How Much For That Twi'lek in the Window?

[Louise]

“To my manor,” she replied swiftly, before deciding to indulge him on the name of the planet. She couldn't imagine that he'd know but if it the creature feel better to nod his head and pretend that despite being a slave for so long that he knew galactic geography then that was his prerogative. “Upon Terminus, it's in the outer rim. Enos will fill you in if you want to know more.”

After all she didn't buy the creature to home-school him.

“I can imagine that you have lived quite a life of hardship, Rett,” she said in those feminine tones, expression softening somewhat, “Believe me when I say that I have no intention to fill your life with further suffering.”

A pause, and a small frown.

“Unless there is anything else, I'd highly recommend that you have some rest.”

[member="Rett"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Thalia Gorsceux"]

Rett simply nodded his head in answer.

As he suspected what she had said made absolutely no sense to him. The manor part, he of course knew, but Terminus? The Outer Rim? That told him nothing. Rett didn't know how to read or write, much less where stars in the galaxy were. No, on that, like many other things Rett was completely and entirely ignorant.

He supposed he would find out eventually though.

With another nod, though a noticeable lack of any other formality Rett looked to Enos, the man that Thalia had identified.

The servant nodded his head towards Rett, then began to walk away. The Twi'lek followed after quickly, only casting one look back towards Thalia before shooting his eyes straight ahead towards Enos. Many questions filled his mind, hundreds, but he dared not ask them. One thing he had learned while working for the nobleman was that no one was to be trusted, not even fellow slaves.

Everyone lied.

 

[Louise]

As Enos escorted the twi'lek to his temporary accommodation, Thalia remained rooted, observing as the pair left the scene, not moving until they were out of sight and out of earshot. It was only then that the wealthy anzat moved back to the couch, where she would remove her gloves and place them so precisely upon the table.

A light frown crossed her features as she looked to the full glass of water still sitting upon the table. Her gesture rejected. Stupid ingrate.

I'm hungry.

Not much time passed until a new slave was brought into the lounge. This one like before was free from the chains that had previously bound her, however she was no fighter, not one of a greater fate in the Force. She was just a girl, not worth a name, not worth a background, not worth an obituary. She came into the room aboard the yacht in plain cotton tunic that had been provided to replace the provocative affair that had once barely covered her flesh.

“Hello,” she smiled at the girl, “please, do not be frightened, take a seat.”

There was a strange pressure in the air. While Thalia had merely held a conversation with Rett it was not the same in this circumstance. The helpless slave girl felt a compulsion, a need to do as the entrancing woman asked. She would relax, she would sit down upon the furniture next to the woman.

“Have a drink.”

Back with @[member="Rett"] they had reached the room, with the advisor opening the door with a muted whoosh and guiding the slave inside. “While we travel back home this room is yours,” he said plainly, “the refresher is through there should you wish to freshen yourself up. Madame Gorsceux apologises that showers aboard this vessel are merely sonic, there will be running water showers back upon Terminus.”

As if, as if he even had a clue. Enos smirked inwardly.

“Is there anything you wish to ask me?”

 

[Aela Talith]

@[member="Thalia Gorsceux"]

Rett looked confused as he entered the room.

It wasn't lavish, not when compared to some other rooms he had seen in the palace. Yet it was more than he had ever seen in his entire lifetime devoted just for him. There was a desk, a bed, a closet, another room with a sonic shower and a sonic sink, as well as some other toiletries. His eyes opened wide, bright yellow gazing about the room.

“I...” He stuttered.

A slave was suddenly being treated like a normal person.

He didn't understand.

This wasn't his world, this wasn't what he was meant for. Why was he being treated so nicely? Rett looked to Enos suspiciously. The man couldn't be trusted, the Twi'lek knew that. Even other slaves could not be trusted. Asking him about Thalia would likely lead to him telling Thalia herself, and that would just end in punishment, no he would have to be more careful.

“I...I...I...” He stuttered again and walked into the room, his eyes falling on the refresher. “How do I use it?”

He was careful, though he was sure he sounded like an idiot.

Perhaps that was best, make them all think he was stupid. Escape would be easier.

 

[Louise]

Enos smiled, appearing as genuine as possible, of course the hand picked assistant of one Thalia Dolores Gorsceaux would not be a novice in moving and shaking. After all, living in the upper echelons of society was more often than not a game of social warfare and having reliable assistants capable of minor manipulations was vital.

“Please, try to put yourself at ease,” the man replied, looking to the twi'lek with almost a quizzical glint in his eyes, “we do not expect you to be accustomed to such simple luxuries, so do not worry about such embarrassment. Anything you ask, I will answer to the best of my abilities.”

Guiding @[member="Rett"] into the refresher, he opened the door of the sonic shower and pointed to the controls. “This switch turns it on,” he began, a slender digit indicating such before moving to point at the dial, “and this controls the strength of the vibrations. Simple as that.”

He paused, gently clasping his hands together before turning to face the lethan twi'lek.

“Are you a skilled fighter, Rett?” he suddenly inquired.

Back into the lounge and the air almost felt heavy, dream-like even. The young girl happily drank from the large glass, quenching her thirst on command, as if she needed a command to drink. The poor thing had been parched from the start.

All the while Thalia asked her little questions. What was her name? Where was she from? About her last owner and the atrocious things she had to do to survive. As there conversation went further the girl found herself more and more relaxed, and without knowing it had somehow scooted right up to the wealthy woman in all her finery, who thankfully didn't mind at all.

A small caress of the hair from the no longer gloved hands of the anzat.

“Your suffering ends with me, my sweet.”

 

[Aela Talith]

@[member="Thalia Gorsceux"]

Rett wasn't aware of what was happening with Thalia and the other slave. Though he had felt the force before, it senses were not attuned and he was not pushed to realizing what darkness lurked within his new Mistress. So he listened to Enos, carefully observing which of the buttons to press in order to clean himself.

Clean Himself?

Had he ever done such a thing before? Sure he had washed, a rag and a bucket of half dirty water, but had he ever actually been clean in his entire life. Unconsciously he looked down at his hands, dirty long nails and thick calloused hand that held an odd sort of pigment different from the rest of his skin.

No, he had never really been clean before. Not because of his choice, but just because as a salve you did not have such luxuries.

At least Rett never did.

His head snapped up in bewilderment when Enos spoke to him again, asking him a question about fighting. Slowly the Twi'lek shook his head, his lekku moving slightly as he did so. He was not a great fighter, the one time he had fought he had failed miserably.

“No. They trained me.” He grew bitter at that. It hadn't been training, just beatings. “But I am no warrior of skill.”

Perhaps he would be good in a scrap, his long nails and his teeth would at least see to that. Not to mention he had quite a bit of strength from his years of slavery, but any competent warrior would overpower him in a second.

 

[Louise]

“That is fine,” Enos replied with a small nod of the head, “you do not need to worry about skill, we will help with that.”

He would delve further into this point, well actually the personal advisor would delve further into most points, believing that the more the twi'lek knew the less nervous he would be. It wasn't as if his caution was stupid, or ridiculous. If something is too good to be true then more often than not, it was.

“You will be given formal training, of course. Madame Gorsceux's personal guard is a small tight knit team, you will work with them, train with them and learn from them,” he said, revealing more about the creature's fate, “Not to mention that you will be properly equipped, and even receive a small salary.”

Less like slavery, more like a job. Except there was no going home at night, her home was his, where Thalia would sleep he would not be far away. @[member="Rett"] would become used to her, accustomed to her, at ease with her. Well, that was the hope. If he didn't...?

A small tear rolled down the grubby cheek of the unfortunate slave girl, with watery eyes she finally acknowledged that life was going to be better. She was free. There was to be no more pain, no more humiliation, she could be a person again, she was going to be human again.

And then she looked up at the kindly woman that caressed her hair so tenderly.

Terror.

With her proboscises unfurled Thalia Dolores Gorsceux was a lot less beautiful, a lot less comforting, she was a monster. The girl froze, and before she could even scream a hand had shifted to cover her mouth, two small tendrils slowly travelling into her nostrils. It wasn't an attractive sight but it was how they fed, and who had the time to argue with the aesthetics of nature?

The anzat woman began to drink, the warm, creamy satisfying soup of the slave girl pouring into her like the ambrosia of life. She wasn't even that exquisite of a meal, more akin to a microwavable hamburger than a fine fillet steak. However Thalia savoured every meal just as much whilst she felt the life draining out of her victim.

Your suffering ends with me.

 

[Aela Talith]

@[member="Thalia Gorsceux"]

Still blissfully unaware of the torture going on downstairs Rett payed close attention to Enos.

He hung off the mans words, though not because of eagerness or anything of the sort, but simply because he hungered for information. If Enos was to be believed, then Thalia had been telling the truth. Rett would be made a bodyguard, her bodyguard. One of the the few she had apparently.

Why he had been selected for such a thing he couldn't possibly imagine.

Weren't there better candidates? Already trained soldiers? Already well equipped and well armed men or women who could do the job better than he? Rett was just a slave, and not a particularly graceful or lean one. He had never shown any inclination towards battle. Sure once or twice he had gotten lucky in a fight, a moved boulder had fallen, or a closet had toppled. Once he had even managed to win out of his own strength.

That had all been against other slaves though, and really he had never felt like he had been the cause of victory. Only some outside force.

His brow furrowed for a moment, and he looked towards Enos inquisitively. Could he ask the man? Would he tell the truth or just offer some placating words that would Settle the Lethan Slaves mind? That was what he was used to when he asked questions, placation and answers for an idiot. Would it be different?

He recalled Thalia's earlier words.

“Why me?” he asked.

She had said he would be comfortable, that he would be trusted and she honest. Perhaps she had been telling the truth.

There was no harm in asking.

 

[Louise]

“Luck,” the man responded swiftly, looking to twi'lek's face to draw a reaction for such reasoning. Luck? Could slaves believe in luck? Surely not, and that would be an answer likely to bring further suspicion and enquiries.

“All of those that work for Madame Gorscuex were picked for the slave markets, not for their skills, or how they looked. They were bought simply because in that moment they were there, in that moment they were up upon the block as I walked past.”

Further they would go.

“Those brought from the markets to work are all paid, they are all given meals and a place to lay their head. It is hard to believe that somebody who frequents slave markets has good intentions. It is all very well and good to save slaves and release them but without discernible skill and talents you are leaving them just as helpless as before.”

Here comes the reassurance train, all aboard, choo-choo!

“Madame Gorscuex does not intend to keep you until the end of your days. She wishes to rehabilitate you, so that you can one day leave and fit into society without any issue, and then a new slave will take your place and the process will begin anew.”

Did he buy it?

“Do you wish to enquire further, @[member="Rett"]?”

 

[Aela Talith]

@[member="Thalia Gorsceux"]

There was a flat look on Retts face, as though he wasn't quite sure if he understood was Enos was saying.

Rehabilitate?

Educate?

Leave?

All of these things were foreign concepts to him, all of these things were entirely new to him. All of these things were...scary, to him. Rett looked down at his hands again, not capable of looking down at Enos. It sounded too good to be true, it sounded like a myth, a fairy tale, it sounded like little more than a trap.

His head rose, and he looked the other man in the eyes.

There was suspicion in his gaze, though not as much as there had been before. A little of Rett wanted this to be true, he wanted it to be nothing but luck or good timing. He wanted to be free, he wanted to learn things, he wanted to be his own man. Yet he knew that he couldn't trust them, he knew that they would trick him, just like everyone else had, just like everyone else.

He shook his head.

“N-no.” The Stutter, still there, still real.

It was all overwhelming, all too much. Instinct told him to flee, to find a way off this ship and get away from Enos and Thalia, to never make it to their mansion, but he knew it would do no good. The slave chip was still within his skin, and finding him would be far too easy.

He had to wait, wait and see.

 

[Louise]

This was all to be understandable, Enos had done this a thousand times before.

All slaves reacted differently however. For some it was like Sithmas morning, and they dove straight into the simple luxuries that the yacht afforded them. A good wash, a large clean bed, a paying job? Some of them were truly over-joyed, thanking their gods if those beliefs hadn't already been squashed out of them by previous owners.

Then there were some like Rett, who were suspicious and distrustful. Having been abused for so long, often by so many different masters it was hard to believe that the next one was going to turn around and be different. Change could be hard to accept for those so dominated by despair.

Enos understood that, but he also knew what fate lay at the end of the road for him if the twi'lek didn't start to put his trust in them.

“It is okay, @[member="Rett"],” he spoke, baritone voice open and honest. Practised. A thousand times before. “We understand if you are nervous or even frightened. I have spoken to your previous owner, I've read your documents. The life you have lead so far has been nothing short of awful, I cannot imagine how you have suffered.”

A pause, for the dramatics, to set up the gravity and truth to his next sentence.

“We are going to rectify that. You will suffer no more.”

 

[Aela Talith]

Rett looked at Enos with a great deal of skepticism in his eyes. There was mistrust there. It would take more than words, more than an hour of action, more than perhaps even months or being nice to placate Rett. He had been beaten, broken, and abused for nearly twenty eight years. His entire life had been naught but destruction and hurt. No one had shown Rett a kind day in his life. He had been made to seem docile and broken, made to be taken down.

Enos' words would not yet be trusted.

Not yet.

Yet there was a hope inside of Rett, a hope that had never been there before.

“Thanks.” he said the word so quickly, so rushed, that he might as well not have said anything. Enos simply nodded, and then left the room. Rett looked after him for a few moments then back to the metallic contraption that he had been introduced to, the Refresher, Enos and Thalia had called it. For a few moments he stared at it, then slowly he began to strip down.

With tentative steps, he moved into the Refresher.

It was then, for the first time in his life.

Rett relaxed.

 

[Louise]

As the last drop of life, of vital brain essence left the girl a small scowl came to Thalia's features. That was all? Why that was barely a morsel! She knew that the pitiable creature wasn't much for a statuesque meal but still, it was so unsatisfying. Well, at the very least it had filled the smallest of holes in her hunger.

Pushing the limp body aside, the remains of the girl slumped over upon the large couch. Thalia was done here, she would check in with Enos to see how his first grooming session had gone.

If he didn't trust them enough to take a glass of water, the twi'lek would likely take a fair amount of work. She slipped the elegant lace gloves back over her fingers, a coy smile cresting upon her porcelain face. That just made the game more interesting. She had no qualms, no in fact she enjoyed a lengthy game. If her prey had no idea the better, just made it that bit more interesting.

Get rid of it.

That was her final command before she walked away with dainty and genteel steps, heals softly clicking upon the vessel's floor.