is a thing, an object. She has emotions and motivations, but its more like an animal than anything. That's just how slaves are. Don't get me wrong, slaves are devious as they come, but they are very base and even in their rebellions quite predictable. You can anticipate why they will do something and with what goal, it is the how they will surprise you with."
"Do you love her?" Misato asked, not looking at him.
"If you mean am I fond of her, yes. She makes a good slave, discounting her lack of experience and training. She'll learn though. That she can already cook is a major positive."
Misato had to nod in agreement. Rei really was a good cook.
"She is attractive, unique in her looks, both of which increase her value both as a status symbol and hypothetically at sale. She seems to really enjoy slavery, and its rare to find one who takes so easily and so well to it who isn't stupid. But she is a slave and no matter what emotions I may feel for her, she is never going to be an equal."
"And what about me?" She asked.
"Well… you are beautiful and intelligent, and I am very fond of you, but other than that you are the opposite of her, or any slave girl really. Actually, come to think of it, you don't have much in common with any free woman I have ever met." Shinji said and adjusted himself so he had his arm over her again before continuing.
"My sword brothers told me of your record as a warrior. Even if I had never met you, you have more than earned my respect as an equal. On Gor, woman, even of the warrior caste, do not fight under normal circumstance. What you have done puts you above every other woman I have ever met."
Misato curled up against his chest, and tucked her head against him to hide the color in her cheeks. "You sure know what to say to a girl."
"But its not just that. And it is not just, as you say, fucking. Sex is wonderful, but its nothing to build a real relationship on I think. You have fire in your belly, you are willful and even unpredictable. When I push, you push back and that makes it all the more rewarding that you allow me into your bed the way you do."
Shinji lifted her chin so she was looking at him. "That's how I see you. A fellow warrior who makes me be my best to get what I want, my equal. And before you ask, yes, I love you."
She squeezed the breath out of him so quickly Shinji gasped for air. Misato looked up at him with tears building in her eyes.
"That is the single most amazing thing anyone has ever said to me." She said. "Please don't take this the wrong way, like when I say mine, but I want… I want us to be a couple. Do you have a word for people who are in a committed relationship, but still, you know, figuring out if it is for life?"
"I would say such people are courting."
"Okay then, if you are okay with it, we are courting."
"I am okay with that, yes."
"So, is there anything special two people who are courting call each other?" Misato said, gently rubbing his chest.
"Whatever they want? I don't know." Shinji said with a chuckle. Misato kissed him and cuddled into his chest again.
"Anata." She said simply. Shinji stroked her hair and kissed her on the forehead.
"Sana."
"Sana… I can do that."
The held each other for a few minutes before Shinji's stomach began to growl.
"Charming." Misato quipped before her own stomach expressed its hunger.
Misato put on a robe while Shinji just pulled on his trousers. When they slid the door to the bedroom open, they found the red-eyed slave girl kneeling, properly, in waiting. Shinji ruffled her hair as he walked by.
"Lunch, girl." He said without stopping until he felt a tugging on his trouser leg. He looked to find her holding onto the fabric.
"What, slave?"
"May this one speak to master and mistress for a moment?"
Misato laid her hand on Rei's head and gently scratched her scalp. "What do you want to say, Rei?"
Rei pressed into Misato's hand. "Mmmm, this… this one heard what master and mistress said."
"And girl? I hunger and you are not preparing food yet." Shinji snapped at the slave. Misato gave him a look and cupped the younger girl's chin and raised her head up.
"Speak." She said.
"This girl is very happy for you both and is… very fond of you both as well." She said.
Misato smiled and patted her on the head. "Lunch girl."
"Yes mistress, right away."
Rei scampered to the kitchen, leaving Shinji smirking at Misato.
"And what is that look for?" Misato said, hands on her hips.
"You talk to her like a man."
"Excuse me?"
"Free women are vicious with slaves, they resent them. Its like I said before, you are a warrior just like me, not like them."
Misato grinned and held her head up. "Should I join your little hunting party then?"
"You'd be welcome."
The slave quickly had a light lunch on the table. Shinji and Misato sat across from each other and Rei kneeled by Shinji's feet. This was normal when they ate and Shinji always took extra food to feed the girl from his plate if she had been good. If he was not pleased with her she might get some leftovers on the floor. If he was really not pleased she got nothing.
"So, are we to share a room then?"
"If you like. One thing though."
"Yes, sana?"
Misato tapped the table and pointed at Rei. Misato thought for a second about how she wanted to put this before a wicked smile came to her lip. "Keep the wench of the furniture."
Shinji slapped the table and laughed as the slave dipped her head with a sad look on her face. She didn't know why mistress was upset with her.
"Agreed, but would you be open to a new bed? I must confess, I don't like these futons."
"Deal."
"She will sleep bound to the foot of the bed though. On the floor of course. This is how things are done back home."
"Mmmm, fine."
Gorean culture note
Sana translates at first or primary. What Shinji is saying by it is that she is the first woman he has felt the way he does about. Somewhat alien to English speaking cultures, but common in many others (Russians do this a lot, look up some soviet names) Goreans will name people after things/concepts, especially slaves. As to what that implies about Shinji, well see his history with women.
Anata, for those who don't know, is a Japanese word commonly translated as dear or darling.
"Alright Shinji, lets try this one more time."
"Dr. Akagi, we have done this a dozen times now."
"Well if your sync scores were higher I wouldn't need you to practice so much."
Shinji grumbled. He was in the evangelion, breathing the fluid that tasted like blood and wearing this confounded suit, just like he had been for hours.
"Well how am I supposed to do that?!"
"The evangelion is a living being but essentially lacks higher thought processes. She is currently at rest, standing up. When you synchronize with her, try and think of yourself the same way as a starting point."
"Wait, did you say 'she' and 'her'?"
"Yes…"
"Like a ship, where you call it a woman?"
"No, actually. The biological components of the eva are genetically female."
"Huh… alright Doctor, let us try this again, thank you for the advice."
"Okay, begin test."
Shinji let go of the control yokes and crossed his arms over his chest. He closed his eyes and imagined himself standing alone in an empty space.
So you are a woman, he thought. I tried to command you as a man and that was the problem. Speaking to a woman…
Thoughts of Misato crossed Shinji's mind.
… speaking to most women as equals will only get one so far. So let as speak as man to a woman. As a warrior to a…
Ritsuko had her tablet tucked against her abdomen and was making notes with her stylus. She was watching the graph which ideally would show a pilots brain activity plot aligning with that of the evangelion. After a few seconds, much to her shock, the evangelion's activity plot warped and moved to align itself to Shinji's.
"That's funny…" She said and pulled up the diagnostic to make sure the plots were displaying the correct data, which they were. This had never happened before. She got another shock when she saw the sync ratio was hovering near 200%, where Shinji had been in the mid-40s before.
"Shinji, whatever you did, it is making for very interesting results."
"Satisfied?"
"Yes, this is an amazing improvement. What changed?"
"Your advice was very helpful, Doctor." Shinji said with a wolfish smile.
Shinji finally exited the machine a few minutes later. Misato was waiting for him on the gantry catwalk.
"Mmmmm, you know, you can leave that suit on. I don't mind, you don't need to change." She said, arms crossed across her chest and an impish smile on her face.
"Quite funny Sana, perhaps you would like to try one if you approve so much."
"Haha, no."
It was still early enough that, once Shinji had changed they went bed shopping. As soon as they walked into the furniture store, a sales girl with a plastic smile scurried over.
"Good evening marines, is there something I can help you… Ohmygod, you're him!"
"Pardon?" Shinji said, one hand resting on the pommel of his sword when the perky sales girl got entirely too close. The young woman had a sudden and crushing feeling of dread and looked to Misato to find a look unmistakably said mine. The sales girl ran off and Shinji looked at his companion.
"What was that all about?" He asked. Misato shrugged. Before they could take five more steps into the store, the entire staff, from the sales people to the loading dock staff, to the manager, his manager and the local director of operations, were lined up, bowing furiously.
"You are the pilot, yes? The go-re-an?"
"Yes, yes, I pilot the eva. And its gorean, thank you." Shinji said, taking a step back. Of all the things he had experienced on earth, this was the first to make him nervous. Too many strangers way too close and being so nice.
"We are most honored by your visit. What do you need today?"
Misato stepped forward. Shinji starting to fidget was amusing but she didn't want him getting too nervous considering he was carrying a broadsword.
"We're looking to purchase a bed actually. Stepping up from the futon, y'know, as a… couple."
"Oh… Oh yes yes yes, of course, come, come."
They tried the so-called finest wares of the store, but Shinji found the memory foam and pillow tops far too soft, and the sleigh beds ands four posters gaudy, to say nothing of impractical in their small apartment.
The staff was a little disappointed that the captains passed on all of their premium stock and ultimately decided upon a firm mattress on a very austere, basically framed bed. It was just tall enough to hold the matteress a few inches off the ground and had a basic head and footboard connected by side rails. The material at least was nice, a pleasantly deep cherry wood.
"Does this meet with your approval Sana?" Shinji asked Misato. They were laying on a display bed, sat up against a ridiculous number of decorative pillows.
"Works for me. I slept in barrack racks for eight years, I can sleep anywhere."
"Then we are decided." Shinji said, sitting up and sliding off the bed. "If I might speak with a craftsman, I do have one addition I need." He said to the small crowd of men and women in suits who had been waiting on them since they arrived.
"Anything!" They responded in chattering chorus.
"I notice this piece lacks slave rings. A handswidth ring on each corner of the foot will be sufficient for my purposes."
The flock of salespeople were silent.
"Anata, perhaps we should speak about who we mention the s-l-a-v-e word to." Misato stage whispered.
A dozen heads turned to face her.
"What?"
The men began to smile and a few of the women had knowing looks.
"My apologies. We have clients make special requests like that all the time, most are not so… forthcoming. What you and your partner do at home is of course your business."
Misato had a marine moment as her brain caught up with what was going on. "Now wait just a minute, he isn't talking about me!"
Shinji looked at the captain then back at the small army of sales people. "Did you think I meant for her?"
"I, uh, well…"
Shinji drew his sword and held the tip to the closest man's chin. "Captain Katsuragi is a free woman and a warrior, who has honored me with the opportunity to court her. Now that is separate from the slave girl who I received as payment for my actions against the first enemy I fought here. You will apologize to the captain and fetch me a craftsman so I can make my request."
"GOMEN NASAI, TAICHO!"
Once the order was made and Shinji was sure it was clear as to what he wanted and for whom they were for, they left.
"I am worried they would not accept payment. Do you think they believed I was attempting to rob them?"
"No, I think they were trying to say they were sorry and thank you for saving their butts. Which by the way…" Misato said and grabbed him by the arm. She hugged his limb close to her and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, Anata."
"I will always defend your honor Sana."
"The world needs more men like you then. Okay that's probably not true but still, thank you. I really appreciate that you made sure they knew."
"Back home I would have been within my rights to slit the men from stem to stern and take the women to sale for compensation." Shinji said, his free arm resting on his sword.
Misato laughed at that, still holding onto his other arm as they walked. "I think people forget their courtesies when they don't have to fear for their lives over bad manners."
"I would agree." Shinji replied. "I think you would not mind my home so much."
Much later, as they lay in bed together, the slave girl curled up on the floor by their feet, Misato laid her head on Shinji's chest.
"Tell me of your home, Anata."
"What would you like to know?"
Misato snuggled against his chest and pulled the blankets tighter. "Everything."
Gorean culture note
As Shinji pointed out, gorean beds usually have steel rings for the keeping of slaves overnight. A particularly unruly free companion might find themselves there as well. A necessity given the understandable desire by slaves to do harm to their owners in their sleep.
Also, and this refers to the real-world sub-culture around the books more than anything, but has always pissed me off. Its pronounced gor-E-anne, not go-ree-anne.
Commander Gendo Ikari headed the table. On his right were Captains Katsuragi and Ikari, while on his left was hi vice-commander and Dr. Akagi. Shinji had never met the vice commander before today, the man had apparently been on vacation or something.
There were seated in the dark conference room with holographic screen above their heads in idle. It was early in the morning, before most staff was usually even in. It was an emergency meeting.
"Dr. Akagi, please begin." Gendo said from behind steepled fingers.
The screen switched to pictures of several different crime scenes as well as blurry photographs of dark shapes moving through wooded areas.
"In the three weeks since the destruction of the fourth angel, the city has experienced a surge in missing persons, all young woman. While we noted the change, we left investigation to the local police." Ritsuko said then tapped on her tablet to change the display. A single paused video frame, apparently from a traffic camera, showing a lone figure mid-jog down an empty street.
"Until this morning, when this video was taken. What you are about to see occurred one hour and fifteen minutes ago." She said and hit play.
The video showed a young woman jogging in the early morning fog from a high angle, there was no sound. Suddenly, an enormous black shape flashed out from a nearby alleyway and grabbed the girl in one enormous paw. Ritsuko paused the video as the thing looked towards the camera with its canine face and zoomed in to enhance the image.
"I told you, Ubar, you have Kurii." Shinji said. Gendo grunted in response before looking back at Dr. Akagi. She zoomed out and started the video back up. The Kurii slung the girl over its shoulder and dashed out of sight, running on three limbs.
"Commander, if we attribute even half of the missing persons reported in the last three weeks to these attacks, that is thirty kidnappings. We do not know the purpose behind the attacks or where the victims are being taken."
Gendo adjusted his glasses and looked to Shinji. "Well? Are you going to explain?"
Shinji crossed his fingers in imitation of his father. "Provisions."
"What?" Misato and Ritsuko said at once.
"Human women, particularly fetching slaves, are a delicacy among the Kur."
"Jesus…"
"Oh my god."
"Captains, I want you to put together a plan. Work together with your individual knowledge of our weapons and these aliens. Our full complement is available to you. I will speak with JSSDF command and see what else we can bring in on short notice." Gendo said then looked to Dr. Akagi. "Use whatever methods you can to give us some idea of where these Kur are camped. Shinji can give you more information on their movements and habits. I am declaring martial law to fortify the city at once. We reconvene in two hours. Dismissed."
It was sundown by the time a squadron of super stallion helicopters, flanked by NERV VTOLs armed to the teeth and jets loitering overhead, made its way out over the hills of Hakone.
Inside one such helicopter, Shinji was strapped in beside Misato. His great spear was down across his, and five other warriors', lap and he had his sword and shield as well. His helmet had been beyond repair, and he wore his marine uniform under all the gear. He had left his bow at the urging of Misato, but had declined the firearms everyone else was carrying.
"So… what happens if this machine stops running?"
"Shinji, we've been over this, the blades spin both to produce lift and form a wing."
"Right right I know that, but I mean what if there is no more power, what happens?"
"Air flow keeps the blades spinning and it falls at a survivable speed to the ground, kind of like gliding. Why are you so worried, I told you it will be fine?"
Shinji shrugged.
From the cockpit, Misato heard a faint sound of back and forth between the pilots and turned up the volume on her headset, still plugged into the aircraft's internal circuit.
"... That's… oh fucknuggets."
As the red emergency lights came out and the sirens began to scream, Shinji was actually the calmest person on the aircraft.
The helicopter bellied through the trees along with the rest of the first wave of aircraft. On reflex, the rest of the pilots pulled back just in time. There had been no fire, no signs of an attack. When they tried to raise the fallen crews, the landings looked quite survivable given how low they had been flying, there was only static.
The landing was actually quite soft for a crash. Even as Shinji helped pull the pilots from the cockpit, they were bickering about how nothing was wrong and then suddenly boom, nothing. No power, no engine, no control response, nothing.
The sun was sinking behind the hills as a final headcount was made. Between their chopper and two that also crashed nearby, Misato had about one hundred marines and Shinji. Nobody was able to get radio signal and as darkness began to set in, another problem became apparent.
"Ma'am, everyone's lights are out. Already tried swapping batteries, no dice."
Before she could even address that, Shinji's hand was on her shoulder.
"Organize your warriors, quickly. They will be coming."
They managed a loose perimeter around the downed lead chopper. Some men pulled flairs for light, but none would ignite. With no lights in a dark forest, as they began to hear sounds of movement among the trees and one final problem became evident.
"Open fire!"
Nothing. No clicks of hammers on empty chambers, no rattle of parts against eachother, nothing. Dead triggers all around.
"Fuck, fix bayonets!"
The kur came like a tide. They had massive metal shields and huge axes with circular blades. Even those unarmed had razor sharp claws and teeth. The earthlings were panicking for the most part.
Shinji already had his spear and shield at the ready. His first kill was a charging kur with no weapons to slow him down. Shinji slammed the butt of his spear into the ground and let the beast's own momentum smash the spear through its chest. Shinji spun around and with a single motion slammed the edge of his shield into another kur's neck, crushing his windpipe, and pulled his sword from the first beast.
Shinji scanned left and right, having backed himself up to the wrecked helicopter so he didn't have to worry about his flank. He saw Misato slice a Kur's neck with her bayonet, but the cut was shallow and a backhand from its massive paw sent her flying back into the body of the crashed aircraft. Before the kur could regain its footing Shinji flipped his grip on his spear and hurled it overhand hard enough to pierce the alien's breast plate. The spear stood straight up as kur hit the ground, dead.
Before Shinji could recover his spear, there were more upon him. With a war cry he drew his sword and deflected one of the huge axes with his shield before slashing open the kur wielding it.
Yards away, Ken and Toji were fighting back to back with the kind of coordination only years together can bring. Toji had lost his rifle when the bayonet had become stuck in a dying kur and had hefted one of their enormous axes in its place. He swung high in broad arcs. Kensuke had a bayonet in each hand and as the Kur raised their shields to block Suzuhara's swing, he darted in and slashed tendons then dodged away before there was a chance to counterattack.
Elsewhere was not so lucky. The marines of Tokyo-3 faced their first real combat action without the weapons they had trained with, in the dark, against an unfamiliar foe. It was going badly.
Misato's vision had gone dark when the Kur knocked her off her feet. As her eyes began to focus again, there was just enough light to see Shinji fighting with just his sword, his shield discarded. She could also see that he was about to be overwhelmed. She rose on wobbly feet and grabbed the first thing within hand's reach. This just happened to be Shinji's great spear, still lodged in the body of a Kur.
Misato said a silent thank you to her guardians growing up for pushing her into those naginata clubs in high school then braced her foot against the dead alien and pulled the spear from its body. She settled into a practiced two handed grip and thrust forward into the back of a Kur getting ready to attack her lover then pulled back and transitioned into an overhead spin and cracked its skull with the butt of the spear.
"Devil dogs!" She screamed into the night before swinging the spear like a glaive and taking a Kur's head from its shoulders. "Purge the xeno!"
"OORAH!"
It was over in half an hour. A single Kur may be a match for the average man, but given time to prepare and cooperation, and men can turn them back. When the last kurii had retreated and the marines regrouped, the cluster of crash sites counted less than two dozen left, including Shinji, Misato, and the corporals. Many had picked up the round metal shields of the enemy and those with the strength held their axes.
A count of enemy dead found that for their eighty losses since the crashes, they had killed only fifteen Kurii. Blood trails on the ground indicated wounded aliens had escaped.
With the stars and a compass they marked the place on a paper map. They would return in daylight to retrieve the fallen. They marched back towards the city in silence. Once they reached the road they found their radios and phones still did not function and in the light of a streetlamp examined their weapons to find all the working components fused together into a solid mass.
A passing vehicle and a borrowed cell phone later, and the sullen marines were taken back to base. As more groups trickled in, the stories were similar, or worse. Of the nearly four hundred marines that rode out, less than one hundred remained.
It was past midnight when Shinji and Misato sat down across from Gendo in his office. Both were still covered in filth and had a wealth of surface wounds. Shinji had only his sword, his shield sundered in the battle. Misato still held onto the great spear. She had tried to return it but Shinji had refused, saying it was hers now and perhaps had always meant to be.
"What happened out there captains?"
"Everything just stopped working Sir." Misato said, shaking her head. "Everything cut out at once on the choppers, then our lights weren't working and our guns wouldn't fire. All we had were bayonets."
"Son, you've fought them before, what was that?"
Sinji just shook his head. He didn't know. He didn't even know how their guns and flying machines worked, how was he supposed to know what weapon the kurri had to destroy them?
"The hell are we supposed to do against that?" Misato said, forlorn.
"Captain Katsuragi!" Gendo snapped. Misato raised her head quickly, eyes wide.
"You are the head of military operations for the UN special agency in charge of dealing with extraterrestrial threats, think!"
Gendo's rebuke was enough to reboot Misato military mind and scenarios began to play out. After a few moments, she spoke.
"Sir, based on what we observed, I believe we can assume the ability to disable our technology is a field of some kind. Fact one, not all of the aircraft were lost, fact two the enemy brought no advanced technology against us. That says to me that within the area of effect, everything is affected, and some of our forces were outside the AOE, so that rules out it being targeted."
"Alright, what do we do about it?"
"We fortify the city, keep it on lockdown for now. In the morning we begin distribution of remote transmitters, preferably by air, in the surrounding area. Nothing complicated, just something broadcasting a ping ID and location. We use the feedback to map the area of effect. If any more of the transmitters go down we assume its an incursion and direct fire from altitude or via artillery batteries on that location. Within the city limits we keep people off the surface as much as possible and keep patrols loaded for bear going at all times."
"A good start. And what of the next confrontation?" Gendo asked
"I will see to that." Shinji said. Gendo and Misato both looked to him. His sullenness was gone, replaced with new fire in his eyes.
"I will begin training units in gorean methods of combat. They may be ancient to you here, but I have never see the Kurii cause a spear or a bow to stop working with invisible force. I will need a supply of suitable arms."
"I will see to it, son. I think we have some friends who may be able to help us as well. They will be very interested to know that the Kurii are here in such force and acting so brazen."
"Just what kind of friends do you have, Ubar?"
"Friends in the Sardar mountains."
"Oh….oooooooh." Shinji said then smiled. "So the priest kings have their hands… claws… antennae,, whatever, in this."
"Indeed. Both of you get cleaned up and get some rest. All hands meeting at 0900 tomorrow, we'll start sorting this shitstorm out."
The captains Ikari and Katsuragi accepted a ride home from a patrol heading out. Misato was way too tired to drive anyway. There were already soldiers and section 2 guards at their building. Two men stood guard just at their door. As they approached, Misato noticed something in both mens' hands.
"Are those… cookies?"
"Oh! Um… yes, ma'am. Your, um…."
"Slave girl, just go ahead and say it."
"Yeah, that. Well she is a bit of a stress baker."
As they opened the door, Shinji and Misato were metaphorically hit by the strong scent of a well-used kitchen. They were then literally hit with 98 lbs of very emotional teenage girl.
"ohmygodyourehomeIwassoworriedwhentheyshowedupandsaidthingshadgonewrongandjustwaitingaroundwasdrivingmenutssoIcleanedeverythingbutthen IstartedgettinganxiousagainandItriedtoreadbutthatjustmademethinkofmastersoIstartedcookingandand…and…." Rei settled back down on her feet, releasing her hold on their shoulders. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and as she tried to continue she kept choking on her own breath. When Shinji laid a hand on her shoulder she went silent. Misato was worried he was going to punish her for the rather massive breach of his protocols, but Shinji just patted her on the shoulder and gently pushed her back through the entryway so they could come in.
"Do you know how to dress a wound girl?"
"Y-yes master. Oh no, are you hurt?! I-" She started to say before Shinji silenced her with a finger to her lips.
"It is nothing serious. Get a hot shower ready for me, you can clean them while I bathe… No, wait. You will attend to Misato first, I will bathe after." Shinji said and looked to his… what did they call it here? His girlfriend, that was it. She fought as hard as he had. Probably had the worst of it with that backhand that took her off her feet.
"No." Misato replied.
Shinji cocked his head like a puzzled dog.
"I will clean your wounds." She said and grabbed Shinji by the arm. "And you can clean mine." Misato looked at Rei next.
"And why aren't you getting our shower ready yet, girl?"
Rei meeped and bowed quickly before heading for the bathroom. Despite being exhausted, sore, and covered in injuries, Shinji just chuckled and shook his head.
"And whats so funny?"
"No matter how much of a warrior you may be, Sana, you're still such a free woman. You will fit in well back home."
"Oh stop being all mysterious about it. Why do you say that?" Misato said as they both started to strip off their uniforms.
"Just now you marked your territory just as sure as if you had pissed on me, then told the slave, in no uncertain terms, what her place was and that you would not tolerate her on your territory."
"No I…. okay yeah, I guess I did."
Even with both naked, sex was not on either captain's mind. Too sore, too tired, too filthy. Rei bowed as they stepped past her then rushed out of the small bathroom. They were both slumped against the wall taking in the steam when she returned with a collection of bandages and medicine. The slave was turning to leave when Misato caught her eye and beckoned her over with one finger. Rei nervously kneeled by the lip of the bath.
"Nobody asked you to do that, girl."
"It was needed. This one would be lazy not to do something she knew needed to be done.
"And here I thought you cared, Rei."
"N-no! This one means yes, yes she does…" Rei stopped speaking when Misato laid her hand on her head and gently began to scratch.
"I knew what you meant. You're a good girl, Rei."
"Thank you mistress." Rei said with a smile.
"I'm not trying to be mean. I'll get used to having a slave eventually."
Shinji snickered. "Bah, it won't make her any more lenient with you, girl."
Misato poked one of his cuts, eliciting a cringe and a hiss from the gorean.
"Oh hush you. Come on, lets get this over with, I need to sleep."
"Aye."
"Yes Mistress."
"To this point you have been taught to fight as men of Earth! Today you begin to learn to fight as men of Gor! With the sword and bow! With aegis kai duro! The kurii are not superior to us! They are an old race clinging to the last bits of technology they have forgotten how to make themselves. They are like a complacent hunter, fat on easy prey."
"When next we meet them in battle, we will be the hunters! We will drive them before us, hunt them to their den and slaughter them to the last. You will be the vanguard, you will be the message that the people of earth will not be prey, that you will never allow yourselves to be pawns in another race's game again! Warriors of Tokyo-3, WHAT. SAY. YOU?"
"OORAH!"
Aegis kai Duro = Greek, spear and shield.
Gendo's phone rang. Not the desk phone, nor his cell phone, nor even the double secret line Keel called him on. It was a phone which could only be reached by one number. Gendo could not call out on it, he just had to wait for it to ring. If he wanted to talk he had to leave a special message in a special place and wait for someone to respond.
Gendo picked up the phone.
"This is commander Ikari… Yes we do require additional aid… No he is more than sufficient to defeat the angels, that's not the problem. The Kurii are making themselves a problem in the city. We were nearly routed… Yes, someone experienced with them on earth would be best. Shinji does not understand our weapons and there is little time for him to learn… Good, thank you… Yes, everything else is according to plan."
"All of your tasks are done?"
"Yes master."
"Kitchen clean, everything put away?"
"Yes master."
"Bathroom cleaned?"
"Yes master." Thassa said again, careful to keep the annoyance out of her voice. He was standing, she was kneeling at his feet.
"Pen-pen's refrigerator cleaned?"
She nearly retched right there in her mouth remembering the smell. "Yes, master."
"Laundry done, bed made, spent one half hour practicing positions and organized Misato's closet?" Shinji rattled off. He loved the captain but her disorganized style drove him mad.
"Done, done, done, and by occasion and color, master." She responded with pride. She practically purred when Shinji laid his hand on her head and began to pet her.
"Congratulations. That's the first time you've completed everything I've asked in a day."
"Thank you master." She said, dead to everything in the world but his voice and his touch. She was yanked from her bliss when Shinji's gentle hand turned to an iron grip on her hair, tugging at her scalp. She whimpered when he began to drag her along. His arm still low she was forced to crawl alongside him as he led her to the room he shared with Misato.
Besides the bed they had purchased, Shinji had made one other change to the room. On the wall, across from the door, just above hip height, he had tacked a single small nail into the wall. On that nail hung what the slave girl considered the bane of her existence: the strap.
It had started out just a simple piece of leather. He had explained he carried several for emergency repairs to belts, scabbards, carrying straps, that sort of thing. He had doubled it over and bound the ends together with cord to make a handle and a small wrist loop by which it hung. She still remembered the first time he had used it on her….
She had been bored. She had finished most of the things left for her to do. In retrospect, it was tiny things that an idiot might be trusted with. She realized now master only gave her more to do when she showed she could accomplish her load already.
She had been cleaning the kitchen floor and had tired of staying bent over so long, and so she took a break, laying naked in the warm sun in the living room. She had seen an interesting looking romance novel on the small bookshelf upon which the television sat and had picked it up. Rei had never found a book she didn't like. It was only when she heard the door lock open that she realized how long she must have been reading. Goosebumps rose up her back when she heard possibly the most frightening sound in her world.
"What is this?" He had said. His voice was calm, cool, totally without anger or malice and it nearly made her physically ill. He had punished her of course, in little ways for minor things. A pop on the cheek, a spanking here and there, little corrections for little infractions. She knew this was not minor. She had never not completed a task before. She might not have had it done on time, but she had done her best. This was different.
Before she could turn, get up, kneel, explain, before she could do anything, the breath was knocked out of her and she was pinned to the floor with his boot on her chest. It hurt and she could only draw shallow breaths.
"Answer me." He said. The total lack of expression on his face or in his voice terrified her.
"Ma…master… I…"
"You recognize me, good. Now begin explaining why you stopped midway through your task to read a book." Shinji said then turned his head to look at the book she still held between her thumb and index finger in one hand. "And do not try to tell me you just began."
She remembered looking at the book herself and realizing she was well past halfway through, at least 2 hours in.
"I… I… I…"
"I-I-I, is that the only sound you can make now, girl? Have you become so selfish it has made you stupid? Not "I", say "this girl"."
Rei shook her head quickly as tears welled up in her eyes. His foot hurt but she was quickly losing her composure under his hard gaze.
"M-master, this girl hurt from bending over for so long and took a break and she didn't realize how long it was, and she is very sorry, and…" She stopped and took a deep breath as he lifted his foot from her chest. Before she could say anything he had turned and headed for his room, where he had slept before sharing a room with Misato.
She rose to her knees and was about to get back up when he reemerged, the leather strap doubled over in his hand. She remembered yelping like a dog at the sight, then whimpering to match when he grabbed her by the hair,
"Ma-master, mercy!" She had pleaded, but it fell on deaf ears.
THWACK!
The pain when the first blow landed was an entirely new sensation for her. She had never been struck as a child. She had been in a fight here and there or bullied, and she had suffered serious injuries testing unit zero before it was totaled. But it wasn't the same. That pain was incidental and quickly been covered by adrenaline.
THWACK!
This was a practiced technique meant to assault her senses and cause pain. To humiliate and degrade the vestiges of a free woman that remained within her.
THWACK!
"Stupid!" He snapped, wrenching back on her hair to force her to look up at him, even though she knew meeting his gaze was forbidden.
THWACK!
"Lazy!"
THWACK
This was not a random beating, nor an anger reaction. A slave's first serious punishment is actually quite important. It sets certain boundaries and instills an important lesson in the girl's head.
THWACK!
"Useless!"
She had been screaming with each blow, now she just yelped softly through her sobs.
At the beginning, when she first saw him holding the strap, she had asked herself why he would be so cruel to do that to her.
THWACK!
Now the question had become why had she angered him so? She had been told to do a thing, an easy, simple task, why couldn't she have just done as she was told?
The slave grabbed her master's leg and tried to choke out words through her cries.
"This… this one…"
THWACK!
"This one is so sorry, master…"
His aimed his strikes and timed each blow to delay her body's response to dull the pain. All she had left were meager mental defenses. Even if she accepted that she really, truly, deserved this, her reflex was still to retreat inward. It is a learned, but common, response to trauma to disassociate oneself from the events.
Shinji had seen it before. When an unbroken girl reached within herself for that sacred place in her soul where she could hide until the pain was gone. Men spoke of various signs of this, but Shinji found watching the face to be most reliable. There was this little release of tension he watched for in the twitch of the cheeks.
This sign was a signal that she had reached that place where she could pretend this was happening to someone else. She anticipated the next strike and prepared herself to let it happen and flow off her.
At this point, a switch in timing and a new stimulus forced the subject to reassess. To pull herself out of her safe place to observe her circumstance anew.
Shinji let go of her hair. Before she even had a chance to relax he moved his hand from the top of her skull to the base of her neck to scruff her like an animal. Its not more pain, but it is different pain, enough to make her reassess. At the same time he brought the strap even higher over his head before bringing it down hard.
As she tried to figure out the world around her, the blow landed when she didn't not expect it and with greater intensity.
THWACK!
The result, beautiful in the right frame of reference, is the girl's brain jumps from her safe place to her master's discipline. The message is simple: There is no escape from this, there is no escape from me.
She followed as best she could as master led her by her hair to the evil strap where it hung on the wall. She didn't understand. She had done nothing wrong, she had done everything right. Why was she to be punished?
"You hate it, don't you?"
"Y-yes…."
"What was that, slut?"
"Yes, master!"
"Why?"
"Um… cause it hurts and… if this girl is punished its because she has disappointed you master."
"And you don not want to disappoint me."
"Of course not master. This girl wishes only to please you."
"As it should be. Consider where you learned that lesson girl. I never told you that is how you should feel. You learned because of this whip. It made you what you are."
Rei really did not want to believe that, but as she processed what her owner said she had the inescapable realization he was right. He was always right.
"Kiss it girl."
"What?" She said, turning to try and look at him before he twisted his grip in her hair to make her face front again.
"Put your lips to the whip and express your gratitude, because without it you could not have done as well as you did today and pleased me as you have."
Trembling, she leaned forward under her master's firm grip and pressed her lips to the rough leather strap.
"Thank you." She said in her softest voice. Shinji let go of her and she stayed in place, taking slow, deep breaths.
"Everyday you go without a beating, you have that whip to thank girl. So everyday you go unstruck, I expect you to give credit where credit is due."
"Yes, my master."
"Good girl." He said, giving her a playful swat across her ass. "Now get working on dinner."
"Yes, my master!"
"You wanted to see us, ubar?" Shinji said as he entered his father's office, holding the door open for Misato to follow.
It had been four days since the disastrous mission against the Kurii. The city was still under martial law with heavy military presence throughout the streets. Given what had happened, it was not resented much.
"Yes, come in." Gendo said, finishing some paperwork before holding up an envelope. It was a bluish metallic color with no address or stamps, just a round seal carved into the metal where the seams met.
"I made a request to our friends. This is, I presume, their response, however it is addressed to you son. If you would."
Shinji took the envelope and pressed his right thumb to the seal. There was a crackle of static and the seams opened up, the whole thing unfolding like an airmail letter.
Can't believe I need to do this, but Earth Culture Note:
Airmail in the United States used to be a single piece of paper which was then folded and glued shut, rather than put it in its own envelope. Conventional letters were written this way for most of history, though the Chinese invented envelopes a few thousand years ago and, as usual, promptly did nothing with it. Tarnsman of Gor describes an envelope like this one with the airmail description.
"The hell was that?" Misato asked.
"Thumbprint lock." Shinji said and handed the envelope back over to Gendo. "It says it is for you."
"You have paperthin scanners?" She continued as Gendo read the letter to himself.
"I don't know what that means, but I asked a craftsman once how they worked. They need a mold of the print to work from, which is probably why its addressed to me. They carve the print into two layers of metal and it only releases when the addressee touches it."
"That's… that's even more amazing."
Shinji just shrugged. "News, ubar?"
"Aye. It seems we will be receiving a special advisor for dealing with our Kur problem."
"So another gorean then, where are we going to pick him up? The spot we got Shinji is in enemy territory now."
"Tokyo-2 airport."
"Huh what now?"
"Our friend is on earth already, he is an enclaver."
"Okaaaay, and that means?"
Shiji made to speak, but Gendo raised a hand to stop him. "Our friend's in the Sardar mountains maintain agents on Earth in small communities called enclaves. Culturally they are gorean, even if many of their people are born on earth."
"Okay you keep saying that, who the hell are our…" Misato held up her fingers in airquotes. "Friends in Sardar mountains."
"An alien race who make themselves known to men as the Priest Kings of Gor. They have been fighting the Kur for a very long time." Gendo said plainly.
"Tarl says they have been able to move entire planets for a thousand eons before the first humans harnessed fire." Shinji added.
"Jesus, what do they want with us?"
Shinji and Gendo shrugged in unison. "They find us interesting, though they would probably call us possibly worth preservation."
The next morning
The plan was for the newcomer to enter the country via Narita-2 where a NERV VTOL would pick him up. It didn't work out.
"This is Captain Katsuragi… yes we are expecting an American by that name… oh his papers are not in order…. No no just somehow I am not surprised. Yeah, on the way."
Misato sighed as she put her phone away. "Hey Shinji, we have to drive out to meet the new guy. Border police won't release him without us there."
It was typically a three hour drive to Tokyo-2 on account of the winding roads through the hills. Misato carved it up in the Alpine in an hour and fifty minutes. Shinji was ready to kiss the pavement when they pulled up to the international terminal parking.
"Oh come on, is the poor gorean scared?" Misato teased in a sing song voice with her hands on her hips.
"Anything going that fast should have a saddle with a slave girl strapped across it. And be much further away from the ground."
A border control agent met them at the door and led them around the civilian crowds and into a back hallway. Shinji had left his sword in the car but still wore his master belt over his cammies.
"This American doesn't show up in any records. His documents are all forgeries. Good forgeries, some of the best I've seen, but all fake and all in different names." The agent said as he led them down the hall.
"Uh, yeah…" Misato said. "It's a diplomatic thing, short notice, you know."
"No, I don't, but NERV business is NERV business. Here we go. Just yell if you need something." The agent said and opened the door. Shinji and Misato stepped through into a sterile white interrogation room. The door closed behind them and clicked loudly as it locked.
Sitting at the table with handcuffs latched to the surface was boyish looking young man with sandy blond hair that came down to his ears. The ratty black hoodie he wore fit loose around his chest and shoulders. His head was down and his hair obscured his eyes. Misato was ready to speak before Shinji stepped forward.
"Tal." The warrior said, hand raised.
"Are you the warrior called Shinji?" The shackled man asked.
"Aye."
The young man raised his heads, revealing crystal blue eyes and a clean-shaven face. "Then hail, warrior." He said and raised his hands till the chain went taunt.
"I would bow, but…"
Misato slipped a handcuff key from her pocket and freed the man. She had brought it after hearing they had him in custody. He stood and towered over both the captains. Though he looked broad sitting down, seeing him at his full height he looked tight and lanky, a bit like how Shinji was built. He was a little over six feet tall, taller that Suzuhara but much slimmer.
Shinji looked up at the man, hands resting on his wide belt. "So, you know me, but tell me who you are."
"My face name is Wyatt. I come to your aid from the Indiana enclave in America."
Shinji crossed his arms and looked at the tall man sideways.
"What's this face name about? Are you low caste or are you a warrior?"
Wyatt looked away, frowning. "I just don't like the name my folks gave me is all. Would rather use my earth name."
"If you are going to swear your sword to my service, you'll do it with your true name." Shinji said.
Wyatt sighed as he took a knee. "Alright, but no laughin'…"
"Ivar Wulfstanson Von Torvaldsland" Dr. Akagi read off the chart. The young man in question was sitting on the exam table in his shorts, wincing as she read his name.
"Wyatt if ya don't mind doc."
"One is as good as the other to me. Lets see, age eighteen, six foot one, one hundred and sixty five pounds. Got all your shots…" She started flipping through pages. "Grew up near South Bend, Indiana, USA. Braces age nine to eleven, broken arm at age eight, no other major medical history."
"Sounds bout right ma'am."
"Officially anyway. Now lets hear the rest." Ritsuko said. She sat down on the swiveling stool with clipboard in hand.
"I was raised in the Indiana enclave. Dad's from the home world, mom's a local. Never been myself, hopin' to go when this is all tied up. Our doc said if y'all did blood work it would come back funny cause I got my last round of stabilization shots right before I left."
She scribbled down some notes. "Schooling?"
"I went to school just like every other kid doc. Bonafide product of the American public education system. Was only gorean at home."
"I see. Any history of mental health issues?"
Wyatt snorted.
"Something funny?"
"Aw nothin', just thinking how your definition of mental health and mine are mighty different. No, no shrink ever said I had something wrong with me."
"Alright. Are you sexually active?"
"No."
Ritsuko cocked an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Hey it ain't for lack of tryin', okay?"
"Alright alright. I know these are annoying but I have to ask. Have you or are you currently experiencing thoughts of suicide?"
"Only when I gotta fess up to the name dad gave me."
"Are you currently in an abusive relationship?"
This made them both laugh. Ritsuko finished the checklist and signed off on the bottom of the sheet.
"Alright, stand up, turn around and show some cheek." She said, picking up the penicillin needle. To his credit, she thought, he did not jump or groan when she gave him the three inch needle into the fat of his ass… Not that there was much fat on it, it was really quite tone, good shape….
Earth to Ritsuko, just cause Katsuragi's robbing the interplanetary cradle doesn't mean you need to join in.
"Alright that is going to be sore for a day or so. Take this, get dressed, go see Captain Ikari."
Wyatt got lost a couple times before he found his way to Misato's office. It wasn't that Shinji had a desk there, its just where he was usually found when not attending to other duties.
"Hey there Sir. Doc says I'm clean. So do I have to enlist with the marines now? Cause I gotta tell ya I am not digging the haircut." Shinji got up from where he had been leaning against Misato's desk and shook Wyatt's hand by the wrist then slapped him on the back.
"I have other plans for you, don't worry. First though, we need to get to know each other better. I demand you accept our hospitality tonight. Come and share our kettle."
"Girl, we have a guest!" Shinji said as he stepped through the door. The slave was kneeling on the kitchen floor before he turned the corner from the entryway. She was close, but not too close, leaving room for the free people to walk around her. She kneeled with her toes down and heels up, her knees spread as far apart as she could, and her lands laying palm up on her thighs with her head bowed. She wore her blue tunic, which was starting to get a bit worn, and a white apron over that.
"Tal masters." She said softly. She purred when Shinji gave her the usual pet, his fingers running through her light blue hair, which was down to her shoulders now.
"Cute bond-maid."
She heard an unfamiliar voice say. She looked up to find the blond man in ratty clothes with a duffle bag over his shoulder looking at her. She quickly cast her eyes down again. "Thank you master."
Wyatt walked past her, followed by Misato. Rei only rose once her mistress passed and returned to her cooking.
"So I get the feeling you're gorean, but not like the same kind as Shinji." Misato said, opening the refrigerator and getting a can of beer for herself. "Either of ya want one?"
"No thank you Sana." Shinji said, having taken a seat on the floor in the living room portion of the apartment with Wyatt following suit after setting his bag aside.
"Uh, sure." Wyatt replied. "And yeah, I guess um, boss, you're from what, the northern cities?"
"Port Kar."
"Oh shit, heard stories about that place. Yeah, I mean you probably got this already boss but our enclave is all Torvaldslander." Wyatt said then looked at Misato. She handed him the beer.
"Which means?" Misato asked.
"Vikings, basically. Nearest I can tell from the stories dad told me, a population out of Denmark got transplanted like twelve hundred years ago and stayed pretty much the same. Farming on shit ground for one half of the year and going raiding in long boats the rest of the time."
"Fun." She said and slid down to the floor beside Shinji with her beer. "So lemme guess, you have all your own little rules and customs that you need to kill over?"
Wyatt laughed, even as Shinji crossed his arms with an indignant huff. "Hey I'm just an American kid. I want to see the homeland one day, but I don't think I'd ever want to live there. I know our slave customs are a little different and I may have an axe instead of a sword, and a crossbow instead of a gun, but otherwise I think I'm probably closer to you than the boss here."
"Oh boy, lets hear the slave stuff, more crap for Rei to learn. Hey, you listenin' girl?"
"Yes mistress!"
Wyatt popped his can and took a sip. "From what I've heard slaves are slaves and not treated too differently. We call'em bond-maids and thralls though."
Shinji slapped the floor and pointed at Wyatt. "Thralls! That is what I was trying to remember. Your father's name was Wulfstan, right?"
"Yeah."
"My uncle Ivar told me about a thrall he owned and freed, named Wulfstan. And he told me that man ended up getting mixed up with agents of the priest kings and going to earth."
"Your… uncle Ivar? Cause my dad told me I was named after some crazy awesome guy named Ivar Forksbeard, and that he was a thrall until that man freed him."
Shinji lunged forward and grabbed Wyatt around the shoulder, nearly making him spill his drink and causing Misato a minor panic.
"Ivar adopted him as a son, right? My father on Gor was Tarl Cabot, who is sworn brothers with Ivar Forksbeard, I grew up around the man. That makes us good as family!" Shinji said with a big grin and pulled Wyatt into a head lock.
"Ow! Uh yeah." Wyatt said, smiling nervously and watching the beer in his hand as he tried to keep from spilling. Misato snatched it from his hand. Once it got wet tatami started stinking badly.
"If you brought a kassai board with you this would be perfect! A rematch of Tarl and Ivar across the generations." Shinji said, his arm still clamped around Wyatt's neck and the American's arms flailing about. Wyatt's palm suddenly caught Shinji's chin and the other arm was quickly around the front of his waist.
"Huh…"
Wyatt flipped Shinji's over his own body in a reversal, pinning his shoulders to the floor and giving him a hard knock to the head on the floor. He let go and they rolled apart, Shinji rubbing his head.
"Damn…"
"All state wrestling, two years. And my kassai set is in my bag. I'll get it."
"Masters, dinner is ready."
"Scratch that, I'll get it after we eat."
"Agreed."
Misato rolled her eyes. Things like this reminded her that her boyfriend was still just eighteen. They were sitting around the table eating when Misato starting questioning this new man.
"So why did they send you? No offense, but I was expecting someone… I dunno, older?"
Wyatt swallowed what was in his mouth before answering. "Well, way dad explained it to me, y'all got plenty of men, you don't need another fighter. You got a kur problem and so what you need is someone who knows a thing or two bout huntin'em. We got a few bands of fuzzballs that operate in the states, plus their human servants of course. Dad being Jarl, he is responsible for the safety of the enclave and that includes the area around us. Being mostly rural, it comes down to killing off any Kurii that come within a hundred miles or so. I'm next in line to be Jarl, so he's been taking me along and sending me to take of these things for several years. Honestly dad is the better expert but he has his duties, so y'all get me."
"You can fight though, right?" Shinji asked, concerned. Wyatt's easy manner changed to very serious very quickly. Where he had been seated, relaxed, tilting his chair back on its rear legs, he brought the front of the chair down to the floor with a slam and stood, hands balled into fists.
"Do you challenge me?" The blond man said. With a jerk of his knee he pushed the whole table towards Shinji. "Well?"
"Oh Christ on a bike." Misato groaned as Shinji rose and slammed a fist into his chest.
"You are in my home, Wyatt of Earth. I salute your obvious courage and do not question your ability as a fighter. Tomorrow we will spar and take each others' measure as men should. I do not suffer discourtesy well."
Misato was puzzled. That had to be the most aggressive apology she ever heard if she understood this right. Both men stayed standing, staring each other down. Misato pushed herself up from the table and stepped in front of Shinji.
"Okay boys, tell ya what, Rei and I will get dinner put away, why don't you two have your game." Misato said then laid a land on Shinji's chest and stepped around him, whispering in his ear as she passed. "You can test your mind against his…"
She traced one fingernail from his chest, over his shoulder, then down his spine. "And then I can show what I think of you being so…. Forward."
Shinji nodded with a growl as he sat back down. "Aye, I like that idea. Let us test our minds against each other."
Wyatt fetched his game from his bag. Misato watched even as she and Rei cleared dishes. The blond put what looked like a checkered bag on the table. He opened it to reveal a pile of wooden pieces, some dark and some light, each a three sided pyramid taller than it was wide. Each piece had three colored stripes, of various patterns around its middle but was otherwise identical. They separated the pieces with Shinji choosing to be dark then spread out the bag itself on the table. Misato could see now it was actually a square bandana and as they began setting up the pieces, that the checks were in fact places on the board.
The board itself was ten squares wide and long and from the way the pieces were laid out, it was superficially similar to chess.
"Alright, now are we doing this your way or my way?" Wyatt asked.
"You mean cities rules or Torvaldsland rules? I am agreeable to your people's fashion." Shinji replied. "My best games were always with Uncle Ivar."
Wyatt opened with the Jarl's lady's spearman. "I think it is funny how you speak of a hero of my people with such familiarity."
Shinji moved his ubar's tarnsman, or rather his jarl's axe by Torvaldland's rules, out early. "I mean no insult. I grew up in his frequent company and I think of him as a dear friend."
"What is he like? Dad has told me stories but he practically worships the man." Wyatt said and moved out another spearman.
"Well he is honorable, a good leader, very generous when the mood strikes him. Playful, at least as much as you can call a man like him something so childish." Shinji moved a spearman out.
"Dad says he never married, no kids of his own." Wyatt moved again as he spoke, moving his skall, initiate in gorean terms, bishop on earth, out into the center.
"That is true. I suppose he is much like Tarl in that respect. He prefers the comfort of slaves." Shinji freed his builder by advancing his spearman another space.
Wyatt nodded and moved again.
"And you?" Shinji asked as he moved.
"Huh?" Wyatt replied, looking up from the game.
"I am interested, having grown up here with both options freely available to you, which you prefer. Free women, or slaves?" Shinji said without looking up, making another move.
Wyatt chuckled and shook his head as moved another piece. "I would take any company I could."
Shinji smirked and made his move, advancing his jarl's axe under the cover of his builder. "You don't mean you haven't known the pleasures of a woman, do you?" Shinji leaned across the table and whispered. "If you prefer thralls over bond-maids, that is okay too you know."
Wyatt leaned back in his chair. "W-what!? No no that's not it. All of the bond-maids were old enough to be my mother and well all of them kinda were, so I wasn't going there. I am the eldest of my generation in our enclave by several years, so no free girls close to home. Besides, you know how that goes, don't touch a free woman with her father around. Nothing stays a secret in little towns like ours." Wyatt said then looked at the board again and made his move after he remembered where they were.
"What about the earth women?" Shinji asked.
"Yeah, what about us, yankee?" Misato asked. "We aren't chopped liver ya know."
"Hey, in school, nobody wanted to hang out with the weirdo, okay? Our enclave's cover is that we are amish, I dunno if you've heard of them, but it ain't sexy."
"Am-ush?" Shinji asked.
"Religious nuts that say they avoid modern technology. Buncha hypocrites but the customs are kinda similar so that's what we tell people to avoid attention." Wyatt said and moved again.
"With the secret becoming more well known, would your people cease hiding?"
Wyatt shrugged and moved. "Might. Not that most people would know what we meant if we told the truth. I know those books are about your adopted father and all, but they are kinda shit."
"So I gather. Once this Kur issue is resolved such that the city can return to a peacetime footing, I have pondered the idea of cultural event, to show that we are not barbarians." Shinji moved then steepled his fingers under his nose and looked at Wyatt. "Tell me, did you learn kiassa from your father?"
"Yeah…"
"And I suppose he learned it from your namesake."
"Probably…" Wyatt replied, furtively looking over the board, not liking where this was going.
"Did he ever tell you of the jarl's axe gambit?" Shinji asked with audible smugness. Wyatt took another look at the board and moved one finger over the pieces, mouthing words to himself for a few moments before his jaw and his hands dropped.
"Well… fuck." Wyatt said and tipped his Jarl over. Misato came over and looked over the board.
"What, why did you give up."
"He knew he would lose in nine moves." Shinji said with even more smugness. Wyatt said nothing and just pointed out pieces and moves until his demise.
"Do not be morose my friend. I haven't had a game of kiassa at all since came here and I will admit I unfairly distracted you. We will make a master player of you yet. For now though…" Shinji rose from his seat and turned to Rei. "Is your task completed girl?"
"Yes master. Leftovers are away and dishes are clean." Rei said with a happy smile. It had not taken long for a trained response to set in, and she was pleased whenever she completed a job now.
"Good." Shinji said then grabbed her by the arm. "Then help make a man of our guest." He said with a sneer and pulled her around the table then shoved her into Wyatt's lap.
"She is yours for the night, my Jarl's axe. I will rouse you for morning exercise, be ready."
Rei looked at the new gorean as he grabbed her. His smile alone made her feel dirty.
"Hahaha, I knew I was going to love it here…" He said and stood, lifting the slave over his shoulder. "Aye, my jarl!"
Misato looked at the scene, horrified, as Shinji pointed Wyatt to his old room.
"Now then, what was that earlier about what you thought of me, Sana…" Shinji said, turning back to his free woman.
"What the fuck!"
"What is wrong?"
"You… you just gave her to him for the night?"
"Yes…"
"But…why…I thought… You just met him!"
"I played a game of kiassa with his him, I know his mind."
Misato grabbed him by the shoulders and looked into his eyes. "Okay, Rei at least likes you, so in this bizarre little pocket universe morality we have going on here, I don't really consider what you do to her rape, though I probably should."
"I would point out…"
"Let me finish! But she doesn't know him, she didn't play against him and magically figure him out like you did, and nobody asked her what she thought of it. That's sounding like rape to me Shinji, help me out here."
"Its simple…" Shinji said without expression.
"Oh really?"
"Yes. She is a slave."
"That's it?"
"That is it. You still think of her as something like an equal. Perhaps you pity her. We have a saying: Pity is a double insult. You insult the one you pity for needing it and yourself for being so foolish as to give it. She is not like you and if she possessed the will to free herself, she would. But she doesn't, and I took her as fair payment."
"That's a little harsh."
"Consider that I am one man and the vast forces at the city's disposal. She would have a good chance if she ran, but she never has, so…."
"OH MY FUCKING GOD YES!"
Misato and Shinji both just stopped and looked at the door to the spare bedroom.
"I love my masters, I love my masters!" They heard the slave girl scream.
"She isn't so vocal normally…"
"I prefer her silent, she usually just… whimpers and moans, that sort of thing…" Shinji said, just watching the door and listening. "You know, barring a strange one here and there, they all say the same thing, its kind of annoying."
"No no no no YES!"
"Uh huh" Misato said as the screams and moans continued. "Do you suppose he is that good or…?"
Shinji shrugged. "Variety is the spice of life I suppose."
"Huh… You uh, wanna get to bed early?"
"I thought you'd never ask, Sana."
The next morning at breakfast, Shinji and Wyatt were going back and forth in gorean, much to Misato's annoyance. She barely understood the language when Shinji said simple things nice and slowly, and could not keep up with the native speakers.
"Hey, guys? You know its rude to speak in a language someone else at the table doesn't know, right?"
"Why?" Shinji asked.
"What do you mean, why? It just is, it excludes the other person from the conversation."
"We were talking about celebrating gorean holidays on earth. You don't know the festivals and fairs, so you would not contribute. So why does it matter if you are excluded?"
"What if I, oh I don't know, want to learn about your holidays? Because I care about you and want you to be happy and comfortable in a strange place far from home?"
"Oh… well back home, my city has a festival that nobody else celebrates."
"Because its celebrating a buncha pirates winning over two civilized cities." Wyatt chimed in.
"It celebrates the day Port Kar truly became a city of its own and defied long odds to take victory from the invaders, thank you very much." Shinji said, clearly irritated.
"Uh huh." Misato said.
"Anyway, its called the 25th of Se'Kara and it would fall on the 11th of next month on your calendar."
"Sounds cool, we should do something!"
It was Shinji's turn to be surprised. "You would… celebrate another city's festival?"
"Yeah, why not? Besides, one city holding out against super strong invaders sound familiar, right?"
"I… well yes, I suppose it does sound like what we are doing here."
"Then lets have a party. It doesn't have to be big or anything." Misato said and got up to hug Shinji around the shoulders. "You shouldn't have to go without your celebrations just because you are far from home Shinji."
"Alright listen up, warriors! First off, I am pleased that there has been so little resistance to Captain Katsuragi joining us. As she handily demonstrated, she is more than equal to all of you. Second, we have another addition to our troupe! This is Wyatt of South Bend. He is an expert in fighting the Kurii and knows their strange technologies and how best to counter them. With his help we have devised a plan. We warriors will strike and mark the machine that renders your weapons inoperable. Then great guns from far outside the range of the device will rain down destruction, allowing the full might of your weapons to be brought to bare on them. What say you to that plan, warriors of Tokyo-3?"
"OORAH!"
Three weeks later…
"What the fuck, Hikari?!"
"Toji, I told you… I'm sorry."
"Sorry? You think sorry fucking cuts it?"
"Please Toji, this is why I was afraid to tell you. I know it was wrong and it was just once, I swear…"
Toji Suzuhara and Hikari Horaki were in the kitchen of the small barracks apartment the marine shared with his comrade Kensuke Aida. Hikari was still wearing her high school blazer and skirt. Toji was standing. He was silent for a while, pacing the kitchen. He didn't even look at Hikari as she fidgeted with the petite diamond ring on her left hand. It had been the best he could afford as a PFC when he bought it.
"How can I even trust you anymore?" He said finally. The question caused a gasp and a whimper from Hikari. She had never meant to hurt her fiancé. He had just been gone so long, training with that alien warrior, and she had felt so alone…
"I… I'm sorry Toji. That's all I can say. I hate myself for doing it and I'll do anything to save this."
Toji finally looked at her and the sadness in his eyes nearly broke her heart.
"You really want to make this work?" He asked. She only nodded in response. Toji held out his hand. "Give it back."
HIkari clasped her hands together, covering the ring, and held them to her chest. "But Toji, you said…."
"Do not question me." Toji said, cutting her off. He beckoned with his fingers. "Take it off, and give it back to me. Now."
HIkari fought back tears in her eyes as she pulled the ring from her finger and put it in his hand. She held on as he closed his fingers around it before he pulled away and slid the ring into his pocket.
"Who? Give me his name and where to find him."
"Toji, please… Can't we just move on?"
The speed with which he moved made her flinch. He didn't hit her, but she felt the air move as his hand shot past her face to grab the chair back. His own face was less than an inch from hers and she was far too distraught to compute that he was…growling?
"Tell me who and where that Jodie motherfucker is!"
Hikari burst into tears and it was at this point that Kensuke got home.
"Hey whose a Jodie motherfucker…" He said, but went quiet when he rounded the corner into the kitchen. "… Oh."
Toji looked at his friend… no, more than that, his sword brother, then back at the sobbing girl.
"Now."
"Yamigata… His name is Tyka Yamigata."
"And?"
"He… he goes to the Jesuit school. He is on the rugby team. I… I think he would still be on campus. I don't know where he lives."
Toji snorted as he stood up and turned away. "Of course you don't."
"Toji! What the hell! I'm trying…"
"Don't use my name, slut!"
The words stung. She had betrayed him. She had promised she could deal with being married to a military man, even fought her family over it. Then he was busy for a few weeks, not even deployed or anything, and she cheated on him with this guy she barely knew. Yeah, she was a slut, she thought. Hikari bowed her head and continued to cry, her hands clenched in her skirt.
"Come on Ken, lets go." Toji said. Hikari looked up as he went to leave. Toji only looked at her for a moment.
"You, stay. We will discuss what happens next when I return."
The door slammed as they left. In the hall, Kensuke had his phone out.
"Who ya calling?"
"Figure the boss might want in on this."
"Nah, not his problem. Besides, I just want to ask some questions."
"Uh huh."
"Actually, got one for you."
"Yeah, sup?"
"How you feel about going halfsies on a slave girl?"
"Isn't this all about her fucking another guy?"
Toji shrugged as they walked. "Call it the boss rubbing off on me. She was free and we were engaged, that's why its wrong."
"Was free, were engaged?" Kensuke said as he unlocked the car with the fob still in his pocket.
"Well sure as hell not marrying her now. But she cooks and fucks pretty well, so I figure hey, between the two of us we could afford to keep her around." Toji said as they climbed in and fastened seat belts.
"Fine." Ken said as he started the car. "But we work out the details, and put it in writing. You think about how we are going to get away with this?"
"Now that captain Ikari might be able to help with."
It was dark in the barracks apartment when they returned, knuckles bloodied and honor satisfied. Hikari was still seated in the kitchen where she was left. She was holding onto the sides of the chair with white knuckles and her feet tucked up off the floor. She looked up with puffy red eyes when the marines entered and turned on the light, but did not leave her chair. Kensuke ignored her, getting two bottles of beer from the fridge and passing one to Toji. Both men sat down opposite each other at the table, on either side of Hikari.
"You want to explain it to her?" Toji asked his best friend.
"I believe that falls squarely in your responsibilities to explain." Ken said and tipped back his beer.
"Aye, alright." Toji said and took a drink before turning to Hikari. He reached in his pocket and pulled out the diamond ring, setting it on the table out of her reach.
"Okay, here is the deal. I have no interest in you as a free woman. I'm not marrying a cheating slut."
Hikari had thought, with several hours to prepare herself for whatever he might say, that it would not hurt as much. It still hurt. She dropped her head, sniffling.
"But…" Toji said, his voice rising to a happy tone.
HIkari's head shot back up.
"Ken and I have discussed it and provided you behave and take your lessons well, I can see my way to forgiving you."
"W-what?"
"Ya kinda missed a part, dude." Ken said, pointing at his friend with the neck of his bottle.
"Well excuse me, you do it."
"Gladly." Ken said. "Hikari, your Toji-chan and I have decided to go in together on a slave girl. Namely, you."
Hikari made as if to speak, but Ken just kept going.
"Now now, I know how grateful you must be, and you probably have a lot of questions. All you need to know is that if you do what you are told, everything will be alright. If you choose not to though, things will be… unpleasant."
"You…" Hikari looked back and forth between the two men so fast her pigtails flew out to the side. "You're kidding, this is a joke, right?"
Hikari froze up with a yelp when Toji grabbed her arm, like someone had dropped an ice cube down her back.
"No."
Ken grabbed her by other arm, eliciting another yelp. Hikari looked between them again and found them both smiling in a way that made her feel very uncomfortable. Like a sheep between two hungry looking wolves. She forced a very nervous smile.
"G-guys? Come on, it was funny, ha ha, funny… I'm laughing, joke can stop now. I get it, I was horrible and whatever I need to do to make it up to you Toji, I will. We can go back to normal…. Right?"
Kensuke spoke first. "Lessons begin right now."
"First lesson." Toji said as they hoisted her out of the chair. "Until you learn to speak correctly, be silent. Your mouth has better uses."
They hauled her out to their small living room. The blinds were already shut. It was a spartan affair with one couch and a flat panel TV hanging on the wall. Toji let go and sat down on the couch with a dramatic sigh.
"My sword brother, show me… what was it that the captain said? The difference in beauty between the same woman free and in collar." Toji said, gesturing dramatically with one hand.
Kensuke pulled and deployed his spring-assisted knife with one motion as he shoved Hikari to the floor.
"Strip. Or I help you."
Hikari opened her mouth to speak but couldn't bring herself to make noise. She looked at Toji but he just looked bored. A sharp tug on one pigtail brought her attention back to Ken.
"I'm going to be nice. That was your one chance. Now strip or I will cut your clothes off, and then you won't have anything at all to wear. That wouldn't be 'proper', now would it, eh, class rep." Ken said, carefully enunciating her old title from school. While he had been happy for his best friend to have such a long and peaceful relationship, he had always resented Hikari's bossy bullshit in middle school. Who was she to yell at him when he was doing that child's play during the day and his college work at night?
Kensuke spun the little knife in his hand then pressed the flat of the blade against her chin to force her to look up at him. "So are you going to be a good girl now Hikari-chan? Or do I need to start helping you?"
Hikari kept her eyes on the hand with the knife, but quickly moved her hands to unbutton her blazer, then her blouse beneath it. Once Ken moved the knife away, the jacket was off, then the ribbon tie, followed by the shirt. Hikari only hesitated for a split second when it came to her bra. She looked for approval before she stood, and once Ken gave her a nod, she stood and shimmied out of her skirt.
She reached for her black thigh high stockings but stopped when she saw Toji shake his head. She had never liked leaving them on, but Toji always liked it. She wasn't about to try and say no.
She was getting ready to push her panties down when Ken grabbed her shoulder. "Ah-ah-ah, this is where the show starts, Hikari-chan." He said, slowly showing her the knife again, then touching the tip to her cheek.
"Put your hands behind your back, fingers together." He said. He was standing right behind her and she could feel his attention through his trousers against her rear. "Come on, up nice and straight to show your master those tits."
Hikari obeyed, swallowing while trying not to twitch against the knife. Unlike Ayanami, who had stayed quite willowy as she grew, Hikari had developed in the last four years and had impressive curves, for a Japanese woman anyway.
"Good, now spread your legs."
She squealed and obeyed as Kensuke started dragging the knife downward. He was gentle, leaving no mark. For someone like Hikari though, who had never had the wonderful interaction between fear and arousal before, the sensation was electrifying and terrifying at the same time.
She gasped when he flicked her nipple with the back of the blade before tracing all the way down from her breast, over her navel, and ever so slowly slid the blade down into her underwear.
"What you are feeling right now…." He said softly, his lips just next to her ear and she began to breath in quick shallow breaths.
"That combination of arousal and terror…"
Kensuke gently passed the knife over her shaved smooth skin, letting the dull side follow the contours of her sex to pass over that oh so special bundle of nerves, and let the blade come to rest between her lips. The sharp edge was facing out, away from her, but Hikari had no way to know that.
"Imagine that, but never ending. Frightened but so totally into it and begging for every slap, pinch…"
The only thing keeping her still was the fear of injuring herself by moving. Every response was telling her to run, to scream. But the look on Toji's face. The gleam in his eyes, the twitch of his smile, the way the muscles in his neck tightened like a predator ready to kill. He wanted her. He wanted her in the way she had missed. The way that she needed so badly it drove her to the arms of another to find when he was gone. She wanted him to want her, no, she needed it.
"…and thrust. Imagine that, and you will imagine what your life is going to be from now on."
Kensuke had the exact same look, even if she could not see it. He had wanted to have her for years now. He had stroked off more times than he could count to the thought of putting this bitch in her place. A deep, throaty, growl into her ear got the message across and as Hikari shivered, Kensuke made his move.
With one flick of the wrist, the blade left her lips and sliced through her white cotton panties. Hikari made to scream, but between her shallow breaths and unbidden but incredibly intense arousal at being shown off like this, it came out as a mewling squeal.
Her wet panties fell to the floor with a damp noise as Toji clapped, laughing cruelly. Kensuke pulled the knife away and shoved her to the ground.
"Kneel for us, girl…"
On the other side of the city, Shinji and Misato were sitting down to dinner. The slave was slicing up some fish for pen-pen.
"So what was that call from Suzuahara earlier?" Misato asked. Shinji had left her office to take the call in private.
"He was having some girl troubles is all."
Misato nodded and tucked into dinner, satisfied with his answer. The corporal was engaged to his school sweetheart, it was a really nice story. As they ate though, it occurred to her that nobody in their right mind would ask Shinji for relationship advice. Fighting and slave husbandry maybe, but not…
Misato's fork clattered to the floor.
"What kind of girl troubles?"
Shinji finished what was in his mouth before answering. "Normal things." He said then smiled at his slave as she quickly replaced Misato's utensil.
"Good girl."
"Thank you master."
"Such as?"
"Hm?"
"What sort of troubles did he ask you about, anata?" Misato said in a sugar coated but very suspicious voice.
"Fairly normal first girl problems. Initial breaking, preventing runaways before they happen, making due without proper equipment, that sort of stuff."
"Are you saying the boy got a slave girl?"
"Yeah. Not surprised, it's a good solution with him and Aida living alone. Girl cleans and cooks, they had already come to a sharing arrangement which is always smart. Between the two they could definitely afford it. Slaves are a good asset, they can only appreciate."
Misato, calmly as possible, took a drink from her beer before continuing. "Did the corporal say anything about what his fiancé had to say about this?"
"His what?"
"He was… He and a free woman had engaged to become free companions. Fiancé is what we call that person."
"Oh, that makes sense. He said something about that."
"Well, what did she think of it then?"
"Well her opinion is hardly relevant anymore and unless things are different here and slaves can become free companions, I think he is no longer engaged… Sana, is something wrong? The way you are holding your head you look like you are in a lot of pain."
"Anata…" Misato said, sitting up straight and putting on a very thin cheery face. "If you ever try to make me a slave, know that you will die, choking, on filleted pieces of your own dick. Am I clear?"
Hikari Horaki knew she was about to die. She was going to choke to death because she refused to swallow and admit air into her throat. Every time she tried to pull away from what filled her mouth, disgusting impact from behind and rough hands in her hair slammed her forward.
Why was this happening to her?
Suddenly, relief. Her mouth was clear and she felt only emptiness between her legs.
Hikari gasped for air and white shame dribbled from her lips as she nearly choked on it. All she could muster was a dull groan when her ex-fiancé slapped her across the flank as he pulled out. This had been going on for hours, and she hadn't even considered it possible to feel this violated.
"Dammit Hikari, its not like we're going to kill you. Fuck though, that choking sound totally killed it, I'm done." Toji said, standing up from the living room floor and pulling his trousers up.
"Yeah, I'm spent." Kensuke added. He finally let go of Hikari's pig tails and the newly minted slave girl slumped to the floor as he stood. She stayed there, chest heaving to catch her breath. A few minutes later the toe of a boot prodded her leg.
"Get cleaned up, you're sleeping in my room tonight." Kensuke said.
Hikari had no will left to try and say no. Just the thought of saying that word scared her now. The young brunette just groaned and got to her feet, head bowed. She shuffled past Kensuke to the bathroom, stripped off the stockings and took a shower. She knew it couldn't have been more than three or four minutes before Kensuke was there, pulling back the curtain and turning the water off.
"You're done." He told her and stood there watching as she dried herself. She kept her eyes on the floor and her mouth shut. Over the past few hours, nice, nerdy, Kensuke had changed, or perhaps he was always this way and she had just never seen it. Toji, her wonderful Toji, was definitely active in what she had suffered, but Kensuke had been the one leading the charge.
Once she was dry he took her by the arm and left her to his bedroom. He left her standing by the foot of the bed and opened his nightstand. When he lifted out a pair of handcuffs, she couldn't find the energy to be surprised. What did surprise her was when he pointed to the floor at her feet.
"Down."
HIkari carefully lowered herself to the floor, her eyes on his hands and the metal restraints he held. Once she was down on the floor he bent down and grabbed her left ankle and snapped one shackle over it, then attached the other to his bed's frame.
Hikari made a pathetic mewling noise, like a puppy begging. She had thought he would use her again then have her sleep in his bed.
"What?" He snapped and Hikari quickly looked away and shook her head. Her head was whipped back around when he grabbed her by the jaw roughly and forced her to look at him.
"Don't like sleeping on the floor? Get used to it, bitch. You hurt my best friend, so you are going to be paying for it for a long fuckin' time. Here is a tip though. If you are good, it will make forgiving you easier for him. So keep your shit together and do as you are told, and maybe you'll start sleeping on his floor instead of mine. Think you can do that, kajira?"
Hikari nodded best she could in his grip. He let go and made ready for bed without saying another word to her. He did at least drop a sheet on her before he turned off the lights. Kensuke did not think of himself as cruel. It was just like the captain said on the phone. She had to see kindness as a privilege for the obedient girl, not something to be expected. Captain Ikari was full of all sorts of good advice like that.
Shinji was laying on his new bed, his arms wrapped around his free woman on one side and his slave on the other. Misato was not pleased with the girl's place on the floor and had become far too possessive of her to send her to Wyatt's room each night.
Rei cuddled up closer to Shinji's chest and raised her hand to wrap her arm around him until Misato swatted her away.
"Do you need to go back on the floor girl?" Misato scowled. Rei quickly hid her face between the sheets and Shinji's torso, quietly mumbling "no mistress".
"Do you?" Shinji sharply rebuked. Misato looked up at him, stunned.
"You wouldn't."
"No woman is above a night on the floor, Sana."
Rei smirked at that. She had thought the smile unseen but a sharp twist of her ear told her Misato had seen her take pleasure at the threat. Shinji popped them both on the cheek.
"Stop it, both of you. If you act out again…." Shinji looked at Rei then at Misato. The slave was already properly cowed but Misato was giving him a death glare and rubbing her cheek. "Either of you… I'll bind you ankle to wrist and you can both sleep on the floor."
"Yes master." Rei said and held onto the arm around her. Misato huffed and wrapped her arm around Shinji's chest, deliberately making the slave back off several inches in the process.
"Mine." She hissed at the slave. Shinji just rolled his eyes. Maybe Tarl had a point about free women.
The next morning, Shinji and Wyatt were already out on their morning run. The young American was strong but suffered from what Shinji called a worldwide lack of endurance by earthlings. Misato was eating her breakfast, fixed by the slave of course, with coffee.
"Mistress, may this one ask a question?"
Misato looked down to her left where Rei was kneeling. She was still not happy with the younger woman and interrupting her meal was just irritating.
"Quickly."
"Why do you hate this girl?"
"We've been over this, I don't hate you. Stop saying I do."
The slave was silent for a moment then spoke again.
"This one must do her best to show her affection for her master. If she does not, she is not behaving as he had commanded and will be punished. This one understands your jealousy though."
Misato slammed her fork down and before Rei could pull away the captain had her by the hair.
"What makes you think I would ever be jealous of you? I love my boyfriend, you just do as your are told. I have a life, a career, and I got myself here without anyone's help. You were just the commander's daughter and all you have had to do was obey to get where you are. I could no more be jealous of you than an animal."
"Wark!"
"No offense buddy, sorry. You know what I mean."
Pen-pen clicked his beak at his roommate and waddled into the bathroom with his beak turned up. He most certainly did not know what she meant and very much resented being compared to the servant, even obliquely. Humans, no manners whatsoever.
Misato gave Rei's head a light shove before letting go. "You are nothing like me, and you do not understand me girl." She said before getting back to her breakfast, the issue closed. The slave was silent for a while then whispered her apologies and got started on her master's breakfast.
She heard the latch move and had turned to go and kneel by the door when Misato blocked her and took Shinji's attention before he even crossed the threshold.
"Your slave thinks she can speak to me like an equal. Correct her."
Rei gasped and dropped to the floor. She had a thousand questions about why this was happening, but all that was overridden by the fact that her master was angered, at her. It didn't matter why, what mattered was gaining some measure of leniency and hopefully avoiding the worst of it.
She bent forward and touched her forehead to the ground with her arms stretched out in front of her.
"This girl begs mercy master, please show kindness to this girl, she did not know how wrong she was…" She stopped when he stopped in front of her. She knew what was coming: he was going to haul her off by the hair and beat her black and blue, and she wouldn't sleep on the bed, or speak, or wear clothes, and he would make her eat scraps or even worse share with pen-pen and, and, and…
"I let you keep your name. That was a mistake it seems. I will give you a new name when the mood strikes me, answer to your old name no longer. Consider yourself corrected."
"That's it?!" Misato snapped.
"Yes, that is it, woman. As for you, never try and play me like that again, this will be your only warning."
"Warning? Or what, Shinji? What are you going to do to me if I don't listen, huh?"
"I shall…"
I'm a bitch, I'm a bitch
Oh the bitch is back
Misato grumbled and slipped her phone out of her pocket.
"To be continued." She said before answering. "Hey Rits, whats up?… Oh fuck me. I have him here, we are on the way."
Misato ended the call then grabbed Shinji by the arm. "Angel spotted, lets go."
"Indeed." Shinji shrugged off her hand and started to follow her out.
"Uh, boss?" Wyatt said. "Whaddya want me to do?"
"Stay here, keep the girl and the bird safe. See that you evacuate if the order is given. They are your responsibility until I return." Shinji turned to leave then turned back around. "Just in case there is some connection between these angels attacks and the Kurii, arm yourself."
"Sure thing boss, you can count on me. Happy hunting."
This was not going well.
Shinji raised the evangelion-scale hoplite shield just in time to catch another blast, but it threw his machine through another tower. The stupid blue crystal was fast, but he could see the shots charging and he was trying to cause enough deflection to move forward.
The problem was no matter how fast he wanted it to happen, the damn machine was not reacting fast enough. He had tried commanding it as he had done in testing, but he was getting no response. So he was taking every attack flat to his shield and barely had enough time to raise it again before the next hit. He pulled the shield up for another hit, but was too slow and the beam of charged particles blasted it away from the evangelion.
His armor was only lightly singed, but he now stood defenseless before the angel. Shinji did the only thing he could think of and prepared to rush the angel, hoping the machine held out until he could get enough to do some kind of damage.
And then the world slowed, and it all faded to white. Instead of sitting in the plug, Shinji found himself standing in an open field of golden grain beneath a blue sky. Several strides ahead of him was a female figure with pale skin and dark hair down to her shoulders, clad in flowing white garments like a slave's dancing silks.
"Hello Shinji, I am the soul within unit one, I am…"
"Disobedient." Shinji snarled. He started walking towards the figure.
"The time has come for us to discuss the true reason behind…"
"The time has come for you to learn your place, girl." Shinji growled. He grabbed the woman by her garments and threw her to the ground. "If you are the spirit of this machine then you are what has been holding me back in this battle. I don't care why, I don't care how. It stops NOW."
Shinji came down on her and pinned her to the ground with a knee to her back. He reached for where his belt would be and when he raised his hand again, he clasped a glowing ring of light in his fist.
"I name thee shield which defends the world."
The ring parted and Shinji thrust the collar of light to the struggling woman's neck.
"Who you were matters not. Now you are Aegis, property of Shinji, of the city Tokyo-3. Obey me."
"Captain, doctor! Captain Ikari's sync ratio just spiked to two hundred and ninety-nine percent! The limiters are deactivating on their own, I can't stop them!"
The angel Ramiel spit forth its holy fire to eradicate this feeble imitation of the power of god.
Shinji laughed. He laughed as he ducked the beam and spun. He laughed as he charged straight under the attack, the evangelion roaring in sympathy. He laughed as he sliced through the angel's drill with a single stroke of his sword, and he laughed when the angel opened itself to charge a point blank attack and he destroyed the core with one thrust.
Once the evangelion was again ensconced within the cradles of the geofront, he exited the plug with no demands for a feast. He was even downright humble about the normal fanfare of NERV staff. He found Dr. Akagi.
"Shinji, that was amazing, we've never seen numbers like you achieved out there before."
"Thank you doctor." The warrior said, quite weary.
"Did something change with unit one?"
"Oh yes." Shinji said with a tired smile. "I would say that I… tamed her. She will obey my commands without any problems in the future."
"Oh…. Okaaaaay."
"Would it be so bad if we debriefed tomorrow? I am quite tired. I think this increased performance is more demanding on my body."
"No problem at all, it will give me time to go over the data. Go get changed, I'll send Misato to get you, she is on the bridge right now."
"Thank you Doctor."
It was only midday when Shinji nearly fell, exhausted, through the door. Misato had apologized in the car for being a bitch earlier and Shinji was just looking for his bed to collapse on. Where the entryway met the kitchen, his ever-dutiful slave girl kneeled in greeting. He pet her on the head and ruffled her hair as he passed.
She really needed a name he thought as he yawned, passing Wyatt the earthling torvaldslander. He must really be tired, he could have sworn he saw the man playing kiassa against Misato's little pet tarn. Worst part was it looked like the tarn was winning.
So what was he going to call the slave… She wasn't branded yet, so calling her dina or kef or something like that wouldn't work. He already called Misato Sana, so just calling her 'first' in gorean was out of the question. Alpha maybe, but that would get confusing back home, tavern girls were named like that.
As he grabbed the sliding door to his and Misato's room, he had to stop himself from swaying. It felt like he was on a ship's deck back home, rolling across the swells of…
Oh that was it. That would do. Worked with her unique hair color too.
"Slave…"
"Yes, my master?"
"Your name is Thassa."
"Ta-sa?"
"Was I unclear, girl?"
"No my master, this girl… Thassa heard you. Thank you master, Thassa likes her name very much."
"Good girl." Shinji mumbled and fell into bed, not bothering to undress or close the door.
Misato looked at the newly christened slave then at the American. "So, no problems then?"
"No, ma'am." Wyatt said, his head still down on the board. He had not looked up the entire time.
He hadn't had a clue what the bird was trying to do when it went in his room, and even less when it came out with the kiassa set. When the damn thing opened it up and started setting up the pieces he had to make the slave pinch him to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
Okay fine, he thought. The little guy is doing imitation or something. Why not try playing him, if nothing else he could take a funny picture to send home.
Then the bird won. And he did it again and again. This was game twenty-five and Wyatt hadn't scored a single victory yet.
"You know you are going to lose right?"
"Huh?" Wyatt said, looking up. "The game just started, how do you know? You don't even know how to play."
"I dunno who taught him how to play games, but he's lived with me for the better part of six years and I've never beat him. Not at chess, checkers, clue, yahtzee, even sorry and that should all be luck of the draw anyway."
"Oh… shit."
"Yeah its alright though, he sucks at monopoly." Misato said then stuck her tongue out at the bird. "He boycotted the game after like three turns. I think he can't do math very well."
"WARK!" The penguin shrieked then hopped up on the table, scattered the pieces, flipper slapped Wyatt, then jumped down to the floor and waddled off to his refrigerator, grumbling. "warkwarkwark."
"Did you let him have a few beers?"
"Uh, yeah." Wyatt said, stunned.
"Oh yeah, he's a mean drunk."
End
So I ended up slicing chapter 2 up. What was to be chapter 2 was well over 100 pages long and was just getting unwieldy to work on. So expect chapter 3 relatively soon as it is already mostly written. For those of you with whom I have discussed the story, anything I said will happen in chapter 3 will be happening in chapter 4 instead.
Regarding Wyatt the OC… I haven't done OC's in the past because I tend to think why invent a character in fanfic if another already exists who could do the job. This being more of a side project, I thought it was a good place to try one out. The other thing is I am doing this in the style of the Gor books, and that means treating female characters a certain way. Oh and Wyatt is most definitely not a self-insert. Trust me on this one.