You smile to yourself beneath your
veils. The Earth girl is so out of her depth, and yet she doesn't
realise it yet. She thinks that you are equals. She has no idea. And
she is nervous from her encounter with Isabel's men. She has seen the
way they looked at her.
"I'll tell you how the men looked
at you,” you say, ignoring for the moment her last question. “They
looked at you and they wondered what you would be like in the furs,
didn't they? They wondered what pleasures you'd bring them?"
Michelle looks startled as you say
that, for she knows it is true, but dared not say it. “They should
have been told who I was! That I am a Free Woman! Their operational
superior! They would have looked at me differently then!”
Possibly the men had known who Michelle
Brennan was, or possibly not. It was impossible to tell without
actually asking Isabel. She may have trusted the men with details of
the operation, or she may have kept them in the dark and simply
instructed them to deliver a girl to your house. You yourself would
probably have chosen the second option to maintain operational
security. The less people who know of the details, the better, but
whether Isabel shares your caution is another matter.
“Well that's how men here look at
slaves. Get used to it."
Michelle stifles a sob as you say that,
for perhaps she is suddenly all too aware of how she is kneeling, how
she is dressed, how she will look to the typical man of Gor when he
sets eyes on her.
“When this mission concludes, I will
request that those men, presumably they are low ranking men in our
organisation of little consequence, I will request that they are
disciplined for the way they treated me,” says Michelle. “Until
then please ensure I have little to no contact with the men of your
planet in future, unless it is absolutely essential to my mission. I
do not wish to be... assessed like that! I am not like the slaves of
your world!
“Enough!” You silence her with a
sweep of your hand again. The girl talks far too much. She would try
the patience of any Gorean Master or Mistress. It is something she
will have to learn. “You wish to know something about me? Well, all
you need to know is that I am the Lady Rosalita Sanchez, of the Caste
of Builders and you will call me Mistress.”
Michelle makes to speak but you raise
your hand again to forestall any protests. Your eyes look fierce
above your veil, and the stupid Earth girl responds correctly with
silence, which is good. She shows potential in learning her place
without too many beatings. "I'm sure the concept of operational
security means something to you, and right now, you are compromising
it. My sister knows nothing of our work, so you need to consider her
a stranger and behave accordingly. Do you understand?"
This is very important of course. You
do not wish Rosanna to be dragged into the machinations of the Kur
and the Priest Kings, nor do you wish her to learn things that the
enemy might choose to torture her for. Let her remain innocent and be
protected in life by you, her older sister.
“But...” Michelle considers the
ramifications of this, “if your sister does not know of our work,
then... then she will just think I am a slave! She will think I am a
genuine slave!”
“She is not to know anything of our
work. I warn you now. Do not test me on this. And call me Mistress.”
You stand, rising from the couch to your full height and you look
down on the girl as she kneels thee before you, so soft, vulnerable
and slave like. The five strands of your whip touch the flagstone
floor as you hold the whip loosely in your right hand. “Say it
now.”
“Muh... Mistress...” her throat is
dry as she says the word. You can see her breathing is rather more
pronounced now.
“As far as my sister is concerned,
what are you?”
“A... a slave... a kajira...”
“You forgot to say something.” You
raise the whip handle just a little in warning.
“A slave, Mistress!” Michelle looks
stunned by this. She had not considered the possibility of another
woman living in this house who would not be privy to the reality of
her position.
“Are you anything other than a slave
as far as my sister is concerned?”
“No, Mistress!”
“Good. Very good, Michelle.” You
smile, and then you reach into the satchel again. Your fingers push
past the selection of chains and slave bracelets to find the steel
collar engraved with the proprietary inscription: 'I am the slave of
Lady Rosalita of Telnus.' "Now we need to complete your
disguise. Bend your neck down and do not move."
“Why? I don't understand...”
Michelle's eyes then widen in dismay as she sees you produce the
steel collar. “Surely I do not need to wear that now...”
“Do I have to repeat a command,
Michelle?” you say, gazing sternly again. ((1)) There is an
anguished sob from Michelle as she lowers her head as ordered for the
completion of her 'disguise'. You brush her hair to the side, baring
her neck adequately. And then you stand before her and place the
collar around her neck, pausing before closing it with a loud click
of the lock. You feel her body twitch as she feels the touch of cold
Gorean steel against her skin, and she hears the irrefutable closure
of the locking mechanism.
“Where is the key?” she says
quickly. Such a stupid thing to ask. Does she perhaps think you will
allow her to carry it on her person?
"Now, repeat after me, I am the
slave of Lady Rosalita Sanchez.” You touch her lightly on the
shoulder to emphasise the command.
The words of course have immense
significance whether she understands that or not.
“I... I am... I am the slave of Lady
Rosalita Sanchez...” she keeps her head lowered, gazing at the
floor, her face flushed with humiliation. She had not expected any of
this.
You consider her words for a moment.
They are perhaps the most powerful words that any woman might utter.
They are also irrefutable words – once spoken they can never be
taken back. She, an Earth girl from Reading, England, has knelt
before you and spoken words of submission. To a Gorean woman that is
a life changing thing. She has submitted to your collar. She
obviously doesn't realise what she has done, but that doesn't change
the facts in the slightest.
"We are now going to my rooms. My
sister will understand that you are going there to be punished,"
you say. Quickly, before Michelle can babble away again, you push the
handle of the whip into her mouth and attach a snap leash to her
collar, giving is a little tug that surprises her. You hear a soft
whimper through the whip handle as she grips it with her teeth. "Now
rise and follow me and don't you dare drop the whip."
Michelle whimpers again as she is
forced to her feet by a tug on the leash. She almost stumbles as she
gets up, but she doesn't dare let go of the whip. You can tell by her
eyes that she is in a stunned state of disbelief. She had assumed
that even now the two of you wold be reclining on opposite couches,
discussing operational matters over wine.
You lead Michelle, in her tightly
clinging slave tunic, across the flagstone courtyard and back into
the house. She follows you obediently enough – the leash makes sure
of that – but she is in a state of rising panic at being treated
this way.
It comes as no surprise that on the way
to your rooms, Rosanna comes running out of the kitchen to see what
is going on. When she sees the distressed and now slave-like
Michelle, Rosanna comes to a stumbling halt, obviously confused.
“Rosalita! That's...” she points at
Michelle on the end of your leash, “that's the woman who was
wearing your clothes and drinking your wine!”
“I know,” you say with a smile.
“But... she's a slave!”
“Yes. I am taking her to my rooms to
punish her for earlier.”
“You mean?” Realisation seems to
dawn on Rosanna's face now. “You mean... we have a slave?! We
really have a slave at last!” It's been a long time since you saw
your little sister so excited. She rushes over to Michelle to look at
her. You stand still, letting the leash relax as Rosanna places her
hand on the girl's collar to read the inscription. Unlike you,
Rosanna has been taught to read and write. You paid for scribes to
teach her at an early age.
“Stand still, Slave!” your sister
barks at Michelle as she examines the collar and when she sees the
inscription, her excitement can hardly be contained. “We do! We
have a slave! Oh, Rosalita, thank you! Thank you!” She runs over
now and hugs you. “This means I don't have chores any more, doesn't
it?”
You nod and ruffle your sister's hair
with affection.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you! I
can't wait to tell my friends! We have a slave now!” She turns back
to face Michelle who is staring directly at you with a look that is
imploring you to put a stop to all of this. The leather whip handle
looks wet with the girl's saliva as she dares not drop it.
“You're going to work hard, slave!”
says Rosanna with a snarl. “You're going to clean every inch of
this entire house from top to bottom every day! If I find any dirt,
any dirt at all...”
Michelle makes muffled sounds through
the improvised whip gag. You can tell they are directed at you and if
they were actual words they would undoubtedly be pleas for you to do
something about this.
“You will have hot water boiled and
breakfast ready for us each morning,” says Rosanna to 'her' new
slave-girl. This is undoubtedly the best present you have ever given
her, as far as she is concerned.
---------------------------------------------
((1)) A further test on your slave
handling skill is required here as this is a significant 'break test'
point for Michelle. As before you have a roll of 7D+3. The target
score remains Difficult (20) due to your previous successes, even
though you are essentially now 'upping the stakes' and your commands
are growing rather more serious for her dignity. You roll
1+2+2+3+4+6+2+(3) = 23. You have a solid, competent success by 3
points. Michelle remains overwhelmed by you and unable to resist.
Please sister, will you bring up the food and wine from the courtyard in a bit? I think I'm going to need to refresh myself."
ReplyDeleteGiving a tug on the leash, I proceed to my private rooms, shutting the door behind me. I remove the whip from Michelle's mouth and indicate a spot on the floor near a slave ring set at the foot of the couch. "Kneel there and remove your tunic" I command her.
Once she's complied (#1) I quickly cuff her wrists in front of her, the connecting chain through the slave ring. Bending down, I whisper in her ear. "It is necessary to whip you. Firstly, my sister will expect it for your earlier behaviour and secondly, it will help you better understand the role you are in. She will almost certainly be listening, at least to the first few strokes, after which she'll return to the courtyard to fetch what I asked."
I stand behind her and in a louder voice say "Your behaviour earlier was outrageous for that of a slave, so you're going to be punished. You will receive ten strokes and if your attitude doesn't improve, there will be further punishments."
With that I shake loose the blades of the slave whip and move behind her. The first stroke impacts her upper back.
I recall a conversation with my Father after he had punished a slave and I had enquired about his method.
"You leave a gap between each stroke so the slave can better feel them. You also vary the timing so they can't anticipate when the whip will fall" he had said.
With that in mind, you administer the next two blows.
Bending down again, I whisper in her ear "Keep reacting as you have".
The next seven strikes impact not her, but the couch to either side of her. I hadn't truly wanted to punish her as a slave, but she did need this reminder.
I hear my sister's knock on the door and after bidding her enter, I speak to the slave. "You will receive one more stroke, to remind you that you are a slave."
With that, you strike again against her back, putting as much strength into the blow as you can manage.
Your sister enters and places the tray on a side table, her eyes wide as she takes in the sight of the whipped slave.
"Thank you sister. This slave will serve our evening meal, but I believe you will have to finish preparing it."
She nods and returns to the kitchen.
While I remove my veils and outer robes, I talk to the slave. "I hope you now have a better idea about your condition. I will tell my sister that you're not actually ours, but on loan from the Circularium who are experimenting with barbarian slaves to see if they can be trained to be suitable to be slaves to a Free Woman. As such, you will have to be absent from the house at certain times, ostensibly to report back to them."
"I'll also reassure her that we will be getting a properly trained slave, though perhaps not immediately."
(#1) She might not immediately comply, of course. In which case, some use of the whip will be necessary to convince her to obey.