What is a Slave without a Master?

As ET4H2-5C slowly drifted back into consciousness, the first thing she noticed was that every part of her body hurt. She still felt the lingering effects of the Supervisor's celebration, but it also seemed like someone had taken the time to beat her all over with a length of conduit. She groaned weakly, feeling her bruised body raise complaints at even the slightest movement. But as she floated in place a second realization dawned on her

She was still alive.

And with that thought the memories of the Megaship came flooding back in vivid, horrible detail.

The slave's eyes snapped open. She frantically tried to extend her arms to steady herself but found them contained within some kind of sack. After a moment of struggle, she managed to free herself and grabbed hold of whatever she could. Her own unsteady breathing sounded strange in her ear, and from the corners of her vision she saw something covering the lower half of her face. She raised a hand to her mouth, and with shaking fingers managed to tug it loose.

"An oxygen mask?" she whispered to herself as she turned it over with a confused expression before shutting off the valve out of instinct. She pushed herself into a sitting position, realizing it was a sleeping bag she had been tangled inside. She looked around the room, hoping to see the sterile white surfaces of an Imperial med-bay, but was instead greeted by a small sleeping compartment of some sort. It was not much more than the bed above which she floated and a series of metal storage lockers for personal effects. But most notably there was the logo of the ship manufacturer Faulcon DeLacy stamped on the inside of the door. She squinted, DeLacy ships were a common sight within the Empire, and she had worked on dozens of them. But this couldn't be an Imperial Navy vessel.

With a sinking feeling she remembered someone had once told her that DeLacy ships were also a popular choice among the less savory pilots of the galaxy: like whoever had interdicted the Megaship. And she solemnly realized that their attacker would also have been the closest ship that could have found her. And more than that, she could hear a gentle whistling in the background. They were in Supercruise, and she was being taken... somewhere.

Her heart began to pound inside her chest and to distract herself she let her gaze wonder, trying to match the room against be layouts of the DeLacy ships she knew. After a moment she was confident it was a Cobra, likely third generation. But her thoughts were interrupted by a metallic noise ringing out overhead.

"Greetings Passenger," came a woman's voice. The slave jumped, letting out a tiny squeak of surprise before recognizing the speaker. It was a COVAS, an automated program used on smaller ships to assist pilots. In fact, she even recognized the voice profile. It was Verity, the most default female voice that came preloaded on all systems.

"Umm, greetings Miss," the slave replied tentatively.

"The Commander is pleased to hear you are awake, and will be with you momentarily."

ET4H2-5C gave a startled gasp, her eyes wide with terror before she managed to stamp down her fear. She looked down at the oxygen tank in her hands, clutching onto a tiny shred of hope by reminding herself she had already been shown mercy.

"Excuse me... Miss Verity?" she managed after swallowing nervously. "Who... is your Commander? Are they... Imperial?"

"Commander Turner has no formal standing with the Empire of Achenar," Verity replied. But that simple fact was enough to cause ET4H2-5C's shred of hope to shatter before her eyes as her mind was flooded with images and stories of ruthless pirate captains and what they did with slaves.

She lunged down, scrambling to release the strap across her waist and wriggling her way out of the sleeping bag. She desperately scanned the room, frantically looking for something, anything that could let her escape whatever monster was on their way towards her.

"The Commander asked to be notified if you appeared in any distress. Are you in distress?" Verity asked as the slave spotted a small maintenance access panel overhead. Without hesitation she kicked off from her position, tumbled through the air towards it as her muscles protested the sudden movement. She hit the ceiling awkwardly, rolling over before managing to get her boot and knee magnets anchored in place. Now upside-down relative to the room the slave grabbed hold of the panel, her hands trembling as she desperately tried to fumble open the latches.

"I have no record of the Commander giving permission to access maintenance areas. Passenger, were you granted permission?" Verity asked, the question taking on an air of menace despite her voice remaining unchanged.

"I'm sorry Miss Verity," ET4H2-5C squeaked before the panel swung loose in her hands, and she forced her body through the gap just as she heard the hiss of the door opening behind her. The slave found herself in the cramped ceiling void, full of intertangled cable trays, conduits, ventilation ducts, and god knows what else. She desperately pulled herself deeper, trying to snake her body through whatever little room there was.

"Hey, Hey! What the hell are you doing?!" the slave heard a shocked voice call out behind her, which only added to ET4H2-5C's panic. She grabbed hold of anything solid, frantically trying to squeeze herself deeper when she felt a hand clamp around her ankle.

ET4H2-5C let out a terrified gasp as she twisted around, but in the darkness she could only make out the ominous silhouette of the pirate with their head and shoulders though the opening she had just come through. Her leg was held firmly in their grasp, with their other arm poised defensively as if anticipating a kick.

"Look, I get it," the figure began. "You went through hell out there, and now you're scared. It's okay to be freaked out. But you're safe now. I promise I'm trying to help you," they said, their voice tense and wary. But the slave could barely register the words. Her mind was so overwhelmed with panic that all she could think about was the fact she had been caught and thus given her captor reason to be angry. She shook her head, entire body trembling.

"Please," she begged, voice shaking.

"Please don't hurt me... I... I'm sorry... I am... no threat to pirates such as your crew I swear!" she blurted out, desperate to make herself as small as possible.

"Pirates? Crew?" the figure exclaimed in exasperated confusion.

"Jesus Christ lady, slow down. Please listen to me. I. Am not. A pirate. I. Am not. Going. To hurt you," they continued, trying to make their voice as calm and gentle as they could manage.

ET4H2-5C remained frozen, hearing the words but barely understanding.

"You were in a Megaship right?" the figure continued softly. "I saw the debris. But I promise I'm not the one who attacked you. I'm just a freelance pilot who stumbled across you by chance and picked you up."

The slave stared back in disbelief, her heart still pounding in her chest.

"But like..." the figure added after getting no response. "..will you come back out of my ceiling? It's not good for you, or my ship. We can talk, or you can go back to sleep. Whichever..." they offered while giving the slave's leg a gentle tug.

ET4H2-5C let out a whimper, not knowing what to think. But she grimly knew that there was no option to continue fleeing, and so all she could do was reluctantly let her muscles go slack. She closed her eyes as she allowed herself to be gently pulled backwards towards the access panel, and whatever fate lay beyond.

"Lady, I wouldn't be needing to get my hands all up in your business if you weren't being such a limp noodle," the figure complained as ET4H2-5C was pulled back into the sleeping compartment and given a soft push towards the floor. The slave touched down and quickly backed into the corner of the room, fearfully pressing herself against the wall as she got her first proper look at her captor.

ET4H2-5C felt a moment of surprise as she saw that they were a young woman, just landing in the middle of the room and making no move to come closer. She was dressed in a black flight suit. The protective material hugged her body, but the woman had the zipper of the front pulled down, just enough to expose a hint of collarbone and upper sternum. Over the suit she wore an open brown leather jacket, the collar high behind her neck. One shoulder and arm of the garment were adorned with a display of colorful patches, and both sleeves were rolled up to leave the woman's hands and forearms bare. A leather belt rested around her hips from which hung a handful of small pouches.

She looked like a sleek panther standing there, the slave thought nervously, remembering back to books she had read on long extinct animals from centuries ago. But not one poised to strike, one simply watching its prey. In the air currents ET4H2-5C noticed a long jet black braid floating behind the woman. Panther tail, she realized as she swallowed.

But what really caught the slave's attention was the stranger's face. She looked young, maybe slightly younger than ET4H2-5C herself. And she was even slightly shorter too. But just in the confident way the woman held her head, she looked like she had the entire galaxy laid out before her.

And her eyes.... ET4H2-5C had to hastily remind herself that she wasn't looking at Jade, for their eyes were strikingly similar. Full of fire and independence. Burning with a spirit that couldn't be tamed.

The two stared at each other silently for a few seconds: the woman wearing a cautious expression, and the slave wearing a terrified one.

It's okay. It's okay," the stranger repeated slowly. "I know being in an escape pod sucks ass. But I promise you're safe now."

"My name is Alex Turner," she introduced herself after not getting a response. "Independent Commander with the Pilots Federation. Again, not a pirate," the woman said, gesturing at herself.

"And as for crew... I'm the only one here. No one's going to come bursting in to ambush you," she added, jerking her thumb over her shoulder towards the doorway. However the slave looked unconvinced, her eyes darting between the Commander and the hallway. Alex pursed her lips for a long moment before glancing up at the ceiling.

"Verity, can you confirm how many people are on board?" she asked casually.

"There are presently two occupants aboard ship, Commander."

The slave's eyes widened. The woman before her wasn't at all what she had been fearing, but confirmation that yet another unknown stranger was waiting for her brought all the same terrors hurtling back.

"The second one is you, you dingus," Alex said flatly, seeing her passenger's reaction.

ET4H2-5C froze, her cheeks reddening.

"Look," Alex continued after a moment, again doing her best to speak gently. "I don't blame you for being scared. That's okay. I would be too if I had just survived what you did. You might also be relieved to hear your Megaship wasn't destroyed. I know they made it back into Hyperspace," she added hopefully. And to her relief she did see a tiny bit of the tension begin to loosen in her passenger's shoulders. But the woman's expression was still pale and mortified, and she made no move to speak.

"How about this," Alex asked with a grin as she remembered something in her pocket and dug it out. "Would a pirate offer you snacks?" she asked as she gently tossed it across the room. The object lazily turning through the air in the lack of gravity.

ET4H2-5C jerked back in confusion but instinctively managed to catch the object. She turned it over, examining the package of dehydrated synthetic fruit in surprise. She finally tore her gaze away from it and looked back up at the Commander before finally speaking, her voice tentative and quiet.

"You were... simply being a good samaritan, Miss?" she asked in disbelief.

"I guess that's one name for it," Alex agreed with a nod. "I sure as hell wasn't going to just leave you after I found your escape pod."

ET4H2-5C stood stunned. She had only been awake a few moments, but even so her mind was struggling to process. And all at once she felt her adrenaline begin to crumble. She swayed gently in place before pulling herself down into her knees as she felt tears of shame and relief beginning to build up below her eyes.

"I'm sorry Miss Turner, I'm so sorry. I was.... so scared. Please... forgive me. I swear... I'll fix your access panel," she begged in a faltering voice.

Alex's eyebrows shot up in alarm.

"Hey, hey hey hey," she said gently. "You've just lived through a pilot's worst nightmare. It's okay to be scared. Don't worry about the panel."

"Is it okay if I come over there?" she added carefully after a moment. The slave trembled but eventually managed a shaky nod. Alex gently crossed the room and pulled herself into a sitting position against the wall next to her passenger. She reached inside her jacket and dug out a tissue then offered it over.

"Can I ask what made you think I was a pirate?" she asked gently. ET4H2-5C tensed her shoulders, and after a moment she opened her mouth to speak only for no words to come out. She tried a second time much to the same result.

"You don't have to answer that," Alex stated quickly. "You woke up on a ship you don't know, with a person you've never met. It's okay. I expected you to be freaked out; I was just totally not expecting to come through the door and see feet disappearing into my ceiling. But... do you believe me that I'm not a pirate?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes, Miss Turner. And thank you... for saving me, Miss," the slave stammered, her voice catching.

"Glad to hear it. And you're very welcome," Alex said softly.

"You don't need to call me 'Miss Turner', just 'Alex' is fine. And speaking of which, you have a name?" she prodded after a moment.

The slave closed her eyes: terrified of how the Commander may react but knowing it was something she couldn't hide.

"My.... designation is ET4H2-5C. Slave to the Empire of Achenar. At your service, Miss."

"Hold on, what?" Alex muttered as she dug into her jacket pocket, pulling out the ID card she had found. She stared at it for a second before turning towards her passenger and pointing at the string of letters and numbers at the top.

"That's your name?" she asked in confusion.

The slave also stared at it for a long moment, stunned.

"....my identification....."

"Ahhhh righhtt," Alex said slowly, realizing what she had just admitted to.

"Uh yeah, I dug around in your escape pod after I got you settled. I wanted to find out who you were. I... realize that was probably rude. I'm sorry," she added embarrassedly, offering over the ID card. But the slave made no move to take it.

"Please... do not apologize to me. You've done nothing wrong," she managed, her tangled emotions having mostly given way to exhaustion. "But you... already knew I was a slave?"

"Uhh yeah?" Alex responded with a raised eyebrow. "It just feels like it would have been weird if I opened with that."

"Why.... would you comfort a slave? Especially after I disrespected you by trying to flee?" ET4H2-5C asked in disbelief, staring down at the fruit she held. Alex shot her a stern expression.

"I ain't Imperial. As far as I care, you're a human being. And one who's had a really shitty day," she said declared as she reached over and took one of her passenger's hands before placing the ID card firmly in her palm.

"You look beat. You should try to get some more sleep. There's a Starport I'm heading to, but we've still got... a few hours until that," she added as she pushed off to retrieve the sleeping bag from where it had floated.

"If I leave you alone will you promise not to hide in the ceiling again?" Alex asked, unable to stop a small grin as she returned and held it out to her passenger. ET4H2-5C looked horrified as she nodded frantically.

"I appreciate that," Alex chuckled. "But eat the fruit and try to sleep. It will make you feel better. If you wake up before we dock you're welcome to come hang out in the cockpit. Verity can tell you how to get there," she offered simply.

"Thank you, Miss Turner... You... are far too kind," the slave whispered as she tentatively took the bag.

"Just 'Alex' is fine. And you're welcome. I'll see you later," Alex replied before kicking off and drifting towards the door, knocking the heating control back to normal as she left.

A moment later she settled herself into her pilot's seat with a tired sigh. She wondered if she should try to get in a nap of her own before docking, but she knew it wouldn't be likely with her mind refusing to sit still.

It was several hours before ET4H2-HC stood in front of the door to the cockpit, trying to muster the courage to enter. Her cheeks burned with shame, but at the same time she feared the Commander would think her waiting in the bedroom was another attempt to hide. And so at long last she forced herself to step forward, the doors sliding apart with a gentle hiss. She took in the sight before her as she adopted her familiar attention position. The ship was outfitted with two seats, with Alex settled in the left one. A large window wrapped around the front and over the heads of the pilots, giving an incredible view of space beyond. She so rarely got to see space while moving that the sight was a rare pleasure, and she couldn't help but take a moment to be mesmerized by the view.

"Welcome back," Alex said, twisting around to greet her passenger. As she reached over to shut off her music, her eyes landed the COVAS comms log: noting that the slave hadn't asked Verity for directions to the cockpit.

"Thank you very much Miss Turner," the slave answered politely, and sounding much more in control of herself than he had been the first time they had spoken.

"How you feeling?" Alex asked after a moment, trying to sound gentle. ET4H2-5C nodded.

"I still feel ashamed of my transgression, and I cannot apologize enough. But beyond that, I am feeling much better. Thank you. You are far too kind, Miss," she said, her gaze lowered to the floor.

"I accept your apology, you can stop feeling bad about it," Alex said, waving her hand dismissively. "And glad you're feeling better otherwise. But like... you don't need to stand like that, and seriously just call me 'Alex.'"

The slave blinked in surprise before loosening her shoulders and self-consciously pulling her hands into view.

"I.... I'm sorry Miss, I couldn't possibly.....," she started, taken aback slightly.

"Really? Like what if I order you to call me Alex? Does that count?" the Commander asked, slight exasperation in her voice.

ET4H2-5C was silent for a moment, having never considered such a contradiction before.

"I'd even settle for Miss Alex," Alex sighed. "Just calling me Miss Turner makes me keep thinking you're talking to my mother."

"I could manage Miss Alex," the slave replied gratefully.

"Cool. Thank you," Alex replied with a chuckle. But after a long moment of her passenger standing at the back of the room in silence she nodded in the direction of the second seat.

"Are you going to sit down?"

ET4H2-5C blushed uncomfortably and glanced down.

"I am a slave, Miss Alex. I can't take an equal position to you," was her simple response. Alex rolled her eyes.

"Not on this ship you ain't. And you're going to have to eventually. Not safe to land without a harness. But until then... fine... whatever. Where would you rather sit?" she asked, trying to keep her annoyance out of her voice. Her passenger hesitated for a long moment before speaking.

"With you.... if I may Miss Alex?" she asked tentatively.

"uhhhh.... sure?" answered Alex, not really knowing what that meant.

"Thank you, Miss," the slave responded. She hesitated for another moment before stepping forward. Alex glanced back in confusion as she saw the slave walk up next to her and lower herself to her knees directly beside the pilot's chair. Her back was straight and her hands were neatly folded in her lap as she looked up at Alex, the first signs of a polite smile on her lips. Alex felt a sudden heat flair up in her lower gut that she quickly stamped down.