The Quarry

[Rage Menelas]

[font=Lucida Sans Unicode]He had the man in stasis. It was always necessary to start with them in stasis. He attached the device and programmed it, stepped back and took a long look at the individual he had harvested. This would work out fine... he hoped! He brought him out.

“Can you hear me?” he asked, as soon as he saw the eyes begin to flutter. The man looked up and nodded faintly. “You are safe, no need to be alarmed.” He had already set his appearance so that there should be no trouble there. Humans sometimes panicked when presented with unworldly imagery... at least at first. No need to unnecessarily traumatize the individual.

“Who are you?” Ryan asked the older man peering down at him.

“Call me Charlie.”

“Well, okay... now for the sixty million dollar question: where am I?”

Charlie smiled, a gentle warmth playing around his deep blue eyes. “I don't think you would believe me if I told you.”

Ryan cocked his head, “won't know 'til you try, old boy.”

“There is a certain logic to that line of thought.” He sighed, nodded and continued, “You're on my spaceship.”

Memories of the light and being lifted into the silvery object flooded back. The man took a quick look around. He was in a very sterile environment indeed, all shiny steel (or some type of metal), no decorations, no instruments or equipment. Over there was a single open entrance. He seemed to be lying on the same type of metal surface, raised to about waist height. He nodded to Charlie, “I believe you.”

“Good, that is a critical first step.”

“Mind explaining why I am here?”

“Why not?” The first piece of information had been so well received, he decided to push his luck. “You have been harvested.”

“What am I... an ear of corn?”

Charlie laughed, a warm pleasant laugh, “no... you are a man... and now you my apprentice.”

“Your apprentice?”

“Yes, that's right.”

“Okay... well what does that mean exactly?”

“You do not understand this word: apprentice?”

“Well, it's a little archaic but no... I understand it fine... it's the context I'm having trouble with...”

“Ah, I can help with that.” A chair appeared to form out of the wall and move to the older man. He sat down in it and folded his hands in his lap. “I am a master starflyer from the Ka'Osafete Federation. You are to be my assistant in all my endeavors. And you will learn everything I know in the end. You are my apprentice.”

“What if I'm not interested in being your apprentice?”

“But,” Charlie looked genuinely puzzled here, “you threw your life away. It is no longer yours to do with as you please.”

“What?”

“You pulled the trigger on your weapon. If I had not been there you would be dead. Your life was discarded. By Ka'Osafete law I had a right to it.”

Ryan shook his head in disbelief. He had to be dreaming. How could this be really happening. He looked around the room again. Reached up with his right hand and slapped himself in the face. Nope, he sure felt that.

He looked back at Charlie. “So, I am your... slave?”

“That is an inappropriate appellation. Look at it rather as being drafted. You were in the navy of your nation, no?” When the man nodded he continued, “now you are in my navy. When you were in your nation's navy you could not just choose to leave, could you?”

“Not until my enlistment was up...”

“Right! And it is the same here. You may purchase your freedom when your enlistment is up.”

“Purchase?”

“Yes, once you have become a master starflyer like me, I will provide you with a ship of your own. You will owe me the price of the ship plus the price of acquiring you as an apprentice... you see?”

“I see.”

“Good, now rest some... I must tend to the authorities and get us off this planet.”

“Uh, okay...” He had no idea what else to say. He was stunned, his head swam with a thousand thoughts, a million questions. But he had a strange feeling there would be plenty of time for that...