Captain Emrah Jackson Ch. 19

This ongoing sci-fi series will contain non-consensual elements.

Beeping from the flight computer woke me. My entire body was stiff, and everything ached. With a lot of relief I was greeted with the sight of Alpha Giraad from the cockpit. The glowing dome on the surface filled me with hope, and I set the auto pilot into landing mode. The shuttle would have to pass through a giant air-lock, so we had a few minutes to get ready.

I found Willow sitting on the bed. She looked pensive, and I could see her eyes were red from more crying. I tried to cheer her up, but it would be a while before she could feel those emotions. As we landed I told her about being freed from Orton, and shared my feelings of loss and abandonment at the time. I told her that they would pass.

Alpha Giraad was a planetoid in a system that didn't allow slaves. It wasn't a ethical decision, but one made out of economics. If they allowed slaves to work there, there would be no jobs for other people. I had come to discover that while slavery was common in the free systems it wasn't practiced everywhere. It tended to be the more wealthy planets that kept that tradition alive. The place we were landing was a domed settlement called Lode One. It was an industrial city with factories that produced star ship parts for export. The smog from the fabricator factories collected at the top of the dome, and gave the artificial atmosphere a strange eerie glow.

Just because our destination didn't allow slavery didn't mean it was safe, and I explained that she needed to be careful, as there could be bounty hunters, so it was best to keep quiet about her previous life. That particular piece of information did nothing to settle her, but I comforted her with the fact that her bounty wouldn't be great. Privately I knew that the husband that brought her in for the mind wipe, would probably be glad that she was now gone, taking the secrets of his infidelity with her. I told her about Hella too. The clinic she ran was for visiting traders, but she also provided a free service for some of the less fortunate residents of this planetoid. She had been a friend of Delphine and had helped me realise that I had a mind wipe all those months ago.

I took out two of Hogarth's lab coats, and told her to put one on. The high collars would hide the fact that we were slaves. I asked her if she could help me push the trolley with Hogarth inside.

As we disembarked, I was approached by a dock officer. There was nothing to panic about, but there was the issue of the dock fees. I had no credits on me, so all I could do was to say I would pay as soon as possible.

"You get a month, then your ship is repossessed," he said. It seemed like a fair deal.

We made our way to Hella's medical center. It wasn't far from the docks, and was surrounded by other business's that took advantage of passing trade ships. She greeted us at the door, and when she recognised me she gave me a big hug. Her kindly demeanor was much appreciated after my experience on the collector station.

I explained everything. The breeder farm, Delphine and Juno's death. Then went on to tell her about the sleeping man in the box, and the data stick I found. When I had been here before It had been Hella who informed me that my missing memories could be restored if I could find my original mind scans. The data stick hopefully contained that information.

She was stunned by it all, and said it was a lot to take in. The news of Delphine had shaken her, but there would be time for grieving later.

"The galaxy needed more like her," she said, mournfully. After a few more kind words, we got to the matter at hand. She took us into a private lab, and we began unloading Hogarth. He was still out, and we decided to deal with him at a later time. In the meantime we secured him to one of the spare medical beds.

Our collars were next and with some equipment she owned they came off easily. It was a job she had done for Delphine many times.

I showed her the data stick I had found. She plugged it into a computer, and looked at the files.

"There are hundreds of mind scans on here. Not all of them have names, but I can see yours."

It was a dreadful thought to imagine just how many people Hogarth had done this to.

"What are the chances I could get my old memories back?" I asked, nervously.

Hella smiled, and told me that in time I would know. It wasn't a procedure that she had much experience with, but she was confident enough to go through with it. She wanted to let me rest before we started, but I wanted it over with as soon as possible. I was done waiting.

There were plenty of things to do first. We helped her set up the lab for the procedure.

Willow wished me luck and gave me a smile before leaving.

As I climbed on the bed, I didn't feel joy or happiness, instead it was fear and nervousness. If it worked, who would be the one to wake up. All I had known was my life as Cara. Who was this Emrah woman, I was going to find out one way or another. Affinity for weapons and hand to hand combat was one thing, but was I ready for my old memories?

Hella placed a cowl over my scalp and began attaching wires to it. Once she was finished she asked me to count back from ten. With a lump in my throat I did as she asked.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three..."

* * * * *

For a brief second I didn't know where I was, but then I saw the Admiral Skye approaching me. He was wearing his ceremonial uniform just as I was. He shook my hand, and asked me if I was looking forward to my first command. I admitted that I had some nerves but was looking forward to the experience. It was the middle of the day and the sun shone brightly through the martian atmosphere. Behind me was my new crew, and in front was our new ship.

"I'm sure you will have fun breaking her in, Captain," the admiral said. He had been my commanding officer many years ago, and during my time on his ship, I had suspected he'd kept a hidden camera in my room. Having to deal with men like that was the price for advancement in the UEN, I thought sadly.

The Calypso was a frigate, and to my eyes she was beautiful. She was brand new, and was looking in pristine condition. I couldn't wait to take her out for her shakedown mission. After that we would be patrolling the border of UEN space.

I didn't choose my officers, but there were some good experienced officers mixed in with the greener ones. A few stuck out to me, one was a very fine engineer named Dex, and one of the junior officers also stuck in my thoughts. Her name was Talia, while her record was less than exemplary, she had a good attitude and bubbly nature. The admiral had recommended her himself, and with a pang of jealously I wondered if she had slept with him to gain the position. It wasn't uncommon for female officers to use their sex to gain advancement, I certainly had quite a few offers in my career, even from him.

There was a band that was playing some stirring pieces, and once they had finished, it was my time to address the crew. I stepped onto the podium, and cleared my throat. Before I could speak though, someone called something out. It was the engineer Dex.

"Cara," he shouted. For a second I wondered who he was calling to, but he was staring directly at me. I shielded my eyes from the sun to get a better look at him, but the glare didn't go, and I felt my head swirling and the light taking over my mind.

* * * * *

I awoke suddenly with a strange woman looking down at me. A sudden rush of panic washed over me, and I tried to get up. She gently stopped me, telling me to calm myself. There were wires trailing from my head, and I felt sick. She held me, as I vomited onto the floor. The room spun and I felt a crushing pain in my head.

"It will pass," she said.

I lay back on the bed fighting through the feeling.

"Where am I?" I asked, groggily

"What is your name?" she asked softly.

"Emrah," I said.

She told me again to relax, and rest for a moment.

Hogarth's procedure must not have worked, I thought. He had tried to wipe my memory, but for whatever reason it failed. I had no idea who this woman was, but I knew that I shouldn't trust her. I didn't know how long I had been out, but I'd had a terrible dream. It had felt so vivid, and I was having a hard time shaking it.

"Where's Hogarth?" I asked.

A frown crossed her face, and she told me he was in the other room. "Just where you left him."

"What do you mean?" I couldn't understand what she meant. The last time I had seen him, he was telling me how he was going to wipe my mind.

I tried to sit up again, but she told me lay back. "Do you know where you are?"

I didn't know, and asked her if she worked for Orton.

She shook her head, and asked me if I knew someone called Cara.

"No," I said, but the name was familiar. It felt like a name from my dream. Suddenly a wave of nausea hit me, and I vomited again. She held me again, until my retching stopped.

"I'm an officer in the UEN," I said, with some difficulty. "I need to get to a communicator. There is a man called Orton who is holding me captive."

This woman just nodded, and tried soothing me again. The pressure in my head was building, and I was struggling to control it.

"He is trying to have my mind wiped, you have to help me."

"My name is Hella, and you came here to me, do you remember?"

"No," I said to her frantically. I buried my face in my hands trying to make sense of things. My dream was running through my head, and I couldn't stop it. It was playing over and over again. I had dream that Orton had been killed. It was impossible.

"Do you remember, Cara?" she asked, and the floodgates opened.

It hadn't been a dream, it was reality. My reality. Both worlds crashed together in my brain, and the strength drained out of me, I collapsed into the bed, and shut my eyes tightly. Every happy and sad memory came back, and I had trouble processing it all. It was like two lives being sandwiched together. My life as Emrah and Cara began to merge. They fought for dominance, but Emrah was always going to win, because that's who I was. Captain Emrah Jackson.

* * * * *

It was starting to become clear to me now. It wasn't easy, but eventually my world started to become less muddled.

Hella began to detach the wires, but continued to monitor me. "Is everything back?"

I nodded, but I couldn't be sure. All my time as Cara was there, but it felt distant and faded.

"Take some time," she said.

"It still feels like a dream."

Hella let me rest until I was comfortable to leave the bed. My head still ached, and I took a few more pain killers.

She led me into her living quarters above the medical center. I found Willow there who was very concerned about my well being. Neither of them knew my whole story and over dinner I told them everything. How I was a officer in the UEN, and how my ship had been attacked by pirates. Then I told them how I had been sold into slavery, and the mind wipe. It was good to get it all off my chest, and they sympathised.

"Where you a pleasure slave?" Willow asked.

I nodded grimly and told her how I was bought by a rich man to be his plaything. She had been born into slavery, but admitted that as soon as she had turned eighteen her master soon began to take her into his bed. It had been different for her, as she mistook his control over her for affection. It would take some time for her to fully realise that though.

"After my mind wipe," I told her, "I enjoyed being with Orton, he turned me into the perfect love slave for him. He must have gotten a kick out of knowing the truth. I was an officer in the UEN, who couldn't help but beg for his cock every night."

"Couldn't you remember anything?"

"Not really, I had some flashes, and I still retained some muscle memory, but in the end I was a different person."

"You still saved me though," Willow said, and told me that they didn't wipe my kindness.

We talked about my cosmetic surgery and Hella said that it could be reversed, but it was an expensive treatment, and she didn't have all the necessary equipment.

"We don't get a lot of call for cosmetic work around here," she said.

I rested for the best part of a week, letting my mind heal. My life as Cara started to seem less dreamlike as the time passed. Thoughts of Delphine and Lilly swam through my head. I shed a few tears for Lilly. We never had a proper goodbye, and I hoped she was safe. I wished that Delphine was with me too. I owed her everything. It was only due to her that I was able to find out about my missing memories in the first place. Then in one final act of kindness she had given her life to save mine.

Hella was satisfied with my recovery, and decided the time was right to tell me her news.

"I had this message waiting for you when you arrived, but I thought it best to give it to you after your procedure."

It was from Dex. I took it, and read it privately. He had found Talia, the young officers who I had last seen taken away by pirates. The message said, she was on a planet called Ferrin, and he needed help to secure her release. It was massive relief to me, it had been so long since I had seen, or even been able to think about her.

My first thought was to contact the UEN. I remembered Dex telling me they hadn't been much to help when he contacted them. It was my duty to establish contact, but I couldn't afford any delay. If I could get her back, then all three of us could return as a group. There was only so much they could do. They had no jurisdiction in the free systems. It could be seen as an act of war if they started to send ships into territory that wasn't their own.

Willow seemed to be settling into her new life. Hella had taken her on as an assistant, she was already helping in the medical center. I was happy that she had found a place, and could live out her life in freedom.

Over dinner, I asked Hella about Ferrin. She told me that she only knew about it from its reputation. It was a lawless world, governed over by pirate clans. In was a place they met, to share loot, and recruit for their raids. It didn't sound at all like a place I wanted to visit.

"Will you go there?" Willow asked. I nodded, and told her it was my duty.

Then we talked about something I had been avoiding. Hogarth was still with us and was heavily sedated on a medical bed. Hella tried to talk me out of killing him, as that sort of revenge would only lead down a dark path. After what he had done to me, and stolen from me, there was no other choice. I told her coldly, that I would eject him into space on my way to Ferrin.

********

I strode to my ship with confidence, but the thought of traveling so far alone, filled me with some trepidation. As I neared the craft, I was stopped by the dock officer, he asked again about the payment of fees. I had completely forgotten about them. It was a large amount, and I only had a few weeks before the ship would be confiscated.

I spoke with Hella later in the day, hoping she could give me the credits, but her medical center didn't generate that sort of money. She had already done so much for me, and I didn't want to push it further with her. She suggested I sell the ship, and buy a smaller shuttle. That was an option, but it would mean refueling many times before I got to Ferrin.

Then I remembered the jovian board that I had used to win money on the last time I was here. I asked her if it was still there.

"I would guess so," she said, "that bar is a bit too rough for me."

The last time I played it I was amazed at my natural ability, the truth was clear now. I had spent many hours as a cadet, playing and honing my skills in the academy recreation area. Hella gave me a handful of credits to get me started, and I thanked her again for her continued kindness. I promised myself, that one day I would repay her many times over.

After a quick shower, Willow asked if she could come, but I had to say no. It wouldn't be her sort of place.

"If you are going to hustle, you should do it right," Hella said. She took out a few outfits from her wardrobe, and laid them on the bed. She was right, if I was going to pretend to be a naive young girl, I might as well look the part.

I picked out a small black dress, with thin straps. Hella was a dress size smaller than me, and my ample bosom was almost spilled out of the front. It would work in my benefit, especially if I could keep my opponent's eyes off the board. It was very tight around my thighs too. A pair of suede calf boots completed the look.

I looked at myself in the mirror. I was a middle aged woman, but my appearance was that of a girl in her early twenties. It was going to be hard to get used to, but I could see how prettier I was. The changes to my face were the most extreme. I used to consider myself attractive before but I was on another level now. My appearance was decided on by men, and as such I looked like the perfect male fantasy. Youthful, vulnerable, but with a hint of sexuality. My lips were plumper and more inviting, and my eyes were wider and had a demure quality.

My body was more or less the same, apart from a firmer ass and larger breasts. I shouldn't look at it as a disadvantage, but as a weapon to be yielded. Cara had learned to use her sexuality as a tool to get what she wanted, something as a officer in the UEN I had never fully been able to do.

My long blonde hair was draped over my shoulders, and while I enjoyed it at first, the novelty of caring for it was beginning to wear off.

In a moment of madness I picked up a pair of scissors and chopped it all off. I cut it down until it was the length of my middle finger. It felt good to run my hands through it, and it showed off my slender neck the way I had always liked it.

Willow looked shocked when she saw what I had done. She was from a world where a girl's appearance was controlled by her owner, and I reminded her that we were both free now.

Before I left, Hella gave me a small clutch purse. I carried it awkwardly as I walked out into the street. The heels were a little high, but I soon got the hang of them. Cara would have loved the outfit. It would have been something Orton would have liked to see me wearing. He's dressed me up as his little doll, and with my altered mind I had loved every second of it. Now at least things were on my own terms.

As I made my way into the industrial area, I tried to work out how long ago the Calypso had been destroyed. It must have been close to a year ago. So much time wasted, I thought as I hurried my pace.

The streets were empty, and I could hear heavy machinery in the distance. I got the sense that the working day was still going on for some.

I passed a group of older men, and one of them called out, asking how much I was charging. I ignored the comment, but realised that I was giving off a certain impression. It took me a while to find the bar, as I got lost down a few side streets.

The place looked quiet. It looked to be too early for the crowds, which meant there wouldn't be much chance to get a good run of games. I ordered a drink from the bar, and as I did I got the feeling that the barman recognised me from my previous visit. If he did, he never mentioned it, and poured me a drink. The bar was small, a drinks bar in one corner, the jovian board in the center of the room, and tables and chairs up against the walls. It had a run down quality, with peeling wall paper, and well worn furniture.

I took my drink to a corner and began to nurse it. There were a few glances in my direction, but I was left alone. There wasn't much else to do while I waited, when I noticed there was a cigarette machine. I hadn't smoked in years, but then I hadn't sat in a bar drinking alone in years either. I bought another drink, and a packet of cigarettes.