The Space-Faring Merchant

After Alrik removed her old collar, Artemis's body suddenly tensed, and the center of her arm spreader bar came cracking down on his  head. Alrik passed out instantly.

Artemis had to work quickly. She knew that for her plan to work, she would have to get the keys, unlock herself from the spreader bars,  and chain Alrik up before he woke up. Then, she would have longer to figure out what to do about the cell door. Thank god he'd asked for  a private cell. If she was lucky, she'd have as much as 36 hours from when he entered before the guards outside wondered what was taking  so long. Alrik would be charged by the hour, but that was not her problem.

With her legs still held apart by a 4 1/2 foot spreader bar and her arms still held apart by a 2' spreader bar, maneuvering herself into  a position where she could pick his pocket with her right hand was awkward, if nothing else. It involved quite a lot of shifting her  weight onto her ass so she could mover her limbs, then onto her hands and feet so she could move her ass. Finally, she got the keys. The  really tricky part was contorting her right hand and wrist so she could unlock it. That done, it was much easier to to unlock her left  wrist. Unlocking her ankles could have been difficult were she not flexible. However, after centuries of cruel bondage and desperate  escape attempts, she was quite the contortionist and this was no problem.

That being done so quickly, it was time to chain Alrik up. She looked through his bag to figure out what she could use. The collars were  to small for him. So were all the manacles, anklets, and spreader bars. There was a leather outfit in the bag: she could look at that  later. All that would be of use were the lengths of chain and the padlocks. Before she chained him up, she stripped him. He had seen her  nude: time to return the humiliation. The removal of the black leather jacket and the front-buttoned sky blue linen shirt revealed arms  bulging with muscle and a thick, muscular chest. She unlaced and removed two black leather steel-toed boots and black wool socks,  revealing calloused feet. Pulling down the black leather pants revealed a pair of bulging, muscular legs. He should have unlocked her  and let her have a fair fight. Between his fitness and her malnutrition, he would have won. Finally, she pulled down his black cotton  underwear, revealing a thick, average-lengthed (albeit a little on the short side of average), uncircumcised penis and his balls. A small relief: if this did not work and he raped  her, it would not hurt so much as it would if his penis were larger.

She chained his ankles together tightly, wrapping the chain around four times before padlocking it off. Then she pulled him over to the  wall. Wrapping a chain four times about his right wrist, she pulled him up, with some difficulty, wound the chain through a bracket on  the wall, and tightly padlocked it there. She did the same with his left wrist. The end result was that his arms were spread wide, but  not quite so wide that his unconscious body did not lean forward a bit. Then, to make him really nervous when he woke up, she wound  another chain round his neck, padlocked it in place, forming a simple collar, leaving the extra length as a leash to pull on. As she had  defeated him in legal combat (the time of the collar change was a time such combat could legally occur), legally, this made him her  slave.

Alrik secured, Artemis had time to look at the clothing that had been in the black leather bag. Black cotton underwear and sports bra,  her size. She put these on. Long lilac linen shirt, buttons up front. This two she donned. It was a little on the loose side, and the sleeves were slightly two short (probably to make room for manacles). It buttoned all the way up to her neck. Black leather pants. Unlike Alrik's, they lacked pockets. These too were slightly on the loose side, and she needed the black leather belt to hold them up. The belt in place, they were slightly short - no doubt to make room for a hobble without the leather getting chafed by the chain. There was a leather jacket which zipped up front. Again, slightly loose, and with slightly too short sleeves. Finally, a pair of flat-footed sandals, made of black leather and wood on the bottom. All in all, she was quite modestly dressed, and it made her feel human again. She considered why Alrik brought her such an outfit. Looseness aside, he had clearly had it custom-tailored just for her, and the materials were high-end. It seemed to be the style of clothing he preferred to wear himself, almost as if he considered her an equal on some level. Why permit her to wear such a think after he had clearly enjoyed gawking at her and groping her a few days ago during the "examination"? Perhaps he was a better man than she had given him credit for. Then again, perhaps this was jealousy; perhaps he simply did not want other men to gawk at her and grope her.

It was taking longer than expected for Alrik to wake up. Artemis wondered if she had hit him harder than she meant. She picked up his book on "De-tangling the Bureaucracy of Multiple Planetary Governments, Orbital confederations, and Asteroid Alliances when Bounty Hunting" and sat down to read it. She'd been standing with her legs spread for the better part of 10 days, so it was a relief to be able to sit down comfortably. Before she had finished glancing through the table of contents, Alrik stirred.

"What... why?" Alrik mumbled as he came to. He had just been hit on the head with a spreader bar. Everything went black. Now he was regaining consciousness, he had a terrible headache. He was cold: his clothing was gone. He was being held up by chains. As he straightened his back, horror of horrors, he noticed the chain around his neck.

"You little tratsch! I was kind to you, and this is how you repay me!" Alrik yelled, his voice booming.

Artemis looked up from the book, stood up, walked toward Alrik and looked him in the eyes. "That kind of talk won't get you free," she stated flatly.

"Why?"

"Because I want my freedom. I want to live my life, the way I want it, not spend an eternity as a toy to be raped and tortured for the amusement of others. So, I need the code to open the door. And how long do we have before the guards check up on us?"

"36 hours from when I entered, and I wasn't going to rape or torture you for amusement."

"And what of that so-called examination you gave me the other day?"

"Firstly, that wasn't rape or torture, and secondly, if you hated it so much, why didn't you tell me to stop?"

"Maybe you stopped short of those, but it was degrading, and it was clear you wanted me as more than an engineer. Besides, you have made it clear that while I'm yours, I won't be free to pursue my own career, my own relationships, my own hobbies. As for why I did not tell you to stop: you threatened to let someone who would hurt me far worse than you would purchase me if I objected."

"I just shelled out one million drackals for you! You don't expect me to shell out that much money without examining the value of the merchandise, do you? And besides, if you had been honest with me, if you had told me how much you hated my every touch, it would have spared me the heartbreak of finding out after paying a million for you!"

"In one breath you speak of me as if I am just a piece of property, whose feelings are worth no more than that of your fork, and in the next, you speak of me your beloved who rejected you! Which is it?!"

"Look, Artemis, you are intelligent. You are headstrong. You fight for what you want. And as if that wasn't enough, you are quite pretty, and when that look of a tormented slave disappears from your face, like it did when you were repairing my engine, and it has now, you are beautiful beyond belief and you are everything I want in a woman! But that does not mean I like you enough to spend a million drackals on you and get nothing in return." As he said this, his manhood began to harden.

"Then you think of me as merchandise."

"Look, dear, just because I want my money's worth doesn't mean I don't care about your feelings. I don't want you to be miserable. Seriously, what would you do if I freed you?"

"Become a nun of the Akiletes order." The Aliketes order was a religious group following Aliketes, goddess of the studies of physics, chemistry, and astronomy, and also the protector goddess of prostitutes. The Akiletes order accepted men and women, whether they were virgins, widows or widowers, former slaves, or whatever; however, by interstellar treaty, nuns and monks had to be 21 or older, legally free, and without a living husband or wife.

"I didn't know you were the religious type."

"You know the laws. Once a woman reaches the age of 21 standard Earth years, the only thing that will protect her from the multitude of legal excuses to enslave her is if she is married, widowed, or a nun."

Laws on the enslavement of women varied from planet to planet, and even from continent to continent, province to province, city to city. Very few allowed the enslavement of younger women. Those who allowed enslavement as young as 18, 19, or 20 were not recognised under mutual recognition treaties, and those women were legally free if taken elsewhere. Those extreme few who allowed enslavement younger than 18 were considered basically as pirates, and under international law, it was legal to attack pirates and emancipate their slaves. However, throughout the galaxy, there were far more reasons to legally enslave a woman than to legally enslave a man. At worst, a man might be enslaved if he was convicted of a felony, or if he was in debt, or during specific challenges. (On Altima Tres, the collar change after a man bought a slave was one such challenge in which the man could be legally enslaved by his would-be slave.) In many places, the enslavement of men was not allowed at all, and all male slaves were imported. Even where it was allowed, it tended to be infrequent, only for the most severe felonies, and, if allowed for debt, there were a number of hurdles that must be overcome first, for example, it would probably only be permitted if there was a high amount of debt, and, in many places, only if the man was offered a debt repayment plan meeting certain legal standards of fairness and failed to meet the conditions of that plan. There were few challenges in which a man could be legally enslaved, but even then, his consent was needed for the challenge to occur. If he was enslaved for debt reasons, in theory, at least, he was supposed to be allowed to buy his freedom. Even if he had committed a felony, he might be given a specific time limit on enslavement, a matter of months, years, or decades, rather than for the rest of his life.

In most places, women could be enslaved for a wide variety of trivial things. She might be sold to repay the debt of any male relative, or perhaps for any reason her father chose. She might be enslaved if she accidentally exposed too much of her skin, or if she broke curfew. She might be enslaved for failing to meet her job requirements to the satisfaction of her employer, or for speaking disrespecfully to any man. Any felony, misdemenor, or sometimes even traffic violation would be enough. In some places, there were certain challenges a man could make to a woman, for any reason, and if she refused, she would be enslaved. If she lost, she would also be enslaved. The only universal protections were if she was married (in which case her husband must be enslaved first), widowed (which offered her the same protections as a man), or if she was a nun in good standing of a legally recognized order, but if she left the order, she was leaving into slavery. Women who became nuns were nuns for life.

"And you wouldn't consider marriage?" Alrik asked.

"If that's your price, then if you offer me a reasonably decent marriage contract, I'll marry you today in exchange for my freedom."

"You wouldn't marry me for love, perhaps, in six months or a year?"

"If you want marriage for love, you were born in the wrong century. Why do you think so many women are married on their 21st birthdays with such unfavorable marriage contracts. She may not go anywhere, see anyone, or spend any money without his permission. He amy beat her or torture her in any way unless she is pregnant. He may keep her in any sort of bondage, as long as there is no collar. He may rape her at any time in any of her holes. Her only protections are that he may not force her to have sex with any other man, and that unless she commits adultery, he may not intentionally kill her or expose her crotch to others."

"Come now. Most marriage contracts are not that bad. If they were, hardly any women would marry: they would all become nuns. He is not usually allowed to beat her except if she has broken certain rules, and even then, there are usually limts to how hard, the same as if she was a nun being punished for breaking the rules of the order. She is usually allowed to roam freely for a third to two-thirds of the day, and he may only demand sex from her during the remaining portion. Unless she breaks a rule or refuses sex, generally only gentle, padded restraints are allowed. And unless she breaks a rule, she is generally permitted to dress as conservatively as she likes when others are around. And yes, the punishments may be more severe if she commits adultery, but no man likes to be cuckholded."

"'Unless she breaks a rule'. When the rules are as petty as 'you may not speak out of turn; meals must always be on time, and must be exactly as I ordered it, not burned, not oversalted or overspiced, not too hot or too cold; if I forget to order, you must pick one of my favorite dishes and serve it exactly as I like it; you must always address me as "Sir"; when we are alone together, you must never have your legs closed, when you are standing they must be so far apart, you may not sit, only kneel, and your knees must be so far apart, and even when you are doing chores, you must be careful not to close your legs; speaking of which, you are responsible for all household chores; when we are alone together, you must be nude or wear a Dorian maid outfit while doing chores; if I order you to assume any position, you must say "Yes sir" and do so immediately and hold it until given permission to move; when I order you to suck my cock, you must do it just so; etc., etc., etc.', well, he's sure to find reason to punish her as often as he wants. It is little better than being a dawlie. But there may be no convents nearby willing to take the woman, and it is, at least, a little better than being a dawlie, and if she has the fortune to outlive him, she will finally be allowed to live her life, so she signs."

"Well, at least a woman who is near a convent that will take her on her 21st birthday can get a much better marriage contract." By this point, Alrik's manhood was fully erected.

"Look, Alrik, if you want marriage, here are my terms: you may do mostly as you wish with me during the first seven days we are married, and for the next three weeks, you may do mostly as you wish with me two days out of every seven. After than, you may do mostly as you wish with me every one day out of seven. The other six are mine to do as I wish, including having sex with another man, if I so desire it. If I wish to go somewhere for a long period of time, longer than six days, I may make it up to you by giving you two days to do as you wish with me for every seven days I will be gone, payable in advance. If I arrive back late, for every two days I am late, you may have one day to do mostly as you wish with me upon my return. On the days you may do mostly as you wish with me, the restrictions are as follows: 1) You may not kill me. 2) You may not cut off or mutilate any portion of my body. 3.) You will not use any sort of electroshock or chemical torment, including ginger. You will not drug me. 4) You may not do anything to me or force me to do anything when we are not alone. 4) You will respect my diet, and I will receive at least 1000 calories. 5) You may beat me only with your bare skin, a wooden paddle, a leather whip, or a wooden crop. You will not beat me in any way which may cause concussion or other brain damage. 6) You may not insert anything into my anus. 7) You will not urinate or defecate in or on me, and I will be permitted to do those activities in a sanitary fashion. All other particularly unsanitary practices are also forbidden. 8) You will not impregnate me. 9) All restraints must be metal, leather, rope, or cloth. No collar. Wax is specifically forbidden. 10) You will not subject me to enough cold to cause hypothermia, or enough heat to cause burns. 11) You will not expose me to smoke or anything will a strong scent, such as perfume. 12) If you break any of these rules, you forfeit the next day you would otherwise be permitted to do mostly as you wish with me."

"Artemis, my dear, I'm not a sadist. I don't want to do most of those things to you. And I want a marriage based on mutual love, not rules which give me most of the power. I'm sorry. I won't just free you unless you will marry me, and I won't let you marry me unless you love me. Now, look, if you don't let me go, the guards will eventually come to see why we are still in here. They will block you from leaving, and while you are still here, they can legally re-collar you, and they will use as many guards as it takes to do that. You will be tortured and allowed time for your body to heal before you are auctioned off again to someone else. If you let me go, I'll still protect you from being sold to someone else, and the sooner you do it, the less I'll punish you for trying this."

"Alrik, my horny little man, if you don't give me the code to the door, the guards won't rescue you after they are done collaring and restraining me. You are legally my slave. After they enslave me, you will be legally their slave. You'll be sold in a male slave auction. With your muscles, and how easily you erect even when chained against your will, I imagine you'll fetch a high price. Give me the code, and I'll knock you out again, unchain you, and leave. When you come to, you can get dressed and walk out freely. My freedom in exchange for yours. So, what is it? Shall we both me slaves, or both walk free?"

"You won't go through with it. And I do not erect easily!"

"I haven't even touched you since you came to, and there you stand, your penis fully erect."

"Artemis, it's only because I am very fond of you, and because I really like seeing you confident. I wouldn't harden up so easily for someone else."

"If you give me the code, I'll give you oral sex and let you orgasm before I knock you out. Otherwise, you can stand there feeling unsatisfied."

"Hey, it's not nice to tease a man and then deny him!"

"So give me the code."

"No!"

Artemis returned to reading the book.

After awhile, Alrik said, "Look, if you don't at least free one of my hands so I can masturbate, then when you are my slave again, in addition to beating you for doing this, I'm going to give you a nice ginger dildo as payment for this frustration."

"I won't be your slave again."

Both hoping to call the other's bluff, they waited, occasionally arguing, Alrik's erection coming and going. Artemis got some good sleep. Aside from gentle breathing, she appeared dead as a log for a full 12 hours. After what she'd been through waiting to be auctioned, lying down unfettered on the cold hard stone floor was extremely comfortable for her, and she needed the sleep. Still, before nodding off, she arranged Arlik's leather bag and clothing to fulfill the functions of a pillow and a bit of padding beneath her, as best she could.

As the 35-hour mark hit, Artemis began to wonder if Alrik wasn't bluffing after all. Perhaps he had a wealthy friend who would buy him and free him if he was enslaved. Perhaps he had already arranged to bribe the guards to let him go in the event of this contingency.

Actually, he had no such plans, but he wasn't ready to forfeit his investment. After all, she probably was bluffing: no matter how much she wanted her freedom, surely she knew she was better off as his slave than someone else's. If it hit the 10-minutes-'til mark, then he'd give her the code, but only if she agreed not to knock him out. After all, he'd need time to get dressed, which he couldn't do unsconscious. Maybe he'd even have a chance to grab her before she made it out.

Artemis gave in first. She considered not doing so: if she had to be a slave, so should he! In the end, it was the clothing he had made for her that convinced her. Few of her masters had permitted her to wear clothing, and when they did, it was tratschy-styled clothing that offered little modesty, and that they took great pleasure in slowly stripping from her. Although it was a bit loose, the clothing had clearly been custom made for her, and allowed her a degree of privacy she had rarely felt in over six hundred years. Maybe he would let her wear it often.

She walked over to Alrik and asked, "Why is the outfit you had made for me loose? You 'examined' me enough that day to know my size. It was clearly made for me; why the bagginess?"

"Because you have obviously been underfed. Because if you were my slave, you would be properly fed, you'd gain a healthy weight, and then the clothing would fit properly."

"If I let you go... will you not destroy it? Will you let me wear it, at least occasionally."

Alrik blinked at her. "If you let me go, and you want don't want to be sold again, I expect you to show me just how much you want to me my slave. But if you convince me to keep you, then yes, of course."

_______________________________________________________________________

Artemis swallowed hard. She wasn't sure if pretending to want to be anyone's slave was something she could do. But she was also terrifed of what a different master might do to her. She first released Alrik's neck from the chain collar. Then she knelt down and released his ankles. Knowing that he wanted to be touched, as she was kneeling down, she gently stroked him. As she stood up again to release his wrists, she stroked him again. Pressing her pelvic area gently against his erection and kissing him on the lips, she began to release his wrists. When she released his right wrist, the hand came down to her check, stroking it as she kissed him. When she released his left wrist, it came down her back, reach under her shirt, and held the small of her back, pressing her closer to him. She took the hint and began wiggling her hips to stimulate his penis. After releasing Arlik completely, Artemis began to move her hands across his chest and back, feeling the muscles.

Alrik moved his left hand toward her belly, gently stroking it. She began to wiggle her hips harder and faster. It felt so good for Alrik. Between kisses, she began making little noises, sharp breaths in, little moans and groans. Artemis began to kiss her way down towards Alrik's penis. When she was down on her knees, about to put it in her mouth, Alrik decided he wanted to carry the foreplay on longer. He bent over, and placing his right hand where the back of Artemis's neck met her head, and his left hand on her upper arm, and firmly but gently pulled her up to resume kissing him on the lips. She resumed moving her pelvic area against his penis. His left took the spot at the back of her head where it met her neck, holding it where he wanted it, and his left hand slipped to her belly, under her shirt, gently stroked it,  and then moved on into her pants, down her shaven crotch. Suddenly, lifting her by her crotch, his middle finger in between the lips down there, he spun her around so that her back was to the wall.

They resumed, this time with Alrik's hand touching Artemis's crotch area. Moaning and groaning louder, she wiggled over his hand as hard and quickly as she could. But something was wrong. Alrick noticed the area was bone dry. He did his best to stimulate it, to rub her clitoris, but still it remained dry. She was moaning, groaning and panting. "Oh, my master, you are so good, my master, please use this slave, my master, oh, my master, that feels so good, my master." He had heard some women have difficulty producing their own fluids and need extra lubrication, but he wondered. He moved his hand up, back underneath her shirt, and began circling her right breast, around and around, slowly moving inwards toward the nipple, he stroked it and pressed it with his forefinger, using the rest of his hand to continue stimulating the breast. Such a soft breast and such a soft nipple. He loved the feel of it, but the nipple didn't harden, even after several minutes.

"Oh, my master, please use this slave, my master, that feels so good my master, oh, my master, this slave don't deserve such kindness, my master, please, my master, please let this slave suck your penis, my master, please use this slave, my master, oh, my master, that feels so good, my master, please fuck this slave hard, my master..." Artemis went on between kisses, moaning, groaning, and panting when she was neither kissing nor speaking. While Alrik's hand had been busy exploring her breast, her pelvis had been frantically rubbing against his penis.

Curious, Alrik moved his right hand back down, into her pants, into the crotch again. It was still dry as a bone. He went on kissing her, moving both his hands to grab her wrists, signalling her to stop rubbing.

"Oh, my master, please use this slave, my master, please let this slave suck your penis, my master, oh, my master, please fuck this slave's vagina hard, my master, please fuck this slave's anus hard, my master, oh, my master, please use this slave, my master, oh, my master, please paddle this slave hard for her wrongs, my master, please forgive this slave her transgressions, my master, oh, my master, please whip this slave hard, my master, oh, my master, please crop this slave hard, my master, please keep this slave chained up like the animal she is for your pleasure, my master, oh, my master, you are so kind, my master..." Artemis went on between kisses, moaning, groaning, and panting.

Alrik continued kissing her, continued to feel her pelvis rubbing frantically against his penis. He gathered her wrists together, restraining them with his right hand. He slowly began pulling them up above her head, while his left moved to her her belly and began stroking it. When her arms were fully extended above her head, suddenly he pushed her wrists and belly firmly towards the wall and pulled back.

"Oh my master, please use this lowly animal for your pleasure, my master," Artemis went on, wiggling her breasts and rubbing against Alrik with her left leg, as only her legs still had enough freedom of movement to reach him, and she needed one to stand on.

"Stay still!" Alrik boomed.

She complied, mostly, putting down her leg, and wiggling in a more subdued manner, as if she was trying to stop but couldn't help herself.

"Oh, my master, please put ginger dildos in this animal's vagina and anus after you have fucked those holes, my master, please use this animal and then punish it for betraying you, my master..."

"And be quiet!" he boomed again.

She ceased speaking, but continued moaning and groaning and panting.

"Stop wiggling! Stop making all those noises! I know you are faking it!"

Artemis continued squirming, moaning, groaning, and panting, but the way her eyes widened in fear on Alrik's last exclamation revealed that he was right. Alrik was losing his erection. This had not been what he wanted. Yes, he had wanted to take her, but not like this. He wanted her to want him to do it, really want him to do it, not just pretend, and when he had figured she was, he had started to become turned off. Besides, her pleadings were becoming increasingly unbelievable. He knew from earlier she did not want anything in her anus, she didn't want ginger, and she didn't like being beaten. He was pretty sure she didn't think of herself as a lowly animal, either.

For her part, Artemis had worked herself in a frenzy, remembering the torture so many of her previous owners had put her through, remembering how it had sometimes taken months for limbs to regrow after they were chopped off. If she couldn't convince Alrik that she really enjoyed being touched by him, that she really wanted to be his slave, to submit to whatever he wanted, those things would happen again, she thought.

"I said keep still and stop making those noises!" Alrik shouted.

Still she ignored him, desperate to convince him that she really had enjoyed being touched and wanted more, and that she couldn't help herself.

Alrik sighed. "You will be punished for this later. But we are running out of time. Get on your knees and stay still and be quiet."

She kneeled, legs spread wide, thighs upright, still wiggling, moaning, groaning, and panting. She crossed her wrists behind her back. Alrik tilted her head up so he could look into her face as he collared her. Even as the movements of her body and the sound of her breath and voice indicated arousal, her eyes told a different story. There was fear in them. As he put the collar on, the fear seemed to mix with defeat and despair. He handed her a hobble with a one-inch chain. The anklets and chain were titanium. "Put it on."

Artemis seemed to think she was supposed to do this while remaining kneeling, so she fumbled around a bit awkwardly trying to click the first anklet in place on her left. She had to bring her legs closer together so the hobble would stretch far enough that she could click the second anklet in place.

While she was fumbling with a hobble behind her back, Alrik pulled out large black linen hankerchief and tied a knot it the middle of it. When Artemis had hobbled herself, he handed this to her. "Gag youself."

Obediently, she took it, opened her mouth, and put the knot inside. Pulling the hankerchief around as tightly as she could, she began to knot it in the back. However, tying a good knot is terribly difficult when you can't see what you are doing. Alrik helped her. Secretly, Artemis was relieved, as she was tired of making noises.

Alrik got out a pair of manacles, linked by a short 4-inch chain, to which was attached a longer chain with a leather handle at the end, clearly meant to pull her by her wrists. "Here, get them on."

Artemis took them behind her back.

"No, I want your wrists chained in front of you."

Artemis moved her arms forward again, put them on quickly, snapping each manacle in place. Hips style wiggling, she offered her wrists up to Alrik.

After gathering everything in his leather bag and slingin it over his shoulder, Alrik pulled her up, holding her upper left arm with his right hand, and the lead with his left hand. He looks at her eyes again. Come to think of it, the fear is downright terror. Resignation and defeat also show. He pulls her along quickly, hoping to stop her wiggling, and succeeds. Entering the code to open the private room, he pulls her out, stops to pay a guard, and is off again. The brusque pace and the short hobble causes Artemis to stumble more than a few times. Alrik uses his grip on her arm to catch her and force her to keep moving. Alrik keeps up this furious pace until they reach an engine shop.

"Pick out what we need."

Artemis walks around, picking out tools not included in the standard engine repair kit. Tools that will help her diagnose the engine better; tools that will help her repair certain parts rather than replace them; tools that will allow her to enhance the engine in non-standard ways. She also picks some spare parts she thinks no ship with a Prometheus 2401 engine should liftoff without. Additionally, she picks a few books on engineering and two on stellar navigation. Alrik holds everything for her. At some point, she turns to look at him. Alrik still sees fear, but the defeat and resignation is dominant now.

"Is that everything?" Alrik asks.

The slave nods.

[To be continued]