"No, I'm not a 'domestic' as you say. I just do the chores for The High Priestess because I want to. Its my way of thanking her for saving me. As I am still in training, I cannot take on any official duties yet. And since I cannot hear the Songs of the Light in my dreams like the High Priestess can, I can never take over that position from her if she were to step down. Nor can I share her burden." Mari let off a small sigh.
She wished she could do more but as she as she was still too young to assume any official responsibilities and lacking in experience nor can she hear the songs in her sleep, the most she could do is what she does now. Eventually she'll assume some duties but the job that her beloved Mother Bianca does cannot be shared to her.
"I'll tell you the first part of my history. I'll keep it brief. I was originally born on Planet Kyushu to a somewhat middle income family. 14 years later my family had saved up for a small holiday that was supposed to last a month. We would take a Liner to Okinawa where we would have a vacation on the planet. As soon as we entered Okinawa, the Trade Lane we were in was disrupted by the Golden Chrysanthemums, and all hell broke loose. They fired torpedoes which disabled our ship, the torpedo strike killed my Parents who were in the cabin where one of hte torpedoes struck. I was captured by their boarding party and stuffed into a cargo hold with many others like me. We knew what was going to happen, we were going to become slaves..."
Mari paused a bit. It was still hard for her to talk about this part of her past. She took a deep breath and continued.
"A Junker slave trader bought me from the slavers and then took me to a Junker slave trading base in a system called 'Texas?' I cannot remember, at the time I didn't know of all the star systems outside of Kusari. I spent almost 2 months on that base, not many were interested in a Kusarian slave like me who had no skills, barely any education and above all I had no status. I had no value apart from being sold to a pleasure district, but then my age was a problem too. The Slaver was becoming increasingly irritated with me and he began to take out his frustrations on me as a result. It was then after suffering a week of constant physical abuse, that the High Priestess found me. Don't ask me what she was doing there. She wasn't wearing her Priestess robes as you see her now. If you told me she was the leader of a religious sect, I wouldn't have believed you. She was visiting the slaver for information when she saw me. I don't know what happened from then on. But I heard the Slaver disappeared never to be heard from again."
Mari paused again, this time the pause was slightly longer. It was the first time she'd shared this with anyone. It wasn't like she didn't have anyone to share it with, but nobody asked her about her past and there was no point in talking to Bianca about it because she already knew Mari's history.
"That's how I ended up following The High Priestess. Since then I've been in her care. Half a year after that I boarded the newly commissioned Axiom and have lived here ever since."
Mari took a bit to process her thoughts. The Elevator reached its destination and the doors opened revealing the large hangar No.3. Inside the hangar were an assortment of small ships and freighters with a transport docked in the centre. On the left side was a door that looked out of place in the hangar. Above the door was a sign that read "Temple of the Light".
"Here we are, once we cross through that entrance we'll be in the Axiom's Temple chamber. And from there we'll go into the Inner Sanctum where The High Priestess is waiting for you. "
Mari walked out of the elevator and turned to the left towards the Temple's entrance.
![[Image: 56TqHKs.png]](https://i.imgur.com/56TqHKs.png)