Please note that this RP assumes that the events on “To Fight for a Country that Hates You,” and “To Trip and No One to Catch You” in 4.85 have already been dealt with, and the plot is now set in the present times of 4.86.
Also note that I plan to change the RP of my SRP-ship, the ITS-Orocin, to a more believable and... subtler RP than the radical adventures of Katarn Dragonbourne.
Anyone (particularly the admins) that has any complaints, or would actually like to get involved in the RP directly, please PM me.//
“... If only I had called for LN-backup... I could have saved all of them.”
There, in the pitch-blackness of the Bridge, stood a man who was staring tiredly out the viewing windows, contemplating deeply to himself as he watches the ice asteroids surrounding the Orocin roll quietly by. He lifts a hand towards his face and places two fingers on his chin, “... or perhaps if I had the money, I could have saved them all.”
::: Your intentions were noble, Captain Leon... but how you rescued those girls from slavery was... kinda... un-noble. ::: A womanly-voice echoed out from the room's loudspeakers.
“You don't have to remind me twice, Eliza... you know how heavily I weigh my mistakes, thank you very much.” He snarks back at the voice.
A few more moments of quietness pass... then Leonardo breathes out a heavy sigh. He then quickly turns around, the trench-coat he wore flapping noisily in the darkness. Footsteps could be heard as the man slowly approached what appeared to be a holographic viewscreen on the far-side of the room. The viewscreen brilliantly-glowed skyblue: against the darkness it appeared like a neon-light, illuminating the man's features: he looked like a Zoner, with copper-red hair and bright-green eyes, wearing a brown trench-coat that stretched down to his ankles.
The man stopped a distance away from the screen, just enough to get a good look at the images portrayed: twelve different videos of twelve different women in cryo-stasis. One looked like a blonde Rheinlander, three appeared to be of Kusarian descent (one of which was a red-head), another three had Bretonian features, while the rest were Libertonians. One thing's for sure: they were all beautiful, all good representatives of their respective House's potential. The Zoner frowned and said to himself, “It's a shame that they had been put into such predicaments.”
::: Captain. I've completed their biological scans... and I don't think you'll like to hear them. ::: Eliza broke the silence in a sad tone.
“Nevertheless, the data's important if we're to know exactly what they've been through, and what they'll need exactly.”
::: All of the girls have signs of heavy abuse in the past, but girls 3, 5, 8, and 11 have the greatest degree of injury present on them; Though whoever was taking care of them prior to purchase knew how to dress over the wounds well enough to make the injuries appear unnoticeable to the casual observer. Girls 2, 6 and 12 in particular have multiple syringe marks, yet they show no symptoms of long-term physiological addiction; Psychological addiction... I cannot say without further data. All of them are relatively-healthy, but some are suffering from slight malnutrition, particularly girls 3 and 9 having the worst degree. Most are experiencing erratic brain-waves, but not in degrees that would be dangerous nor alarming.
::: Half of them are in their mid-twenties, but the other half are below twenty, particularly girl 3, who is only 17-years-old, and the second-youngest being girl 5, just barely reaching her eighteenth-birthday. The oldest is girl 7, who is now twenty-five, while the second-oldest being girl 9, who had just recently reached twenty-four. Most of them are fit enough for child-birth, save for girl 3, whose body system is still not yet fully developed, while girl 2 is sterile.
::: ... And that's the end of their general biological report, Captain Leon. :::
“... Almost exactly as I had predicted,” Leonardo shakes his head from side-to-side, “save for the second girl... It saddens me to know that she's unable to raise a family on her own.” He stares at girl 3, the Kusarian's red hair covering her eyes, “... so young... and she seems to be one of those that has sustained a lot of punishment.”
::: Yes... She's suffering from multiple small scars and bruises. She also has the most erratic brain-wave patterns of them all, indications that she's suffering from a large degree of nervousness and stress.:::
He then switches his gaze to girl 10, who had a large, black tattoo engulfing her entire left eye, “Girl 10... Any other readings you can get out of her?”
::: She's stable, but has had heavy abuse to her wrists and ankles, a possible cause being deep restraints. She is thin, but is within the healthy-range of fat-percentage. Despite the appearance of a lean build, her low muscle-density would indicate she's not very strong, and there are slight traces of steroids running through her system:::
Leonardo further inspects the other girls on the monitor: how girl 1 appeared to be short for a Rheinlander; how girls 6 and 7 were twins, but the latter was a centimeter taller; how girl 11 shivered slightly for a moment in her sleep; how girl 3 softly moaned painfully to herself... Though their physical conditions were healthy enough, Leonardo could barely fathom what their treatments as sex slaves would've been like: they could have had their wills broken to condition them for a life of servitude, they could have suffered serious physical and psychological scarring and would've been reduced to nothing more than animals for satisfying man's darker pleasures, or worse...
What could be worse? How was he to know? He didn't want to think of such morbid possibilities anyway. No, he had to look towards the very reason why he decided to risk his own life by purchasing these girls from slavery: a chance at a second life... Who knows? If he's lucky, at least some of them may have only been recently captured, and may have homes waiting for them to come back to.
But... What if they've been raised for this? The worst he could think of was that these girls were orphaned and probably were raised to be conditioned that the sex trade was a normal thing, their masters as their parents, their customers as their only relatives. That predicament would've been the hardest to rehabilitate, especially if it was imprinted at early childhood... But surely anything's better than... than... this?
The Zoner rubs his forehead tiredly. ::: Things would've been easier for all of us had you not decided to buy these girls from the slaver, Captain. :::
“Are you saying that you WANT me to leave these girls to their fate? Are you saying that I shouldn't do anything to help these misguided souls, Eliza? Is that what you're saying?” He scornfully spoke out.
::: I'm saying that we should have been more prepared for this, Captain. I don't have the proper facilities for proper rehabilitation: in fact, I should be the one in need of some 'rehabilitation': I'm barely keeping myself together.::: The voice spoke in a hurt tone.
“When an opportunity to save a life is given to me, no matter how small or insignificant... I must still do the best of my ability and take that opportunity. That's the duty of being a refugee-runner. It teaches you that all life is precious.” He sighs, “Had I not thought you could be saved, and you really looked like you couldn't be, I would've left you in the nebula, Eliza... But I didn't, did I? Remember that.”
The voice doesn't reply to his comment, choosing to stay silent for the moment. The Zoner bows his head and clasps his hands together in prayer, “Ma... Pops... Please grant me the strength I'll need for the days to come...”
Two-days'-worth of preparation, and it's still not enough. In those two days, he was biding his time, finding suitable spots, amassing the needed capital for the venture, searching for the right people, preparing his psyche, pouring himself over countless manuals and the NeuralNet in preparation for the 12 slave-girls' rehabilitation. Leonardo sat on his desk back in his estate, heavy in his mind how, where and when he was going to free the slave girls he had back in the Orocin, and let them out of cryostasis to initiate the rehabilitation program...
... But it's still not enough... only 100M credits amassed; his best suitable start-up areas being either his own estate, or the Orocin itself: both were large and spacious, sure, but both were obviously-lacking the needed facilities and amenities required for proper (and legal) rehabilitation, whilst the latter probably looked like it needed more help than the slave-girls themselves! Many articles he read about the subject-matter: how he would need requirements like proper shelter, medical aid, counseling, empowerment, education, employment opportunities, legal and physical protection, family, community, and inter-House support; how the challenges of rehabilitation and reintegration would be a grand undertaking, and could potentially be a life-long affair of constant guidance that never ends; how sometimes even the best rehabilitation programs aren't 100% successful...
These figures were dissuading and, perhaps, only served to further hamper the man's psyche with all the effort he may need to expend on the issue. Even worse: he himself wasn't a victim of the sex-trade. What this meant was that, even if he would've poured himself over countless articles, books, readings, and subjects on the matter, had the proper facilities in preparation for the event, had the manpower for the rehabilitation, he still wouldn't understand the root-problem for the girls...
... No... What he needed was someone who could perfectly emphasize and understand with the slave-girls... He needed another woman, ideally an ex-prostitute who's been able to turn her life 180-degrees... a "fixed-bird", if he willed. But that would probably have been one of the toughest challenges he would need to overcome: surely, the man couldn't just plaster out an ad that either said, (Wanted: ex-prostitute for slave-girl rehabilitation effort), or (Wanted: someone with extensive knowledge and experience on the matter of rape, sexual abuse, and the sex-trade in general, for a rehabilitation and reintegration effort)... Though the latter kinda seemed legit and makes more sense than the former, the implications for anyone to apply for this job would make them a target for not only ridicule and embarrassment, but would also be a challenge of a political nature.
What's more, it's not like he couldn't fall back on government and private loans and grants, but the status-quo and requirements for such were usually steep, and rehabilitation was a painfully-slow, unstable, and unpredictable affair. Trying to put in standards onto efforts such as these would've only hampered the true heart of rehabilitation. Maybe worse: politicians just use the man's rehabilitation efforts to fuel their propaganda-campaigns... Time and again it has shown that NGO-backed, non-profit rehabilitation efforts are the best in terms of making the most positive results.
... But perhaps one of the more challenging aspects was the reintegration-process: in ideal conditions, the girls would've healed from their trauma, and would've been well-equipped for the days to come with an assortment of new skills and a brightened hope for the future... Yet what are all these if society were not to accept them back into the fold? Despite human-rights and race equality having reached to new heights in this new age, there's still the ever-present social stigma of how society looks upon those that have participated in the sex-trade. Be it prostitutes, ex-prostitutes, sex-slave or sex-worker, it doesn't make much of a difference aside from politics: they are all usually viewed as being tainted, dirty... immoral, and worst of all, stupid and ignorant. People still are into virgin-women, and this doesn't help the efforts for rehabilitation efforts everywhere. There's a chance that, despite his best efforts, society would still look down upon these wounded, distraught souls.
All of these thoughts raced through the Zoner's head and heart, usurping every ounce of his imagination and resourcefulness. He was only one man, with only limited contacts and resources. He was straining over his own perfectionism... no, perhaps, he just wanted what was best for them, and doesn't wish to leave any stone un-turned. But without extensive knowledge, nor the first-hand experiences in dealing with these matters how could he possibly---
"MEEP!" The man jumps from his seat and almost topples the table over, "Leonardo! LEONARDOOO! It's time to eat, IT'S TIME TO EEEEAAAAAT, MEEP!" Milarosa, his ever-eager Bretonian adopted-sister-turned-girlfriend, was shaking him vigorously in the shoulders in an attempt to get his attention further, "You've been here for HALF an HOUR already! The food's getting cold! THE FOOD'S GETTING COOOOOLD!!!"
"Ah... it's dinner already?" Leonardo laughs with embarrassment, "I'm sorry if I kept you guys waiting. Was just thinking about the rehabilitation-project. Still so much to do, you can see..."
Mila pauses for a moment, then a soft, grateful smile appears on her face as she leans her head on his right shoulder, "Meep... You think so much for others. If you don't think of yourself sometimes, you'll wear yourself out, meep?"
He nods and sighs to himself, "... Yeah... Sometimes I wonder if I'm just being too unnecessary, and that I should just give the girls to licensed professionals...
"But why do I also wonder if 'licensed professionals' are what they truly need?"
Mila starts to giggle amusingly, "Heheh... You always did want to handle things with your own power. I don't think this is one of those times, brother. You can do much, but if you think you can't handle it, then it's not your fault, meep?"
Leonardo turns to look at Mila's face, and responds with a tired, but relieved smile, "... I guess not. Maybe you're right. Maybe I'm just not yet ready to help 12 poor women from a life of slavery, eh?
"Perhaps I'll try a hand on finding some available rehab-centers nearby. They'll have better chances of helping them than I alone." He places a hand on her forehead and pets it softly, making the girl purr with delight, "I'll come and eat, then. Thanks for reminding me."
"Meep, anytime-o!" Mila lifts herself to stand, and eagerly brings Leonardo with her out of his room...
It's been almost a week since he rescued those girls, and this was making Leonardo feel restless. He had postponed the opening of the cryo-pods for a long while now, and was starting to worry whether or not the girls were still alive to be rehabilitated, if at all. Though he did say he was going to bring the girls to a rehabilitation center soon, he was bending-over-backwards trying to find the most suitable place for them.
So far, he was able to isolate 3 prospective rehabilitation groups: the Liberty Navy, as suggested by Admiral David Hale, has several psychologists that could help; the Gran Canaria Medical Center, which is run by Doc Holliday, leader of the Temporary Autonomous Zoners and who is also a well-respected doctor within the Omicrons; and the Jettison City Healthcare Services, which is run by Dr. James Berch, a well-respected doctor in Jettison City.
... But he still had doubts between even these three centers. The Liberty Navy's psychologists focus more on combat fatigue than rehabilitation and reintegration, so they weren't the most ideal of groups to settle with; On the other hand, Doc Holliday's reputation as being one of the best doctors the Zoners have to offer was that of a medical nature, not of a psychological one, but perhaps the GCMC's staff may know a thing or two about helping these girls; Lastly, during Leonardo's days as a refugee-runner, the JCHS were the ones who accepted the more serious cases Leonardo brought back to Erie, but their skills in dealing with sex-slave rehabilitation was still open for debate.
'Those poor girls, meep...' Mila voiced her thoughts out loudly to herself, 'And they all looks so purty, too.'
Ah, but without knowing the girls first-hand, how would Leonardo be able to find a center that would best suit their needs? It was time that the girls' cryo-pods were opened, and the girls be assessed of their condition in detail, 'Yeah... It's a real disgrace to know such forms of slavery still exist in the universe.'
Leonardo and Mila, along with Helga Faustbeign, Bernadette and Janette Heatshield, stood within the Main Security Room, which overlooked the entire Garage area of the Security and Armory Station. Down on the floor were the 12 different cryo-pods of the slave-girls, connected via Neural Link to the MSR. All of the girls were asleep, awaiting the moment their long stasis be finally deactivated.
He inhaled a deep breath, then let out a long sigh as he was preparing for the moment the girls would awaken. He didn't want to leave every detail in the dark, 'Eliza... Are all blast-doors and passages into and out of this bay secured and sealed shut? What's the status on the security droids?'
::: Yes, Captain. In the case that the girls will rebel, there is now virtually 0% chance the girls will be able to escape. The security droids have finished moving into position, as you've instructed. The cameras are all set, and the armory lockers have long been emptied out. :::
'A few 'ppear like they can moxie up a fight,' Janette remarked, ''specially tha' subject-10, the lass wi' a tattoo on 'er left eye.'
'But most 'ppear malnourished, so if them few healthy lassies be taken down 'fore they cause any degree o' trouble,' Bernadette added, 'then the riot won't be havin' any strength te overtake the ship.'
'Meep!' Mila waves her arms worriedly, 'How'z can you ladies think 'bout the poor girls rioting and doing all sorts of mischief, meep! They've been through a lot, and I don't think we should be too paranoid-berg about all this!'
'We have to...' Leonardo looked at Mila, 'We can't throw away the possibility that these girls... or any person rescued whatsoever, can pose a security risk the moment they wake up.
'At any rate, we're not making an armed-means-dead scenario, Mila. Reason for all this is if they manage to get away, there's a chance they'll do something rash and hurt themselves and others in their panic. We're just trying to prevent that by work all the angles and seeing to it that their awakening goes without any mishaps.'
'I... suppose...' Mila hesitantly agrees.
'Now, then...' Leonardo began briefing the ladies in the room, 'Since there's a big chance that the girls have been abused mainly by men, I'll stay here in the MSR and coordinate alongside Eliza in the meantime, to avoid either panic or antagonizing the girls. I'll relay any orders, comments and suggestions via your Neural Earpieces.' He taps his right ear-lobe, indicating the headsets attached to the women's ears, 'I'll be watching the progress both through the MSR's windows, and through the various cameras surrounding the bay.
'Please remember that we're dealing with individuals who may have been heavily abused, mistreated, talked down on, and have had other vile things happened to them. So please, DO NOT... THINK... LESS of them. Exercise patience and gentleness in talking with them. Try not to respond with a high voice, sudden movements, and use diplomacy and tact above resorting to aggressiveness. 'A little kindness goes a long way,' as a well-respected admiral once said.
'Try to assess as much as you can about them, but don't force anything out as well. If they refuse to give any further information, then let them have the benefit of the doubt. If they refuse to give quarter, respect their space. If they refuse to obey, continue exercising patience and respect, whilst never letting your guard down.
'... And... uh...' It was evident that the next words he would say were going to be awkward, '... If they... for some strange or bizarre reason... begin to strip their clothes off, or make sexual advances towards any of you, or any other sort of lewd thing that may arise, please be understanding and try to put in a motherly-touch. They probably don't know anything better than to use themselves for other people's pleasure... a sad truth, so it will be important to sympathize with them, and tell them they're better than this kind of life. I don't expect them to back down from such easily, if at all, but a good first-impression will matter for days ahead.'
'Zis vill be interezting. I juzt hope I still have zhe mozherly-touch anz zeal it took to rezcue zyou from depression, Leonardo, heheh.' Helga rubs her palms together.
Leonardo sighs again before continuing, '... But... Should things come to worse, I've already instructed Eliza to deploy several security droids armed with stun-guns to the scene. Hopefully, we'll have no need to utilize these robots. The last thing we need is causing further damage in trying to help them.'
'Well... I've only go' a quest'n fer ya, gov'nah.' Bernadette raises her hand to call attention, 'Ye purchased 'em slave-girls from a slave'h, didn't ye? I kinda wonder: have ye ever felt the devil's voice cross yer mind, callin' ye te be takin' advantage o' the girls yerself?' An evil grin streaked across her face.
'Hey! Wha-wha-wha'zzat's supposed to mean?!' Mila responds in an upset tone, 'Leonardo's not like that! He wouldn't take advantage of some poor, broken girls for his own benefit.'
'Not implyin' ye te the act, gov... Just curious, an' all, don't mean any harm.' Bernadette shrugs her shoulders.
Leonardo frowns a bit, and turns his head to look out towards the cryo-pods in waiting. He pauses for several moments before finally responding, '... I've only wanted what was best for them... That's all I can say.'
Bernadette nods her head, 'Fair 'nough. I can't say it be easy fer ye te risk all o' this fer 'em, an' I respect tha' from ye. Ye either be havin' a head o' stupidity, o' a heart o' gold. Eh... perhaps both? Hahahah!'
'Anyway! I think it be high-time tha' we best get on wi' the operat'n?' Janette stretches herself off of her anxiousness.
'Yes. I'd rather not postpone it any further. I myself am getting anxious as to know the girls' condition in detail. It's my responsibility that they land in good hands as soon as possible...
'... No pun intended.' Leonardo looks back at Bernadette with a dry frown.
She somewhat chuckles slightly to herself at his statement, while Mila pouts her mouth at her, 'Wha'd I do?' She turns to face Mila, looking confused.
As the ladies step on the elevator, Mila waves at Leonardo with a big grin on her face, 'Wish me luck, meep!'
'Give them your best smile, Mila.' He waves back as the elevator doors shut, and the platform descends onto the Garage floor. He then looks back at the cryo-pods, a frown developing on his face.
::: Captain... You don't mean--- :::
'I'm a man, Eliza... I can't deny that fact. To do so would make me a liar, and a hypocrite at that. However, nobody needs to know the details. Of course it's natural for me to feel a bit this way.'
::: Well... Are you comfortable with doing this, Captain? :::
He pauses, looking at Mila as they make their way towards the pods, '... There are greater things in the galaxy than simply satiating short-lived pleasures, Eliza... God has a purpose for all of us, and I'm just doing what I feel that purpose is, no matter how small... or stupid it may seem.'
... Leonardo shook his head from side-to-side as the Vagabond-III cruised on from Scarborough Station to the Trade Lane towards Lancaster, its hold mostly full of crates of Super Alloys. He gazed silently through the bridge windows, as he watched aimlessly at the rustiness that was the Newcastle system...
The redness that seemed to only further aggravate his situation...
"Mr. Tigre." Bernadette comes from out of nowhere and calls the attention of the weary Zoner, "Eliza's re---"
"Even after all these months, you still call me by formality, don't you, Berny?" Leonardo grins and replies without turning his gaze away, "We're all family, aren't we? ... Though, truth be told, I myself would be stuck to such ways, so I guess it's understandable.
"But if your own commanding officer suggests that you talk to him in a more homely-tone, I'd suggest that you'd take up on that suggestion... don't you think?" He then turns his head just enough to bat an eye at the Bretonian.
A few giggles rang around the room, but Bernadette seemed to keep her cool and simply walked to his side, her next words coming out in a sensual tone, "Careful, gov'nah... Ye wouldn't be wantin' te say those things in front o' me husband if he be 'ere, would ye? A lot o' misunderstand'n can come out o' them kind'a words. Ye yerself treated Mila as 'fam'ly', an' look where tha' turned out?"
"Perhaps... But even your husband's worked with me and my family side-by-side, and he seems to be alright with calling me by my first name...
"So are you implying that you feel uncomfortable with calling me by firstname? Are you saying that just mentioning it will put the marriage with your husband in doubt? I thought you were a better and more trusting woman than that... Berny." His grin only got wider as the whole room was getting flooded with even more giggling and cooing.
"Aw, feck it, will ye?" She turned to the onlookers before looking back at Leonardo with a crooked grin, "... Fine, Leon."
She sighed before continuing from where she left off, "... Anyway, was jus' wantin' te tell ye tha' Eliza's ready with 'er report, an' she wishes te talk te ye via private comms. I've already prep-ed the chann'l te be linked te yer bunk."
"Understood. I'll... be there in a minute." His grin soured back to a frown, and his eyes stared back into the bleakness of space.
"... Look." Bernadette placed a consoling hand on his shoulder, "I don't think there be more we could 'ave done fer the girls a' the time. Subject 9, in partic'lar, looked like she's been through some serious [A.D.M.I.N. Censored], tha' one. She's jus' in need o' time te adjust te the fact tha' we don't be intendin' te rape her, o' anythin'. Ye did well, don't be frettin' too much 'bout it."
The Zoner doesn't reply back, and only sighs to himself. Bernadette simply let her hand go, and walked back to her other duties, leaving Leonardo to his own faculties...
"Ye mean Subject 9? Why 'er? Subject 3 be lookin' like she needs the help first: reports be sayin' she suffered from a lot o' hurt, lack o' nutrit'n, an' is experiencin' some---"
"Ye don't see 'em albino-girls everyday, ye know! Sure, she don't look like she be as brutalized as Subject 3, but she be rivalin' her in terms o' malnourishm'nt. An' ye know, psychological scars can be deeper than physical ones, which can be quite common wi' albinos like 'er, tha' be certain."
"True, tha'... She be also displayin' some heavy erratic brain-wave patterns in 'er sleep.
"Fine, Berny." Janette taps her right ear, "Leon?"
::: On it. :::
A long, soft hiss fizzles from the upright cryo-pod as the girl undergoes reawakening. It stood silent for several moments, and then starts taking in air from the outside as the pod began re-pressurizing with its surroundings.
Eventually, the pressurization was complete, and the pod's support-bolts thundered loose from its casing. The canopy slowly flipped open, which revealed a white-haired girl with fair-white skin in her whole form, wearing a skimpy goth-loli french maid-themed outfit on her.
The four ladies watched anxiously as the girl suddenly gasps for breath before calming down. Her eyes slowly opened as they strained from the light that blinded her momentarily, revealing a set of bright-red eyes.
The first thing the girl did right after her eyes adjusted to the floodlights was to look around, in a somewhat frightful, anxious manner. And the first person she was able to notice was Janette, who gave a welcoming smile to the girl, "Hey there, missy. How a---"
But before Janette could finish her sentence, to everyone's surprise the girl softly closed her eyes, then quickly reached for her shoulders before pulling her sleeves off, exposing her entire shoulder and neck area, the clothing now just barely covering her breasts, "Meep! Wa-wa-wait! Please hear us out, first?"
After a few awkward moments the girl opens her eyes with a bewildered look, as if wondering why nothing was happening to her. She cranes her head to the side and pauses, allowing Mila to continue in a less worried tone, "Meep. My name is Milarosa... Can you tell me your name?"
The girl moves her head back upright, and hesitantly replies, "... N... name...? U... uhhh......" She seemed to think very hard in trying to answer the question, "N... n-name...? ... R... R-R-Ria...... Ria... n-name...... Ria..."
Helga frowned momentarily before smiling once again, "Ria... Vhat a pretty name zhat iz..."
"...... Mm... p... prett... ty..."
"Meep. Pretty name, Ria." Mila smiled warmly at the albino-girl who called herself Ria, "Would you... like to come out fro---"
The moment Mila mentioned the words 'come out' did Ria immediately stumble out of her pod, falling knee-first onto the center of the group, her hands still clutching her sleeves very tightly. The ladies were startled a bit from the sudden movement, and quickly backed away to give her space, "Meep! I'm s-s-so sorry, Ria."
One wouldn't notice right away, but though her whole body was slightly shaking, her face appeared eerily-still, as if almost all colors of emotion had been sapped away from the girl. She slowly looks around the area with emotionless eyes, slowly noticing the numerous cameras that were being pointed right at her.
::: Please assess her physical condition, Janette. This is probably the only chance we've got now that she's docile enough for a non-invasive scan. :::
"U... understood." She takes out a Cryer Bioscanner and initiates as many scans as she could about Ria. Heart rate, breathing rate, hormonal balance, brain-wave patterns, everything she could to find out more about Ria's ongoing constitution.
Meanwhile, Helga and Bernadette start whispering to each other, "I dunno how te put it any other way, but 'er face be creepin' me out, I be sayin'. I never be seein' a face as silent as 'ers, not even from profess'nal poker players."
"Hush zhat kind ov talk! Herr Leonardo said you musn't sink less ov her, zo don't... Ve muzt show her she iz velcome to zhe ship, anz she iz our rezpected guezt."
"Ya, I know tha'... Jus--- ... huh?"
...
... Meanwhile, back on the MSR, Leonardo was watching Ria through several different camera viewpoints, in addition to the windows on the room. He then zoomed one of the cameras towards the girl's face, and noticed the stillness in her expression. This wasn't a look that implied sheer terror... it was stranger. It was a look that implied certainty into what was going to happen, and that she was sorrowful (perhaps remorseful?) about it.
And even more disturbing about it was that she was staring right into the zoomed camera, her eyes appearing to coldly-pierce the Zoner's psyche. For several moments, he was locked in a gut-wrenching soul-search with the girl: Leonardo's eyes met Ria's, and hers met his. It felt like one of the most disturbing things Leonardo has ever done in his life, on-par with realizing that he had developed feelings for Mila all those months ago.
But then an even stranger thing soon began unfolding. Without averting her gaze, the girl lets go of her sleeves, letting the pieces slack on her arms; She then puts both her hands behind her back, and starts unfastening the straps that supported her outfit. Eventually, the straps started coming off, and it was only a matter of time before her entire outfit would come loose and make her naked.
Leonardo could hardly believe what was happening: she was stripping herself of her clothes. He was about to call the ladies, but was beaten to it by Bernadette, ::: Feck, this isn't good. Got any advice o' this one? :::
"Please dissuade her from stripping any further, but try not to go near her. Doing so will most probably shrink her to a submissive state." He then turns his head to the side, "Eliza. Deactivate and retract any sign of cameras within the bay."
Quickly, one by one the camera viewpoints static and then turn off altogether, leaving Leonardo having to rely on the windows to view the situation as the ladies tried their best in convincing Ria to stop.
But as the cameras deactivate and retract into their respective ports, a bitter tear streamed down Ria's cheek. What's worse was that he realized the decision to turn the cameras off only further hastened the process. Just as Ria finishes unfastening the last strap, the whole outfit falls off of her. Apparently not wearing any form of undergarments, her body, nipples and supple skin were now completely exposed for everyone to see, save for the black kitten heels and white, thigh-high stockings that covered most of her legs.
As the garments drifted to the floor, she closed her eyes yet again and slowly lowered herself to lie down, spreading her legs and left-arm wide-open, while her right-hand positioned its fingertips over her cleanly-shaved vulva...
... Great... NOW she was preparing to masturbate. Leonardo couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at how things were suddenly turning for the weird, "... Now what...?" He whispered to himself.
::: MEEP! Wha-wha-wha-what should we do, Leonardo!? She's starting to do something very lewd! ::: It was true: Ria had already begun stroking her clit, which made her moan in ecstacy as her vagina slowly become wet from the stimulation.
... But for the next moment, Leonardo looked on as he noticed that, as she continued, heavy tears were bitterly flowing down the sides of her face. And strangely-enough, he knew that look... He saw it once, back in the day that he was still a refugee-runner in the Bretonian-Kusari War.
It was from a child, who's impatient-father was forcing her to stop crying with threats of beating her up, because it made the father look bad that he couldn't control his own daughter. Leonardo witnessed this as he was carrying the last batch of Food Rations to the hungry refugees in Outpost Holman... and he remembers it fairly-well. Sure, it may not seem like it applied to this current situation, but it was worth a shot, wasn't it?
"Eliza... prep the elevator to lower me down. I'm heading over there myself." He turned around and quickly headed over to the elevator platform, his trench-coat flapping noisily in the quiet room.
::: What?! Are you sure about this?! Can't you just--- :::
"No... Telling them would take too much time, and would be hard to relay concisely. It's best that I do this myself." The elevator doors open, and after stepping in, the elevator began lowering him to the bay's floor.
...
"... Hah......... Hyaaahhhh...... Ahhhhhhh..."
Ria's moans entered the Zoner's ears as he escaped the sound-proofing of the MSR and reached the floor below, "Leonardo! What're you doing here?! I thought you were---"
"I know, but I don't think it matters anymore. Actually," he quickly strides over to the masturbating girl, "I think I may know how to deal with this."
"..... Hhhhaaahh.... Ahhh.... AAaaaHHHHH......"
"Now, how're ye gonna go 'bout tha'?" Bernadette raises her eyebrow confusingly.
"... Heh... Honestly, I'm not too sure. But you could say I'm acting on gut feeling." He smiles sheepishly at Bernadette as he continued towards the girl.
"....HHHHAAaaaahhhh....... AAAAaaaaahhhh...... HHHHHAAAAAaaaaHHHHH...." By this time, the girl's vulva had swollen to an extent, her vaginal fluids flowing out, forming a tiny puddle in-between her legs.
The first thing Leonardo did when he finally got to Ria's side was to kneel on one knee. He then quickly took the hand that was rubbing her vagina and firmly, but not tightly, clasped it around both of his own; bits of the fluid was still on the girl's hand, and it ran down in-between his grasp.
She tries to take her hand back, but he calmly keeps hold whilst whispering to her gently, "It's okay... It's okay... You don't have to cry anymore..."
For several moments she continues on resisting, but all the while the Zoner kept his stance and whispered the same words again and again. Finally, for what seemed like an eternity to all of them, she eventually stops and resorts to just sobbing, "... It's okay...... It's okay...... The bad men are gone, nobody's going to hurt you anymore."
She tries to open her tear-filled eyes, only to find Leonardo beaming a warm, comforting smile, "You're safe now, Ria... Nobody's going to hurt you... or do mean things to you anymore... You're safe now... Please don't cry, Ria......"
Ria's expression slowly changed from that of a near-emotionless face filled with tears, to that of a very distraught one filled with tears. She bit her lip and her held-hand grasped his fingers back, all the while as Leonardo continued, "You can stop crying, Ria... No more bad people to mistreat you... No more bad things to happen to you anymore...
"... So please... Please stop crying, Ria. Never again will bad things happen to you... Never again... I promise..."
Ria lets out a very tired sigh, and leans her head to the side before blacking out, her grip loosening up. Leonardo simply continues grasping her hand, closing his eyes and sighing heavily as he felt fatigue wash over him.
The other ladies watched in obvious disbelief at what Leonardo was able to accomplish. Mila placed her hand to her heart and looked at him with a condoling look...
"... Leonardo..."
FLASHBACK----------
Leonardo continued on gazing outwards into space for a time...
... Ever wondering if what he did was the right thing to do... and what he was supposed to learn when he stared directly into a sex-slave's cold...