Renegades of Gor (56 page)

may not be shared by everyone. In particular, it may not be shared by those who

risked their lives in defense of the city, those who, say, fought upon the wall,

or at the gate, or on the landing or walkway. Secondly, there is the

consideration, subtle at times, to be sure, of conduct indicating suitability

for the collar.”

She shuddered.

The principle he had alluded to pertains to conduct in a free woman which is

taken as sufficient to warrant her reduction to slavery. The most common

application of this principle occurs, in areas such as fraud and theft. Other

applications may occur, for example, in cases of indigency and vagrancy.

Prostitution, rare on Gor because of female slaves, is another case. The woman

are taken, enslaved, cleaned up and controlled. Indulgence in sensuous dance is

another case. Sensuous dance is almost always performed by slaves on Gor. A free

woman who performs such dancing publicly is almost begging for the collar. In

some cities the sentence of bondage is mandatory for such a woman.

“Conduct indicating suitability for the collar,” of course, can be interpreted

in various ways, and more broadly and narrowly. It is almost always understood,

of course, fortunately for women, and as I suppose the phrase itself makes

clear, in the special legal sense of the phrase, as having to do with overt

behavior rather than psychological predispositions and such. Many Goreans

believe that all women are natural slaves, and thus, in a sense, are all

eminently suitable for the collar. But even taken in the appropriate, legal

behavioral sense the phrase is, as may well be imagined, subject to diverse

interpretations.

For example, in the present one, a judge would be expected to decide whether or

not the behaviors of the sort performed, constituted behavior for which the

collar might be suitably imposed. Also important, of course, at least in the

eyes of some, might be her failures in the defense effort, her refusal to be

shorn, contributing her hair for use as catapult cordage, in spite of the

desperate need for such materials, and (pg.373) the fact that it was only after

the imposition of a severe penalty for noncompliance that she accepted even a

small duty in the siege.

It was on the basis of considerations such as these, and perhaps cumulatively,

taking into consideration their conjoint weight, that a determination might be

made as to whether or not it was fitting that she be made a slave. Her begging

for a Cosian collar but moments ago, and her open admission of the fittingness

and rightness of her being collared, interestingly, would probably not be

considered at all. In most cities such things are taken for granted, the natural

righfulness of slavery for females, and such, and are accordingly seldom

regarded as germane with respect to the legal imposition of a sentence of

bondage.

“You do not think then that these charges should be dismissed out of hand!” she

asked, faltering.

“I would certainly not think so,” said Aemilianus.

“I see,” she said, frightened. She was kneeling up, off her heels.

We heard a Vosk gull screaming overhead.

From where I stood I could see the linked ankle rings on her fair ankles, and

part of the long chain running from the ankle-ring chain up, before her body, to

the staple on her collar. The wrist-ring chain, in front, was attached to the

same long chain. I could see also the metal collar on her neck. It was in plain

view, of course, as I had cut her hair.

“What then is your decision upon the charges, Commander?’ she asked.

“’Charges’?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said.

“Charges,” he said, “are appropriate to free women.”

“Commander?” she asked.

“They might be involved, for example,” he said, “in a trial.”

“Of course, Commander,” she said.

“Whereas in your case,” he said, “such considerations, being pertinent to free

women, may be simply beside the point.”

“But surely I have been on trial!” she said.

“Perhaps, rather,” he said, “as I suggested earlier, we are not engaged her in a

trial but in something quite different.”

(pg. 374) “I do not understand,” she said.

“Perhaps this is more in the nature of a little hearing, a quire informal little

hearing, or inquiry.”

“Commander?” she faltered.

“And perhaps what we are really concerned with here are not charges, which are

pertinent only to free persons, but causes for punishment, which are pertinent

to slaves.”

She looked at him in terror.

“To be sure,” he said, “anything, with or without reason, may be done to a

slave.”

“Commander—” she said.

“I do not think we need now concern ourselves with matters such as intentional

misrepresentations of caste, violations of decorum, arrogation of advantages,

jeopardization of fellow citizens, and insufficiency of patriotism. We must

rather consider matters which, I believe, are more pertinent in your case, and,

I fear, unfortunately for you, far more serious.”

“What matters?” she asked, terrified.

“Chief among them,” he said, “would seem to be misrepresentation of status.”

“I—I do not understand,” she whispered.

“Impersonation of a free woman,” he said.

She did not dare to speak.

“And, of course,” he said, “there are several associated considerations, such as

arrogant speech, speaking without permission, and failure to use the proper

forms of address.”

She shuddered.

“You may speak,” he said.

She lifted her hands toward her collar. “You can see that the only collar I

wear,” she said, “is a portion of my chaining. You can see that I am not

branded!”

“Are you, or are you not, a free woman?” asked Aemilianus. “Speak clearly.”

She squirmed, kneeling on the deck. She trembled in the chains. She looked from

one face to another, before her, and at the sides. Wildly she must have been

considering whether or not there might be any there who had heard her speak the

self-irreversible words of self-enslavement on the upper battlements. Then,

kneeling up, again off her heels, she straightened her back, and, I fear, was

preparing to respond boldly, and negatively, to the question of Aemilianus.

She lifted her head, she drew in her breath.

“Consider your answer carefully,” I said to her, from behind her.

Hearing my voice she suddenly uttered a shriek of misery, flung her hands up in

the wrist rings, until the chaining impeded their further movements, and jerked

helplessly in the chains. Then she lowered her hands and wavered. I feared she

might faint. Then she bent over at the waist and put her head down, and turned

half about, on her knees. Then, lifting her head a little, she looked up at me.

I looked down at the slave, my arms folded.

Then she again, quickly, put her head down.

She then turned again, on her knees, to face Aemilianus. “I am a slave!” she

cried, prostrating herself before him, her chained wrists under her thighs.

“Forgive me, Master! Have mercy on me, Master!”

She had seen me on the ship, standing there, a free man, among peers. She had

had some concept, doubtless, of what I had done on the wall, if nowhere else. I

did not think she was under any delusion as to who would be believed in any

conflict of testimonies. Too, of course, Lady Claudia, still a free person, who

could render free testimony, not even extracted under torture, for example, had

been present. Too, the young crossbowman, though she would not know his

identity, as she had been hooded, had been there later, when she had, by the

code of whimpers, acknowledged herself a slave, and before him, and me, had

performed an enticing, placatory slave behavior. She was surely under no

delusion, now, as to whether Aemilianus and the others knew the truth. They had

merely been playing with a slave.

“It is a serious matter,” said Aemilianus to her, “when a she-tarsk claims not

to be a she-tarsk.”

“I did not claim explicitly to be a free woman, Master!” she wept.

There was laughter from those about. Even Aemilianus smiled. Her entire behavior

had been calculated to deceive those about as to her status.

“Please forgive a slave, Master!” she wept. She lifted herself a little,

timidly.

(pg.376) There was laughter.

I had not wanted her to assert, explicitly, in response to the question of

Aemilianus, concerning her status, that she was a free woman. although she did

not realize it at the time, she was already then in deep enough difficulties. In

making clear to her the futility of such a lie, sure to be devastating in its

consequences, and, indeed, the futility of attempting to prolong her entire

absurd charade. I had saved her subjection to hideous tortures, and perhaps her

life. It is a very serious “cause for punishment” on the part of a slave to

conceal or deny her status. Normally, of course, there is very little danger of

this sort of thing occurring, as she is usually collared and branded, and,

usually, is clad in a distinctive manner.

“Kneel,” said Aemilianus.

The girls struggled up, in her chains, and then knelt before him. She crossed

her chained hands over her breasts, covering herself. This was interesting, this

sudden, poignant touch of frightened modesty, now that she was aware of her

slave vulnerability.

Aemilianus’ eyes were upon her. She lowered her hands. He continued to regard

her. She then knelt back on her heels. Still his gaze did not leave her. She

then, blushing, opened her knees.

“How did you become a slave?” he asked. He knew, of course.

“I confessed my natural slavery,” she said, “and then spoke words of

self-enslavement.”

“At which point,” said Aemilianus, “you ceased to be a person, and became a

property.”

“Yes, Master,” she whispered.

“An animal.”

“Yes, Master,” she said.

“Do you think it is acceptable for properties, for animals, to pretend to the

status of persons?”

“No, Master!” she said.

“But yet you did so.”

“Forgive me, Master!” she begged.

“I have a mind to turn you over to free women,” he said.

“Please, no, Master!” she wept, terrified.

“What do you think should be your disposition?’ he asked.

(pg.377) She looked up, startled. It seemed she thought wildly, excitedly, for a

moment. But then she put down her head, humbly, fearfully. “Whatever master

pleases,” she said.

“It is a suitable answer,” said Aemilianus. I drew a deep breath. That, I

feared, had been a close one.

“You are in slave chains,’ observed Aemilianus.

“It is fitting for me, Master,” she said. “I am a slave.”

“What is your name?” he asked.

“I have no name,” she said. “I have not yet been named.”

“You were eager to serve Cosians,” he said.

“Or any man, Master,” she whispered.

“You were not pleasing,” he said.’

“Forgive me, Master!” she said.

“Put her to one side,” said Aemilianus, “and bring forth the other female.”

Two men took the former Lady Publia, now an unnamed female slave, by the arms

and pulled her to one side, where they put her on her on her belly on the deck,

her chained wrists under her.

In another moment another figure, also in sirik, was produced. The sturdy collar

of the sirik, from which the central vertical chain depended, could not be seen

on her in front, or at the sides, because of her veil. One could see it, of

course, at the back of her neck, below the white, scarflike turban. Too, of

course, once could see, in front, the dependent chain, the wrist rings and ankle

rings, and such. I saw the figure’s eyes, frightened, meet mine as she was drawn

forth, with small, hurried steps. She was put on her knees before Aemilianus.

She looked to one side and saw the former Lady Publia, naked, in sirik, lying on

her belly, on the deck.

“Consider,” said Aemilianus, “the exciting costume in which the prisoner appears

before us, the baring of so much of the arms, the baring of the calves, the

ankles, the feet, the cling of it, indicating it conceals no undergarments but

only female, how closely it resembles in may ways that of some simple, humble,

impoverished, low-caste maid, and yet how cleverly it is contrived to display

its occupant, and in a fashion calculated to stimulate the capture appetites of

vigorous men, men accustomed to look upon females as slaves and loot, as prizes

and pleasures.”

(pg.378) There was assent to this. I am sure that more than one man there wished

to tear those taunting rags from the beauty they bedecked.

The former Lady Publia, lying at the side, groaned. A fellow kicked her. She was

then silent.

“Are these ingenious rags yours?” asked Aemilianus of the figure kneeling before

him.

“No,” she said.

“They belonged once, did they not, to a woman called Lady Publia, of Ar’s

Station?”

“Yes,” she said.

“Why are you wearing them?” asked Aemilianus.

“I wore them that I not be recognized,” she said.

“You would fear then,” he asked, “to be recognized?”

“Yes,” she said.

“You had wished to be taken, perhaps, for the former Lady Publia, of Ar’s