Rita paced back and forth in front of her captive, who hung like a wet cloth from her bonds. The cell was dark, but clean, the metal walls kept almost obsessively clean. The stations prison cells were usually kept brightly lit, but for this occaision, darkness was needed.
"So... do you know why you are here?" Rita asked calmly, her piercing, never blinking stare settling on her prisoner. The Archuran didn not respond, her head still slumped forward, her eyes closed, crying quietly.
The prisoner was about Rita's age, (physically. As a Reborn Rita was over five hundred years old) and had jet-black shoulder length hair. She was about Rita's height, and wore a ragged grey flight suit. Fastened around the girl's neck was a collar with a small blinking light on it. A remote shock collar. Rita held up a small device with a button on it.
"Do you know what this is?" The girl still did not respond.
Rita pressed the button, and the collar lit up, sending mild arcs of electricity across the archuran's body.
The girl whimpered, but stopped crying.
"t-to be a p-pet." She finally whispered.
"No. Not just any pet." Rita said quietly. Her blue eyes bored into the girl.
"T-to be.... to be... your p-pet..." She whispered. The girl could not look into Rita's eyes. Not because she was ashamed, but because it seemed wrong to look into the woman's masterful eyes.
"And who am I?" Rita asked in the same, calm, quiet voice.
"R-" the girl began but stops herself.
"Mistress. My Mistress." The girl said, quietly. Rita smiled. It was almost over. At long last she was beginning to accept it.
"Good little Yuriko. You are a good pet. And so pretty." Rita said in a soothing voice.
The girl looked up. Yuriko suddenly felt warm, as if a thousand suns were shining upon her. "Shes not so bad..." She thought. And the thought of being a pet to the trim, staring woman suddenly appealed to her.
"Thank you.... my mistress...." Yuriko said Finally.
(( tune in next time for chapter 2))