Redemption V

Published: 9 Jan 2020

It was dark as Danny Bensin slipped out of his shack carrying everything he owned wrapped in a torn bundle over his shoulder. He had to be quiet or he might wake up the master, then he would be beaten so bad he might never getaway. As the door closed, Danny stood there for a minute to listen. He had to be sure there was no one found him. All he heard was the chirping of the crickets as they called trying to attract a mate for the night. Since everything was quiet, Danny stepped away from the house and took his first step into freedom. Life will now be different. Suddenly a torch came out of the big house. Danny saw it lift up showing Jon Darkstan’s face. Danny froze scared to death to move a muscle.

“I know you are out here.” He yelled. “Come out and there will be no punishment.”

Danny’s heartbeat was beating like a racehorse. He knew better than to believe what he said. There would be punishment if he was caught. The master had his whip clutched tightly in his hand. No matter what he said, Danny knew he liked using it.

“Come on boy.” The master’s voice was getting louder, more serious. “Do as I say. I won’t hurt you.”

Danny moved quietly through the forest. He had to get away now before he got his hands on him. He moved slow and quiet one step at a time. He could hear his own screaming in his ears. There was no way he would be giving up now.

Suddenly Danny heard dogs barking. He was being hunted. Those dogs would tear him to pieces if they caught him. Danny untied the bundle he was carrying and pulled out a foul-smelling jumpsuit. The smell of his master assaulted his senses. Quickly he put on the jumpsuit. If he was lucky, this smell would throw off the nose of the dogs. Being careful, Danny got in his feet and started to move. He had to get out of the area before he got caught. His steps were very careful. The master and the dogs were coming after him now. He was alone, but soon others would join the master and there would be no way for him to escape.

Danny had been a slave since he was born. His father hated him for being born and screwing up his life. He was heading to a privileged life until Sarah, Danny’s mother dropped the bomb on him and messed up his life. Jules Jameson had been secure in his fancy life until Sarah told the world she was pregnant. From that moment on, Jules hated her. Who was she to destroy his life? She wasn’t anybody. She was from a poor family thought they had it made with her pregnancy. But that wasn’t in Jules’s plans. He would one day get married but it wouldn’t be to her. When he married, it would be to the proper girl with money and a station to back up his family’s money. What Sarah got was a set of chains and a shabby hut on someone’s plantation. Her family couldn’t help her. Her father barely had enough to get a sandwich. When she disappeared, there would be no search party out looking for her. She would be lost and forgotten.

The morning Sarah disappeared, she was supposed to meet Jules for dinner in Monte Ballen and she did. But that night hadn’t gone the way she thought it would. She never got the fine dinner and proposal she expected. What she got was a hamburger and a set of chains to start off her new life. After her cheap dinner, Jules dropped her off at the slave market where her new life began. She was beaten, stripped, put in chains and sold to someone from far away that would make sure she never stepped foot in Monte Ballen again.

For the next nine months, Sarah spent her nights in chains until Danny was born. He grew up less than fifty miles away from his grandparent’s estate Yes, he knew who he was but there would never be anyway to prove it. He even saw his father from time to time. His mother made it a point to point him out. But Danny never spoke to him. Not even when his master forced him to work in his father’s fields. But one day Danny knew he would get revenge for what he did to him and his mother. It will take years but, Danny would have his revenge.

Life at the Darkstan plantation was hard. It was worse for Danny because the master saw a way to torture his father every time he saw Danny. At least that’s what he thought. The truth is that Jules rarely gave Danny a thought. He didn’t care when he saw Danny limping or with a black eye and bruised. But Danny knew why it was all happening to him. Jon Darkstan had a morbid way to love someone. He thought the more he beat him, the more Jules would suffer. No one ever said Jon Darkstan was very smart.

With his head down, Danny slipped away into the forest. He had to be careful where he stepped. The snapping of a twig or the rattle of some branch might give away his position. The master wasn’t that far away. He was still in hearing range. As Danny moved away from his shack, he kept a close eye out for the master. It was more than twenty miles to the harbor. He had to keep off the road so no one caught him. The forest was dark, but the lamp post along the road gave off enough light so he could still see. Suddenly Danny heard the sound of dogs barking. That was the master and his hounds. They weren’t that far away. Danny looked up on the road and saw the master being pulled by his hound. At his side, he had a double holster with two handguns and a whip. Danny knew that whip very well. He got beat with it almost every day. He had never seen the master without it.

As the master got closer, he stopped and looked down into the forest. Danny was frozen in the dark forest. If the master came down into the forest, he would be caught. He held his breath as Master stepped down off the road. the dogs yanked almost pulling him from his feet. The master cursed and yanked the leash back. One dog growl as it stared into the dark forest.

“Get going.” Master Darkstan said as he slapped the dogs back. “Get moving!”

Turning away from the forest, the dogs pulled him down the road. As Danny relaxed, he saw three men upon the road laughing as they staggered away. Danny got down. He didn’t know these men, this could be a trick. As they staggered away, four more men dressed in wild tight pants, one had a gold vest. It was old and threadbare, came slowly walking up the road. When they saw the first three, they pulled their weapons and charged. The drunks pulled weapons they tripped over each other as the pirates attacked. While one drunk, fidget and fell, a pirate grabbed a tree branch and cracked the drunk over his head. As he fell, the drunk dropped his pistol and kicked it into the forest. Danny saw the pistol lying in the forest. He couldn’t grab it. Not yet he couldn’t.

As they fought, the master grabbed his gun and shot one of the pirates. He dropped the leash and grabbed his whip. With a quick flick, he struck a pirate and pulled him into a right hook. Danny wanted to help the pirates but he couldn’t expose himself, and there was still the master. He couldn’t take the chance and allow the master to see him. If the master manages to win, he would insist Danny be given to him. That can’t happen.

As the fight finished, the pirates were all tied up and walked into town. Danny stayed behind in the dark as they left the area. Danny didn’t know what to do. He could go to town, the master is there and he would be immediately put in chains and returned. But the pirates were in town too. If he could get to them, he might get the chance to join them.

As Danny looked to see if anyone was still out there, he stepped out into the light. The gun was there under a bush. He picked it up and checked its charge. It was full. That was his first bit of luck. Danny went up on the road to see if anything else had been left behind. There was one of those gold vests, a backpack and a sword laying on the side of the road. Danny stuffed his things in the backpack and clipped the sword to his belt. The gun, he stuck in his belt So far it had been an interesting night. But it wasn’t over and he was still an escaped slave. Sticking to the forest, Danny continued on his way to town.

Monte Ballen is a small town with a lot of important people living in the plantations that were built all around the city. The mayor and the city council had plantations off half the back roads. Important people from all over the state had placed in the mountains. The main restaurant, Monte Bella was owned by Jules Jameson. Yep, that Jules Jameson. It was one of his favorite places. Not only could he get drunk there for free, but some of Monte Ballen’s most beautiful women worked there as hosts or on the waitstaff. He was there back to hers always there trying to pick someone up either with his money or with a few of the connections he had in the city. Yeah, Monte Ballen was a wonderful place to work, if you didn’t mind being treated like shit.

Tonight Monte Bella had a real special mystery guest watching the entrances and exits. He had plans for someone here and tonight would be his only chance to pull it off.

At the bar, Jules had a tab open and he was buying for everyone.

“Rock,” Jules called with his arm around Magda’s waist. “Shots for everyone.”

Magda grabbed the shot and tossed it back, then she smiled at Jules. She really hated the pig, but she liked taking his money from him. She would be here all night if that was what it took to empty his wallet. She had three thousand in her bag so far, but she knew he had more. A lot more.

Outside, Danny sat quiet waiting for Magda to bring his father out. They had been working on this plan for a year. Ever since Danny’s mother died working in Jules cotton fields. She died of dehydration and exhaustion. One of Sarah’s friends found out where she was and sent a message to Danny. When he got there, she was laying off behind a row of cotton. The Master wouldn’t allow anyone a minute to take her somewhere she could die with dignity. That night Danny got the worst beating he ever had. When he found his mother, he picked her up and took her home so she could lay with friends. With every lash of the master’s whip, Danny swore he would show the master and the man that put them there, the same fate she got.

As Danny watched the back door, two men dressed as the pirate only with more style road up to the back of the restaurant. Danny wasn’t sure, but it looked like they were arguing. Something told him he needed to hear this argument.

“That was the last time that man put his nose in my business.” The man in the skull covered bandana said. “I will kill him before I let him step on me again.”

“Come on Style.” The shorter man said. “You know Jon Darkstan owns this place and it’s with his grace that we are allowed here.”

“Is that supposed to mean I owe him something?” Style said in a deeper voice. “I’ll rip his throat out before I give him another scrap of gold.”

They were talking about the Master. They were talking about that fight on the road.

“That pig killed two of my crew.” Style spit out the word like they were poison. “I will have my revenge. I swear I will.”

As Danny listened, an idea popped into his head. This might work. Standing straight up, Danny stepped out of the forest and looked around to make sure the Master wasn’t there. Straightening out his clothes, Danny walked over to Style and his first mate with his hands up.

“Excuse me, gentlemen.” Danny bowed. “Maybe I can be of some assistance.”

Surprised, Style pulled his lazar and aimed it at Danny.

“Who are you?” Style said.

“I may be the answer to your prayers,” Danny said smiling.

It was early in the morning, the roosters are crowing and the sun had just come up over the eastern mountains. Magda carried a drunk Jules out of the restaurant and started on their way through town towards the back harbor where the Sleeping Dragon was anchored. Jules mumbled something about some girl he once loved. Magda felt sorry for the girl. The way Jules was talking, she could tell he was just using her for sex. He told her he would marry her, but that was a lie. He planned to get rid of her once he was tired of her.

Once they passed the harbor master’s cabin, Danny and two pirates came and took Jules and escorted him to the Dragon. Jules was too drunk to fight even if he had an idea of what was going to happen to him. Once on deck, he laughed and dug in his pocket and pulled out a wad of money. He passed it out to the pirates then turned and fell into a cargo hold where he fell asleep as chains were put on his hands and feet.

“That’s one,” Danny said to Capt Styles.

“Now you earn your keep.” Capt Styles said. “Find me the Master.”

With a dark smile on his face, Mr. Bensin leads four pirates off the Dragon and into town. He knew the master was still out there looking for him. All he had to do was let the people in the shipyard know where he was and the Master would come to him.

There was a small tavern where pirates and sailors spent hours getting drunk. This place was also good for shanghing men to crew a ship if one was desperate for a crew. Mr. Pax, the first mate took Danny in and set him up with enough money for drinks until the Master came in. Danny sat at a table in the back while Pax and his men waited at the bar. Danny drank beer while Pax and his men had Rum. In the corner, there was a small stage where two men with guitars sang as entertainment. It was loud in the tavern, men played poker and darts to help the morning slide by. After waiting two hours, the Master came in with two other men. Danny saw him the second he stepped into the bar, but he played drunk. Danny picked up a flagon and slammed it down on his table calling for more rum. When the master saw him he smiled thinking this would be an easy capture.

The Master whispered something to his two allies than pointed to the right and left of Danny. As the waitress brought Danny another glass of rum, the master followed behind her staying down out of Danny’s sight.

“For you kind sir.” she slid the glass over to Danny as he fumbled in his pocket for a coin. When the master saw Danny had money, he stopped and looked around. Danny shouldn’t have money. He was a slave. Where would he get money from?

As he slammed a pair of shackles on the table, Danny looked up at him with clear blue eyes.

“Good evening Master Darkstan.”

As Danny stood up, Pax and his men jumped the Master and slammed a fist into his jaw. When he fell, the two men that were with the master darted out of the door and ran out of the shipyards and into town. Heaving the master up, the two men carried him out of the bar as Pax paid off the Barkeep to keep his mouth shut.

“Let’s go,” Pax said as the bar went back to its usual business.

When Jon Darkstan woke up, he was chained to the center rack with a blond-haired man inexpensive clothing. His whip and his guns were gone and the floor moved up and down like he was on a ship. Of course, he was on a ship, there wasn’t any other way to take him captive. He owned enough of Monte Ballen to make kidnapping impossible. This had to be the pirates. Then he remembered Danny Bensin. He had something to do with this too. Jon couldn’t wait to get to someone that was in charge here. He would make them all sorry.

As he tested his chains, the blond moaned. Good, he was waking up. As he turned over, Jon got a good look at his face. He knew him. It was that bastard, Jules Jameson. Danny’s father.

Jules sat up, put his hand to his head and groaned.

“Oh, my head.” He opened his eyes then shut them again cut off the light. As he swayed back and forth with the rocking ship, he suddenly felt sick to his stomach. He turned and threw up. Jon Darkstan stood there looking down at him. He smelled terrible. He was sitting in piss, throw up and shit. He had made a mess all over himself in his sleep.

“Are you finished?” The master kicked him.”You smell like a pig!”

Jules opened his eyes and looked up at him and recognized him.

“Jon Darkstan?” He looked around him. “Where the hell are we?”

Just as he was about to answer, a door opened and Capt Style and Pax walked in carrying a bundle of rags.

“Good morning gentlemen.” He said throwing the rags at Jules. “You stink.”

“Where am I?” The master demanded. He had woken up up some ship out at sea. This is not where he was supposed to be. “You will take me back to Monte Ballen right now How dare you to bring me here. I will have your head for this!”

Calmly Capt Styles stepped up to the master and smacked the hell out of him.

“This is my ship.” Capt Styles said. “It doesn’t matter how you got here. You are here, and that means you belong to me. That’s right, you are now MY slave. How do you like them apples?”

Jon started to say something, but Capt Style waved him off.

“Doesn’t matter.” He said. “You are here and you will do whatever I say, for as long as I want you.”

Just then the door opened and Danny Bensin came in.

“YOU!!” Jon tried to leap out and grab him, but the chains stopped him. “When I get my hands on you…”

“You won’t do anything.” Danny said.”I’m not your slave anymore and I have a lot to pay you back for. And you!!!”

Danny pushed the master out of his way and grabbed Jules and pulled him up to face him.

“Do you know who I am?”

“No,” Jules said as he removed his shirt and put the other one on. “And I have no idea what I’m doing here.”

“Do you remember Sarah Bensin?”

Jules stopped when he heard the name. He turned back to Danny.

“She was a slave.” He said as he tied the rope around his waist. “Big deal. I’ve had a lot of slaves.”

“Yeah.’ Danny nodded his head. “And you made a few too. Sarah Bensin was my mother. You sold her to him when she was pregnant.”

“Yes, you did,” Jon said. “I’m not ashamed of what I did. I bought her from you and made her a slave. I have no reason to lie and nothing to prove. What I did was wrong, and I don’t care, but I’m not a liar.”

“No,” Danny said. “You’re a sadistic bastard and you will pay for my mother’s death. Both of you.”

“I had nothing to do with your mother’s death.” Jon sneered.

“No, you didn’t,” Danny said as he stepped up to face his ex- master. “What you did was worse. You knew how weak she was and you couldn’t show even a minute’s compassion. She would have died right there in the mud if I didn’t come and take her to someplace where she could find a bit of peace. And you beat me for that. I remember each and every lash of the whip. It took me a week to be able to walk again. By then you had burned her house down and sunk her corpse in the swamp. I will never forget the horrors you put your slaves through or the scars on my back. But I do have one cheerful note. I promise you will suffer much more than any of us did. I won’t kill you, but I will make you both wish you were dead.”

“Do what you want Danny boy.” Jon sneered at the boy and lunges for him. If it hadn’t been for the chains, his hands would have grabbed him and snapped his neck. ”I won’t ever beg for mercy from you. What I will do is look at you every day as the shit-eating slave you are… No matter how much pain I suffer, you will live the rest of your life as a whore’s son and a god damned slave.”

“Maybe,” Danny said. “But you will be the one in chains.”

“ARRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!” Jon kicked and screamed at a pile of thick rope that laid there on the deck in front of Jon.

“Get him out of here.”

As two pirates dragged Jules and Jon Darkstan out of the hold, Danny slumped against a box of pulse torpedoes and fell on his ass. He had the two men he hated most in the world. What was he going to do with them? He could torture them or kill them. That would make him happy, but it would also make him worse then there were. This is not how his mother raised him.

“No, it’s not.”

Danny looked up to find a skinny old man with a white bread dressed in red and black striped pants and a white tunic swabbing the deck where Jules had thrown up.

“Is that what you plan to do?” He said. “You want them dead?”

“Yeah,” Danny said. “I want to cut their heads of myself.”

Danny held a laser blade in his hand. He was squeezing it so hard that blood ran down his hand to drop on the floor that had just been mopped. He was angry. These men had treated him and his mother like trash. They made them slaves because Jules refused to take responsibility for the child he sired. He could’ve walked away, Sarah wouldn’t have chased after him. She knew what he was about. She would have gone on with her life with a son happy to never see Jules again. But instead, he destroyed both their lives.

“They don’t deserve to live,” Danny said.

“I agree,” The old man said. “But does that give you the right to kill them?”

“Who are you?”

“Call me Nick,” The old pirate smiled with clean and shiny teeth. The put down the mop and pulled a case of rum over to sit on. “What in Graybeards name are you doing here?”

“That’s a long story.” Danny looked up at the port to see the darkness of space outside.

“I got time boy.” Nick pulled out a pipe and stuff this brown stuff he kept in a purple bag… “And I ain’t got nothing better to do.”

Danny turned away from the old man. His life hadn’t been easy. Things happened to him that he really didn’t want anyone to know about.

“Was it really that bad?” Nick said. His questioning eyes were gray and soft but trusting.

“Yes, it was,” Danny said. He turned away and put his head down. “I was a slave. He made me do things no young boy should even know about and no one could stop him.”

“He will pay for what he did,” Nick said.

“When?” Danny asked. “Today? Tomorrow? Who’s going to punish them? You? For what? It wasn’t even a crime in the eyes of the law, so who cares?”

“I care,” Nick said. “Everyone should care. Men can’t do that to young people. It shouldn’t matter if you were a slave or not. In God’s eyes, it’s a crime.”

“Then I guess God will punish them.” Danny cried. “But it doesn’t matter. I’m dirty and my life isn’t worth a handful of rice.”

Nick stood up and wrapped his arms around him. Tears flowed down from Danny’s eyes. That bastard had raped him for years and there was nothing the law would do. Danny was born a slave, someone’s property. Jon Darkstan had used him as a toilet and he had every right to do it.

“Listen,” Nick said as he pushed the tears from the boy’s eyes. “There are man’s laws and there are God’s laws. Men have minor punishments that hurt. God’s punishment is eternal and he never forgets or forgives. But your hands don’t need to be dirty. Keep your soul clean. Don’t give him a reason to punish you. Let them go.”

Danny sobbed uncontrollably. He didn’t want to forgive Jules Jameson or Jon Darkstan. They had both done horrible things and they don’t deserve to be forgiven. They should be punished, they should be tortured and beaten, both of them. How can he ask Danny to forgive them? They killed his mother, the only person in the world that loved him.

“I know your mad Daniel.” Nick stood there holding Danny. “These are terrible men who have done terrible things. Their crimes are unspeakable, but your heart is pure. You may be upset at them, but you haven’t inflicted any harm on anyone. Your hands are still clean. There isn’t any blood on them. Thank God for that and let them go.”

Danny was exhausted. It had been a busy day and this man was right. Neither Jon Darkstan nor Jules Jameson had any real hold on him. He should get away as soon as he could and never look back. But he can’t do that. It was up to him to punish Jules and Jon. If he didn’t, no one would and they would get away with what they had done.

“Are wrong,” Nick said as he stepped back from Danny. “No one gets away with their crimes. God always gets them in the end. It may not be for thirty, forty years, but no crime goes unpunished. If you punish them for revenge, then God will punish you and they go to heaven. Is that what you think they deserve? A reward for their crimes? Let it go, Daniel. Let it go for Sarah’s sake.”

Danny hadn’t thought about that before. If he hurt them, he would get the punishment. They would be passing their crimes over to him to be punished for. His mother wouldn’t want that to happen to him.

“I hate them, Nick,” Danny said as he wiped tears from his eyes. “They did terrible things to me and my mother. But your right. I have to let that go or it will eat away at me until I’m as bad as they are,”

“So what are you going to do?”

“I have to forgive them,” Danny said. “I want off this ship and I never want to see Monte Ballen or either of them again.”

“I’m proud of you Daniel Bensin.” Nick laughed with a loud and cheerful. “Ho ho ho ho!!!”

Danny stopped back completely thrown off by Nicks’s familiar laugh. He was about to ask him something important when the hatch flew open and Capt Styles and Mr. Pax came in.

“It’s been a glorious day.” The Captain said. He came in and grabbed a bottle of rum and twisted off the cap and took a swig. After a drink, he wiped his mouth and passed the bottle to Pax. “Tomorrow we start training that Darkstan bastard. I can’t wait to get my whip into him.”

Danny turned to say something to Old Nick, but he was gone. Danny couldn’t let the Captain beat either of his new slaves. Danny was responsible for them being on the ship, he knew he would be blamed when the people back in Monte Ballen found out Danny was on this ship.

With his hand on his laser, Danny grabbed the rum and took a hit from the bottle.

“Jon Darkstan is mine,” Danny said as.he put the bottle on the table. “I will deal with their punishment. Tell the crew not to touch them.”

Mr. Pax coughed on the rum, then threw the bottle against the wall, just missing Danny’s head.

“You don’t talk to the Captain like that..” Mr. Pax bullied his way over to Danny and grabbed him by his arm. Danny spun around tearing his arm lose then smashed Mr. Pax in his face.

“Don’t touch me.” He warned him. “I’m not a slave anymore. I will kill you if you touch me again.”

Mr. Pax looked at Danny with enough hate to kill him on sight. Danny knew that look. It was the one the master gave him every night just before he raped him. Well, he had had enough of that and he would die before he let it happen again. Danny stepped back and put his hands up in a defensive position. Mr. Pax scowled and jumped at Danny. The Captain grabbed Pax and pushed him into a pile of rigging rope.

“Stop this right now!” The Captain said. “Mr. Pax, control yourself or get off my ship. I won’t have you fighting every time you see each other. And Mr. Bensin, this is my ship. Everyone here is under my control. If you can’t accept that, take a small boat and head for Primus VI. There is enough shipping there that you can find someone to take you back to Monte Ballen if you wish to go back to being a slave.”

“Yes, Captain,” Danny said never taking his eyes off Mr. Pax.

“Gather your two recruits.” That Captain said. “Well see if we can get some work out of them.” Capt Styles said as he turned to leave.

“And if we can’t?” Mr. Pax called after him. The Captain turned and gave them his serious look.

“There’s always the plank.”

Captain Styles left the hold leaving Danny and Mr. Pax staring at each other.

“I promise you,” Pax said. “They will be dead by sun-up.”

Danny knew he was right. Jon Darkstan would never take orders from anyone. His life as a slave would be really short unless Danny found a way to get them off this ship and that would be problematic too. He would never trust his ex-slave enough to follow him on a rescue,

“Then maybe I can help.”

Danny jumped when he heard Old Nick’s voice coming from behind him. As he turned, Old Nick was standing there ready to help.

“Where did you come from?”

“I was here,” Nick said. “I’ve always been here.”

How that was possible, Danny had no clue. He wasn’t there when the Captain and Mr. Pax came in. And he wasn’t there when they left. This escape was getting more mysterious by the minute. But that mystery could wait for another time.

“How do I get them out of here?”

“You could use one of the ship’s lifeboats,” Nick said. “But they all have GPS systems that are in the ship’s computer. Or, you could use my personal ship.”

“You have a ship docked in one of the Dragon’s docking ports?” Danny thought this might work. But Old Nick would have to come with them. Then again, Danny didn’t trust the master or his father to be alone on a ship with him. They both had reasons to want him dead.

“Yes, I do,”

Danny thought it over for a minute. He would have to wait until the Captain and Mr. Pax had retired for the night. Then he could smuggle them to Nick’s ship quietly and take off. It would be risky, but it might work.

“What docking bay?”

“Number 9,” Old Nick said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a recognition chip. “This will get you onto my ship. Keep it quiet and I’ll meet you there after the second bell. Bring weapons. There are none on my ship. Be careful.”

With their plans made, Danny left to get back to his duties on the ship. He was responsible for cleaning and mending the solar sails on the Dragon. He hauled three sails on deck and when about his business cleaning them. It was hard work, but it was honest work for a free man. A free man. Danny smiled when he said that. He was free now and there was no way Jon Darkstan or Jules Jameson could dispute it. Not without revealing they were slave owners. In the Federation, slave-owning was restricted to a hand full of systems and outlawed on the rest. Monte Ballen was a slave planet, but Kelsor which was where the Dragon was heading, was not. Kelsor did once have a history as a slaver fortress. There had been wars fought over the position of the planet, which was why slaving was illegal on Kelsor.

Other than solar sails, Danny did maintenance on the pulsar cannons. He could build one or repair one from some of the simplest equipment. Building one on Old Nick’s ship shouldn’t be a problem. All he had to do was smuggle the right items onto his ship and in ten minutes, they would be armed.

With his work done on the sails, Danny went to the cargo bay and found what he would need to arm Nicks ship. He called for workers to haul his supplies to bay 9. He assigned the job to Old Nick who was a supervisor in the cargo bay then he was off to find his two personal old friends.

At the bottom of the cargo hold, there was a hidden switch that would open a hatch that led into a hidden deck where two men lay chained to a wall.

As Jon Darkstan rolled over on the cold deck he heard whimpering coming from the other side of the deck. Jules was crying again. Jon jumped up.

“Shut the hell up you whining baby!” He picked up an old can and threw it at him. “How can you have ever been one of the elites on Monte Ballen.”

“I’m sorry.” He cried. “I’m not used to being naked and freezing.”

“Then get used to it,” Jon said as he rolled over. “You might not see home again for a very long time.”

After hearing Darkstan’s revelation, Jules burst into tears again. He had never been so unhappy in his life and it was all because of that witch Sarah. When they were young, she has weaved her spell and put it right on him. He thought he was in love, but he wasn’t. He didn’t really care about her. All he cared about was the feeling he had between his legs when they were together. All he wanted to do was fuck, and he wanted to do it all day and all night. He loved his cock. He loved touching it or rubbing against a desk or his hand or a pretty lady. He would be naked stroking all day if he could. He reached down and felt himself. He was horny and hard right now. He needed to fuck. He wondered if Jon would give it up. He looked over into his sadistic eyes. Yeah, he was horny, but he wasn’t the spread your legs and get it done kind. Danny looked more like the type. He looked a lot like his mother and that made Jules seep a little. Yeah, he was his son. Jules could see his father staring out from Danny’s eyes. Unlike Danny, his father was a cruel type. He raped his way through his slave stable every few days. There were brothers and sisters all over the fields picking beans and corn. He knew it, his father knew it, and his mother knew it. But as a slave owner, it was his right to fuck those women whenever he wanted, and he taught Jules to do the exact same thing. That was Jules’s problem. They never thought about books or his education. He could count to one hundred, and he could read a little. But he was rich. There were others he could use for just that purpose. What he didn’t realize was that being illiterate, kept him from being a small businessman. He couldn’t do spreadsheets or do inventory, He could barely count the money in his pocket. But if his dick was hard, none of that mattered. Being a walking hard-on did have its disadvantages. How many times had he been caught stroking under the table in restaurants? How often had he been caught raping some slave he saw out doing their masters business? Too often. He was lucky slaves couldn’t press charges and their masters didn’t want or care to. So far Jules had been lucky since he was 16, he had to have raped more than 1000 women and men. There were nights when he was out naked just attacking people for sex. There was something lucky about that boy. He had never run into Jules on one of his naked nights. With his looks, Jules would definitely have raped him.

Sitting up, Jules reached down and started to stroke himself. He was staring at Jon from behind. His eyes locked on his strong ass and his muscular back. Jon had the perfect shape that Jules always looked for. Strong legs and a flat stomach. Bulging muscles on his arms. Jules loved tying men down and spreading their legs. He would eat em, suck em and fill or cover them with load after load. There were nights when all Jules wanted was either to fill someone with cum or to get filled himself. It would all depend on his mood and what was available.

As Jules stroked, the door opened and Danny stepped into their world of enslavement.

As he looked down at his father, Danny turned away disgusted.

“Can you stop that.”

” Not until I’m finished.” Jules stroked faster as he stared at Jon’s ass. Disgusted, Danny grabbed a pile of water and threw it on his father. Jules gulped and spit out water as he tried to breathe.

“Are you crazy?” Jules asked. “That water was freezing.”

“Right now cold water is the least of your problems,” Danny checked the door to make sure none of the crew could hear what was being said. “Listen up. I don’t like either of you, but I won’t be responsible for your deaths.”

“You should have thought about that before you got us trapped on this ship,” Jon said. “What did you think they would do to us?”

“I really didn’t care,” Danny said. “I hate you both and I have reason to want you dead, so you can stay here and die or trust me to get you out of here. What’s it going to be?”

Jules looked up at Danny. He wasn’t sure if he could trust him so he didn’t know what to do. He looked over to Jon Darkstan for an answer.

“Don’t look at me,” He said. “I’m going to kill him the minute I get the chance.”

“If you mean that,” Danny said as he turned for the hatch. “‘Then you can stay here and try your life out as a slave, but I can promise you, you won’t like it. Slaves like you don’t live long.”

“Wait,” Jules said. “I’ll trust you.”

“And you?” Danny nodded at Jon. “What’s it going to be?”

“I’m going to kill you,” Darkstan said. “It won’t be today, but after I get home and get my hands on my own ship, I’m coming to find you.”

“Good luck with that.” Danny pulled the backpack off his back and dumped it on the deck. It was full of dirty pirate garb. He tossed a pair of pants and a shirt to each of them. “Get ready. Someone will come for you after 1:am. One more thing. If you decide to turn on me, then you’ll die right next to me. I don’t know why, but Captain Styles hates you even more than I do. So don’t expect any deal that might save you.”

With that warning passed on, Danny left leaving them to decide what to do.

“Big deal,” Jon said. “My brother hates me more than you. And I know why.”

12:30 am

Captain Styles sat in the captain’s chair on the bridge of the Golden Dragon. It had been a quiet night. The solar sails had been deployed and they were riding through the Gareth system doing warp 4. The sensors were scanning three parsecs ahead of them and two behind and to the sides. There was a meteor shower ahead of them. The Captain ordered a change of course by 2.34 parsecs to avoid flying through the storm. With the course changed and the shower behind them, the Captain retired for the night.

“If there are any problems wake Mr. Pax before you call me.”

“Aye, sir.” The science officer said as he took the captain’s chair. “Keep the sensors of full. I want to know the second anyone comes into our space.”

As the Captain left the bridge, the bridge crew went into a passive mode doing morning maintenance reports and drills on the defensive operations. Below decks some of the crew was asleep. There was a hand full of the crew still up going into their routine of transfers to the morning operations. Breakfast was being prepared. Engineering did scheduled systems analysis on the impulse engines and the light speed drives. Sensor crew members watched space for any loose meteors that had separated from the asteroid belt. And Old Nick stopped in the slave pens and took Jon Darkstan and Jules Jameson out to do a check on the emergency drop ships in bays 5 through 10. The first bay they checked was 1. It took them ten minutes to disable the light system and the small impulse engine. After 1, they stopped and did the same procedure on bays 2 through 10 leaving no small crafts able to chase after them except the captain’s own private shuttle.

“What about the Dragon?” Jon asked as the stopped at bay 9 and Old Nick unlocked the landing bay doors.

“After we launch, the crew will run into difficulties forming an antimatter bubble.” Old Nick said as he closed the hatch. “Get to the galley and strap in.”

As Old Nick got the ship ready to leave, Danny went through the cargo bay of the Golden Dragon. There was something down there that they could use. Something Danny would need to live out his life in peace. Lined all along the wall, Danny found big bags of what looked like coal. Danny grabbed two pieces of coat and smashed them together. They crumbled in his hand to clear shiny stones. Danny smiled as he stuffed a small bag full then he walked off looking for the shuttle bays

On the bridge at the console of the ship’s operations officer, a light when off signaling an open airlock in bay 9. The officer tapped the button thinking it was a loose wire in the console, but the light kept flashing.

“Howler.” Fixin the operations officer called out. “I have a light on in CB9. There’s somebody down there..”

“Probably two of the crew going at each.”

“What?”

“Sex Fixin.” He laughed. “Sex.”

Fixin looked down at his sensors. The alarm was on the airlock. Who would trust an airlock not to malfunction with they were in there screwing? He’d been a space pirate for over 20 years and he’d had sex onboard ships. But never in an airlock.

“I don’t think so.” He said shaking his head. “There are places in engineering that are private and better suited. “I’m sending someone to check this out.”

“Fine,” Howler said. “Check the weapons bay too. I got a report about one of the Pulse cannons torn apart. It’s probably just a repair going on.”

Fixin qued up a call to security and had someone sent to check the abnormalities.

Moving quietly through the lower decks, Danny slipped up through dark and deserted halls and corridors going from the cargo bays on the first level to crew quarters on the third level. So far he hadn’t run into anybody except maintenance and a few of the young ones that loved meets in the dark. Danny ducked into a maintenance room as the two amorous crew members strolled by. Danny watched through a door crack as they passed his door. He waited a few seconds to be sure no one else came down the hall. After they were gone, he opened the door and quickly left the third level. On the fourth level, he passed the crew’s mess hall. There were six crew members in there eating. Four men and two women. Danny was surprised to find women on the ship. Then he heard them talking and realized they were two of the most foul-mouthed women he had ever heard. He guessed there was no reason women can’t be pirates. They could be just as cruel as men. From the fourth level, Danny made his way to the outer ring where the lightships were kept. Old Nick’s ship was just a few yards ahead of him. He had made it. All he had to do was get on the ship and they could be off. As Danny reached the corner were bay 9 was, two of the ship’s security came around the corner and spotted him.

“Yo matey,” A tall dark-haired crewman called out. “Where ya be going?”

As he looked back, he noticed one was tall with dark hair, an eye patch and he wore black and white striped skin-tight pants and a loose flowing tunic. The other one was shorter with pointed ears, a mile-wide smile and he wore green and red. It was a strange outfit for a pirate. He looked more like a Christmas elf. One more thing, they were both armed with laser pistols.

“I’m on a special task for the Captain,” Danny said. “Why do you ask?”

“We got a report about some missing weapons,” the dark-haired guard said. “We heard something about alarms going off in bay 9. You know anything about dat?”

“No, I don’t,” Danny said coldly. “What makes you think I would know anything about bay 9?”

“Well,” The guard said as he reached down and pulled out his pistol. “I think you know what I’m talking about because we caught you just before you went into bay 9. Now is dat a coincident? Put your hands up.”

Danny put his hands up over his head. He had been caught. When they searched bay 9 they would find Old Nick and his ship with the stole pulse cannon. Then they would find their two special passengers. The Captain would have them flogged then burned at the stake. Bay 9 was two doors away from where they were standing. Unless something happened in the next ten minutes, his goose was cooked.

“Let’s go.”

As Danny turned, he looked back at the small elf like crewman, he was the last in line in their little parade.

“Move,” He heard the dark-haired pirate say. Moving slowly Danny started on his way out of the landing bay. His next stop would be the captain’s quarters if he didn’t find a way out of here. Then Danny heard a hard knock. Danny turned to find the shorter man standing over the dark-haired man with a blackjack in his hand.

“I’ve wanted to do that for 15 years,” He said as he looked up into Danny’s eyes with a smile.

“I don’t get,” Danny said.

“Old Nick sent me,” the elf said. “But we don’t have time to chat. Someone will be coming after us if we don’t report in soon.”

“Then report,” Danny said. “That would give us time to get out of here.”

“He’s the senior crewman,” The elf said. “Fixin only talks with this one. If I call in, He’ll want to talk to Brady here.”

“Then we better move,”

Danny grabbed the elf and ran down the hall to the entrance to bay 9. With a quick tap on the lock, they heard a whish of the airlock and the lock slide open. As they hurried in, they heard the sound of boots running their way down the hall. Danny hit the airlock closing and locking the bay lock.

“Come on laddie,” the elf said. “We ain’t got a lotta time.”

As Danny turned to run for Old Nick’s ship, he stopped. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He thought Old Nick would have some kind of old ship or shuttle. What he had looked more like a horse-drawn carriage. Danny swallowed and turned to the elf.

“She’s not much to look at but hauls ass when we need her too.”

Just then they heard pounding at the airlock. Someone was trying to get in.

“It’s now or never,” The elf said. “You coming?”

Time was up and Danny knew it. As he grabbed the elf and ran and jumped into the backseat of the bright red carriage as he dropped the elf in the front.

“You ready?” Old Nick asked.

“Get us out of here1” Danny yelled.

“Nick grabbed the reins and snapped them as if he urging a line of horses on.

“On Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer and Vixen. On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner and Blitzen!”

Suddenly the bay hatch opened and the sleigh shot out of the ship. Danny was amazed at what was happening. They were in some kind of old snow sleigh being pulled through space by 8 reindeer. He looked up to the old man in the front guiding the sleigh.

“Santa Claus?”

“No time to talk right now,” He said. “I got to get us away from the ship or this Christmas will really be messed up.”Like a shooting star, they shot through space. Danny watched as stars shot by as they rode an invisible lane through stars. He was amazed at how warm he felt. He through space should feel cold, there had to be some kind of magic being used to give them air and warmth. Looking back, he watched the Dragon as it sat there. He thought it should be turning to follow them as made their escape. By now the bridge crew must have woke him up and told about what had happened. He would be furious by now and ordered to get after them. But the Dragon wasn’t moving. Danny looked to the elf sitting beside Old Nick. Somehow he must have done something to slow the pursuit of the sleigh.

“What’s going on? Danny asked. “How come they aren’t coming after us?”

“Don’t worry.” The elf said. “I damaged the stardrive unit, but they’ll figure it out in a few minutes, and they’ll be hot on our trail in a few minutes.

The elf was right, in about two minutes the ship turned and was on its way after them. Upfront, Old Nick held the reigns guiding the reindeer as they pulled the sleigh on its course through space. He hadn’t noticed before, but Old Nick,s arm looked as he was strong. His muscled bludged as if he had been chopped wood.

As they shot through space, planets passed by. Danny had never thought about traveling through space, but he through it was beautiful. Each planet looked different. Some weer blue, Danny thought they were covered with air or ice, or clouds. He wished they had time to go and explore, but right now escape was what the plan was.

As they rode through space, bright shots of light flashed passed them. The elf turned back to Danny.

“Does that cannon you dragged here work”

“Yes,” Danny answered.

“Then you better get it hooked up,” The elf said. “They’re shooting as us.”

Danny grabbed the case he had stashed in the back and started to hook the apparatus up.It came in three parts. He fixed the power unit to the gun part then he added the sensor. He looked all over the side of the ship where they were sitting, but he didn’t see a power output anywhere.

“Where do I hook this thing up?”

“Get in the back.” The elf yelled. “There power outputs and a sensor unit. It just needs a gun.”

Danny jumped the seat and dragged the pulse cannon after him. The back wall of the sleigh

Was lit up with lights light and buttons. There was a small screen where he could see a display of all the sides of the sleigh. There wasn’t anything coming from the front or the sides, but there was a ship moving toward them from the rear. Charging through space, the Golden Dragon came after them shooting firey balls of energy at them. Old Nick dipped and dodged the light pulses. Somehow he was able to dodge the Dragons pulse shots, but sooner or later, they would score a hit, and that would end their escape plan. Danny moved as fast as he could, but installing a pulse cannon was very delicate work if he mixed up the circuits, he could blow them out of space. Jon Darkstan jumped the seat and hurried to where Danny was working,

“How long is this going to take?”

“I’d say at least another ten minutes,” Danny answered. “I took the sensors from the gun unit, now I have to reconnect the circuits and houses the unit to the side of the sleigh. That will take minutes. If we had a shield on the ship, we would have a better chance of getting out of this.”

“Maybe I can help,” Jon said. “Before the plantation, I was the chief engineer on the Dragon. With those sensor parts, I might be able to hook us up with some defensive shields.”

“Take them and give it a try,” Danny said. “And you better move fast. The Dragons shots are getting close.”

Jon picked the parts of the unit he needs and he hurried them away to get work. Danny got back to what he was doing with the pulse cannon. It took him a few minutes but he did get the cannon hooked up. The gun was hooked to the aft side of the sleigh. Danny hurried to the unit and hit the switch to power up the cannon. As the unit hummed he looked through the sights. The Dragon was there shooting pulse after pulse at the sleigh. Danny grabbed the handles to the firing unit and set his sights on the Dragon. He took a shot at an asteroid that had floated its way into the units sight and fired. A power pulse shot out at the asteroid. It was a pulse of power generated by whatever Old Nick was used as a power source. Like a magic arrow, it shot straight at the asteroid. When it hit there an explosion that for a minute blacked out the sights of the guns firing system. When the sighting returned, he set his sights on the Dragon as it borrowed through space coming after the sleigh. In the sights, Danny watched as the ship moved side to side. He grabbed the firing handles and took aim. The ship flew on firing bolt with bolt moving closer and closer. Danny could hear Captain Styles in his head shouting out orders to his crew to catch the sleigh. From side to side back and forth until for a second, it was right in the middle sights of Danny’s firing system. He hit the firing button and sent a series of pulse back at the Dragon.

The first three shots missed but the fourth hit the Dragon dead on. Their defensive shield was knockdown and the Dragon’s engine stall. One more shot and Dragon would explode and they would never have to deal with Captain Styles again. Danny didn’t have murder in his heart, so he let them go. The question now was where to go.

Finished with his work on the guns, Danny went back to his seat in the sleigh. Jon Darkstan sat there quietly waiting for him. He sat there thinking about what he had done and the life he had chosen.He wasn’t proud of some of his choices.

When he left his family at 21 he got work on a ship just like the Golden Dragon. At first, he wasn’t sure the sea was for him when he learned it was a slave ship. He didn’t know much about slaving. His family was rich and never had slaves, but the captain explained how slaves are what kept things on many planets’ cultures stable. He wasn’t sure about what he said but on the planets they stopped at, he saw the slaves and it did seem to make it profitable. In the next few years, he went from cabin boy to the first mate. He got a reputation as a hard-ass who loved using his whip..The men who served under him didn’t like him, but they knew better than to disrespect him.

The first ship he worked on was a three manship. It was called the Pino. Its job was to collect debris from the asteroid belt just outside of Emerson II. Jon’s job was to keep an eye on how much debris they collected and where it all was stored. It was hard work, by Jon loved being out there on his own.

After two tears on the Pino, Jon found work on a small mining ship that did mining in the asteroid belt that circled outer Ryaind IIi. Mining was nothing like collecting garbage in the belt around Emerson II. On Emerson, we could use an auto claw to pick things out of the asteroid. On Ryaind III, we had to wear spacesuits and do all the mining by hand. You’d be surprised at what could be found in space. There was a lot, and I do mean a lot of gold and silver, out there. What really surprised him the Mithral. A bucket of Mithral could go for twenty thousand credits. That could come out to ten thousand apiece, extra for the crew. Jon loved the work. It was hard and you would be surprised at what you might find out there. Some of it hidden, some if it was there nature. When Jon left the mining ship, he had enough to buy his own ship, but not enough to be the master of a ship. It all can down to experience. He had enough to be the first mate. But no one would serve under an inexperienced master. That’s where the slave ships came in. The easiest way to gain experience was to go and train for a few years in the slave industry. That’s where the Silver shark came into his life. While looking over the ships in the bay of Treanda, Jon ran into an old friend from hid mining days who was the second mate on a slave ship. He offered Jon a chance to be a mate on the Silver Shark. He said the work would be hard, but the payout would be enough to by his own fleet of ships. Jon knew he was exaggerating about the pay, but did turn out to but pretty. And he did get the experience he needed.

After five years working the Slave route, Jon bought his first ship. It wasn’t as big as the Golden Dragon, but it was big enough to make him a few successful runs through the Blue star region of Troy. There he smuggled, stole, managed, and mishandled everything from slaves to outlawed drugs. He bribed, bullied, threatened and paid underhand deals to the crime syndicates and underhand officials on any planet he had to deal with. He made a lot of money. He made enough to keep himself rich for many lifetimes. But by now, money wasn’t really that important to him. What he really wanted was power. To hold people’s lives in his hands. To crush people or to build them up to a point where they could be beaten down into the mud just for his amusement.

As he looked back, he was ashamed of some of the choices he had made. Building people up was the right thing, but crushing the down was wrong. His days as a slaver were over. He looked over to where Danny sat and thought of how much this boy must hate him. For years he had beaten him and used his body to do anything that came to his disgusting mind. This boy had been used and abused by him for years. How could he every even say I’m sorry how what I did to you. Those words to him would just sound like another trick he might play for his sick amusement. How could he pay for what he had done to his life? Jon would be years paying for the disaster Danny calls a life, But he had to try.

“Excuse me,” Jon said to Danny.

“What?”

“Can I talk to you?” Jon said softly. He wasn’t use to apologizing. His voice was barely audible.

“You have something you want to say?” Danny’s voice was stern. “Say it.”

“I know you don’t want to hear this” Jon said in a shaky tone, “But I have to say it. I know I did terrible things to you and my word means nothing. But I’m really sorry for what I did t you and your mother.”

“Sorry?” Danny looked into Jon’s gray eyes as he spoke. “How can I apologize for years of abuse?”

“There’s nothing you can to erase the pain,” Danny said. As he rubbed a patch of scars on his arm from the master’s whip. He had endured years of beatings and whippings. Sometimes he thought he would die. By the pain kept reminding him to wake up and keep on living. Then he thought about his mother’s grave in the swamp. “There is something you can do. My mother was placed in a cold grave in the swamp. I put her somewhere with sunshine and children, She would like that.”

“I’ll find her, I promise.,”

Jon promised as Danny stormed off slamming the door behind him. Jon sat there and wished there was a way to make it up to his former slave, But there wasn’t a chance after the way he had treated the boy. But things were different now. Now he had a chance to do it over and he wasn’t going to make that mistake again.

As Danny lefty the room where Jon was waiting, he stumbled up the corridor heading for the ship’s bridge. Men ran about the halls heading for their fighting station. Someone was firing on them. Danny wasn’t sure, but it could only be the Golden Dragon. Being a small vessel, Danny hurried onto a ladder that put him right behind Old Nick’s seat.

“They’re almost on us.” Nick shouted. “If ya got anymore tricks. Now’s the time.”

Danny thought for a minute. What could he do to convince Captain Styles they are helpless and an easy catch? Danny pounded his in thought. He really hadn’t been in space before. The closest he’d ever been was the spaceport on Monte Ballen where the master’s truck had broken down. Suddenly an idea popped into his head.

“Can you make it look like your having engine trouble?”

“That won’t be hard.” Nick shouted. “One more volley of pulse bolts and we’ll be stuck in space.”

“Do it,” Danny said. “And let me take care of the rust.”

Nick punched a series of buttons, then grabbed his mike and called out something in a strange language. Suddenly smoke started pouring from the aft engine. Sparks shot out into space as the ship lurched about.

“Nick, come in.” It was Captain Styles on the subspace radio. Nick hesitated for a minute. He wasn’t sure what to say.

“Hold his for a minute,” Danny said. “I’m almost done.”

“This is jolly Old Nick,” Nick said. “Have you been a good boy?”

“Cut the crap Nick.” Captain Styles said. “Stand ready to be boarded. I know your engines are out. Make this easy for both of us.”

Nick turned to see Danny give him a thumbs up.

“This is gonna be fun.” Nick said with a jolly smile..

“Only for us.” Danny said.

From the front window they watched as the Golden Dragon pulled up to their port side. Everything seemed like it was moving in slow motion. Danny heard every drop of sweat as at fall and splattered on the floor. They heard the docking tube come out from the Golden Dragon and clamp on to the ships side.

“NOW!!” Nick yelled.

Pressing down on the trigger Danny took three shots at the Golden Dragon. Being so close the shots hammered through the hull like a knife through butter. The docking clamps broke as the ship pushed away from Nick’s ship. Explosions fill the view screen as the ship started to come apart.

“Ho ho ho ho ho!!” Nick laughed as he stated the engines back up. Suddenly the subspace radio crackled back to life.

“You think this is it.” Captain Styles said. “You think your gonna get away with this? I don’t care how long it takes. I will find you. You can run and hide if you want but I will find you!!!!”’

“You don’t scare me.” Danny sent to the Captain. “I was a slave so everyone bullied me. But not anymore. Go to hell Pirate.”

Like a blazing star the ship shot off with the sound of bells ringing in their ears. Danny sat back relieved that this was almost over. All he had to do now was drop Jon and Jules off somewhere where they could but passage back to Monte Ballen. Danny had a life now he could do anything he wanted. He thought maybe school was a good idea. His mother had been his only teacher, except a few of the schooled slaves on the master’s plantation. Danny stopped. He keeps referring to Jon Darkstan as the master. That was a habit he had to break.As Danny settled down to rest, the elf made his way to sit in the back where Danny was sitting.

“My name is Arlen,” He stuck his hand out for Danny to shake. “I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself earlier.”

Danny to his hand in his to shake. The elf had a real strong grip and a rather nice smile. Danny wondered where he was from.

“I’ve been with Nick for a long time.”

“How do you keep doing that?” Danny asked.

“What?”

“You and Old Nick,” Danny said. “Every time I think up a question, you answer it before I ask.”

It’s just a coincidence.” The smiling elf said. “Where are you from?”

“Monte Ballen.” Danny said.

“”OK, we can have you back in your home in a jiffy.”

“No,” Danny said as he tried to move away from the elf. Danny didn’t want to go home. That was strange. Usually the people they save can’t wait to go how. Arlen wondered why. “I never want to see that rock of a planet again.”

“Is there something wrong?” Arlen asked.

“If you take me back to Monte Ballen, I go back into chains as a slave.” Danny explained. I’d rather stay with Captain Styles. At least there I would have my freedom.”

“Bold words,” Arlen hopped on the seat next to Danny. “We’ve been from Destali II to Earth on the other side of the galaxy. What port would like to go to?”

“I don’t know,” Danny said as he stretched. “Are you in a hurry to get rid of me?”.

“No,” Arlen said. “I hope you stay with us. We could use a new hand, Nick ain’t getting any younger.”

“Fine.” Danny said. “We drop Jon and Jules back on Monte Ballen, Then we’re off to who knows where.”

The flight to Monte Ballen was slow. Danny had a lot of time to talk to Jon and Jules. Jon was a better man than when he started this trip.He knew what he had done was wrong and he begged Danny for a chance to pay him back opening his eyes to see the troubles of men. He could ignore it, but to do that would mean Sarah Besin would have died in vain.Sarah actually was very pretty, white blond hair and dark eyes.She wore a torn dress with an apron over top of that. She had no shoes and her hair was a mess, but you could still see her beauty shining through. Barefoot she held a kind of elegance most women didn’t have. As he thought back, he remembered her sitting on the porch of her little house stretching the masters linen and his shirts and pants. Sometimes he was happy to just watch her. Then there were others times when watching wasn’t enough. Jon shudders as he thought about the things he did. No woman slave or free should have to deal with such abuse. Jon promise he would never hold person as his slave again.

Jules was quiet. Danny tried talking to him but all he got was yes and no’s. Danny knew he wasn’t happy about his tenure as a slave. It was short, just a few days, he had been working hard and kept naked like most slaves were when they had just been captured. The eyes of the crew were were hard on him. So were their hands. He had been poked and handled like a thing, not a real person. There were a few he thought might really rape him. And it was all that bastard son of his fault If he hadn’t dragged him onto that ship, none of this would have happened. He thinks his mother’s death was bad, wait until he had the chance to get his hands around his neck.

As Monte Ballen came into sight, Danny stood there for a moment and stared at the screen. He hated this place and hoped he didn’t have to step foot on the planet. Nick said they would land and only Jon and Jules would have to disembark. But that’s not how it happened.

Jules and Jon got off, but then the port security insisted on a chance to search the ship for illegal contraband. Old Nick, Arlen and Danny would have to disembark and wait until the ship was cleared.

“What’s taking so long?” Danny asked. “It’s a small ship. Barely enough room for the three of us.”

“It should just be a few minutes.” Nick said as he sat there puffing his pipe. “Relax, nothing can go wrong.”

A few minutes passed by, then a man in the Monte Ballen state guard came in and asked for their papers. Here’s where the trouble would be. Danny, an ex slave didn’t have any papers. But Jon darkstan stood up for Danny as his ex owner and declared him free. Jules protested saying Danny had kidnapped him and sent him on this wild trip of danger. Jon laughed and said it was all a pleasure trip to the outer banks and back. Jules got so mad he attacked a guard and took his pulse pistol and aimed it at Danny. Things happened so fast, there wasn’t much time to act. As Jules pulled the trigger, Jon dived in between Danny and Jules and took the shot in his shoulder. Danny leaped at Jules and popped him right in the jaw knocking the gun from his hand. It only took seconds for the guards to react. The grabbed Jules and pinned him to the floor and arrested him. The dragged him away kicking and screaming. Danny hurried to Jon to “Don’t worry about me.” Jon smiles as he was loaded onto a stretcher. “It’ll take more than a pulse beam to take me out. Burt don’t you have somewhere to be?”

The Master had just saved Danny’s life. He didn’t know how to react. He had spent years hating this man, now he had to thank him. Jon had seen the light and he was a changed man.

“Thank you,” Danny said taking his hand. “I will make my life worth something I promise.”

In the next 10 years, Danny Besin took a small shipping company to be worth Mega millions. So even a slave can stand up and be worth millions.

Send all comments to: Jandar dot Tyr at CastleRoland dot net.

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