Slave World (12 page)

What the hell’s Burke talking about? MEU… Marine Expeditionary Unit?
The light finally clicked;
duh, he’s prior service, and
enhanced like myself.
No normal human could have kept a grip on my arm like he had.
Super human indeed,
I snorted, almost wanting to laugh. I’d never heard the term before.

My brain kicked into afterburner, as the tickling of long forgotten memories clawed their way to the surface. The 501
^st
had been a bunch of hell raising Marines based off the Intrepid, a strike carrier belonging to 5
^th
fleet. The same ship I’d been on at one point.

“The Death Dealers,” I blurted suddenly, causing Burke to look over his shoulder, eyeing me silently. The 501
^st
had earned that nickname the hard way.

“Did you support our pickup on Target the first time?” Target was the name commonly given to the Seth’Kelain homeworld among vets.

My face paled remembering it all too clearly. That had been a rough one to say the least, a predetermined disaster in the making, fueled by the admiralty’s overconfidence and the pressuring haste of political ineptness. It was the Federation’s first attempt early in the war to knock the Seth out of it for good, and it had failed miserably. Their ground and space defenses had been hellishly brutal and deadly effective. Our losses had been horrendous along with those of the Marines and regular Army we were ordered to save in a mass exodus of defeat. It had taken the service bots aboard the Intrepid a
long time
to clean and sterilize the bloody aftermath from my boat’s troop compartment or what was left of it anyway.

“Yeah, I was there, I made 18 retrievals.” The average life expectancy of a pilot on Target was 3 drops; I’d survived six times that amount through sheer luck and a lot of praying.

Burke stopped dead in his tracks, turning to face me. “I saw some of the gutsiest flying of my career during that mission. Your people managed to pull a lot of Marines out of that meatgrinder.” Burke took off his sunglasses to reveal the most riveting pool of light gray eyes I’d ever seen. They held the kind of treacherous depth you had to be careful of; one false step and you’d drown in them forever. I started to tingle, chest growing tight.
Uh oh,
too late.

The tropical jungle slowly began to thin, opening up around us, as the worn dirt path we followed came to an abrupt end before a large, sprawling single story building.
That must be the stables.
There were four
very
large men, naked, being hand bathed in the sun nearby by several generically dressed people of normal size. A scantily dressed woman of nearly equal height and bulk, wearing a fishnet top and bottoms, was running on an inclined treadmill not far away.

I began to slow, blinking, not really believing my eyes. Something didn’t look right, and I wondered if I was hallucinating as a result of the stasis I’d been in only a short time ago. The closer I got the wider my eyes grew, as horrified shock finally set in with full force. That was when I came to a screeching halt looking at Burke. His expression appeared almost apologetic.

“Welcome to Slave World, pony 18.” He spoke in barely a sigh, but it sounded louder than a crypt door slamming shut to me.

I’d heard of Slave World before, the mythical place of dark whispered rumors where the super elite of the universe ruled with ultimate power. Nothing was denied them here. They made the laws; they
were
the law, and no one else. Its whereabouts were unknown except by those that needed to know.
I’m in deep shit now.
What the hell was I thinking? No one pays that much money for a slave to shovel shit, but this? Burke had called me pony 18 which meant I would soon be one of them.

I searched the jungle with terrified eyes seeing my way out of this nightmare. I was close to running; anything was better than becoming one of them. Burke followed my gaze.

“Don’t do it 18, don’t make me hurt you… please.” His pleading tone carried a menacing warning with it. I swallowed loudly, nodding solemnly before following him inside the building.

Now I was subject to a new set of laws as once more my life was smashed beneath confusion and fear, faceless medical techs, and dizzy unconsciousness. The feel of the slab beneath me was a constant sensation as my body was changed.
What am I becoming?
There was tugging and pulling, bright lights and a lingering pain that floated about me like the caressing touch of a phantom.
What’s happening?
I was drowning in an atrocity that defied reason. I knew what was happening to me, but refused to accept it. How could they do that to another human being? But I wasn’t a human being any longer, I was a slave, and when I awoke, I would be something else entirely.

***

“All done, Mr. Burke. Quite an improvement, isn’t it? This may be some of my best work.”

My mind swirled with the tornadic ferocity of hesitant consciousness.

I couldn’t see…

I couldn’t move…

Help me!
Something was covering my mouth, and a tube was down my numb and scratchy throat.

“She looked fine the way she was.” Thank God it was Burke.
What’s happening, what did they do to me?

I heard unfamiliar laughter. “What, getting a soft spot for the new pony? She is a cutie now, isn’t she?” Fifteen hours had passed while I slept.

Burke growled, deep and ominous. “If you ever so much as breathe a word like that again… Never say that again, Thomas, ever.”

“Yes, Mr. Burke. I didn’t mean-”

“Get all that crap off, I need to get her registered and fitted for her gear. I’m running short on time, and have to start her training immediately.”

“Yes, sir.” The tube was pulled out of my throat causing me to retch. I felt hands on my face as a glimmer of light began to seep in.

“Dim the overheads; I think she has light-sensitive eyes.”

There was a pause before delicate fingers removed something from my face. I blinked, trying to clear them. The room was bathed in a shady fog of gray. I could barely make out the image of Burke and another man standing close by. My eyes felt funny and ached. My vision seemed different, and it was partially obscured by long blonde hair.
Wait? I don’t have long hair, not this long anyway.

I was still naked and restrained to the auto-doc. The slab began to hum beneath me, turning upright, putting me into a standing position. I felt the light touch of the floor beneath my slightly elevated feet.
What the hell…My breasts!
They looked, or more correctly felt huge, and my skin grew taut under the downward pull of their weight.

“My feet, where did my feet go,” I giggled, still under the lingering effects of the anesthesia. I couldn’t stop giggling, and what made it even funnier is that I didn’t recognize the voice doing it. The color of my skin looked funny too, but maybe it was my imagination. I started to hum, rocking my head from side to side. “Whoa, do I feel
funky
.”

“Turn up the lights, slowly, and get a mirror. I want her to see herself before we take the restraints off.”

The man in a surgical uniform moved a large full-length mirror in front of me, before touching the lighting control on his armband. A stranger with light blue eyes set beneath long sweeping lashes, came into view.
I had brown eyes though.
My breath faltered and my mouth moved like a fish out of water. My skin
was
white, bleached looking, and angelically perfect without a single mole, blemish or freckle from what I could tell. I didn’t even have the large, wicked looking scar on my shoulder from when I was a kid any longer.

My eyes roamed in morbid fascination about my newly trimmed body.
120 pounds maybe… Oh wow, I have a waist again!
Other than the hair on my head, I was as bald as a cue ball.
Poor little panty hamster…

Jesus, my boobs are huge!
I think they’re my boobs.
Even partially concealed by the platinum blonde hair that cascaded over my shoulders and down to my navel, they looked like DD if not E cups. What made them seem even larger than normal was the lack of any sagging whatsoever.
I could kill someone with these things. Where were you two when I was younger?

I started to wiggle my shoulders, jostling my breasts from side to side with a slurred grin that may have been erotic if I wasn’t drooling on myself. “You’re getting sleepy… sleepy… You’re now under my boob power. Kneel before the power of my boobs!”

“You’re definitely going to have your hands full with this one, Mr. Burke,” the doctor chuckled.

Burke just shook his head. “I can see that.”

My face…
Wow, I’m a babe!
I looked completely different, like some kind of super model, like Miss Galaxy or something. It held a look of ageless beauty now, with high delicate cheekbones, a petite little nose and full inviting lips with a sharp widow’s peak of stark sensuality; my mother wouldn’t even recognize me. I looked perfect, that was until I saw my ears.

A pair of full size white horse ears that matched the color of my skin, stood tall and proud through my new hair. They twitched.
Oh my God, did I do that?
Then I saw something that defied logic even worse than my ears. My lips started to quiver, unbelieving. A horsetail, being the same color as my hair, swished, brushing against my thigh. I felt it move, I’d made it move. I was one of them now, just like the other ponies I’d seen outside.

Burke had known somehow; he’d known what I would do after the terrifying inconceivability of what I’d become finally sank in. I screamed, bucking in primeval fear, pulling at my restraints. The voice of a stranger, softer and more feminine, lashed painfully at my new ears. This only made me scream louder in panic fueled madness. The auto doc began to creak and snap under me as metal began to contort and high-density reinforced plastic gave way. I pulled and pulled with every servo-assisted muscle in my body in an attempt to free myself.

“Sedate here, quickly, she’ll injure herself if you don’t!” Burke cried distantly through the red haze in my mind.

A warm sensation flooded my veins with immediate effect. I grew calm and woozy, head spinning as my vision jumped and blurred. I continued to tug and pull, but my efforts were weak and half-hearted now. My head drooped; brain turning to terrified mush. The last thing I remembered was the swish of a horsetail tickling my leg.

***

I was lying on my side, lost in an erotically bizarre dream of frolicking horses when my vision slowly came into focus on the ceiling above me. I blinked several times wiping away the grogginess with a hand I didn’t quite recognize. That was when the nightmare returned. I stumbled awkwardly to my feet, backing into the nearby corner, wincing in pain. I reached back to touch the tender spot of my tailbone that had a horsetail grafted to it.

Burke was lounging in a chair across from me, legs crossed, with a pocket computer display screen under his nose in the otherwise empty room.

“You might as well sit back down until I’m finished,” he said flatly, eyes still locked on the screen.

I gave a weak scowl, returning to the couch as I was told. Then I discovered something else unexpected about my new body; I’d never be able to sit normally again in a closed back chair or couch. With a tail in the way, it looked like reclining in a leaning ball on one hip, was what it was going to take for me to be somewhat comfortable ever again.

I gave a slight grimace from the gut wrenching ache in the pit of my stomach. I covered it with my hand, pushed down slightly with a wheeze of pain. That’s when I caught sight of the unnatural light pink hinting out from between my thighs. I turned away from Burke slightly, giving him an embarrassed glance, while spreading my legs slightly in exploration. My outer labia were fuller and almost puffy, definitely larger than normal in a weird sort of way.
Damn my guts hurt, what the hell did they do to me?

My fingers started to roam tentatively over my body while I waited for Burke, touching it and my long silky hair for the first time in my life. My skin felt so daintily soft. I touched my ears, moving up their length letting the odd sensation sink in. I touched my tail, running my fingers through the genetically engineered hair, pulling on it gently to see if it was really a part of me.
I don’t believe it, I’m a horse-girl.

My lip curled into a slight frown while rubbing absentmindedly at my shoulder. The doctor had removed my somewhat gaudy, yet proudly displayed unit tattoo from when I was with the 21
^st
Orbital Strike Squadron; a black falcon diving in the attack with lightning bolts in the background. My bar code and registration number was still there; they were permanent, that is, unless you wanted to take my arm off.

“You have one of two choices, pony 18; you can either accept this and your new life making the best of it or not. If you don’t, your life will be hell, trust me.”

“I’m already in hell,” I replied softly, hands going to my lap. My voice still blew my mind; I didn’t even know who I was anymore.

Burke exhaled, looking up at me. “You may think so, but things could have been worse. The slaves in the recreation center are in hell. The slaves that entertain your new Master night and day, they’re in hell. The ones assigned to the repro… Look, the ponies are treated better than any of his other pets and slaves. Your life won’t be that bad here compared to most.”

“It stopped being my life a long time ago.”

“I know what you’re thinking, 18. There’s nowhere for you to run or hide. Even if you did make it into the jungle, it’s overgrown with dangerous flora and fauna. Creatures roam it unhindered, stalking one another and any escapee’s that do make it that far. Not even your enhancements would keep you alive for very long. This is your life now, 18, this and nothing else. No one has ever escaped from Slave World, and the sooner you accept the fact, the better off you’ll be.”

I didn’t know what to say. I wanted to yell, I wanted to scream, I wanted to fight back in some small and insignificant way, but I didn’t. I knew it wouldn’t do any good anyway.

“Quite an impressive record you have,
Miss
Margo Winters. In addition to all the combat retrievals you made, you also have 164 confirmed kills as an interceptor pilot. I knew you were good, but not
that
good. That makes you an ace several times over, doesn’t it?” Burke was reading my old Fleet service record.
How did he get access to that, it’s classified information?

“Yeah, guess I am. Doesn’t mean jack shit now, does it, Sir?” Burke frowned back at me.

“I’m going to give you a little piece of survival info, the surest way to be disciplined is by having a sassy mouth and showing disrespect, especially towards your Master and Mistress. Don’t do it again, for your own sake.”

“Yes, Sir,” I replied meekly, remembering my place in the food chain.
His eyes; I could get lost in them for days.

“How are you feeling?”

“Huh?”

“I asked you how you’re feeling. Does it hurt? I can get some pain meds if you need them.”

You could say I was at a loss for words. How am I feeling? I’m a damn horse-girl slave now, how am I supposed to feel? “Okay, I guess I’ll live.” There was a moment of uncomfortable silence before Burke stood, slipping the computer into the pocket of his shorts.

“Sorry, brain fart. I guess that was a stupid question, wasn’t it?” His tough guy facade seemed to waiver ever so slightly, and the awkward silence returned.

“No, Sir, it wasn’t stupid and…well, thank you for asking.”

Burke nervously cleared his throat. “Okay, I guess it’s back to business then. We have to make a stop before getting you fitted for your gear. Sorry for the rush, I’d ah… I would have liked to have given you a few days to get acclimated to everything that’s happened, but the luxury of time is something neither one of us has right now. You’re going to be presented to your Mistress as a birthday present in a few days from what I’ve been told.”

“I look forward to it, Sir.” The acceptance of my newfound fate, manifested with a tone of total subservience.

I followed Burke through the impressive building that was to be my new home from here on out. It was well decorated and had a pleasant smell reminding me more of an expensive hotel than slave quarters. We passed several other ponies along the way, a male and female brute that towered above the both of us like goliaths of bulging muscle. They stopped as we approached, heads lowered, pressing up against the wall so Burke could pass unhindered. They were dressed in the same lightweight black mesh tops and bottoms I’d seen earlier that left
nothing
to the imagination of what lay beneath. I did a gape-mouth double take at the size of the lengthy bulge between the male’s legs.
Holy shit… What the hell does he do with that thing, pole-vault?

Burke led me into a room where two male staff members, dressed in one-piece gray coveralls, were playing cards at a small table. They were surrounded by an assortment of unknown machinery and the room smelled hot, reminding me of the chemically tainted air of what? They both stood when we entered.

“Good evening, Mr. Burke, is this the new pony we’ve been expecting?” Burke nodded. “Okay then, we’ll get her branded and back to you in no time at all,” one of the men said cheerfully.
Branded? I hope that doesn’t mean what I think it does?

“Fine, just hurry it up. I’m going down to talk to Connell; be back in a few minutes.”

The two men waited for Burke to leave, giving one another matching evil grins that sent a shiver down my spine. One of them grabbed my forearm, leading me to the far wall where I was briskly spun about, and my wrist cuffs snapped loudly into a bracket above my head. My feet were secured together and locked in place to a floor clamp shortly thereafter. The other man moved the magnetic slide bracket holding my wrists downward, forcing me to bend at the waist, pushing my ass up and out at an uncomfortable angle. I was starting to get a
really
bad feeling about this.

“I can truthfully say this isn’t going to be much fun for you, pony.” The caressing touch of a strange hand fondled one of my ass cheeks, which by the way had the well-rounded, heart-shaped appearance I’d always longed for. “Real shame to scar up such a pretty little ass, but orders are orders, nothing personal. Better gag her, Frank, we can’t have her screaming and upsetting the others.”

Oh no, this isn’t good at all.

“Right.” A rubber mouthpiece was pushed between my lips, and Frank moved out of sight behind me. I heard metal on metal. “It looks good and hot, that should do it.”

“Sure does. Here, I’ll do it.” I recognized the smell now; it reminded me of a welding iron.

The warm dew of terror seeped from my skin, and I started to shake. I knew I shouldn’t look, but I did anyway. He held the insulated handle of a metal rod with a brand on the end, red-hot and lightly smoking. I tried to move but couldn’t; my ass started to wiggle helplessly like a chicken with its head on the chopping block. The whole situation reminded me of some crude medieval torture scene from an old video movie.

He leered down at me, and my ass grew warm under the branding iron hovering only inches away. “This is really going to hurt. Most pass out from the pain in a few seconds. What do you think? I give her about four.”

“Naw, she looks weak. I don’t even give her that long.” My eyes went wide, shaking my head, silently begging them not to hurt me, as a gurgling whine began to form in the back of my throat. Unexpectedly, they both broke into a cackling barrage of near hysterical laughter.

“You see the look on her face? I think she was about ready to piss all over herself. I love this job!”

“Are you two assholes done yet?” Burke was standing in the doorway with his arms crossed, and he looked
really
pissed off. “What the hell’s wrong with you two shitbirds anyway? You really get off pulling this kind of crap with the ponies, don’t you?”

“Sorry, Mr. Burke, we have to have a bit of fun sometimes, don’t we? No harm done, right?” Both men continued to laugh at my gut wrenching terror.

“Just hurry up and get on with it, the fitter’s ready for her and I don’t have time to play fuck-around all day.”

“Sure thing, Mr. Burke, this won’t take long at all.”

He tossed the smoldering brand back on the heater, pulling up a chair, while pushing a machine on wheels up behind me. I closed my eyes trying to contain the raw fear that still bubbled inside me. I hoped this was going to be better than what I’d originally thought was coming; I still had my gag in, and prayed it was no longer needed as part of the process.

The touch of cool metal teased my right ass cheek, followed by the soft hum of the machine being turned on. He went about his task quietly, while I was ‘branded’ with laser engraved, stylistic script. It read ‘MS’ with a letter and number code beneath it ending in P18.
Pony 18
. The whole process was relatively painless, and lasted only several minutes.

“There you go, Mr. Burke, all finished. Her designation has already been forwarded to Central and Port City registration.” I was moved into a standing position and released. My knees were shaking so bad, that Burke had to steady me when we left the room.

“That was priceless! Man I love my job.” I heard behind me, followed by more dark laughter.

“Shitheads,” Burke muttered angrily, gently pulling me along, supporting me around the waist. I clung to him no different, almost desperately, the only source of stability in my life at the moment. I started to sniffle, then tremble slightly. Burke paused, turning me to face him, gently grasping my naked hips. “Are you all right?” His voice was so soft, so sincere, so unlike the man he appeared to be. I could only give a jerking nod, unable to look up at him. “Are you sure? I can take you back to medical if-”

“No, Sir, I’m fine.” I wasn’t though. So many emotions erupted to the surface, so many emotions held in check… I was a little girl again, a little girl whose innocence had been ripped away long ago, in need of comfort. I just wanted to be held. I don’t know why I did it, or why Burke didn’t try to stop me, but my arms timidly encircled his waist, pulling against him.

He grew stiff for a moment, unsure, hesitantly stroking my hair in what must feel like a very awkward situation to him. His warmth pressed against me, and I melted within. Everything was well and fine in the world again, while I found sanctuary either real or perceived, within the arms of a man I barely even knew.

Burke finally broke the embrace; I would have sworn he was blushing, if men were even capable of doing something like that. “We ah… we have to go see the fitter now. He’s waiting.” I smiled weakly, nodding, as some of my fragile resolve returned.

We eventually entered a large room near the back of the stables. The walls were covered with shelf-like cubicles and unending rows of leather outfits, harnesses, headdresses, and other gear I couldn’t make out. The strong smell of raw leather, mixed with oil, made me lightheaded. There was an old, balding man wearing a leather apron behind a half counter. He looked up expectedly when we entered.

“Mrs. Savota’s new pony? Such a pretty little girl she is.” He stepped from around the counter with a broad fatherly grin, running his hand through my hair, scratching at the side of my head playfully like I was a dog. “Yes, you are a pretty girl, aren’t you?” His patronizing baby talk made the bile rise in the back of my throat.

I think Burke sensed my unease, forcing his way between us. “Connell, I really need to get her geared up, if you don’t mind?” A brief look of surprise shown on the old man’s face, and he distanced himself from Burke’s imposing stare.

“Yes, yes, of course. Bring her in the back, I can hardly wait to see how everything fits.” I followed the old man while he navigated through the containers and piles of gear scattered about, turning into a side room packed with more outlandish oddities. He motioned me to stand in place while Burke silently watched on.