April 2942
Shadow Advocacy Merchantman "No Man's Land"
Horus System
For Lexi, the routine had become so predictable. Right on queue, the door to her cell opened. The bright light bore through her eyes as she huddled in the back corner of her cell. Her body clinched with repulsion at the thought of returning to the Captain's chamber.
The two men entered the chamber and grabbed at her. For a few seconds she scratched and clawed at them until one kicked her in the stomach. In her reaction to the pain, they were able to seize her arms and lift her up.
Just like the previous fifty or a hundred times, she'd lost count, they were too strong. Refusing to go, but powerless to stop it she went limp and the men drug her from her cell.
As usual, the chamber they drug her to was lavish and nice, reminding her of things she once had. Inside were two slave girls, or perhaps prisoners who'd gone through the same fate as her. She often wondered to herself if one day she'd be cleaning someone else for the Captain.
The men pulled her into a lavish shower and order her. "Stand" Just like yesterday and the day before that, she stood. They then removed her robe leaving her completely naked and turned on the cold water. Both men stood by the door guarding as the two slave girls washed her body. The Captain needed her clean so he could dirty her up again, she nearly hurled at the thought. Swallowing the taste back down, she opened her mouth and took in some of the cold water.
Freezing she began to tremble, but today felt different somehow. Then she felt it again. The bulkheads had vibrated. Having spent months laying on the hard floors, one gets accustomed to ships vibrations. Then again, she felt it. This time one of the guards seemed to react to it. And as if on queue, he spoke.
"Aye captain". The soldier looked towards her. "Dry her off asap. Put some cl..." This time the ship buckled and all five them fell to the ground. One of the slave girls hit her head on the rail in the shower. Blood began to swim towards the drain.
"NOW!" The soldier looked at the other slave girl as he got to his feet. Lexi, un-phased by the dying girl's body lying in the shower floor, followed the slave girl's instructions. Lexi could feel the trembling in the girl’s hands as she led her to the towel rack. The second guard, on his feet now, exited the room and spoke to the first guard. "Get her to the bridge ASAP."
As the slave girl began drying her off, Lexi watched tears stream down her face. The slave stole a glance at the dying girl in the shower realizing her life was of little to no value to their captors.
"Enough" The remaining guard said as he pulled Lexi by her upper arm. "Help your friend." He motioned to floor of the shower. The slave hurried over with a fresh towel and knelt beside the bleeding girl. Lexi felt the grip on her arm tighten. She jumped as the sound of the guards firing startled her. The girl now kneeling over the first body went limp and fell over the first, her blood pooling into the shower floor turning the stark white towel a deep crimson.
"Move" the guard pushed Lexi towards the door.
As he led her through a series of hallways, Lexi could tell the battle was not going well. For such a young girl, she'd been in this situation far too many times. Long gone were her days of dolls, dresses and tea parties. The vibrations in the floor, the shaking of the ship, it all reminded her of the Valiant Pennefeather. The last year of her life had taken her from the highs of life as a socialite to the lows of living in a dungeon and being a sexual toy for the deranged Captain.
A blast sent her reaching for the bulkhead wall. She'd been lost in thought, but now she could see things were really not going well as power shifted to emergency systems. The lights dimmed, artificial gravity wavered and a few luxury items she glanced upon ceased operation. "Move, NOW" The guard cut in.
A few minutes later...
As Lexi entered the chamber, soldiers including the Captain were kneeling in various locations and preparing to repel boarders. Some were behind tables, a couple knelt behind the hot tub she'd recently been subjected to. A shiver flowed through her veins as she looked upon the room; so many hours being subjected to the whims of the Captain in this room.
"My pet, come here." The Captain spoke to Lexi. Her legs started moving, despite protests in her mind. Something about him… he just had a hold over her. She felt the shrill terror of his advances, but at the same time he represented safety to her.
Before she knew it, Lexi stood by the Captain's side. Standing awaiting further instruction, she couldn't break the thrall of her captor and barley noticed the arc torches cutting away at the main cabin's door.
The captain grabbed her hair and spun her around beneath him and in front. Pistol to her temple, she stared as the door came crashing down to the ground.
"HALT!" The Captain blurted. "One more step and I'll kill her!"
Smoke started to fill the room from the boarding tube. A loud laughter filled the chamber echoing from the opening. "Captain," The voice laughed again. "Do you really think holding your slave girl hostage at gunpoint will prevent my men from taking your ship?" He chuckled once more.
"You... You came for the girl right?" The Captain's voice broke as he realized the attackers were not the one's he expected.
The voice more stern ceased laughing and ordered. "NO. Now drop your weapons and prepare to be boarded. I claim this ship!"