Renegades of Gor (58 page)

swords.

“Their honor,” said Aemilianus, quietly.

“I am not of Ar’s Station,” I said, “and I have little love for her. Indeed, I

do not see why I should, as I was not well treated within her walls. But yet I

have served her, and perhaps well. Is that not so?”

“It is so,” said Aemilianus. “Indeed, had you not held the wall as long as you

did, and the gate, and had you not aided in the evacuation of the landing, and

had you not, with others, held the walkway until it could be destroyed behind

you, I think there would be few of us here now who would be alive today.”

(pg. 385) “Then perhaps you will not think the less of me if I ask a boon,” I

said.

“You will not assure us it was nothing?” smiled Aemilianus.

“Was it nothing?” I asked.

“No,” he smiled. “It was not nothing.”

“I ask a boon then,” I said.

“I am surprised that you would do so,” he said.

“Think of me then as a mercenary,” I said, “and I am speaking of my pay.”

“We did not contract for your services,” he said.

“I know,” I said. “This is a matter of honor.”

“Speak,” I said.

“I ask the commutation of the sentence of impalement in the case of the Lady

Claudia of Ar’s Station.”

“You do not ask for her freedom?” he asked.

“Of course not,” I said. “She is guilty.”

“You have no objection then,” he said, “in view of her guilt, if a terrible and

grievous penalty is inflicted upon her?”

“Of course no,” I said.

“Even a fate ‘worse than death’?” he smiled.

“Who speaks of it so?” I asked.

“Do not some free women speak of it so?” he asked.

“And are not those the very women who first bare their breasts to conquerors and

beg the privilege of licking their feet?”

“Perhaps, upon occasion,” said Aemilianus.

“If it were truly a fate worse then death,” I said, “or even so unfortunate a

lot, it seems it would be very hard to understand their happiness, their

emotional fulfillments, their ecstasies, their willingness to die for their

masters.”

“Perhaps then,” he said, “for all its demands and duties, it is not truly a fate

worse then death.”

“Perhaps not,” I said, “else, after a time, they would not love it so.”

“Perhaps those who would foolishly call it so do so only in their attempts to

dissuade themselves from their desperate fascination with it, and longing for

it.”

“Perhaps,” I said.

“At any rate,” he smiled, “let them not make pronouncements on such matters

until they have had some experience of (pg.386) that of which they speak, until

they have had for a time, so to speak, the collar on their own necks.”

“Yet,” I said, “slavery is a most serious matter.”

“It is,” he granted.

Gorean slavery is categorical and absolute. The slave is a property, an animal.

She is incapable of doing anything to alter, change or affect her status. She is

owned by the master, and owes him all. She can be bought and sold. She must

serve with perfection.

Aemilianus looked at the Lady Claudia. “Do you understand the nature of our

discourse, of that of which we speak?”

“Yes,” she said.

“Good,” he said.

She looked at him.

“Claudia, Lady of Ar’s Station, free woman,” he said, sternly.

She, kneeling before him, regarded him.

“Put your head to the deck,” he said.

Men gasped, to see a free woman perform this act. More than one, I am sure,

wanted to seize her.

“Lift your head,” said Aemilianus.

She did so.

“You have been found guilty of treason,” he said, “and sentenced to impalement.

By the power that was vested in me I did this. By the same power, I now rescind

the sentence of impalement.”

“Commander!” she cried, tears in her eyes.

“Do you expect to escape punishment?” he asked.

She put down her head, shuddering.

“Do you know the sort of chains you wear?” he asked.

“Slave chains,” she said.

“They look well on you,” he said.

She did not speak.

Then, suddenly, in a moment, as of panic, seemingly unable to help herself, she

tried the chains, those on her wrists, trying to slip them from her wrists, then

jerking them, but they held her well.

“You understand clearly, do you not,” he asked, “what in now propose to do?”

(pg. 387) “Yes,” she said, frightened.

“It is my intention,” he said, “to sentence you to slavery. Do you understand

this, and what it means?”

“I think so,” she said, “—as far as any free woman can.”

“Do you have anything to say before I pass such sentence upon you?”

“No,” she said.

“I sentence you to slavery,” he said, uttering the sentence.

She trembled, sentenced.

“It only remains now,” said Aemilianus, “for the sentence to be carried out. If

you wish I, in the office of magistrate, shall carry it out. On the other hand,

if you wish, you may yourself carry out the sentence.”

“I?” she said.

“Yes,” he said.

“You would have me proclaim myself slave?” she asked.

“Or I shall do it,” he said. “In the end, it does not matter.”

“In my heart,” she said, “I am, and have been for years, a slave. It is fitting

then, I suppose, that it should be I who say the words.”

Aemilianus regarded her.

“I am a slave,” she said.

Men cried out with pleasure and smote their left shoulders in Gorean applause,

gazing on the new slave, looking about herself, frightened, kneeling chained

before Aemilianus.

“Bring the other salve here, too,” said Aemilianus, gesturing to the former Lady

Publia.

In a moment the two slaves, naked, and in their siriks, were before him. Men

adjusted the positions of the slaves, rudely, so that they knelt well, back on

their heels, their backs straight, their knees spread.”

“Calliodorus, my friend,” said Aemilianus, “behold two slaves.”

“I behold them,” said Calliodorus.

“Do you find them pleasing?” asked Aemilianus.

“Yes,” said Calliodorus. “Both were obviously born for the collar.”

“This one,” said Aemilianus, indicating the former Lady Publia, “at least for

the time, we will call Publia.”

(pg.388) “Who are you?” asked Calliodorus of the former Lady Publia.

“Publia!” she said.

“And this one,” continued Aemilianus, indicating the former Lady Claudia, “at

least for the time, we will call Claudia.”

“Your name?” asked Calliodorus of the former Lady Claudia.

“’Claudia’!” she said, quickly.

“It is my request, if it is not too much trouble,” said Aemilianus to

Calliodorus, “that both of these slaves be taken to Port Cos, and there properly

branded and collared.”

I smiled. It did not seem likely that in the future there would be any doubts

about Publia’s status, nor, indeed, that of Claudia either. I though they would

both look quite lovely in the garments of slaves, if they were permitted

clothing.

“And then,” said Aemilianus, “if you would, as one of these females was prepared

to surrender herself to Cosians, and the other served Cosians, in betraying her

city, see that they come into the keeping of Cosians.”

“That will be easy to arrange,” said Calliodorus. “There are many Cosians,

envoys and such, in Port Cos.

The girls exchanged glances. Their fates were being decided by men, but I did

not think unjustly.

“Do you have on board facilities for slaves?” inquired Aemilianus.

“Below deck,” said Calliodorus, “we have some slave cages.”

“Excellent,” said Aemilianus. Then he addressed the slaves. “You may perform

obeisance before masters,” he said.

Both the girls then bent forward and, putting the palms of their hands on the

deck, lowered their heads to the boards.

Aemilianus then nodded to Calliodorus. It was a small gesture. It indicated that

he, at least at that time, had no further interest in the two women.

“Take then below decks,” said Calliodorus to one of his men. “Cage them.”

The fellow, standing behind and rather between the two girls took them each by

an arm, Claudia by her right arm, and Publia by her left, and pulled them to

their feet. Then, turning them and thrusting them forward, without relinquishing

(pg.389) his hold on their arms, he conducted them ahead of him, toward a hatch.

“The cages,” apologized Calliodorus, “are individual cages, and rather tiny.

They are, in effect, punishment cages.”

“No matter,” said Aemilianus.

“But, of course,” said Calliodorus, “it is probably best for them to begin to

learn quickly that they are slaves.”

“Certainly,” said Aemilianus.

“Doubtless in the morning they will be willing and eager to leave the cages,

under any conditions,” said Calliodorus.

“Excellent,” smiled Aemilianus.

“I would recommend, however,” said Calliodorus, “that the one called Publia be

taken from the cage for a time this evening, to be given a good hiding at the

mast.”

“Of course,” said Aemilianus.

It was only fitting, after all, that she be punished, and well. She had

attempted to take advantage of the fact that she had not yet been branded and

collared. She had attempted to pass herself off as a free woman. In many cities,

such a thing is a capital offense. Here, however, in accord with a fortune much

greater than she would be likely to realize for a few days, she, a naïve young

slave, and guilty of what, in effect, was a first offense, was only to be

whipped. Still, even so, I did not think she would be likely to forget her

little bout this evening with the leather. For one thing, few slave girls forget

their first whipping. Too, if nothing else it would impress upon her that she

was a slave and that masters would think nothing of punishing her if she was not

pleasing. That is a good thing for a girl to learn. I supposed, too, that it

might have an effect in discouraging her, should the opportunity arise, as I did

not think it would, from seeking to implement another deceit with respect to her

status in the immediate future. Later, of course, as she began to understand

what it was to be a slave girl, as she began to grasp something of the nature of

her condition, and its categoricality, she would hastily, and fearfully, on her

own, reject such thoughts. She would not dare to countenance them. She might

find herself trembling in terror if even the smallest and most casual of such

thoughts chanced to enter her mind.

I saw the fellow who had conducted the slaves to the hold emerge through the

hatch and close it, after him. I supposed (pg.390) the slaves in their cages.

Calliodorus, too, seemed to note the reappearance of the fellow.

“The former Lady Claudia and I were cellmates,” I said to Calliodorus. “I

determined at that time that she, though then free, would make an excellent

slave.”

“Good,” he said. Slaves, of course, are not only trained in a broad spectrum of

sexual arts, such as how to kiss and caress, and such, but much attention is

given, too, to their own responsiveness and pleasure. There is nothing

surprising about this. Their responsiveness and pleasure puts them far more

under the master’s power. Too, as might be imagined, it is very pleasant for a

man to see the marvelous changes and effects which he can induce in a woman, for

example, to have her thrashing helplessly at his touch, crying out her

submission, begging for more. The slave, because of her training, her emotional

freedom, thousands of times greater than that of a free woman, the discipline

she is under, and such, can attain orgasm much more quickly than a free woman,

sometimes, particularly if she has been deprived for a time, almost immediately.

A response which might take a free woman a third to a half of an Ahn to attain a

slave, and not an unusual slave, might attain in three or four Ehn. Beyond this

the slave is often forced to endure lengthy, multiple orgasms, sometimes being

carried by the will of the master for Ahn, whether she wills it or not, from one

peak to another.

“She served Cosians, and declared for them,” I said to Calliodorus. “Do you

think that might put her in good stead with Cosians, should she come into their

keeping, as that is what seems to be in store for her, at least in the near

future?”

“In what way?” asked Calliodorus.

“That they might then see fit to reward her with her freedom,” I said.

“No,” said Calliodorus. “She is now a slave. That changes everything. Even if

she had once been a Cosian girl, even of Telnus, of good family and high caste,

she would still, now, be a slave, and only a slave. Too, Cosians, I assure you,

are not overly fond of traitresses. One who is willing to betray her own Home

Stone would presumably not hesitate to betray someone else’s. indeed, I would

not have been surprised, had she surrendered herself at Ar’s Station, claiming

immunity, (pg.391) or such, that she would have quickly found herself, if,

indeed, she were not slain, in the lowest of slaveries, as would seem fitting

for her.”

“I see,” I said. It was, of course, as I had supposed it would be.

“Her slavery, thus,” he said, “will presumably be either simple, and

uncompromised, or excessively cruel, an uncompromised.”

I nodded.

“But inasmuch as the crimes of the free woman are seldom held against the slave,