"W-what?" I whispered dumbly. I was in shock after what Zavyr had just said to me, I could barely process it.
Zavyr realized it, he looked at me considerately.
"Sorry, I know that what I just said might be a bit much to take in for you..."
"Uh yeah...j-just a bit..." I said, trying to snap out of it.
"Haven't you been thinking of doing it since you came aboard?" He asked.
I hadn't. Thoughts of escape and revenge against the woman who had killed my crew were definitely there, but I didn't want to kill anyone. I hadn't killed anyone ever before, it was something I didn't even like to think about.
I shook my head and told him as much.
"I understand your position" He said. "But unless you want to be the victim you are now for the rest of your life, you're going to have to accept that such things are sometimes necessary."
"I don't want to kill the crew." I stated.
"Why not?" He asked, his eyes almost simmering with intensity. "They've made you their slave... they've mocked and abused you at every turn. Treated you with nothing but contempt. You saved their lives, and yet you're still a second class citizen to them!"
I couldn't argue with any of that.
"...Boria is nice." I offered.
He scoffed. "Boria?! Don't be fooled... she acts all bubbly and claims to value the lives of the slaves... but she still goes along with slavery when her Commander tells her to. She's just as bad as the others, *worse*, even..."
I looked away from him, upset.
"I don't kill... I won't. C-can't we... try to escape *without* killing anyone?"
Zavyr looked at me like I was a lunatic. "It would be significantly harder that way... and I don't want to do it."
I visibly flinched.
"These people made me a slave years ago." Said Zavyr, "They made me less than dirt... and for a time, they made me accept it... but my will refused to be lulled for too long. Now, I just resent all the years of my life that they made me waste... years of being an extension of their wills... years of *humiliation*!"
"I'm sorry." I told him.
Zavyr held me by the chin, looking at me deeply. "I will make them pay for what they did to me... and I would like you to help me. I'll give you some time to process everything... and then, if you decide to join me, we can work out a plan together."
"And if I refuse?" I asked.
"Well... I promise I won't kill *you*."
He kissed me gently, I stared at the wall blankly, my mind was feeling foggy.
Soon, the two of us were sleeping in my bed together, his arm wrapped around me. I couldn't believe that a man with such a soft touch could be so full of hatred.. but after all I had been through, I couldn't blame him.
Was he right?
As I scrubbed a filthy toilet the next day, Molzoi leering at me and making demeaning remarks, I seriously started considering the possibility that he was.
"Don't think I didn't hear the two of you last night." Said Molzoi, her tone suddenly adopting an even more angry manner.
My heart sank.
"W-what?"
"Yeah, I heard him fucking you... can't the two of you wail a little bit quieter?! It's disgusting to hear..."
I was relieved for a second that she hadn't heard us talking, but then I looked up at her, offended.
"H-how do you know that *he* fucks *me*?!"
"Don't stop scrubbing." She warned.
I immediately resumed my scrub.
She continued, "And come *on*... just *look* at the two of you. It's obvious who is dominant."
I blushed.
"It seems you were meant to be subservient in *all* aspects of life." She laughed.
That unpleasantness out of the way, Molzoi took me to the kitchen for Breakfast duties. Commander Garzell was waiting for us, she had an announcement to make to the whole crew. She seemed excited to be making it.
"We're going to be landing shortly." She stated.
"Where?" Asked Molzoi.
"Our favorite planet. Renza 12."
A wave of excitement was suddenly generated among the crew, they all spoke in murmured excitement, wide grins on their faces. I had never heard of the place, but it seemed like the best place ever with how excited they were.
"I figured that after having to spend so long on that dusty old space station and our... little ordeal there, we were all in for a treat. So, we'll be landing there later today."
"We don't have much money." Said Molzoi, "How are we going to pay for the usual... indulgences?"
"Easy." Said the Commander, "We'll go to one of the many casinos, stake our last 100 SCs, and cheat until we've got a few thousand."
Molzoi laughed, "A great strategy!"
"I don't like cheating." Said Reno, "But I do like having fun... so I can let it slide."
"I'm glad that I've escaped your supreme moral judgement, Reno." Snarked the Commander.
As the others chatted excitedly about all this, me and Zavyr began making lunch for them at the other end of the room.
"What's so great about Renza 12?" I asked him.
"It's a place that's very appealing to their sort... no law, no structure, just pure hedonism." He flipped over the vegetables.
I nodded. "Um... about last night..."
"Don't say anything about that here." He said coldly.
"Okay..."
Molzoi called over, "Why don't you both focus on making us lunch instead of chatting about your sex lives?!"
We served the food to the crew, after they were done, we made our gruel and sat down to eat it. I thought this would be a chance to talk to him properly, but Molzoi was standing right there, refusing to leave.
"Can't we have some privacy?" I asked.
"Sorry, no." She said. "I'm *not* letting you two make-out in the kitchen again!!"
We sat and ate in silence.
After breakfast, Molzoi and I were back in the engine room with Boria. The Commander wanted me to show her how to work the engine better, and she was very apt once pointed in the right direction. The two of us got along well, but what Zavyr had said about her last night was still in my head. With every pleasantry we exchanged, I couldn't help but think of her hypocrisy.
She was fiddling away excitedly, clearly very excited about the upcoming destination. I forced a smile. Molzoi stood in the corner, she looked about as bored as I think it's possible to look.
"Have you ever been to Renza 12?" Boria asked me.
"Er, no... I don't think so." I said, "I spent most of my time before on more..."
"Civilized planets?"
"Yes..."
Boria nodded. "Well, I hope you enjoy this change of pace... it's very fun if you take the right mindset."
"Will I get to do much?" I asked.
"You'll be with me the whole time." Said Molzoi. "Commander's orders."
I sighed.
Molzoi sighed too. "I don't like it anymore than you do... you're really going to cramp my style."
Boria looked away awkwardly, focusing again on the engine.
"Uh, Ayden? Could you help me with something over here?"
I did as she said, Molzoi closed her eyes, looking like she was the one suffering.
Soon, The Starship Zen was approaching the planet Renza 12.
Commander Garzell summoned us to the bridge, a clutter of chairs and screwed up controls... what else would you expect?
At the far-end of the room was a massive window through which we could see the planet. It was covered in craters and mostly grey... the sight didn't exactly fill me with the excitement that it did for the others.
Boria saw my disappointed expression. "It's... better than it looks." She insisted.
"I'm sure."
The Commander grinned back at me from her chair. "Not all planets can look as nice as The Earth from orbit." She said, "It's what's *on* the planet that counts."
"Yes, Mistress." I replied, forcing a grin.
She chuckled at this. "It's easy to get people to agree with you when you'll shock them if they don't!"
We landed on the planet at a port next to a small town. The buildings were ramshackle, mostly made of wood and a grey-stone. I could instantly see the attraction to the place though, almost every one of them was a casino, brothel, or bar.
The Commander went into one of the casinos for about an hour and came back to us with a handful of SCs in cash. She grinned smugly.
"Drinks are on me."
Before we headed out, Zavyr and I were fitted with metal leashes, which attached to our collars with a click. We were both led out of the ship, Molzoi holding my leash, Reno holding Zavyr's.
As we walked to a nearby bar with the others, the indignity of the whole thing began to get to me. I blushed as various occupants of the town passed us by, giggling and jeering at us, making fun of our sorry states.
"*This* is what you have to look forward to." Zavyr whispered to me.
I lowered my head in shame.
We went into the bar, it was a real dive. Sitting down on the chairs, we were asked by the Commander what drinks we wanted.
"Do *we* get drinks?" I asked, pointing to me and Zavyr.
"You can have *soft* drinks." She said, "Nothing alcoholic that would impede your abilities to follow my orders."
Me and Zavyr had some soda, while everyone else got hammered on beer and cocktails.
Zavyr had been distant with me that day. He had previously been my main form of comfort on the ship, but now, he barely spoke to me. I stared at him, trying to think of something to say, but I was worried that anything I said would just have made things more awkward.
Molzoi got up off her chair, having finished her drink.
"I'm going to catch up with a friend of mine." Said Molzoi.
"Who is he?" Asked Reno, a knowing smile on his face. "One of your many 'fuck buddies'?"
Molzoi grinned back. "You know me too well, Reno..."
"Remember to take Ayden with you." The Commander said, nursing her drink.
Molzoi frowned down at me. "I think that'll be a bit awkward!"
"Do it." Said The Commander.
"You know, she may be right-" I began.
Suddenly, I felt a small shock from my collar.
"AH!" The pain wasn't nearly as bad as when Molzoi shocked me.
The Commander had pressed the 'minimum' button on her remote.
"No arguing, slave."
"URGH!" Exclaimed Molzoi, grabbing my leash forcefully and dragging me up. "FINE!"
I waved goodbye to the others, they looked on at us amused, except for Zavyr, who looked away from me.