I have been a slave all my life. I was born in a creche and sold before I was even five years old. My master is Robert Henry David McBane. He is the King Governor's oldest son and heir. I serve as master Robert's body slave. I am sixteen and small for my age. We were returning from a merchant conference when the pirates attacked the cargo ship.

When the hatch opened and the three pirates walked in, master Roger shoved me. I was not expecting it and staggered forward into the one in the lead. My hand tried to catch myself and ended up on his belt. He grabbed me at the back of my shirt and yanked me to the left and away. I spun and staggered into the other man.

I realized I had something in my hand as the first man laughed, "what do we have here?"

I glanced down as the other man grabbed me and my eyes snapped wide before I touched the activation switch. I slipped the sonic blade into the man's ribs and into his heart as he tossed me to the right and into the third man. The blade was alive as I staggered into him and stabbed up and in. The man I had stabbed before gasped as he went to his knees.

I pulled the blade out of the second man's heart and turned to slice up and across as the first man spun. The sonic blade cut across his throat and blood sprayed everywhere. Master Roger gasped, "what did you do!"

I looked around before moving to the first man as I shut the knife off and slipping it into my shirt, "help me."

I stripped the gun belt off and put it over my shoulder and under my left arm. I glanced at master Roger as he stood frozen and sighed before moving to the next man. I put his belt over my other shoulder and went to the last man. I put his belt around my waist since he was almost as slim as me.

I shifted things around and moved to master Roger, "they were going to kill us now come with me."

I pulled him to the hatch before opening it and peeking out. I pulled him out with me and next door to the open hatch at his pleasure slaves cabin. One man was watching as another was raping Gloria. I walked up behind the watcher as I pulled the sonic knife and stabbed up through the back of his neck and into his brain.

I moved around him and ignored Teresa as she gasped in the corner. I knelt beside the man raping Gloria and grabbed his hair and yanked it back as I shoved the sonic knife under his ear and into his brain. I yanked him off and started stripping him before moving to the other man. I looked at the girls, "come with me and stay silent."

I went out to where master Roger was looking around fearfully and draped the two belts over his head. I pulled him after me with the two girls following and checked the other six passenger cabins. They were empty and I took a breath before heading towards the engineering section.

I stopped just around the corner and whispered, "stay here and be quiet."

I glanced around the corner before turning and walking towards the engineering hatch. I pulled two pistols as I stepped in. There were four pirates, three torturing an assistant and one at a console. I was almost directly behind one and lifted a pistol to almost touch his head before touching the firing button and walking forward.

His head exploded as I lifted the other pistol towards the face of another man and fired. I turned my head as I brought the first pistol around to fire twice into the chest of the third man and aimed at the last as he spun and grabbed the pistol in his holster. I touched the firing stud three times and watched as his chest exploded.

I looked around and then down at the slumped assistant, "are there anymore?"

His groaned and struggled to his feet, "no."

I put the safeties on and knelt to strip the weapon belts off and hand two to the assistant, "we need to kill those on the bridge."

He nodded as he fumbled to put one of the belts on and follow me. I gave the two other belts to master Roger before pulling him after me with the girls following and the assistant behind them. I slowed as we reached the hatch into the bridge and pulled both pistols. I took a deep breath before spinning around the hatch and walking in.

I lifted both pistols and shot a pirate standing beside the captain's chair in the head from a couple of feet. I turned my head as I kept walking and shot another pirate spinning from a console in the face. I stopped and shifted my other hand to shoot twice into the stomach and chest of a pirate across the room.

The explosions from the hatch threw the last man back into the pilot console as he drew his weapon. I looked at each before starting to strip weapons. I checked mine and fumbled as I changed the power charges. I looked at the assistant engineer, "can you get us away?"

He shook his head and I bit my lip, "stay here."

I headed towards the starboard airlock where the pirates had boarded us. No one was at the hatch and I peeked in before opening the hatch and stepping into the airlock. They had left the outer door open and I saw the boarding tube they had used. I dove and swum through awkwardly before opening the pirate ship's inner hatch.

I moved into their ship and headed towards the bridge. I heard them swearing to kill the captain if he did not respond and pulled both pistols. I walked through the hatch and straight forward as I lifted both weapons. I shot the man sitting in the captain's chair in the back of the head.

I shot the man turning from the comm console twice in the chest and then shot the pilot as he jumped up and spun. I turned and walked out quickly and headed towards where the engineering section should be on this smaller ship. When I stepped in two men turned and I fired into the chest of both several times.

After that I began a careful search but found no one. I swam back aboard my ship and headed towards the bridge. I stepped into the hatch and glanced at the assistant before looking at master Roger, "all dead master."

He swallowed and looked at the assistant who turned back to the comm console. It was three days before help arrived in the form of a huge battleship. I had spent the time pulling bodies into an airlock and placing it in vacuum. When I saw the fleet warship on the main bridge screen I sighed and relaxed before turning to master Roger.

I started taking the three weapon belts off I had been wearing, "I am reading for you to bind me master."

His eyes widened, slaves could not touch weapons on pain of death and he almost choked, "no."

I looked at him calmly, I had known this day would come for the last three days, "you have no choice master."

He turned to look at the assistant engineer almost pleadingly before moving quickly to the pursers station. He turned a moment later, "you are free William."

I looked at him in surprise and he took a breath, "I back dated it."

I was stunned and the assistant engineer nodded to the weapon belts, "keep those but watch the hands when the fleet comes aboard."

I swallowed and nodded, the next two weeks were very hard. I was left on my own and only talked with the fleet officers that came aboard to move the ship to a port. I was given all the belongings in the crew cabins on the pirate ship. Since I was the one to kill the pirates that took the ship I was informed of the ship line's reward.

The fleet also bought the pirate ship and paid me since I was the one to take it. I went to the airlock after we landed and met Roger and his two slave girls as he was leaving. I was still feeling lost with nowhere and nothing in my future. The king governor stepped off the lift with a large party of guards and other people as I arrived.

Roger hesitated before walking to me and hugging me. He whispered, "I will miss you. Stand tall Will and if you ever need anything call."

He stepped away and turned to cross to his father. They embraced and then the king governor let him go and pushed him towards the guards. He crossed to me and I kept my head down, "master."

He did something I never expected and hugged me before holding me at arms reach, "thank you William."

I swallowed and nodded and he turned and gestured, "Roger told me everything."

He turned back to me, "four things, first I know you surrendered the weapons and were going to accept what would have come."

He sighed, "it would have been death and we both know it. We are changing William, the republic demands it and I think it is time to grow."

He pulled a small expensive comp and handed it to me, "second, I have created a working account in your name on my families funds."

I was stunned and held the comp gingerly as he smiled and turned to gesture to two girls that looked my age, "third, these two girls are yours, they have already been registered. Sapphire has been trained as a bookkeeper and accountant. Pepper is trained in business."

I opened my mouth but did not know what to say and finally blurted, "thank you master."

He nodded and glanced at a man talking to the assistant engineer and the fleet officer that had been the captain on the way here, "last, I talked to the merchant company that owns this ship. They have several and want to talk to you about working for them in finding a way to protect their ships."

I nodded and he squeezed my shoulder, "good luck William."

I watched as he walked towards his guards and took a breath. I glanced at the two girls as I tried to think what I was going to do or where I would go. Assistant engineer Taylor walked to me with the man and smiled, "Mr Telle this is William. William, this is Mr Telle, the company representative."

I smiled and bowed, "noble sir."

He nodded and glanced at Sapphire and Pepper, "I was told you might have an idea how to protect our ships."

I had thought about this while waiting for the fleet and on the trip home. I nodded, "I have a few ideas."

He gestured into the ship, "first the owners have told me to pay the reward for saving the ship and then we can talk."

He held out a small transfer screen but I did not know what to do. Sapphire cleared her throat from behind me, "master?"

I was startled and looked at her. She smiled as she took the comp from my hands and did something before touching it to the screen Mr Telle held out. I grinned, "thank you."

She nodded and tucked the comp away in a fold of her shirt. I turned back to Mr Telle and he smiled kindly, "learning to be free will take time William."

I nodded and he gestured for us to continue to walk, "first, we can not use any military weapons."

He walked into the large crew common room and stopped, "we can not use forbidden traps like mono wire."

I looked at him because I did not know what that was. He gestured and sat at a table, Sapphire and Pepper knelt as I sat. I glanced at them nervously before looking at him, "I did have a few ideas. The ship was carrying industrial mining equipment. I place brackets on the hull around the airlocks before any pirates comes. I could charge an industrial mining laser and mount it quickly if needed."

He sat back and blinked, "would it work? I mean would it penetrate a ship's hull?"

I nodded, "I looked at the stats. You just have to wait until the pirate ship is close before using it. Like right before they try to board."

I thought and smiled, "I also thought of sonic cutters with camouflage film mounted on the corridor ceilings."

He blinked, "camouflage film?"

I nodded, "you use it for the ship cameras but pirates would not be able to see the cutters until they were fired."

Mr Telle grinned, "and since they are sonic they would not damage the ship."

I nodded and he stood, "you are hired. The captain and a new crew will arrive in a week or two. Until then assist the engineer with the cargo and mount the brackets you were talking about. I will arrange to purchase a dozen mining lasers. This ship is scheduled to transport a very expensive cargo to New China in three weeks. Try to have the protections in place before it lifts."

I cleared my throat as I stood, "the lasers need to be the industrial mining lasers sir."

He smiled, "yes I remember."

He turned and stopped to look back, "take one of the passenger cabins since you have the girls."

I glanced at them and nodded, "thank you sir."

I watched him leave before looking at Sapphire and Pepper, "I..."

Pepper cleared her throat, "you can not free us."

I blinked, "why?"

She smiled, "because it is not time and we do not want you to."

Sapphire stood, "we were not pleasure slaves and we were not picked or chosen. We begged the master."

I did not know what to say and turned, "do you have clothes?"

Pepper stood and moved to follow me with Sapphire, "we have a trunk each that was to be delivered."

I nodded as I walked through the ship and finally stopped by a cabin hatch. I touched the lock plate, "crewman William authorized by Mr Telle to use this cabin."

"Recognized."

I looked at the two girls, "I have two servants that will share the cabin, Sapphire and Pepper."

"Understood."

I opened the door and looked at the girls, "bring your belonging here and then go to the cabin Red five and bring everything back here too."

I hesitated before turning and going to find Taylor. I saw the girls briefly but spent the day helping to unload the cargo. We closed the cargo hatch when it started to get dark and I went looking for the girls. I led them to the ship's dining area and showed them how to order meal packs and heat them.

Taylor smiled and waved several minutes later, "I am going into the port city, see you in the morning."

I nodded and watched him leave before finishing my meal. I watched the girls eat and waited until they were done before leading them back to the cabin. I was not sure what they would do but stripped and went to the fresher to shower. I turned several moments after I started and Pepper and Sapphire stepped in.

Pepper slipped around me and Sapphire rubbed my chest, "we broke our maidenhead when the master agreed to give us to you but we have never been with a man."

I blushed and looked back and forth, "I have not been with a woman."

They grinned and Sapphire giggled, "we should have fun tonight."

They pressed against me and rubbed their naked bodies on me before letting me finish and wash them. The feel of their soft, smooth skin was amazing and Sapphire finally laughed and shut the water off. They pulled me out and dried me before doing each other which made me smile at the almost tender way they did it.