My Kingdom Come book 1: The Saints We See

664 standard years after the signing of the Alliance treaty

Mikhail met the captain at the hatch. He pulled the necklace holding his vial over his head and handed it to him.

The captain looked at the vial laying in his palm for a moment, then closed his fingers over it. He looked up at Mikhail. “You’re sure?”

Mikhail nodded.

The captain shrugged, pulled the necklace over his own head and tucked the vial under the collar of his tunic. He pulled a set of handcuffs from his belt and handcuffed Mikhail’s hands behind his back.

Most of the crew was already there. The last few members joined them shortly and they stepped out into the night. The Jurverian formed a ring around Mikhail, with the captain at the head. They moved through the busy docks, out into the marketplace. There was a sleek black hover car waiting there, a large Ulkaar was standing by the back door.

The captain walked towards the Ulkaar.

The Ulkaar opened the door and a T’odea stepped out. He stared greedily at Mikhail with his wide-set, mud green eyes. His hands rubbed together slowly. “You’ve brought my merchandise back to me.” His voice was high and reedy, matching his thin, slight frame.

So, this was the man who owned him. Chentzo. Mikhail stared at him. Did you watch my mother die? He wondered.

“There’s something you need to know.” The captain said. “He’s been claimed by a Jurverian.”

Chentzo’s hands stopped moving. “What does that mean?”

“He is considered by the family to be a Jurverian. He can claim one life from the family business. If the mark on his body is removed there will be retaliation and only his master can kill him without repercussions from us. Other than that,” he shrugged. “Nothing.”

Chentzo’s hands began moving again, rubbing together in a circular motion. “That’s of no consequence. No one would dare kill him but his master anyway.”

“We’ve delivered on our contract. We’re ready to take our payment.” The captain said.

“Let me examine my merchandise first.” Chentzo stepped forward. and the captain moved out of the way. The feeling of Chentzo’s elated greed slithered over Mikhail as he moved closer. Mikhail shuddered.

Chentzo was short, the top of his head only coming up Mikhail’s chin. He stared at Mikhail. “You’re a bold one, to be looking your master in the eyes.”

Mikhail immediately let his gaze drop.

Chentzo chuckled softly. “Uncuff him, captain. I’m sure he wont try to run with all of you here.”

The captain stepped behind Mikhail and unlocked the handcuffs.

“Take off your clothes, boy. I want to see you.”

Mikhail’s body froze, his stomach turned. He had known. Galor had done his best to explain to Mikhail in detail what it would mean to be treated like an object, but hearing the words was one thing. To have it actually happening was another.

“Do you want me to have my man strip you?” Chentzo purred. He gestured at the Ulkaar standing by the hover car door. “He would enjoy that.”

Mikhail mechanically jerked his tunic over his head and dropped it in the dirt then he unbuckled his pants and pulled them off. He tucked his thumbs in his undershorts and hesitated. He’d never felt so reluctant to strip out of his clothes. He looked up at Chentzo.

Chentzo smiled at him cruelly.

Mikhail let his eyes drop. He pulled off his undershorts and dropped them in the dirt as well. He stood trembling in the chilly night air, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

Chentzo walked around Mikhail and let out a small appreciative sound. “You came out gorgeous.” He ran a hand down the back of one of Mikhail’s thighs.

Mikhail gasped. His body tightened, tears sprang into his eyes. He looked up into the black gaze of the captain.

The captain raised one shoulder slightly in a shrug. “I gave you a choice.” He said quietly.

Mikhail squeezed his eyes shut and tears rolled down his cheeks.

“Yes. You did well, Captain.” Chentzo said in a pleased voice.

There was a light tug on the chain hanging from Mikhail’s neck. Mikhail’s eyes flew open. Chentzo grinned up at him. “Kneel, boy.”

Mikhail knelt in the dirt next to his clothes and bowed his head, his breathing ragged.

Chentzo patted Mikhail’s head lightly. “Not bad. How did you get him to behave so quietly?”

“I didn’t.” The captain answered.

“Oh?” Chentzo said, but the captain didn’t elaborate.

Mikhail laced his fingers together and squeezed, trying to stop the trembling in his body. He let his tears slide quietly down his cheeks while money was exchanged between Chentzo and the captain’s cuffs.

As soon as they received their pay the Jurverian left.

Mikhail swallowed back his tears. His fingers squeezed together tightly. He wondered what was going to happen now.

Chentzo touched the medallion marking on Mikhail’s neck and Mikhail flinched. Chentzo laughed and withdrew his hand. “If you try to run, my man will catch you and then I will have to punish you severely, so don’t do that.”

“I won’t run.” Mikhail answered quietly.

“You wont run, what?” Chentzo said.

Mikhail frowned. He looked up. “I…don’t know what you mean. I’m not going to run.”

Chentzo firmly pushed Mikhail’s head back down. “Keep your eyes to yourself, boy. You’re a slave, lower than a slave: you’re a lab created abomination. It’s not your place to look free men in the eye. Do you understand?”

Mikhail took a deep breath. “Yes, sir.”

“I am your master, and you will always address me as such. Others, you will address as sir, or ma’am. Do you understand?”

Mikhail swallowed. “Yes, master.”

“Good. So when you address me, you will say ‘I won’t run, master’. Say it.”

Mikhail fingers squeezed tighter around each other. “I won’t run, master.”

“Good boy. Remember you only exist to serve. You have no other purpose. You are like a table or chair, or like my beautiful hover car. You exist solely to serve your master in whatever way they desire. Nothing is for you. If you wear clothes, it’s for your master’s pleasure. If you are naked, it’s for your master’s pleasure. You eat to serve you master, you breath to serve your master. Do you understand?”

Mikhail unclenched his jaw. “I live to serve the gods, to serve life.”

“No, boy. Not you. You weren’t created by the gods, you were created by sentients, you live to serve us. The sooner you get that into your head, the easier life will be for you.”

There was a pause.

“Answer me, boy.”

“Y-yes, master.” Mikhail had never felt so angry in his life.

“Good. Get in the car now. I have places to be.”

Mikhail scooped his clothes up off the ground.

“Leave the clothes. You wont need them.” Chentzo began walking away.

Mikhail’s fingers clenched on the material in his hands. He briefly thought about running, but where would he go? No matter how fast he ran or how far he was able to get, he would always be caught and brought back; and others would get hurt in the process. No, he would stay true to his choice. It was time to take his turn at the bottom of the wheel.

Mikhail swallowed and laid his clothes back on the ground. He stood up and followed Chentzo to the hover car.

It was dark in the back of the car. The back was separate from the front where the driver sat. There were two seats facing each other with a wide space of floor between. Mikhail started to sit on the seat across from Chentzo when Chentzo let out a displeased sound. “Kneel, boy. On the floor.”

Mikhail knelt. “My name is Mikhail.”

Chentzo leaned forward and slapped him across the face with a hard hand.

Mikhail’s hand flew up and caught Chentzo’s wrist without any conscious thought on his part, but he stopped himself from jerking Chentzo to the floor. Mikhail was breathing hard, staring Chentzo in the eye.

Chentzo stared back coldly. One of the wide, flat strands of his dark hair was laying across his face.

Mikhail let go of him and bowed his head. “I’m sorry, master.”

There was silence for a long moment. “Do not volunteer information that you haven’t been asked for. You are not to speak unless you’re asked a question or commanded to speak. You don’t have a name, unless your master gives you one. And if you fail to respond to any of my commands properly in the future, I will have you whipped.”

“Yes, master.” Mikhail responded promptly.

“Boss?” The Ulkaar standing outside the car said uncertainty in his deep bass.

“I’m fine, Isca. Shut the door.”

“Yes boss.” He shut the door.

The car rocked slightly and Mikhail heard the muffled sound of another door shutting. The hover car began to move. They rode in silence for a long time. Then the car stopped. Isca opened the door.

Chentzo stepped out. “Come along, boy.”

“Yes, master.” Mikhail climbed out of the hover car behind Chentzo.

They were in front of a small dark house in the country. A servant stood at the open front door to greet them.

Mikhail felt self conscious about his nudity, but he tried to ignore it. This was something he was going to have to get used to. He followed Chentzo up to the front door.

“Hello, sir.” The servant said with a bow.

Chentzo walked passed him into the house and Mihail followed.

The servant shut the door. “Right this way.” Mikhail noticed the man’s eyes flit across him as he passed. Then Mikhail remembered he was supposed to be keeping his eyes down. He fixed his eyes on Chentzo’s heels and followed him.

They went upstairs and down a long hall. They stopped and the servant knocked on a door. “Chentzo is here with the slave, sir.”

“Come.” A male voice called.

The door was opened. “Can I bring you anything, sir?”

“No.” Chentzo answered walking into the room. Mikhail followed him inside.

Chentzo snapped and pointed to the floor. Mikhail glanced up before he could remember not to.

“Kneel, boy.”

“Yes, master.” Mikhail knelt on the carpet where Chentzo had pointed.

“Good gods, man. Cover your slave.” A male voice exclaimed. “How am I supposed to concentrate like this?”

“I thought you weren’t attracted to males, Jonat.” Chentzo said.

“I’m not. There just something intrinsically wrong about having a naked boy shut up in a room with two grown men.”

“I didn’t bring anything for him to wear. I apologize.” Chentzo said blandly.

A door opened then shut. Footsteps came over to where Mikhail was kneeling on the floor and a blanket was wrapped around his shoulders. “There. That’s better.”

Mikhail gratefully held the blanket closed around his body.

Chentzo sighed. “Very well. This is the boy.” Mikhail heard him sit.

“What do you want me to do with him again?” Jonat asked. Mikhail could sense his eyes on him. He couldn’t feel any emotion from the man at all.

“He was born outside the lab.” Chentzo said. “He’s been living…I don’t know, they say he’s been living as a free man till now. I just collected him from the Jurverian at the docks.”

Jonat leaned closer. He pulled the edge of the blanket down and touched the marking on Mikhail’s neck.

Mikhail forced himself not to flinch.

“Hm. And what do you want me to do?” Jonat asked.

“I don’t know. Erase his past?”

Mikhail went ridged.

Jonat straightened and laughed. “You want me wipe his mind?”

“If you can.” Chentzo replied. “A mind who has lived free for as long as he has cannot quickly or easily submit to the level of service that will be expected of him. If you can wipe him clean and replace his memory with the memory of a properly trained slave, that would be ideal.”

“I don’t think you understand how the mind works, Chentzo.” Jonat said in an amused voice.

Chentzo let out a displeased sound. “I expected you would say something like that. Are you saying the boy is hopeless? Have I lost all the money I invested into him?”

There was silence for a long moment. Finally Jahon said, “let me work with the boy, I’ll see what I can do.”

“Ah, good.” There were the sounds of Chentzo rising to his feet. “Do you want me to leave Isca here with you? The boy is a flight risk.”

“No.” Jonat said. “He can’t escape from me.”

Chentzo stopped next to Mikhail. He crouched down and raised Mikhail’s chin. Mikhail met his eyes. “You will obey Jonat completely. If I hear you caused him the slightest inconvenience, you will be punished.”

Mikhail swallowed hard. “Yes, master.”

“Good, boy.” Chentzo rose to his feet. He pressed Mikhail’s head back down. “He so obviously has no training at all. It’s disgraceful. I have several potential sponsors lined up to bid on him. They can’t meet him in this condition. Should I collect him tomorrow?”

“I’ll let you know.” Jonat said.

“Thank you, Jonat. It’s always a pleasure doing business with you.”

Chentzo left the room.