As I headed home one evening after a failed attempt to convince the Council of this planet that the Company would serve their people well, I encountered, in my living room, quite by chance, a young woman. She was filthy and bedraggled, and she didn't seem to know where she was. I could only presume that she wandered into my seeking safety from the sandstorms of Lorien. She looked at me for a moment, then passed out.
    Realizing that, if left there, she would undoubtedly die, I walked over to her, cursing under my breath in Ailistan the entire time.
    I picked her up out of the water, and carried her into what the Company passed for my dwelling. She was feverish, and required immediate medical attention. Therefore, I prepared what medicine I had as best as I could. After several days of intense treatment, her fever broke. It would have been faster had I been able to get her to a Company Medical Center… but the only CMC on this planet was at the pole. I doubt she’d have made the trip, considering the rudimentary methods of transportation.
    The morning after her fever finally broke, she opened her eyes and looked at me. I am sure she would have screamed had she been strong enough.
    "Who are you?" She asked, the foreign words rolling off her tongue. It took me a moment to understand them, and I switched my thought-language from Ailistan to Lorien.
    "I am Stephen Gael of Ailista," I responded in Lorien, sitting beside her. "You’ve been very ill. I found you wandering around and took you here to get well. Do you remember your name?"
    "I am Ailah, second slave to the Lady. You are the One She Desires."
    I rolled my eyes. Everyone knew that the Lady was a self-proclaimed ruler, and that she ruled with no less than an iron fist and sharp blades. She was the power in this out-washed backwards planet that no-one had bothered to account for. That’s why I was here: to account for the planet. And the Lady wanted what I represented: more power.
    "Please call me Stephen."
    Her green eyes locked with mine, and I suddenly felt like a lost little boy. She was beautiful. I was an aging spacer. I had no business falling for a young girl! But she was…
    She must have read my mind, for she blushed. "I shouldn't be here."
    "Why not?" I asked.
    "The Lady would kill me if she knew. I must go."
    "You've been ill for several days. I think I had better come with you. Perhaps my presence will ease the Lady’s anger." I told her.
    Reluctantly, she allowed me to escort her to the Lady's court.
    As Ailah had feared, the Lady was indeed furious at her. "Where have you been? You impudent girl, I've had every slave out looking for you!"
    "I don't think so," I responded. "Your hair is done very nicely, and your face is as well, my Lady."
    The Lady glared dark daggers at me. She didn’t dare insult me openly, for then I could take offense and leave the planet… along with her hopes of joining the     Alliance and gaining the protection of the Company and the power that accompanied it.
    "You will be punished for your absence," she hissed at Ailah.
    "I do not think she will be." I said imperiously. Time to throw some of my own weight around. "She was ill, and under my care. I did not allow her to come to your court, even though she begged me to permit her to attend you."
    "Needs be, the punishment must be given," the Lady said.
    "How much would you sell her for?" I asked. I hated to see anyone be subservient to another. That sort of behavior hadn’t been in my particular star system for centuries. It still turned up on backwater systems like Lorien’s however, as much as it galled me. The Company had a stiff stance that we should not attempt to usurp the so-called ‘natural order’ of the society, but if we felt that an individual was at risk, we could take action within the laws of the society to secure the individual.
    Ailah looked at me, confused. The Lady drew back, surprised.
    "You want a slave? Pick any of my lower servants, and they are yours."
    "I want this one. How much is she?" It was customary, I understood, to offer a monetary figure first, other options second.
    The Lady was not impressed. "She is not for sale."
    Ailah gave me a nervous glance. If this failed, she could be killed. But I didn't intend it to fail. So I made an offer that I knew a woman as vain as the Lady couldn't refuse.
    "Not even for a Ailistan gown? The finest fabrics, the most beautiful lace and gems?"
    Now, the Lady looked vaguely interested. "A royal blue?"
    "Any color of the rainbow that you wished, my Lady," I bowed low, in the style of Ailista’s High Court. I was a member of said Court… but I certainly didn’t feel like revealing that information to her.
    "Let it be done. You bring me that dress, the slave is yours."
    I raised a hand. "She will not be punished in any way. If I find that she has, the dress will disappear. Do you understand?"
    She glared at me. "I understand all too well. Girl, go to your room!"
    Ailah shot me a grateful look before she disappeared behind the curtains. I turned and left the Lady's Court. I knew a servant would be beaten severely, if not killed, in place of Ailah.
    I had to buy that bloody dress!
    I found a dress design that I thought was suitable for the Lady. After which, I sent to my sister on Ailista for selections of blue fabrics, and within the month, at least a dozen different shades of blue arrived. I carefully selected the blue I thought would look best on the Lady, then shipped the selection back with my design selection and the Lady's measurements.
    During this time, I frequently met Ailah in the Lady's gardens, and I was walking with her when the topic turned to Ailistan Culture.
    "How are women treated in Ailista?" Ailah asked me.
    I paused and looked at her.
    "Well, for one thing, the woman walks beside the man like this . . . " I drew her up beside me. I crooked my right arm and placed her left hand on the inside of my arm. I took several steps, and she followed. She seemed comfortable there, so I continued to walk with her at my side. It was an experience that left me slightly giddy.
    "A woman walks with the man? Here, she either follows him or stays behind.”
    "Not only does she walk with the man, but she can have a conversation with him in public." I answered.
    "In public? That is unheard of here."
    "I know. It's stupid. Also, women don't wear veils in Ailista. The practice of hiding a woman's face ended long ago."

    My wrist-unit beeped, alerting me to an incoming communications from the Company, and I excused myself to take it.
It turned out to be a routine call-in, nothing particular. They were simply making sure that the natives hadn’t gone restless and killed me. We’d had that happen a few years back on a planet that had started out eager to join, but over the weeks of negotiations, grew impatient with the language differences.
    Damned if that would happen to me. I’d learned the language cold.
 

    The dress arrived shortly after I woke one morning. A completely fruitless week had passed since I had ordered it. My personal suspicions were that the Lady was controlling the Council, forcing them to wait until the dress arrived… as a test to the Company and to myself. Fortunately, the dress was exactly as I had specified. I wouldn’t have to send it back.

    I wasted no time in presenting it to the Lady. She was absolutely delighted with it, and vanished with the dress, only to return wearing it. Yes, she was quite lovely, but I felt nothing for her. And sadly, everyone knew tht she’d pinned her greedy little heart on me. Not for love, of course, but for the power I represented.
    "You must dance with me, D’lal."
    She mispronounced it. It made my ears hurt. I’d tried to teach her some Ailistan in the beginning, but it had proven useless. She simply couldn’t understand the consonant sound associated with the ‘.
    Music began from somewhere, no doubt turned on by a hidden slave. The Lady walked up to me. I took her into dance frame only because Ailah was still in her Court. I’d play nice only as long as I was forced to. But I was rapidly running out of patience with this woman who deemed it appropriate to kill those who got in her way.
    We danced for several songs, then she smiled up at me in a rare moment of kindness. "She will be released to your care. Make sure that it is good care."
    Her lips brushed my right cheek. I stiffened, expecting her to try more, but she walked off.
    I watched her go, bemused. For a moment, for one brief instant of insanity, I suffered the delusion the Lady actually had a sense of decency.
    "Stephen, who are you trying to fool?" I asked myself. I shook my head and headed out to meet Ailah.
 
    I found Ailah at the entrance to the Lady's Court. She had little more than a piece of cloth wrapped around her, and her hair was completely disheveled. She looked as if she had been crying, too. Against all better judgement, I reached out to her. "Ailah! What has been done to you?"
    "The others in the Court are jealous. They thought that this would make you not want me as your servant."
    I took her arm and shook my head.
    The Lady spoke from behind me, voice as cold as ice. "Their actions were not on my orders. They will be punished."
    I turned to look at her. She was an interesting sight. She wore the elaborate Ailistan silk dress I had labored to get, yet she looked plain. Her elegance was lost, and for a moment, I saw her as a lonely, bored young woman who desperately wanted a friend. But, just as suddenly, she drew herself up, and the regal, exotic elegance returned. I turned from her, sickened by the power of her greed.
    "Then they have sealed their fate. I will not take any measures to help them."
    I heard the Lady leave, the skirt rustling on the polished stone floor.
    "Then my appearance doesn't upset you?" Ailah asked, looking at me.
    "Beauty is in the person, not their clothes or the style of their hair. Besides, you would have had to throw out anything they might have given you."
    She looked at me quizzically.
    "Come. There is business to attend to," I placed my cape around her shoulders and led her to the tunnel to the market. After walking through the crudely erected metal tunnel, we came into the domed city market, and we stopped at a store, which sold women's clothing. I instructed the owner at once to dress Ailah, and that he would be well paid. The clerk took Ailah into the back, needing no further motivation. The assistant returned, and handed me back my cloak.
    "Select several complete ensembles for her. I will return," I replaced my cloak about my shoulders and walked over to a store several feet away. After a moment, I purchased some jewelry that I thought would look good on Ailah. It was simple in comparison to what I could get on Ailista, but it was enough for Lorien. Ailistan jewelry would only draw more attention to her.
    A few purchases later, I left another store with several hair-trimmings and moved off to inquire about the various paints that Lorien women wore on their faces. Then, laden with items in a basket, I returned to the store where I had left Ailah.
    She was standing there, staring out, obviously looking for me.
    "Ailah?"
    She turned, and my heart lost a beat.
    She was wearing a soft teal green that accented her green eyes and black hair. Her veil was not quite see-through, but it wasn't heavy. I paid the owner for that outfit and the others and placed some of the jewelry I had purchased on Ailah. She was beautiful. I would not have been embarrassed to walk beside her, even on the most elite street in Ailista. But then, I must have been twice her age easily. And sadly, I looked it.
    Later, in a meager dwelling I had purchased from its owner for nearly three times its worth, Ailah turned to me, all shyness and subservience aside. For a moment, she seemed to be almost as commanding in personality as the Lady. "You took quite a chance with the Lady, Stephen. You know she wants you and the power of the Company."
    "Yes. Either dead or alive, I'm afraid. Although she'd much rather have me alive. I’m worth more that way. No doubt that's why she let you go so easily. She probably thinks that she can win me over that way. Anyway, you're here, and I'm not wanted dead for now."
    I reached into my service jacket pocket and pulled out some papers. I took a pen and wrote: "This certificate is null and void by the purchase and freeing of said servant by Stephen A. Gael." I wrote that on two papers in Company Standard, Lorien, and Ailistan. Then I handed them to Ailah.
    She read them and frowned. "My Certificate of Ownership, my Certificate of Duties, what does this mean?"
    "You're free, Ailah. You are a free woman."
    She blinked at me. "What?"
    I handed her the Certificate of Purchase. "You never have to be a slave again. You can tell yourself what to do now. No-one is master to you except yourself. You are free to leave the planet, to have servants for yourself. Free to go to school… you are free to marry whomever you choose."
    She sat, looking at the three papers I had handed her. "Free…"
    The word sounded like a prayer. She looked up, tears brimming in her eyes. She turned away and removed her veil. She was using it to wipe her eyes, so I handed her my handkerchief. "This dwelling is also yours. I purchased it for you to live in. You have two servants, Kailia and Tesah. They are currently at the market, buying anything I might have missed."
    She turned to me and stood, her mouth working, but no sound coming out. Suddenly, she kissed me. Sweet, intense emotions flooded through me. The kiss was long, and I get the feeling would have lasted longer, had a knock not come at the door. I pulled away and opened the door. William, my current partner in the Lorien Endeavor was standing outside.
    "Stephen, a word with you."
    I turned to Ailah and nodded to her, then followed William out into the inner courtyard.
    "Have you lost your mind?" he asked me.
    "I beg your pardon?"
    "You just freed one of the personal slaves of the Lady. She'll kill you for that."
    "Ah, but my dear William, I purchased her before I freed her,” I countered.
    “Do you know who she is? Who she was?” he asked me, drawing me away and into a small alley.
    I shook my head. “No, but does it matter, William?”
    “It most certainly does! That woman in there is the daughter of the previous ruler of Lorien!  She’s not just some slave! She’s highly educated, and extremely crafty. They say that she killed the first three who were sent to capture her,” William said.
    I shrugged. “That’s not my concern, Will. I’m simply trying to show the Lady that I’m not easily bullied.”
    He looked at me. "You're in love with her, aren't you?"
    "Who, the Lady?"
    "No, Ailah. I know you aren't in love with the Lady. That's obvious."
    "I'm not sure, Will."
    "Then why in the name of Ailista are you doing all of this for her?" he asked.
    "I hate to see anyone subservient to someone else. Besides, it was fun."
    "Stephen, I don't think I'll ever understand you."
    "Good." I turned and went back into Ailah's house.
    She was still standing where I had left her.
    "You will be all right here, won't you?"
    "Yes. I think that I will be fine, thank you." She replied.
    "I have to go back to my house and prepare for the next Council, but I will see you later." I kissed her cheek softly, then left.
    I entered my "house" via one of the underground entrances due to the sandstorms, and sat in a chair. I was amazingly at peace with myself, something I rarely felt. I smiled and sang a Ailistan lullaby under my breath. The words spoke of love and happiness. I loved to hear it sung by a woman, but the last woman to sing it to me had been Melissa. I sighed, then walked to my secret vault. I pulled out a small ring of gold and looked at it. Tomorrow, I would give it to Ailah. I knew now that I loved her. If she would marry me, I would take her to Ailista. I would show my miserable sister Agatha that I had found someone to love me.
    I dressed for bed, then fell asleep. I dreamed of Ailah in Ailista.
 
    I was in a Council meeting when the weather system alerted of an incoming storm, and an utter feeling of dread came over me. That shack that Ailah was living in wouldn’t hold up that well. I immediately arranged for adjournment so that all Council members could secure their families, and arrived at the local shelter in search of Ailah and her servants as winds began picking up. It was indeed the beginning of a very bad sandstorm, and I knew had to find Ailah. As I walked up to the shelter door, the wind began blowing sand so that it stung my face when it hit me.
    Once inside, I found and was informed by Kailia that Ailah had gone out to my house, and had not yet returned. Worried, I headed out, grabbing two capes as I left. I wrapped one round myself, to try to keep the sand out of my nose and mouth. The other, I bundled against me.
    "Ailah!"
    My voice was lost against the winds. As I neared one of the entrances to my house, I saw that had caved in with sand. I prayed she had not chosen that one. I arrived at the entrance where I had first met her, and I saw her hand sticking up out of some sand that had collapsed, most likely upon her.
    "Ailah!"
    I forgot all pain and impossibility as I dug her out. Then, I managed to get us inside the entrance. Her mouth was full of sand. I cleared it as best as I could, and she took a breath. She coughed, and blood mixed with sand came out of her mouth.
    "Ailah… " I took a nearby cloth and wiped the blood off of her face. She opened her eyes and looked at me.
    "Stephen,"
    "Shhh. Don't talk," I picked her up and carried her into the depths of my house. Her breathing was ragged and sand rattled in her chest.
    I placed her on the couch and made sure she was comfortable. She coughed violently, and more blood came up. I wiped it away. "Try not to cough. I'll be right back."
    I ran to my medcabinet. She was dying, but I could save her. I just had to find all of what I needed. It would buy us time until we could get to the CMC. I found all of the items, and was back at her side before the minute was up. Every moment was precious.
    "Ailah, I want you to drink this."
    She took the cup of liquid that I handed her, and with my assistance, she drank it. It wasn’t precisely what she needed, but it would help speed the healing of tissues torn by the grating sand. I prepared the vial of painkillers, pressing the dispenser against her arm.
    "Stephen, it's no use,” she whispered.
    "Shhh. You'll be all right."
    She began coughing again, this time rolling from the pain of the sand cutting into her lungs. She managed to stop, but not until after a sizable amount of sand and blood were brought up. The painkillers finally poured into her bloodstream, and she sighed softly.
    I kissed her forehead. It was feverish, and her hands were clammy. I knew she wasn't going to get better. She was dying, and I couldn't save her. All the medicine in the Company wouldn't help her now. I gathered her into my arms and held her as she coughed. I didn't care about the blood. I just wanted to hold her.
    "I love you, Ailah. Always remember that."
    "I love you," she whispered in Ailistan.
    She coughed again, then was still. The only sounds in the room were the howling of the winds and my sobs.