Shaylene wasn't sure where she was. It seemed like the red-light district of a burgeoning spaceport city, but she didn't recognize the planet. Garish and lewd advertisements flashed all around her in a myriad of languages. Her white uniform was painted one lurid color after another as she walked along the avenue. Ahead of her, her current minder, a Nemesis Overlord floated purposefully through the throng. Even among the many species congregating in the area, its metallic gold ovoid shape stood out. A pair of recently converted Trok slavers trudged behind her. The normally unruly brutish aliens had been tamed by the Nemesis with crainial implants. Now the tall broad humanoids were dutiful footsoldiers.

Tamed, much like Shaylene herself. Until recently, she had been an ADD agent code-named Tantrica. She'd been part of an stike team sent to raid the base of the Ebon Triangle, but somehow the transport had been redirected into a Nemesis ambush. She and her fellow agents had been quickly overrun and captured. She had been singled out and taken before Raethos-

"Ahh!" Tantrica gasped and winced as pain gripped her mind. Master Raethos she mentally corrected, turning the pain into a pleasant haze almost immediately. Master Raethos had taught her the essence of obedience though endless pain and pleasure. The fluid he'd filled her with made it feel good to obey, but agony awaited her if she strayed. She only hoped that it might wear off someday-

"Urk!" Shaylene stumbled quickly after the Overlord, getting too far behind would cause even more pain than the 'gentle' remiders she'd just experieced,

The unusuall procession wound through the maze of streets. The crowds tended to melt away from the Overlord; they must have heard of the Nemesis' recent attacks on pirate and slaver strongholds. Tantrica had overheard some of the new Trok 'recruits' recounting the assault on their base. The Nemesis victory had been swift and absolute.

The little group neared another establisment. It seemed newer and more upscale than the ones thay had passed. A Vyrexan darted from a nearby alley way and approached the Nemesis Overlord. The small lizard-like alien bowed before the golden cyborg.

"REPORT," the Overlord screeched in its electonic voice.

"Vesspira arrived earlier today to overssee operationss at her new venue," the Vyrexan motioned to the establisment accross the way.

"INTELLIGENCE CONFIRMED; YOU MAY GO." The Overlord replied. The little dinosauriod disappeared back into the darkened alleyway.

Shaylene remained quiet and still during the exchange. She had been conditioned not to speak unless spoken to and couldn't raise a finger against anyone affiliated with the Nemesis. She could feel the Troks behind her leering at her. Her uniform, nearly destroyed during her capture had been remade by Master Raethos. His nanites had spun the suit on around her and it fit perfectly, showing off her trim athletic figure in ways that left little to the imagination. Not that Troks had much imagination.

Trying to ignore the lustful stares of her 'escort' as well as those of many passersby, Shaylene turned her attention to the establishment in question. Some of her agent training kicked in, noting entrances/exits, potential weak points and physical or electronic security. She was sure the Overlord was doing a similar evaluation, though likely with much more accuracy do to its enhanced senses.

It was a never ending struggle to expand for Vespira. The ADD and other factions have made moves against her establishments in the past only for new ones to come up in short order. Never satisfied with what she had, the Gorgonian sought once more to expand into one of the outer systems. Finding locations with advanced technology such as a space port were few and far between out here. But, such seclusion made them ripe for the serpent woman to wrap her coils around and manipulate them into accepting her wondrous offerings of sensual pleasures.

As always, the Gorgonian always sought to make her establishments stand out from all other buildings in the area. She wanted her precious jewel to shine brightest among the lessers. The steady beat of loud music could be heard upon approaching the new location. Numerous alien patrons were in line to get in as large greenskin bouncers checked them at the door. Two human females in tight uniforms typed away on data pads while swaying their hips back and forth. The two women were a mere taste of what was available inside.

The approaching metallic being and pair of Troks drew the attention of the alien bouncers and human females. One of the alien's grunted, sizing up the Troks and looking over the Overlord. "You want in? Get in line!" He grumbled.

The location was smaller than Vespira's more well known establishments. This was merely a test to see how the place faired in the further reaches of space. The building looked to be about four or five floors. There was the obvious front entrance though there were probably ways in for supply vehicles along with ways to get in through the roof. The line to the main entrance was long and would no doubt take time to wait through all those alien patrons.

Vespira was relaxing in her personal chambers. Various human and alien females were tending to her needs when she received a call from the front entrance. There was potential trouble, prompting the Gorgonian to bring up the scene on a large view screen. A sharp hiss left the serpent woman as her forked tongue flicked out. Nemesis... What were those machines doing here?

Shaylene watched with trepidation as the Nemesis Overloard floated resolutely forward toward the bouncer. She hoped a fight didn't break out here, she'd seen what these machines could do, and even the scum waiting in line didn't deserve that kind of massacre. Plus whoever ran this establishment obviously had some money and connections of his or her own. In addition, Tantrica had been forbidden to fight, so she couldn't even defend herself. Not that she had any weapons or a current sexual charge in any case.

"INFORM YOUR MISTRESS THAT AN ENVOY OF THE NEMESIS CARTEL SEEKS AN AUDIENCE." The Overlord screeched at the bouncer. Perhaps coincidentally, one of its multi-optic scanner units was tuned directly toward the camera broadcasting to Vespira's view screen. It's lifeless, inorganic 'eye' nevertheless seemed somehow to peer through the video feed.

The Troks closed in on either side of Shaylene, shielding her from the ire of the waiting patrons. They'd been told to guard her and she imagined they had as little choice in their actions as she currently did. At least their loyalty implants kept them from pawing at her constantly. Ahead, the Overlord floated easily, awaiting the bouncer's response. It seemed completely oblivious to the anger of the aliens in the queue and exuded an air of confidence and control that a machine ought not to be able to exude.

The many lights from the building cast a glow over the two parties. The heavy beat of the music did little to ease the tension that rose as everyone watched things unfold. A low growl left the bouncer leading the conversation. "Everyone in the whole bloody galaxy seeks the Mistress," he replied, "Take your shiny metal ass to the line and maybe you may get inside."

Vespira's eyes narrowed. The only reason someone would go to a planet as out of the way as this one would be to either hide their activities or seek something specific. The scaled serpent was not fond that the Nemesis Cartel either tracked or followed her to this place. It was unknown how many machines make up this so called envoy. The alien crimelord came out here to avoid troublesome conflicts. The last thing she needed was a fire fight outside her new establishment. But, she was not about to be pushed around by a machine thinking she was at their beck and call.

The serpent pressed a key on a nearby pad. One of the women at the entrance stepped forward. "The Mistress has strict rules for those who enter her establishments," the woman stated as she typed away at her data pad, "No weapons. Any who enter must disarm. Weapons will be returned... Or in your case, reactivated upon leaving the premises. Do this and you may see the Mistress."

"WE WILL COMPLY," The Overlord announced flatly. "TROKS, SURRENDER YOUR WEAPONS." As the Troks moved forward to disarm, the Overlord floated a few feet to the side. Hastening to stay within a a few paces of the cyborg, Shaylene was right next to it when it began to separate.

A seam formed around the 'head' of the ovoid cyborg, just below its scanner assemblies. With a hiss, the upper portion lifted away from the main body of the Overlord. For a brief moment, the remains of some creature's brain and spinal cord could be seen hanging from the floating 'head'. The soft tissues were embedded in a crystalline matrix that quickly folded up under the eye-pod. A lower shell formed around the matrix, making the small sensory pod nearly spherical in shape.

"This life-pod has no offensive capabilities," the Overlord declared. "Do not attempt to move or tamper with my combat chassis. Potentially lethal countermeasures are in effect." The opening atop the chassis sealed itself over with newly constructed golden alloy.

The Overlord's life-pod rejoined the two Trok guards, who had relinquised their particle side-arms. Since they were not on a combat mission, they were not carrying the heavier plama rifles their species favored. Tantrica hurried behind the Overlord, staying within range. Luckily her conditioning nanites were smart enough to realize the life-pod was now her minder, rather than the chassis it left behind.

Scanning the Overlord's life-pod would reveal the mechanoid creature spoke the truth. Ther were no pulse-wave projectors in the small spherical pod. It contained one, relatively small extendable tentacle with amorphous capabilities, but was otherwise unarmed. It was still enclosed in a self-perpetuating dark-energy shield, however. The Troks also had no weaponry, though their cyber-enhanced musculature and nervous systems still made them quite deadly in a fist-fight. Their naturally thick hides had also been enhanced with ballistic fibres and energy-dampening coils. Shaylene read as human, of course, though some cybernetic components were clustered around the pain and pleasure centers of her brain. She quite obviously had no weapons.

"Lead the way," The Overlord-pod said, addressing the woman who had spoken.

One of the muscular aliens retrieved the weapons from the Troks. The eyes of the human women and perhaps some of the waiting patrons widened as they saw the metallic machine open up and reveal the brain and spine that resided inside. Vespira only stared at the display in annoyance. At least the thing decided to move out of the way before dismounting. Still, the metal threat would be in view of all who come seeking entry to her establishment. Such a hindrance truly displeased the Gorgonian. It displeased her more than knowing that disgusting mass of brain matter would seeking her audience.

The bouncers grunted in disapproval but continued to follow their orders. The two human women looked at each other before one pressed the data pad to her chest and approached the hovering pod.

"If you will follow me..." the woman stated, avoiding an honorific as she was not even sure what to refer to this thing as. Leaving the bouncers and other female behind, the lovely woman led the four into Vespira's establishment.

Inside, the four were greeted to the loud music they heard from outside. The beat was steady and there were a trio of human women dancing on stage. There was a second and third floor landing area that over looked the show. Numerous women of varying species were walking about with trays of food and drink to bring to various aliens sitting at tables and booths all about the spacious chamber. The lights were dim with various colored glows providing enough illumination to see and navigate while the brightest lights were focused on the women on stage.

The booths provided some privacy though one could see a woman's upper torso hanging out from one of them. She was off the floor, most likely the rest of her was laying on a table. Her body slid back and forth. Exposed breasts bounced freely, glistening with sweat and perhaps more. Dull eyes fluttered while her tongue hung out from her parted lips. Drool escaped her moaning lips as whatever patron she was serving was no doubt going to town on her lovely form.

The woman leading them walked without even glancing at her fellow slaves and workers. Hips swayed back and forth, always flaunting her shapely form to the appeal of all who would look upon her. The datapad pressed to her breasts only caused them to be pushed upwards, further putting her cleavage into further prominence. Her long blue hair was tied back into a pony tail that swayed with the motions of her body.

She led the four along the less walked paths of the establishment. Whether it was an order by the Mistress or her showing enough awareness to not lead these creatures into view of patrons who are wanting to eat and fuck was unknown. Eventually, she led them to a back area that had stairs leading up to the top floor. There, the halls were well lit. Numerous paintings and objects of art lined the path leading to various VIP rooms and suites and finally to Vespira's personal chamber. There were a number of tall thin humanoids garbed in black cloaks and gas mask-like facial coverings. They were all visibly armed with blaster rifles, no doubt ready to defend Vespira at a moment's notice.

Two of the garbed aliens flanked the double doors that led to Vespira. The guards did not move a muscle as the woman stepped forward and opened the doors for the four to enter. Inside was brightly lit and lavishly decorated chamber. A mass of pillows and cushions was the bed Vespira was coiled upon as she gazed upon her visitors. The serpent was wearing gold and silver chains, necklaces, bracelets, and rings. Various jewels glimmered as much as her prismatic scales as she casually shifted upright. Her breasts wore metal pasties with jeweled tips. Translucent sashes of varying colors hung loosely over her shoulders and drifted in the wake of her arms. The female alien spared no expense when it came to flaunting her wealth and class.

Eyes briefly flicked over four, scanning over the green haired woman who was no doubt the most appealing out of the group. Vespira made a faint gesture with her hand, dismissing the escort to return to her duties. All the other slaves had long since departed, leaving the Gorgonian alone with her four visitors. "You come here, your very pressence hindering my businesss, demanding an audience?" Vespira hissed as she sat full up. Every motion caused the lights to reflect of her fine scaled body. "I do not like being followed. I do not like being tracked. And I do not like those who think they can make demands of me," Vespira stated venomously, "Your presence cossts me both time and money. Sspeak!"

Tantrica tried not to stare as the little group was led through the club. Everything in it seemed designed to flaunt some aspect of debauchery. On one level, it offended her sensibilities. All the girls here were slaves after all; but it was also darkly thrilling. She found herself tempted to sway with the music as she walked. The deep throbbing bass surged through her, making her tingle all over. It was hard not to become aroused in a place such as this.

Shaylene averted her eyes and shuddered involuntarily as they passed the booth with the woman hanging out of it. She couldn't say for sure if that shudder was horror or excitement. Her conditioning and her Sexual Energy Channeling training made it difficult not to respond to such obvious sexual displays. The green haired woman's cheeks were rapidly becoming flushed witha mixture of embarassment and excitement.

It was obvious the path taken was designed to keep them away from the majority of the patrons. It seemed only logical. Her minder and escorts seemed to take no mind of it, however. The Overlord's pod hovered resolutely forward, while the Troks flanked Tantrica, keeping her mostly shielded from the patrons. Their gaze never wavered as they marched along. The Nemesis' loyalty implants must have been quite powerful to keep the brutish slavers in check so well in such surroundings.

Into the back and up the stairs the envoy followed the blue-haired hostess. All were silent. The Overlord and Troks took no notice of the art objects, nor of the guards standing at their posts. Shaylene couldn't help noticing their ghoulish aspect, nor the obvious use of masks as a method to evoke fear. Even if they needed such breathing apparatus, there were surely less intimidating versions available.

Finally, the party was lead into the private suite of the club's owner. Shaylene suddenly realized she didn't know the alien's name. One look at the tentacle-haired snake-woman changed that, however. She had never encountered Vespira before, but her organization and exploits were well known to the ADD. Some might even say legendary. Still, Tantrica wondered why the Nemesis had brought her here. Surely there were better ways to arrange for a sale. She frowned slightly at how easily the thought of herself as a piece of property came to her.

That thought was soon swept away, however as she got a better look at the serpent woman coiled on her bed of pillows. She was stikingly beautiful. Raised among some of the more friendly non-humans, Shaylene was more comfortable with xenoforms. The glittering jeweled scales of Vespira's tail were breathtaking. She found herself staring and quickly lowered her gaze, but it was difficult to look away; even when the alien woman's ire was apparent.

The Overlord and Troks seemed unfazed by neither Vespira's aspect nor her demeanor. The thick-bodied guards stood at attention, while the Overlord floated forward a few feet. It bobbed in the air, slightly; perhaps its take on a bow.

"Apologies, Lady Vespira; economic and temporal disruption were not intended," The little machine's warbling voice pronounced. "I have been dispatched by Lord Raethos, Supreme Commander and Creator of the Nemesis, to deliver a message." The little cyborg turned slightly and extended its tentacle to the side. A fist-sized crystal sphere glinted in its multi-clawed appendage.

"Here girl," the Overlord called to Shaylene. "Take this data crystal to Lady Vespira." Tantrica hastened to take the proferred device, carefully clasping it in both hands. Trying to swallow her anxiety, she walked as calmly toward Vespira as she could. She was acutely aware of the slowly fading blush she still wore, as well as the slight stiffening of her nipples that her skin-tight suit did nothing to diguise. She stopped at what she hoped was a comfortable distance and held out the crystal to the serpent woman, still trying to avert her eyes.

Yellow eyes narrowed at the floating equivalent of a brain in a jar. At least it knew how to speak politely though the voice was less than pleasant to listen to. "A messsage?" Vespira watched as the green haired woman approached. She was now given a closer look at the submissive beauty. Such human signs of arousal did not escape the Gorgonian's senses. Her forked tongue flicked out briefly, tasting the human woman's scent. She was easily the most pleasant thing to look upon. The nervousness and lowered gaze showed that this one still had emotions and needs that can be manipulated and satisfied unlike the floating brain and mindless scaled muscle.

Vespira stared down at the woman for several tense moments. There was no real displeasure with this one. The alien serpent was merely making the woman more tense and uneasy for her own amusement.

Slowly, the Gorgonian slithered closer. Hips swayed from side to side, her jewelry and scales glimmering under the bright lights of the chamber. A hand gripped Shaylene by the chin, forcing her gaze upwards. "You look away," Vespira hissed, "Do you not find me appealing, human?" Slitted pupils stared into the woman for several moments. "Mm..." She licked her lips as she took the crystal from Shaylene's hand and slithered away.

The scaled woman slithered to a console to socket the crystal in. Eyes briefly flicked over to the Overlord before having the computer read the message in the data crystal. Arms folded under Vespira's breasts as she waited to see what Raethos wanted from her.

Shaylene didn't - couldn't - resist as her chin was raised. Transfixed by that reptilian gaze she hovered between excitement and trepidation. She couldn't have looked away if she tried. This alien woman who exploited others for her own gain should have disgusted her, but she felt only an illicit thrill. Was it the conditioning? She couldn't be sure.

"I-" Tantrica tried to answer Vespira, but couldn't articulate her thoughts. She blushed furiously at the failure as well as the hunger she sensed in the snake-woman's eyes. The alien's exotic beauty was darkly enticing, but there was more to it than that. She had a powerful presence as well. Shaylene sighed with a mixture of relief and disappointment when Vespira finally took the crystal and moved away. Her touch left a lingering tingle on the agent's chin.

When Vespira placed the crystal into the console, nothing happened immediately. The computer struggled to decode the alien crystal's dense matrix before returning an unknown format error. Before either party could react, however, the crystal lifted out of the device and floated to a clear space between Vespira and Tantrica. Once there, it began spinning. Faster and faster it spun as it drew energy from the fabric of space-time itself. Soon, it began to project a field of energy around itself which expanded and morphed into a humanoid figure. Tall and thin, it nonetheless possessed an aire of power and dark nobility. The projected creature had long limbs and a large, bald head that tapered from bulbous cranium to pointed chin. It's lanky frame was covered with a glinting black bodysuit with matching boots and gloves. A mid-length cape billowed back from its shoulders. It's ashen grey face was featureless, however, save three growing red eyes across its widest portion. The middle eye was set slightly above the other two and oriented vertically.

Greetings, Lady Vespira. I am Raethos, Lord of the Nemesis. The being's voice was a rich, smooth baritone, though it was 'heard' with the mind instead of the ears. One could tell that the Overlord's voice was based Raethos' 'vocal' pattern, though the original was vastly more appealing.

As soon as the projection of Raeithos' avatar solidiified, Tantrica fell to her knees before a painful reminder from her nanite conditioning could drive her there. She cast her gaze down, remaining still and quiet, scarcely daring to breathe.

Forgive me for not appearing in person; other matters prevent me the pleasure of attending you directly. Still, I would be honored to formally make your acquaintance, thus I sent my envoy with this message. I do hope it has not caused undo disruption; The Nemesis are loyal servants, but they can be a bit single-minded.

The purpose of this message is twofold: First, I would like to invite you to parlay on the formation of an agreement of mutual economic and social benefit. Second, to prove my goodwill, I present you with this gift: Raethos' image gestured to where Tantrica knelt, apparently interactive enough to sense her location.

The former ADD agent Tantrica fell into my hands during my recent annexation of the Ebon Triangle Slave Company. Her complete ADD file is included in the crystal containing this message. With a wave of its hand, the image sent the file to Vespira's computer. A blinking message in the header read: "Status : KIA." As you can see, they believe she is dead, so no one will be looking for her.

I have personally pre-conditioned her to be properly submissive and responsive, though should you desire a challenge, this crystal can be used to contol the nanites in her brain, allowing you to configure them as you see fit or turn them off. Just hold the cyrstal and direct your thoughts into it to do so.

In addition the crystal is also a thought-wave communicator. It can be used to contact me at any time. Simply direct any thoughts you wish me to receive into the crystal. I will answer if I am able. I invite you to use this function to arrange a mutually acceptable time and place for us to meet in person. Until such time: farewell.

The image dissolved and collapsed back into the crystal. Spinning to a halt, the gleaming device floated over to Vespira and waited for her to take it into her hand. Tantrica looked up after Raethos' image disappeared, though she remained on her knees. She was slightly dazed, not having realized the agency thought she was dead. There was little hope of rescue- The green-haired girl gasped in pain as the nanites reminded her not to consider such things. She was property now and forever.

The Overlord, silent throughout the display, floated forward slightly and bobbed its facsimile of a bow. "Title and Ownership of former ADD agent Tantrica is now formally transferred to Lady Vespira. She is your Mistress now, girl." Shaylene nodded dumbly, struggling to process the recent events. "By your leave." The floating cyborg waited to be dismissed before gathering up the Trok guards and exiting the way it had come.

More annoyance rose at the crystal not being compatible only for it to float up and begin spinning. A holographic projection appeared, revealing Raethos himself. His voice soaked directly into the Gorgonian's mind, hearing his words inside her head. He was certainly more pleasant to listen to than the floating brain nearby.

The message was short, a mere invitation to meet in person at a future time. Only then would further business be discussed. For now, this visit was merely to offer a gift. It was not unheard of to be offered items of worth as a gesture of good faith. Eyes did not leave the humanoid image until the message was completed. Vespira took the crystal floating before her and set it back down on the console. A key was pressed to call in another female servant to walk the Overlord and two guards out of the establishment. Their weapons and pod would be returned to them as promised.

Alone with her gift, Vespira looked over Tantrica. She slithered around the human woman for a few moments before grasping the crystal. The Gorgonian had no use for nanites to control her pets. She would test just how trained this green haired woman truly was. With a thought, she disabled the nanites completely before setting the crystal back down.

"Sssuch unpleassant thingss," Vespira hissed, "But, he did provide me with a new prize. How does it feel to be discarded by the ADD, sslave? Tell me, how can you sserve your Misstresss? Perform well and I can assure you will not be disscarded nor forgotten."

A hand gripped the agent by the chin. Those yellow eyes resumed boring into the human woman's psyche once more. "Those cold machines musst have treated you sso poorly," the serpent continued as a hand cupped and hefted one of the woman's breasts, "You will prefer working here. A body like yourss can easily become the new favorite out here."

Tantrica remained kneeling as she had not yet been bidden to rise. She was still too befuddled to do so anyway. Discarded? Surely not; if the agency thought she was dead , , , But, if they hadn't found her body, how did they know she was dead? Did they really not care enough to verify her death? To be honest, all of her missions had ended in failure of one sort or another. Maybe they had just given up on her. She didn't want to believe that . . .

"I-" Shaylene tried to answer Vespira's first question, but couldn't make sense of her own feelings. Not knowing the nanites had been disabled, she winced involuntarily against a shock that did not occur.

"I will serve however you desire, Mistress." She skipped to the second question. Still no pain. She took that to mean her actions were acceptable.

Then she was face to face with Mistress Vespira's terrifying beauty. Her powerful, hungry gaze compelled Tantrica to stare back into her reptillian eyes. The mention of her time with the Nemesis brought the horrid memories of unending rape. Not for the pleasure of the cyborgs, but simply to make her climax again and again until she was completely exhausted. Each time she came, she was inundated with the nanite fluid. The worst part was that their ejaculations were not driven by orgasm, so she couldn't even acquire a charge - not that she would have been able to fight back anyway. The recollection made her shiver, but not entirely from revulsion. Her SEC training required her to be receptive . . . And the Nemesis had made very good use of that.

"Ahh!" Tantrica gasped as her breast was fondled. Already a particularly sensitive part of her anatomy, her breasts were also fully aroused thanks to the reminder of her capture. Her nipple poked rock-hard throught the thin fabric of her uniform and into Vespira's palm. She moaned and involutarily arched into the serpent woman's grasp. Her eye's never left those of her new Mistress, though - and her mind began to dull. She knew enough about hypnosis to realize she was being primed, but she didn't even consider mounting a defense. Her hours with Raethos had trained her to submit and even without the nanites, that reaction was thoroughly engrained.

"Hmm... Ressponssive," Vespira hissed, "Good. A body made for fucking, jusst like all human females."

She gave the breast she held a hard squeeze, admiring how the lovely orb molded between her fingers. A thumb slid up and down over the hardened peak that was easily spotted. The alien serpent flicked and tweaked the nub a few times, feeling the hot blood pulsing with the aching nub before finally releasing the woman.

Vespira turned, slithering back towards her bed of pillows and cushions. Hips swayed from side to side, the bright lights glimmering across her prismatic scales. The beautiful snakewoman layed on her side, facing her newest acquisition. "Thisss is your chance to impresss your Misstresss," Vespira hissed, "Sstrip, show jusst what you can do with that body of yours."

Yellow eyes stared at Tantrica, eagerly awaiting this beauty to unwrap herself for her. The nanites would have no hold over this slave. It would be up to this human woman to decide if she would obey and perform well for her audience of one. Punishment was clear when she was with Raethos. There was no telling what this alien woman would do if she was disappointed. Vespira would cup and squeeze one of her own breasts, fondling herself while awaiting for her pet to obey her commands.