Mina lifted her head and silently repeated to herself that she should show no emotion, no matter what she saw. She kept her eyes on the first point in front of her that they met and focused upon and vowed to keep her gaze fixed on that point.
The room was much smaller than the vast chamber she had been first taken to, and surprisingly small considering how large the fortress appeared to be. At first, this was reassuring. A smaller “chamber of punishments” was less daunting than a large one, where Mozok’s imagination might have infinite outlets.
But as she processed what she was seeing, she wanted to look the room over, and she could not keep her eyes from wandering.
The walls of the room were the same color of red as her robe, embossed or carved with designs that she knew to be Draquun. They were likely related to the Trothplight ritual. Before her was a piece of furniture, also made of an expensive-looking material, carved and seemingly wrought of many hours of skilled labor. For a moment, she looked at it in confusion, not recognizing what it was for.
But it didn’t take long to surmise that it was a device designed to restrain her: wrist and ankle-sized shackles protruded from the sides and foot of the piece, and some dangled above it. The Draquun and Herstrakaa might be from systems away from Earth, but all hominids in the galaxy seemed to have arrived at similar conclusions on how best to restrain others for punishment—or pleasure.
There was a ledge about three feet from the base of the piece, with a narrow bench, and she had only to look at it momentarily to figure out that it was a bench for kneeling, with shackles on either side of it for her legs, likely at the knees.
She took furtive glances around, trying not to let the sights frighten her, or give Mozok the pleasure of watching her take it all in. That was clearly what he wanted, for he had not made a move, nor spoken a word, since they’d entered. He clearly enjoyed trying to scare her.
There were several cabinets, whose contents were on display, the doors open wide. While none of the contents were immediately recognizable, it did not take her long to divine their purposes: intricately carved and beautiful as they might be, no amount of fine art could disguise whips, paddles, straps, crops, and other items whose obvious use was spanking. A shudder traveled down her spine, and she dismayed that it was not altogether an unpleasant one.
She didn’t dwell on it but continued to look at the items. Many of them were phallic in shape—including a set of what looked like enormous dildos, increasing in size to one that seemed too enormous for even a Herstrakaa female.
A coolness began to take over her abdomen—real fear. Surely, they did not intend to use these enormous… devices… on her?
More alarming, though, than even these items, were the many tools and devices whose use she could not determine. She wondered if they might be similar to the many strange devices they had “examined” her with.
The memory of her very public examination, culminating with her very public enema, made her face hot. She lowered her chin and stared at the floor. She would not give Mozok the satisfaction of thinking she was frightened.
He placed a hand on her neck which made her jump slightly, and then he traced a circle lazily over her skin. Mina wanted to smack herself for enjoying the caress. A thread of electricity traveled from the bumps of her spine to her pussy, almost as if the two places were connected. She had never experienced that level of arousal with any Human male she had slept with. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to put it out of her mind and calm down.
“It is here that you will be punished when you misbehave, trothka. Before we begin, I shall ask of you if you wish to renounce the Trothplight or end it.”
“I do not,” she hissed, annoyed. She lifted her head and stared straight ahead.
“This is twice that you have spoken without my permission.”
“But I… You asked me a question!” Mina protested.
“This is three times now, and so you will receive three punishments, and thank me for them. Though I believe your gratitude must be conferred upon Voso, and saved as a later favor, for even a Herstrakaa cannot be… thanked… so very much, in such short time.”
Mina looked at the floor and wanted very much to roll her eyes. Oh so clever, she thought. Well, if this guy thought she couldn’t handle a little “gratitude,” he would see. As she thought about it, she began to feel an ache in her pussy again. Almost a craving. Her mouth watered. She had a deep curiosity about what she would see when Mozok asked her to “thank him.” She was surprised that the same bizarre and inexplicable feeling of arousal also panged inside of her.
Mozok extended an arm toward the cabinets. “You are to receive three punishments. Please select the tools of your chastisements. You shall choose three, one for each punishment. After they have been chosen, they shall never be used again. Unless, of course, you beg for them properly.”
Mina started to open her mouth, but remembered the strict speaking rules, and so she snapped it shut.
“Do you wish to speak, trothka?” Mozok said, a glint in his eye.
To Mina’s surprise, the Herstrakaa, who had seemed to be like glowering bodyguard, whom everyone might have forgotten was even there, spoke from behind her. Mozok turned his head toward him, and Mina was surprised that the Draquun appeared to be considering the Herstrakaa’s words, almost as if he had equal say in what was happening. Or at the very least, permission to speak.
Mozok turned back to her. “My troth makes an excellent point. I think he is rather benevolent, and unnecessarily so, but he is a Herstrakaa of great honor and he keeps me… honest. He reminds me that as you are Human, you are not acquainted with the rules of Trothplight. He believes I am tricking you now, attempting to get you to speak and to be punished for it.
“He is correct. I was hoping to punish you and receive your gratitude one more time. But as Voso has spoken on your behalf, I shall comply with his wishes. You may speak, trothka, if I—or Voso—say that you may. We shall say, “you may speak.” You must not speak for any other reason, or you shall be punished.” Mozok leaned in close to her. “You may not even beg, Human, unless you are told that you may.” He stood back up straight. “The exception, of course, is the sentence to end Trothplight. Which, I remind you, you may say at any moment.”
He looked over at her and smiled. “You will say it,” he assured her.
Mina stuck her chin out defiantly and pressed her lips closed. She had news for this alien: she would not say it, and she would leave Astrogoda-9 with her contract. She was tempted to speak, just to invite punishment and send a signal to Mozok that she couldn’t be broken. But she had already racked up a great deal of punishment, and whether she wanted to admit it to herself or not, she was afraid of what Mozok had in mind.
She waited.
Mozok smiled cruelly. “You may speak, trothka,” he said, with a sinister grin.
Mina did her best to look undaunted and hoped that it worked. “I only wish to ask if I may now select the tools of my punishment.”
