My Voyage of Submission Ch. 17

"As devout Muslims, these pregnant women knew that if their families were found, they might be rejected and possibly killed for having been defiled and made impure by their owners. Maahnoor, please come here."

Maahnoor nervously moved up front. "Maahnoor was a slave for three years. We found Maahnoor's family. We brought them out to the ship to meet their daughter. They slapped her, and called her a whore. Henderson, in a gesture so gracious, I will remember it forever, offered to marry her so she wouldn't be rejected as defiled and forced to raise her baby alone. They were married on the spot. That is the woman Andrew messed with today. One of the ones I told you all to stay away from.

"Why did I give that order? Because each of these women were treated so brutally and raped so frequently and forced to do almost every sexual act you can possibly imagine; they have a difficult time rejecting sexual overtures from assholes like Andrew. So she wasn't raped in the normal sense of the word, but she was, because it's difficult, if not impossible, for her to say no. Just as Fatima had to have a whole new word to say 'no' to us.

"Every one of these women has had their sexuality so fucked up, they find it impossible to comply with their own religious upbringing. Another fine young man, James, agreed to marry Ateefah so she could avoid the same fate. Those two women are off limits to anyone but their husband or fiancé. I don't give a rat's ass if they beg you for sex. I don't want to endanger their marriages and future happiness because you won't or can't respect what these women underwent and who need the help of a good man, a good person, to help them raise a child."

Some of the new guys were starting to look a little green around the gills. Good.

"Farah, we found in Buenos Aires, a continent away from her family, taken as a virgin, raped and beaten. Her owner also liked to use a stingray barb, but just because he was a sadist. He could rape her just fine without beating her, but chose to do it anyway. Our most recent freed slave is Yasmine, recovered about a week ago. Instead of a stingray barb, her owner liked to use a cane. Fatima, ask Yasmin to show the men her back."

After Fatima instructed Yasmine to come to her, Yasmine came forward, Fatima turned her around and lifted the back of her shirt. Some of hers still showed scabs from the bleeding. Six of the men turned away, unable to look.

Master noticed. "I want you to look, really look, at what was done to these beautiful, young women. Those are just the physical scars. The emotional and spiritual scars are much worse and may last for years. Take a good long look."

He waited for all of them to look again.

"I am reasonably certain, backed up by the evidence of my eyes and instincts, that if any of you had gone through what these women went through, for years, you'd be kneeling on my deck begging to suck cock and get ass fucked. Andrew was nothing special. He didn't seduce Maahnoor. He asked her for sex and like the trained sex slave she'd been, she gave it. Every one of you swingin' dicks, when I tell you that Yasmine is off limits, I mean she's damn well off limits. If and when that changes, I'll let everyone know. If anyone messes with her, your back will look like hers before I throw you off my ship.

"You do not, under any circumstance, ask any of these women for sex. Period, end of story. They are still too fragile. If anyone of them feels like having sex with you, except Yasmine, Maahnoor and Ateefah, they can ask you. They've proven capable of making that choice for themselves, but if you ask them, you're fired. You're gone. Sayonara. No appeals, no reprieve. If anyone of you rapes or forces any of the women on my ship, ex-slave or not, you'll be leaving this ship with a broken kneecap, minimum, plus face criminal charges. You will wish you could have gotten beaten to a pulp like Randy Andy. Your looks will be the least of your worries. I have seen enough horrible shit on this cruise, I'll have nightmares the rest of my life. I won't see any more from the people who work for me. I would sink this ship before I see any more bad happen to any one of these young women. They've had three lifetimes worth already.

"Is that God damn clear to everyone on this ship? Because this is the last time I say it? I want an affirmative response from every single one of you or you can leave now. I'll put you off and haul your asses to shore with enough money to buy airplane tickets home, but you won't stay on board a second longer."

He waited until everyone answered they understood before he dismissed the muster. "No muster tomorrow morning. Call your Department Heads and let them know you're alive. The new guys contact Edgar."

I put my arm around him as everyone cleared out. "You know, sir, I want to fuck you so much right now. That was a truly masterful and dominant display and it made my cunt tingle something awful."

Miranda, Francesca and Belle giggled behind me. "She's right, Master," Miranda said. "My twat is tingling too."

"Do you think I got my point across?" Master said, smiling.

"No doubt," Francesca said. "If they don't understand now, they're too stupid to live."

He planted nice wet kisses on each of us.

"Belle, go spend the night with Edgar. I ruined the evening. Beth, I assume you're still planning on staying with Maahnoor tonight?"

"Yes, Master. No sex, just companionship, wearing pajamas. I told Mickey I might be able to give him a full night because his reward was interrupted also, plus he took Henderson's watch so Henry could come to the cabin. I almost cried when Henry asked if Maahnoor had lost 'our' child. He was already looking at it as his."

"I caught that too, and so did Maahnoor, by the way her sobbing increased when he said it. I agree, you can spend the night with Mickey tomorrow if you think it's safe to leave Maahnoor on her own. If not, you can arrange some other day. I want you all to start dressing in the morning. There's colder weather forecast tomorrow and as much as I appreciate goose bumps and taut nipples from the cold, I don't want anyone getting the chills. That includes shoes. You can still leave your bras and underwear off so I can reach under your sweats and grab hold of some boob or cunt."

We laughed. "Yes, Master. Your wish is our command," Miranda said. "I got things with zippers for easy access."

Maahnoor had waited after the muster to see if Henry would talk to her. He seemed to hang around a short time after muster, but eventually left without saying anything. I took her hand and led her to my bedroom. I tossed her some soft pajamas and told her to put them on, putting on similar ones myself. My bunk wasn't huge, but it was large enough for the two of us. I had my arm around Maahnoor and could feel her crying though she was silent enough she wouldn't disturb me.

It seemed to get worse when we heard the soft sounds of Master, Miranda and Francesca having sex. She was still shaking when I went to sleep.

******

Maahnoor had apparently fallen asleep at some point. She was snoring softly, probably some congestion from all the crying last night. Unfortunately, I was stuck in between the bulkhead and her, and I hated disturbing her since who knew how much sleep she got. I just lay still, feeling her breathe beside me until nature's call demanded I do something. Trying not to disturb her too much, I disentangled myself and halfway stepped over her.

"Henry?" she whispered sleepily. Too much movement, I guess.

"Sorry, it's Beth."

She came fully awake, saw me half over her, realized where she was and why she was here and began leaking tears again. I finished my trip to the head, returned and found her curled in a little ball.

"We need to get up and eat, Maahnoor. I have work to do. You need to come with me, if only for the baby."

"Okay."

Maahnoor got up and used the facilities while I put on regular clothes, not sweats as much as Master had joked about it last night, something form fitting, but stretchy enough he could put his hands on me easily. When Maahnoor was ready to go, I knocked on the door to make sure we wouldn't interrupt something, then exiting when no one answered. His cabin was empty, so we went down to the mess and Master was eating with his other three slaves, Hannah and Ange. Henderson was at another table with Edgar and a few of the other guys. He looked up when we entered, then went back to his breakfast.

We sat down a couple tables away. A couple of the new guys went by Henderson's table, patted him on the back or made low comments only the table could hear. The exception was Shedrick, who even though he tried to talk softly, his voice carried like a bullhorn and I heard him say, "Sorry Andy was such a dick, man. Don't blame you for beating shit out of him."

Sahar, Hibbah, Farah and Yasmine eventually sat down with us. Hibbah whispered a few words of comfort in Maahnoor's ear.

"Hannah put Yasmine in with me," Sahar said, "so Hibbah has an empty bed in her room if you need a place to sleep."

"You do not blame me for adultery? Spoiling my marriage. I was lucky one he offered marriage to, and I ruined it. He might have married one of you instead."

"I would not have married him," Sahar said. "I won't ever get married. Too dark inside. Hard to imagine or find love. Besides, the way he keep sneaking looks at you, not sure he doesn't still love you, want to stay married. You hurt Henry, no question. He know proper way to divorce Muslim woman?"

"I told him last night," I said. "Right after I said he had the right to stone her."

"Henry not stone is a good sign," Sahar laughed. "You can still reconcile. Hard to do if he stone you. He not say 'Talaq', yet, announce he divorce you?"

"Not yet," Maahnoor admitted.

"See? Maybe need time."

"If he does divorce me, one of you should marry him. Henry is a real good man, good lover, I will return meher so he can give to one of you."

"The meher is yours, Maahnoor. It is what Master was going to give you anyway to live and raise your baby. It's the same he was going to give to all of you. When you decide what you're going to do, he will give you the money. He just gave it through Henderson, so your father would know Henry would follow the traditions. It's not Henry's money, so he can't touch it. It's yours. Henry has a good job. He'll do fine. Would you like a job?"

"I do not know ship, not good fighter. What work I do?" Maahnoor asked.

"You can work in the kitchen, help Pierre and Reggie. You know Moroccan food like he served for your wedding. You could learn other meals, do the dishes, plus just cut up food. We have more people on board now than we usually do, which means more work for the people who are preparing food. You could do laundry. We have more laundry too. That would be easy to do. Pedro could show you how in a few minutes if you're not familiar with automatic washers and dryers. Light housekeeping, changing beds and keeping bathrooms clean. Someone has to do those things and if they weren't doing them, they have more time to do the other things like guard duty. Maybe a little bit of all those things. It wouldn't be hard on you and you can earn your own money."

"Joshua is not mad at me for hurting Henry?"

"Master knows how hard things are for you. It's why he made the rules for you. You're not totally responsible for all your actions."

"We can work too?" Hibbah asked.

"Absolutely. If you want to learn other things, others will be happy to teach you, like Fatima is learning from the Captain. You can learn to operate and repair Diesel engines, helicopters, small boat motors, navigation, computers, electronics. Roberta can show you how to cut and style hair or give a massage. You could start to learn medicine and nursing from Sherry and Manuel. You eventually have to go to school to get licensed to practice medicine, but you can jump start your schooling by working with them every day. You all have iPads now. You can learn lots of things just by watching YouTube videos on your iPads. If we're on shore, you can learn to drive cars or trucks. You would have to go to flight school to get licensed to fly a helicopter, but Leo can start teaching you the basics now."

"I could learn to fly?" Farah asked.

"Almost anything is possible. We have a machine shop aboard which helps make things which might break. There's a sewing machine, a pretty basic one and Lynn knows how to make clothes. She could show you to sew. There's nothing you can't learn to do if you work hard enough. What do you want to learn, Sahar."

"Edgar already showing me what I want to learn. How to kill bad men."

"There's nothing else you want to learn?"

"Not until I am real good at killing."

Sahar wasn't lying when she said she had a darkness inside her. I wondered all that had been done to her to make her this way. None of the others were as black souled as she was. Yet, she was fiercely protective of the other women, intelligent, even funny at times. But to make it your sole mission in life to kill evil men wasn't something one should aspire to.

"Henry is looking at you again," Sahar said.

Maahnoor and I turned to look, but he put his head down as soon as we turned. He had a lot on his mind. I wondered what was on it.

When I got back to Master's cabin, he and Hannah were preparing for meetings he was scheduled to have there.

"Excuse me, Joshua," Maahnoor said, "may I please interrupt for a moment?"

"Of course. What do you need?"

"I want to work. Beth say help needed in kitchen and laundry. Lots of new people make work harder. I help them, work hard, many hours a day. Lots of time now Henry mad. Not want time to think, work instead."

"We do need more help now. Hannah and I were talking about it. Yes, I'll hire you. Go down to see Dave in the personnel office this morning and he will put you on the payroll. I'm sure he'll have to research Moroccan labor laws or something, since you're still a Moroccan citizen. This afternoon, go to the laundry room and let Pedro show you around. Starting tomorrow, you can work in the kitchen in the mornings and the laundry in the afternoon. Kitchen duty starts early, usually 0400 to have breakfast ready. Check with Pierre and see what time he wants you there."

"Thank you, sir. I will do as you say."

She left. "I'll finish up my surveys, Master, check on giving Yasmine the tests the Professor wanted and let Mickey know I'm available tonight, sir. Asking to work is a good sign she's not going to hurt herself."

"I agree. Thank you. Nice outfit, by the way. Seen from a distance, you almost look naked."

"That was the effect I was going for, sir. Just for you."

He smiled and I disappeared in my room. I let Mickey know I was his for the night starting around 2130. Meet me in the stern room again. When I checked over Yasmine's results, she did indeed show up as submissive, with fewer of the outliers I'd gotten from the other freed slaves that tended to indicate they weren't really submissive, just forced into slave roles. I found the MMPI-2 and Briggs-Myers tests in French, so made an announcement for someone to bring Yasmine to Master's cabin. I left my room and waited for her to arrive. Hibbah brought her. Hannah explained in French that I needed Yasmin to take some tests for me and to follow me to my room. I had an iPad set up for French translation for the instructions, although the written instructions for the tests were in French, so hoped I'd be good.

The tests were fairly lengthy, so while she took them, I started surfing the web, looking for British stores that specialized in Pakistani clothing and goods for Ateefah's wedding and wedding gifts. I found some things I liked and thought I'd run them by Ateefah, so saved them for further perusal. When Yasmine finished the tests, I sent them to Professor Kline, explaining that Yasmine had shown signs of submissiveness in her survey, and when he determined she was ready, might wish to seek a Master. I also asked him to check with Oliva if he hadn't done so, and consider if he could be Yasmine's Dominant. He probably was just getting up, so I didn't expect to hear from him until later. I thanked Yasmine for her time and took her back to her room in case she wasn't familiar with her way around the boat.

Sahar was there, naked on the bed, reading something on her iPad, and she said something to Yasmine in Arabic, then told me she was taking Yasmine down to the gym where she could work on her English while Sahar was working out. In the time I'd been missing from the ship, Sahar had toned and defined a lot, easily seen in her nudity, not body building muscular, but hard and lean. She looked good enough to eat. While she dressed, I decided I'd not been working out hard enough myself and went down with them. While Yasmine used an iPad to work on French and English translation, we went to the range first because I hadn't done it for over a month. I managed to get through Hogan's Alley without dying or killing anyone but my skills had deteriorated in my absence. I did the shelter in place exercise.

On the other hand, Sahar went through the ship clearing exercise as well as I'd ever seen anyone go through it. She was approaching spec-ops proficiency if she wasn't already there. Some of the new guys came down and watched her too. We showed them how to operate it and Frankfurter tried and got killed within ten minutes. After he died, Palmer asked Sahar to do it again, and she went through it faster than she did the first time. Palmer tried it and died in fifteen.

"What the hell, girl," Mac said. "How much you practice on this thing?"

"Around eight hours, light, dark, daytime, night time, tired, fresh, before exercise, after exercise. I want Edgar to start giving me different scenes away from the ship. Know this too well, even though it change all the time. Want some other buildings, places, see if I can do same thing."

While they continued on the range, Sahar and I started running.

"You didn't used to run this much," I commented after we'd done around four miles.

"Edgar said I need to build up wind and stamina. Said I should start carrying a pack when I run. Start with twenty pounds, work up to sixty, get stronger and faster. I'm beating Roberta most times now. Might have to start fighting men. Still working up to that. Not sure how much I want to touch a man yet. Might hurt someone more than I want, or they deserve."

Around the ten mile mark, I started to flag, not having worked hard enough lately. Sahar was still running strong. I went to one of the heavy bags and started pounding it, tiring myself even more. By the time I could hardly lift my arms, it was 1300 and I was running late for lunch. I had to eat before I showered and I'm sure I reeked. Still, Henry found me and sat down at my table when no one else did.

"Can I talk to you?"

"I'd prefer to talk after I've showered. How much time to you need?"

"Maybe thirty minutes."

"Come to my cabin around 1430. I should be decent by then."

"I'll be there."

******

By the time Henry knocked on my door, I was sparkly clean and fresh smelling. I told him to enter as I was also dressed again.

"What can I help you with, Henderson?"

"My marriage."

"I'm not sure how much I can help, even if I could."

"Can't you do counseling?"

"I'm not licensed to practice. I don't even have my doctorate yet."

"But you do know what to do, don't you. It's not like someone waves a magic wand when you graduate and says, 'now you can do this.' You must know most of what you'll need to know eventually, right?"

"I suppose."

"James is kind of worried about the same thing happening to him. Ateefah might do the same thing Maahnoor did. He cares a lot for Ateefah just as much as I care for Maahnoor. It would kill him."