Deep Space

Chapter 30

She was almost unable to think for herself anymore. From the moment she had followed the evacuation call and left her home she had lost control of her life. Drugged insensible by the mask she had put on after boarding; brought awake again to be allocated to one of the crew, numbered and renamed; her life on Sol3a seemed a lifetime away. Now naked, staring down at the even number tattooed on her arm she shuffled in line behind the other as they left the pioneer founders behind them.

Only a few days before she had been dressed in her short lemon skirt and tight low cut top, serving the Gnarriott navigation officer Duufrig. Then she had been dragged away chained, gagged and put on sale to another Gnarriott who had barely had time to get her to his cabin before the security squads had appeared to round them up in readiness for the rendezvous with Forgwin5's moon. Now Lemon wondered what more was to come as they were herded into the next room to sit, waiting, on the floor.

The security Gnarriots that had brought them there stood impassively beside the exits, obviously ready to stop any woman that tried to leave but not needing to take any action beyond the idle clack of a claw if any of them even tried to stand. Lemon looked up as Mayern and Farrin Gnarff entered. The guards stiffened to attention and the women got to their feet in anticipation.

Mayern was about to speak. Lemon was close to the platform where Mayern and Gnarff stood, she could see clearly that Gnarff was holding the back of her neck. At first it looked like a tender gesture but as Mayern spoke Lemon could see that Gnarff was lightly gripping her with a claw that threatened to snap shut at the first sign of any deviation from a carefully prepared script.

"Ladies," Mayern began. "Your colleagues have been selected to be the pioneering founders of our colony. Some of you will already have had the chance to experience what it means to serve our hosts," she looked down towards Lemon and appeared to smile directly at her. "You will know that at times it was difficult, that you needed at times to be urged to obey by the security staff. In our colony the Gnarriott will be our guests, we cannot expect them to provide security for us, we have to provide our own. It will be your task to ensure that our pioneer founders fulfil their destiny."

A moan of discontent ran around the room. Cries of "No" began to erupt. The heads of the guards swung in the direction of the dissidents.

Mayern went on. "I understand your concerns but you must realise that we have to act together for the good of us all." Gnarff nodded in agreement. "I am sure that the guards will be happy to take those of you that are unable to act with us to re-join the pioneer founders but I would not advise that as a choice for any of you. By taking on this role you stand the chance to make your own lives better and also can make the lot of your colleagues safer and easier.

Gnarff nodded to two of the guards. They pushed three large crates into the centre of the room. Mayern gestured to the crates. "Please line up and collect your uniforms. You need to be dressed and ready to enter the shuttle in thirty minutes."

Lemon joined the queue shuffling forward towards the crates, anxious about what was to come but curious about the future as well. As she reached the head of the queue she was handed a bundle of purple clothing. She turned it over trying to work out how to wear it, looking at her companions who were equally seeing what should be done with it.

Eventually she made a start. There were two pieces, a skirt and top. The skirt was easy and there was little enough of it. Cut low on her hips it barely covered her sex at the front but hung down longer at the back forming a point that reached to the back of her knees. The top was more complicated but by watching the others Lemon discovered how it should be worn.

Firstly tapes ran around her chest, just below her breasts. Lemon pulled up two triangles of cloth apparently intended to cover them. They only just succeeded, in spite of the fact that Lemon was hardly the most generously endowed of the women there. The triangles were joined together and further tapes allowed the top to be fastened behind the neck. This left a flap of cloth with more tapes hanging down at her front. Puzzled at first Lemon soon realised that the flap was designed to be worn as a mask, the tapes fastened behind her head, the flap covering all of the lower half of her face and draping down under her chin where it joined on to the rest of her top.

She looked around at the others, seeing that they were all now dressed and as bizarrely masked as herself. Mayern began speaking again from the platform.

"Ladies, thank you," she began. "You are now fully accredited security officers of the Forgwin5c colony. Your duties will be to ensure the safety of both our flounders and our guests. You shall be granted such powers and facilities as are needed to provide for these duties. Your masks will ensure that there is no question of your charges conspiring against you. I am sure you will all perform your roles well. Now please enter the shuttle."

As the masked women shuffled silently from the room under the watchful eyes of their Gnarriott guards, Gnarff used his claw to spin Mayern around to face him. "Well done," he grunted approvingly. "You're doing a good job of looking out for your girls. Keep them in line and their lives won't be too difficult." Gnarff snaked one his feelers around Mayern's waist. She struggled as the tip of the feeler slipped between the fastenings of her blouse and slid across her belly and up towards her breasts. Gnarff was amused by her silent, fruitless, efforts to evade his touch. "Now, Councillor, he smirked. I think we still have time for you to offer me some entertainment before your shuttle leaves."