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[ The Indentured - Forward ] [ Welcome - Prose ] [ Parting ] [ The WereCat's Tale ] [ Chapter 1 ] [ Chapter 2  ] [ Chapter 3 ] [ Chapter 4 ] [ Chapter 5  ] [ Chapter 6  ] [  WereCat's Directory  ]

Chapter 4

***First Aid***

OK, once was enough. This made twice she was coming out of unconsciousness rather than waking up in her feather bed at home. She pushed the fog aside and climbed the last bit out of the tranquilizer's hold. Something damp was being gently wiped across one temple and then the other. Well, They learn from their mistakes. This time she wasn't alone. Of course, as she tried to sit up, she also realized she wasn't free.

"Shhh..." she was told as she tried to squirm free. She opened her eyes to look directly into the hazel ones that had been her down fall. "They've got you in a body web so you can't hurt yourself of any one else till the auction". His voice was soft and so low that she almost couldn't make it out. He stepped back a moment out of her line of sight. What ever held her, angled slowly till she was almost in a standing position and he was once more in sight. He stood, with his hand resting on what she imagined was a control unit that stood about waist high on him. He was concentrating on what he was doing so she took the time to look him over. She was going to make sure that when she got free she would remember everything so she could make sure that she saw a little justice one way or another, mundane or majickly.

He was older than she originally thought, maybe seventeen or eighteen. Good-looking kid. He wore loose fitting pants and a long vest like the guards had, only of some rougher fabric. Around his neck was a wide silver choker or collar, made up of what looked like very fine chain mail. It flexed and moved as his head turned back and forth. With one final adjustment he looked up at her and for the first time she noticed the medallion that hung from the choker... a silver knot work design...

"Just try to relax", he told her. Famous last words, she thought. The layers of fine fabric webbing that held her in place drew taut. It caught her so off guard that she gasped out before it adjusted to a proper fit that held her securely without squashing the air from her lungs. As she opened her eyes to glare at the kid, she caught the last of the swing that one of those high elves had taken at him. The Fey had a lyrical, melodious voice and language that she had an awful time not laughing at, as he gestured at her and gave the young man what couldn't be anything but a dressing down. He raised his hand to again strike, but for some odd reason she moved to stop him. What did it matter to her? The boy seemed relatively free. She was the one that was trapped like a bug in a spider's web. It must have been that the kid looked so submissive, so much like an abused puppy. Whatever...she grabbed at what feeble energy she could still reach and without even thinking about what she was doing, she tried to throw a shield between them. She was ready to throw-up with the effort, but kept fighting to keep focused. It was pale, very pale and completely useless, but the fey had stopped his swing to look at it stupidly. He then smiled at her, said something to the boy, turned and walked away laughing to himself. The boy let out an audible sigh of pent up breath. He look pretty amazed himself as he tried to meet her eyes. They were still slightly glazed. His brow knit in confusion till he caught sight of the pale wall of blue that still stood off to one side. He looked back at her and noticed where her eyes were focused. That glazed look and tension in her face were enough to tell him that she was still trying to maintain it

"Seer?" He got no reaction. "Seer!" She turn back slowly to meet his eyes, but she still wasn't seeing him. "Seer!!...You have to let it go. I'm fine. It served its purpose." He reached up and stroked her face. Now he was getting scared. The Master had been angry when he heard her surprised gasp, thinking he'd hurt her. Then, he'd been so pleased as she gave even more evidence of her potential power and value on the block by trying to protect him even without the aid of the enhancer. He looked around quickly to see if any lights were flashing that would indicate that they were being monitored. Nothing. They were clear.

"Hey, Seer. You have to come back! Still no response. Now, in near panic, he reached back and hit the control to let her out of the body web and just barely brought his arm back in time to catch her as she fell into his arms. It was like holding his sister's rag doll years ago, before his own capture. "Shit!" His first experience kissing had been only a very short time before they had taken him, and somehow he hadn't expected his second to be on a hunting vessel, less then six months before he completed his indenture contract, but that was all he could think to do. He went to his knees, still holding her in his arms, he turned her toward him and kissed her. He felt all her muscles jolt in shock and she began to struggle weakly. He pulled back, still supporting her under her shoulders. "Seer?" he asked. "Are you O.K.?" She looked at him, finally seeing him, with a rather disgusted _expression. "Oh, yuck." She swallowed reflexively. "I feel like my nephew just slipped me the tongue". She struggled to sit up on her own and he didn't fight her. "Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty." She stuck her tongue out at him. She was not at all pleased to be kissed without warning, even if he was a cute kid. She looked around, anywhere except at him. It suddenly dawned on her that she was free. It showed in her eyes the moment it did. "I wouldn't", he told her. "I really wouldn't even try it" "Why not?" She scooted back from him and once again realized that she was still naked. "And when is someone going to give me some clothes?!" He laughed, stood up and took off the long vest he was wearing. He handed that to her as he offered her a hand up. As she slipped into it, he walked in a slow circle around her. He wasn't looking at her, but at the room. "Why not?" He repeated. "Well... first off? Because there's nowhere to go. We're on a star cruiser". He turned to look at her, trying to judge her reaction, waiting for her to freak. She stood calmly looking at him. When he didn't continue, she cocked one eyebrow at him. "Go on. You said 'first off'. There's more. I'll have my hysterics all at once, thank you." She folded her arms across her chest, quite effectively masking the curve of her breasts just visible down the front of the vest that was beginning to distract him more than her nudity had. Unfortunately, her posture also widened the opening down the front and raised the bottom of the vest. As the blush began to just colour his cheeks, he turned away from her to face the wall. With a mental chant of "only six month more till home", he touched the wall's keypad and opened the storage unit to display several sets of the basic pants and vest sets.

"Clothes". He stepped away to give her some privacy and himself some breathing room. Not that it helped much as she reached for the tie between her breasts before she was past him and he was hit in the back of the head with the vest not long after. When she was finished dressing, she touched him on his left shoulder and past him on the right. Once he got done with the 'which-way-did-she-go-George' routine and re-focused on her standing there, with fists on hips, he had to laugh. "You aren't going to conform here, are you?" The pant's waist was rolled down on her hips exposing her navel and the vest was tied in the middle all right, but she had gathered and scrunched it up in a knot between her breasts. She shrugged her shoulders and told him quite honestly, "not likely". "That might get you killed, he calmly countered. "My life. Now," she took a deep breath. "Back to the explanations. I have a feeling you believe we are on a 'star cruiser'. For the moment I'll accept that, but only because I can't yet prove you wrong. What was the second thing?" " They've taken the enhancer." At the total lack of understanding in her eyes, he gestured to his forehead. "The head band thing. You no longer have the ability to force your escape." He just made it to her as she started to stumble. It was only a momentary reaction to the shock he realized as she struggled free of his embrace. "I'm all right now." She began to pace. "O. K. I want as much information as I can get from you... Starting with why you looked ten years old when I busted through the door and now you look like a handsome college freshman on a football scholarship." She starred him in the eyes fully expecting an answer. He looked down at the floor, rather shame faced. "I told you I was sorry". Now was her turn to laugh. "Don't even try it. That whipped puppy routine worked on me once and I bet it works well on that egomaniacal elf-looking bastard. But...you have way too much bearing and confidence when he's not around. Don't try that move on me again. I wont fall for it twice."

He smiled at her. "Actually, I'd have been disappointed if you had. I really am sorry they used me. What they did is project and image of me they saved from when I was first taken. They projected it over me. If it makes you feel any less deceived, he really did have a blade to my throat. You have much more material value to them than I do. They would have done any thing to re-take you without damage. Any other would have been..." He had to think a moment to get the right wording. "They don't think of it as murder. Any race without inter-galactic technology they think of as zoologist would of live samples. They are valuable, but not more so than their own existence. Any other that didn't have the talents of a Seer and they would have cut their losses and saved their own asses by ending your life. Because of the value of your contract they kept trying to stop your rampage without harming you." He walked past her to the control panel next to that restraint she came to in. He played with a few controls and a table and two contemporary, but uncomfortable looking chairs molded up out of the floor. He gestured to one of them and she sat.

"Thirsty?" he asked. She hadn't noticed until that moment, but she had the worst case of cottonmouth she'd ever had. "What are my chances of a cup of tea?" He tilted his head to one side in question. "Nothing stronger?" "I'm half English," she answered. "Tea fixes everything" "Are you sure?" "Being hammered is going to help?!" ""True", he looked above her head and in that same musical language, made what his tone suggested was a request. Between the two of them shimmered into existence a teapot, complete with steam, two cups, two spoons, sugar bowl, cream pitcher and a glass of water. "I didn't know how you like it, he said by way of explanation for the items beyond two full cups. She immediately reached for the water and took several healthy swallows. "Thank you" She told him before finishing off what was in the glass. "What do you mean my contract's value, that I'm of more value to them than you are. What exactly are you saying?" He wasn't really listening, just looking at the empty glass. He looked back at her "Aren't you worried that that was drugged or poisoned?" "What for?" She looked appalled at the thought. "You've already told me they attach value to me. If they wanted me dead, I wouldn't have 'come to' the first time. They keep knocking me out. You got scared when you thought I was lost." That suppressed him. "I could hear you. I just couldn't...break free I guess." She reached for one of the cups and began fixing her tea. "So...what would have been the point" She took her first sip and sighed. "One more time. What are you talking about?" He shook his head. "You're going to be one hell of a hand full to whoever buys your contract". "Stop delaying and start talking" She set down her cup and leaned forward. "What's going on?"

It was his turn to take a deep breath. "O. K. This is what their people refer to as a hunting vessel; a slave ship is closer to the truth. They hunt people that have talents that they can use. I am a linguist. When they took me, I was thirteen and spoke..." He thought a moment. "Twelve?...Yes, twelve languages. That was my talent. I was taken when my family was camping. I had gone off to find somewhere to look at the stars by myself. They keep you as, basically an indentured servant for five years. That's the contract a Bond Lord pays for. I have seen musicians, artists, storytellers, protectors, pit fighters and a few seers, though only one other of your caliber, pass through. Once the contract is up, you're free to go or stay on, as you like. Mine is up in about six months." "I'm a slave!!" If he laughed she would flip. That much of her personality he had already gathered, so he suppressed it. She was incredible. Her voice boomed and practically vibrated with energy. If she had been wearing the Enhancer she would have been deadly right now. Her Bond Lord would be in for one hell of a time. When he realized her anger was focused on him he began to get a bit nervous. "Calm down." She would have flipped the chair out of the way if it hadn't been attached to the floor, but as she tried to stand up suddenly to release some of her physical energy all she accomplished was a comical struggle and bruised thighs. "Don't you dare laugh", she warned once she was free. "Seer, calm down", he got up more smoothly and moved toward her in hopes of placating her into being reasonable. "Seer, Hell! My name is Elisabeth, and I'm nothing more than a passable artist who barely makes enough on that art to keep a roof over my head." She was pacing again. O. K. so he let her work off a bit more energy. Or at least he would have if, as she turned, he hadn't seen the blood start to well up around the data jack at her temple. Once more he made a request of the main computer. This time for first aid supplies as he shoved the tea service to one side of the table to make room for them.

"Knock it off," he told her and the strength of his voice startled her enough that she did, for the moment at least. "You're bleeding again." He indicated the chair again and when she hesitated he told her flatly, "either sit down or I stuff you back in that body web again where you can't argue". She was ready for a fight, anything other than calmly accept her fate like some pathetic weakling with no backbone. At about the time she would have countered with an oh, so mature 'make-me' she looked at him and really saw how he was built. He hadn't bothered to re-tie the vest she had borrowed and returned to him. It lay open down the front exposing high hard pecks and cut abs that matched the well-muscled arms. She sort of waved her hand in his direction.

"Is that a projection as well?" She asked. He looked down at himself, confused. "Is what a projection as well?" "Never mind", she sighed and took the seat he stood behind. Very gently, he tilted her head and brushed her hair out of the way as he carefully patted the data jack and surrounding flesh with some mildly stinging stuff that she assumed was antiseptic on gauze. Once done with that side, he tilted her head in the other direction and repeated the process. He once again took the chair opposite her. "You have got to stop doing that." Her turn to look confused. "Doing what?" He shook his head and sort of growled. "Every time you try to focus energy, it aggravates the link up site of the Enhancer. It begins bleeding. You will cause too much scar tissue. The enhancer will not be able to link to the parts of your brain that it is meant to stimulate. You will be useless to them and dead." He waited a moment for that to sink in. "It has to have time to heal properly. The only reason they left it on you...in place, was because it needs time to create the proper pathways and become specifically associated with you. They didn't think you would figure out how to use it so fast." "What? I didn't do anything but get angry." She was at a loss and he could tell. "Than I guess you're more than a passable artist, Seer." He looked very confident. "Elizabeth," it was a last ditch effort to maintain that this could not be happening.

"Not any more. Now you're The Seer." He didn't like taking away the last hope she had that there had been a mistake, but if she was going to survive...if she was going to do better than the last poor girl like her had done, he had to make her at least under stand while she was still sane. "Now, do you want to lay all your cards on the table or do you want to keep dodging." She glared at him. "O. K...Let me try this again. I'm only here for another six months. This is the last hunting trip for me. Once they deliver you to the auction, I get to go home. The last woman with your talents went insane before now. That is one of the drawbacks to the Enhancer. Someone has to be able to accept it, know how to trigger it. Hers and yours are different than the ones given to healers, clairvoyants, and telepaths, ECT... Yours is much more complex. I'm willing to help you as much as possible without risking my own ass. You said 'as much information as you could get from me'. Fine. But I need to know some things about you so I can help you. One last time, are you going to put your cards on the table or not?" She sat there for a moment then ran her fingers through her hair as a calming gesture more than to get it out of her face. "All of them?" "All of them", he confirmed. She reached for her tea again, took a sip and began.

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