Chapter Four
Captain's Woman

Tia Anlor, the pain in her brutalized body overwhelmed by her terror of punishments to come, had managed to use Tucker's shower to clean the golden blood from herself, but she could do little to repair her garment before she had to resume her work.

She manages to reach Captain Forrest's quarters. She has used the heavy food cart to keep herself on her feet as she went from door to door, delivering breakfasts to ungrateful crewmen. Her lateness would be theirs, unless they decided to fore-go breakfast, but none – thank Aura – were interested in wasting the additional time it would take to reprimand her. There was a rendezvous with a space station coming up, during which they would take on supplies, that at least she knew from the slave network which would perform the manual labor, so it was just a matter of 'put the tray down and go' from most of them.

But now she's reached the Captain's quarters, distinguished as much by the huge Imperial symbol painted on the door as by the two guards standing outside. Removing a tray from the rack, trying to ignore the eyes of the guards on her body, Tia held the torn dress closed and tried to use the corner of the tray to press the annunciation button.

The guard on her right, a tall man with dark skin, perhaps feeling a bit sorry for the struggling slave, perhaps in some manner of gentlemanly quality she hardly believed a Terran possessed, pressed the annunciation button for her. She flashed a carefully grateful smile – it didn't do to encourage a Terran – a moment before a voice called from within: "Come." He touched the top button and let her inside. She entered carefully, not meeting his eyes as she stepped, barefoot, over the threshold.

She crossed straight into the room, headed for the table where she would set the tray down. She tried not to look at anything, but peripherally she saw the blue uniform to her left, and when she focused the briefest possible glance on it she saw, with sinking heart, that the gray haired Captain Forrest was already dressed and ready for duty. She had lost so much time. So much.

She tried not to look at him, but even before she set the tray down he spoke to her. "Just a minute." She had the tray half down, holding it with one hand while the other kept her dress clutched closed, when she froze.

His tone wasn't harsh or sharp. It was not loud or demanding. It was the voice of a man who had long grown used to having his words obeyed. "Sir?" She didn't look up, didn't look away from the tray, from the table that was her objective. She wanted to set the tray down and get out.

He stepped over to her. With one hand on her wrist he pushed down gently, making her complete the motion to set down the tray. Then his hands on her shoulders almost gently compelled her to turn toward him. "Look at me."

x

There was no compulsion in his words. They were said by one who had no doubt he would be obeyed, but all she could feel was fear. She didn't want to be used again. She didn't want to be abused again. She just wanted to finish her chores and go 'home'!

When she could force herself to raise her eyes up his blue uniform with its many medals, past the black shoulder boards with the four silver strips, it was to a face that was almost fatherly in its… compassion. But she didn't believe it. Do Terrans feel compassion?

He took the front of her gray garment just over where her hand clutched it tightly, and waited until her hand eventually released it. She didn't want to. He hadn't hurt her before; but every Terran eventually abused her in one way or another. And the worst thing was that she couldn't dare to stop it. She wanted to cry, to beg, to appeal to his mercy, but she was sure he didn't have any.

He spread the dress wide and his eyes surveyed her body. "I see you still have that brand," he said with what she suspected was a deceptive mildness. "I would have thought you'd have had it removed." She wanted to tell him that she didn't dare, that she was terrified of what Tucker would do to her if she tried, but she didn't trust this human either. Terrans were all alike; the only difference between them was when she suffered. She watched his lips tighten as his eyes took in her bruises covering her swollen breasts, the golden tinted flesh burnished. He shook his head, almost seeming sad but she knew better than to believe that was possible. "If I asked you who did this, would you tell me?"

She never got the chance, because the voice that answered came from the bed behind him. "Does it matter?" When Forrest turned, still holding her dress open wide, Tia felt her blood drain from her face when she saw Hoshi Sato lying under the cover.

"It matters," the Captain told his Communications Officer. "Look at this." Hoshi looked over the nude girl appraisingly.

"Nice firm boobs, but a bit big for my taste - though I approve of the decorations. Good firm figure, however. Nice curves." Forrest let the dress go, disgusted. It hadn't been an appraisal he'd been seeking, and he knew she knew it. Tia started to move to close the dress again from where it draped, but Forrest's next words chilled her heart.

"Feeling threatened?" he asked, barely looking at the Japanese woman who lay in his bed. He'd meant it in irritation, but the reactions of both women went unseen by him. Tia saw Hoshi's eyes flick over her again, and she read in those slitted orbs the realization that she could feel threatened. The young Auran froze in terror as though, like a baby rabbit caught in the sight of a wolf, if she stood still enough she might escape notice and live.

"By a slave who's here to provide meals and dessert?" Hoshi asked with limitless contempt, but though her voice was bland there was no dismissal in her eyes of a possible rival. "She's meat for any man strong enough to take her, and any man is strong enough."

"But that doesn't make it right. Any of it." He shook his head. "And something is going to be done." His tone was almost introspective, as if continuing a conversation only he was having. But it only lasted a moment before he broke away, turning to Hoshi. "Enjoy your breakfast. I'll see you on the bridge."

With a casual nod to Tia, he strode out the door so unexpectedly Tia hadn't broken herself from her terrified paralysis. She turned, clutching her dress closed and started to hurry for the closed door.

"Hold it!"

Tia could have sobbed as she froze at the sharp command, wishing she had been alert enough to escape with the Captain.

x

Hoshi got off the large bed, and as Tia shifted her eyes to look at the approaching doom the woman represented, she saw her wearing a slinky black negligee that revealed more than it pretended to hide. It was closed at the neck and swept open between her breasts to flow to an open curve at her hips. The only other garment the woman wore was a very small pair of black translucent bikini panties that closed in two bow ties at her hips.

Tia could bring herself to move only her eyes. The rest of her was frozen in terror. Hoshi stepped up to her, the black negligee fluttering slightly in the tiny breeze of her movements.

"So, our Captain finds you interesting," Hoshi said with terrible softness. She was the only one Tia knew who could infuse so casual a tone with such deadly menace.

"No, Ma'am," she whispered, eyes down, meek. She knew better than to meet those deadly almond eyes. She had already been badly hurt, and just wanted to get out of the room without being hurt more.

But as Hoshi stood close, her closeness emphasizing her threat, Tia felt her terror mount. She was taller than the dark haired woman by three centimeters, yet she felt smaller than the Officer. She was already trembling uncontrollably; her fear so overwhelming she could barely breathe.

"Really? Certainly looks like it to me. Tell me, is he developing a taste for golden meat?"

"N – n - no, Ma'am," Tia whispered. She gasped, frozen in mounting panic as Hoshi's hand came up; there was a wicked looking dagger in it that she hadn't seen before. Had Hoshi had it in the bed with her?

Tia's terror mounted as she stared at the gleaming blade, which caught the various lights in the room on its mirror-like surface. Hoshi played it about in her hand, the lights in the room caressing the razor sharp blade, the needle point tip.

x

Hoshi brought the blade up, used it to move aside the two halves of Tia's dress, using the younger woman's breasts to hold it aside, seeing the burnished bruises covering them. Tia stood trembling, unable to take her eyes off the glistening blade. "That looks like Tucker's work."

"He raped me, Ma'am," she whispered, unable to meet the shorter woman's eyes.

"Yes, that's his way – with slaves. I trust you learned your place?"

"I know my place, Ma'am," she gasped as the blade's sharp point pressed into her left breast. She froze, trying not to tremble, trying not to breathe so the blade wouldn't pierce her. She wished she could calm her pounding heart.

"Good." She slowly turned the blade, the light playing upon it, the point dimpling her flesh. "You do have a brain in that head." She regarded Tia appraisingly, looking down at the violated area. "You never get any..."

"Aurans don't, Ma'am," she whispered, wishing she could control the tremor. That had been a barely interesting surprise when she'd learned some differences between Auran and Terran women, back in the days when she could almost care.

"Good. Tucker likes his women bare; nothing to get in the way." Hoshi smiled as the taller woman blushed a bright gold, even her eyes shot through with bolts of gold she couldn't hide. Hoshi knew this humiliated her, it being shameful to those of her race. Since she'd learned this, she went out of her way to humiliate and embarrass the Auran at any opportunity, for to force her eyes to change left the slave with a double humiliation. She so enjoyed humiliating the Auran beauty, if only because she was so startlingly lovely.

x

"No, Forrest wouldn't want someone like you. He likes his women strong, confident. You'd never be a Captain's Woman." Hoshi started to run the blade teasingly along Tia's body, the needle sharp tip tracing a path along her flesh, the pinpoint drawing a gold line even without pressure. She was enjoying Tia's mounting fear as the younger woman stood still, unable to move, trembling and gasping in abject terror.

"I'm the Captain's Woman, you know," Hoshi 'reminded' her, trailing the gleaming blade over the Auran's breasts, the needle-sharp point drawing thin golden lines upon her firm flesh. "It may not be a real rank, but it's better than Lieutenant, better than Major or Commander. It takes a lot to get it. A lot of talent. A lot of ability. And it is something to be kept."

"I would never try to–" Tia stopped as the dark woman pressed the blade into her nipple. She stood absolutely still, too terrified to breathe, feeling the needle sharp point pressed into her as she fought to stop trembling lest she bleed again.

Hoshi held the blade dimpling the young woman. Just an ounce more pressure would draw blood; just a flick of her wrist would slice her skin open.

"You could never be a Captain's Woman. Not a whimpering, trembling coward like you."

"No, Ma'am," she whispered.

"And you are a coward, aren't you?"

"I just don't want to be hurt anymore!" she breathed, her breath shuddering, desperate not to move. She was completely unable to control the trembling.

"Yes, you do get hurt a lot, don't you?" Hoshi eased the dimpling pressure on Tia's nipple, but it was no reprieve as the blade started moving again, slowly trailing over her shuddering body, half healed bruises competing with fresh ones. Tia's wide golden eyes followed the gleaming, mirror-like silver. "It seems that every time I see you, you've collected some new bruise or other." The tip ran from one bruise to the next, connecting them with lines of gold that another ounce of pressure would turn into bleeding furrows. "Of course, on you, the gold makes it look interesting, wouldn't you say?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Tia whispered, not meeting the woman's eyes, unable to take her eyes off the glittering blade. She'd seen human bruises, dark ugly things, but they didn't matter. This did. She felt like she was going to cry, so terrified was she, but if woman could drive her to tears it would be just one further humiliation. Her heart was thumping wildly in her panic, so fast and hard it hurt.

"I remember when you came aboard, the day you were captured. So fiery, so independent. So strong. You were quite the young warrior." She runs the blade over her stomach, up and down her torso. "We beat that out of you, didn't we?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Tia gasped, feeling the pin pricks along her stomach.

"How many beatings and floggings has it taken?"

"I don't know anymore, Ma'am. There've been so many."

x

Hoshi enjoyed tormenting the golden woman. Ever since she had been allowed to go through that Auran 'luuru', she'd grown taller than Hoshi, almost statuesque, but the way she cringed so much made her seem smaller. Hoshi was pleased she was still able to intimidate her so thoroughly, to terrify her so completely. The young woman's chest heaved as she gasped, tried to breathe against the panic that robbed her of her air.

"But you are resilient. Every time we knock you down; you keep getting up, don't you?" She brought the blade up under Tia's right breast, pressing up, the weight causing her pain as Tia froze, not daring to breathe. She kept utterly still, trying not to gasp, needing desperately to breathe and too scared to dare. "Perhaps you're not really as broken as you seem," Hoshi said speculatively, the implication clear.

"Please, Ma'am, no more. I can't take any more," Tia whispered desperately, not able to speak aloud, terror stealing her voice. The whispered pleading had robbed her of the last of her air, yet she dared not breathe deeply for fear of being cut. She felt herself growing lightheaded, her heart pounding so hard low in her chest that it hurt.

"I don't blame you," Hoshi said, trailing the knife down to the golden woman's stomach to her thighs, then back up as Tia gasped desperately for breath.

Hoshi knew just how much she could do before Tia might faint, and kept her just below that point, so the torment could go on and on.

x

"Then again, a beautiful woman doesn't want to be damaged, and you are a beautiful woman." She drew more slow lines of pain across Tia's body. "Tell me, do you have many admirers on this ship?"

"No, Ma'am. I have men who take me; men who rape me, men who use me, men who hurt me. They all just want what they can get, but no one wants me." It was the longest sentence she'd ever used to the dark officer.

"Still," Hoshi said, considering, "the passions of men are so fickle, you know. And you do clean up rather nicely, I'll admit." She continued running the sharp point of the blade lightly over Tia's golden skin. She seemed to be expecting an answer.

"Yes, Ma'am." Tia whispered shamefully, unable to look away from the gleaming blade as its needle sharp point raked over her trembling body. She couldn't stand the unending fear, knowing the woman was going to abuse her and not knowing when or how. Worst was the knowledge that her own unique beauty led to her misery, more so when she dared to resist.

"Phlox can have you as good as new. He's very talented, but I guess you know that. That is, when he's not indulging his taste for experimentation. You'll be back to turning heads all over this ship in no time."

"Ma'am, I'd never–!"

The blade came up near her face, forcing her to meet Hoshi's eyes as the woman asked dangerously "Are you contradicting me?"

"No, Ma'am. Never!" she exclaimed. Her heart was pounding so hard low in her chest, her breath coming in such short gasps, she was afraid that if she didn't get it under control she'd faint.

"So…" The blade started to move down slowly along her body, past her breasts. "You do like to turn men's heads."

"Please, Ma'am," she begged, unable to do more than whisper, certain she was going to faint. The blade moved lower, past her stomach and Tia's panic mounted.

The glistening blade moved lower still, lower, ever lower. The blade reached her vulva, turned pointing up."Maybe even the Captain's head."

The blade was turned up, pointing to her and she thought of Tucker's weapon.

"Ma'am, I'd never take the Captain's attention from you," she whispered, trembling uncontrollably, staring. When the dark woman's silence made her look up, there was a horrible, merciless gleam in Hoshi's eyes.

"I know you won't."

x

In the corridor one of the Captain's guard, charged with keeping Hoshi safe, was startled by the bloodcurdling shriek that sliced through the bulkhead.

Sergeant Travis Mayweather slapped the button beside the door, opening it even as he hefted his phase rifle. He came around the edge of the door frame in perfect form, the rifle leading - and froze.

The shriek was fading only because the woman's lungs were giving out.

In his years as a MACO, Travis had seen many horrors, so many he had come to think of himself as immune to their effect.

But he knew this sight will haunt his nightmares for the rest of his days.

He told himself that Hoshi, the one who was his responsibility, was in no danger. He told himself that, this settled, he could reasonably close the door. He told himself to forget what he saw as Hoshi withdrew her bloody hand and the long gold covered blade and the slave crashed to the floor, screaming and writhing in agony, hands clutching herself to staunch the golden flow. He told himself that he would forget this.

He told himself that he's a damned liar.

xxx

Captain Maximilian Forrest strode onto the Bridge in a black abstraction, barely hearing his Tactical Officer's call to Attention, returning the crew's salute, a striking of the closed right fist to the chest and then a stiff armed extension of that fist, without even seeing the men and women who offered it. He sat down in his command chair barely a second after his First Officer vacated it, acknowledging that worthy's salute. He paid attention to the man's report of ship's condition with half an ear, knowing that if there was anything wrong that needed correction, Jonathan would already have attended to it long before reporting it.

Most of his attention was on Starfleet's position of having slaves serving aboard Starships, in particular Battle Cruisers like Enterprise and the lessons of history. He sometimes wondered if he was the only one who ever studied history, or tried to learn from its lessons.

x

As the report concluded, Gamma Shift Communications Officer Harris spoke up. "Captain, Starfleet Command is hailing. Admiral Black, sir."

Forrest nodded. A moment later he was out of his chair. "Relay it to my Ready Room. You have the bridge, Commander." He stalked off the Bridge, trying to iron out the scowl that had appeared on his face, a feeling growing in the pit of his stomach that he was not going to like what the Admiral had to say.

He never did.

xxx

A few minutes after the horrific scream that had drawn his attention, Travis Mayweather turned as the door to the Captain's quarters slid open and Hoshi Sato, clothed now in her blue two piece uniform which molded itself to her svelte body as if painted on, stepped out.

She crooked her finger to Travis, indicating he should follow her. There was a smile on her face that was more predatory than pleasant. The dark man complied, not looking directly into the room as the door slid closed, not wanting to ever see that horrific sight again. Nevertheless he caught a glimpse, before the door slid shut, of the young woman lying on the floor, clutching the wound between her legs, golden blood still seeping between her fingers and that single image was enough.

He followed the smaller woman as she… 'sashayed' was the only word he could choose… down the corridor. Clearly Hoshi was in a very good mood. Travis tried not to imagine how this was possible.

They reached the elevator and he checked the interior before admitting her, closing the door behind them. It started moving as Hoshi leaned closer him, looking up at Travis with a seductive expression, her warm hands went to his chest as she whispered hotly: "Stop the car."

When he did so she reached down for him.