"The Collective" (PM hostess to join)

[PollyWannaCracker]

Dead Tread Moving on. I didn't get the response for which I was hoping, and I have another idea I prefer more. If you were reading along, I'm sorry if this disappoints you. But, as I didn't receive ANY private messages regarding this story, I'm presuming no one was reading. (No, I'm not feeling sorry for myself. I'm only pointing out the obvious: no one was interested.)

"The Collective"

NOTE:
To join, please PM the hostess.
You will, of course, need to read the IC thread
and familiarize yourself with what has come before.
I will create a "synopsis" page that will help,
but honestly, you'll need to read all of the replies
to fully understand the story
and your potential place in it.​

Paula was far too young to have experienced the invasion of Earth by the aliens who would come to be called Screechers due to the high pitch and high volume of their vocalizations. The attack on the planet had begun over a century and a half ago, around the middle of the 21st century. Paula would be a mere 22 years of age ten days from now.

And she'd never seen a Screecher with her own eyes either -- not a live one anyway. She had seen a skeleton of one, though. There were a few reassembled skeletons on display across the region that included members of the Collective. Paula had seen one of them proudly displayed by another Tribe when she accompanied her mother -- now deceased but at the time a Collective Elder -- when they visited a neighboring Tribe to negotiate its entry into the trade and security organization.

Most Tribes -- Collective members and otherwise -- had over the years and decades accumulated one or more drawings of the Screechers, of course. The images abounded, though they didn't always depict the alien invaders the same. The drawing of the Screechers that Paula had grown up viewing was said to have been commissioned by the Screechers themselves, though honestly, there was no way of knowing whether or not that was in fact true.

Paula had always been intrigued with how similar in appearance the aliens had been to Human Beings: two eyes, two ears, two arms, and two legs, and -- for the females -- two breasts, as well as one each of the accompanying head, torso, and -- for the males -- penis.

Despite not having experienced the invasion or the decades of Screecher extermination of Humans (until finally, by the time of their departure from the planet, less than 6% of the pre-invasion population remained) or the Screecher raping of Earth's already heavily exploited natural resources, Paula still suffered from what the aliens had done to Earth.

Global warming had only increased -- dramatically -- after the invasion because of the Screecher's burning of fossil fuels to power their exploitation of what the planet had to offer. In many places around the globe, the air was thick 24/7 with pollution; particulates rained down upon the land, polluting it even further. By the time the Screechers loaded up in their shuttles and returned to their orbiting ships to leave Earth, there wasn't a year round ice sheet or glacier left on the planet.

Ironically, there were some problems that ceased with the arrival of the aliens. The Screechers didn't use plastics like Humans had: by the time of arrival of the aliens, Humans had been creating almost 500 million tons of plastic products every year, with 80%+ of it ending up in landfills, rivers, and oceans.

And because they didn't use lumber except in only a few applications, forests -- natural wildlands, not the one species farm forests Humans planted simply to one day harvest -- began to return all across the globe. (Of course, part of the reason for the success of the forest was that there were few Humans left to cut them down.)

But beyond the topics of plastic and trees, what the Screechers had done to Planet Earth was simply unimaginable. They had used extraction processes and hazardous chemicals that had left vast tracts of land uninhabitable by Humans to this day and, likely, for centuries or even millennia to come.

All of this was normal for Paula, of course: she'd grown up with these effects and results. Despite hearing the tales of the Screecher reign over Earth, she couldn't entirely imagine what the post-invasion generations had truly endured. Who could, if you hadn't lived through it?

Today, though, Paula's thoughts weren't on what had come before but were on what was to come ahead. She and two others from her Tribe were serving as members of the Collective delegation to a Tribe that was seeking admittance into the trade and security organization. Paula's role was to speak on issues regarding women and children; with her was her maternal Aunt's husband, Rickard, who would speak about security and Rickard's cousin, Elton, whose area of expertise was fair trade. (Although the relationships between the three of them might have seemed to involve an element of nepotism, anyone who knew the nature of Paula's Tribe knew that nearly every member was related to every other member either by blood, marriage, or indentured servitude.)

They had been riding by horse from their village to the other for six days now, spending three of their nights as honored guests of other Collective member communities. Paula had never been this far from home in her life, and she was shocked at what she'd seen for the first time with her own eyes.

Three days ago, they'd come upon and, for a time, ridden along the ridge of a massive crater. Paula guessed it was at least a mile across, with half of its diameter a lake of the most incredibly blue water. She would have found it breathtakingly beautiful, if one of her riding mates hadn't pointed out that a city of more than 2 million people had once existed where the body of water was now.

This morning, as they descended from the hills into the valley in which sat their destination, the light of the rising sun reflected incredibly off what appeared to be a small hillock. Paula had never seen anything like this before and couldn't imagine what was causing the visual effect. As they got nearer to it -- now under armed escort of their host Tribe -- Paula found it to be a 100 foot wide, 30 foot tall pile of discarded, metal skinned robots.

The robots had first hunted Human Beings more than a century ago, after the orbital and atmospheric attacks on the cities and the people fleeing them had ceased. After killing off most of what had remained of Humanity, the robots had then moved on to their second duty: resource extraction.

Then, once the Screechers had gotten what they wanted from the land here, they'd flipped a remote switch somewhere -- on the planet or in orbit, no one could know -- and the machines simply dropped to the ground, deactivated for all eternity. In some places, Humans had tried to reactivate the robots to serve them. They'd failed without exception.

Here, though, the machines had been disassembled -- often with axes or sledgehammers -- and tossed onto a pile. Some people tore them apart even further, using their individual components for such things as cook ware, farming implements, or even armor. Attempts had been made to melt the metal in an effort to create new products, but the material from which these machines had been made wouldn't melt under even the hottest conditions.

(More coming.)

 

[PollyWannaCracker]

Julian rode into the village just as his father -- Junger, the Tribe's Chieftain -- was greeting the newly arrived Collective Delegation. He allotted each of the 12 visitors a few seconds of his attention, studying them and sizing them up: he had a good feel for determining which were warriors, which were politicians, which were just wastes of good food and alcohol.

Of the men and women representing 7 Collective Tribes, though, Julian's gaze was drawn like a magnet to steel to the young beauty whose body screamed to be held by him. The woman who he'd later learn was named Paula must have felt his stare, turning and meeting his eyes with her own before giving him a smile that, he surmised, was more obligatory than anything else.

Julian heard his father tell the newcomers, "Come with me, please. I have arranged comfortable accommodations for your stay. There are places to rest, food and drink ... servants to see to your needs so far from home."

Paula had turned her attention to the Tribe's leader. Julian, on the other hand, simply couldn't take his eyes off her. Oh, it wasn't as if Julian had never seen a beautiful woman before, nor was it as if he hadn't had a beautiful woman before, in the Biblical sense. He was the only son of and, therefore, the presumptive heir to the Tribe's Chief, and plenty of women had offered themselves to him in hopes of one day benefiting from his future position.

This homage shown to him by eager young woman had had results, of course: despite being unmarried, Julian had fathered 12 children, 8 of them in neighboring villages with which his Tribe had relationships of one kind or another. He provided for each of the children to one degree or another. The level of this support was based upon whether or not Julian thought said child might one day be of service to him when -- as his Tribe's new Chieftain -- he extended his reach to and power over the villages where his heirs lived.

Julian watched Paula all the way to one of the five huts that his father had had been prepared for the visitors. He noted that she peeked back over her shoulder at him a handful of times. Was Paula thinking the same lustful thoughts about him as Julian was for her? Or was she simply concerned that she was garnering such attention from a man who had ogled her up and down so obviously?

Once the young beauty was out of sight, Julian dismounted, hurried to his own hut -- it was, of course, larger and better appointed than any other -- and dragged one of his House Servants to his bed for a hard, quick fuck. With his eyes closed and his mind laboring, Julian imagined Paula on her hands and knees before him crying out for more.

After a short, satisfying nap, he bathed, shaved, and dressed in his best for the dinner his father and the Tribal Elders had prepared for the visit. Junger and his immediate family -- two wives, three consorts, and their combined 9 minor children, as well as 12 servants -- lived in what was called the Stone House.

The ancient granite and steel building that had once been a bank was still standing today. Its windows and roof had been destroyed over time, either by Screechers attacks or by Mother Nature, no one was certain. They'd been replaced with lumber construction, but other than that, the building was pretty much intact. The safe was accessible even and was used for the safe keeping of things of value to Junger, his Tribe, and his family. Of course, it didn't lock, but that was fine as Junger wouldn't know how to reopen it. Instead, the door was simply closed and guarded all hours of the day.

Julian entered the bank's lobby -- called the Great Hall now -- to find it already filled with life and activity. Large meals serving many people were not an uncommon occurrence: each full moon, as well on other special occasions, Junger held a communal meal for the whole of the village. Julian made his way through a respectfully parting crowd of Tribal villagers and servants to take his seat.

In the center of the Great Hall was a table that curled around a central fire, over which a yearling pig was already well roasted. There was a wide break in the table near the main entrance, to allow servants to move in and out of the near-full circle. Junger sat opposite that break, flanked by a now-seated Julian and Julian's First Consort, Marra, on one side; and Junger's own First Wife, Priss, and their eldest daughter, Ritta, on the other.

Priss wasn't Julian's mother. His mother, Elena -- Junger's first First Wife, had died while birthing her third child, when Julian was 5 years old. Priss, who had been Junger's Third Wife, had then become the new First Wife because Junger had favored her over the woman he'd married between the two others.

Ironically, Julian had favored Priss as well. He'd lost his virginity to the woman just 9 years his senior when he was a very handsome, masculine, and virile 13 year old. They had continued their on-again, off-again, illicit affair until just recently. Priss's second and fourth children -- both girls -- were more likely Julian's as well, making them his daughters and stepsisters both.

The affair would likely have still been going on hot and heavy if Priss hadn't recently walked into the Stone House to find the 16 year old Ritta rocking energetically atop Julian's groin and screaming toward the rafters in ecstasy. (A bit of bad news, good news: Ritta was now pregnant as well, but at least she wasn't Julian's daughter.)

The Tribe's heir casted a glance about the dinner's attendees. At the table, outside of those family members flanking Junger, were other important Tribal members; beyond them on the continuing circle sat the Collective Representatives; and at smaller tables outside the circle were other village members. Although the monthly dinners were open to one and all, only invited Tribal members were in attendance here tonight.

Two dozen or more servants -- some Indentured, some simply Domestics -- moved about the space, delivering a wide array of foods and drinks. By the wide variety, quantity, and quality of offerings, you would never have known that beyond the walls of the Stone House -- in this village and in many others -- most of the population of this region were lucky to fill their bellies sufficiently to not awake in the night once again hungry.

It was the hope of those here tonight that such hunger would come to an end with such concepts as the Collective. Julian's feelings regarding the Collective were mixed. He had dreams of becoming the ruler of a vast land one day soon, a King of a great realm. He had supporters of such a vision, warriors who were skilled with the sword or bow; women who obeyed those men and would do anything asked of them; and even some servants who had been assured that if they worked hard and helped Julian succeed, they would find freedom one day.

Junger, however, was of a different mind altogether. Junger was eager to join the Collective and live in peace and prosperity with other Tribes. He disapproved of the violence his son had used in the past to gain land and resources, the latter of which had sometimes included people, indentured servants who worked the fishing fleet, grain farms, or brothels.

Junger had given his son an ultimatum regarding the Collective: support their village's incorporation into it or be stripped of his Presumptive Heir title and banished from the village both. Julian had reluctantly agreed, though -- to be quite honest -- he had every intention of getting what he wanted from the Collective over a short period, then abandoning it and conquering as many of its member Tribes as possible.

All through the meal, Julian's gaze returned again and again to Paula. She had changed into a new, clean set of clothes for the dinner, shedding her road dust covered wardrobe. Her new blouse was not dissimilar from the one it had replaced, and Julian was mesmerized by the allure of ample breasts and their seemingly ever-pert nipples.

Paula caught Julian ogling her often, and while she had smiled politely to him in the beginning, her more recent reactions seemed to indicate that she had become nervous, possibly even concerned about the attention he was giving her.

The dinner concluded, the servants removed the spent dishes and refilled the goblets with wines and ales as indicated, and those people who no longer needed to be present departed. Soon, only the 12 Collective Representatives and an equal number of members of the host tribe remained. They did not conduct negotiations this night but instead only spoke in general -- without detail -- of what both sides wished to get out of the negotiations, as well as what each side had to offer -- again, in general.

"We should sleep," Junger said when a lull in the conversation arrived. He stood, thanked his guests for being here, then signaled an Aide to go to a side door. When the Aide returned, he was followed by nearly a score women and half that many men. Some of them had been in the dining hall earlier as servants, but now they were dressed and decorated such that there was little doubt what service they were now offering the guests. "These people will escort you back to your sleeping quarters and ensure you have anything you need ... drink, dessert, additional bedding ... companionship."

Julian's stare was on Paula when his father spoke those words, wanting to see her reaction to the offer he'd known was coming.

 

[PollyWannaCracker]

Paula didn't have to be a genius to know what Julian wanted from her. Every time she glanced his way -- from their first encounter upon her arrival in the village to the moment the dinner broke up -- he was intently staring at her, his gaze often lowering to her bosom and the nipples Mother Nature had decided would be pert and obvious all hours of the day.

When Junger announced that the women and men parading into the dining hall were here to serve the visitors in whatever way was needed, Paula knew what that meant, of course. Without really thinking, she glanced Julian's way again, once again finding him looking her way only this time with a wider, meaningful smile on his lips than he had thus far.

She looked away quickly, not wanting him to assume she was contemplating having him serve her in that most personal of ways. Deep down, though, she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have him thrusting deep inside her or raking his tongue over her sensitive folds and button of joy.

Paula enjoyed sex very much. She didn't partake of it as often as the opportunities for it presented themselves, though. Only two men had ever had the pleasure of entering her, and each of them had done so only a handful of times before those relationships faded away. She'd been far more women, though. Paula didn't have to worry about becoming full of child from a woman pleasuring her. And, of course, women knew what other women wanted, so in all honesty, she'd enjoyed the pleasures of other females more than she ever had a male.

The dinner broke up and the Collective's Representatives scattered: some made their way for the huts in which they were to spend the night while others milled about to chat with Junger and his nobles. Some of these individuals, Paula knew, would inconspicuously make rendezvous arrangements with Junger's offerings, out of sight of their Collective counterparts.

Paula left the Stone House without delay, heading for the bed on which her things -- including her warm sleeping gown -- were awaiting her. One of the female servants -- Paula would learn her name was Hanna -- offered to accompany her, carrying a small platter of snacking foods and a pitcher of wine. Paula initially waved off the offer, saying it was unnecessary. But the young woman insisted, peeking around as if looking for eavesdroppers.

"If I do not accompany you, Miss," the woman whispered, "I may have to accompany someone else ... someone less ... palatable."

Paula understood the girl's meaning. She gestured the village resident to join her, saying, "Walk with me then. We can eat and drink long enough to give you a story to tell if asked later, but then you must leave. I need sleep for tomorrow."

The pair were nearly to the guest hut when, out of the dark, Julian appeared. The girl beside Paula stopped short, even backing up half a step as she lowered her eyes in an obvious show of deference to the man. Julian looked to the food and drink and demanded, "I'll take those, Hanna. You can return to the Stone House. You may be wanted for ... other duties."

But Paula interjected, taking the young woman -- Hanna -- by the elbow and pulling her close. "With all due respect, Julian ... Julian, yes?"

The man nodded his head slightly, after which Paula pulled at Hanna to continue onward as she said, "Hanna and I are going to set and drink and eat and talk of things before I send her on her way..."

And then, giving the man a conspicuously up and down survey before placing a hand on the younger woman's ass to urge her toward the hut door, she finished suggestively, "...if I send her on her way at all."

Julian smiled and chuckled with delight, but other than that he only watched with interest as the two women entered the hut and Paula closed the door behind them.

 

[PollyWannaCracker]

Paula found herself alone with Hanna in the guest house just long enough to give the slightly younger woman a good once over and wonder Oh, what am I to do with you? She wanted so badly, of course, for the pair of them to rip one another's clothes off and slip into the provided bed for a night of passionate love making. But Paula was representing her Tribe and the Collective in negotiations to include Hanna's village in the latter, and partaking of this girl's presumed offer of sexual service -- which in all likelihood was not entirely voluntary -- was wrong on so many levels.

Before she really had the chance to contemplate a decision, the door of the hut opened again. Paula spun, expecting to find Julian intruding on what she had implied would be a private and erotic moment. Instead, she found herself looking at Rickard. He gave her a moment's attention, spied the other beautiful woman standing nearby with a pleasant and welcoming smile, and then explained, "I came for my bottles."

Paula's maternal Aunt's husband had always been proud of his whiskeys, two bottles of which he'd brought with him on the mission. He retrieved them as Paula watched in silence. As Rickard passed by her for the exit, he looked to the beauty standing just as silently nearby, then whispered to his niece, "I'll keep your cousin away for ... what, an hour ... two?"

The female Collective rep' blushed a deep red: Paula's uncle was very aware of her preference for other women, having accidentally walked in on her once a couple of years ago while she was not just in bed with a female cousin but also mid-climax at that very moment.

"We are on mission, Uncle," Paula said, implying that there was nothing untoward imminent and sex with the village girl was not a consideration. "Hanna was only helping me with ... she was, she carried..."

But Rickard cut her off, saying, "Elton and I will not return for quite some time, niece."

He leaned in, kissed Paula on the cheek, peeked Hanna's was again, then said just loud enough for both women to hear, "There is nothing wrong with mixing business with pleasure."

Then, standing tall and heading for the door, Rickard said over his shoulder, "Enjoy your evening, girls."

Paula stared at the inside of the door for a long moment, unsure of what next to do. She was very much interested in making love with Hanna, and while no formal offer of such service had been offered from the girl, Paula knew that it was forthcoming. She realized suddenly that her heart was beating hard and fast with excitement and lust.

But she was a Collective Representative, and she was here in this village to negotiate its entrance into the trade and security organization. Getting naked with and making love to Hanna or any village resident was inappropriate, and while she could feel herself getting warm down below, Paula knew that the correct action was to politely send the girl away.

She turned to do just that, only to have her eyes widen and her mouth fall open at the sight of the girl standing naked before her. Hanna was absolutely perfect, her body well rounded, flawless, and smooth as a baby's butt in all the right places. As Paula gawked, the village girl moved to her, took her face in her hands, and kissed her, first softly, then encouragingly more erotic.

"Let me please you," Hanna whispered as she began unfastening Paula's clothing. "I am very--"

Paula wouldn't know what the girl was about to say, interrupting her, "No, I can't. I mean, we shouldn't."

Hanna's face filled with a questioning expression. "You do not like girls?"

"No, no, that's not it at all," Paula said with giggles interrupting some of the words. "I very much like other girls."

"Then...?"

Paula considered her words a moment, then explained, "You are here because you were told to be here, not because you want to be here. Yes?"

When Hanna didn't immediately answer, Paula continued, "If I thought that you wanted to be here ... with me ... and weren't doing this because your Chief had ordered you here..."

The Collective Representative let the thought fade: she knew Hanna understood her implication. Hanna lowered her hands from Paula's clothing, then slowly raised her arms to cross over and hide her breasts. She was embarrassed now, though whether it was because she'd been challenged regarding her reason for being here or for being rejected, Paula couldn't know.

"Put your dress back on, Hanna, please," Paula said, curling around the girl to retrieve it. As she handed it out, Paula said, "Please, will you sit with me ... talk with me? I want to know more about your village and--"

Hanna began, "I was supposed to--"

"I know what you were supposed to do, Hanna," Paula cut her off, afraid that if Hanna actually spoke the words "have sex with you", she might actually allow it to happen. She urged Hanna to take the dress, telling her, "Please, put your clothes on and sit with me. Do this, and if I am asked tomorrow whether or not you served me well, I will ensure you get the most glowing review."

Hanna's face told Paula she didn't understand the reference, but instead of explaining, she only helped the girl back into her dress. They sat together, ate and drank, and spent more than three hours speaking about the village, its leaders, and -- in particular, because of Paula's specific reason for being part of the delegation -- its women, girls, and the issues they faced.

When finally Paula had learned what she'd wanted to know, Paula stood and offered a hand to Hanna, telling her, "I think you've been here long enough for anyone with a concern to believe that you have accomplished that with which you were tasked."

Hanna took the hand, stood, hesitated before the slightly older guest a moment, then moved closer and once again pressed her lips to Paula's. When their mouths separated, Hanna whispered suggestively, "I want to be here."

**********************​

It was well after sunrise when Paula awoke to her uncle waking her with softly spoken words. She blinked her eyes open and sat up, holding the bedding to her bare bosom. Rickard smiled, repeating, "It's time, Hanna. Junger and his Elders have invited us to see their fishery."

As the man was speaking, Paula had turned her attention to the other side of the bed, recalling how her night had so wonderfully concluded. The bed was empty, leading Rickard to explain, "Hanna is in the other room. She prepared breakfast."

Paula's face exploded red, as it had the night before. Her uncle only smiled, adding, "They have a wonderful black tea. I'll send her in with a mug."

As he exited the room, he looked back to his niece, smiled devilishly, and told her, "Your presence at the lake isn't entirely necessary ... you know ... in case you wish to stay in bed for a while longer."

 

[PollyWannaCracker]

Julian arrived at the lake shore by horseback, just as he'd returned to the village the day before as the Collective Delegation was being welcomed. On horseback, with his sword strapped to his waist, the Heir to the village that was not-so-creatively named Lakeside[/i], Julian had always felt he looked more commanding and, for certain situations, more dominating.

The Collective members all turned their attention to the sound of his mount's hooves upon the beaten ground. Julian let them all get a look at him before he looked to a servant to tend to his horse. He strode to the lake's edge to join his father and the other Elders as they discussed the wealth Lakeside harvested from the waters.

"We have other things to offer, of course, as some of you gentlemen discovered last evening," Julian said when he saw that the Delegation members currently present were all male. He made intentional eye contact with four of the representatives who he knew for a fact had last night enjoyed the pleasures of Lakeside's women; he winked to a fifth man as well, a gentleman who had spent his time with two of the village's accommodating male servants. "Keep this in mind as we negotiate Lakeside's value to the Collective."

"Son..." Junger said softly, wishing Julian to be less obvious about his suggestion that sexual service by the village's women and men be a selling point for entry into the Collective. Seeing his heir shrug dismissively before wandering off toward one of the fishing docks, the Chieftain smiled to the Collective members and returned to the previous conversation. "We harvest an average of 800 pounds of fish per boat each day of the fishing season."

He gestured toward the boats, on which the less-than-delighted crews were assembled: they had been prevented from deploying before dawn as usual to allow for the Chieftain to show them off to the visitors, and the knowledge that they would not be home to their families until after dark showed in their faces. Junger continued, "We could harvest more per boat or deploy more boats or both. But to do so would, in the short term, stress the fishery and decrease future yields."

There was more discussion about both the fishery and the value of it to both Lakeside and the Collective before the group moved onto a presentation of the community's grain production and milling. This was an area that was deficient in Junger's eyes: Lakeside had plenty of arable land on which they grew grains of several types, but the village lacked the milling technology and equipment to process the majority of it into flour to feed their population. Junger hoped to trade wheat and fish for assistance in this area, to make Lakeside more self-sufficient and, therefore, more secure.

 

[PollyWannaCracker]

(PLEASE NOTE: Below, I mention underage sex servants in passing. There is NO underage sexual role play or description of explicit sexual activity in this role play, EVER! An important element of this story is that one of the primary duties of a main character, Paula, is to free underage sex workers from their servitude, which is exactly what she does.)


A break of a couple of hours was followed by impressive lunch in the Stone House that was restricted more or less to those who would be involved in the upcoming negotiations. Following that meal came another break, during which the members of both sides spoke with their peers before again gathering in the former bank for the formal talks.

Lakeside had 6 distinct families which each provided an Elder to its Council, and these Elders were the ones sitting at the round table for the talks. Julian was disappointed not to be sitting at the table, being the heir to the Tribe negotiating its future. His discomfort grew even further when he watched all 12 of the Collective Delegates take their seats, meaning that they outnumbered the Lakeside representatives 2 to 1.

Julian said nothing, though, and his father opened the negotiations. Each side made a statement, with Kendall -- his group's selected Chair -- speaking for his organization. Then, they got to the nitty gritty, with the first obvious sticking point being labor: the Collective did not allow slavery or indentured servitude amongst its member communities.

Lakeside thrived on the backs of its indentured servants and -- while Junger wasn't about to speak of it here -- outright slavery as well; the economy depended upon forced labor and the culture had accepted it as entirely acceptable. The Chieftain explained that the community's forced laborers were held for cause: they were enemy combatants, thieves, murders, rapists, and more.

Kendall expressed his understanding of this, telling Junger that the Collective Members had their own dealings with such people. But they let it be known that to join the Collective, Lakeside would be required to give all persons of involuntary servitude their freedom within a year, release them, or try them in a Collective Court, made up of Jurors from member communities.

In return for the loss of labor, Kendall told Junger that the Collective would provide milling technology and equipment, as well as the labor of its own experienced men and women for the year that it would take to get the new, more advanced mill up and running.

Junger couldn't commit to this on his own, despite being Lakeside's Chieftain, and he asked for a brief recess so that he and his Elders could speak elsewhere in private. Servants entered the Great Hall to provide food and drink while the Collective members waited and spoke amongst themselves as well; they did so in hushed tones, not knowing just who might be listening in from the shadows or adjacent rooms.

When Junger and his Elders returned, they made a counteroffer. Seeing the nodding heads of a majority of his Collective brethren, Kendall accepted the offer. "Shall we move on to issues of security and the inclusion of Lakeside warriors in--"

"Sex slaves," Paula suddenly cut in, causing every pair of eyes in the Stone House to look her way. "We spoke of indentured servants and made an agreement regarding them ... but not once did I hear anyone speak of the women -- and men -- who came to this very House last night to offer their bodies and the pleasure derived from them by my brethren here."

There was a range of reactions around the table, from stunned silence to rolling eyes to smirking lips, but the reaction that caught the attention of many -- from both the village residents and their visitors -- was the laugh that came from a far wall. Julian stepped out from the shadows, his gaze set on Paula.

"Pleasures derived by your brethren...?" he asked, obviously meaning to remind Paula of how she had spent the previous night. He began a slow walk about the Hall, circling the table, his eyes always on the female Collective Delegate. "The men and women of whom you speak do what they do because they wish to. It is a skill they have which they employ to earn--"

Again, Paula cut in, this time in an even harsher tone that before: "You have girls ... girls as young as 13--"

"Paula," Kendall spoke up, knowing that an unfortunate incident was about to endanger the negotiations. He understood that involuntary sexual service was a sensitive issue to Paula, and he'd planned on discussing it with Junger and the Lakeside Elders. He now also understood that he should have brought it up sooner. "I think--"

But the young Delegate pushed onward: "Girls providing sexual service against their will, girls who had barely reached puberty in some cases, girls who's only crime as you call it was not having any other way to support themselves ... of stealing food to fill their bellies ... of refusing to serve your warriors or leaders or honored visitors on their stayovers in Lakeside."

Paula's discussion last evening with Hanna had been very fruitful. The beautiful, sexy blonde had told Paula about each and every girl and woman involved in Lakeside's sex trade. Paula began naming one after another of them now, speaking of their crimes.

"Paula!" Kendall cut in again, this time forcefully. When his fellow Delegate went quiet -- her gaze still intently set upon the still circling Julian -- Kendall cleared his throat, selected his words, and directed them to Junger, "Please, forgive my friend for her outburst. However ... Paula does have a point that must be addressed if we are to move forward on these negotiations."

Junger parted his lips to respond, but his son again took control of the conversation: "What solution would ... Paula suggest. Some of these women are justifiably in service to the community or to their Masters."

Across the room, Junger cleared his throat, catching his son's attention: Julian's use of the word Masters was unfortunate. He thought to himself, A rung bell before saying aloud, "My son does have a point: some of the women about whom the Delegate speaks are in servitude for just cause."

"And some are not," Paula reminded them. "Those who are not should be freed immediately, and those who are held in bondage--"

"Bondage?" Julian laughed. He had more he wanted to say, but another harsh look from his father caused him to go back to his quiet pace around the room.

An animated conversation began between the two sides about the topic. Sometimes the discussion was very business-like, almost as if they were still talking about the fishery or granary; other times it was very obvious that they mostly men were talking about sex and those who provided it.

One of the Lakeside Elders looked directly at Paula and asked, "What would be the lady Delegate's solution?"

"A Monitor," Paula said without hesitation. The Collective Delegates knew what she meant as this was not the first time it had been suggested to the representatives of a prospective community that engaged in forced prostitution.
Paula could see that most if not all of the Lakeside rep's didn't understand her yet and continued, "Someone from the Collective -- a woman -- will reside here in Lakeside and monitor the situation. She will be given full and unfettered access to those women and men who are engaged in sexual service, and she will be given a free hand in determining who you can continue to hold--"

Paula looked to Julian again as she stressed, "in bondage."

She continued before the young man could respond, "Lakeside will provide an Elder of their choice or -- I would prefer -- a female resident who will be my contact, my liaison, a person with whom I can discuss the servants and their futures."

Another animated conversation erupted, with Junger and Kendall trying to keep the discussion civil. Eventually the negotiation began to wane, and Julian brought an end to it when he demanded, "You will stay in Lakeside."

It only took a moment for the others to realize that the heir to the Chieftain was looking at and speaking of Paula. He clarified, "You will be this Monitor you speak of ... and I will be your ... liaison."

Paula's face revealed the surprise filling the brain hidden behind it: she hadn't in any way intended on being the woman to fill the role of Monitor. But looking about the table, she could see in several of the faces that the brains behind them were contemplating Julian's suggestion.

Paula looked to Kendall for some sort of support, perhaps a suggestion of another of the Collective women who had been key in this area in the past. What she got from the Delegation's Chair, though, was a raising eyebrow and a slight shrug, both of which told Paula that the man thought the idea was a good one.

She looked to Julian again, finding him smiling devilishly, then looked to each of the other Collective representatives, searching for someone to speak up against this idea. But all she got were blank stares or -- worse -- nods of agreement. A chill ran up her spine as she considered the hole she'd been digging since first opening her mouth minutes earlier.

Again looking at Julian, then Kendall, then Junger, Paula said with as much boldness as she could muster, "I would be more than happy to fill the role of Monitor..."

Looking to Julian once more and mustering all the strength she could, Paula added, "...and I would be more than happy to have the Chieftain's son as my liaison."