A/N: Hiya. Sorry for the long wait. I'll try and post the next chapter as soon as possible. I've lost my beta's so if you see any major plot holes, spelling mistakes etc. let me know. There is a new scene added to the first chapter at the bar scene. I had to fix a few continuity errors and the bar scene seemed to need something. Right that's enough rambling from me.

See first chapter for legal stuff.

Arctic Fire
by
Devon

~&~

"Under the Arctic Fire
Over the seas of silence
Hauling on frozen ropes
For all my days remaining." ~ Sting

~&~

Liam groaned. The taste blood filled his mouth and he ran his tongue around the inside glad to find that all his teeth were still there. He took a deep calming breath.

"Son of a Sith!" He swore as pain spread its fingers across his chest "No more deep breaths." He hoped that his ribs were only bruised and not broken.

"Take him to the ship." The command flowed into his consciousness, joining the sluggish stream of his thoughts and brought more confusion if that were at all possible. He started to lift himself off of Nova Beta's front console -for a better view- and inhaled sharply as needles of pain shot all over his protesting body. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain and nausea to dissipate. Gritting his teeth and barely daring to breathe, he pushed himself up away from the console all the while fighting back the dark realms of unconsciousness which threatened to overwhelm him - again- Liam opened his eyes. The brightness of the Tatooine suns hurt his eyes and he rapidly blinked away the spots the light had caused. He looked around to see who had spoken but he could not see anyone. He began to wonder if he had not been hallucinating. Could excessive pressure applied to the head cause someone to hear things? He did not know but he was sure now that he must have been imagining the voice. He shook his head to clear it and the pain that engulfed him almost made him blackout again. Liam closed his eyes and used the Force to probe his injuries -* Sith * he swore silently - his ribs were broken and he did indeed a have a server concussion. He hated concussions. He hated pain in general but he remembered the teachings of his old master. Pain was a signal from body telling him that he was hurt. He thanked his body for the signal and released the pain into the Force as he had been taught to do. With the pain now dulled, Liam half crawled, half wormed his way gingerly over the console to Nova's broken viewpoint. The ship was slopped downwards to where its nose disappeared into the sand, Liam wriggled through the open viewpoint and found himself sliding down the sleek surface of Nova's nose. The sand was soft but the landing was still harder then Liam would have liked. Using the ship for support he struggled into a standing position. Panting from his exertions Liam once again surveyed the area. To the right of the ship he noticed an imperial cruiser with a small party heading towards it and no doubt the source of the voice he had heard. The party consisted of several robotic creatures and one humanoid.

"Billy." Liam breathed and the events preceding the crash returned with vengeance. Liam felt a pang of regret that he did not have his lightsaber with him as it would have made rescuing his friend much easier. Gathering the Force around him, Liam lifted his hand.

~&~

Billy walked among his guards trying to think of away to escape. He knew he would have to do something soon because once he was on the ship escape would be virtually impossible. He stumbled and the robot behind him pushed him forward with the muzzle of its blaster causing him to lose his footing completely. The robot reached down to drag the boy to his feet. Just before its fingers closed round the material of Billy's tunic it flew through the air and landed in a disjointed, smouldering heap some ten meters from Billy. Billy starred at the former robot and did what most sentient beings in the universe would do. He gawked. He looked from the robot to where whatever it was that had thrown the droid had come from. He saw Liam standing a few feet in front of Nova Beta. Liam made a small movement with his hand and more droids took flight. Billy's jaw dropped lower. The mysteries surrounding his friend seemed to multiply with each passing moment.

"BILLY!! DUCK!" Billy turned his attention away from the airborne droids and stared blankly at Liam. His mind was still trying to get round the flying droids and was taking its time processing any new information. Suddenly his side felt as if it were on fire and he could smell the putrid stench of burnt skin. He looked down at his side to find a blacked hole in his tunic. He moved his hand to touch the scorched cloth and his hand came away covered in blood. He looked up at Liam who skidded to a halt at his side.

"I've been shot." Liam nodded -worried- his friend was obviously in shock. "Not so bad, thought it would hurt more." Liam's quick reflexes allowed him to catch Billy but his strength gave out and slowly he slipped to his knees.

~&~

Billy was floating in a world of black. So silent. No noise. Was he dead? He was not sure. There was no pain. There had been pain before. He must be dead but why was it so black? So quiet? Was he in hell? Had he done something wrong? The battle! but that had been self defence?

The silence was broken by voices. It sounded as if someone was speaking through a gag.

"Ummph graaaff gruptup froook."

He felt movement but still no pain. The voices became clearer

"About twenty metres from Argon's ship. They were both unconscious. Will they be okay?" The voice had a lyrical feminine quality but Billy could not place it.

"I'll have to run scans before we can be certain."

"How long before you'll know?"

"Two hours for the basics but we'll only know for sure once they wake up."

"What..."

"Both their injures are extensive and he's been shot on top of the crash"

"You can fix that. Right?"

"I'm sorry but you can't go in there." A protocol droid? He must definitely be in hell.

"Ugallmph logrraaag mumph..." Slowly the voices retreated and Billy was once again lost in his dark oblivion.

~&~

Billy's eyelids parted and he greeted the world with a semi clear mind. A noise to his side caused him to turn his head away from the ceiling. A figure, he recognised as Asphalt, sat slumped in the chair next to his bed she was obviously asleep and snoring softly. He heard the sound again. It was a soft moaning sound. Billy turned his attention to the bed on Asphalt's other side. There was a lump which seemed to be the source of the noise. The lump moved and a hand fought its way out from under the blankets. Once the hand was free it was followed by an arm and then another arm. They pushed the blankets down. Mushed raven-black hair and a face appeared.

"Liam?" Billy whispered

"Mwhaammmt?"

"Where are we?"

"Huh?" Liam opened an eye and peered into the dimly lit room. There were no decorations on the walls which were painted light blue. "Healers." Liam closed his eye and both him and Billy groaned, neither were to happy about being in the Healers wing.

"Liam, are you still awake?"

"No." before Billy could reply Asphalt woke up with a startled snort. She yawned, stretched and opened her eyes.

"You're awake!" She shot out of her chair and raced to the door. "SHAY THEY'RE AWAKE."

"Yes and now so is every other patient here. Keep your voice down Anna"

"Sorry." She gave the healer a sheepish look. Billy looked at Shay then at Asphalt his foggy brain was slowly making the connection that Anna must be Asphalt's real name.

"I know that both of you think you're at hell's front door and you, no doubt, want to leave as soon as possible. So now that you're both awake you'll be relieved to hear that you will be out of here by tomorrow afternoon, latest. That's the good news. I'm keeping you here to run a few tests to make sure that everything is healing properly and then if everything is okay you will be released. Now the bad news..."

"What could be worse then you armed with a scanner in one hand and an injection in the other?" Liam interrupted. Shay smiled and both his patients swore they could see an evil glint in his eye.

"Eh-hem, the bad news..." he paused dramatically, "you are both confined to this base until I am satisfied that you are well rested and fully recovered from your injuries." Yes the evil glint was definitely there.

"You just had to ask." Billy glared at Liam.

"Further more," Shay continued ignoring the death stares which were being hurled across the room. "You will both be reporting to Lore for classes starting in a weeks time..."

"What? But I don't need any additional training. If anything I should be the trainer. Plus I've already been through Lore's "How to be a rebel 101" course."

"I know that but it seems not much of what you learnt sunk in. Let me remind you Liam Ki'tet that you have graced the Healer's wing more times than anybody else and that we are one step short of renaming one of the wards in your honour." Liam glared at Shay. Billy sat there smirking. "As for you young one don't be fooled that you reputation hasn't reached this end of The Foxhole." Billy's smirk slowly started to fade. "I have a feeling that we will be seeing a lot more of you in the future and remember this, there is more than one ward in this wing. Who knows you may even break Liam's record."

"Humph."

"For how long will we be grounded?"

"Let's just say that for the moment it's open ended." Shay looked at their forlorn expressions and he tried, made a valiant attempt, but could not quite stop himself from laughing.

"Shay, I swear you're a Sith in disguise." Liam muttered irritably. Shay only laughed harder and he had to lean against Asphalt - who had to wipe the tears from her eyes, she was laughing so hard - for support.

~&~

"Liam since we're basically under house arrest and besides flying there isn't really that much to do around here..."

"We've only been restricted to the base for three days. Don't tell me you're bored already."

"There's nothing here to stimulate the mind besides reading and you can only read so many books."

"Is there a point to this?"

"Um.. Could you um tell me how the war started and um how you got to Tatooine and about the Jedi?" He spat the question out before he could lose his nerve.

"Oh that. I was hoping you'd forgotten about it. It's a very long story..." Billy sensed Liam's reluctance

"We have the time. I mean I don't think we're going to be out of here anytime soon." He flashed a winning smile. "Something to make the time go faster." Liam sighed

"Where do I start?"

"The beginning might be a good place." Billy said trying to put his friend at ease.

"The beginning? Okay," Pause, "well at the dawn of time..."

"Not that far back! The beginning of the war and how or why you came to Tatooine." Liam grinned.

"Ah! That beginning, why didn't you say so in the first place?" Billy did not bother replying. " I came to Tatooine about three weeks before the galaxy broke out into civil war, so that would be roughly eight years ago, to see if I could root out a group of Secessionists. I found them as soon as I - ah - landed. I'd call it a lucky break if I believed in such things. And why would anyone stay on this miserable little planet? I hear you ask. I stayed because I couldn't leave. That heap of charred metal at the end of the runway is or was my ship."

"The heap at the south end where repairs are done?"

"The south end? No-o-o that was my second ship..."

"How many ships have you lost?!"

"Three including Nova." He shrugged, "I just have bad luck with ships."

"I'll say you've been on this planet for two years and you've already written off three ships! Hey, I thought you didn't believe in luck."

"I don't."

"Then how can you say you have bad luck?"

"All right then. I've lost three ships because it was the will of the Force."

"Oh."

"Luck is easier." He muttered irritably. "Never mind." Liam rubbed his forehead. "Before the war the Sith and those who wanted to rule the galaxy played on the natural fear people have for the unknown. People who aren't Force sensitive tend not to understand the Force and those who can feel it and use it. In other words people who cannot feel the Force fear it and therefore they fear those who can use it. The current rulers of the galaxy used this fear to turn the galaxy's inhabitants against the Jedi and all other Force wielding citizens. Suspicion spread and more Force sensitive beings were unwelcome in more and more areas. The Jedi were the most well known group of Force users in the galaxy and as a result they suffered the most. The Jedi worked in the old republic as peace keepers and as suspicion of the Jedi grew it also began to appear in the senate. Outer to middle rim planets started to pull out of the senate because it worked closely with the Jedi. Fighting broke out across the galaxy and a short time later a powerful force defeated the warring factions and united them under a veil of fear. No one dares go against the Empire.

There are two sides to the Force the energy you and I use is the same as that used by the Jedi. The light side of the Force. It's fuelled by peace and tranquillity where you do not let emotions like anger and hate cloud you judgement. The Sith draw their power from the other side of the Force. The dark Side. They are driven by anger, hate and greed. A law was passed after the Sith gained power which decreed that any being using the light side of the Force was committing high treason and could be executed immediately, no trial necessary. This made their prosecution of the Jedi legal. After executing every Jedi they could lay their hands on, the Sith put a reward on the head of any live Jedi, who had escaped the genocide and a death warrant on those who were harbouring them. This was to dissuade anyone offering them asylum. The Sith Lord Darth Sidious, who is currently the Empire's leader, did this because Jedi are the only beings who can defeat the Sith in single combat. To put it simply, Jedi are a threat to the Empire's power.

There is another reason why I stayed on Tatooine. It is one of the backwater planets on the outskirts of the galaxy. It was a member of the Galactic Republic and fell under the control of the Galactic Senate. The Senate was based on a planet called Coruscant. The Empire is also based on Coruscant, which is a long way from here and therefore the Senate and the Sith have little control over what happened here. Sith rule the planet, yet they have no control over it. It's kinda ironic huh?

Now the reasons why you can't tell anyone about the lightsaber; are first all the people on this base are already going to jail, probably for life. If the Sith discovered that I have a lightsaber they would assume I was a Jedi and every person associated with me would have no chance of pardon and would be sentenced to death. Secondly, we're both strong in the Force, the light side and since using the light side is considered high treason we would be executed probably without a trial. Is there anything else you want to know?"

"You said you came here to find Secessionists." Liam nodded. "And you also said that they didn't trust Force users. So how come they trust you?"

"When I first arrived on the base the people here knew I was Force sensitive because of my midi-chlorian count. However, they felt I posed no threat to them."

"Why."

"I had just crash-landed on the outskirts of their base. I made my first visit to the Healers wing. I only regained consciousness after the war broke out. I was their prisoner until the rise of the Empire. Then they became rebels and they thought I'd be useful. That was quite some time ago and since then we have learnt to trust each other." He paused and took a sip of water. "Billy?"

"Yes?"

"How did you end up as a slave?"

"Wha...? Oh. I... um woke up about a year ago wearing an electro-bracelet with no memory. My first job - I suppose you can call it - was on Caldinian's third moon working in an ionite mine. I got this," he lifted up his shirt to revel the letters BNS encased in a diamond - the insignia was about 5cm across - brunt into the flesh just below his bellybutton, "branded onto my stomach saying I was the property of Baron Natacka of the house Siladis when I was transferred to his palace on Caldinian. The healers there told me that my memory would return in time but I still don't know who I am or where I come from. The only reason I know my name is because it was written on the back of this." He lifted his wrist to show Liam his watch. Liam debated telling the youth about what he had discovered but decided that now was not the time to tell Billy that he had suspected him of treachery, for now he would wait and see if he could learn more about Billy's past.

"You weren't born a slave?"

"Not that I know of."

"You were a miner?"

"Yes, I was."

"But they wear the bracelet on their right wrist, you had yours on you left. How...? "

"It's a really, really long story..."

"We have time." He gave Billy a mischievous grin, "I mean I don't think we're going to be out of here anytime soon. Something to make the time go faster." Billy threw a pillow at him.

"Liam remember when you destroyed those droids when we crashed?"

"Ye-e-e-es?" Liam arched an eyebrow

"Did you use the Force?"

"Yes." He did not like where this was going

"Could you teach me how to do that and than I'll tell you everything you want to know." Liam frowned. He gathered the Force around him and gently stretched out to Billy. He could feel no evil, no darkness around the boy only light. He closed his eyes to meditate on the question hoping the Force would guide him to the correct answer. He could sense Billy's barely concealed impatience and noted that patience would be something he would have to work on if he would indeed train the boy. He let the Force fill him as he sunk deeper and deeper into his meditative trans. He saw glimpses of possible futures, what may be and what would come. Liam reopened his eyes having found his answer. He smiled.

"Spill."

"Is that a yes?"

"That's a yes." Billy grinned but the smile soon faded as he realised that he would have to relive the past year as he told it to Liam.

"One last question. Are you a Jedi."

"Yes." Billy nodded.

~Flashback~

The third moon of Caldinian, Amnank, housed the current ruler's - Baron Natacka of Siladis - private Ionite mine. The conditions slaves worked in were some of the worst in the galaxy not only because the moon suffered from -40 degree temperatures on it's warmest days and well below -60 on it's coldest but mainly because of the Baron's attitude towards them. Despite the freezing temperatures the workers were provided with a minimal amount of clothing - a light long sleeved tunic, trousers made from the same material and a scuffed pair of boots which were more like second hand bits of leather sewn together - as the Baron felt that lack of warm cloths would be an incentive to keep his work force productive. Slaves were - by his reasoning - lazy by nature and if one did not take drastic measures no work would be done at all.

The moon was home to the worst the Baron's army had to offer for it was a place where soldiers were sent for punishment or if they were expendable. Most of the guards had a lust for blood and delighted themselves in making the lives of those they oversaw as awful as possible. Each soldier was armed with the latest in blaster technology, an electro jabber and a BA38 attached to their belts which, when activated, encased the soldier's body in a protective force field strong enough to deflect anything from blaster bolts to knife blades.

The slaves were divided into small camps of about three hundred men in order to prevent a full scale revolt against the Baron. Each camp was guarded by two hundred of the Baron's drones . The slaves in the camps were divided into working gangs consisting of six men who shared a dorm and then five dorms shared an outhouse. Each gang was guarded by four soldiers. The guard changed at the end of every month - six weeks - to prevent any sympathy for the slaves rising amongst the soldiers.

During the night the Soldiers took shifts in guarding the perimeter of their camp. It was more a precaution then anything else because the slaves were fitted with standard electro-bracelets. At the end of each day the soldiers were responsible for changing the boundaries set in the electro-bracelets.

The electro-bracelet, the symbol of slavery, controlled its owner through pain and fear of death. If a slave stepped ten centimetres over the boundary programmed into the bracelet they would be overpowered by an intense electric shock and if they - by some miracle - managed to get more than two metres from the boundary they would be terminated immediately. The bracelet Would inject poison from the tooklik plant into the slave's bloodstream which affected the victim's muscular and nervous systems causing their muscles to spasm as they died a slow painful death. There was no known cure for tooklik poison and research into an antidote had been banned after inquirers revelled the laboratories involved had questionable methods.

The Bracelet was usually the only constant in a slave's life only to be removed when the barer hit a growth spurt or increased in value - miners and common servants were inexpensive and easy to replace, they wore the bracelet on their right wrist. Pilots, pleasure slaves and all those who served a special purposes were unique, difficult to replace and in high demand and were therefore exorbitantly expensive, they wore the bracelet on their left wrist. All The slaves on Amnank wore the bracelet on their right wrist because they were all miners.

~&~

Billy had arrived on the moon shortly after one of the underground mines had collapsed leaving very few survivors. Billy was one of the replacements. He had been tested on Caldinian to see if he would be of any use on the moon and the Caldinian salve masters were delighted to find that he could detect ionite with surprising ease. He was sent to the moon to join a team of sniffers that had lost three of their members during the explosion. Most sniffers focused on taking soil samples to see if there were traces of Ionite in surface veins. However, the minerals that they usually came into contact with were of poor quality as they had been at the mercy of the elements but if the vein was good it would run deep into the moon's crust and from about two kilometres onwards some of the best ionite in the galaxy could be found. Some of the other miners thought sniffers had a cushy job. Where as the real work, that separated the men from the boys, took place below the surface where the proper mining took place.

The team that Billy was part of specialised in deep ionite detection. This meant that they worked in the mine looking for new veins or leading the miners to ionite of better quality. They were only supposed to be seekers but as Billy found out - in no time - that being a slave meant you had no job description. Sniffers ended up mining just as hard if not harder than the actual miners. If they were found "loafing" and the other miners did nothing then the guards would punishing them for not working. Billy had managed to avoid the guards and so far he seemed to go unnoticed but he knew it would not last. He had been on the moon for close to seven weeks and during each week - ten days - he had seen the guards stun one of his fellow sniffers for doing nothing, as far as he could see. Now the sixth week was drawing to a close and all five of the other slaves had fallen under the wrath of the guards. This week, it was his turn. He did not know if it was the anticipation of what was to come or the actual event that caused salves to fear the guards but he did know that the anticipation was killing him.

It was the end of the ninth day of the week and he had managed to get through the day unscathed. Now all he had to do was get to the camp and then he would have nothing to worry about because the tenth day was a day were slaves could rest and recuperate. The guards would have no control over his actions provided he did not try to leave the camp. A bell sounded interrupting his thoughts. The day was officially over. The guards motioned for the slaves to put their tools away before they were led back to the encampments.

Billy walked amongst the throng of workers as they made their way to the camp where they could relax and soothe their aches and pains. Billy felt light headed. He had survived. The only thing troubling him were stiff aching muscles. This evening was his work gangs turn for a monthly shower. He had not been clean since he had arrived. He grinned but his grin did not go unnoticed. The guard, Akkara, who noticed Billy's happiness lent over to one of the other slaves in Billy's work gang.

"Motak, see how that new slave smiles?" Motak looked to where Akkara was indicating and nodded. "He smiles because he has not been punished this month."

"Then he has reason t o smile, sir." Motak's voice was weary.

"Yes, Motak but isn't it unfair that you and all the others in your team have suffered the touch of Calik's electro-jabber and this," His distaste for the slave was prevalent in his voice, "has got off without so much as a scratch?" Motak sighed. He was to tired for this and his lack of interest was starting to annoy the guard. "I over heard him say that he has not been punished because he is not as stupid as the rest of you!" Akkara injected, what he hoped sounded like, incredibility into his voice. "See how he's laughing at you?"

"I see." Motak's eyes narrowed. Akkara was careful not to let Motak see his smile.

"He should be punished. Don't you agree?"

"Yes."

"I cannot do anything as he has done nothing obviously wrong," Motak knew differently but the thought of the consequences for speaking kept him quiet. "You and the rest of the men must sort him out before he becomes to insolent." Motak nodded. Yes the boy's feet would be placed firmly back on the ground.

"This will be a lesson the arrogant little Sith will not soon forget." Motak muttered as Akkara moved away from him knowing his job was done.

~&~

Billy looked down at his bed. He was so tired. Maybe he would have a shower in the morning and sleep now. He shook his head. No. For once he was going to go to bed clean. He grabbed a towel and some clean cloths and started to walk towards the door. Perhaps it was because he thought the danger had passed or because of his exhaustion that he had let his guard down but whatever the reason the hands that grabbed the back of his shirt and pushed him up against the wall were still a surprise. He could feel the hot breath of his attacker on his neck as the man grabbed his arm and pulled it behind his back. Billy bit down hard to avoid crying out.

"Laugh at us will you?" The voice whispered menacingly. Before Billy could reply or defend himself he was flung onto the floor and a boot connected with his midsection, winding him. A hand grabbed his hair and pulled his head back forcing Billy to look into the man's eyes. Billy recognised his attacker as Ga'mas, the man he had been trying to avoid the whole time he had been on the moon.

"He's a pretty little thing." A hand fought its way under Billy's tunic and he squirmed trying to evade the roaming fingers. Billy's hands were pinned beneath him and he was still finding it hard to breathe making his struggles weak and ineffective. Ga'mas pushed his fingers under Billy, pressing them into the youth's stomach. "Motak, we shouldn't waste..."

"He needs to be taught a lesson Ga'mas. We agreed." Motak sounded impatient.

"Pity." The fingers withdrew. Ga'mas dropped Billy's head and pulled him off the floor. He shoved Billy into the waiting arms of Motak and another slave. Ga'mas balled his hand to form a fist. He aimed his first blow at Billy's head. Billy had recovered from the shock of the initial attack so he was able to swing his head out of the way.

"That was a mistake." Motak whispered in his ear, " now you've angered him." Ga'mas hit Billy just below the heart with a left, right-hand combination. Billy wriggled trying to break free.

"Hold him." Ga'mas warned as he aimed a front kick at Billy's chest. The blow connected firmly and Billy heard the sound of cracking bones. He gasped for breath only to be met by pain. Ga'mas punched Billy just below the eye and then kicked his leg. Billy cried out as his knee crumpled beneath him. Ga'mas then grabbed the boy's shirt holding him upright he kneed Billy in the groin. Billy opened his mouth gasping for air, his face knotted in pain and his broken ribs momentarily forgotten. Motak and his accomplice released their hold and Billy crashed to the floor. Ga'mas grabbed Billy's shirt and the sound of ripping material filled the room. He yanked the material away and bodily picked the teen off of the floor. Ga'mas dumped Billy onto a bed. He turned to Motak.

"You and Somik. Hold him." They held Billy so that he was kneeling on the floor with his stomach pressed against the bed, his arms stretched above his head and held firmly against the sheets. Ga'mas took off his belt and wrapped one end around his hand for grip while the buckle swung freely. He lifted his arm above his head.

~&~

Outside Akkara waited with his ear pressed against the door. He smiled when he heard the muffled sounds of a fight. There was a brief pause. He wondered if Motak would agree to throwing the boy across the camp boundary. He heard Ga'mas speak to Motak. The fight continued and then his smile became a grin when the night air was pierced by agonised screams which were quickly smothered. Ga'mas was right the boy was pretty. Akkara closed his eyes and pictured the intense silver-green eyes, the beautiful tanned face and the strong, young body. He moaned. Then his eyelids flew open and anger flashed in their brown depths. This would teach the boy to reject his advances.

~&~

The Baron's palace on Caldinian was in darkness and all were asleep save one. The light in the Baron's private study was on low so that no one would be disturbed. It was not that the Baron would usually care whether he woke anyone or not but at the moment he wanted to be alone or more to the point he did not want to be around his squabbling family. He also felt restless. The boy the slave master, Tocust, had sent him earlier that evening had been given to much sedative and as he had wished there had been no struggle in fact there had been nothing at all. The boy had passed out before the door had closed behind him. The Baron starred at the computer screen in front of him where he had pulled up slave records. He entered a random number into the search box and the information he was looking for appeared almost instantaneously.

Slave number: 8765

Slave Trader: Soim Aggar

Previous owner: Divatox

Status: Alive

Use: Ionite sniffer.

Residence: Amnank, third moon of Caldinian

Name: William Cranston

Age: 18 standard years

Picture: Not found

A smile spread across the Baron's chubby face as he reached for his comm-link. He would give Tocust a headache.

"Tocust. Wake up you lazy buffoon."

"Sire?" Came the groggy reply.

"I wish for slave number 8765 to be sent to my quarters immediately."

"Slave 8765?" The Baron smiled, the slave master was not awake properly. If he had been he would have realised that the number the Baron had given started with an eight meaning the slave was a miner. The reference for pleasure slaves usually started with a one.

"Sire!" Tocust's startled - very much awake - voice interrupted the Barons musings. " It's impossible to bring the slave you requested to you now. He's off planet."

"Do what you must Tocust but get him here before dawn."

"Sire, if I may, this slave is a miner and his age is outside your normal range. Have you changed your preferences?"

"Are you questioning me?"

"Not at all my Lord, I am only wondering if I need to visit the slave markets." The Baron sighed. The conversation was giving HIM a headache.

"Tocust," his tone full of warning, "just bring me the slave. We'll talk about your insubordinace in the morning." Tocust swallowed sharply.

"But, Sire I must insist that you see reason. This slave has been on Amnank for at least six weeks! He will be no boy. It would be ill advised for you to be alone with a miner." He spat the word miner out like a curse. The Baron regarded Tocust for a moment seeing the logic in the man's words.

"Very well. Bring him to my chambers tomorrow before the evening meal. Take what security measures you see fit."

"Yes sire."

"Tocust do not harm him in any way. He must be in perfect condition otherwise you will suffer the consequences. Am I understood?"

"Perfectly Sire."

~&~

Akkara waited until the muffled screams had been reduced to sobs before opening the door and making his presence known. Motak was the first to notice Akkara and he let go of Billy's hand. Somik looked up to see what had caused Motak to release their victim. The sight of the guard had him on his feet. Billy slipped to the ground now that nothing was holding him up. He brought his knees to his chest and buried his face against them. The cold night air caused his tattered back to sting even more but soon the cold had a numbing affect and he started to shiver violently. Ga'mas looked down to where Billy lay then at his accomplices his eyes questioning. Matok signalled for him to turn around. When he saw Akkara, the bloodied belt slipped from his fingers. Akkara opened his mouth to speak.

"By the Gods!" The exclamation came form behind him. Akkara looked over his shoulder and quickly snapped to attention as one of the head guards walked past him to where the boy lay. "Tocust will not be pleased." He stated as he looked down at the slave. The boy was covered in bruises and his back was a mess of blood and ragged skin. The man bent down to remove the gag, made out of strips of the boy's own shirt. "What is the meaning of this sergeant?"

"I don't know sir. I just walked..." The other man waved his hand, uninterested.

"Corporal." Three men entered the room at the man's call. "Take this slave to the Healers."

"Yes sir."

"Gently we don't won't him hurt more than necessary."

"Captain Falla, why are you concerning yourself with the affairs of that slave?" Akkara could not contain his curiosity. The Captain's eyes narrowed as he regarded the sergeant.

"Slave master Tocust has ordered for him to be transferred to the Caldinian palace, unharmed. You will take full responsibility for his injuries." As Falla expected the guard's eyes widened and he began to tremble with fear. Falla smiled, he had never liked Sergeant Akkara.

~&~

Slave master Tocust stormed into the Healers wing, the anxiety and outrage surrounding him formed an almost visible wall of emotion.

"Where is Slave 8765?" The Healer meet the irate man's gaze calmly.

"He is in the Bachta tank."

"What are the extent of his injuries?"

"He has torn ligaments in his knee, a fractured collar bone, three broken ribs, internal bleeding, a severely lacerated back and is suffering form loss of blood, shock and mild hypothermia. Now I have work to do..."

"Sith! Can you heal him before he sees the Baron?"

"The bones will take some time to mend, the Bachta will heal the bruises and his back, don't worry I'll make sure there aren't any scars. I can replace the blood he's lost but he will need lots of rest as he'll be very weak. He won't see the Baron until this evening so he should have warmed up a bit by then. Don't leave him with the Baron because if he's allowed more than a brief inspection he will realise that the boy has been injured."

"His hands are callused?"

"Yes?"

"Then the Baron will not do anything tonight. He likes his toys soft." The healer sighed.

"When the Baron dismisses you bring the boy back here immediately."

"I will." Tocust turned to leave but paused at the door. "Are you certain he will appear unharmed?"

"Yes." Tocust nodded relieved.

~&~

Billy stood in front of the Baron bare foot and bare chested. He shivered slightly. There were metal cusps around each of his ankles with a small chain connecting the two which allowed him to take small steps. His wrists were bound together in front of him in a similar fashion. He swayed slightly. The painkillers the healers had given him along with the beating made his head swim and he found it difficult to focus. The image of the Baron kept becoming distorted and then clear but for Billy's part he wished that it stayed distorted because the Baron did not make the prettiest of pictures. He was about five foot eleven but his hight was dwarfed by the large amount of fat which hung from his body. He wore long, black, robes which concealed most of his enormous bulk. The image lost focus again. Billy heard a soft chuckle. He thought it came from the obese man in front of him but his world was one of drugged obscurity making it difficult to be sure. There was a shuffling of feet and the warm touch and support of the guard was gone. He closed his eyes and focused on staying upright. Once he felt sure of his balance he reopened them hoping to make sense of his surroundings but the haze seemed to have deepened.

The Baron pursed his large lips sucking in his massive cheeks he let a breath out through his mouth. He was quite pleased with his selection. The boy, for that is what he still was, was exquisite. His hair was growing out of its short cut, dark at the roots with pale tips where previous highlights were almost gone. A lock of hair fell across his forehead hiding it, the light tips just reaching his eyes. His lids were half closed allowing only the barest glimpses of the silvery-green orbs beneath. The Baron was captivated by the unfocused gaze for a moment before tracing an invisible finger down a straight noble nose following the line to a soft, full mouth with lips slightly parted revelling perfect teeth. The Baron let his gaze linger for a moment and then continued his study of the face which was finished by a strong jaw with a cleft in the chin. His eyes dropped lower to an unmarked neck. He licked his lips unconsciously as he drank in the sight of broad, well muscled shoulders and torso, narrow hips and long legs.

The Baron stepped closer and picked up one of the boy's slim hands, the other hung limply below. He rubbed his thick fingers over the palm only to find it work worn and callused. He frowned. He moved his caress up the long slender fingers which were deceptively strong. He dropped the hand and watched the boy as he swayed slightly. The Baron assumed that Tocust had made a miscalculation with the sedative again, no matter. He reached out to trace the lines on the washboard abdomen only to have the slave take an unsteady step backwards to escape the slight touch. The Baron smiled and moved behind the slave and reached round to continue his exploration. The slave, as predicted, stepped back again only to find himself pressed against the Baron.

Billy felt momentarily panicked he could not escape the phantom fingers; did not know where they came from. He stepped away from the feather light touch and felt something soft behind him. The fingers pushed him slightly so that he was leaning backwards into whatever it was. The fingers continued to probe and Billy sucked in his stomach trying to escape the touch. He felt a draft of warm air against his skin, then something moist grazed the base of his neck. He lent forward away from it and the fingers moved higher up his chest. He was trapped between the probing fingers and the thing behind him. He tried to push the hand away but something forced his hands down. He had to get away.

The slave managed to execute a turn which allowed him to break free of the Baron's grasp. For a few moments it seemed as if he would fall. The Baron signalled for the guards to come and hold him. Once the slave was firmly in their grasp he dropped the chain joining the boy's wrists. His smile had an air of malevolence as he regarded the slave. This one would be fun to break.

"Tocust, I want this slave to be given soft, stressless jobs around the palace until the calluses on his hands have gone. He is to be confined to the palace and Tocust we don't want to lose any of this muscle." The Baron reached out and squeezed the young slave's shoulder. Tocust paled. The Baron's gaze was focused on the Slave master so he missed the slave's pain filled expression. " Am I understood?"

"Yes sire."

"Good." He waved his large had non-committedly. "Dismissed."

~&~

Billy walked carefully towards the first of many flights of stairs. He was carrying a tray covered with different kinds of fruit, glasses of juice - filled to the brim - and two pots of steaming, caffeine filled, Jaffa. It was the breakfast tray belonging to Maeve, one of the Baron's daughters.

This was the first time Billy had been allowed out of the palace's staff section. It was also the first time that he had realised that the Baron was not the palace's only highborn occupant.

He watched the glasses of juice intently, making sure that nothing spilt while his hand reached out blindly in search of the banister, which would guide him up the stairs. Sparing a moment he glanced up, away from the tray, to the top of the stairs. It was quite a long flight and Maeve's room was on one of the top floors. He still had a long way to go and he had to walk slowly so as not to spill any of the juice. He looked back at the lobby. Perhaps he should have used one of the turbo lifts. No, he had been cooped up in the Palace for over a week with nothing to do but peel potatoes. He needed to stretch his legs.

The tray started to slide out of his grasp. Balancing on one leg, Billy lent the tray on his knee and shifted his hands along its sides to get a better grip. It would not do for him to drop the Lady Maeve's breakfast. Cook had warned him that Maeve had a viscous temper, one that he would not want to face.

He reached the top of the stairs. A large sign hung on the wall opposite him: 1st floor. He saw the lift tube just a few paces away. He strode towards it and pressed the button. Maeve would not be happy if he were late, Billy reasoned as he stepped through the doors. Besides ten flights were a lot of steps.

He looked around the lift's interior. The side where the control panels were, was made of a light, slightly red coloured wood. It's polished surface shone in the light provided by a large elegant glow lamp in the centre of the roof. The other walls were covered with a lush, red carpet until about halfway up, the other half was made of mirror. There was a thin gold trim separating them.

The doors opened. Billy decided that he would use the stairs on his way back to the kitchen. He grimaced as he envisioned a new stack of potatoes waiting for his return. By the Gods, he really hated peeling potatoes. He would even prefer to spend some quality time with the Healers. He shook his head, perhaps that was a bit excessive.

Billy stepped out of the lift and hurried down the hallway. It was richly decorated. The carpet on the floor was the same as the one used to decorate the walls in the lift. The walls where painted a light cream colour and there were various paintings adorning them. Some were portraits of the Baron's ancestors while the others were of beautiful landscapes.

He came to Maeve's door and was surprised to find that it was made of a deep rich wood with a normal handle and an old-fashioned lock. All the other doors in the Palace (that he had seen) had been replaced by more advanced doors with electronic locking systems.

He checked the tray to make sure everything was in place and that he had not spilt anything. He took a moment to steady his breath before knocking.

"Enter." Billy stared at the door trying to work out how he was going to open it and keep the tray level at the same time. He lifted the tray higher than the door handle, using his elbow to push it down he lent against the door to open it. The room behind it was lavishly decorated with red and gold patterned wall-hangings hiding the walls. The head of the bed was pushed against the centre of the wall opposite the door. It was covered in large, cream-coloured pillows and a deep red bedspread. Billy swallowed hard. Amidst the satin lay a vision.

Maeve wore a dark-blue, almost black robe which stood in stark contrast to the rest of the room. She turned her elfin face towards him. Her hair was as red as fire and her eyes, hazel-gold. Billy wondered if she were the inspiration for the decor. He took a deep breath and fixed his eyes on the wall above the bed. He did not want to be caught staring.

"What do you want?" The voice was male, distinctly upper class and definitely not what Billy was expecting.

"B... breakfast." He stammered, eyes trying to find the source of the voice. He realised that the chair next to the bed was occupied. The man had shoulder-length, blonde hair and pale blue eyes, filled with mirth.

"I don't believe I've seen him before. Have you cousin?" Her voice was sharp and crisp with a slight high-class accent.

"No, I haven't."

"You're new?" Her eyes sparkled with laughter at the thought of a new game.

"Yes." The was a brief silence before Billy realised that they were waiting for him to say something. "Miss." She smiled and it sent a chill down his spine. "Where can I put this... Miss?" He wanted to get away as fast as possible.

"Definitely new." She murmured. " Over there." She pointed at a table on the other side of the room. She gave her cousin a conspiring smile as she watched Billy carefully put the tray down. He hurried to the door. "I have not dismissed you." His hand dropped from the Handle. "Come here. Good, now sit," she patted the edge of the bed, "we wish to learn more about you. Where are you from?" Billy hesitated before he sat, alarm bells ringing in his head.

"I don't know." He spoke softly hopping that her interest would fade. Soon.

"You don't know? Most extraordinary, wouldn't you agree Cadfael?" The man in the chair nodded. "Where were you before you came here?"

"Amnank."

"A miner? Oh my and why are you now working in the palace?"

"Master Natacka..."

"Aren't you a bit old for my father?" Billy looked at her confused.

"To old for what?"

"Then you have not warmed my father's bed?"

"NO!" Billy's expression was one of horror. He shuddered as a picture of the Baron entered his head.

"Perhaps he should warm yours." Cadfael suggested. He was enjoying this. He guessed that the slave would refuse.

"Excuse me?"

"You should return here after evening meal and..." Cadfael left the rest up to the young slave's imagination. Billy's face turned an interesting shade of red. Cadfael smiled. This was the most fun he had had in ages. "What do you think cousin?"

"An interesting plan. Cadfael but first I must ask father. You Know how he can be with his slaves?"

"Guards them jealously."

"What's your name?"

"Billy... miss."

"Billy, what do you think of Cadfael's plain?" Billy paled. "Well?"

"Um.."

"I don't think he likes the idea. It was stupid of me to suggest it."

"No it was stupid of him to refuse it. You are dismissed." Billy hesitated wondering if he should defend himself. "Out of my sight." No now was not the time to argue. He slid off of the bed and almost ran from the room. Maeve watched his retreating form. Once the door was closed she collapsed with laughter.

"You're terrible cousin! Did you see his face?" Cadfael only nodded. He was laughing to hard to reply verbally. Then Maeve's face sobered and her eyes filled with curiosity, "I wonder what father wants him for."

"Maybe he's to fight your brother in the ring."

"I doubt that. If he were a gladiator he would not be serving breakfast. He's not bad looking. Maybe father's changed his preferences."

"I'd like to see him face Dannan." Cadfael rubbed him chin thoughtfully, "wouldn't you?"

"It could be quite a fight. The good and the ugly. But how? If father has other plans for him then he won't just hand him over for my brother to .fight!" Cadfael smiled. "You have a plan don't you? Come on cousin do tell."