From Lady to Maid [ Kaen Lazuli & Sheena-Tiger ]

[Kaen Lazuli]

Shanti Ni Aranna, fifth daughter of the esteemed House Aranna, a prominent noble family of the Damura Star Dominion, was a regal-looking young girl of eighteen Sol-years. Her skin was a dark, smooth caramel hue and her lustrous hair flowed like a shimmering crimson waterfall around her exquisitely shaped face. Crystal-clear eyes of the same fiery shade held a spark of intelligence beyond her years. By all accounts she would have a successful military career, followed by a prestigious marriage into the ruling family of the wealthy solar system. A jewel to be coveted by many eyes across the local star cluster.

Yet her eyes could only stare at the slate gray floor below, for her head and hands had been locked into a cruel metal pillory for the last three hours. It was punishment for performing poorly during cleaning, when she had been made to crawl into the bowels of dirty pipework and large machines. But standing here was not a break from work. No, it was subtracted from her rest-hours. This was her lot in life now, toiling for her enemies in shame. The only fate allowed a surviving aristocrat of a defeated star nation. Didn't the old Roman adage go something like 'Woe to the conquered', if she recalled her pre-spacefaring history correctly?

She slightly adjusted her position to alleviate the stiff muscles of her back and thighs any way she could. Damn, this posture was really starting to hurt! Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, the sweet smell of fine perfume emanating from them due to the chemical concoctions she had been forced to consume lately. But somehow it sickened her, for even her biochemistry was not her own anymore. And then there was the clingy feeling of the form-fitting bodysuit she had been forced into for the duration of her slave-training. It was a glossy gray color, and both covered and revealed every part of her youthful body. She found that she no longer felt ashamed at her state of dress.

Wearing the shiny plastics of the slave caste had mortified her the first month, but there was no escape and at this point it felt simply like a second skin. It was almost comforting, as it shielded her body from the grime and detritus she and her fellow slaves were made to clean every day. And when she cleaned and toiled, she thought. Her razor-sharp mind, genetically enhanced by her parents to serve as the next generation of strategist and administrator in the Damuran Fleet, whirred away at the problem of her confinement. The impulse to give up having been bred out of her on the genetic level.

At first she had cursed her augmented brain and resilient body. Why could she not just lose herself in the same madness the other slaves had? Most of her peers had turned into compliant husks after a few months of the insidious slave-conditioning used against them. It would have been liberating, not to feel this despair. This sense of a birthright denied, a glorious future forever snuffed out. But alas, there were no such release from the horrors of her new life. She remained unbroken, despite her captors' best efforts. And, to her great dismay, her own efforts to go insane as well.

She decided to count the days just to distract herself. Or more precisely, the hours, as no daylight or dates reached them down here. Then a wave of sadness washed over her.

"... if this is the fifth day of Havaest, then it is..." she whispered to herself, a single tear dropping onto the cold metal floor below. "Happy birthday... me..."

A painful shock suddenly wracked her body, as her control-collar registered her referring to herself in first person. That was forbidden for slaves, because only people could refer to themselves in first person. Slaves were not people, they were property. She grew intensely angry for a split-second, then quelled it as soon as it came. No electric shock this time. It was the duration of anger, not its intensity that triggered the hellish device she wore around her neck. The technological snitch which ratted out even the state of her mind to her captors, rewarding resistance with pain. But she did not growl and strain against her bonds. Not anymore. She had been held in the deepest bowels of the slave-pens for many months now, and she was slowly starting to react to hardship with resignation rather than struggle. This was, of course, exactly the point. She was slowly being worn down, turned into a compliant servant of the new nobility.

Or so the new rulers of her home planet thought.

Little by little, piece by piece, she had analyzed, dissected and decoded the workings of this infernal device. It recorded and monitored her position, her physical state, her words and even her emotional state. Yet there were openings for her to exploit. It could not read thoughts, only surface emotions. It could detect a lot of veiled threats, yet sufficient abstraction was beyond it. Slowly she had developed a new mental grammar, substituting words and emotions for others. She not only spoke in code these days, she thought in code. Shanti used these hours of isolation to slowly test her new mental "grammar". Which thoughts triggered shocks and which did not. But she had to appear sloppy and sprinkle in random errors, otherwise the wardens may start to suspect something.

She had seen no hints of any other slave doing the same, and her grasp of body language assured her that the wardens did not even think this was possible. A part of her knew this was insanely risky, that possible execution awaited her. But what else was she supposed to do? No, the only way out of slavery was through it! A door creaked behind her, as one of the male Wardens entered the punishment room. She recognized his steps, but kept silent. He was slow this time, clearly he had been slacking when he should have been watching the surveillance feed from the stockades.

"Well well well..." came a bored-sounding voice, along with a slap across her butt. "I just saw a notification of you referring to yourself as a person again, Slave 134-A. What was that all about?"

She held in a yelp, instead craning her head as far backwards as the pillory allowed to beam a happy smile at her tormentor. "This slave forgot herself, honorable Warden Charles! Slave 134-A remembered something from her former life, and her words slipped! Slave 134-A is very sorry and begs to be punished for this error!"

There was no point lying, a small, secluded part of her mind thought. She had to believe her own words. All her words were recorded after all, and she had to clear the tests tomorrow. This was her last chance to pass the Conditioning-test and be put up for sale, instead of condemned to permanent toil and prostitution in the offworld mines. Being the servant-girl of some powerful bastard or cunt was far preferable. Another shock came, as it registered hostile intent. Ops, she meant to think 'gracious noble lord or lady'! Yes, precisely so! She had to maintain the compartmentalization of her mind for tomorrow's trials at all costs.

"Hmmm..." the man hummed, and she could almost feel the mental drooling as one of her breasts was cupped, "If you insist, Slave 134-A... who am I to deny a girl her wishes?"

She was Slave 134-A. She had seen the errors of her former ways. She was ready to serve her betters. She wished to be a perfect servant in all ways. She was happy to be given another chance at being good. No tears came as her mouth was being used by her kind Warden. No murderous intent directed itself at her proper and peerless superior. Nothing but a smile graced her lips as she thanked him for the additional serving of 'protein' she had been given.

She was happy to serve. Yes, very happy. It was the only way.

A few days later Shanti's efforts had been rewarded, as she was marched out onto the auction block. Instead of the gray bodysuit, she now wore a silver leotard which showed off her figure and let her delicate legs and arms be visible to all bidders. Her normally wavy hair was made straight by a nanite hair conditioner during her stay here.

She recognized the location as the planetary capital, now fully reconstructed from the orbital bombardment half a year earlier. Powerful lights almost blinding her as a well-dressed announcer was hyping up the crowd for the next slave on sale.

"Ladies aaaaand gentlemen, presenting Slave 134-A!" the man announced, "This is a rare specimen indeed. A former lady of Damura's nobility, now ready and eager to serve her new rulers! Let the bidding start aaaaaat a hundred thousand credits!"

As instructed by the Wardens, she held out her hands to each side. The magnetic cuffs immediately attached to two thick chains, which proceeded to lift her off the ground and forward. Dangling from her wrists in the middle of the vast arena, the chains slowly rotated and displayed her from every angle as she could hear the shouted numbers go up. She smiled to the crowd and sensually flexed her legs, as she had been encouraged to do. She knew the currency of her conquerors, and she felt a small tinge of satisfaction that her new owner would have to spend quite a bit to purchase her. The remaining embers of her pride were soothed by that. At least she had her worth, if only in a twisted momentary sense.

Although her aching arms hoped the bidding would not go on for too long.

 

[Sheena-Tiger]

Characters

The noble Lady

Full Name:	Seong-Min Choi
Age (looks):	~28
Height:	6'1 / 185 cm
Hair (natural):	black
Hair (momentarily):	purple
Eyes:	brown
Other Details:	received a part of Damura to rule over it is among the richest rulers on Damura the youngest daughter of the Choi Family

---

The Maid

Full Name:	Shanti Ni Aranna
Age:	18
Height:	5'9/ 175 cm
Hair:	light red
Eyes:	orange
Other Details:	genetically heightened intelligence former nobility of the Damura Star Dominion

Life was sometimes like an adventure, at least if you were young and had the right mixture of freedom and money. Seong-Min was of the opinion, she was lacking one of those things, and it was not money. Her full name is Seong-Min Choi, daughter of the prestigious Choi-dynasty, part of the Magnatrox Commonwealth, a galaxy spanning empire. In the grand scheme of things, the tall woman was a tiny light, her dynasty barely any more important. Nevertheless, as was tradition since the beginning of the recorded history, young members from among all dynasties of the commonwealth were chosen to prove their skills at ruling. Naturally, new places to rule over did not spring up on their own, unless a dynasty managed to cease existing despite all the technology that could ensure a heir one way or another. Thus new places to rule either were planets that could be colonized or conquered.

Damura was a planet of the later sort. It had even evolved far enough to reach space travel on their own and had made it more difficult than most worlds to conquer but the crushing might defeated the Damura Star Dominion with relative ease. Nevertheless, the damage to the planet had been widespread, especially in the region Seong-Min had been given to rule over but the rebuilding efforts were going smoothly. But rebuilding was not an adventure, it was a boring thing that only required to sign things and take part in meetings. Even in her position as the sole ruler of this stretch of land on the planet, it was simply impossible to just wave a hand and have everything happen. There had to be an order to everything or the rebuilding would come to a standstill with no one knowing when something had to be done.

The only solace for the young woman was that she had a lot of free time on her hands, just not the freedom to go out there and explore the wilderness surrounding the cities of her lands. The fact that every other new ruler on Damura was busy as her meant, that there was not even a proper meeting possible, likely for a couple more months. Strict protocols were in place to ensure smooth running of a new colony, put in place after some disastrous events when the young nobles had been left to their own devices. Parties and social meetings had been in the forefront along with intrigues and even assassinations, nothing that was helpful in growing or at least stabilizing a planet. Instead, today the rulers were not allowed to leave the cities unless the rebuilding was done or 2 years had passed. Fortunately, Seong-Mei was an able administrator and neither money nor materials were an issue in her region. She even was able to send out miners her dynasty had send with her, working in the asteroid belts of this solar system. By her estimates, she might be able to finish the mandatory rebuilding within 2 more months, everything else in additional 3 months. All together she would be able to go on adventures after only 1 year after capturing of the planet.

Something else was on her mind though. Being a noble was having many boons along with a lot of slaves and willing servants following her from her home to this new place, through at least halve the galaxy. Her main issue was, that all those servants and slaves were boring. She knew every single one of them and all of them were happy young women but had nothing interesting to tell her. Recruiting people from this world was out of the question as well. They would either not want to work willingly for their conquerors or were simply needed to keep the world running. Importing things like food and goods might be a possible thing but not something that should be done consistently. Lucky for the purple haired woman, the Star Dominion had many nobles and other high ranking people especially in the military. Every single one that could be captured or had surrendered to the Magnatrox Commonwealth were enslaved. Every month there was an auction, every citizen could take part in. Usually the auctions and prices during the first months were low. The sold slaves were former soldiers and in no way interesting for the elite like Seong-Min. No, high ranking military and nobles did tend to hold out for several months until they were properly broken.

Sadly she had not any time during the last 2 auctions, when things had started to get interesting but finally she had the time needed to actually visit the auction. It even was held in the newly rebuilt city hall of the capital. While it was not inside the region she was ruling over, visiting this place was one of the exceptions to the rules. Sadly for Seong-Min, she was the only noble attending, which meant her ability for socializing with someone of her own class was out of the question. The well off citizen of the world, mostly rich entrepreneurs from other planets of the Commonwealth, had better luck and could talk among themselves between auctions. The selection was pretty interesting, some former admirals and low nobles were posing for the audience. Modern technology had made sure each one was healthy, and Seong-Min was sure better looking and more youthful than at the start of their enslavement, but the tall noble did not have any interest in those. No, on the list advertising the merchandise had been a single item which had caught her interest. It was a dark skinned beauty with interestingly red hair and she was described as former noble of the ruling family. If the details were true or embellished was of no concern. Seong-Min was expecting the 'ruling family' to be a bit much with the starting price.

"Ladies aaaaand gentlemen, presenting Slave 134-A! This is a rare specimen indeed. A former lady of Damura's nobility, now ready and eager to serve her new rulers! Let the bidding start aaaaaat a hundred thousand credits!" the announcer yelled. The purple haired woman made a face showing her disgust. All the screaming was far below her, it was a thing only peasants would be doing. All that screaming had been going on for at least an hour by now and the only good thing she could say about it was, that the plebeians had fun and were paying good sums. Even for 134-A the betting was going on but Seong-Min knew better than to jump into it right from the start. Instead she was waiting, only waving one of her slaves closer, taking the tablet the slave was holding into her own hands. On it was a display, a live feed of 134-A, the rising price hovering over her. Around 500.000 it started to slow down, jumping into a little sprint between a leading 700 and 800, which was when Seong-Min decided to finally jump in. Her own bets were silent, flicks of her finger into a holographic display raised the numbers on the display. It was showing a full 1.280.000 credits when the announcer yelled "Aaaaaaaaaand Slave 134-A goes for one million, two hundred, eighty-thousand to the Choi-Dynasty. Congratulations for aquiring this fine specimen!" as Seong-Min leaned back in her seat. "Ruri, be so nice and prepare everything for your new chain-sister." she used an old word for slaves sharing the same owner. "Maybe you remember how those trainers and slavers treat fresh meat. I want her to know she is welcome and will have a nice place to live from now on. I think she will be a maid so prepare a proper outfit for her. Hopefully for Tasia, she did not forget to pack some outfits into the glider or both of you will be punished."

 

[Kaen Lazuli]

The chains rustled gently as Shanti dangled from her tormented arms. And dangled. And dangled. Why did the bidding have to take so long? Couldn't her new tyranni-, ah no, she meant 'gracious future owner' quickly buy her and make her a happy slave?

Shoulders burning from her extended suspension, she distracted herself by trying to predict the social class of those who bid on her. Correlating fragments of her financial education and knowledge of the Magnatrox Commonwealth, she estimated that the bids between 100.000 and 400.000 credits were entrepreneurs looking for menial workers in various businesses, or proprietors of relatively wealthy brothels. The ones above those and up to even 800.000 would be the price-class lesser nobility could afford. In that case, she was likely to be a house servant and bed-warmer for some disgustin-, no, she meant 'some handsome young master or mistress' of course.

Then the number 1.280.000 credits flashed up, and somehow she knew that the bidding-war was over then and there. That was quite a lot of money, as far as she knew! Soon enough she was lowered down again, but instead of rubbing her sore arms, she bit back the agony and crossed them behind her back in supplication, following the Wardens to the delivery-chamber. The thick metal cuffs were removed without a word, and she was left standing alone for several minutes as the cold stone floor chilled her bare feet. She dared not break her pose, for she knew cameras were observing her. But at last she was approached.

"Slave 134-A?" a teal-haired girl in a frilly plastic outfit asked, bowing to Shanti, "This humble maid has been bestowed the name of Ruri, and greets you on behalf of your buyer. We are now chain-sisters, and Ruri bids you to rejoice; for your new Lady will be kind to you. As proof of this, you will immediately be bestowed a new set of garments!"

Her brain went to work cataloging and analyzing as it always did. Ruri's relaxed posture spoke of slightly less underlying tension than the other servants who picked up their new peers. The maid outfit was of an unfamiliar style, but was clearly of a higher quality than most slave-outfits around. It also looked more comfortable than the stuffy bodysuit she had spent the last six months in. Her surface-emotions delighted in this small mercy, while her hidden depths resented that such a simple thing could make her feel giddy with joy.

And the way slaves had to speak about themselves in third-person was simply devious. It fostered an all-consuming institutional dehumanization that she had seen crush any ego given enough time. Would she be able to stay sane as the months and years dragged on? Only time would tell. She was directed towards a dressing-device which had hovered behind Ruri, and now stood unfolded like a doorframe with many mechanical arms.

Shanti of course knew to step inside without prompting, causing the arms to first use a small laser to open the sealed silver leotard. Prying it off, she stood naked in the chilled air for an instant before her new maid uniform was stretched over her body in two parts. The device adjusted the shiny plastic outfit to fit her like a second skin, and soon the frilly uniform was hermetically sealed around her body using molecular sealants.

Yes, she would be stuck wearing this outfit until she was allowed to step into another dressing-device. Only a nearly invisible crotch-zipper would allow her to relieve herself. Worrying about shaving body-hair was a thing of the distant past however, for biochemical creams had disabled all hair growth below her neck. And her reproductive system had also been switched off, meaning no monthly cycles anymore. She was truly a convenient commercial product with few inconveniences outside of feeding.

There was no washing of her sweaty body either, for her sweat no longer smelled like it used to do. Now it only emitted a perfume-like smell, and the amount and age of the sweat changed its fragrance. She strongly suspected that some masters kept their slaves from washing for weeks, in order to attain a desired smell. The hidden part of her mind was disgusted, but the rest of her dutifully thought this was how things ought to be!

The new outfit was mostly monochrome, but used stark red colors for the snug gloves, waist band and the heeled thigh boots which clung tightly to her legs. They only left a narrow line of exposed skin between her panties and the top of her thighs. A small headdress was sealed onto her head, and the device had also styled the nanites in her hair hair into a series of artistic-looking drills. It was, all things considered, a rather cute outfit which actually agreed with her after spending so long wearing drab gray clothing without any embellishments.

"Chain-sister Ruri, this humble Slave 134-A is grateful for the kindness of her new Lady in granting her such a fine costume. May Slave 134-A be allowed to know the name of her new Lady, so that she might sing her praises?" she adeptly copied the slightly more relaxed pose and smile of the other girl, leaving some flaws on purpose to avoid any suspicion.

"Of course, of course~ This Ruri will gladly inform Slave 134-A that the name of our gracious Lady is the honorable and illustrious Seong-Min Choi! Surely the reputation of the grand Choi Dynasty grace even this newly liberated world!" the maid actually clapped in excitement.

That was an oddly... person-like response. She frowned internally. Was this Lady truly so kind as to overlook such things? Or was she merely lax? Both options suited Shanti, yet she would strongly prefer laxness. Not that she had any harmful intentions of course! No, she only hoped to be of help, yes that was it. No sinister thoughts at all. Do you hear that, control-collar? This slave only wishes to be helpful to her new mistress Seong-Min Choi, whom she totally does not secretly despise.

Thus she desperately avoided letting her mind linger on the mention that her world had been 'liberated'. She could not afford any aggression-spikes at this point!

Folding her hands in front of her glossy skirt, Shanti bowed to her new co-slave, "This Slave 134-A is grateful to chain-sister Ruri for illuminating her, and to Lady Seong-Min Choi for acquiring her. This one eagerly look forward to beholding the magnificent visage of her new Lady, and... she secretly hopes to be bestowed a new name just as lovely as Ruri"

The gullible maid actually giggled at the strategically placed last sentence, clearly not suspecting that Shanti was anything other than a properly conditioned slave. And so she was finally led out of this place of horro-, no she meant this place of 'glorious education in the ways of blissful servitude'! Yes, that was what she meant. But both her hidden calculating part and her cheerful façade agreed that the quicker they left this facility and met her new mistress, the better.

 

[Sheena-Tiger]

Characters

The noble Lady

Full Name:	Seong-Min Choi
Age (looks):	~28
Height:	6'1 / 185 cm
Hair (natural):	black
Hair (momentarily):	purple
Eyes:	brown
Other Details:	received a part of Damura to rule over it is among the richest rulers on Damura the youngest daughter of the Choi Family

---

The Maid

Full Name:	Shanti Ni Aranna
Age:	18
Height:	5'9/ 175 cm
Hair:	light red
Eyes:	orange
Other Details:	genetically heightened intelligence former nobility of the Damura Star Dominion

---

Maid Ruri

Full Name:	Ruri
Hair:	teal
Other Details:	Slave for the Choi-Dynastie for a long time

The noble of the Choi-Dynastie was taking her times. She did tap away at some holographic displays, registering her new property officially. It was not much of a task, most of the work was done the minute she had won the auction, the money had been transferred and 134-A was leaving the auction block. But there were some security things she had to attend to, ensuring she really was who she said she was the most important. Some first setups followed, like ensuring the AI back in her place was starting up all the procedures for a new slave like preparing the replacement collar and securing a delivery drone for the old that had to be brought back to the slavers. Really minor things but if she wanted to avoid even more holowork, it best was done quickly. She wondered how people had done it when they only had paper to do all these administrative tasks. The art of producing paper was certainly not lost and it was still used, but it was such a drag and so slow. Not to mention, it was easy to tinker with and produce fakes. Not like modern technology, everything wireless and impossible to be tinkered with. Not that she had any experience with any of it other than using simple voice commands and the different input methods to use all the different tools.

There was absolutely no haste for Seong-Min, she knew Ruri would take care of everything. The girl was an experienced slave, her family was in 'employ' for some generations now. In no hurry she got up from the luxurious seat and left the large room. It had been mostly utilitarian, clearly a room for meetings and events like this one and not something someone was using a lot or even living in. Bland despite the decoration with holographic artwork. From her room the way was not far to the spot where her glider was already waiting in a small private hangar. The whole place was designed to keep the privacy and identity of the person using it safe and a secret, large doors blocking the exit. It had been perfect timing as well as she had only been waiting a few seconds when her new slave, 134-A, and Ruri entered the hangar and approached her.

Ruri was smiling even more than usual, a tiny difference Seong-Min picked up, when they entered. The teal haired girl was still thinking about the things the redhead had said to her, not that their owner was any the wiser about that. "I see, Tasia did pick a nice looking outfit and you Ruri did chose such a nice hairstyle. Maybe I will have you replace Ingrid, she was not doing an overly satisfying job lately with her choices." the purple haired woman said while lifting her right arm. Above it an interface was projected where she tapped through some options rather quickly. An experienced person would quickly recognize the kind of menus she was navigating into as she preferred to use standard software, even though it was lacking severely in advanced possibilities. Maybe she did not even know about it unlike freshly trained slaves who would have had more than enough time to watch their wardens using their advanced tools. Nevertheless it was more than enough and capable to achieve what it needed to do as Ruri's collar, followed by a shiver running through her body and her nipples going hard, poking through the thin material. "Thank you mistress." she said with a curtsy even though her owner was already turning her attention to 134-A, pointing at the glider. "Show me I did not pay for bad goods and follow." Seong-Min told her, walking to the glider and sitting down in a comfortable single chair. Ruri did not wait for her new sister in chain but followed suit, cheeks a bit flushed darker. Unlike her owner she sat down on a double seat, across from their owner, pointing at the second place on it.

Only moments after 134-A had sat down herself, the door of the glider closed and the large doors of the hangar opened. The glider was fully automated for a standard travel like the one form the capital to the estate of the Choi-Dynastie. Seong-Min finally had some proper time to look at her slave with no one disturbing them. "First of all, let's do something about your name. That Slave 134-A is quite the mouthful. I did look at your file and according to that, your name had been Shanti Ni Aranna. I entered 'Shanti' as your registered slave-name, and you better not make me regret it that I use your original name. It is not custom and I am very willing to take it away from you, replacing it with something else. Second, I am pretty sure you were using that horrid way of speaking when you were alone with Ruri." a short glance over to the teal haired girl who still seemed to be under some effect, a light on her collar blinking, told her the answer. "We will not have that when we are not in a public place like that auction. At my place, a slave is a person and the new collar you receive is programmed accordingly. With a caveat. I use it as means of punishment and a new slave will still have to use it for the first week. It is tradition in my family. The collar will record any slip of the tongue and at the end of the week we will go over all your failings and I will pick a punishment." Seong-Min let this sink in a bit. There was no need to inform Shanti that she in fact was her first slave she bought and thus a bit of an experiment. All other slaves had not been hers to train and chose or whatever.

"And some last things for your introduction to your new place in life. Maybe you have registered through that smell of ... what did they chose this month? Lavender? Whatever. Ruri smells like strawberry and you will have the choice between strawberry and a collection of different citrus variations. I like those scents so my slaves will smell like that. And not to mention, by the strength of this scent you emit, I suspect you had not a single bath since you started your re-education. I prefer subtle scents, so one bath each week. Maye you are not aware of it but we have introduced the 10-day-week of the Comonwealth. The AI will schedule your baths, the first one is today regardless of the schedule to come." Brown eyes were constantly on Shanti during the whole monologue so far, Ruri was meanwhile breathing more deeply, cheeks flushed as pleasure kept running through her for minutes by now. The collar had been programmed to allow her a climax once they would set feet outside the glider inside the estate. "I know you have questions, maybe even comments. Your collar, the one from the slavers, is set to not monitor what you say for the time in the glider. Thus, until we reach your new home, you are free to speak." Seong-Min informed her new slave, meaning it as she said. There was no need to lie to a slave after all, and no need to betray their trust in her opinion. A slave that knew it was well treated would be a good slave after all. Even more so as she had elected Shanti as her future personal slave who would have to be there in her most intimate moments as well in the most boring. She was already thinking about some modifications to the estate to ensure Shanti would have a sleeping quarter next to Seong-Min's personal rooms, but that was something she could think about and plan in detail in the coming weeks and months.

 

[Kaen Lazuli]

Soon enough they reached the private hovercar-garages. No, they were called 'gliders' by the Commonwealth. And there she beheld the woman who had purchased such an exorbitantly expensive slave, and found that she was quite the beauty. Of course, nobility used all sorts of nanite-surgery and gene therapies to look their best, so it was hardly surprising in itself. But the balance of features, hair color and dress style told of someone who cultivated a certain image, as opposed to just throwing themselves on the latest trends. Or at least that was Shanti's first impression. The Lady then complimented her maid on the choice of dress and hairstyle.

Shanti bowed with a happy smile at the indirect praise. Or rather, the 'happy' smile all slaves were coached to make.

She raised her gaze to eye the holographic menu the noblewoman pulled up, following the layout and deciding this was the punishment and reward-interface for her slave staff. It looked very basic, like the more advanced features were not activated. Throwing a sideways glance at her fellow slave confirmed that she was being rewarded with a pleasure-program. A part of Shanti found such a thing horribly demeaning, being treated like a pet and given a treat for good behavior. But she also realized much she wanted such a thing for herself right now, after six months of not having any sexual release despite all the times she pleasured the Wardens.

So she threw a few longing glances at the teal-haired girl as they sat down in the glider. Her chain-sister was now almost lost in her own little inner whirlpool of pleasure, nipples poking against the thin plastic of her maid uniform, hands in her lap as she struggled not to squirm too much. Shanti felt her own nipples harden slightly at Ruri's quiet noises, but tried to ignore it as much as possible. With the collar's passive orgasm-denial function, getting aroused was a very unpleasant experience. There would be no release, no matter the stimulation.

She of course paid attention to what her new Lady was saying. Her mind quickly focused on was Seong-Min's words about giving her name back. How often had she dreaded that she would eventually forget her birthname? The relief that flooded her was genuine. But the part about speaking like persons in the mansion was unexpected. Yet her body-language seemed honest, as far as Shanti could discern. People who had grown up in different cultures had different 'tells', so there was a certain lack of accuracy until she had been with her new Lady longer.

A tinge of suspicion presented itself. Was this a test to see of her conditioning was sound? If she did go back to using "I" and "me", would that be used as proof that she was defective? But why pay so much for her then? Besides, would not an obedient slave also heed such an order? Thinking back to the education regarding speech, she could recall a few examples of what owners might demand, but never this precise scenario. Indecision warred within for a moment, but she realized that the collar also analyzed her brain activity-levels. Thinking too much about something might also arouse suspicion.

The Lady also said she was free to speak during the glider-ride. She needed more interactions to decode how this woman thought.

"Lady Seong-Min will... allow Shanti to have her original name back?" she stuttered, only partially acting as relief and happiness flowed through her. "And... and you want your slaves... uh, to refer to themselves as persons?"

"Then... Then this Shanti, um, then I..." she said the word "I" as if she was reaching out to touch a poisonous critter, afraid that it would bite at any moment, "Will thank Lady Seong-Min for her generosity. I am overjoyed to have such a caring mistress. I will of course aspire to select the most pleasing smell for my sweat as I am able. You are correct about my baths; I only had a single session of scraping dead skin cells and applying antipathogen cream per ten-day week during my... training."

She slid out of her seat and prostrated herself on the floor of the glider, pressing her forehead against the soft mat to display her gratitude in they way slaves were taught. The sentiment was however, quite genuine. The Lady might be both lax and kind it seemed. What an unexpected development, but most welcome. She had to probe Seong-Min's reactions and personality further however, so she continued.

"If..." she said quietly, "If I am not overstepping my bounds, may I ask one question and make one request of my Lady?"

 

[Sheena-Tiger]

Characters

The noble Lady

Full Name:	Seong-Min Choi
Age (looks):	~28
Height:	6'1 / 185 cm
Hair (natural):	black
Hair (momentarily):	purple
Eyes:	brown
Other Details:	received a part of Damura to rule over it is among the richest rulers on Damura the youngest daughter of the Choi Family

---

The Maid

Full Name:	Shanti Ni Aranna
Age:	18
Height:	5'9/ 175 cm
Hair:	light red
Eyes:	orange
Other Details:	genetically heightened intelligence former nobility of the Damura Star Dominion
Failures/Merit-Points:	spoken in 1st person during 1st week: 4 times

---

Maid Ruri

Full Name:	Ruri
Hair:	teal
Other Details:	Slave for the Choi-Dynastie for a long time

---

Rules, Laws and Assets of Seong-Min's estate

Slave-Rules	1 bath each week (scheduled by AI) slaves sweat will scent like strawberries or some kind of Terran citrus slaves may speak in 1st person when not outside the estate new slaves will have to use 3rd person for their 1st week 3rd-person-speech is a form of punishment
Slave-Food	Breakfast and Dinner in a specified room at a specified time (scheduled by AI) a handful variations of specially spiced slave-goop is available in a limited number (never enough for all) basic bland slave-goop is available special horrible tasting slave-goop might be handed for punishment (fully eating it is mandatory) slaves on special duties receive bottles they fill with their choice of slave-goop as to-go
Noteworthy assets:	private glider for 4 people, has an autopilot but can be steered by a person the whole estate has an AI helping with day-to-day-planning

Seong-Min smiled and nodded. "Indeed, I will for now." she answered in regards to the name but listened to her new slave. The dark skinned girl had a nice voice, she liked that already and it had been something that had not been advertised. Not that it would have been an issue, voices could be altered with several methods but even the best ones would silence a person for some days to ensure proper healing.

As Shanti lowered herself on the floor of the nice large glider, the purple haired woman began to tap away on her wrist interface, a stylized "4" flashing and vanished right when the redhead was looking back up. "You are new in my chain. And while you will be the lowest for some time, it does not change that you are new and hopefully are very curious. Until I say otherwise, everyone of the estate, my family, the whole dynasty, is above you and may order you around. If it not conflicts prior orders of someone with a higher standing, that is. Nevertheless, to sate your curiosity for this moment, what is your question and that ... request?" The last word was spoken with quite some curiosity of her own. A request, from a slave, a fresh trained one at that. Maybe she had been more lucky than she could have expected and Shanti might be perfect to become her personal slave.
​

 

[Kaen Lazuli]

"Gratitude for your magnanimousness in indulging your humble slave, Lady Seong-Min. I assure you that my position in your household is understood" Shanti began after receiving permission to ask.

This was quite unexpected, she had never imagined such an indulgent attitude from a high-ranking noble of the Commonwealth. All stereotypes she had heard before the war spoke of serious, no-nonsense disciplinarians. But that was the nature of stereotypes she supposed, a matter of statistical similarities at best, propaganda efforts at worst.

But why did her Lady look so... pleased? If she was reading her body-language correctly of course, which was no guarantee. Shanti was missing something, and she had to figure out what.

"As for the question; why pay so much for a slave such as I, if you intend to treat me so well? I was... fearful of having been bought by someone wanting to... um... torment me for my former identity as enemy nobility..." she let a tear gather in the corner of her eye, before wiping it and composing herself.

It was not a fake tear per say, for she had indeed feared that eventuality. No, this was just a matter of stopping to clamp down on them rather than forcing them out. In truth, she had been holding in the impulse to cry ever since their spaceship had been boarded and she had been dragged away from her family by Magnatrox void marines.

"The request is... uh, rather shameful and embarrassing..." she fidgeted, a flush forming on her caramel skin. "May I please be given an assignment which would result in the same... reward as Ruri is being given right now? It has... been so long since... well..." her soft voice went quiet as she flicked her eyes to the panting teal-haired maid.

 

[Sheena-Tiger]

Characters

The noble Lady

Full Name:	Seong-Min Choi
Age (looks):	~28
Height:	6'1 / 185 cm
Hair (natural):	black
Hair (momentarily):	purple
Eyes:	brown
Other Details:	received a part of Damura to rule over it is among the richest rulers on Damura the youngest daughter of the Choi Family

---

The Maid

Slave-Name:	Shanti
Full Name:	Shanti Ni Aranna
Age:	18
Height:	5'9/ 175 cm
Hair:	light red
Eyes:	orange
Other Details:	genetically heightened intelligence former nobility of the Damura Star Dominion
Failures/Merit-Points:	spoken in 1st person during 1st week: 8 times

---

Maid Ruri

Full Name:	Ruri
Hair:	teal
Other Details:	Slave for the Choi-Dynastie for a long time

---

Rules, Laws and Assets of Seong-Min's estate

Slave-Rules	1 bath each week (scheduled by AI) slaves sweat will scent like strawberries or some kind of Terran citrus slaves may speak in 1st person when not outside the estate new slaves will have to use 3rd person for their 1st week 3rd-person-speech is a form of punishment
Slave-Food	Breakfast and Dinner in a specified room at a specified time (scheduled by AI) a handful variations of specially spiced slave-goop is available in a limited number (never enough for all) basic bland slave-goop is available special horrible tasting slave-goop might be handed for punishment (fully eating it is mandatory) slaves on special duties receive bottles they fill with their choice of slave-goop as to-go
Noteworthy assets:	private glider for 4 people, has an autopilot but can be steered by a person the whole estate has an AI helping with day-to-day-planning

"As for the question; why pay so much for a slave such as I, if you intend to treat me so well? I was... fearful of having been bought by someone wanting to... um... torment me for my former identity as enemy nobility..." The young looking noble let out a soft sigh and shook her head as she heard the second part but let Shanti keep speaking for the moment to cover all the topics. At least the request made her smile, she could see how the eyes moved for a tiny moment to Ruri who was enjoying the ride, literally. Seong-Min knew, Ruri was looking quite spaced out but would snap to attention if needed, without having missed anything important. All the while she tapped on her interface 4 more times, adding the counter to 8 without saying anything about it.

"We will see about such rewards, you will have to earn them. But let us talk about the Zeburs in this small room." she said, not sure if Shanti knew about this kind of creature. It so happens, not even Shanti was aware that the original were not the Zeburs of her home planet but Elephants from the humans home planet of earth. "I am aware of the propaganda and stereotypes you must have grown up with. It happens all the time and I understand it. And the slavers must have intelli-cemented them even more. They are not without base, of course, but whoever bought any of the slaves, even simple former soldiers bought by well off people like traders, are unlikely to be tormented." The purple haired woman leaned down, reaching out to cup Shanti's chin and make sure the girl looked up at her.

"I promise you, such fates exist but while you are less than an animal now, you are an intelligent creature and thus worth more functioning. AI has come a long way... Androids can do complex work... but nothing beats the human brain and only when it is not damaged by torture." she let go of Shanti and sat back up, looking down at her again, stretching both her legs to see how Shanti would react. "My plans for you, Shanti, are that of a personal slave. You will be responsible for my well being and many things around it. You will entertain me in all kind of things, and that entails my mind. There is nothing new and interesting the slaves from my home could entertain me with, nothing which they had not told me multiple times in the last 100 or so years. But you... you I have hopes in that you might be able to actually entertain me and lift some of that boredom. I would have wanted your mother or that cousin they had on auction 2 months ago, but rules are you have to be on site and things had taken up my time. You would believe in out day and age, you could handle everything remotely but try as you might, you have to be physically present in so many cases." Seong-Min explained her slave, not giving her any orders in between regarding if she might sit up, what to do with those feet in front of her or anything else, just informing Shanti and watching her.
​

 

[Kaen Lazuli]

While it was a relief to hear that slaves were unlikely to be tormented for the sake of it, this did little to detract from the fact that the literal brainwashing which ground down their personality to a hollow shell of what they once were. But her own society had used analogous methods on their enemies too, so she hardly had a moral high Talaar to ride on. However, the mention of her family shot an icy dagger into her heart. The desperation of her situation had made her think less and less of her surviving relatives. Her dignified mother, now serving as a slave of some Commonwealth-members.

A small, dark part of her wished that all of them had managed to either die in battle or commit suicide before being captured. Was she ashamed of that part of her? She did not know. So she instead focused on committing Seong-Min's words and intentions to memory, both for her own survival and to distract herself from such thoughts. So she would become a personal slave, and she had been singled out because none of the other slaves were 'interesting enough'? A part of her wanted to snidely remark 'well, I shall aspire to be an interesting brainwashed drone then'. But naturally she held her tongue and did not linger long on that thought-pattern, lest the collar recognize any hostile intent directed against her new owner.

"Lady Seong-Min is gracious. Being a personal slave to one such as you is a great honor"

But there was something nagging her mind. The holographic display, a set of numbers was being added to. Her mind sorted through possible correlations, but the most likely option was that it pertained to Shanti's behavior somehow. Four times. Then it clicked, and the kneeling maid's eyes widened. She sat up straight, arms folded behind her back in supplication. Her voice was controlled, not laced with nervousness as she spoke.

"This slave apparently misunderstood her Lady's instructions regarding speaking freely in the glider. This Shanti apologizes for besmirching her Lady's benevolence, and begs to receive the proper punishment in due time for speaking in first-person. May this slave make herself useful, perhaps by giving her Lady a massage for her sore feet? This slave recognizes the tension of Lady Seong-Min's calf muscles from her old training in body mechanics"

 

[Sheena-Tiger]

Characters

The noble Lady

Full Name:	Seong-Min Choi
Age (looks):	~28
Height:	6'1 / 185 cm
Hair (natural):	black
Hair (momentarily):	purple
Eyes:	brown
Other Details:	received a part of Damura to rule over it is among the richest rulers on Damura the youngest daughter of the Choi Family

---

The Maid

Slave-Name:	Shanti
Full Name:	Shanti Ni Aranna
Age:	18
Height:	5'9/ 175 cm
Hair:	light red
Eyes:	orange
Other Details:	genetically heightened intelligence former nobility of the Damura Star Dominion
Failures/Merit-Points:	spoken in 1st person during 1st week: 7 times

---

Maid Ruri

Full Name:	Ruri
Hair:	teal
Other Details:	Slave for the Choi-Dynastie for a long time

---

Maid Tasia

Full Name:	Tasia
Hair:	blue
Other Details:	Slave for the Choi-Dynastie for a long time

---

Rules, Laws and Assets of Seong-Min's estate

Slave-Rules	1 bath each week (scheduled by AI) slaves sweat will scent like strawberries or some kind of Terran citrus slaves may speak in 1st person when not outside the estate new slaves will have to use 3rd person for their 1st week 3rd-person-speech is a form of punishment
Slave-Food	Breakfast and Dinner in a specified room at a specified time (scheduled by AI) a handful variations of specially spiced slave-goop is available in a limited number (never enough for all) basic bland slave-goop is available special horrible tasting slave-goop might be handed for punishment (fully eating it is mandatory) slaves on special duties receive bottles they fill with their choice of slave-goop as to-go
Noteworthy assets:	private glider for 4 people, has an autopilot but can be steered by a person the whole estate has an AI helping with day-to-day-planning

Seong-Min raised an eyebrow as she watched how Shanti was shifting in her position and spoke again. "Oh." was her first audible response before she subtracted 1 failure from the counter. "You will not find any slave in my chain being treated unfairly. I think, you coming to the right conclusion warrants a tiny bonus." she told her newest girl while relaxing back into her seat, lifting one of her feet ever so lightly. "Maybe by the time we land, you have given me another reason to take one of these nasty points away." the noble offered, hoping that this pretty and intelligent slave would make her happy with that massage. Trusting in her security, thanks to the training and collar of Shanti, she even closed her eyes and did not speak another word for the rest of the flight. Some soft moans aside every time Shanti found a spot on any of her feet that was needing some proper attention.

Some time later, the glider finally sat down on a platform attached to the newly build estate of the Choi-Dynasty, a grand building essentially for 1 person and all those serving her. The weather outside had shiftet to something less pleasant but a low powered force field was making sure the landing platform was kept dry, the water dripping from the glider aside. Seong-Min had Shanti help her back into her boots while addressing Ruri who was still in bliss. "Take your time enjoying your reward, but make sure you are not missing any of your other duties, Ruri. You know how you are when you set a foot on the platform after such a ride." she instructed the teal haired girl who had been somehow paying attention during the flight despite the constant pleasure assaulting her pleasure centers all at once. "Yes mistress." she moaned under her breath, not following the other 2 women out of the glider.

"When Ruri was still new and received her first reward like that on a flight back home, she was so eager to follow me." Seong-Min informed Shanti who was surely following her without any additional instructions. The purple haired woman was sure the girl was as properly trained as Ruri. "The flight had not been as long as the one we had today but she really takes to this reward. As if her body was made for it. I hope I can see soon how well you respond to it. But back to Ruri." while talking with nearly no pause, Seong-Min lead the redhead through corridors. The building was brand new, a marvel of high-tech but somehow, whoever was responsible for the interior design and decoration, managed to give it a nice and welcoming feeling. "You see, she stepped out of the glider, so eager to follow. The moment her foot made contact with the platform, the AI registered it. It also was aware of the reward program running and switched it to 'release'. All the pleasure which had been building up, all those sweet high points that had been denied, came crashing down on her, all at once. Since then she knows why she has a whole hour until her next duties are up for it. But she loves to try and get more and more out of it. I think, she had failed being on time twice now." Seong-Min wondered why a girl would do that, knowing that punishment was the result but shrugged it away as they stepped through a door into a spacious room. In there was a slave with blue hair, bowing in front of the 2 newcomers in the room. "Welcome back my mistress. Is this the new sister you had talked about?" she asked, eyeing the redhead with that marvelous, perfect, dark skin. "Yes it is, Tasia. Shanti, this is Tasia, she will be taking care of you for today, getting you settled in. Remember, she is an older sister in my chain and thus you better follow her orders." And with that said, she walked past Shanti, giving the shorter slave a pat on the head and left the 2 alone.

Tasia clapped her hands and smiled quite happy at her new sister in chain before extending both her hands, taking those of Shanti into her own. "Welcome to the chain of mistress Seong-Min, Shanti. The AI informed me about everything and I love how the dress I picked is fitting you." She let go of Shanti's hands and walked over to a wall which opened a compartment once she touched a hidden sensor, lifting a large silver ring from within. There was no doubt what this object was since both, Ruri and Tasia wore similar ones around their necks, Shanti's new collar. "I hope you will make this easy, Shanti. Please do nothing funny while that ugly thing from the slavers is gone and your new collar is not yet around your neck. Some slaves think it is the opportunity to bolt and run away, most do not make it past the door. Maybe if the AI is playful you would make it to the platform... but that is all." While talking she smiled and first set the new collar down on a table, extending her hands towards Shanti's neck to remove the old collar which unlocked itself with an audible click. Shanti could feel the weight shifting, the collar loose now.
​

 

[Kaen Lazuli]

While it was embarrassing to be caught off-guard with what was likely a deliberate linguistic trap, at least her new owner seemed lenient. Without further ado, she carefully began removing Seong-Min's footwear to reveal her bare legs. Oh how it jarred her, that something so mundane as wearing removable clothing now seemed like a great privilege! But she stowed such thoughts away for now. Then her skillful, plastic-gloved fingers began working out subtle muscle kinks and tight tendons. The layer of thin, red fabric was almost like skin in its texture. It gripped things as skin would and transferred temperature almost like normal skin. Its purpose was both to shield slaves from the dirty surfaces they dealt with, and to ritually announce that they were unworthy of leaving their fingerprints on the world around them.

They were now expendable labor-units.

She once more had to banish such thoughts, as the collar still observed her mind-state. Shanti instead turned to her own massage. It was surprising how quickly her former massage-skills returned, despite many years of disuse. Clearly a sign of her genetic enhancements at play. She had been told of their nature, that her brain formed new connectomes faster and had a higher density of more energy-efficient glia cells. With their function to supply, maintain and protect neurons, her brain could sustain higher activity for longer and retain memories with crystal-clarity across centuries. Or so the scientists had proudly predicted. Most of those geneticists were dead now, and the research had been destroyed as the invasion was underway. The Commonwealth were likely not even aware of Shanti's true nature.

Soon enough they reached the mansion, and Shanti assisted Seong-Min in donning her shoes again. Then she was sent with another one of the resident slaves, Taisha. Nodding in submission to her Lady, she obediently followed. She tried to ignore the way the slave Ruri sat in her blizzful haze, the collar's neural functions stimulating the girl in a pleasurable way instead of a painful shocks she had experienced until this point. Soon enough she was shown the new collar she would be wearing, and it made her pause for a moment.

Shanti had been quite sure she was jaded to it by now, although seeing the new one lying before her made her heart beat faster. She would have a small moment of freedom. A single instant after six months of constant captivity, even of her very ability to think. Then bondage again!

She clamped down on her mind, lest the urge to just run away overwhelm her. A "properly conditioned" slave would feel no such urge. Would they? And there was the threat that her new way of veiling her thoughts by quickly moving between cognitive states to avoid setting it off would be rendered obsolete if this one was more sensitive.

"This slave will of course not resist, but... Chain-sister Taisha?" She asked, hesitantly, "May this Shanti ask how the settings on this collar differ from the standard-issue one from the slavers? How much stricter or more sensitive will it be...?"

Perhaps this question was too pointed, but she wanted to probe what this slave would tell her. Seong-Min's slaves seemed to have a certain degree of... not quite 'pride', but at least a sense of being comfortable in their positions. Which would make sense, if the lady was telling the truth about being far more lenient with various restrictions. This was surely a question any curious slave would ask, when a new set of control-hardware was introduced. Right? Or did this out her as too curious relative to what her training should have made her?

"Also... This slave knows she is being shamelessly indulgent but; Can... Can Shanti put the new collar on herself?" She of course did not expect this request to be accepted.

 

[Sheena-Tiger]

Characters

The noble Lady

Full Name:	Seong-Min Choi
Age (looks):	~28
Height:	6'1 / 185 cm
Hair (natural):	black
Hair (momentarily):	purple
Eyes:	brown
Other Details:	received a part of Damura to rule over it is among the richest rulers on Damura the youngest daughter of the Choi Family

---

The Maid

Slave-Name:	Shanti
Full Name:	Shanti Ni Aranna
Age:	18
Height:	5'9/ 175 cm
Hair:	light red
Eyes:	orange
Other Details:	genetically heightened intelligence former nobility of the Damura Star Dominion
Failures/Merit-Points:	spoken in 1st person during 1st week: 7 times

---

Maid Ruri

Full Name:	Ruri
Hair:	teal
Other Details:	Slave for the Choi-Dynastie for a long time

---

Maid Tasia

Full Name:	Tasia
Hair:	blue
Other Details:	Slave for the Choi-Dynastie for a long time

---

Rules, Laws and Assets of Seong-Min's estate

Slave-Rules	1 bath each week (scheduled by AI) slaves sweat will scent like strawberries or some kind of Terran citrus slaves may speak in 1st person when not outside the estate new slaves will have to use 3rd person for their 1st week 3rd-person-speech is a form of punishment
Slave-Food	Breakfast and Dinner in a specified room at a specified time (scheduled by AI) a handful variations of specially spiced slave-goop is available in a limited number (never enough for all) basic bland slave-goop is available special horrible tasting slave-goop might be handed for punishment (fully eating it is mandatory) slaves on special duties receive bottles they fill with their choice of slave-goop as to-go
Noteworthy assets:	private glider for 4 people, has an autopilot but can be steered by a person the whole estate has an AI helping with day-to-day-planning

"Tasia, that is my given name. Mistress picked it herself, based on my genes she said. She said it is of Greek origin, like my ancestors, but that means nothing to me." The young woman had a thoughtful look on her face but shrugged while she placed the old collar on the table. With care she picked the new one up and was about to place it on Shanti but was surprised by the question. "You can... of course. I never met a slave doing that." was her answer while she handed the object with a lot of miniaturized technology in it to the redhead in front of her.

"As for that other question... I am not sure. You are the first of maybe many from this planet. While the basics are the same across the Commonwealth, the specific settings are different on each slaver guild." The young woman was thinking about the topic. "HELIX, that is how the designation of the AI was set to, will be monitoring everything you do. As is law, it will monitor your emotional state, scans your surface thoughts to detect ill intent and of course looks after your health. It is of utmost importance that no slave is a danger to any free person, but our health is very important too since we can not serve well if we are ill. Not that I ever heard of any slave in mistress' family to fall ill. Clumsy slaves could hurt themselves of course. You are on your first week, so you better not slip into first person unless specifically allowed. Mistress believes that immediate punishment is not very helpful as well." Tasia starts to walk up and down in the room, not in any hurry to make sure Shanti is properly collared. "How to explain it best. I grew up with this and never thought how it could be explained to someone in those 64 years. Every mistake you make will be added to a list... 7 strikes on your first day is a lot but I have seen worse. Depending on the mistake you made it receives a certain number of points or is placed in a special category. Don't ask, Mistress never shared the details and neither does HELIX. We suspect, the settings change every now and then. But whatever, HELIX decides on a punishment depending on those numbers and categories." The blue haired woman stopped in front of an interface, her back towards Shanti. "You spoke in first person... all 7 times. Knowing HELIX you will likely be punished with an additional day for each mistake... but if you proof yourself as a good girl, Mistress will lower the numbers or you receive GG-Points which either lower your punishments or you receive a reward. Last week I was allowed in one of the lunchrooms of the servants, not to clean but to actually eat!"​

 

[Kaen Lazuli]

"Thank you, Taisa..." she whispered, making her voice waver as if she was on the verge of tears.

Shanti did not waste this chance. The moment she was uncollared she unleashed the full alacrity of her enhanced mind. With crystalline crispness she took in the room, the positioning of sensors, the architectural style and so on. The other slave's body-language was analyzed and filed away for later. And under the pretense of her arms shaking in nervousness, she mapped out the mass-distribution inside the collar, correlating it with all shreds of technomantic education she had received. She figured out the likely position of the battery, the neural stimulation ports and one of two possible locations for the main network-uplink.

Anything which might aid her at some later point went into her augmented memory, for she dared not instigate anything now... No matter how tempting it was to just vault over the table and strike Taisa's solar plexus. Not that she disliked the girl of course. But then what? The house was managed by AI-systems. The grounds were enclosed. She had seen at least two guard patrols in power armor when she exited the glider.

No, she would be a cowed, obedient slave for now. Maybe forever, but that was at least better than the offworld mines.

Shanti cataloged the psychological strategies she was employing, wondering if it was too obvious. Mispronouncing the name was meant to deflect focus from the situation itself. Displaying such obvious nervousness was meant to instill sympathy and make her less alert. Asking for technical data was further meant to distract her, but she did not expect to be just that effective. The other slave was positively gushing about technical information regarding the punishment-systems, clearly "geeking out" as that old pre-spaceflight proverb said. Idly she noticed that the other girl was 64 years old. From a genetically engineered lineage, or did Seong-Min actually invest in anti-ageing treatments for her slaves? Something to figure out later.

"This Shanti thanks Chain-sister Taisa for explaining this to her. She assures her Chain-sister that those infractions were due to Shanti's lack of intelligence combined with relief over her new Lady's benevolence. But she bids Taisa not to trust her, for Shanti wishes to earn her trust and makes no excuses for her mistakes. She expects to be punished in full so that she may be educated" she said with a bow.

She then, ensuring that her trepidation was very obvious, brought the collar around her neck until it clocked shut. And so too did she hobble her thoughts as she had done before.

"This Shanti stands ready and is eager to be of use" she said lifting her skirt and curtsying, mimicking the greeting she had seen Taisa make to Seong-Min, hoping it was appropriate. If not, it would at least serve as a token to her willingness to learn the customs of the household.