Before - Legends Captive to Crown: A Tale of the Hapes Consortium (Completed 3/12)

This'll be my first foray into the Before forum, though it's far from my first fic. As always, the universe belongs to George, I'm just playing in it for a while.


Historian's note: This story takes place more than 4,000 years before the battle of Yavin, and a few decades before the fall of Ulic Qel-Droma.


Captive to Crown
A Tale of the Hapes Consortium

Prologue: Lower Decks

Once again, he'd been given the lowest duty possible. While the others were up on the passenger decks selecting their prizes, he'd been sent down to the cargo decks to see what plunder might be awaiting the Raiders. Granted, this was his first mission outside of the Consortium, but how was he supposed to learn the duties of a pirate if the cargo decks were all he saw? Even his off-duty time, it seemed that the captain was trying to keep him from learning the skills that would allow him to climb within the ranks of the Lorell Raiders.

"Tobyn!" The voice of the captain, his father, boomed from the well leading to the upper decks, where the bridge, weapons controls, and the larger cargo bays were located. Those were the bays that would see the prizes, while the holds that Tobyn had been assigned to were used primarily for the supplies the ship might need.

Tobyn rose, and brushed a strand of chestnut hair from his face. "Yes, Captain?" he asked. He never addressed his father as such while a mission was in progress, lest some think that the captain might be showing some sort of favoritism towards his eldest son.

"The treasure loading has been completed, and the last of the hostages are being brought aboard in the next shuttle. Once that's done, we'll be heading home. I thought that since this was your first time outside the Cluster, you'd like to see some of what lies beyond the Mists."

"I don?t want to be a problem, Captain. I'd hate to see a successful raid end badly just because I was in the way."

"You won?t be in the way, boy," the captain said. "If further battle comes, I'll see that you return down here. But you should see what it takes to be a Raider, if you're going to be taking a share if the prize."

"You mean you're going to actually let me take a share?" Tobyn asked. He'd been on raids before, as the Raiders picked off those unlucky enough to stray into the Transitory Mists, the gaseous cluster that made communication into or out of the Hapes Cluster unreliable at best. But on those raids, Tobyn had simply been along for the ride.

"It's a tradition for a man to take his first wife on his first mission. Of course, she'll have to properly?groomed?before you can truly claim her. But it will be several months yet before you're ready, which gives you time," Tobyn's father said with a smile.

A wife, a prize, Tobyn thought. He'd heard how the ranks of the Hapan women were broadened by the captives brought from raids, but he'd never realized that some were taken before they were truly ready. I'd always thought they flung the young ones back for ransom, he thought.

"Of course, you'll have to prove yourself worthy of her," his father said. "You'll be responsible for ensuring that your prize learns the ways of a proper Hapan woman. I won't have you ruining the honor of our house, just because you can't control a woman."

"You have my word, Father, that it shall not happen."

"Good. Then come with me, and make your choice."

++++++++++++


Hope you enjoy what you've seen so far, and will drop back in to see where this goes. I should have the first post of Chapter 1 up early next week.


Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

very interesting start. me waits to see wehre this goes. and I've a feeling that wife would become teh first queen

 

interesting start! 'wondering what the prizes look like'
looking forward to the next post

 

Please put me on your PM list!

 

Sil: Glad you like the way this is beginning, and it doesn't surprise me you're going to stick around.

XANI: Glad you like the start, and I hope you'll stick around for the ride. As for the prizes, I'll just say this: they're all beauties.

VaderLVR: I'll be happy to do so.


Okay, here comes the first part of Chapter 1.


Chapter 1: Abduction

"I suppose I really didn't understand what was happening the way it happened. Maybe I was too young when I was taken from home, and made a servant in a world not of my choosing." - Aelinor

It was supposed to be nothing more than another vacation, and the route was one that we had used countless times before. Weeks ago, I'd extended invitations to my closest friends, as had my two older brothers and my younger sister. A week ago, we'd packed our bags and left home aboard one of the luxury yachts that Daddy's company owned. I didn't know it at the time, but it was to be the last time I would see the world of my birth.

We'd just passed the region many referred to as simply "the Mists." The region was known to be dangerous, and everybody spoke of the pirates who had been known to hide in the treacherous region, waiting for the unsuspecting ship to pass. Daddy had assured me that we'd be perfectly safe. "They wouldn't dare try and hit us," he'd said.

Those words had been enough for me, or they would have been, had it been the truth. It was the middle of the night when the ship began rocking. "What's going on?" I asked Rique as I emerged into the corridor and nearly ran into him. Rique's the other of the middle kids, so the two of us were probably the closest. I'd never known him to hide anything from me, but the way he seemed to be almost chewing on his lower lip suggested that he was trying to exactly that now. "C'mon, just tell me. One of the stabilizer units go?"

"I don?t think it's the stabilizers, Ael," he said, using his pet name for me. "If I didn't trust Father more, I'd say that we were under attack."

"In the middle of the night? Even pirates have to sleep."

"Yeah, but space knows no clock. Their night may not be the same as ours." He turned, heading towards one of the lift tubes. I suspected he was heading for the bridge, which is where Daddy would be if something were truly amiss. I looked down at my nightdress, knowing that it probably wasn't appropriate dress for the bridge. But if Rique was going up there with nothing on but a pair of loose pants, then decorum be karked. I smiled inwardly, knowing that Mother would wash my mouth out if I ever actually gave such language voice.

Rique and I arrived on the bridge to find Daddy already there, issuing orders to bring the yacht about. I never studied the layout of the yachts in the company's fleet, but I knew enough about space travel to know that one ship wasn't going to be able to hold off the five that were arrayed against us.

"What are you doing here?" Daddy asked as he turned and caught sight of us. He was dressed in dark trousers and an open white shirt, his black hair falling almost to his shoulders. It was unbound, and somewhat unkempt. Apparently, the attack had caught him asleep as well.

"You didn't raise us to run and hide, Father," Rique said. "I just wanted to find out what was going on. I couldn't help it that Ael decided to tag along."

"Neither of you should be up here," Daddy said. "In fact, you're probably safer if you do hide. We're under attack by pirates."

"I thought you said that there weren't any around," I said, then realized how stupid the comment sounded. Pirates lived on being able to hide. My face must have blushed with the realization, and nobody responded to the comment. Then again, telling one's boss that his daughter's a mindless dolt isn't the best way to remain employed.

"I want both of you off this bridge. This is no place for children. Rique, I want you to find Tomass his friends. You're going to have to get ready to protect our guests. Aelinor, find you

 

the poor girl. I've a feeling she might be one of the most important players here

 

It certainly looks good. I'll keep reading. Are you doing PM's? I'm interested!

 

Sounds like Ael is about to lose her family, most particularly the men in her family. I'm scared for them, because in only a few paragraphs you've made me care. PM?

 

bump

 

Sil: She's definitely important, but certainly deserving of pity. And thanks for the bump!

SithGil: Glad you're interested. Due to circumstances explained below, I'm not going to be sending PMs as of right now. But once things change, I'll certainly add you to the list.

ratna: Glad I've made you care in such a short time. And I'd say it's more likely she'll be lost to her family, but that would be getting ahead of myself.


Sorry I haven't posted sooner, but my computer kinda crashed on me. My posts will be a bit irregular for the foreseeable future, and I probably won't be able to get out my usual PMs. I do have more of the fic written though, so without further ado, I'll give you that. And I promise I'll be back soonest with individual replies.


I awoke slowly, to find my surroundings a bit fuzzy. I shook my head, trying to clear the cobwebs from my brain, and nearly vomited. Apparently, the coma gas that I guessed the pirates had used was still wrecking havoc with some of my body's systems. Since I couldn't force my body to return to its normal function, I simply sat, and waited for the gas's lingering effects to vanish.

When my vision finished clearing a few minutes later, I found that I was seated against a bulkhead, my hands bound behind me, and my feet bound with some kind of crude leather tie at the ankles. I turned my head slowly, trying to take in my surroundings without opening myself to the risk of becoming ill.

What became almost instantly obvious was that I wasn't aboard the Tanaab's Treasure. That realization sent a surge of anxiety through me. If I wasn't aboard Daddy's ship, then I must be aboard one of the pirate vessels. For the first time, I was aware of the danger that I was in. After all, who knew what these pirates had in mind. Was my family to be held for ransom? Sold into slavery? I didn't know, and it terrified me.

As I looked around the room in which we were being held, which appeared to be a cargo bay, I recognized the faces of all my friends, as well as the rest of my family. My sister was seated next to me, and I could feel her beginning to stir. My brothers and father were at the far end of the bay, though they seemed a little worse for wear. I couldn't be certain, but it looked like Daddy was nursing a nasty bruise under his left eye.

I would have tried to get to them, but the bindings made even rising to my feet awkward. That, and the lingering effects of the gas that the pirates had used on us left me barely able to stand without blacking out, so I allowed myself to sink back to the floor. At least my family seemed to be safe, for the moment. It was becoming painfully clear just how dangerous the situation was becoming.

With my family's status determined for the moment, I began looking around for my friends. I quickly caught sight of Talya, a flame-tressed girl with whom I'd been friends for as long as I could remember. There was fire in her dark eyes, and I could only hope that she wasn't going to try and do something stupid, something that might get all of us killed. I'd spotted a few other friends when a hiss came from the doors nearest to me. It wasn't like the hiss of the coma gas that had flooded the corridors of the Treasure, but more like the hiss of hydraulics.

I turned, to see a group of pirates entering the bay. At first, I thought of feigning unconsciousness, but figured that it would be a useless gesture. Better to face what was coming with my eyes open, I decided. "I trust that you've all recovered from the effects of the gas?" a swarthy, scarred man said. He wore a tunic of deep crimson, beige pants, and high black boots. A blaster was slung low on one hip, and it wouldn't have surprised me if he had a vibroblade on him somewhere. "It's the quickest way to take over a ship, but it does tend to leave some of our guests a little worse for wear." He laughed, as though it were amusing.

"Some of you have already discovered the limits of our hospitality," he said, his gaze

 

Superb post! I'm looking forward to what comes next!

 

c'mon girls break free! and I'm sorry 'bout your comp

 

ew, these guys are horrible.

 

VaderLVR: Glad to see you're enjoying the fic. Writing it from the first person is something I'd experimented before, but it really seems to work well here.

Sil: I'm afraid breaking free at this point isn't real likely.

ratna: They are pirates, and probably more like the cursed ones aboard the Black Pearl than Captain Jack.


Okay, here comes the beginning of Chapter 2.


Chapter 2: Transport

"The trip to Hapes gave me time to plan, to learn, and to adjust. Whether I knew it or not, Hapes was becoming part of me, and me of it." - Aelinor

The captain led me to a small, cramped room aboard the vessel. The walls were dark, and there wasn't much inside but a bed, and a small refresher station. The closet was full of drab garments, not the sort of thing a tour ship tycoon's daughter was used to. And given the rumors about the beautiful women of Hapes, I didn't see how the clothes I saw before me would enhance a woman's beauty. There was also a computer terminal.

I sat down on the edge of the bed, contemplating my options. I could try and escape, and face whatever price would be demanded of me. After all, it couldn't be much worse than becoming a broodmare for a pirate's son. I could accept my fate, and get what sleep I could during the voyage to Hapes, which I guessed was the ultimate destination.

My third option was to try and avert the fate that awaited me. I doubted that the pirates would be stupid enough to allow a prisoner access to any vital system, but perhaps they doubted that a single, young, frightened girl would be any threat. If they thought that, all the better. It would leave them open to the sort of attack I envisioned.

I reached for the terminal, and found that my access was indeed limited. The files available for me to peruse seemed determined to offer me guidance on the path to becoming a proper wife for a Raider. I looked at the options I had available to me. "A woman is always second?" I read aloud. "What sort of rubbish is this?" My curiosity got the better of me, and I opened the file.

I quickly discovered that the files weren't going to be of any help to me. They seemed to have one goal, to brainwash me into becoming a timid wife who did as her husband ordered. I was under the impression that I had been chosen because I would make a man out of the captain's son. Giving in wouldn't do that; it would simply show that I was weak, and could be dominated.

I shut the console down, and turned away from it. A single viewport showed the Treasure floating off to one side. She was scarred, her smooth hull blackened and burned by the weapons the pirates had brought to bear against her. As I watched, the ship blurred, and then vanished, replaced by the mottled sky of hyperspace.

I'm not even going to see the Transitory Mists, I thought. Given what they'd done, the pirates could have offered me that one little pleasure. But they were headed home, which I knew was the only logical option available. I was certain Daddy would have sent out some sort of distress call, and I could only hope we'd done enough damage that the pirates wouldn't risk hanging around. But such thoughts also made realize something: I'd taken the first step to becoming a proper Hapan wife. I'd abandoned hope of rescue, and submitted to my fate, whatever it might be.

That thought clung to me as I lay down on the bed. I pulled one pillow to my side, hugging it while my light hair stuck to my face. I was sweating, probably with some degree of fear, and I hadn't even realized it. I was a prisoner in the hands of captors whose whims I couldn't know, and I was powerless against them. Those thoughts running through my brain, I did the only thing a seventeen year old girl could do in such a situation. I cried myself to sleep.

++++++++++++


Assuming that my comp doesn't crash sometime between now and the weekend, I should have the next post up by the end of the day on Sunday.

Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Hope your computer stays alive.
Great story! I like the first-person viewpoint. Will keep reading!

 

I'm intrigued.

You do 3rd peson for Tobyn, the boy, first person for Aelinor, the girl.

And your profile says you're a guy.

I (a female) think you're doing a great job with both characters. No mean feat!


I liked this point:

I was under the impression that I had been chosen because I would make a man out of the captain's son. Giving in wouldn't do that; it would simply show that I was weak, and could be dominated.

Have a feeling Aelinor is gonna shake things up a bit. But Tobyn seems like a nice sort, background notwithstanding.


I'd taken the first step to becoming a proper Hapan wife. I'd abandoned hope of rescue, and submitted to my fate, whatever it might be.

Nice insight.


Thanks for PM!

 

me hopes your commp stays alive too

 

Great update!

 

SithGirl: Glad you like the first-person POV. It can sometimes be a bit hard to write, since there isn't the scope of a third-person omnicient.

ratna: The fact that I'm writing the fic the way I am makes for some interesting discussion. Glad you think I'm handling things well so far, and I hope I can continue. Aelinor's certainly going to shake things up.

Sil: You and me both!

VaderLVR: Thanks!


Okay, here comes the next post, which'll finish off Chapter 2.


I felt it before I heard it, and it was just enough to jar me from sleep. I'd been doing that a lot over the course of the last day, and whether it was a result of stress, or some lingering effect of the coma gas, or some other combination of factors I hadn't yet identified, I didn't know. Nor did I really care, as I was beginning to slip into a sort of acceptance of my fate. I hadn't had word of my family, and was wondering if I would ever see any of them again.

I shook away such thoughts. I had to prepare myself for whatever awaited me. The change I'd felt, and then heard, was the ship leaving hyperspace and reverting to normal space. I was certain of one thing. Wherever the pirates intended to bring us, we had arrived. I moved to the window, and looked out on the world that lay below. I was beautiful, a blue marble against the black backdrop of space. I wondered if this was the near-mythical Hapes, of which I'd only heard rumors.

The ship began to descend, the planet growing larger as we moved closer until it filled my limited view. I began to make out landmasses, and even smaller bodies of water. We passed through the atmosphere, and came into what I realized was a standard approach pattern. These pirates were either certain of their security, or incredibly cocky. After all, they'd made it quite clear that they intended to ransom some of their captives.

Of course, those captives were probably enjoying accommodations other than the ones I'd been given. I also decided, as we passed through the atmosphere, that it probably would be in my best interest to at least appear to be trying to fulfill the role demanded by the life the Raiders appeared to have bestowed upon me. I'd moved to the closet, my hands moving through the various dresses that hung there. Many of the dresses were definitely not the sort of thing I'd ever have considered wearing, and were definitely not in my size, either. Even those that did appear smaller seemed far more revealing than I would have liked.

"I suppose I might as well get used to it," I said, to nobody in particular. It was bad enough I was actually thinking about going along with the plans the Raiders had for me. I wasn't about to start talking to myself. I found a small chest of drawers built into the underside of the bed, and found that it was filled with undergarments. At least the pirates had the decency to provide such things, though what was provided was probably looted. Either that, or one of the wives had been responsible for provisioning this particular set of quarters. I stripped out of my nightdress, and changed. By the time I felt the slight thump of the ship landing, I'd dressed, though the bodice of the dress was a little tight. Well, it was too late to worry about that.

I set on the bed, looking to the door. After all, sooner or later, the pirates were going to come looking for me. The captain's son would want to parade his prize before the others, and the captain would want me secured in the domain of his wife as soon as possible, that she might begin training me for my new life. As if I'd ever let such training take hold. It might take a lifetime, but I was going to escape from the wretched role in which this trick of fate had left me.

I'd been sitting for an hour before the door opened. But it was neither the captain, nor the son, nor any man. "Alessandra, first wife of Captain Morwan, has sent me to fetch you," the young slip of a girl who stood before me said. Her hair was thin, and light, while her eyes

 

I wonder who that girl is...

 

I wonder too. I bet she will have some later significance. Interesting story!

 

Sil: If you want to know more about her, just keep reading!

SithGirl: She's got a part to play, that much is certain.


Okay, here comes the next post!


"A man always comes to a woman seeking something. When he has found it, he is no longer interested." ? Alessandra

I was led through the ship by the girl, who brought me to a covered groundcar. I saw a far larger, more open vehicle nearby. Several of the women I'd seen in the cargo hold were being placed aboard, and it seemed to be under heavy guard. I scanned the faces, looking for friends or my mother. I saw a few friends, but no sign of my mother. "What's happening over there?" I asked.

"Don't concern yourself with them," the girl said. "They'll be taken to the slave markets to be prepared for next week's auction."

"What do you mean, prepared?" I asked, perhaps a little more quickly than I should have. "I have friends over there."

"It's better you cut all ties with your old life," the girl said. She held open the door, and gestured to me to enter.

"But they're my friends. It's my fault they're even in this situation in the first place!"

"But you can do nothing about it," a throaty voice said from inside the vehicle. "Ambyr speaks the truth. Now get inside." The voice had an air of command to it, and I did as I was told. I found myself facing a beautiful woman, her space-black hair falling loosely over her shoulders. Her eyes were a shade I'd never seen before, a blue so deep it was almost indigo. "You've already wasted enough time today."

"You must be Alessandra," I said. Only someone with a title like "first wife" could be so haughty.

"I am. And you will address me as First Wife, when I give you leave to speak at all. Is that clear?" I stubbornly said nothing. "Is that clear?" Alessandra repeated. "Answer me!"

"Yes, First Wife," I said.

"Very good." She turned to look over her shoulder. "Take us home," she said to someone out of sight, presumably a driver. She then returned her gaze to me. "I almost wonder if you're going to be worth the trouble," she said. "I suppose there are things you wish to say, or ask me. Best we get them out of the way before we arrive."

"I just wonder how you can be so cold. You just made me turn my back on my friends when I could have done something to help them."

"Their fate was already sealed. Would you have preferred to join them?" Alessandra asked. "I could have the driver take us back."

"No," I said softly.

"Good. Let this be your first lesson, then. A First Wife has no friends." Her eyes bored into me, as if she were trying to read my soul. "A First Wife must always be on her guard, lest someone stick a knife in her back. But you will have time to grow used to the idea. When we reach the estate, we shall begin your lessons. Your first shall be to learn the duties of a lady's maid, so that you do not confuse them with your own duties."

"And how am I to do that?" I asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"You and Ambyr shall share the duty of waiting on me," Alessandra said.

++++++++++++


That's all for now. Look for the next post this weekend.


Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Brilliant work so far!

Add me to the PM list, please.

 

Amazing fic! I love Hapes! and you know how to write them. Nice work.

 

so that's where teh sheming culture begins. One wife is treated so well that all the other women get jealous and try to kill her.