Maimai stood before the large window of the south wall, looking out over the garden a story below. It was quiet this morning, hushed, which was unusual considering all of the seraglio's inhabitants were awake. Some of them would normally still be asleep having just gotten to bed or having retired late in the night. Others would already be up and about, gossiping, talking, singing, playing musical instruments or arguing over some trifle.

None of the usual morning sounds were heard today. The women of the harem were scattered about in groups and singly, whispering or sitting, quietly worrying over the interruption of their rather monotonous routine.

An interruption might be welcomed simply because it broke up the boredom that tended to prevail. But not this one. Not one that forced them to face the reality of where they were, what they were.

Early that morning, one of the women had returned from spending the night with Emperor Seisan. Truthfully, she wasn't really a woman but a girl. Just about 14 years of age. She had come to the seraglio as a gift from her government. A tribute to keep the Emperor of the Doku-jin happy so he wouldn't send his army pillaging on their planet.

This girl, Rachi, had been dragged back to the common room after her first night introduction to the "pleasures" of being in the harem. Beaten, bruised and afraid, Rachi had been dumped inside the room without so much as a glance from the guard that had escorted her.

Furyo and Toriko, who had befriended Rachi almost from the moment she had arrived, had bundled the crying girl off to her alcove to put salve on her wounds and do what they could to ease the pain of their young friend.

Maimai tilted her head a little to one side, turning it a bit to catch the sounds from Rachi's alcove. Furyo and Toriko came through the curtain, looking tired and worried, but not indicating that Rachi was in any immediate danger. Mai could hear that Rachi had stopped crying.

Probably sleeping, Mai thought. It wouldn't do much in the long run but at least for now the girl could escape her suffering. Mai decided to visit Rachi after she woke up. She could offer some help in healing the girl's wounds. It was gift she had and luckily one that had gone unnoticed by Emperor Seisan.

The women of the seraglio weren't exactly loyal to each other. Most of them were jaded by their experience and competed with each other for whatever favors they could gain. Being the Emperor's favorite "pretty" had its own advantages. He was less likely to beat a favored woman, could even be gentle if he was of the mood to be and more likely to call on his "pretty" if he was.

At the moment, the closest there was to a favorite was Dorei. She was voluptuous, tall, with streaked sandy hair that was artificially kept in waves. Her status was slipping, though, as the Emperor had called on her less and less, and was not as gentle when he did. But she held on to what she had with an iron will and was quick to take advantage of any situation to ensure her position.

Mai had almost been subject to Dorei's wiles when she had used her healing skills to help one of the other slaves. She hadn't been there long, so was unaware it might attract some unwanted attention. Dorei hadn't made it a secret that she would tell the Emperor of Mai's abilities and that the newcomer could expect punishment for it.

Mai had managed to turn the situation back in her favor when the Emperor had called on Dorei and, in a fit of anger over some planet's refusal to pay tribute, had sent her back with bloody wounds. Mai healed Dorei on the condition that the skill would be kept a secret and used on others. Dorei was too proud to let the wounds she had heal into scars, so she agreed and so far had not reneged.

The Emperor's favorite was currently reclining on a chaise, taking slow draws off a spiced cigarette in an onyx holder. The grey-blue smoke curled up to the ceiling and disappeared into hidden vents that kept the air fresh. Her tawny eyes were half closed and a thoughtful expression was on her face.

Mai had no doubt that Dorei was processing the events of the morning and figuring how this might be used to her own advantage.

Off to the side, two other inhabitants, Kaisui and Bachi, were standing in a corner by the window, talking to each other and had just drifted from the subject of how much noise Rachi's sobbing had caused.

Kaisui periodically misted herself with a handheld atomizer, moistening her blue-green skin. She came from a humid world and found the drier air of Dokusei irritating. Her soft scales glistened in the morning sunlight as she moved a little, bobbing her head to agree with something Bachi had said. She waved a hand that had translucent webs between the fingers. She also had fins where ears would normally be, though it seemed they served much the same purpose.

Bachi stood about the same height as Kaisui but was vastly different in appearance. She was insect-like, with amber colored hard skin and oval shaped head. Two segmented antennae grew from her forehead and twitched as she spoke. Jewel faceted eyes seemed to be able to see the whole room at once. Occasionally, a thin membrane slid down over them like an eyelid, keeping them clean of dust. Her wings were folded and held close to her back.

They both seemed to have grown bored of the excitement of that morning and were now talking about how they hadn't received any new clothes and why did the cloth on the last batch felt so inferior to before.

Bachi remarked it must be because the newest crop of Konchuu-jin silk hadn't been shipped yet.

Mai suppressed a shudder and returned to looking out at the garden. The Konchuu-jin silk Bachi had mentioned was made from the cocoons of the slave class on their planet. The slave were purposely allowed to breed with abandon, with the ruling class urging them on by saying the more children they had, the more likely one of them would be allowed to survive the culling and mature.

Kaisui didn't react at all to the mention of the silk and readily agreed that it was the best the Emperor could purchase. Her own people, the Mizu-jin, were used to having large batches of children and losing many to the stronger citizens. They were unashamed cannibals, though there were no castes. If you survived, it was because of your skill not your birthright.

Mai felt little anger anymore towards those two. They had been taught by their societies what was acceptable and what wasn't. Bachi might have suffered some in the beginning, since she was an upper (though not ruling) class citizen and they weren't expected to sacrifice much for their planet.

Kaisui apparently didn't care since she wasn't being mistreated, was in fact cared and provided for with the only demand being that she look pretty and be graceful.

Mai sighed a little. That was another reason she couldn't feel much irritation with the two. They weren't subject to the same demands as the others.

The Emperor certainly enjoyed his harem and expected them to obey his every whim. But he kept a certain few whose most demanding task might be to stand around and put up with the occasional touches. Bachi's sharp mandibles which flanked her mouth and Kaisui's tiny, razor-like teeth kept their duties to a minimum.

Mai knew she should be grateful, since she benefited from the same situation. The fangs hidden behind her thin lips had helped persuade the Emperor to keep her merely as an ornament he would sometimes play with. That and the fact that he thought all her people were asexual beings with no gender and reproduced by egg laying also helped.

The examination performed by the court doctor had not revealed anything that could be classed as "female parts" except for her breasts. When she was asked about her species, she had mentioned that she had hatched from an egg and summarized the process. The doctor had taken that to mean she couldn't used for the usual "pleasures."

Mai hadn't argued and hoped that she would be freed, or at least put into a situation that would be easy to escape from. The Emperor had decided she was exotic enough to keep as a curiosity. He had praised her soft emerald skin and the bright red and pink areas that adorned several parts of her body. The fact that she had no hair, not even eyebrows, pointy ears and antennae didn't seem to phase him at all.

He hadn't cared for her traditional robe and vest, so he commanded she wear something not so concealing and she was given sleeveless, gauzy dresses.

Soft footfalls behind her interrupted Mai's thoughts. She turned her head slightly and smiled a little at the wild haired woman who approached her.

"Hello, Brussi," Mai said to her.

"Eh... morning." Brussi came alongside Mai, then whirled around and flopped down into the window seat, her long black hair whipping up and down with her sharp movements. She leaned over to a nearby table, snatched a round fruit from a bowl there, then leaned back again, draping her arms on the window ledge.

Brussi inspected the fruit for a few seconds, then bit into it. After chewing and swallowing, she gave Mai a sidelong glance. "Rough night for the new one."

The smile faded from Mai's face and she looked back out to the garden. The sight of the beautiful green and flowering plants gave her a little peace, even if she couldn't be among them often. "Yes."

"Seisan's a pig," Brussi growled softly, scrunching up her face as she bit into the fruit again, making it seem that she was reacting to a sour spot instead of insulting their benefactor.

Mai flicked Brussi a warning glance but knew her friend didn't care much whether she was heard or not. Brussi hadn't been in favored status since she was 14 years old. That had been years ago and was probably due to the fact that beating her didn't really cause a change in attitude. Mai wasn't sure why Brussi was kept, except maybe because she was the strongest of the women there and even she couldn't overpower the guards to escape.

It was a good way to dissuade any of the others from thinking they could do better.

Brussi scanned the thinning crowd of women, many of the thirty or so inhabitants had drifted off to their alcoves now, likely wanting to stay out of sight in the hopes nothing else would happen. She ate the rest of the fruit in silence.

When she leaned forward to grab another one, Dorei said from across the room, "You shouldn't eat so much, Brussi. It goes to all the wrong places on you."

Dorei laughed huskily and arched her back, emphasizing she had her curves in the right spots.

"SasKo iYaShi!" Brussi spat, then grinned evilly, cutting off the other woman's laughter.

Dorei's eyes widened a second, then narrowed. She drew a long puff off her cigarette, then blew it out in an annoyed fashion. She tossed her hair and smoothed out her dress, then fixed her gaze on another woman, demanding to be attended to.

Mai sat down on the window seat a little space from Brussi. She picked up a small stringed instrument, settled it on her lap and plucked at it aimlessly. She bit back a smile and asked softly, "What did you say to her this time?"

Brussi shrugged and leaned back against the cushions, then her grin widened.

"I only called her a greedy bitch. It's not my fault she thinks I'm damning her to the gods every time I speak Saiyan," she answered and bit into the fruit.

Mai choked down a laugh and plucked the strings some more, trying not show her amusement. Brussi might be brash enough to provoke Dorei, but she wasn't that bold.

"I don't suppose that's because you keep telling her that's what you're doing when she asks?"

Brussi shrugged again and kept grinning while she ate.

Mai shook her head a little. She picked out a ancient tune, more suited to a fue, a sort of long wind instrument, then the lap harp. But the fifes and pipes provided didn't take into account the variance caused by her fangs, where the fue did since it was an instrument designed by her own people.

Her mother, Rea, had often sung the tune during the dark nights of winter, when the strong northern winds howled and knocked tree limbs against their hut. Those nights had been disturbing, not because they were in any danger, but because her mother Rea was a survivor of the terrible storms that had ravaged her planet. The sounds had reminded her mother of the disaster and the reason she was now living on a foreign world.

Those memories had been passed on along to Mai at her birth, along with thousands of years of accumulated knowledge from her people. So she could envision the birth world of her species, knew the language and customs, even the smell of the air and the taste of the water.

Mai sighed again.

Brussi tossed the pit of the fruit she had eaten into a trash basket and looked at Mai. "You were staring at the garden again."

"It reminds me of my home," Mai replied, continuing to strum the harp. She honestly meant the hut where she had been born and lived for sixteen years. She didn't feel she could call Nameksei her home when she had never been there, no matter how much she wanted to go to it.

Brussi grunted. She said, with an edge of censure, "It's been seven years, you're still homesick?"

Mai's fingers stilled on the harp. She stood and laid the instrument back on the stand she had taken it from. Looking back out to the garden, she thought wistfully of her youth in the forest.

"Ka..." Brussi said softly, then turned on the seat and studied Mai's profile. "I guess it doesn't get much easier, even for those of us who pretend it does."

Mai smiled sadly. "I suppose so."

Brussi sat in thought for a moment, then began, "Mai..."

Before she could go any further, a guard opened the door and walked into the common room. His boot heels clicked on the cool tile. Mai, Brussi and the other women still in the room became silent, not moving as he marched crisply around the furniture and over to Rachi's alcove.

Mai bared her fangs a little and took a step forward. Brussi was quick to her feet, putting a hand on Mai's shoulder. When Mai looked at her, Brussi shook her head. It would cause trouble for all of them if anyone interfered with the guard's mission. Mai reigned in her impulse to protect the girl and waited.

Within seconds, a muffled curse came from behind the curtain. The heavy drape was swept aside hurriedly. The guard stepped out again and glared at the women, then marched back out.

Furyo and Toriko, who had peeked out from their alcoves, now raced to Rachi's alcove and went inside. A broken sob could be heard seconds later.

Furyo came back out and ran up to Mai. "Come... come quickly!"

The woman tugged on Mai's hand. Mai didn't hesitate, she followed the other woman to the small enclosure where Rachi slept. She was still a few feet away when she sensed something wasn't right.

Furyo pulled her inside. Mai looked down and saw Rachi sprawled on her bed, her face still mottled purple and swollen, lips caked with dried blood. Her skin was pale, she wasn't breathing.

Mai knelt down beside the bed and spread her hands above Rachi's body. She knew what she would find, but had to check for the sake of Furyo and Toriko. It took only a few seconds.

Mai sensed no life in the girl. The body was already becoming cold and rigid. She looked up at Furyo and shook her head.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered.

Toriko broke down, sliding to her knee and covering her face with her hands. Her black hair fell forward, shielding her as she rocked back and forth. Furyo held Toriko around the shoulders. She stroked her distraught friend's arms, making gentle shhshh sounds as she did so.

Mai looked back at Rachi's body. She couldn't sense any life-threatening injuries. A few broken and fractured bones, but nothing that should have caused her death. No burst arteries or veins, no bruised organs. No evidence of shock.

She probed a little deeper. No poison, either, though she hadn't really expected to find any. The Emperor was fairly strict about what the women could get a hold of. Even their food was served without utensils, so they had nothing to make into a weapon.

Mai tilted her head. Something was odd. She found the brain to be a little unusual. Different species often had different ways of organizing the cells, but there were common traits that could be found. Rachi had a greater concentration of synapses in certain areas.

There was something familiar about that...

Mai began to search her inherited memories, the knowledge of the Namek-jin. After a moment, she found it.

The traits Rachi had were common among telepaths and telekinetics.

She gave a mental nod, that would make sense. Some telepathic and telekinetic species had the ability to control their bodies. Certain functions which would be in the realm of involuntary action could be changed or stopped altogether.

Rachi had simply halted her body's functions.

Mai decided that it wasn't necessary to tell Furyo and Toriko, at least not yet. They needed to grieve...

Unfortunately, it didn't seem they would be given much of a chance. The doors swung open with a crash and the heavy pounding of boots on ceramic resounded in the chamber beyond.

"OUT! Come out all of you!" was bellowed in a deep voice. A crack struck through the air.

Mai stood and tugged on Furyo and Toriko's arms, pushing them out of the alcove. They joined the rest of the women. The group arranged itself around the stout figure of Supreme Palace Captain Hiso. His face was flushed and he glowered at the assembly.

He paced around the inner circle of women, sneering and clutching his ferengor, an energy whip favored by the seraglio guards since it inflicted a lot of pain without causing any injuries.

"There will be a price to pay for this outrage... this disrespect to the high honor of His Supreme Self Emperor Seisan!" Hiso cracked the whip again, sending little blue energy bolts along the floor. "No one, NO ONE has right over their lives in this place! Not one is allowed to decide her fate!"

He turned and strode to the middle of the group, then glared at each of them in turn. "All of you will suffer unless the ones who assisted in this come forth!"

Gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd. Most of them hadn't an idea of what this was about, this increased their fears. Some eyes began shifting about in an attempt to come up with a plausible scapegoat or two.

Mai gritted her teeth and prepared to step forward. No one had helped Rachi's suicide, not that she expected Hiso to believe her. But at least it might spare the others.

She waited too long. Dorei pointed to Furyo and Toriko. Her arm shook a little and she scowled, claiming vehemently, "Them! It was them! Furyo and Toriko, they were in Rachi's alcove after she came back! They helped her do it!"

Brussi growled and stepped forward. She shouted, "How do you know, Dorei? Furyo and Toriko were Rachi's friends but they're soft. They wouldn't have the guts to help her do such a thing!"

"Then maybe you did!" Dorei shot back.

"Hah!" Brussi stood her ground, but choked back the challenge she wanted to fling at Dorei. It didn't matter whether or not Brussi had actually been in the alcove. If enough of the others thought it would help their case, they would lie easily to pin the crime on her.

"No," Toriko said, her voice rough from her recent crying. She glanced up at Brussi, then away. "No one else was there."

Furyo gazed at her friend, then tipped her chin up and stared defiantly at Hiso. She stated in her sibilant voice "That's right. It was us two. We aren't soft."

Hiso cracked the whip again.

"Touching, I'm sure," he sneered. "Very well, you two will bare the brunt of this. Guards!"

Several guards came closer and spread themselves out among the women. Two guards positioned themselves by Brussi, one on each side, and took her arms. She growled at them but didn't make a move to dislodge their hands. Other guards handled either one or two women on their own. Four guards took charge of Furyo and Toriko.

Hiso looked at each of his men, then said, "Take them all down to the execution area. We'll use the posts there."

He grinned sadistically at Furyo and Toriko, then strode from the room.

Mai pressed her lips together. She hadn't meant to let Furyo and Toriko take the blame for this. Rachi's suicide was not their fault! But she had waited too long. If she tried to argue with Hiso, he would simply put in her with them.

Gods forgive her, she was too afraid now to do it.

The guard gripping her arm began to pull her forward, moving her out of the common room. Out to the punishment that Hiso had planned.

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