“This is not Terennia,” began the captain.
“Yes?” said the young woman, coolly.
“The line,” said the captain, “here and there, acquires such, on certain worlds, for various purposes.”
“‘Acquires’?” said the young dark-haired woman.
“‘Buys,’ “suggested Pulendius.
She looked at him, with horror.
“On Terennia,” said the captain, “it is my understanding that certain forms of relationship have been declared illegal.”
“Forms of relationship?” she asked.
“Yes,” said the captain.
“Matters having to do with property, certain forms of ownership,” volunteered Pulendius, helpfully.
“Certain things on Terennia may be owned, but not others,” said the captain.
“Land, articles of clothing, such things may be owned, yes,” said the young woman.
“One thinks nothing of the ownership of animals on Terennia,” said Pulendius.
“Certainly,” said the young woman. “One has a full and perfect right to own such.”
“But only certain sorts of animals,” said the captain.
“No,” she said. “One can own any sort of animal.”
“Any sort of animal?” asked the captain, smiling.
“Yes,” she said.
“Are you sure of that?” asked Pulendius.
“Certainly,” she said.
“Are we not all animals?” asked the captain.
“No,” she said.
“Biology, as I understand it, begs to differ with you,” said Pulendius.
“Very well,” she said. “Certain forms of animals may be owned. Certain other forms of animals may not be owned.”
“Surely you recognize the arbitrariness, if not the literal inconsistency, of that view,” said one of the ship’s officers.
She looked at him, with fury.
“You must know,” said the captain, “that slavery is quite legal in the empire.”
“Yes,” she said.
“And on many of the barbarous worlds, as well?”
“Yes,” she said.
“And on many of the most civilized, as well,” he said.
“Yes,” she said, reddening.
“On many worlds there is a body of property law, of considerable complexity and antiquity, pertinent to the matter,” said the captain.
“You are aware of the social utility of the institution, surely,” said one of the ship’s officers, “with respect to such matters as social stability, conservation of resources, population control, and such.”
“On Terennia,” she said, icily, “slavery is illegal.”
“That is true,” said the captain. “On Terennia slavery is illegal.”
“On Terennia,” said a young officer in the imperial navy, one on leave, it seemed, who had not spoken before, some seats down, near Pulendius, to the captain’s right, “it is the men who are slaves.”
“None are slaves on Terennia,” she said, angrily. Then she flushed, aware, perhaps, of the gaze of the bodyguard upon her, he behind Pulendius, to his right. “Let us not spoil the evening by dispute on such matters,” said the captain.
“You know the law, of course,” said Pulendius, “that if one should bring his property to another world within the empire, it does not cease to remain his property.”
“Of course I am familiar with the law,” she said, angrily. “The principle is a simple one, familiar from basic jurisprudence.”
“Let us suppose,” said Pulendius, “to take a purely hypothetical example, that you yourself were to become a slave, and were then to be brought to Terennia.”
“Yes?” she said, her body stiffening.
“You would then still be a slave, would you not?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said.
“‘Yes’?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said, rigid on her chair, “I would still be a slave.”
“Within the full rights of your master?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said, angrily.
“And are you so sure,” he asked, “that there are no slaves on Terennia?”
“Certainly,” she said.
“Are you so sure?” he asked.
“Perhaps in the wilderness,” she said, “in rural areas, away from the cities.”
“And perhaps in the schools?” he asked.
“Perhaps,” she said, reddening. She looked at the bodyguards, particularly at he who was behind Pulendius, to his right, and then looked away, quickly. Such men, she suspected, though she was only from Terennia, might not only relish and desire women, but might actually need them, even crave them, desperately, like food and drink, quite otherwise than the “true men” with whom she was, to her boredom, more than familiar.
“Who knows?” said Pulendius, pleasantly, wiping his mouth with his napkin.
“Are you telling me that this girl is a slave?” asked the young, dark-haired woman, indicating the pourer of kana.
“We have not said that,” said the captain.
“Kana, milady?” asked the pourer of kana, pausing at the side of the young, dark-haired woman.
“No!” exclaimed the young, dark-haired woman, drawing back.
At a gesture from Pulendius the pourer of kana returned to her usual serving station, somewhat behind the captain, and to his left.
“Who owns her?” demanded the young woman.
“The line,” said the captain, “at least until tomorrow evening.”
“After the contest,” said Pulendius.
“I do not believe she is a slave,” said the young, dark-haired woman.
“Surely such matters need not be made obvious,” said the captain.
“She is not a slave,” said the young, dark-haired woman.
“This is not a barbarian ship,” said the captain.
“Are you skeptical because she is not slave clad, and not collared?” asked Pulendius.
The young, dark-haired woman tossed her head, angrily.
“The collar is a lovely adornment, and it has its purposes, identificatory, mnemonic, and such,” said Pulendius, “but it is bondage which makes the slave, not the collar. Too, how do you know she is not slave clad?”
The young, dark-haired woman looked down, in consternation. “Is she slave clad?” she asked. The young dark-haired woman seemed agitated, enflamed.
“Yes,” said Pulendius.
There was silence at the table.
“She is not a slave,” whispered the young, dark-haired woman, desperately.
“Kana,” said the captain, irritably, holding forth his delicate glass.
“Yes, milord,” said the pourer, hurrying forward to replenish the beverage.
“Speak clearly,” said the captain.
“Yes, Master,” she said.
Then she raised her eyes to the young, dark-haired woman, and in that glance there was more than a hint of anger, of defiance, but then, swiftly, as though frightened, she put down her head and returned to her station.
Such women, you see, are not free, but owned. They may not always do what they please. They are subject to authority, to punishment.
Pulendius regarded the young, dark-haired woman, she from Terennia, she who was the minor patrician, considering her, and then his eyes rested, as though amused, on the golden necklace, about a half of an inch in height, with which she had so closely encircled her throat. Selfconsciously she raised her fingers to her throat, and then, hastily, returned them to the glistening cloth of the table. The necklace reminded him of a slave collar, of the interwoven-chain variety. To be sure, it was not as sturdy, and it did not have a lock.
“Shall I send her away?” asked the captain, concerned. As the captain of a cruise ship he had not only the care of his vessel to consider, but his obligations to look after the comfort and pleasures of his passengers.
The young, dark-haired woman did not answer.
“More kana,” said the young naval officer, he of the imperial navy, he of one of the imperial fleets, he on leave, it seemed. And so the pourer of kana remained present.