Her New World

by Leviticus

LEARNING:

1.

Out beyond the lagoon the surf could be heard crashing against the reef that protected it. But within the lagoon the water was relatively still, with only the occasional surge pushing water up the beach. It was a calm, quiet place, away from the manic bustle of the growing community up the slope, and over the first couple of weeks had become a popular place for people to relax.

No one was there at the moment though, except for Staci and Bob, who sat side by side on the sand watching the dawn.

The sky beyond the outer islands was tinged with red as Elvira started its climb above the horizon, and Staci couldn't help thinking of the old proverb. "Red sky at morning, shepherd take warning." It had only rained once since they had gotten there, but the cloudy sky gave a promise of more to come. Otherwise though it was warm and humid, normal weather, or at least she hoped so.

She shifted slightly, her hands locked behind her in their ever-present cuffs. She still resented being bound like this every time Bob took her out, but he was going to have his way and that was that. Staci didn't like it, but she put up with it. So she just looked out to sea and watched the sun come up.

She sighed, her head full of what Doctor Kelly had told her. Was she really expected to bring children into this world? It wasn't the prospect of motherhood that bothered her so much, just that they would be brought up in a place where the inequality of the sexes wasn't just a part of life, but encouraged! What kind of life would any daughter of hers have here, being automatically made a slave simply because she was female? And how could she give birth to a son that would eventually look at her, his mother, as a second-class citizen?

Staci could deal with the choices the colonists had made about their lifestyles, because presumably they had made those choices as adults. Yet to bring children up to believe what their parents believe, without giving them the chance to make choices of their own, seemed...barbaric.

But then an odd thought struck her and she almost laughed. Here she was thinking how horrible it was that these people were prepared to force their beliefs on their children when in reality the human race had been doing just that for thousands of years. Only back on Earth it was called teaching religion. Families brought up their own children in whatever religion the adults believed at that moment, rarely giving the individual child a choice of its own. It was brainwashing at its most sinister because it was morally accepted by all. Thinking that way Staci could hardly see a difference between what parents were doing to their children on Earth and what the colonists were going to do to their children here. Only the subject matter was different, and apparently the only right and wrong about what was being taught was in the eyes of the beholder.

Still, she thought that the children of this world should at least have the chance of deciding for themselves if they wanted to follow the rules that were being prepared for them, or else every girl on this planet would be born into slavery…and their brothers born to Master.

Staci could only hope that if things had to be that way that the system truly worked, or it would come crashing down in abuse within a generation. Maybe then there would be a revolution!

Staci grinned.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Bob asked her, breaking in on her thoughts.

Dawn seen from space beat any dawn on the ground hands down, at least in Staci's opinion. Yet she couldn't deny the beauty of nature's palette. She smiled and nodded.

Beside her, Bob chuckled, making her turn to look at him.

"What...Sir?" she asked cautiously.

"I'm glad I brought you out here, I don't often see you smile. You look good doing that," he said, smiling softly himself.

Staci didn't reply; she just looked back at the quickly brightening sky. A day on Freedom was a little over an hour shorter than an Earth day, a minor adjustment. Staci snorted, thinking about Kent's speech and his new name for the planet. Freedom...freedom for whom?

"Stand up, let's get moving," Bob said, getting to his feet. Staci obediently struggled to hers.

Bob, at the moment, was in shorts and a T-Shirt, yet barefoot on the sand. Staci had on a wrap skirt and a tied-on halter that barely covered her breasts. It was an outfit he liked on her; it made it easy for him to do what he did next.

"Do you have to do that here?" Staci asked nervously as Bob untied her halter and dropped it on the sand.

"I can do this any place I want at any time I want," he replied. "It's something you're going to have to get used to here. We don't regard nudity as taboo, at least for women." He chuckled and undid her skirt, unwrapping it and depositing the material with her top.

Staci flushed, standing naked on the beach except for her bonds. Being nude with this man indoors was one thing, but outdoors quite another. She tried to hold her temper and calm her embarrassment.

Bob McKinly stood back to admire her, his eyebrows raised. "Why are you worrying anyway? Didn't you once enter an amateur night stripping competition? Came in third I believe," he said.

Staci was shocked, and this time her blush was pure embarrassment. "How..?" she began to ask.

Bob smiled, "It's in your personal files, or did you forget?"

"But...you shouldn't be seeing those!" Staci stammered, angry at the violation of her privacy.

"I'm your owner, slave girl. Nothing gets hidden from me," he said, taking her bare shoulders in his hands. "But I'll tell you this. No one else, not even Alan Kent, can find out what I know about you. All your secrets...all your secrets, are safe with me. We're partners, you and I, we share everything, even more than a regular married couple would. It's the only way this really works!"

"Then maybe I should see your records Sir," Staci replied angrily, stepping out of his reach.

"Done! I'll give you access tonight. Remind me later."

Staci looked at him in disbelief, "Yeah, right!"

"I'm serious," Bob said, and he actually looked it. "I told you we have to share everything, and you have a lot to learn about me. You have free access to my records, but I only ask one thing of you. Hold my confidence, as I hold yours."

"And if I don't?"

Bob shrugged, "Then the punishment will fit the indiscretion."

"Pity that doesn't work the other way round," Staci replied smartly.

Bob's smile faded a little, "You know, I'm trying to ease you into this gently, giving you lots of slack where I think you need it. But lately, I think you've become too familiar, too relaxed. You need some stronger discipline for a while. Collar, training aide L6"

"Training aide L6," replied the collar around Staci's neck.

Staci frowned, "What's training aide L6...Master?" The two-second shock drove her to her knees.

"We'll see if you can figure it out, it has to do with respect. But right now, we have some training to do."

He took from his pocket something he had to unravel, and Staci saw it was a leash. She knelt silently, fuming at her treatment and embarrassed about being hooked up like a common animal. She wondered how long it would take her to figure out what the collar she wore wanted from her this time. She thought it smarter to stay quiet.

"Up on your feet, that's it," Bob said, watching her stand and admiring her grace. "We haven't had any time to get any real exercise because the Gym has yet to be set up. We're both runners though, so I thought we could at least get started with a jog every morning."

Again Staci was surprised. "Sir, I can’t run like this! I'm naked!" A second later the collar shocked her again, a four second shock that hit her hard. She looked up at him, her eyes pleading.

"Don't like that do you? Well I don't either which is why I'd rather train you the other way. Still, I think you need a day under the collar. To save you further pain though, you say Sir at the beginning and end of each statement. Try it."

Staci gritted her teeth. "Sir...Yes...Sir."

"Good. On your feet again. As for running naked, you'll do fine. The gravity is lighter here, remember? And you aren't that overly built that you'll hurt yourself, are you?"

"Sir...you don't know how hard it is to run without...support...Sir. Couldn't I at least wear my top, Sir?" she asked him.

"No. You'll be fine. I like you nude, you know that."

"Sir...at least let me have my hands, Sir!"

Bob shook his head. He had a reason for making her learn to run this way, but he wasn't going to tell her yet. "Let's go, come on, we’ll use an easy pace to start with."

To her horror he moved off, and she could do nothing but follow him because of her leash. She matched his pace and concentrated on the run, padding across the soft sand as they followed the beach. She couldn't believe she was jogging naked and bound on the end of a leash; it was not something she’d thought she would ever be doing in her life. Yet here she was, and she couldn't stop it. It was humiliating, embarrassing, and despite the slightly lower gravity, still hard on her chest. ‘Well,’ she thought angrily, ‘if he wants my boobs down by my knees by the time I'm forty, then this is how it's going to happen.’

Still, at least running on the beach was easier than doing it up near the colony compound. The ground, although covered in lichen where it hadn't been churned up by construction, wasn't suitable for jogging without shoes, and he wasn't going to give her any.

They made good time over the sand though, and Bob led them up the beach and back, an easy two-mile run. Still, by the time they returned to their spot, they were both winded, while Staci was sore from her awkward running position.

Bob picked up a water canteen that he had stashed when they came up to look at the dawn, and gave Staci a drink before taking one of his own. "Good run," he said after his first swig. "Two miles, or about that I guess. Being twenty percent lighter made it easier. We'll do better once we're back in condition, and I'd like you in good running condition. I used to do five a day, you did too right?"

Staci nodded. "Sir, every other day when time permitted, when I was stationed in orbit, Sir," she gasped. Bob gave her another drink.

"Good. We'll build back up to that, maybe even do better. This gravity will allow us to do it. What’s the matter?"

Staci had suddenly stopped moving, her eyes wide. She was looking over Bob's shoulder and he turned around.

"Wow," was all he said.

Crawling out of the water about fifty feet further down the beach was a creature that looked something like a cross between an otter and a seal, only about human-sized. Its big eyes looked at them for a moment; small ears perked up, before it got fully onto its legs and shook itself dry. Then, without another glance, it trotted along the beach on four legs, seal tail moving from side to side, and vanished from view down a hole in the bank.

Neither Bob nor Staci had seen much of the native wildlife yet, although deer-like creatures had been spotted in the forest that bordered one side of the colony and birds had been seen flying around. Staci's brush with the sea creature that had almost stung her to death was the only physical contact humans had had with the fauna so far, except for the biologists trying to determine what could be eaten and what couldn’t. So this was a novel event for both of them.

"I wonder what it is." Bob remarked quietly.

Staci wondered if that was what she had run in to in the water. Kent had outlawed swimming in the lagoon until the mystery was cleared up.

Bob looked at his watch. "I have a meeting, come on," he said, picking up her leash and her clothes. He began to lead her back to the colony as she was, making her blush once again.

"Sir, don't I get to dress first, Sir?"

Bob ignored her, letting her stew.

He had to take his lovely, sweaty slave girl through the center of town to reach their apartment building, but as they approached the town center they heard music.

The middle of the town was an open area set aside to become a park at some point, but right now it was filled with the remains of packing crates that had held equipment during the transit. Someone, however, had cleared a spot where the muddy ground had dried very flat, and had organized what looked like an aerobics class.

Fifteen women in various states of dress and undress were moving to the beat of the music coming from a boom box on the ground in front of them. All the women looked to be performing slave moves: standing, kneeling, lying...etc, responding to orders given out by a voice in the music. Some of the women were smiling, but most were concentrating on getting the routine right. Bob and Staci could see why when one of them turned the wrong way. The mistaken girl got collar shocked and quickly found her place again. The routine ended with all the women on their knees in the accepted slave pose, and they remained that way for a few seconds before the boom box released just one of them. This woman, clad in a leotard, jumped up with a smile and moved to quickly press a button on the boom box. The other women held their positions while trying to catch their breath.

"Hello, Master!" she said, waving at Bob and smiling at Staci.

"Hi Priss. I didn't know you had started this already!" Bob called out with a smile, bringing Staci closer.

"First day, Master," said Priss, a very fit-looking red head. "Things are slowing down and we all got released from our work details yesterday. My Master allowed me to get the class going again."

Bob smiled and nodded. "Good. We were out running just now for exercise, but I should probably sign Staci up for your class as well. Oh...Staci, meet Priss. She belongs to Tommy Windwalker, a good friend of mine. Priss, meet Staci."

Priss beamed while Staci wanted to crawl under a rock. Naked and bound was the last way she wanted to meet new people, yet the other girl didn't seem to mind. Staci figured it was normal for her.

"Hi, Staci. I'm happy to finally meet you. We've heard so little about you. Master here has been hiding you I think!" she giggled, as did a few of the other women who were still kneeling, hands behind their heads, knees spread.

Staci just smiled and nodded her greeting, making Bob chuckle.

"She's under collar discipline for the day," he said, "on L6."

"Oh," replied Priss. "Well that's okay, Master. Say, if you really want to sign her up, we just started so she could join us now!"

"You know, that's a good idea," Bob said, nodding. "Staci also got finished yesterday and I have yet to get her started on her next project. I have a meeting to go to now, so I'll leave her here with you. I'll come get her later, okay?"

"Fine, Master," Priss said.

Bob turned Staci and in seconds had her hands undone. He took the leash off her collar and pulled her to one side. "Okay, Staci, I'm going to leave you here with Priss. You'll be perfectly fine, so don't worry."

"Sir," Staci said, well aware of the fact that they were in the middle of town with people around everywhere, "could I at least have my clothes back, Sir?"

Bob thought about it for a few seconds, and then shook his head. "You'll be fine without them, and it isn't as if you're the only nude one here." Staci noted that statement was true because three other women in the group also just wore their collars and cuffs.

"Spend some time with them, make a few friends. I'll be back in a bit, don't go anywhere," he said. He then kissed her briefly before heading away, carrying her clothes.

Staci watched him go, feeling a little abandoned and vulnerable. She crossed her arms across her chest and didn't notice when Priss used a hand held device to scan the side of her collar, although she heard the beep.

"Sir, what's that, Sir?" Staci asked, seeing it.

"You don't have to worry about your collar discipline right now," Priss said with a smile. "I just linked your collar through the box with the rest of us. It runs things now. Tell me, have you had some training already? Do you know the commands?"

"Er...yeah. I know some of them. There were a few you did that I didn't recognize though," Staci replied.

Priss smiled. "No problem. You aren't the only one who needs a refresher. Find a place."

Staci really wanted to just go home and wrap up in something, and she wondered what would happen if she did. But, naked, she didn't feel that brave at the moment, so she instead did as she was told.

It turned into the weirdest aerobics class she had ever attended. Gone were the traditional moves like stair stepping. Instead, Priss took them all slowly through a series of slave moves, certain ways of moving from pose to pose, all designed to show the submissiveness of the subject performing them. There were ways to stand in order to present their bodies for inspection. Ways to kneel or sit that either showed forced respect or made it easier to be bound. And ways to lie down that left little to the imagination as to what they were for. Each move had a name that Staci had to quickly learn, and she wondered if she could keep up.

As Priss directed each move, she explained to the group that just like in collar training, they would be monitored by the box that was now linked to all their collars, Priss' included. Get a move wrong or lag behind and their collar would give them incentive to get it right. Priss was the only one the box would release automatically.

"Okay, ready?" she said, starting the music.

The commands started to come with plenty of time between them, and Staci's second exercise of the day began. She was able to keep up, but as the commands came closer together she saw how this could be a real workout. She got shocked a couple of times, one second bursts, but otherwise did well. Then Priss started another tune.

Through all this, people kept going by, and some would stop to watch the women go through their workout for a few minutes. Staci hated the eyes on her nude body but she didn't dare break any of the positions she was ordered into. So instead she just avoided looking at any observers and watched the women around her.

Most were younger than her and fit-looking for the most part. Those who weren't nude were dressed in either leotards like Priss or in a variety of what Staci could only call slave gear. Some were in leather bikinis, others in no more than rags. A few were dressed almost normally! One of the other nude women should have had something on though, not because she was ugly, she wasn't at all, but because she really needed the support for her very large chest.

But, as in all things, Staci got used to the embarrassment and during the third session she was actually looking around again. That's when she saw Dick Janis.

He was on the far side of the newly designated park, next to the busy entrance of one of the buildings, talking to another man. He hadn't seen Staci though, for which she was glad, but his presence was enough to destroy her concentration and she got a shock for not being quick enough on a move. Staci forced herself to pay attention but she kept her eyes on Janis. So she saw when a young woman carrying some boxes came out of the building and ran right into him.

Boxes went everywhere and Staci almost laughed, but her amusement died when she saw his face. He looked pissed. He started to yell at the girl who was trying to gather her boxes and while Staci couldn't make out the words the tone was plain.

The poor girl looked frightened and she quickly assumed a kneeling position, head bowed. She remained this way while Janis berated her, his companion holding Janis' shoulder and trying to calm him down. But Janis wasn't having any of it. He shrugged the man away and pulled out his belt, obviously getting ready to thrash the girl.

Staci watched this in horror, but was relieved when the man with Janis stopped him before he could do anything. Janis looked disgusted and instead merely slapped the girl across the face with the back of his hand. Only then did he smile as he turned to face his companion, now ignoring the girl who looked like she was crying.

She didn't move until Janis left, and then she picked up all her boxes and hurried off.

That scene was to echo in Staci's mind for a long time.

The song ended and Priss gave everyone a chance to rest. Water bottles were passed around and for the first time Staci got a real chance to talk to the women of the colony.

Priss introduced her but Staci found that she needed no introduction. Everyone knew she was one of the heroes of the Mayflower, and she was once again thanked for the job she did, making her blush. Then they started asking about her and Bob McKinly.

"How is he as a Master, really? You hear such stories about him!" one said.

"You're a lucky girl, getting him as a Master," another said, prompting Staci to wonder why. But she didn't get a chance really to ask. It seemed that once these women got a chance to talk they didn't waste it. Staci instead just listened as they all gossiped, catching up with each other. She listened for signs of duress, indications that they were unhappy, abused. But apart from the usual gripes that plague any regular relationship, such as "He snores", there was nothing. So Staci started asking questions of her own about the lifestyle and why they were doing it. This of course brought conversation to a stop and all the women looked at her.

"You really are new, aren't you," asked Priss, looking at Staci's green collar.

Looking around, Staci saw that she had the only green one. Priss' was red, as were a few others. There were gold ones, silver ones, blue ones and white ones as well.

"Yes, I'm very new," Staci said, quietly.

Priss exchanged looks with the other women. "Do you have a mentor yet? Did Master McKinly assign you one?" she asked Staci.

Staci shook her head.

"Well, maybe that will come soon. All green-collar girls get a mentor, someone to guide them. I'm surprised he hasn't found you one yet."

Staci sighed, "It's just that...this is all so new to me. I wasn't expecting this when I signed up."

"You weren't?" someone gasped.

"You didn't know?" Priss exclaimed also.

"No. No one told me," said Staci.

"Then...you decided on the flight to submit to him. You found your calling! I'm happy for you!" Priss said with a smile.

Staci didn't know how to tell them, how to break it to these women that she hadn't been called, but kidnapped. She was saved from explaining by the boom box.

"Prepare for next exercise," it said.

Priss stood up. "Okay everyone. Two more and we're done. Positions please!"

With a groan the tired women found their spots and once more were put through their slave paces. Halfway through it started to rain, but they couldn't stop. Not a single one of them could even talk without permission from the box until the song ended, so they all kept going as the rain came down. Finally, they were in their resting position and Priss was able to leave the group and shut off the box.

"Okay everyone, session's over for today. Your collars are all back in their previous modes. Let's go find some shelter!"

As a group they hurried toward one of the buildings, Staci in the rear and huddled over to try to keep her naked body dry. She again wondered what her life had become as she stood shivering in the nude with several other women, taking shelter from a rain storm that stopped as quickly as it started. She knew she was fed up though, and she wanted to just go.

"Staci, where are you going?" Priss yelled as Staci began to walk away.

"I…" she said before getting a shock, forgetting that it would have reverted back to training mode L6.

"Staci!" Priss said.

"Sir...I just live over there. I'm going home, Sir," she said.

"You're supposed to stay here!"

"Sir, I'm cold, wet, and going home...Sir!" Staci yelled back angrily, and she stormed off.

She moved as fast as she could, aware of the fact that she was walking naked and alone through the community, and then it hit her. She was alone.

For the first time since she was enslaved, she was unsupervised and unbound. She might have been naked, but she was free, she had to do something to capitalize on it.

She thought about the shuttle parked behind the maintenance building. She figured if she could get aboard she could take off and head back to Mayflower. What she would do once she got there she wasn't sure, but she had the chance right now.

She just didn't want to get caught. Yet here she was walking the streets completely naked and no one was paying much attention to her. Sure she was being looked at, quite openly in most cases, but no one was stopping her. She figured her only problem would come if she ran into Bob.

So she walked, keeping an eye out for Bob and also for something to wear, but finding neither. And finally she saw the shuttle.

It was parked where she had left it, on the edge of town behind the maintenance building along with some of the other vehicles the colony had brought with them. The trouble was, there were people all around and while they might not object to seeing Staci walk around, they might take notice of her going up to the shuttle. So Staci decided to take the long way around and approach from the rear.

She made her way around a couple of nearby buildings, aware that a naked woman somewhat draws the eye, and tried to think small. She had to get across to the tree line that bordered this side of the camp, and then make her way to where the shuttle was parked. It meant streaking across about sixty yards of open ground. Staci winced at the pun.

She got her chance though, and made a dash for it, running as fast as she could across the lichen-covered ground. She made it to the tree line and continued on into it until the camp mostly vanished from view behind her. Ground covering was thin here with no grass or shrubs like there were on Earth, but the trees had large trunks to hide behind, and also scattered about were large, thorny bushes that Staci fully intended to stay away from.

Once out of sight she stopped to catch her breath, and looked around. This was her first trip into the forest and she examined it with interest. Not since she had left her native Texas many years before had she been this close to nature. It was a novel experience for her and it gave her pause. Not because it made her nervous, but because again she realized what she had become a part of by making this trip. She was standing on an alien world, with practically nothing to her name except her cuffs and collar, almost out of sight of all that she had brought with her. Just a few more steps and she would be completely alone, more alone than any human being had ever been before.

A part of her, a small part, wondered what would happen if she just kept walking. She had survival training, courtesy of her military background, so she knew that if she had to she could start from scratch and build some sort of life for herself. But there was one big hitch to that plan; she couldn't yet eat anything native to this planet. Hopefully Doc Kelly's gene therapy would change that, but for now she was tied to the colony by the simple fact that they had the only food on the planet she could digest. Of course, so did the Mayflower in orbit, so Staci gave up her thoughts of simply running off.

Still, looking around, she could tell that this planet was very much alive. It was so green that her eyes almost hurt, yet there was an absence of flowering plants to give it any other colors. The sounds of birds and other creatures could be heard above the wind, and the smell of hot, moist vegetation was unmistakable. It was even different under her bare feet. The lichen was gone, replaced instead by a carpet of dead leaves and other debris from the canopy above her. It was certainly softer on the feet and Staci smiled and dug her toes into it.

A snap, like a twig breaking, made her drop and turn her head. In a crouch, she looked to see if anyone had followed her into the trees, but after several minutes she heard nothing else. She thought it must have been an animal, and stood up, resuming her walk.

It was actually quite pleasant walking like this, naked through the forest, and Staci wondered why she felt so relaxed, so comfortable here. Perhaps it was because she was alone, not on display for anyone. Her nudity, rather than being forced on her for someone else's pleasure, seemed more natural here in the trees. Staci wasn't opposed to being nude, per say, just the reasons why others wanted her naked.

There was a rustle behind her someplace and again Staci dropped and hid. She listened and tried to look around, but again after several minutes nothing revealed itself. Staci couldn't help feeling that she was being watched though, and her euphoria left her. She wondered if she was being stalked by a predator of some sort, and debated about heading for the safety of town. But she knew she had a job to do, and who knew if she would ever get another chance, so she got up and kept going.

The shuttle, parked closer to the trees than any of the buildings, appeared to one side of Staci's course, and she made her way toward it. It was her plan to use the shuttle's bulk to screen her approach, so she was careful to pick the right spot to exit the tree line.

She crouched down behind a tree to get a look at what she had to deal with before crossing, and was surprised to see a small shed with a corral around it, out on its own near where the shuttle sat. As far as Staci knew, no animals had been brought here from Earth, so unless someone had captured some native creature already, she had no idea what the corral would be for.

Then she saw it, a human figure emerging from the shed. It was naked, evidently female, and she had her arms held up behind her shoulder blades. Staci recognized who it was, not because of those details though, but because of the woman's head. Like it was the night of Kent's speech, the woman wore a black helmet that completely covered her head, sealing it off from the rest of the world. Staci knew that while wearing it, the woman inside couldn't see, hear, smell, or even talk. Her world consisted only of what she could touch, and to Staci that seemed like a horrible way to live. But then she figured such abuse would appeal to the man responsible for her condition. This was one of Dick Janis' slave girls.

Staci's heart went out to the poor girl. Surely she didn't volunteer to live the way she did! Did Janis keep her in her helmet all the time, and where was the other girl?

Staci simmered with indecision. She knew that by now someone could be looking for her, and that even if she went back she was probably already in trouble. So she had to go on and steal the shuttle. Yet she couldn't leave this girl here without at least trying to help her.

What if she was as unwilling a slave as Staci was? It was Staci's duty to help.

So, with a part of her screaming not to, Staci made a mad dash across open ground to the corral and ducked down behind it. She looked toward the back of the maintenance building but no one was in sight, and she was effectively screened from other buildings by the corral itself.

The girl inside knew nothing of Staci's presence of course, she just walked slowly around the inside of the corral, occasionally bumping into the sides, but mostly doing well in her blindness by staying away from them. Apart from the straps binding her arms up behind her and the helmet on her head, she was completely naked. Even her pubes were bare. Yet she looked strong and fit to Staci's eye.

Taking a breath, Staci climbed up the side of the corral and dropped down into it, aware of the way the wood felt against her bare skin. She looked carefully around and hoped that a casual glance in her direction might mistake her for one of Janis' girls. She also looked inside the shed and saw the second girl. She was lying on a pile of leaves, there being no straw on Freedom, and appeared to be sleeping. She was bound exactly the same way the other one was.

Staci debated what to do; how to communicate with them. She figured she would have to get the helmet off at least one of them to get the answers she needed, yet she was also aware that the clock was ticking.

She snuck into the shed, figuring she could work more privately there, and knelt on the bed of leaves. She felt a momentary qualm about touching another naked woman, but got over it and took a look at the helmet. It was very plainly locked and there was nothing she could use to break it open. Nor was there even anything that Staci could use to wear.

Staci swore and decided to wake the girl up, shaking her shoulder to do so. The girl stirred and after a moment assumed a kneeling position, obviously trained into her with a whip if the look of her body was anything to go by.

Staci winced but kept her head, getting up and pulling on a ring on the front of the girl's helmet to get her to stand too.

In one corner of the shed some pony tack hung from hooks, and while Staci was loath to use anything like that she figured it would be quicker than trying to tell them anything through their helmets. Her plan was simply to get them both to the shuttle and escape with them. So she grabbed a couple of leashes, hooked one to the girl standing before her, and pulled her out to find the other.

Both girls were eventually leashed and gave Staci no problems at all. In fact, it surprised her how docile the pony girls were, and she grew more concerned than ever.

Opening the corral was simple if you had hands, and in moments Staci was hustling along with her charges in tow, running for the safety of the shuttle. She didn't notice how the two women behind her matched cadence even though they couldn't see each other. They had been well-trained.

The three women made it to the underside of the shuttle and Staci hurried to the underbelly hatch. She punched in the access code and frowned when nothing happened.

"Going someplace?" said a voice that made Staci's blood run cold.

Breaking into a terrified sweat she turned to see Dick Janis leaning casually against one of the landing gear struts. The smug smile on his face told her that she was busted for sure.

"Now," he said, standing up straight, "I'm pretty sure you aren't here to do any work, especially since only Alan Kent and I know the new codes to get into this thing. This means that you’re escaping, or at least trying to." He smiled and fingered the bullwhip coiled at his hip. "Escaping, that's a whipping offense if I had my way. So's stealing!" He nodded to indicate the two pony girls who stood together a short distance away. "I know they couldn't have a part in this, so I won’t blame them for trying to escape. Those dumb cunts can only obey orders. But you, cunt! You've had it. COME HERE!”

Staci was frozen in fright, too scared to even cover her nakedness from him. But his sudden shout made her jump and she turned to make a run for it. She didn't get far though as Janis uncoiled his whip with a practiced flourish and caught her around the ankle with it.

She went down hard, and tried to scramble on, but Janis moved quickly and practically jumped on her, knocking the air out of her. While Staci lay dazed, Janis pulled a lock from a pocket of his jumpsuit and locked her hands behind her. He then grabbed her by the hair and dragged her to her feet.

Staci wasn't quite done yet though, and she landed a couple of kicks before he punched her hard in the stomach. Staci couldn't breathe, and was unable to resist at all after that as he dragged her over to the maintenance building.

He wasn't worried about at all about the two pony girls. They were leashed and trained to stand still if their leash was dropped. They'd be there when he decided to go back for them, even if it took hours. After four years of intensive, and somewhat painful training, they would do what they were supposed to do, Janis would guarantee it.

The maintenance building had both its huge entrances open, front and rear, and looked a lot like an aircraft hanger due to its open plan design. There was meant to be a lot of open space inside, for every piece of machinery in the colony, including the shuttle itself if necessary, had to be able to fit inside if it needed servicing. The building itself was no bigger than the other pods that had landed on the surface, but it looked it from the inside.

Right now some of that open space was filled by one of the earth movers, getting its service before being converted into a mobile crane for construction work. But Janis didn't head in that direction. Instead he dragged the naked girl past the startled looks of his employees, into one of the smaller shops that rimmed the building.

"Drop the hoist and find me some packing straps!" he ordered as he entered.

His minions did his bidding and Staci quickly found herself with her elbows strapped together behind her, causing a great deal of stress on her shoulders. That stress went into clear pain when her wrists were connected to a hoist that hung from a rail on the ceiling, and were pulled up.

She was forced into a bent over posture, her arms pointed almost straight up, balanced on her toes. She screamed through the pain.

"Ohhh...don't scream yet, cunt. We haven't even started!" Janis said licking his lips. He looked around at the concerned faces of his workers. "I just caught this cunt trying to escape in the shuttle. God knows where she thought she was going to go, but you all know that the shuttle is off limits to women! Wouldn't you agree that she has to be punished?"

Most of the men nodded but one said that maybe Bob McKinly should deal with her, not them.

"Well, Bob Fucking McKinly isn't here now is he, Chris? So I guess it's up to us. We can't let discipline get lax now, can we?" Janis replied with a sneer.

None of the other men said a word, indecision on their faces, and Janis inwardly sneered some more. All these men were supposed to be Dominants...Masters. Well it had taken Janis little time to establish who was really boss around here, and he was confident at least that here he could act with impunity. So he turned to Staci who was still suffering.

"Well, well. Look at you now; no longer the confident woman astronaut. Instead, a naked slut in big trouble. And no Bob McKinly around to save your sorry ass!" he walked over to her and began to fondle her, cruelly punching and mauling her exposed flesh. He stuck a hand between her legs and laughed.

"Dry as a bone. Well, that'll change after a few months here. I know you saw the Doc yesterday. Soon you'll be panting for it whether you like it or not!"

Staci wanted to swear, wanted to curse him out, but fear of the collar and fear of his response, held her back. So she endured his rough handling and wished for Bob to show up.

"Get me a fucking spreader bar!" he ordered and one of his men quickly found something they could use. Janis quickly bound her ankles to it and she stood wide-legged on the very tips of her toes, trying to maintain her balance and take some of the weight off her shoulders.

Her sex was cruelly exposed by this position though and Janis was ready to take advantage of it. He uncoiled his bullwhip and smiled.

"You know, if things had gone as planned, you would have been reporting to me by now for work! But what kind of work would a slut like you have been doing here? Fuck your engineering degree, you're a woman which means that your uses are limited. I'd have chained you up someplace for the amusement of my crew. Kind of a...break toy!" He laughed and snapped his whip before moving behind her. "But I guess a Council member can have his slave work anywhere he chooses, so once again good old Bob comes to your rescue! He has a thing for you, did you know that? Does he tell you that when he fucks you at night? Does he worship that tight little pussy of yours? I know how tight it is, remember, I got to fuck you first!" He grinned and eyed the target her spread legs gave him.

"I told you that escaping was a whipping offense. Well, you're about to pay the fine!" He lashed out with the whip and a thin red vertical line appeared on one of her butt cheeks.

Staci wailed and tried to get free but she was held fast, completely vulnerable.

Janis grinned and was about to go again when a voice behind him yelled "STOP!"

It was Bob McKinly, a hand-held tracker in one hand, and he looked pissed. "What the fuck is going on here?" he asked in a lower, but not calmer voice.

"Who let you in here?" Janis said with a smirk.

"What are you doing to her, Janis?"

"I caught the cunt trying to sneak aboard the shuttle. She had my two girls in tow, probably thought she was liberating them." He chuckled for a few seconds. "I guess she didn't know about the camera watching their corral. We had a good time watching her sneaking around."

Bob didn't look like he believed Janis at all, but there was uncertainty in his expression. He walked around to Staci and took her hair in his hands, lifting her head. She stared into his eyes, fear and pain evident on her features.

"Is he telling the truth?" he asked her plainly.

"Sir...sir...no...I was just out...exploring...he grabbed me...Sir," she said, panting hard.

Bob looked her in the eye for a full minute. "Let's try this again. Collar, lie detector mode."

"Lie detector mode engaged,"

Staci's expression changed to one of despair, and Bob knew without asking again that Janis had told the truth. He knew she had been lying; he had studied her hard enough.

"Staci," he said quietly enough that no one else could hear, "why? I thought we were getting along. I thought that you were adjusting, or at least coming to terms with your position here. I thought that we...had something going. We were learning to trust! But this...this...it destroys everything. Puts us back to square one! I can...almost forgive you for trying to get away, if you had come clean about it. But you made matters worse by lying about it right now. I told you just this morning how we are both in a partnership, and we have to trust each other. But I can’t do that right now. Fuck!" he let go of her and Staci dropped her head down, truly sorry that she had disappointed him. She had so many mixed feelings going through her right then she didn't know what to think...what to feel any more.

Bob was in a similar state. But he had to make a decision. He had to show her just how serious he was. He looked over at Janis and the other men silently watching the drama, before turning to Staci once more.

"Okay. I guess the soft and easy approach can't work on its own. You evidently need some harder lessons from time to time. So, I'm going to leave you with Janis and his men for a while," he said to her.

"NO MASTER, PLEA…" Staci yelled before the collar shocked her with a two second burst.

Bob ignored her, although it was very hard to do. He walked away from her without looking back, ramrod stiff.

"Janis, I want her delivered to the Recreation Building in two hours. You have her until then. But I swear to you. If I see one mark on her that you know I wouldn't approve of, you're going to get double!"

Janis wasn't about to get bossed around in his own shop, but then he hadn't expected Bob to let him keep Staci at all! He figured the guy was getting serious at last. "Sounds fair," he said.

Bob took a breath, making another decision. "There are a couple more things you can do for me as well."

"What's that...Bob?" Janis asked warily.

Bob told him quietly so Staci couldn’t hear and Janis' smile returned. "You serious?"

"Deadly. Have her at the Rec Building in two hours, fit enough to work." Bob looked up at the rest of the men present. "I'm charging you all with her care! My warning about any injuries will apply to you too!"

He walked out hoping he had done the right thing, but he knew that Staci needed to see just how critical things were. She also needed to be taken down a few pegs; broken down a bit before she could be built up again.

But as he left the building he began to have second thoughts about what he’d done. Had it really been the right thing to do, leaving Staci unprotected with a sadist who hated her? Upon reflection Bob knew it could have been a mistake, brought on by the anger of the moment.

And yet…

He stopped walking and turned as if to go back. But he knew he couldn’t. He had issued his orders and to go back on them now would mean a loss of face in front of these men, especially Janis. And if Bob had one weakness it was his pride. He’d rather go through with a bad decision than reverse it if changing his mind made him look bad. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t aware of his mistakes. Still, he figured she wasn’t in that much danger as she wasn’t alone with the man. The other guys would see to her safety.

Fooling himself a little, he returned to work.

2.

It was busy in the building designated for the colony's recreational use, although there was little recreation going on in there at the moment. Bob McKinly had a crew working to get the place ready for opening before the big celebration that Kent had planned. He had a week, and Bob fully intended to get at least the main bar section done by that time.

His crew was mostly women. In fact they were most of the group that Priss had been training outside. Bob had press-ganged them into service after finding out that Staci had left their company. He had also dragged Priss in to help, pissed with the woman because she had let Staci go. Bob had a brief phone conversation with Priss' Master, Tommy Windwalker, one of the camp's construction experts and an Ex SEAL, and got his permission to apply a little discipline to the girl because of her lack of responsibility. Not that he blamed Priss too much for letting Staci go. But it was good for Priss' discipline that she pay for her mistake, and in all honesty even Priss knew and accepted that it was needed.

Still, as punishments go, she didn't care for it. She had been stripped, something that was not common in public for Priss, and wore two foot spreader bars between her ankles and her wrists. Of course this meant she couldn't close her legs, a real humiliation for this particular woman, and it also forced her to walk with a waddle which was almost as bad. But she had to work like this just as the others did, and Bob had her emptying the crates which contained the colony's only supply of Earth liquor, and stacking the bottles in a cooler behind the bar.

Bob was supervising the installation of the bar, packed away in other crates to make room for the large equipment that had occupied this space during the trip. He did this with the aide of his partner, an African named Nicholas Butu. Butu was from Kenya, a big, easy going man with a lot of presence. Bob had chosen Butu, as he preferred to be called, specifically to run the bar while he wasn't around. Butu had run a club back on Earth, so he knew the business well. He was also quite well known in the underground lifestyle the colony members had been forced to live in while on Earth and at one point in his life Butu had a stable of close to a dozen women on his chain. For this trip though he had only been permitted to bring one, and her name was Mya. She was his princess and she was devoted to her Master and his chain. She was also quite honestly the most beautiful woman in the camp and her beauty was enhanced by the gold chains and silks she always wore in public. Against her dark skin they seemed to glow and accent the body they adorned. But such beauty was usually flawed, and in Mya that flaw was her personality. Being called a princess for so long must have gone to her head, for Bob knew she thought herself better than the other women in the colony. Bob would have done something to correct her attitude, but Butu simply let her get away with it. He had her complete devotion and obedience already, so he didn't see a need to change anything. She was given a bit of a come down though on arrival on Freedom. Expecting to resume her position as strictly a pleasure slave, instead she had been drafted into several different work crews and eventually was told that she would be a waitress for the bar. Only the discipline her Master had over her kept her from having a screaming fit. Bob figured though that it would be a while before she thawed enough to stop giving him the evil eye.

He was going over plans for the micro-brewery with Butu while at the same time watching over the two men manhandling the bar into position, so he didn't see when one of Janis' men came through the door, Staci in tow, and left again. The guy didn't want to have to face Bob when he saw what state Staci was in.

When Bob finally turned around he found Staci kneeling on the hard floor, and he took a deep breath.

All during the past two hours, Bob had fought with himself about what he had done to Staci. He told himself that leaving Staci with the man she hated the most had been a bad idea, and several times he had almost gone back to get her. But each time he held off, knowing that in the long run that it was best for her to experience slavery Janis style for a while. He hoped it would help her appreciate how easy she had it with him! But it had been hard on him, and from the look of it even harder on her!

One thing did give him hope though. He remembered how Staci had appealed to him when he told her he was leaving her there. She’d called him "Master" before the collar shocked her, and he thought that maybe some of her training was sinking in. Certainly to have emerged under stress that way meant something. Those were his thoughts as he walked out into the open area of the bar and looked at her.

She knelt, her arms still bound behind her, her head down, her knees wide. It was not a position Bob had ever seen her take without some visible, if subconscious, protest. Yet here she was assuming it without being told.

Bob wasn't fooled by the girl's apparent submissiveness. He knew that two hours wasn't enough time to really break someone as intelligent and strong-willed as Staci, but Janis obviously had made an impression on her.

He walked toward her, looking her over for any injuries that shouldn't be there, but there was nothing obvious. Not that she was without marks. Her breasts were bright red, showing indications of having been whipped by a wide leather paddle. Bob knew that they had to be stinging like crazy. There were more marks from the paddle on her inner thighs, and her ass looked like it had taken a few licks from a cane. Bob's practiced eye saw pinch marks all over her body from clamps as well. Evidently Janis had gone for as much pain as he could get without cutting her. Her face and hair were covered in semen, and some had dripped down into the valley between her breasts as well. There was also an indication that she had been taken anally, and Bob hesitated to think where Staci was mentally right now because of that. But it was her sex that drew the eye because it was fully engorged and bright red. It had obviously been beaten with the flexible leather paddle like the rest of her, but it seemed to Bob that the only way she could have been that forcibly aroused was if they had used a chemical on her of some kind. Bob wasn't worried about that, many food stuffs could be used for that kind of stimulation. Whatever they had used though had to be pretty potent, for he could see her trembling, reacting to the burn she couldn't touch.

There was one more thing however that drew his eye to that particular spot. Bob had felt that she needed a more physical reminder than just her memory of this occasion. So he’d had Janis do something for him that he’d intended to do himself later down the line anyway. Pierced through the nub of skin above Staci's clitoris was a small ring. The piercing lifted up the hood over her clitoris and the ring rested against it. Attached permanently to the ring was a very fine, yet very strong chain about six inches long, with a small ring at the other end. This chain would hang there between her legs from now on, swinging as she moved, always brushing the hood ring against her clit and caressing her inner thighs. It would be constantly reminding her of her sex, giving her a low grade arousal for as long as she moved.

Bob had used this technique many times on various girls he had trained, and one of them told him at one point that it never let her forget that she was a woman. He hoped that it would have the same effect on Staci. But right now he could tell that she just wasn't feeling it.

He stopped in front of Staci and crouched down, lifting her head by the chin so he could look her in the eyes. He saw exhaustion and pain, and also just a glint of anger and hurt as she focused on him.

"Collar, all restrictions off," he said, and the device confirmed the order. Bob took a breath, "Do you see how important it is...that you do what you're told? Do you appreciate just how much harder it could be for you here, if you keep doing stupid stunts like that?"

Staci just stared at him...and then lowered her eyes.

Bob let go of the trembling girl and stood up. He walked around her and undid the strap that pulled her elbows together, but left her wrists attached. He then left her alone in the middle of the floor and went in search of Priss. When he found her, he took off the spreader bars he had locked on her the last couple of hours.

"Staci's out front," he said to the naked woman who resisted trying to hide her body from his gaze. "Take her upstairs to our apartment and give her a bath, clean her up. Get her something to eat and see if you can put her down for a nap. Don't leave her alone. Stay up there until I come up later. She just spent a couple of hours with Dick Janis and it's more than she has ever handled before."

Priss gasped, "Oh no! I've heard that Master Janis is very hard on those who serve him. Is Staci into that?"

Bob shook his head, "No. She was with him as a punishment, but you're not to talk about it with her unless she brings it up. You're also under no circumstance to release her cuffs." He sighed and looked out to where Staci still knelt. "Look, Priss, I need your help," he said quietly, pulling the woman to one side. "Staci's out of her depth here, for reasons I'd rather not go into just yet. But she could use a friend, someone...in the same position she's in. I know you girls like to help each other out, that mentoring thing you have. Would you look after Staci for me?"

"I'd be honored, Sir," Priss said with a soft smile.

"That's great. It's just that...well...if she talks, try to let her know that we aren't monsters here. Just help her out."

Priss smiled and nodded. "Er...would that earn this girl her clothes back, Master?"

Bob chuckled, surprised he could do so. "Oh no. I'm still sore at you for losing her in the first place. In fact I've a mind to tell Tommy that you're better off naked for a long time to come!" He chuckled once more at seeing the panic in her eyes and hurried her on her way with a pat on the ass. He had known Priss for a long time, including biblically with her owner's permission, and trusted her. Yet he hoped that Priss was up to the task.

He put the girls out of his mind and went to make a phone call.

3.

Priss found Staci still kneeling and looked her over with concern. Her experienced eye took in all the details that Bob had seen, and she also noted the new adornment on Staci's body with a smile. Some men liked to brand their girls, or get them tattoos in order to mark them in some personal way. Priss herself used to have a tattoo on her left breast, put there by a former lover. Her current Master had it removed at great expense, leaving her skin unblemished. Staci knew the ring and chain was Bob McKinly's way of marking Staci, and anyone who knew him wouldn't fail to know that Staci was his.

"Staci," she said, crouching down in front of the woman, "Staci, you there?"

Staci looked a little out of it to Priss, but her eyes focused and Priss saw her glance over her body. Priss started to burn red, nudity just wasn't her thing. But her clothing options were nonexistent at the moment until she returned to her own Master.

"Hi...remember me? It's Priss. Your Master asked me to take you home and take care of you for a bit. Can you stand?"

Staci looked at her for a moment, her expression one of suspicion, but it softened and she nodded.

Priss helped her up and began to walk her to the private door that led to their apartment upstairs. She was a little more concerned now, knowing that whatever Janis had done to the girl, it had been traumatic. This wasn't the woman she had first met only a few hours ago. Priss knew she had to bring her back. So she helped the waddling girl through to the private part of the building, up in the elevator, and into the apartment.

Water and power were now hooked up, so Priss didn't give a second thought to filling the large Jacuzzi tub in the bathroom and running the jets. As it filled she helped Staci into the tub and settled her down.

It wasn't lost on either woman that they were both naked, but Staci was too tired to care and Priss couldn't do anything about it anyway. To cover her own embarrassment and nervousness, Priss talked, offering encouragement and hopefully giving Staci something to focus on beyond her obvious pain. Priss had been where Staci was right now, so she knew.

Staci, however, kept quiet until she was in the water, and then she only asked for a couple of things. Something to drink, and release from the cuffs.

"A drink I can get you," Priss said, "in fact, I'm going to feed you too. I do a mean macaroni and cheese." She smiled briefly. "But I can’t release your hands. Your Master said not to, and I don't have a key anyway. Few of us are allowed to carry them."

"He's not my..." Staci said softly, then she sighed. "Never mind. I could still use the drink, and maybe something to ease the pain."

"Sure thing, I'll be right back," Priss said with a smile.

Staci closed her eyes and settled into the hot water. It was doing a wonderful job on her tired and bruised muscles, but where she really appreciated it was between her legs.

The stuff Janis had smeared on her had overwhelmed her. Never had she felt so aroused. It had gone right through being pleasurable to being horribly painful, a state she hadn't imagined being possible. All she could think of while she hung in Janis' chains getting whipped, was the burn of her sex, and her need for something to scratch it. She remembered yelling and screaming for relief and getting shocked by the collar until she remembered to form her comments correctly. In the end, she had begged for him, begged for his cock in her, and he had obliged before giving her over to his men.

She did her first train, one guy after another in her mouth, and then to her horror in her ass. She wept, she yelled, and she eventually just took it in silence. She didn't even say a word when he pierced her and put in the ring, although even his breath on her oversensitive pussy lips seemed like torture. She just tucked her mind away someplace and hid there until it was over.

Now, in the comfort of her own tub, she was coming back.

She watched as Priss returned, a cup in her hand, and sat up to drink the apple juice Priss had put in it. She wondered why Priss was naked, and then figured that it probably didn't matter why. The girl was just like them, getting off on this sick behavior. Yet as Priss began to wash her down, chatting with her about anything that seemed to come into her head, Staci saw that Priss was just an ordinary woman, and Staci got curious.

"Why?" Staci asked as Priss was running a sponge over Staci's breasts.

Priss suddenly turned very red and jumped back, her eyes wide. "Oh...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to touch you there, only...er..."

Priss' clear embarrassment made Staci chuckle. "No...you're okay," she said. "I don't mind that you're washing me. Believe me, there is nothing I want more than to be clean right now. But I can’t do it myself so I'm glad for your help."

Priss still looked uncertain, but she nodded and slowly resumed her task. "It's okay. It's just that...well...I must seem awfully straight to you, getting jumpy about bathing you. Believe me, it isn't what I usually do. I know that a lot of people are into the nudity thing and the...girl/girl thing. But I'm not. I respect your choices of course, but Master and I prefer things our own way."

Priss' comment puzzled Staci who was not expecting it. She wondered about what way to tackle it. "What makes you think that it was my choice?" she eventually asked.

Priss looked up at her, "Isn't it? I mean...sure you do what your Master wants of course. But surely you both have the same tastes, or your relationship just won’t work!"

"I'm naked because he made me naked, not because I want to be," Staci said. "I had about as much choice over that as I did about...being with Dick Janis."

Priss looked away and concentrated on finishing up her job getting Staci clean, yet her mind was filling with thoughts and questions. "Your Master told me that you were with Master Janis as a punishment."

"Yes," Staci whispered.

"I can...see, that he worked you over pretty good. What did you do?"

Staci paused for a moment before finally admitting that she had tried to steal the shuttle.

Priss looked shocked, leaning back from her task. "Why did you try to do that?"

"To escape. Haven't you ever wanted to escape?" Staci asked.

"Why would I want to do that? I love my Master, don't you love yours? Master McKinly is a good man, a great Master. You are very lucky to have him!"

"What kind of a man leaves someone like me...helpless...with a man like Dick Janis?" exclaimed Staci, sitting up and tugging at her wrists, wishing they were free.

"Listen Staci, Bob McKinly is a fair and loving man, and if he thought you deserved a punishment that you thought of as unfair then you’re the one who has it wrong! My Master has known him for years and so have I. I've even spent time in your Master's chains from time to time and have been glad to do so. If I hadn't already been claimed, I would have been happy to be where you are now! I can’t believe that you would want to escape from him! Why?"

"Because...because...I don't belong here!" Staci said, frustrated at her own confusion.

Priss frowned. "I'm not sure I know what you're talking about," she said. "Are you having second thoughts about coming on the trip? Is it the planet? I have to admit I find it a bit creepy myself."

"No, it's not the planet. I'm just not a part of your group. I'm not a slave girl, I'm an astronaut. Kent talked me into coming along because if I didn't then the Mayflower would never have left Earth orbit. Then in flight..." Staci poured out the whole story, everything that had happened to her since she woke up naked and bound that first time aboard the ship. Her words came out fast and tears rolled down her face as emotions and thoughts erupted from her uncontrolled. All her frustrations about her new position were revealed, all her fears about her safety. She had never had the chance to tell anyone, and now started she couldn't stop.

Priss at first, couldn't believe the story she was hearing, but as she witnessed the emotional upheaval within Staci, she saw no reason to doubt the woman, and she began to cry as well. She got up and climbed into the tub with Staci and settled down next to her, holding her and offering what comfort she could until Staci wound down. She whispered comforting words as Staci cried, while her mind tried to deal with the implications of what Staci had told her.

Everyone on Freedom was supposed to be a volunteer, although there was some talk about Dick Janis' two pony girls. No one except Doctor Kelly, who wasn't talking, had ever seen them without their hoods on, and there was speculation that the girls probably didn't even know they were on a different planet.

But now Staci just admitted to being held against her will, and what blew Priss' mind was that Bob McKinly was a part of it. But Priss trusted the man as much as she trusted her own Master, and she knew that whatever the reason Bob had for keeping Staci, it had to be a good one. She couldn't think anything bad of Bob McKinly. This helped Priss organize her thoughts and feelings, her belief in Bob an anchor.

"Staci," she said, "Staci, let's get you out of this tub."

Staci had regained some self control and she looked at Priss oddly. "Aren't you going to say anything about what I just told you? Aren't you going to do anything?"

"What can I do, Staci, I'm just a woman!" Priss said, knowing she had made a mistake the moment it came out of her mouth.

Staci looked stunned. "You're a human being. We're all human beings! We weren't meant to live like this! Women are equals to men, not their slaves!"

"No, Staci! Here...that isn't true. Here we are the slaves of Man! It's true because we want it that way. It's true because we all believe it to be right and natural! It's true because here we all can satisfy needs that are denied us back on Earth, the need to live the life we know to be right for us! I’m a slave! Nothing can change that because I know it is what I am deep down. And you won’t find another woman here who doesn't believe the same thing as deeply as I do. We wouldn't have come on this trip if there had been any doubt about that!"

"Are you going to be able to say the same about your children?" Staci asked.

"Yes, because we will bring them up to believe in this as much as we do! They will see the natural order of things because it will be all around them!" Priss said with conviction.

"You would subject your daughters to life as second class citizens? To be put down and abused by any man simply because he has a cock?" Staci yelled.

Priss looked at her with amazement. "You don't get it, do you," she said slowly. "You really don't understand. You've got it so wrong...oh so wrong. How can you have lived here the past few weeks with Master McKinly and not have discovered that? We aren't abused, we're loved, cared for, attended to in ways no woman like you can ever imagine. No one is more attuned to our needs than our Masters, and the love and devotion we get from them is more than you will ever find in a vanilla relationship. Yes...we do pay a price for that love, but I give my body and my mind to my Master gladly in return for his love. I'm his slave...his woman...but he is my Master, the source of my happiness and I serve him gladly in any way he wants. Maybe, just maybe, Staci if you open your heart and mind and stop looking for the things that you think are wrong here, then maybe you can find that happiness too!" Priss sighed. "Come on, I'll dry you and then we can get you something to eat."

"Priss, do you really believe that?" Staci asked.

"Yes, more than anything I believe it." She picked up a towel.

"Just one more thing," Staci said, moving back as Priss approached her, "is what you said true about Bob being a good man?"

"Hun, look in your own heart. You know the answer already don't you?" Priss said gently.

Staci didn't want to look, didn't want to know for sure. Too many things were going against her preconceptions. It seemed that the only thing that remained real to her way of thinking was Dick Janis, and it wasn't the kind of reality she wanted.

Her musings were interrupted by the door chime. Someone wanted into the apartment. Both women froze, but for different reasons: Staci, because she felt she just couldn't cope with another new person at that moment; Priss, because she was naked. But Priss knew it was up to her to deal with it, because Staci couldn't.

"Wait here, I'll get it," she said and she left the room.

Feeling weak, yet a whole lot better then she did before the bath, Staci sat back against the side of the tub. It hurt her ass because at some point Janis had caned her, but she didn't care. She looked down at the chain hanging between her legs and sighed.

A few moments later Priss came back and she had Anna with her. The nurse had a medical kit with her.

"Hi, Staci. Bob called to ask if I could come by to check you over. He was concerned about a session you’d with Dick Janis and wanted me to make sure you hadn't been hurt badly."

"Too late, I already have been," Staci said quietly.

Anna smiled and looked her up and down. "I think he means more that the light beating you got. Even those cane marks will be gone in a few days. I need to check you for broken bones, internal injuries...that sort of thing."

Staci frowned, thinking the beating she had gotten to be severe enough. She wondered what Anna would call severe. "Well what about this chain, can you get it off me?" she asked, blushing a little.

Anna shook her head and began unpacking her kit. "Sorry Staci, that stays; Bob's orders. Now stand up and I'll check you over."

Priss saw that evidently Staci didn't know that Bob had ordered the chain, and refrained from saying anything. She figured Bob would tell her in his own time if he wanted her to know. She just hoped that Staci would think about what she had told her, for kidnapped or not, Staci would have to learn her position here. But Priss also figured that Staci's acceptance would only be a matter of time, she couldn't conceive of any woman rejecting the lifestyle once they saw the benefits of it.

She watched as Anna did a quick, but detailed examination of Staci.

"I'm told," Anna said, "that these injuries are all part of a punishment, so I'm going to let them heal naturally rather than treat them. Your piercing however I'm going to fix. Some dermal regeneration salve will heal it up nicely so there is no chance of infection while the ring is in."

"Can't you give me anything for the pain?" Staci asked.

Anna looked up at her. "I wouldn't dare. I can't interfere with a punishment. I'll talk to Bob though, and let him know the options. If he chooses to, then I can come back and give you something. Most Masters, however, prefer their submissives to feel the full affects as a reminder of their punishment. You're okay otherwise though." She smile and Staci winced as Anna dabbed something on her clit hood. While most of the chemical that Janis had put on her was washed off, she was still very sensitive down there.

Finally done, Anna packed up and left, leaving Priss and Staci alone.

"Let's get you something to eat," Priss said.

Staci, her mind full, just nodded.

4.

When Bob went up to the apartment a few hours later, he found Priss kneeling alone on the carpet in the living room, watching an old movie on the terminal. He saw her stiffen and assume proper slave posture, back straight, hands behind her head, knees wide apart. He smiled as she began to blush furiously, unused to exposing herself so readily before anyone but her own Master. Unlike Bob who found nudity in his women to be useful in their training as well as aesthetically appealing, Tommy Windwalker preferred to smother Priss in clothes...at least in public. Bob figured that the hours Priss had spent nude today were more daytime nudity than she had experienced since planet-fall.

Bob didn't mind at all, for Priss, a fitness fanatic, had a wonderfully toned, almost dancer's body, and in Bob's opinion shouldn't be covered much at all. Still, she wouldn't be nude even now if it wasn't for the relationship he had with her Master. Bob was one of a very small group who could order Priss to disrobe without first consulting Tommy, and he was also the only person other than Tommy who had almost full access to all of Priss' collar commands. All the basic commands were available to any man, but Bob could do very much more if he wanted to. Bob knew that soon he would have to introduce Staci to Tommy Windwalker, but not yet. Tommy was okay with the delay, he knew the reason why. But Bob considered it an honor to have Tommy's trust, especially since their tastes ran to fairly similar lines. Both were of the old school regarding their continual training of their women. They believed in rules and rituals, an established framework of behavior for their submissive to live within. Set poses and positions were a part of that, hence Priss' posture of the moment. Both he and Tommy believed that a structured living arrangement made for the best training. Priss didn't disagree.

Bob walked into the kitchen and set down the package he had carried up with him, before finding a glass. Out of the package came a bottle of scotch, which he opened and poured into the glass. He preferred his whisky straight, and so carried the glass back out to his living room without adding any ice.

Priss hadn't moved a muscle, and wouldn't until released. She not only was well trained, but had a deep passion for her submissiveness that drove her to be the best she could be. She still messed up from time to time, as illustrated by what happened that morning, she was only human after all. But Bob also trusted her to know her business.

He sat and took a sip of his drink, letting his eyes roam over her body. He knew she could see him and he watched as her blush deepened even further. Priss' honest embarrassment about her nudity was refreshing in a way; she was even more ashamed of it than Staci was. That thought brought him back to why he was there.

"Where is she?" he asked her.

"In the bedroom, Master. Still sleeping," Priss replied.

Bob nodded and got up. He set his half-full glass carefully on top of Priss' head, and padded quietly to the bedroom door. Peeking into the room he saw Staci lying under a sheet, her arms held behind her by the cuffs he refused to unlock earlier. He tiptoed in and pulled the sheet down gently, not wanting to wake her.

Staci's body was showing its bruising now, patches of green and brown appearing where the clamps Janis had used on her had been. Her ass showed several welts that would take a few days to fade, but otherwise she looked a lot better than earlier. He hoped her mind was in that good of condition. He gently undid the lock connecting her cuffs and covered her back up, before leaving the room again.

Priss, as expected, hadn't dropped the drink, and Bob retrieved it before settling back into his seat. "At ease," he said.

Priss relaxed, dropping her arms to her thighs and closing her legs only slightly. She had trained under Bob a few times so she knew better than to close them all the way.

"Thank you, Master," she said with a grateful smile.

Bob nodded. "How is she?" he asked her.

Priss' smile faded, "Sir, may this girl speak plainly?"

"Priss, you can take it for granted that when it comes to Staci's well being you always have permission to speak your mind," Bob answered.

This didn't seem to make the naked woman feel any better, and he had a suspicion she might have preferred him to refuse her. He watched her lick her lips.

"Sir...Staci told me about her...position here, and I'm worried. I worry about her because she isn't one of us and doesn't want to be, and I worry about you because I...well, I find it really hard to believe that you would be a part of...well, a kidnapping." She glanced at his face for a second but otherwise kept her eyes lowered. "Did she...well...is it true, what she said about Master Kent and how he tricked her into coming here without telling her anything?"

Bob nodded slowly, a flash of anger going through him as he heard about Staci's disclosure of her situation. He put his anger aside though, because he hadn't really expected it to remain a secret. He fully expected it to come out at some point and was actually surprised that it had taken so long.

Priss looked cautiously at him for a moment, seeing his tension. She didn't want to talk about this, yet her sense of duty toward Staci demanded that she ask the things she knew she had to. She had taken an instant liking to the girl and felt for her. "Why, Sir? How could you be involved in something like this?"

"I wish I could give you a nice, easy answer, Priss. Heaven knows I've been asking myself that since before we left Earth. Kent sprang her upon us just three days before launch and at the time we were simply out of options. We needed her, or we weren't going. It was that simple.

Keeping her unaware of the nature of the colony was Kent's order, as was taking her during the flight and forcing her to submit." He sighed.

"Didn't you...do anything?" Priss asked quietly.

"I'm...ashamed to say I didn't, not at first. Kent threatened to revoke my flight status if I made any waves. He would have left me behind. Plus there was the shock of losing Maxine, which I haven't allowed myself to deal with yet. Not to mention the chaos of getting the ship ready for launch. Yes, I was concerned about Staci getting conned by Kent into coming along. But at the same time, I had other things to worry about."

"And later?" asked the girl.

"Later. Later when I had time to think, it was too late to do anything about it. It was all I could do to keep Janis off her during the flight. That man had a hard-on for Staci the moment she came aboard. You know why? Janis likes them fresh, untrained. He likes to stamp on them himself, putting women down and breaking them. He would have done that if I hadn't interfered."

"Why did you interfere, Sir?"

"What else could I do?" Bob said unconvincingly.

Both remained silent for a few moments, and deep in thought, Bob sipped on his drink.

"Do you think she will ever turn around, become one of us?" Priss asked him.

"Do you?" he asked in return.

"I don't know. But I do know that sending her to Master Janis for punishment was a bad move. She told me what she did, and we talked about it some more after Anna came and went. She was acting on impulse, trying to steal the shuttle; she didn't even have a plan! She's confused; she doesn't know what to believe about us. She has all these ideas about how our lifestyle is nothing but perverted sex games and she is only now seeing that she just might be wrong. Sending her to Master Janis only reinforced her feelings of dread about being here. It was a bad move Sir!" She paused, flushing slightly again. "I hope you excuse my opinion, Master," she said.

"I meant it when I said you could speak your mind. Don't stop or hold back now," Bob said, needing to hear what Priss had to say.

She nodded slightly, "Well...I don't know if she will ever come around, but if she does it will be because of the way you handle her, Sir. Treat her right, with patience and love, and at the very least she may settle into her proper place here with some sense of happiness and security. I know you can do that, Master, if anyone can. But keep her away from Master Janis, or you won’t get anywhere with her."

Priss paused and bit her lip. "I also think that a part of her problem is that she likes you."

"That's a problem?" Bob asked with a slight smile.

"It is for her. She didn't really say this out loud in any way, but a part of her confusion comes from trying to reconcile her attraction to you with what you are doing to her. If you truly want my opinion, I think your best approach with Staci is to be a man first, and a Master second, at least until she is fully comfortable here. She wasn't born with a submissive streak, and if she has one it's buried deep. You can't expect to dig it out all at one go, no matter how much you want it."

Bob nodded, knowing the truth behind Priss' observations, having had a lot of them himself. But Priss wasn't quite done yet.

"If you care for her, which I see you really do, you won’t rush this, Master. We have a lot of time, and together we can make Staci happy here."

Bob nodded. "Thanks Priss. I needed that. Anything else I should know?"

"Well...she's pretty pissed-off at you right now," she answered with a smile. "I'd tread lightly and check your food for broken glass."

Bob chuckled as well as Priss.

"You're a great girl, you know that?" Bob said, standing up. "Tommy's a lucky man to have you. But it's time you headed home." He went into the kitchen and pulled Priss' leotard out of the bag he had brought up with him. Priss smiled when she saw it.

"Here, you can have this back, and thanks."

"My pleasure Master, may I put it on now, please?" she asked, hoping.

Bob grinned, a grin Priss had seen a few times before. Her heart began beating a little harder.

"If you feel you have the time," he said. "Collar, identify me!"

"Identified, Bob McKinly," replied Priss' collar.

"Activate home guard in...three minutes...mark!" Bob ordered. He had just told the collar that it had to be within the boundaries of the apartment Priss and her Master lived in before three minutes were up.

"Sir!" cried out Priss, aware that three minutes was barely enough time to run home.

"Well?" Bob asked her with a smile.

"Master, permission to leave, please?" Priss begged, bouncing to her feet.

Bob held her there a few more seconds. "Go, slave girl," he said and she practically leapt out of the room, clutching her leotard to herself. She would have to streak through half the settlement to get home in time. Bob had to chuckle.

He watched her run from the building from his window, before turning to look at the bedroom door. He knew he had to face Staci now, but felt a little more secure than he had before talking to Priss. She of course had hit the nail squarely on the head. Staci needed care, not force, but he wasn't going to give up her discipline entirely. First he had to learn how to trust her again, and he had to get her to trust him. There was a lot both of them had to learn about each other yet.

He went back into the bedroom and dug in a drawer for a tube of salve he kept handy. It was a special preparation designed to help promote healing, and it had special pain killing properties. He hadn't wanted any of the medics to take Staci's physical pain away, for he wanted to do it himself. He hoped that she would come to accept that he was the only one who would take her pain away, and so attach herself to him even further.

Yes, it was another trick, but he felt justified.

He undressed and then pulled the sheet from her body once more. She was lying on her stomach which made it easy for him to reach the worst of her injuries, the cane marks on her butt. He sat on the bed and squeezed a little salve on his hands, rubbing them together to warm them up before applying them gently to her sore skin.

She stirred in her sleep, obviously feeling the pain of his contact, but the salve worked quickly to dull that pain and she soon settled again.

Bob always found a massage to be somewhat peaceful, either giving or receiving one, and he soon found his rhythm as he worked the salve across her buttocks and up her back. He enjoyed the feel of her body beneath him, her well-defined muscles, her soft skin. He felt himself grow hard at the thought of making love to her, and for a moment wished he was the sort that could just take her for his own selfish pleasure. He knew he couldn't though, he wasn't that kind of a Dominant. Sure, there were women with rape fantasies that he had dominated over the years, women who appreciated his rushing them, ripping their clothes off and tying them to whatever was handy, so he could fuck them hard and long. And he was happy to play that role when needed. But Staci wasn’t that sort of person; at least he didn't think so.

He was still determined not to have sex with her until she asked for it. But that didn't mean he couldn't try to manipulate her into doing just that. The slave chain, as he liked to call it that hung from her clit hood, was just another way of doing that. He had something else to give her soon too, but not just yet.

Staci began to stir under him again, moaning slightly as he worked on her. Her legs parted a little and he could see her vulva. It was still slightly swollen, and Bob wondered what Janis had used on her. Anna couldn't tell him when she called in her report. Whatever it was it still left Staci a little aroused, and Bob couldn't help running a finger along it. Her lips were fairly visible, her blonde pubic hair sparse and thin, and he knew that in time it would all disappear. He hadn't told Staci this, but along with the genetic changes that were needed to live on this planet, Doctor Kelly had included one more at Bob's request. Over time, her body hair would stop growing and fall out. Just the hair on her head, which had a slightly different genetic code, would remain. It would take months, maybe a year, before the difference could really be seen, but eventually Staci wouldn't have to shave anymore.

He continued to stroke her sex with one finger, while massaging her with his other hand, and Staci would groan or whimper softly under his touch. Her legs drifted wider and Bob saw the chain curled up under her. He grabbed it and tugged on it gently, making Staci's hips jump ever so slightly.

Smiling, he continued run his finger up and down her now moistening slit, watching it swell a little more with her increased arousal. In his time, Bob had seen women respond differently to genital stimulation. Some, like Staci, had pronounced swelling when aroused, while others hardly had a change of appearance at all. Each woman was different, something he was happy to see.

He continued to work up her sexual state, resisting strongly the urge to just plow himself into her, until it became obvious that he was waking her. He moved his hand away from her crotch and continued to massage her back with both hands. He knew she was awake when she opened her eyes and turned to look at him.

It’s hard to stay angry when you're sexually aroused, which was one reason why he had done what he did to her, but through the haze of her immediate need Staci still managed to look upset with him. Still, she didn't move from under his hands.

"How do you feel now?" he asked her.

"Can't you tell?" she said breathlessly.

Bob chuckled. "I meant, how is the pain?"

She flushed, as he meant her to do. "I feel...better," she answered.

"It's the salve I'm using. It's good for surface pains. You'll feel better for a while now, but I'll have to reapply it when we go to bed later," he said.

"Whatever," Staci replied, turning away from him.

Bob made a decision. "Staci, I want to apologize...about leaving you with Janis. It was not what I should have done."

She looked at him. "Do you know what he did to me?" she said, anger in her voice.

"I have a pretty good idea, and I don't need to know the details. I was wrong, I'm sorry."

Staci looked him in the eye, again confused. "I thought you Master types were never wrong, even when you were!"

"We're only human. We make mistakes, you make mistakes. Any dominant who feels himself infallible is fooling himself and endangering any submissive he is with. I'm not too big a man not to admit when I'm wrong."

Staci said nothing for a moment, and Bob could see her thinking it through. "I hated you," she said eventually, "all the time I stood helpless with Janis and his men...getting raped...I hated you. I hated you for leaving me there, for not protecting me like you promised me you would. I hated you for..." She started to sob, emotion bubbling to the surface.

Bob shifted until he lay next to her, hugging her to him as she cried. Her sobs grew louder as the release finally came, and while he couldn't protect her then, he did his best now.

They lay together for a long time.

5.

It was Bob's urge to get one more thing done for the day that got the couple moving again. He figured it was about time he told Staci what their part in the community was going to be, now that he had successfully extracted her from the clutches of Dick Janis and his maintenance shop. Besides, he thought they could use the distraction.

So, he took a shower while letting Staci tidy herself up, giving her the chance to feel a little more normal again.

Staci wasn't thrilled to be going out, for he told her he had to show her something, but neither did she want to stay home alone with Bob at that moment. It had been such a roller coaster of a day for her that she still wasn't sure whether she was coming or going. She felt...awkward, especially after the hour she and Bob spent just laying together. She knew she was still angry at him for leaving her with Janis, but his apology and admittance that it had been a mistake had thrown her. She did wonder if it was just a ploy to gain her trust, but after a few weeks with the man she thought she could tell when he was lying, and his repentance seemed genuine to her. There was also the matter of her breakdown and how being in his arms felt so good, so safe. She knew she had found comfort with the man, despite what he was doing to her. She needed time to think.

It was a little hard though. Now that most of her aches and pains had been taken away, she was starting to feel the effects of the fine chain between her legs. The chain hung free and she could feel it down there each time she moved while she brushed her hair. With every step it caressed the inside of her thighs and its action against her clitoris was very distracting. If it was Bob's intention that she be driven slowly insane, then this was the way to go. If it was his intention to make her beg him to have sex with him...well, she was determined not to give in, but that would be hard too.

As she worked the knots out of her hair, she would glance down at it, seeing it hanging from her intimate spot.

She couldn't believe she had been pierced there, and Bob refused to have it removed, almost as if he wanted it there himself. Yet, there was a beauty in it, the way the silver chain contrasted with the light blonde hair of her pubis. As jewelry went, it wasn't that bad really, if only it wasn't so frustrating!

She watched in the mirror as Bob came out of the bathroom naked. He was toweling his hair dry and when he was done he just dropped the towel where he was and started combing his hair. Staci knew it was one of her household duties to pick up after him, so rather reluctantly, she did.

Just bending over and picking up the towel sent shivers through her. Damn that chain.

"You look good!" Bob said to her, smiling.

"Thanks," Staci answered after a pause, trying to maintain her equilibrium. She looked down and was embarrassed to see that her nipples were rock hard. She hoped she would get used to the chain soon or she would be a basket case.

"Sir," she asked, "are we going to get dressed any time soon?"

Bob shook his head. "No need to, we're not leaving the building. But I am going to chain you."

The comment caught her unaware, and she actually teared up at the thought of being bound yet again. Her shoulders were only now recovering from the extreme stress they had been under that morning.

"Please, Sir, do you have to?" she asked, starting to shake a little.

Bob nodded, "Staci, it'll be okay, but you will have to get used to this. You will be cuffed one way or another when you leave this apartment; at least until I can be sure that you won’t try a stupid stunt like you did this morning."

"But, Bob, my shoulders are still hurting from this morning. Having my hands behind me now would be torture!"

Bob conceded her point, but he wasn't about to give up entirely. He instead took a different approach and quickly locked Staci in a different set of chains. A single chain ran from her collar to just above her ankles, where it split and was locked to them. Another short chain connected her wrists and was locked to the longer one at waist height. She had some freedom of movement this way, but her stride was limited to about a foot. Staci wasn't thrilled, but at least this way there was no stress on her tired shoulders.

Bob led the way out of the apartment and they descended to ground level in the elevator. Staci was afraid that he was going to lead her outside anyway, even though he was nude himself, but instead of heading out of the building, he led her through another door.

"I don't think you really saw this earlier," he said, holding the door open for her.

Curious, Staci shuffled past and into a very large room. Devoid of people since it was the end of the day, it was still a mess with packing crates and trash everywhere, but the general shape of the room was beginning to take shape.

"What is this, a bar, Sir?" she asked.

"Yep. You know, I never did get around to telling you what I planned on doing here for the colony. Well, this is it."

She gave him a strange look. "You're going to run a bar?"

"Not just a bar, but the entire building. This is the Recreation Center for the town. This part is a bar and restaurant, and there's going to be a stage over at the far end for entertainment. A good friend of mine is going to do the actual day to day stuff here while I concentrate on the building as a whole. You'll meet him tomorrow. Over on the other side through that door is going to be a fully equipped Gym. Priss is going to run that. The other end of the building is going to be a movie theater slash lecture hall, and there is also going to be a spa and beauty parlor so you ladies can keep yourselves looking lovely for us. Other rooms scattered around the building will have various uses, but basically this is where people can come and relax, socialize." He grinned.

"You don't strike me as the club owner type," Staci said seriously.

"You'd be surprised," he said with a smile. "There's a place here for you as well!"

"What as, a dancing girl or a topless waitress?" Staci said, biting down on the bitter remark as soon as she said it.

Bob's smile faded a little. "Is it too much to ask you to meet me half-way?" he asked her. "I'm trying to provide a good life for you, something that would make you happy yet help you fit in with the rest of us! But your attitude...If only you gave it a rest sometime."

Staci looked down. "I'm sorry. I'm still on edge."

"I know, Pet. Look, maybe from time to time you'll be waitressing, and if you deserve it I'll make you do it topless, bottomless, or both! But what I really need is someone who can take care of all the equipment around here. There's lighting, the sound system, all the food slots and basic com services. There's the bar equipment, the Gym equipment, a lot of stuff that is going to need constant attention. I especially need your help in setting it all up. We have to have the bar done by the end of the week and it's a real mess!"

"Okay, I can help you there," Staci said, glad he wasn't going to make her the nightly entertainment.

"Good. Tomorrow I'm going to sit you at the terminal in the back office and you're going to go over all the tech manuals for the equipment you need to install. There will be plenty of help with the physical work, but you'll be running that part of the set up. Okay?" he asked.

"Okay...and thanks," Staci said a soft smile on her lips.

"Don't thank me yet, slave girl. You might yet earn enough demerits to warrant a naked waitress night! Looking the way you do now in those chains, I know it would be a popular one!" He grinned, but Staci wasn't sure if he was kidding or not. Still she blushed at the compliment, aware of her nudity and the cool chains that rubbed against her front.

Bob moved toward her and took her into his arms, pressing their nude bodies together with only the chains between them. "We'll make a good go of this place, together. And I promise that you won’t get hassled by anyone. But you're going to have to work at it too. I can only go easy on you so much. I didn't fly eight light years to live here with a woman in a vanilla relationship. I believe in our lifestyle and our right to live it just as much as anyone else on this planet. So, Pet, you're going to have to accept a few things. You're going to have to accept the chains I put on you, the duties and rules I impose on you, and your position as my companion for life." He looked her in the eye. "Can you do that?"

Staci knew she had to give him an answer, and only one occurred to her that might satisfy him. To be honest, his deal wasn't bad compared to what she had gone through that day.

"I'll try, Sir," she said quietly.

"That's all I can ask," he said, nodding. He bent low and kissed her on the mouth, and Staci, after a moment, felt herself returning the kiss.

Was it the influence of her slave chain? The aftereffects of whatever it were that Janis had put on her? Or was she really feeling something for this man?

Staci didn't know. All she was certain of at that moment was that he felt good, and she felt safe.

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