Chapter 6: The Trial

My attorney called me one day to advise that we would have no choice but to proceed to trial. No out of court settlement was possible and the client had instructed the Steelforth Agency to proceed and to spare no expense to bring this matter to a "successful conclusion"!

I was informed that my jury trial would be entirely public. Spectators would be permitted in the courtroom, and the trial might also be televised. The news media had managed to get some pictures of me in my tennis whites - short shorts and a tube top with my midriff bare. These photos were published along with notice of the proceeding against me. Some of the news stories were indicating that the trial might prove quite humiliating for me. As a result there were more potential spectators than the courtroom could accommodate. The bailiff let them come in a first come first serve basis. Then he informed those who had not gotten in that they might watch the trial on closed circuit TV in the lounge down the hall.

Most of the spectators were male, but there were also some women I had managed to antagonize from my former place of employment who seemed to take a particular delight in my present predicament. I felt my chest tighten up when I noticed Mr. Steelforth, who had taken such liberties with my body during the "Creditor's Examination, sitting at the plaintiff's table along with the plaintiff's counsel.

Then I saw something that chilled my blood. Mr. Jenkins, my former employer, was right there in the third row! His presence here today was particularly hard to take since he had been the one who had caused me to be in this position by sexually harassing me, firing me, and then blacklisting me so that I could find no other work. Evidently he had come to gloat. I felt that he and the others were ogling me. My lawyer asked me if I had any impressions concerning the spectators.

"I think the women here mostly would like to see me taken down a peg or two, and the men mostly want to gawk at me and imagine what it would be like to get into my pants! " My lawyer just laughed and indicated that was his impression also.

After the "All Rise" and the entry of the learned Judge Alfred P. Morelock, the trial was underway. The judge proceeded with his ominous address.

"The Third District Court of the State of New York is now in session. We are here today on the matter of an enslavement petition filed by the corporation known as Richmond SlendaBond Enterprises against an alleged debtor identified in the petition as Stephanie Glenn. At this time counsel for the opposing parties will identify themselves for the record."

"Roger Vandenberg for the plaintiff, your honor."

"Michael Green for the defendant, your honor."

"Before proceeding further I want to be sure that the defendant is present. Please stand and identify yourself for the record."

I stood and gave my name and address. As I did so I noticed one of the TV cameras turn toward me and then saw a close-up of me on the big screen. A hushed murmur could be heard from the gallery. I remained standing.

"You may sit down, Miss Glenn. The Court will allow questioning and dismissal for cause of any juror who is morally opposed to our enslavement laws."

The court proceeded to empanel a jury. Far more women than men objected to the morality of enslavement. In the end I found that my jury was to consist of nine men and three women.

"Counsel for plaintiff and defendant being present, the jury having been sworn in and all interested parties being present, let us proceed."

Plaintiff's counsel made his opening statement.

"We will show that this defendant is insolvent, that she owes the plaintiff more than ten thousand dollars and that plaintiff is now her sole creditor. We will further show that she has stated, by affidavit, at the time of her Creditor's Examination, that she is unemployed and has no immediate or foreseeable prospects for obtaining gainful employment. We will also show that we have done a Family Impact Study, as required by law, to establish that she has neither a spouse, nor children, nor an aging parent whose welfare may depend on her remaining free. Finally we will show that she has far more value to plaintiff as human property than she would ever be likely to have if she remained free."

The plaintiff's counsel now began to set forth his case in chief First he called Morgan Richmond.

"Mr. Richmond, you are the President of Richmond SlendaBond Ltd. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Mr. Richmond, could you please tell the Court what is the nature of your company's business?"

"When the indenture and enslavement laws were passed, I determined that it could be quite profitable to acquire insolvent debtors and market them to other interested parties. I then started a firm to bring about the enslavement of certain debtors through legal process. We accomplish that with the help of firms that do the scouting and legwork for us, such as the Steelforth Agency. We first buy up all of the target's debt, and when we are successful with our legal action, we actually take title to the human property, train that property to the appropriate level of slave skills and obedience, and then sell. Of course, we try to buy low and sell high to make a profit."

"Does your firm deal only in female slaves?"

"No indeed. We are an equal opportunity enslaver."

"Please tell us why you named the firm 'Richmond SlendaBond', if you would sir?"

"I chose that name because we decided to specialize in introducing only slender debtors to a life of bondage. That was partly a matter of my own tastes and preferences, but also because I felt that was a market niche that could be quite profitable for us."

"Thank you Mr. Richmond. Your witness." My attorney stood to begin the cross-examination.

"Mr. Richmond, since you have stated you enslave only slender debtors, would it be correct to conclude that the uses to which your slaves are put are primarily sexual in nature?"

"That is correct."

"Will you tell us then how you market the sexuality of your slaves?"

"We have a subsidiary enterprise called 'Skelly Girls'. It is a nationwide prostitution service catering to businessmen. But not all our slaves are marketed in that fashion. We also cater to the desires of wealthy individuals who wish to purchase a slave outright from us, or to lease one for a period of years, perhaps to serve as a domestic servant with sexual duties also included."

"Would it be your intention Mr. Richmond, if you are successful in this proceeding, to use the defendant in your nationwide prostitution service? Or lease her to a private client?"

"Objection, your Honor! Mr. Richmond is under no obligation to state what his intentions are for Miss Glenn!" The plaintiff's attorney had risen to his feet.

"Objection sustained!"

"And what about yourself sir? Do you personally make sexual use of your own slaves? Would you personally rape Miss Glenn?"

"Objection, your honor! Mr. Richmond's personal sex life is not relevant to this proceeding!"

"Objection sustained! Move on counsellor!"

"I have no more questions for this witness your honor". The witness stepped down.

Next there was a rather dry presentation of documents showing that I owed to the Plaintiff more than ten thousand dollars and other documents showing that my meagre assets were nowhere near sufficient to satisfy these debts. Various witnesses were called from the accounting department of Richmond SlendaBond to authenticate each of these documents, and each, in turn, was entered into evidence against me. My lawyer had tried, on cross examination, to trip up some of these witnesses and get some of the documents excluded, but was not successful in this. He and I were both of the belief that some of the alleged debts had been fabricated.

Plaintiff's counsel then called Mr. Steelforth to the witness box and he was duly sworn in prior to beginning his testimony.

"You are the managing partner of the William Steelforth Agency, is that correct?"

"I am."

"Could you explain briefly what is the nature of your business sir?"

"Our role is to represent the interests of clients, such as Richmond SlendaBond, who wish to achieve satisfaction of debts owed them by debtors who are unable to pay in money. We do this by enslaving the debtor, through lawful process, so that the creditor may sell him or her at auction, or make such other use of the slave as he may see fit. This always involves researching the candidate to see if he or she is enslavable, then hiring legal counsel, and marshalling all the necessary documents and witnesses needed to secure a successful outcome. We sometimes act as 'talent scouts', seeking out debtors in a given city who owe money to our clients. On other occasions we are commissioned to bring about the enslavement of a particular person desired by our client."

"Which was the case with this defendant, Mr. Steelforth?"

"We were specifically commissioned by a client desiring to own Miss Glenn."

"Did you or your firm follow all the prescribed legal procedures to determine Miss Glenn's assets, debts, present employment status, prospects for employment, and ability to enter into a payment plan that would discharge her debt in three years or less?"

"We did carry out a Creditor's Examination to that end. We determined that her assets were wholly insufficient, that we were the sole creditor having purchased all her other debts, that she is unemployed, and has no ability to enter into a legally sufficient payment plan."