Ordeal in Elsewhere

William and I were on a more or less routine reconnaissance mission when it the incident occurred. If you are at all familiar with trans-dimensional travel most of the excursions are undertaken by people like William and myself, historians AND theoretical physicists. Truth be told I'm better at both of those skills than William but we make a great team, both across the dimensions, and in the bedroom. Usually, the work is routine. Most of the time, we just park our craft in orbit and monitor the earth in whatever dimension we are exploring. The Transdimensional Excursions Review Board does not have an explicit "noninterference" doctrine but it is damn close. We can reveal ourselves only to a very narrow range of alternate earths all of which must be on the cusp of discovering trans-dimensional travel on their own. Some say the TER Board is paternalistic, I prefer fraternal.

Investigating parallel earths is a bonanza for historians. Lots of questions answered, unfortunately, just as many left unresolved. Sometimes we go on specific retrieval missions, capturing long lost media broadcasts or even landing seconds before disaster strikes to retrieve irreplaceable items before they are lost forever. We tell ourselves that once these alternate worlds achieve trans-dimensional capabilities we will return their purloined booty. In the meantime, all those baubles look great in the Louvre, The British Museum, and The Smithsonian.

Although the actual purpose of our mission was classified, I can assure you that William and I were not up to anything TOO nefarious. It should have been a milk run. But milk spoils unexpectedly from time to time. I'm not clear on what caused the malfunction. I suspect that the even if all the geeks and number crunchers on the board were to tackle the problem they MIGHT be able to resolve the question as to what went wrong, probably buried in excessively opaque verbiage on what should have been a simple cause and effect report. I'm inclined to believe that it was one of those mysterious null-space ion storms that we still know next to nothing about. In any event ...

We were on our way home when every indicator in the cockpit winked out. It was even worse than the worst case scenarios we diligently train for. We were elsewhere when the storm or whatever it was hit us. A blind man without a cane in a cave would have had a better sense where he was. William tried everything he knew. I tried everything I knew. We blinked back into reality deep in the atmosphere of some alien earth. The equipment came back to life just as mysteriously as it had died, but all we could do was initiate the emergency landing protocol and brace for landing. We hit hard and everything went dark.

I woke up an unknown time later stark naked between the sheets of a supremely comfortable canopy bed. There was a lovely pink cast on my right wrist and when I lowered the covers I found a neatly stitched wound beneath a bandage on my left thigh. Whoever had taken me in did a splendid job in tending to my wounds. I gathered that I had been unconscious for several days because the wound on my thigh had already healed a bit. I was a bit startled to discover unmistakable evidence that I had been given at least one bath while I was unconscious. Everything I owned was missing, William's engagement ring, my earrings, my bio-monitors, even the star I wore in my pierced navel. I sat up in bed and called out a soft, "Hello?"

A very beautiful woman, she could not have been more than twenty-one parted the flaps of the canopy bed. She was straw blonde, with a trim lithe figure. Like me, she was completely nude, save that she wore an elaborate collar about her neck. Her pretty face lit up and she replied, "You are awake that is wonderful. The Master will be SO pleased."

"The Master?" I asked in return.

"Yes, the Master is your benefactor. We have tended to you at his request. Now that you are awake we can all breathe easier. We will not be punished for improperly caring for you."

"Punished?"

"The Master in benevolent, he never punishes unjustly." the woman said as though reciting a mantra. The universes, all of them, spun about me for a moment. Tentatively I asked,

"Where are my clothes?"

"Your garments were strange, sister. We had no idea how to remove them so, I'm afraid, that we had to cut them off of you. Not that you need clothes in the presence of the Master in any case."

"Now hold on!" I tried to interject. "I have no idea who this "Master" character is, but I'm not about to greet him in my birthday suit."

Before the pneumatic blonde could respond to that question I stated, "I had a companion with me, a dark haired man about my own age."

The collared blonde woman replied. "All of your questions will be answered by the Master. He informed us that you are from a strange clime and that our ways may not be your ways. In his benevolence, he has provided this robe, to shield your modesty."

She pulled a bit of cloth from a hook on the wall and held it open for me. Not knowing what else to do. I stood, tested my leg, found it more than adequate to support me, and slid on the robe. Not that it concealed much. It was very short, exposing nearly all of my legs to a few centimeters below my crotch. At least it did a decent job shielding my, always too large, breasts from view. The woman handed me a brush and held a small mirror while I dealt with my, as usual, unruly hair.

"What's your name. Honey?" I asked her as I brushed.

"I lost my name when I came to reside with the Master. Once I was called Lucine. We girls simply refer to each other as "sister." A name would not improve our service to the Master and would fill us with pride."

"Well, sister Lucy, I'm Kathleen. You can call me Kate."

Lucy flushed with color as though I had just slapped her on the butt "Oh, no! Unless instructed by the Master I shall call you guest or sister."

"Suit yourself, Lucy." I replied before stating, "Where's the bathroom?"

She looked at me strangely until I made a peeing sound, then her green eyes lit up and she led me to an elaborate side room lined with bidets and sinks. I felt much better with an empty bladder After a moment to collect myself I said,

"Well, I suppose I am as ready as I will ever be. Take me to your leader."

I'm not sure what I was expecting. Some preening aesthete, a pockmarked walrus, I was sure at least that the guy would project "asshole" like a pulsar or some ancient lighthouse. What I found instead was a tall, brown-haired man in his late thirties to early forties who was model gorgeous and obviously in fantastic shape. His complexion reminded me of mocha coffee. His shirt, if that's what you call it, was translucent, so that every eye could spy his impressive abdominal muscles and well-cut pectorals. He was seated on a raised chair. Naked collared women attended to him and officious looking men presented papers for his signature. Power corrupts in EVERY universe.

Lucy coughed slightly and the Master turned his attention to her briefly before giving me the once over with his huge brown eyes. I felt just like a lamb in the presence of the big bad wolf. To his credit, after his initial leer, his countenance wore a neutral expression.

"Ah, our beautiful guest has awakened." NO man should have a voice that sexy I thought upon hearing him for the first time.

With a wave of his hand, the room emptied save for a few guards and a guy in a weird hat. "Come forward, beautiful one. No harm has come to you and we treated your wounds with precision and care. There are, however, many questions we wish to ask. What is the nature of your craft? What was the purpose of your mission?"

"Well, "sire" I replied, carefully. "Those questions are best left unanswered. I had a traveling companion, a man about my own age."

"I am well aware of your traveling companion." the Master stated flatly.

"Then he survived? Can I see him?"

"Yes, he survived with only a minor concussion. He refused to answer my questions so I have dealt with him accordingly."

"What did you DO!" I cried.

"Calm yourself woman he is unharmed. He IS, however, a guest of my jailer and he is personally kept under lock and key."

"How Dare you!" I began before one of the guards leveled a weapon at me and I forced myself to be silent.

The Master pointed to the man in the weird hat who smiled and stated. "What we DO know, woman, your craft is not of this earth, yet every test we have made demonstrates that it is from SOME earth. The same minerals, the same organic matter. One of our philosophers once hypothesized that if the universe is infinite then there must be infinite earths, you and your boorish companion no doubt began your journey on a brother earth."

I'm sure my mouth was hanging open in shock as the older man's extrapolation was closer to reality than I could have imagined. With a wry smile, he continued,

"The metallurgy is strange but within the limits of our science. The electronics should not take more than a few months to reproduce. My crew of sacred scientists will be able to copy your craft within a year. Of course, when we have completed our own copy of your vehicle, we will be able to determine its purpose, but I'd like to give my men some idea as to what they are recreating."

Trying to gather my composure I boldly asserted. "You no doubt tortured William to make him reveal that information."

The man in the funny hat emitted a loud guffaw. "As if torturing that dullard would generate any useful information."

"William is brilliant!"

"Says EVERY woman in love with a man" stated the Master.

I found my attention focused on the man on the throne.

"Here's the deal." he said smugly "You and your precious "William" explain your machine and help us create its twin and we will allow you two to repair your own vehicle. If the one built for me fully functions, I will release the two of you and allow you to return home in your original vehicle."

"And if we refuse?"

"It's castration and exile on a remote island for your companion and you learn the intricacies of the collar as part of my harem."

"How can I believe you?" I asked.

"Because you cannot afford not to. Your cooperation will take months off of the project. Your lack of cooperation will only delay us so long and will gain you nothing. There is one other condition,woman. Your companion is simply a complication. The women in my harem almost unanimously declared him "handsome." I suppose he is, I am of neither the right gender nor the right inclination to judge for myself.

HOWEVER, I will NOT have him soiling my women. Therefore, like EVERY man who visits my court, save myself , of course, his manhood is currently locked up in a chastity cage and will remain so until the project is completed. Walther here has explained that in reality we only need one of you to garner the information we need. I'm inclined to simply castrate your William now and save the bother, yet the women who attended you stated that it was clear you had an abiding love for the man you were traveling with. So I put it to you simply, if you want him to remain a man and not a gelding you will provide me with the love you would have given him for the duration of the project."

"Oh my God!"

"I'll take that as a yes." replied the Master as a smugness became a nauseating smile.

I don't know how long I stood there while the room reeled around me. Obviously, the Master had us over a barrel and was in complete control. I was smart enough to realize that our hard landing had to have resulted in SOME damage to our ship. Without help, probably neither William or I could repair the damage. That this earth MIGHT have discovered trans-dimensional travel in it far future was a good possibility. Still, they would never have made a single step towards that destiny, had William and I not crash landed. The man in the wizard's hat, Walther, had put most of the picture together. It was highly probable that he could complete the mosaic on his own, making William and myself expendable. If we cooperated, however, everyone arrived at the same goals at the same time. Maybe, I thought, we could secretly repair our own ship before the second one was completed, allowing us to bug out and leave the folks on this earth groping in the dark.

Then I considered the other part of the bargain dictated to me. The thought of William being maimed, what's the word, emasculated, and I was filled with horror. I wanted his children one day. I had no doubt that the Master's threats against the man I loved were sincere. To save my man I would have to let the bastard on the throne soil me. What choice did I have?

Trying to keep a tight reign on my emotions I answered slowly. "I agree to your demands but I WILL despise EVRY second of your touch."

The Master sat back in his throne smiled and replied, "We will see about that!"

Hit let me wallow in my humiliation for a moment before he increased it.

"Very well, let us see how well you follow orders. Unveil yourself to me."

He must have seen the confusion in my face.

"Despite much temptation, I did not allow myself to gaze upon your unclothed form while you were incapacitated. Aside from a rather superannuated male doctor, those responsible for your care have all been female. Still, I realized when I first saw your unconscious form that you were a woman of rare beauty and poise. That you are also intelligent is beyond question. Now, I would feast my eyes on your naked loveliness."

"You'll let me see William? To spend time with him?" I asked

"Under carefully prescribed conditions, yes. I may even permit you some displays of affection. I expect both of you to work with my sacred scientists. So long as you are obedient, neither his life nor his organs are in any danger."

I swallowed hard, stared at the floor as I undid the belt of the brief robe, and turned beet red as it fluttered to the floor. I knew he would like what he saw, most red-blooded men enjoy looking at me. I'm one point seven meters tall and work out hard to keep myself a trim 49 and a half Kilograms. My hair is curly, shoulder length, and midnight black, a gift from my Greek mother. My steel gray eyes were a present from my Scandinavian father. William raves about my legs and butt but most men notice my ample bust first. While I never appreciated salacious leers, I generally never minded being appreciated for my beauty. Until this moment.

"Exquisite!" stated the Master enthusiastically before he instructed me to turn in a slow circle. Then, after I was thoroughly humiliated, he clapped his hands and the room filled with people once more. I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. After an interval, he signaled Lucy and stated.

"Woman, you have done well. Remove our guest and prepare her for my pleasure."

Lucy curtsied and emitted a happy, "Yes, Master!"

Lucy took my hand and steered me out of the sudden din of the Master's throne room. "You will so enjoy the Master's attentions, sister. He is the most remarkable of lovers."

"I do NOT share your enthusiasm, Lucy. Besides, I have a lover, whom your master has imprisoned."

"The Master is never unjust. If he has jailed your lover, then your lover has clearly done something wrong. Besides, he will fade as a vapor in the sunrise once you have experienced the wonder that is the Master's love."

"Jesus has he got you girls brainwashed! Get this straight, you lunatic, I will despise EVERY moment I have to share that monster's bed!"

"So you say ...now." replied Lucy with a giggle. I wanted to wring her pretty little neck and I would have too, had it not been shielded by the thick chromium collar. Lucy led me to a large room with several deep pools embedded in the floor.

"We must bathe you now. A bit of wax will keep water out of your wound and we will also shield your cast. After your bath, I will style your hair and see to all your frills before you are perfumed and presented to the Master.

"You make me sound like a bowling trophy!"

"What?" asked Lucy not comprehending

"Forget it, Lucy, let's get this over with so I can focus on despising your enslaver."

Lucy became indignant. "I am NO slave! I sought out the Master and am grateful that he selected me. All of us of his sisterhood are here of our own free will. There is no greater honor than to be amongst the Master's chosen! Women strive for that honor from every corner of the world."

I noted Lucy's sincerity but I had a hard time grasping it. "I find that hard to believe, Lucy. I see a petty tyrant with far too much power."

Lucy gasped. "Do not say such things. Sister! The Master is not to be mocked."

"I'll do more than mock him if he thinks I going to do anything other than just lie there like a manikin and let him have his jollies. I'll rip off his balls with my bare hands!"

"Now you jest, sister." said Lucy with a relieved laugh.

"I assure you, Lucy, I do NOT!"

"This conversation is unproductive, sister." replied Lucy after an interval. "Why don't you test the water to see if it is to your liking."

The next several hours were actually quite pleasant. Once Lucy and I achieve detente by not mentioning the Master further, we got along famously. She tended to me without being obsessive. I was able to completely relax in the bath. With care, she removed the few days of stubble that had sprouted on my legs and underarms while I had been out of it. She gave me a spectacular massage, made my unruly hair obedient and painted my nails a lovely shade of aqua. It was almost like a great day at the spa back home. Almost! But the inevitable could only be delayed so long.

Lucy took my hand once more and led me through many rooms in the master's palace. The furnishings and the décor were expensive but tasteful. The Master, whatever his faults, was clearly not wasting his people's taxes or whatever on things like gold plated picture frames or jewel encrusted suits of armor. If I ever visit the White House or Ten Downing Street., I hope whoever is occupying it at the time is as conservative in their tastes. From time to time we encountered other collared women going about errands. All of them were staggeringly beautiful, they seemed to be a wide variety of races and heights as well. Lucy waved at them they blew kisses at her. Finally, our sojourn ended at a thick oaken door in a wall of arched stone. Lucy pushed a button and almost immediately the Master's voice was heard emanating from a speaker by the door.

"What is it you wish?" The Master asked.

"One of your sisters had brought the guest for your pleasure." came Lucy's reply. The door swung open. I swallowed hard. Lucy urged me forward. The door to the room closed behind me leaving Lucy on the other side. Bookshelves lined the walls. Beautiful chandeliers cast a soft glow on everything. I saw a table set up for dinner. I realized I was famished. Lucy had given me a lite snack while she tended to me but it must have been days since I had eaten. I felt my stomach growl as my eyes drank in the succulent looking food. Only then did I focus on the Master.

He wore a silk robe with some sort of crest on the right breast. It was opened wide enough to demonstrate that the muscles I had seen in his throne room were no illusion. I must admit that his brilliant smile was quite attractive. He gestured at the table and said, "You must be hungry, dine with me."

He held my chair out for me before sitting himself. Whatever that meal was, it was stupendous. I spotted rice and beans, the meat was a mystery and the salad had some unusual, other-earthly vegetables but the dressing tasted just like home. The Master was content to allow me to just eat and attack my hunger for at least a half hour. Out of the shadows, a beautiful collared Asian woman appeared from time to time to refill our wine glasses and bring on the next course. The wine was very good. At last the Master spoke.