What Is a Slave Without a Master?

Travel day eleven.

Eta stood at attention, held in place only by her magnetic boots. Her hands were clasped motionless behind herself as her eyes stared straight ahead. She was deep within her own thoughts, running through the coming day again and again in her mind before the gentle whistle of Supercruise was interrupted by the beep of the food printer. She blinked a few times, dragging herself back to the present as she reached out and carefully removed the two cartridges.

The cockpit door hissed open before her, and she entered to the now familiar sight of Alex in her pilot's seat. The Commander was distractedly pursuing the local star chart, her finger tracing their path across the void as her mind wondered. Eta's eyes briefly lingered on the starship model her Mistress had purchased for her and allowed her to mount to the dashboard by the co-pilot's seat before she crossed the floor and carefully maneuvered herself into position. Without her knee magnets it required she keep a hand on the base of Alex's seat to steady herself, but once she was in place beside her Mistress she politely offered over the food cartridges.

"Thanks Eta," Alex said simply as she took one.

"It's still weird seeing you in white again," she chuckled as her eyes traveled over her lover's crisp slave uniform. Eta just nodded, waiting for her Mistress to begin eating before opening her own.

"How are you feeling?" Alex added after a moment, tearing open the paper cartridge and glancing at the strips of breaded meat inside. Eta hesitated, her desire not to burden her Mistress with her worries conflicting with Alex's orders not to hide them.

"I'm... nervous," she finally admitted. Alex gently prodded her to continue.

"It's just... I'm not used to asking for things. And in a few hours we will be entering an Imperial Slavers Association office where I have to ask for..." she managed before her voice trailed off. After a moment she felt a comforting hand rest on her shoulder.

"I know," Alex said gently. "You'd rather have things asked of you than you ask for things."

Eta nodded again, but the woman didn't speak. Alex was silent for a long moment as she watched the stars.

"Have I been pushing you to be more independent than you want to be?" she asked simply, but Eta quickly shook her head.

"No, no," she reassured, a faint smile on her lips. "You have allowed me to follow and serve you, and while I find asking for things... uncomfortable, you've graciously let me do so the rare times I've... wanted to. That's... perfect."

Alex chuckled softly as her hand moved from her lover's shoulder to under her chin, gently lifting Eta's head as she leaned down for a kiss.

"So long as you're happy, that's still fine by me," the Commander offered once the kiss finally ended.

"I am," Eta confirmed gratefully, but still not sounding at ease.

"Walk me through what needs to happen at the ISA office," Alex instructed gently after a moment, starting in on her food as her lover slowly began to speak. Eta insisted it would be a strictly regulated process, leaving no room for surprises, but it was clear she wasn't fully convinced by her own words.

"I know there are housing programs in place for former slaves, but I believe if one has a person who was willing to sign as a sponsor the new citizen would be released into their care," she added uncomfortably.

"Then I'm your sponsor," Alex said simply, as if it was obvious. But a quick flash of embarrassment darted across Eta's face.

"What? Did you really think I wouldn't be willing to?" Alex asked, fixing her lover with an amused expression as Eta dropped her gaze.

"It's simply... a large thing to ask. And I've already asked far too much of you..." she managed awkwardly. But after a brief moment there was no reply, and she glanced up apprehensively to see Alex preoccupied on her scanner display.

"May... I ask if something's wrong?" she asked hesitantly, not wanting to interrupt.

"I don't... know," Alex answered distractedly. "It might be nothing. But anyway, yes I'm your sponsor. I'm not letting my Eta get stuck in some halfway house."

"Thank you Mistress," was Eta's grateful reply, using the title out of respect. But her relief at the answer was mixed with worry from whatever on the scanner had caught Alex's attention.

"You're welcome of course," Alex said over her shoulder. Eta craned her neck, trying to see what was amiss and catching her Mistress' eye as she did. Alex glanced down at the woman with her lips pursed, but after a moment she nodded towards the display.

"We're traveling in a straight line from the nav beacon to Telismann's. Everyone... is traveling in a straight line. Not much reason to turn because there's nothing in the way," Alex began as she extended a hand and pointed at one of floating dots representing another ship.

"But this guy just made a big sweeping turn to join the line, I don't know-", but she stopped as the dot off the tip of her finger began to slide sideways.

"Is that a... problem?" asked Eta, eyes tracking the dot with confusion.

"I don't know what they're doing, but that on its own is... ehhhh," Alex admitted. "But I might just be being nosey," she answered but she stayed fixed on her display. Despite Alex's dismissive words, Eta could tell she was suspicious.

"I've seen no reason to doubt your intuition," Eta offered simply. The two women watched in silence for a moment as the dot drifted, and Alex realized with a sinking feeling that it was drifting towards a second dot. It slipped in close behind the other, and after a brief moment her eyes widened as both dots flickered and vanished off her display.

"Sit down and buckle in!" Alex barked as she hastily tightened her harness. And no sooner had Eta scrambled into her seat than she felt the ship pitch underneath her as the Peregrine changed course.

"Verity! Get me the wake signal of where those two just dropped!" Alex called out, hands flying across her controls.

"I'm sorry, what... was that?" asked Eta in alarm, hesitant to interrupt but at the same time still baffled.

"That," Alex responded, nodding towards her scanner display. "Was an interdiction. Our meandering friend just dragged some poor bastard out of Supercruise."

"But that was so fast compared to ours?" Eta asked in surprise.

"Because I made what's-his-face fight me for it! Whoever that was wasn't as slippery," Alex said, still focused on her display.

"What are you going to do?"

"I... don't know. Go look," Alex admitted. "Find out what's going on and if there's anything I can do safely."

Eta could only give a nervous nod as she steeled herself for the usual deceleration as they dropped to sublight speeds, and as soon as Alex hit the release she could make out the distant red flashes of laser fire punctuating the darkness. Her pulse began to quicken, memories of her dreams filling her mind as she was pressed back in her seat by Alex slamming the throttle forward.

"Federal Gunship," Alex said simply, looking down at her scan of the attacker before immediately pointing at Eta.

"Only the stats relevant to dancing."

The woman blushed but nodded quickly.

"Five-hundred and eighty ton medium class combat ship produced by Core Dynamics. You can out-turn and out-run it, but it has multiple times your weaponry, armour, and shields. It also could be carrying smaller ship launched fighters but can't deploy multiple simultaneously."

"I see it," Alex noted as she switched her targeting over to the smaller remote controlled ship, not loving what she was hearing.

"Do you think it's Federal Navy?" Eta asked apprehensively, but Alex shook her head.

"Pirates use whatever ships they can get their hands on," she said simply as she watched the tiny fighter weave for a moment before finally switching over to what the pair were attacking. Eta froze as her gaze landed on the outline.

"It's a Megaship," Alex said.

"It's a slave transport Megaship," Eta replied in an emotionless voice as her eyes traveled over the familiar shape.

"Must be on their way to the ISA office just like we are," Alex realized, before quickly glancing sideways, only to be greeted by more fury on display than she would have thought her timid lover was capable of.

"Please break their nose, Alex," Eta growled. The Commander chuckled as she tapped a single key, her twin laser cannons sliding into position before the canopy.

"They one hundred percent started it," Alex said simply.

"And no full cargo bay to slow you down," Eta added, her eyes flashing. Alex nodded before taking a long breath as she reached up behind her head. She took hold of her long ponytail, tucking it under the strap of her harness before she targeted the tiny ship once more and pointed her entire focus forward

The two attackers were circling the Megaship, discharging beam after beam of laser fire into its sides. Green ripples passed over the ship's hull as its shields tried to absorb the damage. Alex pushed the Peregrine up to speed and rolled the ship over, putting them on a course that would skim past the battle as she hit a few more keys.

"Silent runnin- Flight Assist Off," Verity announced, the two commands practically overlapping as Alex sent them hurtling forward under their own momentum, completely unseen. Her hands hovered poised over her controls as she watched them close the distance, making only the bare minimum steering movements to keep them on course as the three ships grew larger in front of them. She watched her scanner intently and the moment as they were in range Verity spoke again.

"Thermal signature restored," she confirmed as Alex threw her throttle to full and squeezed her trigger. Before the canopy her laser cannons sprang to life, unleashing their own torrent of red into the darkness. The shots swept across the back of the remote fighter, enough finding their mark to quickly punch through its meager shields. The ship twisted in space; its operator realizing the danger.

Eta heard the gentle hissing sound beneath her feet as Alex's missile racks sprang to life. A swarm of glowing lights erupted out from below the ship, swirling and twisting erratically towards their target. Eta's eyes widened in surprise as she watched them converge on the doomed fighter, slamming into its hull in a series of explosions, and ripping it apart.

"Flight Assist on," Verity confirmed, and Eta felt the Peregrine's thrusters reignite, countering their sideways motion and keeping the ship on course as Alex threw them into a dive. Overhead a blinding stream of laser fire bathed the cockpit in a menacing crimson: the Gunship having turned its superior weaponry towards the Peregrine.

Alex threw them to the side, pulling the ship into tight curve as their attacker fought to trap the little ship in their sights. She wrenched on her sticks, dragging the Peregrine back towards the Megaship with the Gunship's lasers cascading over she shoulders.

"How long until they get another fighter running?" Alex asked tersely from between clenched teeth as she sent them skimming under the belly of the Megaship, green eruptions all around them as the pirate's shots scattered against the Imperials' shield.

"A minute and a half at minimum," Eta answered quickly, her mind focused on all the slaves frozen inside the Megaship. Alex didn't answer as she jerked back on her controls, pulling them into a steep climb as the mass of the imperial ship disappeared behind them and leaving open space above their heads. But sure enough, the Gunship couldn't match her in the turns, and so as she rolled them over she dropped onto the tail of the sluggish pirate.

Alex pounced, sinking her claws into the Gunship as its entire flank became awash with her own laser strikes and the blue flashes of its shields. The pirate tried to shake off its pursuer, but Alex was relentless. Eta felt herself being thrown from side to side in her seat. Her harness digging into her shoulders as Alex matched the Gunship through every turn. But she was far too focused watching her Mistress' shots land than to worry about feeling sick.

The Gunship seemingly realized it couldn't out-turn them and tried a new maneuver. It threw itself into a corner, but as it did Alex saw most of its thrusters go dark. The ship began it spin on its own axis, having deactivated their own flight assist as they swung their guns towards the Peregrine despite still moving away from her. Alex calmly jerked her stick to the side, sending them into a roll as a red stream of lasers erupted through where they had just been.

Alex sent them into a dive, Eta's knuckles turning white from gripping her arm rests. But as they came out of it Alex had landed them directly on the back of the Gunship once again, and she resumed her merciless bombardment as her fleeing target raced away. And at long last Eta saw the first signs of the shields beginning to struggle. The once resilient blue shell that protected the pirate flickered, taking longer and longer to recover after each hit.

Alex would not let go no matter how hard they desperately tried to turn away from her, but as the Gunship rolled in front of her, she caught a brief glimpse of its underside. Through the weakening shield she could see a skeletal platform had extended out from the bay doors, carrying the ship's second fighter that they were frantically trying to launch into fray.

Without a word Alex forced their nose down. She corkscrewed the Peregrine, bringing them into a position where she had an unobstructed shot at the Gunship's belly and fired. The shields sputtered, her shots visibly fracturing and distorting the surface. But just as it looked on the brink of failing the remote fighter sprang to life. Its thrusters ignited as it flew free of its frame, blasting clear of the battle and stabilizing itself before beginning to circle back.

"Motherfucker," Alex spat, hesitating for a split second before making her decision. The platform beneath the Gunship hadn't yet retracted, and so Alex gripped her controls as she pounded the shields. Putting all her spare power behind her guns as she watched the blue glow fracture and begin to fail.

But just as it finally gave out the Peregrine sounded an urgent alarm. The remote righter had dropped in behind her, pecking at her own shields in return with its modest guns. Alex unleased another swarm of missiles spiraling in towards the vulnerable structure below the Gunship as she broke off. She twisted the Peregrine, diving away to shake off her new attacker. But the remote fighter was even more agile than she was, and as the stars spun around them the Peregrine's alarms grew louder as it continued its work of chipping away them.

Alex killed power to her weapons, pouring it into engines and shields as she danced with the fighter close behind, before being forced to quickly reversed the direction of her roll as a torrent of red filled the sky. The Gunship having dragged its guns back on target.

Alex swore, swerving over the deadly stream as she pushed the throttle to full. She watched her scanner display, plotting a wide circle around the Gunship as a plan came together in her mind. She twisted back towards the pirate, the fighter locked on her tail as she nudged all three of them into place.

And just as her alarms were reaching their peak Alex streaked across the bow of the Gunship, offering them the shot. The pirate leapt forward, unleashing a flood of crimson lasers towards her. But just as they did Alex shut down her shields, dumping everything her power plant could muster into her engines as Eta was thrown back in her seat.

A new alarm sounded, a warning of the remote fighter's shots striking across the back of the hull. But Alex's sudden lunge forward had left the Gunship's shot behind her, creating a stream of lasers that not even the fighter could turn fast enough to avoid. It's dot on her scanner display flickered, before going dark as it was reduced to shrapnel by its own ally.

Alex twisted her controls, sending them screaming back towards the Gunship and diving down on her target with a vengeance. She rebalanced her power, hoping to give her shields a chance to recover as she laid into the Gunship once again. She was relieved to see that all that remained of the fighter platform was tangled wreckage dangling from the belly of the pirate. And after cracking what little had returned of its shields her shots sent of river of sparks pouring out of the craft as they finally reached the hull.

More hissing emanated from beneath their feet as Alex sent another flurry of swarming missiles towards the Gunship, impacting along its length and causing the ship to buck as it bled sparks and shrapnel out into space.

The Gunship's thrusters were being pushed to their breaking point, which sent it hurtling back towards the Megaship with Alex right behind as her shots ripped into the back of the craft. But just when it seemed that the pirate vessel was about to collide, it dived hard. Skimming under the Megaship so closed that it triggered a cascade of green from the imperials' shields. But Alex realized she was at the wrong angle and moving too fast to follow. She cursed loudly as she was forced to break off and climb over the Megaship instead: momentarily losing sight of her prey. And just as she swung around to find them again, a blast of laser fire lashed up at the Peregrine from below. Her battered shields almost immediately crumbling in the face of the Gunship. Alex pulled away, rolling evasively as she tried to shake the larger ship. Alarms blared in the cockpit as Alex's shields came to the brink of failing. She sent them into a steep dive as he hit another trigger on her dashboard.

"Silent Running," Verity repeated. Alex growled something unintelligible as a wave of heat swept over them both. The last two times Eta had experienced this, Alex had deliberately kept her power usage low. But this time the Peregrine was being pushed to her limits, and Eta almost immediately began to sweat. Her skin tingled in the growing heat, and she tried desperately to ignore her discomfort.

"Warning. Temperature critical," announced Verity calmy. But outside the windows the Gunship's shots sprayed wildly. The pilot suddenly unable to get a proper lock on the little ship. Alex yanked her throttle all the way towards herself. Throwing Eta forward in her seat as the ship lurched backwards. But the tricked pirate overshot them. Unable to stop in time to match Alex.

"Thermal signature restored," Verity announced as Alex slammed open her heat vents: much to Eta's relief as she was thrown back into her chair. Alex once again pounced and seized a target lock of her own. She shut down her battered shields once again: putting every bit of power she could spare behind her laser cannons as they continued to rip the Gunship apart.

"Oh fuck yes!" Eta cheered out as she saw another swarm of missiles rake across the pirate's hull, sending metal fragments and sparks pouring out of the failing ship.

"Eta, I love it when you swear!" Alex called back in glee as her shots focused in on one of the rear engines: pounding the sputtering thruster until it finally went dark. The Gunship lurched sluggishly, struggling to control its maneuvers. But Alex didn't stop, her shots now striking the rear wing again and again until it finally cracked and split apart. A huge chunk of it spun off into space, and Alex had to roll out of the way to avoid a collision with it.

But now missing one of its main engines and its weight off balance the Gunship began its death spiral. The ship tumbling over and over as the pilot lost all control. Only then did Alex ceased her attack, simply watching the doomed ship as she slumped back in her seat and blinking for the first time in what felt like far too long.