Happy Easter

 

From the Desk of Paladin

I just wanted to take a couple moments to wish all my friends and readers the observe Easter a safe and Happy Easter.

Not the image that I wanted to post but still a good one. Open AI showing their ignorance kept blocking the one that I was trying to make with Genta, Nina, and a couple of the other girls saying that is had violent content or NSFW content. I am still waiting to hear back from them. I am end up looking for another generator to make my art with.

Curiosity Caught the Bat Act III Definitely Not in Kansas is its third rewrite but I like the way that this one is heading and should have it done soon.

Again I hope that everyone has a save and wonderful Easter. 

  

Curiosity Caught the Bat Act II Down the Rabbit Hole

Curiosity Caught the Bat

Act II

Down the Rabbit Hole

 

          Barbra Gordon screamed out from the shock of having ice cold water thrown on her. Instantly she sat up right and looked around to see where she was. She instantly noted to hard facts, she was naked and she was heavily chained in some bondage device that restricted her to the most basic movements. As her wrists and ankles were locked in steel shackles, she also felt the weight of a steel collar about her neck as well and there was a central chain that connected her collar, wrists chain, as well as her ankle chain.

          She scanned the area about her quickly. The building was of stone construction, as was the floor she was laying on. Bars on the windows. She was in some sort of cage or cell. There was a dark haired woman wearing a steel collar as well standing at the door to her cell. The woman looked familiar to her somehow. The woman was holding a empty wooden bucket on one hand. Barbra was sure that was where the water that had came from. The woman was barefoot, slim figure, wearing a revealing sleeveless tunic with a cord belt with a cylinder device dangling from it.

          “Time to wake up, princess.” The woman said sadistically.

          “Where am I?” Barbra asked still looking around.

          “Haven’t you been told, Princess that curiosity is not becoming in a kajira?” laughed the woman. Barbra took immediate notice of that as she had heard Cross say it twice now, once at the dinner and once when he was standing over her bound and helpless in the warehouse. Then she looked at the woman standing over her again. She knew her. It was the waitress from the Cross World Transit dining room! The woman noticed Barbra’s expression and recognition of her and smiled. “You are a bright little one. But then you had a reputation for being very bright and clever before now. Well at least you were most of the time or you would not have caught Master’s eye. But in the end you were caught and processed like same as some air- headed bimbo.”

          “I know you from the Cross private dining room.” Barbra said slowly, then glancing at the barred window that sunlight and the sounds of people could be heard coming through. But no machinery sounds? That was odd. “I take it that we are a long way from Gotham. Somewhere in the Mediterranean? Near Greece or in that area?”

          “Very perceptive of you, Kajira.” The woman said. What was her name? And there was that term again ‘Kajira’, it felt like she should know it or knew it from somewhere. Was it from a movie or book she had seen. “And you are correct. We are far from your former home in Gotham City. In fact, much farther than you expect or dreamed possible.” She softly laughed as she lowered the bucket to the stone floor of the cell. She then removed the device from her belt, activating the switch then twisting the dial on the side. The end of the device started to glow bright yellow. Barbra wasn’t sure what the device was, but she knew in her gut that she was not going to like it. Except for the glowing end of the device, it reminded of the police baton that her father had carried long ago when he was a patrolman. She eyed it wearily. “Put out of your mind any foolish thoughts or notions you might have of escaping and returning to your former life. For you that no longer exists, Kajira.”

          “Why do you keep calling me that?” Barbra asked.

          “That is what you are now. Just a simple kajira.” The woman smiled. “Now say ‘la kajira’”

          “What does it mean?”  Barbra responded.

          “Your world has been rocked little princess. You are no longer in Gotham where you a little bad ass crime fighter. Your Batman is not going to save you nor is your father with his police force. Nobody can save you. There is no escape for you. Your only hope for survival is to obey swiftly and be pleasing to those you serve. If you do that then your life will not be as unpleasant as it might be. Now say ‘La Kajira’”

          “You make it sound,” Barbra paused to look down at her naked and chained body strongly suspected that she knew the truth about what she was about to say. “like I am a slave or something.”

          The woman then struck Barbra several times with short cylinder shaped device that shocked her. Chained as she was there was no way for her to defend herself causing her to reel back from the woman and scream out in pain. That she was soaking wet from the water and locked in steel chains only made it worse as she could not get away and had to endure the assault on her body. Screaming out in pain and begging the woman to stop.

          “Say the words!” demanded the woman not letting up.

          “Please! Please Stoppp!” Barbra cried out.

          “Say it!” she demanded again. This time pressing the device to the nipple of Barbra’s left breast.

          “La Kajira. La Kajira! Please stop!”

          “See that was so hard now was it.” She said in a soft soothing tone. “Now say it once more after you get on your knees and are kneeling with good posture.” She watched as the sobbing and shaken former Batgirl, struggled to her knees in her chains. Christa did not blame her for her quick compliance and fear of the device. The slave goad had that effect on a slave girl, Christa knew this firsthand as it had been used on her for the desired results. Now she was allowed to use it to break and train the former Barbra Gordon. Slowly the naked and chained new girl rose to her knees and knelt then looked up to Christa. She eyed the device that had caused her so much pain so quickly and easily.

          “La Kajira.” Barbra said softly. Then looking up at the other woman. “May I know what I just said?

          “It was your first lesson in your new language. It means loosely, I am a slave girl.”

Barbra let those words sink in, not saying anything for a moment. It was too much to hope that her nakedness and chains were just means to keep her helpless. It all fit and after seeing the inside of the warehouse and the tubes with the naked women in them it all fit. Cross was a slave trader. Now she was one of those slaves that he traded in. There was nothing that she could do about that at the moment. Her friends had to be looking for her, and they were very resourceful so they should find her, it just might take some time. The question was how much time did she have before Cross and his people put her up for sale. Given who and what she was, it was highly probable that she would be given some training as a slave then sold in a premium private auction. So, she would have to bid her time and play the good slave girl.

“I can hear the wheels spinning in your pretty little head!” Christa laughed and clapped. “Your Super friends will not be coming to your rescue like I already told you, Kajira.”

“You seem awful sure of that. Like you know something that I don’t.” Barbra baited her hoping to get her to reveal more than she was supposed to.

“I know a great deal that you don’t.” she smiled. “Some of which I wish that I didn’t know. But look out the window and perhaps you will understand more. You’re a smart girl so I think you can handle it without going mad.”

Barbra slowly rose to her feet, the system of chains that she wore made it challenging. Her ankles and wrists were locked in steel shackles with about a foot of chain connecting the cuffs. A central chain ran up the middle of her body connecting her ankle chains to her wrists chains then on up between her breasts to connect to the collar she wore. As long as she wore this, she would not be doing any fighting for sure. Moving to the barred window of her cell she looked out and her mouth dropped.

 

        

           

“When our Master told you that if you ever saw his villa that you were find it very difficult to leave. He was not exaggerating. There are only two ways off this villa for either of us, being sold or given as gifts to new owners. Or we die.”

Barbra looked out the window as dozens maybe more than a hundred female slaves. They were working in the fields and orchards of the villa as well as around the grounds. There were men about some looked like craftsmen while others were clearly guards or soldiers. Then there was a loud scream from overhead, not human but from a bird. Just then a flight of large hawklike birds flew over the building and into view. They were massive and amazing. Then to her astonishment she saw that they each had a soldier riding on their backs like cavalry mounts. Barbra was dumbfounded and in shock.

“We are not on Earth, but on Gor. A smart girl like you I am sure that you’ve heard of it.” Christa said softly.

“No, that’s just a story from some cheap science fiction.” Barbra had heard of it. She knew about it from the books in her own library. She had read a couple of them when she was bored dismissing them as pulp fiction. Yet here it was in reality. And she was one of the slave girls that she had read about. Christa lifted the hem of her tunic up to reveal the mark she had taken for a birthmark in the dining room. It was not a birthmark, but a brand scar, one inch tall in the form of a cursive k. Just like in those books. Barbra instinctively felt and looked at her own left thigh.

“You have not been marked, yet.” Christa laughed at her. “Master wants to mark you himself. So, till then you are spared that or being used for the pleasures of his men till he says otherwise.” There was almost a tone of resentment in her voice at the last part. It was if part of her felt sorry for her while another deeply resented her for some reason. Either way, it didn’t really matter, she quickly realizing that there was little that she could do about anything for the foreseeable future. If this was not some horrible nightmare, and she was now a slave on a distant planet. Then there was nothing that she could do but obey and comply with everything that was required and demanded of her, regardless of how she felt about it. The deck was stacked against her.

She did not know the language and customs of this world. Had no idea of where she was or where to run if she did slip her chains. Which she was fairly confident that she could not only free herself of the collar and chains and even escape this cell. But to what end? If she had to guess any clothing that she could find would likely be that of a slave. She also reasoned that given the sort of men that she seen on this bird creatures and around the grounds. Impressive as her melee skills were. I would not be long until she was subdued and in chains once more. Like severely punished if not killed outright to be an example to others.

Death might be a quick way out of this for her. But if she had learned anything working with Bruce over the last couple years. It was that Death was no more an option that giving up. Life as she knew it was over, and it would likely become pure hell for her. She would be an animal here, she would be at the mercy of those that owned her, she could and would like to be raped and beaten at their pleasure.

Then the sudden shock of the device that Christa held brought her back to the moment as she cried out. Christa struck her twice more.

“Pay attention, slave, when you are being spoken too!” she screamed at Barbra. Barbra’s reflex kicked in, honed from years of training and conditioning, she turned and twisted extending her leg as far as she could to catch the ankle of Christa who had moved too close for another strike. She cried out in surprise as she dropped hard to the floor. Before she could scream for help, Barbra fell atop her clamping a hand over her mouth by bringing one wrist to her waists where the wrists chain passed through the ring in the central chain so she could reach with her other.

“Listen, I don’t know what you have against me.” Barbra cried out in pain as a strong hand tangled it’s fingers in her hair had pulled her backwards off Christa.

“I normally, don’t concern myself in the squabbles of slaves.” Barbra found herself looking up into the face of Rudkar Cross. He tightened his grip in her hair making her wince once more. “I was right, the collar and chains only enhance your beauty. But I know the answer to your question.”

Christa had rolled over on her belly to regain her composure after being taken down so easily by a slave in a sirik. That their master had saw what happened and stepped in only deepened her shame and embarrassment.

“You!” Barbra gasped and cried out again as the fist twisted more in her hair. “Please, stop doing that!”

“Please stop doing that, what?” He laughed. The pain from the strain on her hair was intense. Barbra had considered cutting her hair short several times to prevent it from being used against her like this. She had not followed through with the impulse because her father loved and often remarked about her scarlet locks. Not she was held just off the floor by them, as her toes barely touched, she could not raise her hands to do anything as the central chain of the restraint system kept them anchored in place. She was completely helpless at the moment, at best she might try and swing her body at him. But again, the chains limited her movement to the point that there would be little or no effect against him and only serve to cause her more pain.

Cross looked very different than she remembered him from when she was captured and the dinner. While she had always found him to be a very physically well-built and handsome man. The type that were he not definitely on the opposite side of the legal system she would be very interested in getting closer and possibly intimate with. That was while he was immaculately groomed and wearing expensive tailored suits. Now, struggling to not put any more strain on his grip in her hair, she saw him differently. The thousand dollar business suit that was tailored to conceal his chiseled abs and body now gone. Barbra could see that the man was built like a professional body builder or Greek God. Now he was dressed in a simple blue and yellow Roman style tunic with lace up ankle sandals. Barbra did not like the primal urge that seeing him like this was causing her.

“Once more my pretty little vulo.” He smiled as he lifted her higher causing Barbra to scream out once more in pain. “As you are new to your collar. I shall say this once, and only once, you shall address all free men as Master, and free woman as Mistress from now on as you are a slave.”

Barbra was not sure what a vulo was. But from the context of his calling her that. She could only assume that it was a small animal or bird of some sort. To the side she saw the woman, Christa had scrambled to her knees and kneeling with her thighs widely parted. Her expression was one of fear mixed with concern. It was if she was pleading with her eyes for Barbra to submit and obey whatever Cross demanded of her.

“Please, let me down. And I am not a slave.” Barbra not giving in despite how weak and hopeless her situation was.

“I would have been disappointed had you gave in and obeyed right away.” Rudkar laughed still holding her off the floor by her hair like a naked chained rag doll. Nodding to the men who had entered with him. They seized Christa and jerked her to the wall of the cell. Her dress what little there was of it was ripped from her and her wrists handcuffed through a iron ring mounted to the wall. Christa was begging and screaming, “Please Master, Please, it is not my fault, please don’t whip, Christa!”

“Now, I have little doubt that if I was to have you whipped for not doing as you were told. I could beat you till you passed out and it would take a day or two to break you.” He smiled looking to the girl at the wall. “But since you are a heroine. I will not punish you directly right now. I will make you watch as Christa is punished for your failures.” Looking to one of the men who stood behind Christa with a short, bladed leather whip, “Proceed.”

“Stop!” Barbra cried out as the first blows from the whip landed on Christa’s bare and exposed back.

“Stop, what?” Rudkar looked over at the girl in his grasp.

“Please, stop,” Barbra paused, “Master.” She felt sick to her stomach. She didn’t want to be a slave. But she also knew that she didn’t have a choice. If it only affected her then she would fight. And while they had gotten off to a rough start, she could not allow Christa to be punished because of her.

“Better,” he smiled lifting his other hand to signal that the whip does not fall again just yet. “What are you, little vulo?”

“I am a slave, Master. I belong to you.” Tears formed in her eyes as she knew that this was more than merely saying the words. She was his slave. He lowered her to her feet once more, his hand still in her air, she sunk to her knees kneeling as she saw Christa doing.

“You may survive this after all. It should flatter you that I vowed to own you that night in my private dining room. I wondered how to acquire the daughter of the police commissioner. After all, if I had my people abduct you then as we normally acquire new slaves. Given your family and connections, there would surely be an outcry and city wide search for you. Then, to my surprise, you delivered yourself to me. I was immensely pleased when I discovered that you and the daring dare devil Batgirl were one and the same.” Turning to the man with him, “I do not think Christa will require more strokes of the slave whip. At least for the moment. Release her so she may demonstrate for the new slave how to kiss the feet of a master.

Barbra was unsure if she should be grateful or not that at least for a few moments their attention was not on her, but on Christa instead. Christa on the other hand soon as she was released from the cuffs that chained her to the wall, dropped to her knees, lifting her bared flanks high in the air as her hair covered the sandaled feet of the man who had only moments ago been striking her with the five bladed leather whip. Barbra could hear as Christa kisses the feet of the man thanking him for not whipping her anymore and for letting her down.

“Watch her and learn my little slave. For you too will be kissing the feet of not only your owner but the feet of any free man just as she is now doing.” Rudkar informed her.

“How can I be a slave? Slavery has been abolished everywhere on Earth.” But even as the words had left her lips, Barbra knew that she was no longer on Earth. And where she now was it very possible for her to be a slave. The chains locked on her naked body were not those of a prisoner but those of a slave. What she had been told, what she had seen outside the window, left no room for debate, she had to listen, learn, and obey if she was going to survive this.

“I have been dealing in slaves for many many years. Denial is very common when females of Earth are introduced to their slavery. Some slaves actually go insane, but only a small percentage, as when we are selecting out future slaves for acquisition, we looking for the most intelligent females that meet the requirements. In your case, for example, Barbra Gordon had been selected based on her intelligence and beauty. Batgirl, for her physical prowess, intelligence, and the beauty and delights of her body that her costume teased and hinted at. That you are or were both, I should say. Was a fortunate bonus.”

“You keep referring to me in the past tense. I am still very much here even if I am chained as your slave.” Barbra challenged.

“Because pretty slave, Barbra Gordon and Batgirl cease to exist soon as you were unloaded from your tube and documented as a slave. You are now an animal to be bought and sold, gifted or traded. You may be killed at the whim of your owner. You eat when and what you are given by your owner. Likewise, you only wear and have what your owner wishes you to have. You do not even have a name until I give you one.” He paused to let that sink in before continuing, “Tomorrow, you will be branded with the common slave brand and given slave wine, unsweetened of course. As your have had your ears pierced already, like a good slave girl. That will not need to be done”

Barbra recalled something about pierced ears and slave girls but she wasn’t sure what the connection was. She had hers done when she was in Middle School. It had been some time since she had read the paperback novel about this place. But having the ears pierced added to be branded like an animal. Looking over she could see the brand clearly showing on Christa’s left outer thigh high near the hip. Not to mention this slave wine that if she recalled was a form of birth control, The trivial holes in her ear lobes on Earth, would make any chance at escape and remaining free near impossible if she was truly on Gor.

“After that your training and evaluation will begin.” Her owner explained further, “If you do well then you will be assigned to the household slaves. Do poorly, and you will be put with the field slaves, only allowed in the house when I order you cleaned up for my pleasure till either you improve or I tire of you and sell you at auction in the city. Am I understood.” The last was a statement not a question.

“Yes, Master,” Barbra answered weekly knowing that nothing less would be tolerated from her or accepted. She looked to Christa on her knees beside her. The woman clearly held some sort of resentment for her. What she still did not know or understand. And while she had been cruel to her with that device, Barbra could not bring herself to do anything that would bring the wraith of these men down on her as well.

“Very good, slave.” Rudkar smiled triumphantly. “I suppose that I should put a name on you slave, it will ease in your training if those working with you have something to call you other than slave.” Thinking for a moment, then smiling again, “I shall call you Scarlet for now. Do you like your new name, Scarlet?”

“Yes, Master. Thank you.” She said softly. She hated it actually, but then all her life people had called her “Red” because of her hair Why should this place be any different.

“You may show your Master how grateful you are by kissing his sandals, Scarlet.” Rudkar was pleased. He knew that she was only complying to buy time. He had trained and broken many intelligent and strong willed slaves over the years. Christa had presented her own set of challenges. The former Barbra Gordon and crime fighter known as Batgirl would be no different. In fact, she might prove to be more of a challenge, yet for now she was showering his feet with her kisses. Soon she would be eating from his hand and striving to please him or anyone who was free. “Good girl.” He said watching as her back stiffened at being spoken to as a child might be, or more appropriately, a pet or animal.

“Christa,” He turned his attention to the other slave this time speaking in Gorean, “You will share a kennel with the new slave Scarlet. I want her reasonably capable to begin her training soon as she is recovered enough from her branding. Ida, the first girl of the kennels will be watching and reporting to me.”

“Yes, Master.” This just kept getting worse for her. First, she had been shipped back to Gor from Earth. Now she was being watched by that bitch Ida who was high slave. Ida despised Earth girls or as they were commonly called barbarians. So, she would show no mercy and overlook nothing when reporting to Master so that the barbarians sluts were punished for their failures. Both of them looked up to watch as the man they called Master turned and walked from the kennel done with both of them for the time being.

“I don’t know what I did to you but..” Barbra started.

“Shut up you stupid slave. You have done more that you can possibly imagine to me! I am here because of you! Master wants me to train you how to speak and understand Gorean. He wanted someone that knew who and what you used to be rather than trust your lessons to someone you might fool.” Christa snapped cutting her off.

“I am sorry that I ruined your..’ Barbra started again.

“Yes you are sorry. A sorry excuse that is the reason I am back on Gor. I had made it back to Earth finally. I might have been a slave still. But I was there. I was serving Master in a world of modern marvels and not in the freaking Middle Ages or worse.”

“Back on Earth?”

“Yes back on Earth. I am from Earth as well. I was recruited and once worked for the same creatures that our Master does. When I had served my initial purpose, they had me branded and made a slave.”

“It couldn’t be much worse I suppose.” Barbra trying to wrap her head around what she had learned and offer some comfort to the other girl.

“Oh, it could be. You have no idea of the forces in play. Being a slave here or on Earth is nothing to what might be done to either of us. It can be much, much worse.” 

From the desk of Paladin February 23, 2026

 

Good morning my friends,

I just wanted to drop a quick note to let everyone know that I have hit a writers block and that is why I haven't posted anything new in the last couple of weeks.

It has been one obstacle after another it seems with the new chapters. I still haven't been able to get the AI results I want for Barbra waking to learn of her fate, nor any of the other stories. So I had decided to set them aside and work on the written word. But that hasn't faired much better. I know the elements that I want to have when Barbra learns that she is no longer on Earth where she has some small hope of rescue or escape. But the pieces are not lining up and falling into place in a way that I like. I have cleared and restarted page 1 several times.

I thought that if I switched gears and started work on the next chapter in the Darterra series that might help. But once again the elements are there just not coming together in a way I like. And one rule that I have set in stone is that I will not post something just the sake of posting something. While Emma, Tracker, and our friends continue to put out great work. I have read some shorts in other places that have left me looking at the screen and shaking my head.

So I will keep working and hopefully will be over this hurdle soon.

Be Well and best wishes

Paladin 

From the Desk of Paladin: Update February 7, 2026

 

From the desk of Paladin

Good morning My Friends,

First off I would like to take a moment to apologize for my absence and silence. The demands on my time have been more persistent than usual. And while they have not lightened up by much. I will try and get back into the swing of things.

  I am hoping that the break will help with the issues I have with both of the stories that I am currently working on. One is the not getting the AI to create the images that match up with what I see in my mind or in most results even close enough to work. It has been one of those times that I truly wish that I had more artistic talent than I do. If I did then I would have exactly what I want and might even try to do one of these stories in comic form.

I am hoping to resume work on the Barbra Gordon on Gor story shorty. I also have some thoughts on the Darterra and Genta slave girl series. 

I hope that all those reading are weathering the winter safely. Personally, I am over cold and snow. 

I wish all well

Curiosity Caught the Bat : Act I On the Waterfront

Curiosity Caught the Bat

Act I

On the Waterfront

Batgirl stayed in the shadows of the roof top as she stood close enough to the edge to look over. Below her was one of Cross World Transit’s dockside warehouses. A large metal shipping container with what appeared to be a refrigerator unit on the roof was placed so the doors that were open faced inside the open warehouse doors. She had counted at least two dozen men all dressed in black were busy moving about in and out of the warehouse. A crane was set up with a second container identical to the first ready to set it down at the doorway and pick up the first container when it was ready.

          I semi tractor trailer was parked alongside of the warehouse from which wooden shipping containers that appeared to be roughly 4 feet by 4 feet were being unloaded by a forklift and moved inside the warehouse. Besides the men working she had spotted at the very least another dozen men posted as perimeter security around the area as well as a small boat in the water. Whatever they were handling they were taking no chances with security. It was clearly very valuable to them. But what was it? It had to be something illegal. But again what?

          The scope of the operations seem too large for this to have been a drug smuggling operation. Weapons perhaps? This was her second midnight visit to this roof top since her dinner with Rudkar Cross.  And her third overall having attempted to use a drone during the day to look things over. Security had looked just as tight during the day as it had at night up till she lost the drone. Whatever it was that was being smuggled and going on down there, it was too big for Rudkar Cross not to know what was going on. This encompassed storage, manpower, plus just from what she has seen shipping by land and sea. More than likely by air as well. Sighing to herself as any doubts that Rudkar Cross was not directly involved in this smuggling operation vanished when she saw him walking out of the warehouse below.

          A surge of anger swept through her as she watched him below. He had been toying with her, getting her to lower her guard and trust him. But to what end? Surely there was no way even with having her checked out that he knew that Barbra Gordon was Batgirl. There was no possible way for him to have made that connection unless he had been on his radar far longer that he had been on her radar. Had Batgirl’s true identity been compromised? Not even her own father knew who she was. The only ones that knew outside of Wayne Manor were a couple members of this Justice League that Bruce and some others were working on starting some other for lack of a better term, Heroes, who worked to fight the criminal element and protect the innocent in other cities as they did here in Gotham. In fact, that was where Bruce and Dick were right now.

 

          Her mind went back to the dinner at Cross World Transit. There had to be something that she missed that would have given her a clue. She has let herself be distracted that night. She should not have had the wine or at least not more than one glass. It had dulled her wits. But every time that her glass was lower that half full, either Cross was signaling the waitress to refill it, or she came on her own to refill the glass. And speaking of the waitress, never in her life had she ever came across a woman so docile and utterly submissive in her like. It was almost as if she were a slave.  And with how he had her dressed she might as well been or a waitress in a strip club. She had only seen it for an instant, but it looked like the girl had a tattoo or birth mark on her left thigh just below the hip. It had kept peaking out of the slit in the side of her cocktail dress if you could call it that.

          Then the hairs on the back of her neck were standing up. There had been the faint sound of a boot scraping on the roof top behind her. Someone was behind her. She cursed herself for being so careless again.  It was not like her to be so distracted. She listened and waited pretending to be focused on what was going on down below them on the dock at the entrance to the warehouse. There were three, perhaps four men behind her. Yes they were all men judging by the heavier foot falls of the boots they wore.

          The important question now was were these men sentries that had been moving about and stumbled upon her. Or had she been spotted and these were the men sent up to secure her. The main difference being that if they were sentries then she might have a better than slim chance of neutralizing them and getting away before more arrived from below. If she had been spotted then it was very likely that there would be more men waiting for her should these fail.

          “It’s not polite to sneak up on a lady. Didn’t your mother teach you boys that.” She said with a smile without turning.

          “Neither is sticking your little nose where it doesn’t belong. Batbitch.” Came a gravely male voice from behind her. “Now be a good girl and put your hands behind your back and don’t move.”

          “Now I know that your mother had to have taught you better that to insult a lady by calling her nasty names.” Batgirl sighed in exasperation. “I guess I am just going to have to teach you all again.” Spinning about she reached out and grabbed the night vision goggles of the man closest to her, pulling them away from his face then letting go so that the elastic bands of the head harness strained and cause the goggles to snap back against his face when she let them go. Not a disabling blow but it would disorient him for a few seconds to give her time to go after the other two she now saw.

          As the man stepped back away she swung the back of her hand around to strike at the side of one’s neck as she shifted her balance to high kick to the upper chest or face. Then might actually work out she thought for a split second until she felt three stabbing pricks in her left butt cheek as three darts penetrated the skin of her batsuit and sank into her flesh.

 

          Barbra cursed herself. Did she miscount her attackers, or did the first one recover quicker than expected? Either way she was in a bad place now. Spinning away from them, she swept one hand behind her to knock the darts from her for all the good it would do. They had already bitten into her flesh and delivered their drug to her system. She stumbled and her knees felt weak. Whatever they had just used on her was fast acting. She slowly backed away from them towards a small retaining wall that led to a higher level of the building’s roof.

          She shook her head attempting to clear it, but they slowly walked towards her knowing she was not going anywhere. She threw a weak punch that not only missed but propelled her away from the wall forward and into their waiting arms. Their hand groped and touched her as her cape and utility belt were taken.

          “Shall we take the mask off too?” Asked one of them as she was lowered to the rooftop onto her belly. Helpless to stop them as her wrists were pulled to the small of her back and locked in cuffs.

          “No, I am sure that the Boss would be pissed if we deprived him of the honor of unwrapping Batgirl.” As she felt her feet being pulled back towards her butt, she heard one radioing in that they had captured her. At the same time, she felt a cuff locked about one ankle and held as a chain was looped through the connecting chain of the handcuffs then another cuff locked about her other ankle. She was hog-tied and helpless. The drugs they had used on her would prove to be a blessing as she slipped into unconsciousness before what was to come next. 

There was little chance of the sedatives wearing off before they would have their prize better secured in the warehouse below. But to be safe, a piece of cloth was wadded up and pushed into her mouth then bound in place with a strip of duct tape. It was still unclear if she was alone or not yet. Batman and Robin had not reportedly been seen in the last 48 hours. But that did not mean they were not close by or that one of the other costumed do-gooders. The other sentries and lookouts had been alerted.

          “I have heard that this one is tricky and prone to escape.” One of her captors stated as he knelt on one knee beside her. “I wonder if she is a real fire crotch. I guess we will find out soon enough.” He laughed as he rolled her to her side and started running his hands over her body. Even unconscious, a whimpered moan escaped her as his hands checked around her the plate of her suit.

          “Stop playing with her, damnit!” cursed one of the others.

          “I am not playing with the slut. I am checking her for weapons and lock pick tools.” Then running his hand lower so that he was pressing against the outside of her suit where it covered her pelvic area. This cause the drugged heroine to whimper and squirm more. “She is juicing already, I bet she test paga hot when she is processed.”

          “What makes you think that we won’t just cut her throat?”

          “Have you ever known the Boss,” taking hold of her and pulling her up with him as he rose to his feet. Effortlessly, rotating and placing her over his shoulder with her head to the rear and ass facing forward. Then he continued, “to waste a prime piece of merchandise like this one.”

          With that he turned and carried her to the door leading back into the building.

 

          Rudkar Cross was not pleased when his limo pulled up at the warehouse once more. He had left instructions for Christa to be silked, perfumed, and chained to his bed when he returned from the docks. So, his mood soured when the call came in that something had happened as he was leaving that required him to return to the loading of the cargo for shipment. All that was said was the code for unwanted guest over the radio, so the details were sketchy at best as to what had happened. The radios were scrambled and coded on a secure radio frequency, but he didn’t like to leave anything to chance. No matter how new or good your equipment was, soon as it was out the company that marketed it was working on a way to counter it for your competitors as well as an update to fix what they just sold or something new and better. Whatever it was, had to be important for them to call him, asking for his return, he had good solid lieutenants that didn’t need to be micromanaged.

          Soon as the limo came to a stop two security men flanked and opened the door. Stepping out, Cross paused to scan the area to see if he could spot what the problem was. The forklift was bringing the last wooden shipping crate from the semi that was already having the doors secured and ready to pull away. His eyes followed the forklift to where it lowered the crates before backing away. Soon as it was clear two men stepped up with crowbars and pried open the crate. Once the side panel was removed and taken to the side with the others. A medic was kneeling inside to check the condition of the merchandise within.

          There didn’t seem to be any problem there as the medic stepped back and two handlers took her place and exited the crate with two Latin beauty’s, both nude and still deeply sedated from there trip. There olive skin and black hair they could almost pass for Turian slaves till they spoke. Despite, all the technology and toys available to them, something so simple as being able to deliver the merchandise to the markets already able to speak and understand standard Gorean was still not possible. But then there was always the psychological factor of the slaves not only learning that they were now slaves but also forced to learn the native language of their masters to be considered. That tool in itself could be enough to stop any work on subliminal training for the slaves while still in hibernation chambers for shipment. He had to admit that he preferred the hands on training and breaking of a new slave to her collar himself.

          The two newly uncrated slaves were carried over and laid out on the floor of the warehouse with the eighteen other new slaves already laid out and waiting to have their anklets scanned and checked in and then sedated again if needed before being loaded into the transport chambers. Once in the chambers a mixture of oxygen and sedative would be pumped into the chamber for their trip ensuring that they did not wake up till their masters wished them too. The chambers would then be loaded into specially constructed steel shipping containers that would carry six chambers each. The containers would be loaded onto the deck of ship with others like it listed as carrying farming equipment for a distant country.

          Cross World Transit was a legitimate shipping cooperation and very successful. But it was also a great cover for the movement of slaves around the world and other places. This particular shipment of slaves was part of a larger consignment. This part was going to the markets of Cos. While the rest was destined for the Steel Worlds, which he did not wish to think about.

          “Everything seems to be going as it should.” Turning to one of his lieutenants.

          “The intruder our sentries caught is secure over there away from the others, Mr. Cross.” The man pointed to a group of men standing in a group a short distance away. Cross had noticed them and was about to ask about them next. The lieutenant motioning the way, Cross followed him over. When they reached to group of men, they parted like the Red Sea for Moses for him. In the center of circle of men was a lone figure. A woman. Chained in a hogtie configuration on her belly still wearing her form fitted latex body suit, was the flame haired crime fighter that he had been hearing about known as Batgirl.

Seeing their boss one of the men watching knelt down the sedated heroine and broke a smelling salts capsule under her nose. Almost instantly the chains of the restraints with tight as the cuffs locked on her wrists and ankles pulled to the limits allowed and muffled muted cries erupted from her taped mouth as she wiggled and squirmed on the concert floor for their entertainment. Cross himself thought that the batsuit she wore for the moment showed off the sweetness of her assets very nicely. The laughter and comments of those watching only infuriated their guest even more.

 

          Cross knew that now she had seen their operations that she would have to be neutralized. Meaning that she needed to vanish without a trace as they would start looking for her. The sooner the better, given that there was no way of knowing if others were with her or knew of her location and activities. He was standing behind her, so she was not aware of his presence yet. The most human thing to do to such a talented heroine would be to simply slit her throat and the dump her body in the ocean from one of the ships scheduled to sail in the next hour. The cruelest being to ship her to one of the Steel Worlds to be added to the herd of human cows, there her best hope would be to found pleasing enough to become the pet of one of the Kurii masters or slave one of their human mercenaries. It that didn’t happen she would eventually find herself in the slaughter pens as food for the Beasts. Looking at the promise hidden by her clothing, he decided that it would be a waste of a flame hair. He stepped around so that she could see him and noted that she had involuntarily gasped as she recognized him. Interesting he thought.

          “You didn’t need to go through all this trouble Batgirl. I would have been more than happy to give you the deluxe tour and arranged passage for you.” Cross smiled as he squatted down and placed a finger under her chin lifting and holding it so that she had to look at him. “Now there are two ways for this to go, pretty one. You answer my questions immediately and honestly and I will not have to use methods that you will not enjoy to get the answers. Either way you will tell me what I need to know. You may whimper once for yes and twice for no. Do you understand?” He smiled. Batgirl only glared back at him. At least till she felt the sharp painful bite of leather strap striking her left buttock. Which caused her to scream into her gag. “Now, let’s try this again, Do you understand?”

          Batgirl refused to respond after two more bites of the leather upon her body. Tears were rolling down her face as she breathed heavily through her nose determined not to whimper for Cross even though she knew she was on her own and at his mercy. Cross eyed her with admiration and a little respect, many would have submitted and obeyed after the first taste of the leather. But then did he really expect anything less from the masked heroine that had found herself at the mercy of some of the most vindictive and vicious criminal masterminds in the world. He glanced at his Rolex, a little over an hour had passed since she was captured. If others were present then they would have attempted to rescue her by now. Intelligence had her male counterparts out of the city for the next two day. Leaving her the sole caped crusader in Gotham at the moment.

          His information could be wrong. But his instincts told him that it wasn’t. She was enduring the punishment and humiliation while she bought time hoping for a weakness she could exploit to escape. One of his lieutenants leaned in to inform him that her Batgirl cycle had been located not far from the front gate to the docks. Everything pointed to she came in alone not knowing what she was getting herself into. Shame, shame Batgirl he thought.

          “One thing that I have never understood,” Cross said as he squatted down and lifted her chin once more looking at her. “I know that you and your two male counterparts have been captured many times in the past. Yet no one has unmasked any of you as of yet. It seems to me that once your true identity is known that your career is over.” Now the fear showed in her jade eyes as she cried no into her gag pleading for him not to as a booted foot held her in place as the cowl was peeled off her head revealing her to all present. Cross laughed and grinned. “Well, hello, Barbra.”

Brabra’s heart sank and she was sick to her stomach. In a instant she had went from being helplessly chained in a hogtie that she couldn’t get out of as long as she was watched. To having her identity exposed to the world or soon would be. Her career as Batgirl was done. She looked up at Rudkar Cross and wondered if he would be content with exposing her to the world or if he would have her killed as well. Who was she kidding, he was a smuggler kingpin, even with her identity exposed she could still testify against him and put him behind bars for a long time if she was allowed to live.

          “I must say that this is a pleasant surprise, Barbra.” Cross smiled in satisfaction. “But I think that it is safe to say that your cavalry is not going to ride in to save you. So, I think we can remove your muzzle.” He chuckled as he carefully pealed back the tape that covered her mouth. Then he pulled the cloth from her mouth as well.

          “Don’t count on that, Cross!” she snapped back.

          “I think I am fairly confident that the money I am paying to those criminal lunatics the Joker and the Riddler to stay out of this part of town as well to report on the movements of your friend Batman are accurate. You were the wild card that I underestimated. I didn’t think that you were even on to my operations yet. Nor that you would be come after me on your own if you did.” Looking over to one of his men. “Sedate her just enough to take the fight out of her. Then strip her and resecure her in the chains. I will be back in thirty minutes. I have something to arrange, I don’t want her or that batsuit damaged.” Barbra started to say something but a cloth soaked with something was placed over her mouth and nose and fight as she might her resistance quickly gave way to feeling like she was moving through water or living in slow motion.

 

          Barbra was not sure how much time had passed when she shook off the groggy feeling that had came over her. However, when she did she was slumped as far forward as she could given the way she was restrained, looking down at her own naked body that was kneeling on the cold concrete floor. A wooden dowel had been placed between her teeth and held in place by what felt like a leather thong against the sides of her face. She saw that leather cuffs had been fastened about her lower thighs just above the knees to which a metal spreader bar had been attached forcing her to keep her thighs painfully wide and open exposing her more intimate region for all to see. Her ankles had been crossed and bound by some sort of cord. Finally, she found that she was held upright by her arms being passed over a metal bar placed against her back. Her wrists had then been pulled back forward and locked in leather cuffs held before her body by a light metal chain that pressed into her stomach. The metal bar was sit in brackets on post placed to her left and right.

          Barbra marveled and cursed the system that held her at the same time. She marveled at how efficient the system was as she was helpless to do anything. While cursing that there was literally nothing that she could do to free herself. She couldn’t stand to lift herself off the brackets. She couldn’t reach the cuffs that held her to work the locks even if she wasn’t stripped and had nothing to pick a lock with.

          A sudden chill ran down her spine as something that she had not considered before came to mind. She has assumed that Cross and his people were snuggling something of value such as drugs, weapons, even bootlegged merchandise. But given the effectiveness and expertise they had used to secure her. They very well could be dealing in a softer, more fragile, and perishable form of goods. She remember the woman that had been serving their dinner that night in his private dining room. She had been extremely subservient almost, slave like.

          “My Barbra you are even more lovely than I imagined.” Cross smiled as he walked back to where she was restrained on her knees. “I will not lie. When you left the dining room that night your name was placed on a target of opportunity acquisition list. Given your father’s position just abducting you would cause problems.” He smiled and paused. “But then you served yourself up to me on a silver platter.”

          Barbra growled and mumbled something into the bit gag in her mouth that could not be understood. At a nod from Cross one of the men stepped up and loosened the thong holding the dowel rod in her mouth and removed it.

          “What are you going to do with me!” Barbra demanded.

          “Do you remember at dinner when I mentioned an old saying where I come from?” Cross smiled.

          “Yes, What does that have to do with anything?”

          “Curiosity is not becoming in a kajira.” Taking two items from one of the men at his side. He walked to the restrained girl before him. Squatting down with some sort of red grease pencil, he made a couple marks on her left breast. The adjusting himself snapped and locked a steel anklet on her left ankle. Her eyes went wide as she recalled the girl that had served them had a steel anklet on her left ankle as well.

          “What is a kajira?” she asked not sure she wanted to know.

          “See still curious, but we will break you of that at my villa.” At that moment, the bar she was bound to was lifted from it’s brackets and she was lowered to her belly on the floor. She felt a stabbing pain in her left buttock as she saw several of the men carrying a clear plastic tube across the warehouse towards a shipping container. Inside was a naked sleeping woman. Then she saw another as her eyes grew heavy.

          Barbra Gordon was in no condition to resist as she was freed of her restraints and then loaded into a transport chamber of her own. She saw everything that was happening, but the drug had robbed her of the ability to speak or control her own body as she laid inside the tube and watched herself being loaded with the others. Inside the container hoses were attached to her tube and a mixture of oxygen and sedative were pumped in as she drifted off.

          “What about her stuff?” asked a Lieutenant.

          “You strip now!” Cross pointed to one of the female operatives with blondish red hair.

          “But..” she started to protest.

          “Do you want to join them?” He pointed to the shipment of slaves. The woman shook her head no. “Good them get naked and put on the Batgirl costume now!”

          “What do you have in mind?” the same lieutenant asked.

          “From a distance, it’s possible that none will suspect that she is not Batgirl. Have her ride the Bat-cycle around for at least 30 minutes. Dump it in one of the known crime bosses areas where it will be found. Take the wench to a different bosses area and leave the outfit there to be found. I want Batman and the Police Commissioner to think they killed their precious Batgirl and did something to Barbra Gordon.”

          “What about her?” he pointed to the woman putting on the Batgirl suit.

          “She has not been with us long enough to be properly vetted. She’s a liability and lose end. So, once she is naked in the van, process her like a new capture. She can wake up in the slave pens too.” Rudkar Cross thought for a moment. “Male or female, anyone that has not been vetted gets shipped. One wrong word and our house of cards will crumble. I want nothing that will tie Barbra Gordon or Batgirl to us.” He let out a long sigh. “Much as I would love to keep her cowl and belt as trophies. It’s best that they end up as evidence against the Riddler or Joker that drawing questions here or in Cos.”

          Beside, Rudkar thought to himself, why do I need them when I will have her as my slave.

 

 

Curiosity Caught the Bat

 

 

Curiosity Caught the Bat

A stand alone Batgirl on Gor Fanfiction. It is a blending of the DC Batgirl canon as well as the Gor series of John Norman. 

Prologue

 

          The server leaned over the table filling her glass once more. Barbra could not remember the last time that she had more than one glass of wine with dinner let alone three. She glanced at the server, the woman was average height and slender with a good figure. Something that couldn’t be missed as she was wearing only a form fitting black cocktail dress that reveal most of her as it had a low revealing neckline and the hem fell high on her thighs, with slits on both sides. Her brown hair was wore loose and the only jewelry that she wore was a metal anklet on her left ankle and a necklace with a letter ‘k’ pendant.

          It struck Barbra strange when she noticed that as well as that the woman wore no rings and no wristwatch. But she did have gold hoop earrings. The woman also didn’t say any more than was needed and then it was short and to the point always ending with “Yes, Sir” or “Yes, Miss”. It was almost like she dared not say anything more that needed to be said else she would be in trouble. But then this wasn’t a public restaurant. She was seated across from Rudkar Cross in his private dining room in Cross World Transit building overlooking Gotham Harbor. As a rule, she didn’t accept invitations to private dinners from men that she didn’t know. That was more that the Batgirl side of her being very cautious. She had been around most of the wealthy playboys of Gotham society as the close friend of billionaire Bruce Wayne and daughter of Police Commissioner James Gordon. They had both been very helpful in pointing out the ones to be weary of.

          But it wasn’t a date, she was attempting to learn anything she could as Barbra instead of Batgirl concerning a group of smugglers that had moved into Gotham and working out of Gotham Harbor. They had been operating for months before she even had a hint of their presences. Then it was only when she detected a pattern that had formed. There had been a drastic drop off in criminal activity in the Harbor District. The small time operators were still active. But the larger organizations and criminal masterminds had avoided that district. She had mentioned it in passing to her father, who had laughed and told her not to look a gift horse in the mouth as it allowed the Department to shift resources to other areas that had been stretched thin. She had mentioned it to Bruce and Dick as well, but neither of them seemed overly concerned either. Bruce saying to observe and monitor the area but not to spend a lot of time on it. That there were too many other crises to deal with.

          However, Barbra could not just let it go as something told her that there was something that they all were missing. What had happened that even the Joker was avoiding that area. The Clown Prince of Crime was notorious for running them all over Gotham. Only now everywhere but the harbor and docks. She has spent several late nights on the web looking for anything. The only thing she had found was that the trend started to form a couple months after Cross World Transit had established their hub in Gotham.

          Cross World Transit was huge and a rising giant in the shipping industry. They had established offices in every major seaport and shipping hub in the United States as well as most of the rest of the world. While they had their fingers in overland and air shipping, they predominately specialized in cargo ships.

          One thing that Barbra had noticed in her research on the corporation was that they were not only not bothered by the criminal elements in Gotham. But their ships were not harassed on the seas in areas known for pirate activities. One possible reason could be the rumors that CWT ships carried extra crew and weapons to ensure that they were only attacked once. There was legality about this, however no weapons had been found when any of the searches had been conducted. Nor had there been any witness’s come forward to make formal charges. Although, there had also been some unrest in the regions where the pirate activity was the worse. Several new leaders amongst the warlords had come to power suddenly.

          Very thing that Barbra could find said that Rudkar Cross and Cross World Transit was a clean as a whistle and everything they claimed to be. So why could she not just leave it at that? Why did she feel the need to dig deeper? On the surface, Rudkar Cross was no different from Bruce Wayne. Maybe he was a new and yet unseen crime fighting superhero she laughed to herself.

          “Was something funny, Miss Gordon?” Rudkar Cross smiled a very charming and dashing smile at her.

          “No, not really I suppose. Just a thought about how similar you seem to be to Bruce Wayne.” She answered mostly honestly.

          “Then I will take that as a compliment, Miss Gordon. I have met Mr. Wayne a few times and he seems to be a decent sort if not a little reserved at time.” He motioned to the girl that the glasses needed refilled once more. Instantly, the server appeared and topped off both of their wine glasses. Again, she was struck by how beautiful and graceful the woman served their wine. But more than that she was utterly submissive and obedient to her employers wishes. Rudkar smiled as he watched her watching the girl as she walked away from the table. “She is lovely isn’t she, Barbra.”

          “Yes, she is very beautiful,” she answered without thinking. She hadn’t noticed that this time he had not addressed her as formally as he had before.

          “I am sure that with the proper training and conditioning I have no doubt that you can be just as skilled and beautiful as Christa.” Rudkar leaned back in his chair and smiled.

          “What?” she asked not sure that she had heard him right.

          “I was saying,” leaning in and sliding her glass of wine to her for her to drink. “What can Cross Worlds Transit do for you, Barbra. “I may call you Barbra can’t I” He smiled.

          “What? Of course you may.” Shaking it off.

          “You will have to forgive me. English is not my native tongue.” He let his eyes linger over the curvature of her toned and trim body with an knowing and appraising look. Then before she could pursue the subject, he moved on cutting her off. “When I received your message I was curious as to what I could do for the Gotham Municipal Library. Specifically, the Research and Documentation division of the Library.” She must have failed to conceal her surprise with the expression on her face that he knew exactly which part of the Library that Barbra Gordon worked in. She has only given her name and that she was with the Library and wished to speak with him.

          “In my line of work, Barbra is pays to know with whom one is talking to and dealing with.” He went on, “Barbra Jean Gordon, only daughter of Police Commissioner James Gordon and the late Barbra Kean Gordon. You have an Eidetic Memory, graduated with a PhD in Library Sciences and a minor in Computer Science from an Ivy League College, top of your class. You run the Research and Documentation division of the Gotham Municipal Library. You live lone and have no pets. Did I miss anything?” He smiled adding to himself her physical attributes that made her very stunning and desirable. She would indeed look very nice assisting Christa serving in the dining room as she normally did when there was no outside guest.

          “You seem to have done your homework on me, Mr. Cross.” She said carefully so as not to betray anything. She thought for an instant then ran the tip of her tongue over her lips. “I thought it would be a good idea to get with you as form time to time, the Library needs to have valuable and historic items shipped to and from Gotham. They require special handling as well as very strict security.”

          “As I said before, I like to know who I am dealing with.” He smiled his best disarming smiles. His eyes still continued to roam over her curves appraising her. This one was a definitely a prime candidate for his list. But the fact that she was the daughter of the Police Commissioner made for a messy complication. If he was only here to collect and move on, then he would seriously consider her. But he had spend a great deal of time and expense sitting up operations here so the last thing he wished was unwanted attention. “You checked out very well. And your credentials are most impressive. If you ever get bored with the library. I am sure that I can find something for you to do around here.” He smiled.

          “That is very flattering, but I am very happy with my work.” She smiled in return.

          “Then I will just have to settle for these informal working diners. And I can assure you that CWT takes great pride in the most valuable and fragile cargo arrived safely and undamaged.” He motioned to the server once more who approached and refilled the wine glasses. “So, what do you think of the wine?”

          “It is very good,” Barbra sipped at her glass. It was extremely good wine. And she had way too much of it. She forgot when the last time she had allowed herself to have more than one or two glasses. “I don’t believe that I know the vintage.”

          “I am not surprised. I am sure that you have never tasted anything like it before. This bottle was made from grapes grown on villa and prepared a special way.”

          “Where is you villa?” She was asking out curiosity more than anything else.

          “Aw, we have a saying where I come from that curiosity in pretty girls such as you.” Rudkar smiled. Then continued, “It is on a island far from here that is so remote and small you have never heard of it. But it a place of great beauty.”

          “The way you talk of it, I think that I would like to see it sometime.” She smiled, not sure if that was her being polite, or the wine talking.

          “Oh, trust me, my dear. If you were to be there and see it for yourself. You would find it very difficult to leave.” Glancing over her shoulder to someone behind her. “But if you will excuse me, I have to tend to something. Until next time, Barbra.”

          “It was a pleasure to meet you, Rudkar. Thank you for diner and the excellent wine. I look forward to working with you in the future.” Barbra stood just a little off balance. But instantly she regained her composure and balance as the adrenaline rush from her training kicked in to counter the effects of the wine. She will definitely need to watch herself with the wine on future visits. She could tell that her senses were dulled enough that she may walk with grace and composure, but melee fighting would be out of the question.

          “Yes, I look forward very much to working with you, Barbra. My aid will get you a cab. Good evening.” Rudkar smiled. As the aid appeared by her side to escort her from the building. Barbra almost felt as if she had been just dismissed in the same manner as he had the server in the dining room. As she exited the room, out of the corner of her eyes she noticed the server Christa returning to the table.

 

          “She was very pretty, Master.” Christa said softly as she knelt by the table. Then softly giggled. “I thought Master was going to tell her that curiosity is not becoming in a kajira.”

          “Yes,” Rudkar laughed, “I almost did.”

          “I am surprised that she was taken to the taxi stand downstairs and not to the special ‘guest’ quarters to start her stay, Master. Is she to be added to the list for the next shipment?”

          “Christa,” giving the kneeling girl a stern look. “What was just said about curiosity and kajira?” Noting the girl’s instant dropping of her eyes and loss of her smile after being corrected. “But you are right, she would make a beautiful slave. And only her status as daughter of the Police Commissioner keeps her from starting a new life right away.” He paused as he imagined Barbra Gordon stripped in a slave collar serving his dinner and Kalana. “But if the right circumstances present themselves, she will be.”