That Terrible Feeling of Freedom (Part 3)

Posted on 14 Nov 2015 @ 5:54am by Queen Regent Lirha Saalm

2,559 words; about a 13 minute read

Previously, on 'That Terrible Feeling of Freedom (Part 2)...

The queen regent leaned back in her large throne, content with victory and optimistic of the impending torture and extraction of information from the infidels who had just attacked her vessel. "Prepare the pain-chairs for our guests..." she whispered.

And now the conclusion...

[ON]

Inside the dark bowels of the IKS Saalm, Lirha entered one of the vessels many interrogation chambers and pursed her lips when her commanding gaze settled on the outlaw that had attacked her vessel. Well, perhaps he hadn't directly attacked her -- but he was the sole survivor of the crew and no doubt had to answer for his crew's crimes against the Alliance.

"Who are you? Explain yourself!" she barked angrily, not at all pleased with the damage done to her ship while simply attempting to resupply.

The storm of emotion in the room was obviously negative, but Jynn was obviously happy. He was smiling. He had been saved from two fates that had been fighting to be Jynn's finality. Freedom and death. Both seemed so wrong but now here he was in front of the person who had rescued him from such fate, even after trying to kill her. He at least owed her an explanation.

“We were here to kill you,” he stated in a manor that seemed to also say 'isn't it obvious?'

Lirha's first instinct was to slap the man across the face. Hard. And so she did, with a resounding clap echoing across the room. "Yes, that much is apparent," she scowled. "I said...explain yourself. Or perhaps you require some 'motivation'?

On second thought, maybe an explanation was out of order. Or perhaps one with more tact was needed. The sharp stinging feeling in his cheek sure seemed to ask for a different line of cooperation. Jynn continued much more carefully this time. “The captain was here to kill you. The rest of us were only trying to kill you by order. Well, some of the crew wanted you dead for sure, but I personally thought it a waste. I mean look at you. You're so beautiful!” He hadn't been around non-humans in a while and his excitement was already beginning to show. Better to lay it on thick so he wouldn't find himself at the wrong end of an energy rifle, or worse. “I'd never want to kill you. Or anyone here, for that matter.” He gave a playful wink to the interrogator he had gotten to know for the last few minutes before the Queen herself had come along.

With a tilt of her head, the queen regent looked perplexingly at the man who seemingly did not realize the gravity of his current plight. Was this all a game to him, or perhaps some sick joke? She nodded towards the large Klingon standing behind the prisoner, and a pain stick was quickly thrust into the side of the Deltan's neck.

The object delivered as-advertised, sending a jolt of spine numbing pain through Jynn's body as he reflexively jerked to the side. What a strange way to repay his flattering comments. He'd have to change his words once more if he was going to make it out of the chair as something more than gagh food. Try an outpour, perhaps? The truth? “I am a slave, Queen! I have been for as long as I can remember and in a foolish attempt for freedom I killed everyone on the bridge. I suppose that is what saved you, but it was terrible. So unbearably quiet. Like I had already died a most horrid death. But then you saved me! Don't you see? Now I am indebted to you.” Maybe that was enough? He grabbed ahold of the chair with his hands, preparing for another jab. It was certainly expected and only a little invited.

Saalm held up her olive hand to signal the Klingon to hold his imminent second prodding. Her light green eyes stared searchingly into Jynn's features. "You say you are a slave who killed his crew for your own freedom? And...to protect me?"

“Well that second part wasn't exactly a motivation,” Jynn started rather foolishly. “But it was quite the agreeable outcome, don't you think?” The fact that he was offering up his servitude moments after relieving an entire command staff of a ship of their lives for precisely the same situation was probably lost on him. All he could think of now was serving this great green goddess that stood before him. And maybe getting out of that chair, too. “Besides, everything looks fine now. I can see your torture rooms are in perfect working order at least,” Jynn exclaimed in an upbeat tone, finishing with a bit of a chuckle.

Lirha continued to scrutinize the Deltan, this time a bit more thoroughly. "You seem quite competent for a slave. Perhaps...too competent, if you were able to kill your entire crew, damage my vessel, and make your way aboard for a personal audience with me." She folded her green arms across her large chest and stared down at him.

"You could easily be a spy or a hired mercenary," she continued. "Your kind is notorious for sexual coercion, after all."

Jynn was beginning to get more credit than was due, but it certainly sounded plausible. Here he was, someone who was aboard a vessel almost completely populated by Terrans that had tried to destroy her ship, now sitting in the same room as her. It wouldn't take much to complete what they started and for a moment Jynn actually began to weigh the options of just how to kill the queen on her own ship. But it was more of a brief mental exercise than anything. Besides, she was becoming quite agreeable, throwing flattering comments his way. “As are yours, queen,” he replied with a sultry grin, his eyes darting around at all the objects, implements, and lifeforms in the room. “Wait, is this a date,” he asked giddily as the pheromones within the room received a notable increase. “You sure know how to woo a Deltan!”

Grinding her teeth with a complete lack of amusement present in her facial features, Lirha nodded again to the Klingon standing behind Jynn. The pain stick was this time jabbed into the back of his spine in between his shoulder blades.

"Do you think this is a game?!" she demanded.

The shock for Jynn had come in more ways than one. The green queen's outlash came as a surprise after moments ago complimenting him and his species. Perhaps she thought him to be a threat, though he could not fathom why. “No no! Not a game at all. An offer of obedience! Keep me as yours and you can learn all that I can do. I can serve in so many ways. And I'll have you know I'm quite talented,” the very strange Deltan concluded with a confident wink.

"You wish to serve me?" It was quite an offer, but Lirha was a bit unsure why. New servants were always in high demand but were usually much more difficult to acquire and didn't often fall into her lap, so to speak. "Why?" Life as one of the queen regent's servants wasn't exactly the most enjoyable, at times.

“Why not,” the Deltan shrugged in reply.

Lirha raised an eyebrow in warning to the man who seemed a bit oblivious to what the job entailed. "Well, most of my slaves do not generally live very long," she explained with a light shrug. "They seem to have problems obeying my commands from time to time. Some have even thought it was acceptable to question them..."

“Then give me an order,” Jynn demanded in immediate ofference of compliance. His words almost sounded more like an order than a request itself. “Let me prove myself here and now.”

Pausing for a few long moments to consider the most devious thing she could think of, a slow and mischievous grin eventually spread across her lips and she narrowed her eyes at him. "Very well. I want you to take that pain stick. And use it on yourself."

Jynn nodded in reply. "Of course, but first you are going to have to let me out of this chair." This was becoming quite the trust building exercise, it seemed. Let the captive out in front of the queen herself so that he may wield a weapon only against himself to prove his worthiness? It'd be a test he would be sure to not fail.

The Orion nodded to the guard, who then reached down and released the metallic clasps on Jynn's right arm. He then offered the Deltan the pain stick with a look of amusement on his strong Klingon features.

"Once I am satisfied you will obey my orders, I will release the rest of your restraints," she explained, then began to impatiently wait for him to fulfil her order.

“I'll take that,” Jynn snapped playfully at the Klingon as he quickly snatched the pain stick from his hand. The poor Klingon was probably distraught over the fact that he wasn't able to administer the coming jolts of agony himself but Jynn had a point to prove. He would give his life to service once more. Besides, the alternatives were probably much worse.

He placed the back end of the painstick on the right arm of the chair he was in, aiming the business end in an upward direction. “I hope this thing goes up to eleven,” was the only thing he said before quickly jamming his neck against the stick, pressing as hard as he could with his teeth clenched and eyes closed tight. Most of the pain that Jynn experienced could be shut off easily if needed, but not this time. Not at this level. Even though he cheated and was able to shield himself from most of the pain with his inherent abilities of numbing it was still intense. His position was held for what felt like unending agony, though in reality it was no more than half a minute.

Then, just as quickly as he had started, Jynn wretched his head away from the painstick and allowed it to fall to the floor. He was done, but the moment would leave its mark for a lifetime. A full fledged jolt for such a long time would do much more to tissue than just give it a bit of a zap. On the right side of his neck Jynn now bore a crude branding of sorts, a blackened mark deep within his skin that seemed to pair nicely with the crude tattooing on the left side of his neck from his servitude to Gahz.

“Lets see the Klingon do that,” he shouted in excitement concluding his little 'show.'

Lirha couldn't deny that she was impressed; mostly with his enthusiasm for self-inflicted pain, which seemed rather odd to her. But she needed to be sure, and a final test was now in order. "Do it again...this time to your groin," she dared him. "For if you are to become my slave, such type of pain is something you will experience often."

Well now that was a strange request for the Deltan. Hurting himself was one thing, but the possibility of destroying one's love bits? The possibility was as confounding as it was repulsing. Perhaps a bit of a zap would have been sufficient with little to no damage done, but the whole request seemed too strange to be real, especially when given the details as to why.

“Wait. Now, I want to prove myself as much as the next slave-to-be, but I have to ask: Now why is this something I will experience often? Is this a kink thing? I mean I get that, but damaged goods wont do much good to you. Or are we talking occupational hazards? Are their dangers in the eighty-one to ninety-one, temperature and mood dependent of course, centimeter height range I should be aware of? Sharp objects or what have you? Or are you saying I will be punished in this way? Because I can assure you that I will serve you quite loyally, occasional stubbornness notwithstanding.” There was a hint of hesitation in his voice, but for the most part Jynn was genuinely curious. It was probably one of those three reasons and he was sure none of them could possibly require him to prove his testicular fortitude to the queen at this exact moment.

"Are you...questioning my order?" asked Saalm with a tilt of her head and a dangerous look in her light green eyes. Such a habit was unwelcome aboard her vessel, both as a crew member and especially as a slave.

He was, but it was probably in his best interests to not admit such a thing. If his sacred organs were being tested for such frivolous reasons he could only imagine what would happen if he were to test her actual authority. “Of course not, Queen. I was only concerned with the wellbeing of one of your objects.” He knew a quick zap would do little if any damage, but why chance it? But when the alternative was to disobey and suffer catastrophic damage of the terminal sort there really was no choice in the matter. Here goes nothin'.

With a quick thrust Jynn brought the end of the painstick down against his bzzzt! and with a zzzzz! he instinctively tried to crumple into a ball, dropping the painstick and being left with a terrible shocking feeling where there aught be nothing but tingling. Once more deadening the pain did not completely subdue it and all Jynn could do was close his eyes and think of non-conductive materials.

Once again, an aura of satisfaction washed over the Orion queen. There was something pleasantly intoxicating about having the power to order her subjects to perform lewd deeds against their own will...and it gave her much joy. "Impressive," she commented dryly, hiding her enthusiasm. "Perhaps you will make a good servant."

"Are you willing to freely submit your life to me and perform any duty that I may ask of you, even if it may lead to your death?" she then asked. "Will you take the oath of the Klingon-Cardassian Empire and perform your assigned duties without pause or question?"

“Of course, Queen. It is better to serve and die with purpose than to be left to wither away unused while left to one's own devices. My oath is to whoever will have me, and as you and the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance will have me, I devote myself to you completely.” He would of course devote himself to other pursuits as well, but those would probably be perks with the job. The last ship couldn't get enough of him. Certainly this one would be no different. He was going to love his new job.

“Now, can we talk about the benefits package?”

[OFF]

--

QRGT Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
IKS Saalm
[PNPC Saalm]

Jynn
Slave/'Captain'/All around annoyance
The Hullcrusher

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