J McKenna: Slave Planet

Kate bit her lip. NASA was right, there was nothing they could do here. “OK, you heard ‘em. Looks like we’re going home.”

“Is that really right?” Greta asked. “We’ve only been out here eight days. Seven months in cryosleep and we go home a full six weeks short of our mission parameters? Can’t we explore some other worlds while we’re out here?”

The captain sighed. Greta, always the go-getter. No doubt she could just write off the two lost crew members and go on. Kate couldn’t and she doubted Allyson could either. “No, we have our orders. And we’re short-handed. Besides, we owe it to our grateful nation. I’m sure they’d like to congratulate us on our rescue efforts.” The sarcasm oozed from her. A tear tracked down her cheek. Angrily, she wiped it away. “Frankly, I don’t like it either, commander. I don’t want to leave them down there, and I don’t want to hang around up here, helpless. It’s time to go home. Leave the rescue to the Marines.”

They left orbit four hours later and aimed the ship for home. When they were clear of the solar system, Kate pushed the ship into warp and watched as the stars blurred. “Time to take a nap, girls,” she said, and led them down to the sleeping chamber.

They all undressed silently, their thoughts heavy. Kate helped the others in, then locked down the capsules. In minutes, they were in a deep sleep. Kate took one last look around. “I’m sorry, Beth, Jorja. I’m so sorry,” she whispered to the silent room. Then she crawled into the cocoon and locked down the hatch.

Jorja and Beth marched back with the crowd toward the village. They heard the roar of the bobsled behind them as it took off.

“Do you think we’re in for it?” Beth asked nervously.

“Maybe,” the engineer responded. “Maybe we can bluff our way out of this.” Jorja was dismayed to see the figure of Gulnark approaching.

Gulnark, with his father right behind, marched right up to Jorja. “You baramus! ” He shouted, his face contorted with hate. “You dare you harm my people, and run from me? I’ll show you who is master!” He backhanded her across her face. Jorja just had time to bring up her hand to partially block him, but didn’t counter, though she had an opening to give him a knee to the groin. She bent with the blow, her eyes tearing up.

Beth shrunk back as other men surrounded her. Some had telltale burns on their chests from phaser blasts. She could see they clearly wanted to punish her on the spot.

“Kill them!” a man shouted, trying to incite the others. “They will destroy us!”

“They aren’t our kind!” said another. “They have magic—bad magic!”

Gulnark, emboldened when Jorja didn’t fight back, tried to slap her hard across the face. Someone grabbed his arm.

“Gulnark, if you want to fight her, talk to me.” Jorja turned to see the square face of Keltar.

“She belongs to me!” Gulnark screamed. “You can’t interfere!”

“Very well,” he responded, letting go of his arm. “But first, let’s settle our bets.”

Two bookies appeared silently on either side of Keltar. Gulnark blanched.

“You owe me 200 quitnums ,” said one.

“And me 100,” said the other.

The scene caused the men around Beth to stop what they were doing long enough for Niktus to push through the circle. “I will take charge of my slave now,” he said calmly, keeping his eyes steady on the irate men. They knew she belonged to him, so they edged back just slightly, though they didn’t stop glowering. Fortunately, the confrontation between Gulnark and Keltar distracted them.

“I-I do not have the money on me at the moment,” Gulnark stuttered. He looked at his father, who just shrugged.

“How much did you pay for your slave?” Keltar asked.

“Two-fifty,” Dolnark said.

“I will pay your debts in exchange for the slave Jor-ja,” Keltar said calmly.

Gulnark again looked to his father for approval, then nodded quietly to Keltar.

And just like that, the confrontation was over. The crowd walked into the village, Keltar holding Jorja’s arm possessively, and Niktus leading Beth by her leash.

Beth’s heart leaped with her gratitude for her “master.” He stared down those thugs and exerted control over the situation. She didn’t mind being led. On Earth, it would be degrading; on Devon, it gave her a sense of belonging, of value, that the other villagers respected.

Jorja, of course, felt the same way toward Keltar. And now he owned her! Her loins ached with the thought of what lay ahead for them tonight.

Tonight, apparently, was too long to wait for Keltar. No sooner had they reached the village then he pushed her up against a wall and indicated she should bend over and brace herself against it. Jorja reddened, and glanced at Beth, who graciously turned her head away and followed Niktus down the street.

Jorja remembered the last time a man had tried to force her to have public sex. She kicked the shit out of him. She wasn’t about to do that to her rescuer, yet she wanted to let him know that she considered herself a fighter, not a slave.

“Fighters don’t have sex in public,” she declared, her gaze steady.

Keltar stopped as if slapped. Several in the crowd gasped at the effrontery. As one, they turned to see Keltar’s reaction to such talk. “Then we fight,” he said after a few seconds.

This was the last thing she expected to hear from the taciturn trainer. Yet how could she have accepted anything else? She had challenged his manhood, his honor, in front of the town—now she had to fight the man she was falling in love with.

“When?” She asked, her voice betraying her emotion.

“Now. The main fight scheduled today has still not occurred and I think the crowd would enjoy another exhibition bout. Let’s go.”

The crowd roared their approval. Jorja found herself propelled along toward the main square once again.

“I don’t want to fight you,” she whispered, hoping no one else could hear.

“You left me no choice,” he said out of the side of his mouth.

“But one or both of us might get hurt. You might damage your new fighter,” she responded urgently. He said nothing, just continued to haul her along beside him. Jorja could see his jaw twitching.

They reached the square. She was dragged up onto the platform and thrust into the ring. The crowd filled in quickly as news of the fight spread. To the side, Jorja could see Klasdor and Ripatus watching, their arms folded over their massive chests. They talked in low tones to each other, as if making a bet on the outcome. She scanned the crowd and saw others betting, holding up fingers and nodding.

Jorja spotted Beth and Niktus entering the square. She was glad to see her—before the bout was over, she might need a doctor, she mused.

She squared off with Keltar, her heart pounding. She didn’t want to do this. She wanted to make love to him, not fight him. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to be treated publicly like a mere slave. She had worked too hard to set herself apart from the native women of this planet—Beth too, for that matter. She felt she would be fighting for the doctor’s honor as well.

It seemed to be a no-win situation. If she fought hard and lost, Keltar probably would hurt her badly. If she won, Keltar would never forgive her for making him lose face. She could see the determination in his face.

Suddenly, Jorja understood what she had to do.

The umpire shouted for them to begin and Jorja and Keltar came together quickly. Keltar made a grab that Jorja easily parried. She had an opening for a kick to the stomach, but she let the opportunity pass. Instead, she tried a sweeping hook kick, a flashy, but often ineffectual move. Keltar blocked it easily, then pushed her off-balance. She fell to the platform and quickly rolled away before he could fall on her.