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SCARBOROUGH FAIR

Story One

Chapter One

By RedFox6

A thief finds more than he bargained for.

In a cold, damp cell, Tollel shivered naked in the dark, her arms wrapped around her chest and her tail curled up between her legs. The chains, real steel rather than the plasteel most used, holding her arms to the wall rattled gently, while the heavy metal collar abraded the back of her neck, leaving a bald patch in her red fur. The metal straps of the muzzle locked on her head kept her from opening her mouth more than a centimeter or two, enough to scream but not enough to bite. Her black, shoulder length hair was tangled and filthy, while the white fur on her belly and breasts was matted with dirt, blood and cum. Her body constantly aching from the tortures inflicted on her, the vixen morph fearfully watched the door, dreading its opening, for that would bring more pain and suffering to her. Already she had lost all sense of time, with no idea how long she had been imprisoned in this dungeon. Her past life was fast becoming a fading memory, drowned out by the physical and sexual abuse she endured each day. Her ears twitched forward as she heard soft footsteps approaching. She inhaled, trying to identify by scent which of her persecutors was coming. In the dark, she whimpered softly. "At least," she thought. "it's only one this time."

In the darkened corridor, a human male trod carefully and quietly from door to door. He was dressed in a chameleon suit, helping him to blend into the shadows. The bulky outline of a Vedtech SmartHelm covered his head, with the goggles concealing his eyes. Through the light enhancement function of the goggles, the corridor was as bright as day. Using an electronic lock pick, he was unlocking each door he came to. Looking inside, the SmartHelm's pattern recognition programming, set for the proper electronic signature pattern, enabled him to quickly determine that the equipment he was looking for was not in the room. He would then relock the door and move on to the next. He was called Leucidion, Leu to his few friends, and tonight he was looking for a specific device he had been hired to acquire. Unfortunately, his employer had been rather vague on what the device actually looked like, only that it was a cutting edge computer interface system, and that it was secured somewhere in this basement.

"Twenty rooms so far," he sub vocalized into the whispermike of his helmet, speaking to his partner. "If it doesn't turn up here, I guess we'll have to hit his mansion in the hills."

"That would be less than desirable," came the quiet answer. "The security on his mansion makes the security here look positively prehistoric. I am not sure how well I could penetrate it. And that would increase the risk to an unacceptable level."

"Nice to know you care," Leu whispered back.

"It would take me much time and effort to find someone to replace you," was the response. "Also, a new partner might not allow me the autonomy you do. It is much more cost effective to ensure your continued survival."

"I should know better than to argue with an AI," Leu chuckled to himself. He unlocked the next door and looked in. All he saw was a naked vixen morph chained to the wall, cringing in fear and whimpering softly. The cell was totally bare otherwise, with not even straw on the floor. It wasn't what he was looking for, so he relocked the door and continued on.

Tollel curled up and tried to shrink into the corner of her cell as the door opened and a figure looked in, outlined by the faint light from the corridor. He wore a helmet, and carried something in his hand. Fearing more torture, she whimpered and tears ran down her face. She could make out goggles as the figure looked at her. His scent was unfamiliar, and she didn't know what kind of abuse to expect. Her relief was heartfelt as the figure withdrew from the doorway, and she heard the lock reengage. She would go a while longer without more pain.

Leu scanned the next storeroom. It had lots of interesting items in it, some of them quite valuable looking, but none of them even remotely resembled a cutting edge computer interface system. He paused for a moment, thinking.

"Aw, Deity's child frag me sidesaddle," he muttered, then backtracked to the cell.

"Leu, you're not going to do something foolish, again, are you?" came over his comlink.

"Sorry, Marie," he said. "But, yeah, I'm doing something foolish again."

"Oh, Deity, no!" Tollel thought as the sound of footsteps approached again. "He's changed his mind." The thought of the coming rape and torture filled her mind, and she buried her face in her paws and began crying softly.

As the door opened, Leu spoke softly in Lingua Franca, "Take it easy. I'm here to free you. Relax and we'll get you out of here safe and sound. It's okay. Really." As he spoke, he was unlocking the manacles, removing the muzzle, and gently raising her to her feet. Smiling as reassuringly as he could under the goggles, he led her towards the door. "It's safe, I'm not going to hurt you. Once we're out of here, I'll take you anywhere you want. Come on, I'm pretty sure you don't want to stay here."

She went with him cautiously, not sure if this wasn't some sort of elaborate prelude to more torture. "But at least I'm not chained or hooded," she thought with a faint hope. "Maybe I can escape. Somehow."

"Let's see," he muttered to himself. "Can't do anything about that collar, not without tools I don't have here. It's sealed on too well. First, we need to get you some clothes.

"Not that you don't look really smexy naked," he said to her with an appreciative glance. "But we'll attract less attention outside if you're covered. Easier to escape. Come on, I think I remember some clothing in one of these other rooms."

"Leucidion," came over his comlink. "This is not a rational decision. Taking her with you increases the chance of discovery, and reduces the chance of a successful completion of this mission."

"Ya think?" he whispered back. "I know the risks, but I can't just leave her there."

Tollel unobtrusively listened in as Leu and his partner argued back and forth. Apparently they were unaware that her ears were sensitive enough to overhear their conversation, and that she understood Lingua Gaelic. She listened to the argument anxiously, hoping that Leu would win and take her to freedom.

They reached the room Leu wanted, a locker room for the use of the employees. Inside were several racks of work clothes, more or less clean.

Gesturing grandly, Leu said, "Pick whatever you want. But don't take too long, I think we're running out of time."

"That is true," came over his comlink as Tollel moved carefully into the room and began trying on the clothing. "This mission is taking too long as is, and this will just increase the chance of an undesirable result. This is irrationality on a grand scale."

"Indeed," Leu whispered back. "But that's what makes me human. And you love me for it."

After a short pause, Marie said, "Love is an emotion. I do not suffer from emotions. My decisions are made purely on the basis of logic and practicality."

Tollel came back, dressed in a shirt and trousers that mostly fit. She'd managed to find some trousers for morphs, with a cutout for her tail. She hadn't been able to find any foot gear, so was still barefoot, but it felt good. It had been a long time since she'd been clothed.

"Leu!" came over his comlink. "A patrol has just reported in. They are coming this way, less than twenty meters away."

"How in Sheol did you miss that?" he demanded as he drew his compact grenade launcher.

"It's a random patrol, they are not on the roster and have not reported in before this," came the apologetic reply. "They've found something suspicious, and are moving to investigate."

"Smeg! Is there any way we can avoid them?" Leu asked as he chambered a Hush-a-Boom® grenade.

"No," came back.

Leu grabbed Tollel and pushed her to the floor just as the patrol came around the corner. He triggered the grenade launcher as the patrol leader started to speak. The grenade exploded in their midst, the patented sound suppression technology absorbing all noise in the radius of the blast. The explosion tore through the guards, killing them all.

Leu pulled Tollel up and urged her towards the corner. "Come on," he said. "It's time to leave." He chambered a fletchette round and moved forward.

Reaching the corner, he paused to peer around it. Looking down, Tollel saw a small hideout pistol that had escaped destruction. Without thinking, she rapidly scooped it up and hid it under her shirt.

"Damned Hush-a-Booms® are expensive," he muttered, then. "Marie, I need a sitrep. What's the status?"

"Bad," came the reply. "They don't know exactly what happened. But they are dispatching more guards to investigate. I am still able to jam most security, but they have activated counter-programming that will dump me out of the system soon."

"Is the escape route still open?"

"Yes, but I don't know for how long. I've downloaded an update to your GPS."

To Tollel he said, "Let's go, darlin', we ain't got much time."

He started trotting down a corridor, following his GPS map, with Tollel right behind him.

Several turns later, Marie said, "Leu. I can't remain in the system much longer, their IC is better than I expected. But there does seem to be a patrol at the exit and..."

"Smeg!" he muttered as contact was lost. He pressed his back against the wall before the last corner. "No time. Have to do this Marine style. Hey diddle, diddle, straight up the middle." He switched the grenade launcher to his left hand, drew his automatic with his right and went around the corner, firing both weapons before the software in his SmartHelm could even begin evaluating threats. The fletchettes spread their deadly pattern, shredding two guards, while two bursts from the automatic downed the third. Taken by surprise, the guards went down without firing a shot.

He chambered another fletchette round, then moved forward, scanning for targets, Tollel behind him.

When he reached the door, he holstered both weapons and began working on the locks.

Tollel glimpsed movement. Turning, she saw one of the injured guards struggling to raise his disruptor, pointing it at her rescuer's back.

Without thinking, she dropped to a knee, drawing the pistol she'd found. She took a two pawed grip, aimed carefully but quickly, and double tapped the guard in the chest, followed by a shot to the head.

Leu nearly jumped out of his skin as the needler went off behind him. "Deity's child! What the smeg was that?" he shouted as he whirled around, drawing his automatic.

He saw Tollel kneeling and the guard falling. Surprise and confusion ran across his face. Then he shook his head, smiled and said, "Thanks. Keep that," pointing at the needler. He turned back to the door and finished opening the locks.

"How did I do that?" Tollel thought to herself, looking down at the weapon in her paw. "I've never fired a gun before in my life. Deity, what's happening to me?"

It wasn't until later that Leu thought about it himself. "Slaves aren't allowed weapons, or the training to use them. So how did she take out that guard like a seasoned combat vet? Just who is she, anyway?"

But immediate concerns were more pressing. Opening the door, he peered out into the darkened alleyway, using the SmartHelm to scan for threats. None appeared, so he gestured for Tollel to go through. He dropped a boobytrap grenade to cover their rear, then relocked the door. Drawing a weld-bar from a pouch on his belt, he pressed it against the door and activated it. Within seconds, it flash welded the door to the frame. Cautiously, he moved towards the alley's mouth, with Tollel right behind him.

Reaching it, he pressed against the wall, scanning the street for threats in the nighttime foot and vehicle traffic. He almost jumped as "Leucidion, acknowledge if you can hear me," came across his comlink.

"I hear you, what the Sheol?" he replied.

"Their security systems have a communications jamming procedure," came Marie's answer. "I do not think they had fully thought the procedure out, however. It jammed all communications, including their own. They are unable to communicate either internally or externally until they deactivate the system. You are now beyond their range. I have your location and am sending the car. It appears that you have escaped them for now."

Leu and Tollel remained in the alley until Marie brought their Vraxtall Industries Runabout to them. As one of the most common vehicles on the road, the V I Runabout blended in almost everywhere, as long as the 22 mm chain gun turret they'd installed remained concealed, that is.

The car pulled up, and the passenger side door opened. Leu slipped across the seat to the driver's position. Tollel sat in the passenger seat, looking around curiously. There was no one else in the car. The only scents were the faint smell of her rescuer, mixed with that of fuel and plastic. There were no other human scents.

"This partner must be able to control the car remotely," she thought, filing the data away as potentially useful.

"Back to the spaceport, Marie," Leu said. "We're going to have to reevaluate how to do this mission."

"Indeed," Marie replied. "They seem to have fixed their communications problem, and have posted a reward for the capture or death of whoever invaded their building."

"Smeg!" Leu swore. "Do they know who we are?"

"Apparently not," came the reply. "But the reward is large enough that it will only be a matter of time before someone sells us out. I suggest we go offplanet for a while."

"If we have to," he said. "But that'll eat up the profit margin."

"An update has just come through," Marie said. "There is also a very large reward offered for the slave you have acquired, alive and unharmed. They have posted a very complete and detailed description of her. This will make it easier to identify you. You should have left her behind."

"If I had done as you wished," Leu replied slowly. "I would be dead. She shot a guard who was trying to shoot me in the back." He went on to explain what had happened. There was silence from the comlink for a time.

"Perhaps," Marie said. "your decision was the right one after all."

"Never thought I'd hear her say that," Leu thought with a small chuckle. "When we have some time, I'll have to remind her of this day."

He had a sudden thought. "Marie, if she's that valuable," he said. "does she have some kind of tracking device on or in her?"

Marie refrained from pointing out that she had already checked on that, scanning them both as soon as they had entered the car. She merely passed on her findings, with only a hint of disapproval that Leu would think she had neglected such elementary precautions in her tone.

"The scans I am able to perform in the car indicate no tracking devices of any kind. Even the collar is merely a solid piece of stainless steel cold fused around her neck," was the answer. Marie continued, "This is interesting. Very few owners would go to the expense of using actual steel, plasteel is much cheaper, just as strong, and can have all kinds of useful devices built in. This may be significant.

"Incidentally," she went on. "your passenger has several injuries that indicate severe and prolonged torture. None seem to be life threatening, but they do appear to be extremely painful. There are also signs of crude medical care, presumably to keep her alive as long as possible. My scans indicate she is also suffering from long term malnutrition. I have the medibay standing by."

As the car merged with the nighttime traffic and headed down the road, Tollel got her first good look at her rescuer. Leu pulled off the SmartHelm, revealing short brown hair touched with gray, and surprisingly bright green eyes. His build was still athletic, despite being on the wrong side of forty. Three short, parallel scars ran down under his left eye, marring his tanned skin.

Placing the helmet in the backseat, he switched back to Lingua Franca and said, "Well, that did not quite go according to plan."

He put on a pair of wraparound glasses, subtly tinted to mute the bright green of his eyes, then said to Tollel, "Are you badly hurt?"

"I, I do not understand, Master," she cautiously answered in the same language, her eyes downcast.

Green eyes peered at her over the top of the glasses, then he spoke, "First off, I'm not your master. From now on, you're a free being. I can't get that collar off until we reach the ship, but you are no longer a slave. Second off, Marie says you've been injured. The medibay is standing by on the Fair, but if there is something that needs immediate attention, this car has a fairly well stocked emergency first aid kit, and I can probably treat whatever needs treated on the way. So, are you badly hurt?"

"No, Mast..., Sir," she replied. "The guards were only allowed to beat me when they used me. They were not allowed to cause permanent or serious damage. My Master reserved that to himself."

"Nice person," Leu muttered. "I wouldn't mind putting a few rounds into him.

"By the way," he continued. "My name is Leucidion. What's yours?"

"Ma..., Sir?" she said, glancing up.

Looking over his glasses again, he said, "I can't keep saying 'Hey, you,' so, what are you called?"

"My, last Master called me a lot of things, Sir," she replied, her eyes looking down again. "But my name is Tollel, if it pleases you, Sir."

"Tollel. Very nice," he said, then, under his breath, "We'll work on getting rid of that 'sir' later on."

Leu pulled off his weapons belt and placed it in the backseat with the helmet. Deactivating the chameleon suit turned it into a nondescript jumpsuit, of a type commonly worn by itinerant space travelers.

Looking over at Tollel, Leu said, "Getting into the 'port without attracting too much attention is going to be tricky, especially without an ID for you. The guards know I left alone. If we don't want to answer too many questions, I think it would be best if we acted like I picked you up as a date. Knowing the guards, they'll probably just wave us on through. But the final decision is up to you."

After carefully considering the idea, Tollel said, "It sounds like the best plan we have, Mast..., Sir. I will do my very best to please you. One of my former Masters ensured that I had full doxy training at Forever Yours, Body and Soul Training Kennels."

"Why am I not surprised," Leu muttered under his breath.

A hint of pride crept into her voice as she continued, "I graduated top of my class, Sir."

As they came up on the spaceport gate, Tollel moved across the seat, and embraced Leu. Her tongue slipped into his mouth as they kissed. Her paws traveled over his chest, teasing and caressing, opening the front of his jumpsuit to the waist. Her fingers circled his nipples and her tongue gently caressed them erect. He unbuttoned her shirt and cupped her breasts, softly toying with her nipple rings and caressing her nipples, feeling them grow hard under his hands. She responded by kissing him more passionately, and her paws moved lower on his body, trailing waves of pleasure. Reaching his waist, she drew out his erect cock and began fondling it, one paw at the base holding it steady and cupping and caressing his balls. Under her ministrations, his cock grew even harder, and he gasped in pleasure.

The Doberman morph in the armored guardroom at the gate saw Leu locked into a heated embrace with a vixen morph. Leu broke free long enough to flash his ID and give the guard a salacious wink. The scans of the car showed no contraband, and the appropriate bribes had been paid. Spacers returning with temporary companions was not an unusual sight, so, grinning wickedly, the guard raised the barrier and waved them on through.

Later, after she was off duty, the guard heard of the reward. By the time she put two and two together and sold her information, it was too late; the Scarborough Fair was offplanet and safely in hyperspace.

Further down the road, Leu reluctantly but gently pushed Tollel back. "We're past the gate," he said, his voice hoarse. "You don't have to continue, if you don't want to."

Looking him in the eyes, she licked her lips and said, "But I want to continue, Sir. And, judging by this," her fingers lightly caressing his erect cock, "so do you. A reward for my savior." She lowered her head and trailed her tongue down his chest. Reaching his dick, she gently licked it on the sensitive underside just below the glans, being rewarded with a quick jerk and a further hardening. Smiling at his reaction, she took his cock into her mouth and began fellating him. Using all her skills, she took him to the peak, and held him there, drawing out his pleasure as long as possible.

Groaning with desire, Leu grasped her shoulders and thrust his hips forward. Expertly riding his thrusts, Tollel kept him on the lip of orgasm for a while longer before allowing him to cum. With a loud cry, he spilled his seed into her mouth, riding a massive orgasm. Tollel rapidly swallowed his cum, smiling up at him, and rejoicing in her ability to bring him pleasure. She also knew, from past experience, that the best way to keep from being punished by an owner was to keep them happy and sated.

Shuddering with the aftershock of his orgasm, he pulled Tollel into his lap and said, "Thank you. After we reach the ship, and I get a chance to recover, I'll see about returning the favor. Deity, that was great."

Smiling, she said, "You're welcome. I can be very good to you, Ma..., Sir." Sensuously licking her lips, she continued, "Anything you desire, Sir. Anything at all."

"If you are quite through," Marie's voice came over the loudspeaker. "I have already berthed the car and sealed the ship. We have a launch window in less than thirty minutes. We should put your passenger in the Daktari so her treatment can commence."

"She's right," Leu said, reluctantly shifting the delightful bundle that was Tollel off his lap. "We need to get you in treatment ASAP. C'mon." He sealed up his jumpsuit as he led her through the bay. Behind them, drones scurried out and began servicing the car.

Walking across the bay, Tollel kept her eyes downcast, as a proper slave should, though she kept glancing at things out of the corners of her eyes. She had not been told to button up her shirt, so left it open, her breasts gently swaying as she moved. Two paces back and to his left, she followed him gracefully, courtesy of the deportment training her instructors had beaten into her in the kennels all those years ago. She inhaled gently, but could detect no one but her rescuer. Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw Leu affectionately pat the hood of a sleek looking sportster. Her ears twitched as she heard him whisper, "Soon, baby, soon."

Stopping at a workstation, Leu motioned Tollel forward. He carefully examined her collar for a few minutes, then said, "All righty, then. I think we can get this cut off easy enough." He smiled easily and continued, "Just hold still for a bit."

Fishing around in the workstation for a second, Leu came up with a monomolecular cutter.

Slowly and carefully, Leu brought it up between the collar and Tollel's neck and then activated it. He cautiously cut through the collar in front, then rotated the collar and cut again at the back. The collar separated into two parts, and came off her throat. "There we go," he said. "That's got to feel a lot better."

Raising her paws, she rubbed gently at her throat. It felt strange not to have the weight of the collar abrading her neck, and she couldn't remember a time when she hadn't worn a collar of some sort.

"Thank you, Sir," she said, at a loss for other words. Despite her life experiences, she was beginning to believe him when he said she was free. Her eyes threatened to spill tears as her emotions started to overwhelm her.

"Don't cry," Leu warned. "You'll make me blush, and that's not a pretty sight."

She looked up at the mock fierce expression on his face, and broke into a fit of giggles.

Smiling, Leu said, "That's better. C'mon. The medibay is this way."

As they reached the medibay, Marie's voice came over the intercom. "Leu, we have twenty minutes until our launch time. I suggest we put your passenger in the Daktari for the launch. It will take some time for the medical procedures, and she will be as safe there as anywhere else."

Smiling wryly, Leu said, "You heard her. Just slip out of those clothes and lie down in the Daktari. We'll get you healed up as quickly as possible."

Unself-consciously, Tollel stripped and dropped her clothing, then climbed into the padded interior of the Daktari. Trusting in her rescuer, she quelled her fear as the lid closed and the examination began. Tollel quietly answered the questions the Daktari asked in its soft voice, carefully calibrated to be reassuring to patients. The sensor beams played up and down her as the system mapped out her body, categorizing her blood type, sex, species, approximate age, height, weight and all other necessary data, including all her injuries and wounds.

The examination was concluded. With a hiss, anesthetic gas was introduced. She fell asleep with the smell of fresh strawberries in her nostrils. The automated systems spent the next three hours treating her injuries.

She was totally oblivious as the ship launched into space. Even when the Fair went irrational and slipped into the abstract mathematical construct that was hyperspace, Tollel didn't feel the usual temporary nausea that most beings experienced during the changeover. She slept on peacefully as her physical wounds were healed.