[Placeholder] Raphtalia Sloane

Chapter 7 – Start of something bigger?

Joan was starting to get used to life on that penal colony. First of all, she had to admit to herself that she was extremely lucky of having found herself in a cell with both Glenda and her friend Lei Lei. As days began to pass, both women started to let her understand how penal colonies worked, what she could do and what she couldn’t. Who she could hang out with, being mostly safe, and who she had to avoid at all costs.

Still, as much as both women tried to stay with her, there were times when Joan had to fend herself alone in that world.

That day, for example.

Lei Lei had been called by one of the officers on duty, who had ordered her to follow him, in order to perform some kind of medical scan. Both the older women weren’t sure if this was a true thing or just an excuse of the guard to have some time with the big breasted girl.

Still, she couldn’t refuse and so had been forced to go with him.

That left Glenda and Joan in the cell but, after half an hour, the PA system resounded within the sector, calling for Glenda to be reporting to the security checkpoint.

The older woman gave a quick hug to Joan as she then left the cell, escorted by a couple of burly guards. As Glenda noticed them, especially how heavily armed they were, for such a nonthreatening sector, she understood that they knew what she had done previously in other colonies.

Yet, she didn’t oppose any resistance and followed them quietly as a lamb.

Alone, Joan, sat back on her bunk, as she simply waited for her friends to return. But, apparently, there was still movement outside her cell.

Specifically, she noticed, a young officer of the guards, which was getting closer and closer to her cell. Laying down as Glenda had taught her, Joan waited with bated breath as the woman got closer to her cell and deactivated the force field, as she entered.

As the officer was inside, closing the forcefield behind herself, she sat politely on Lei Lei’s bunk as she stared at the silent Joan with a curious expression.

“Are you Joan Webb? I.I.D. 634-312 WJ?”

“Y-yes…that’s my Inmate Identification Designation.”

“Good. My name is Sarah Whistler.
I’m going to be the new Officer on duty for this Sector. Starting from today, I will be in charge of keeping the peace around here. That also means that I will have the power to subjugate anyone who believes can do whatever he wants within my Sector.

Still, I’ve checked you files and I am mostly sure that a cutie like you won’t give me any problem. Won’t you, dearie?”

“N-No Ma’am…Sir…”

“‘Ma’am’ is fine, dear.

Now, I’m telling you this since we’ve already had some kind of…incident, in the previous days so, I wanted to have a feel for those that will be under my care.

Specifically, I’ve seen that you’ve been assigned with three other cellmates.

Of which: One is currently under medical rehabilitation to cure him of his… less pleasant behaviors. While the other two, which are currently absent with justification, are rather hardened criminals.

Now, a cute little thing like you must have issues being with those two.

Wouldn’t you prefer to be moved in a different cell, with some less…dangerous cellmates?”

Joan had been warned by Lei Lei about this kind of officers. She still remembered the bustier woman words:

‘An officer may come to you, speaking sweetly, trying to convince you to accept a favor from them… The moment you accept, they will have you in their pockets, forcing you to do whatever they need out of you, as soon as they can blackmail you.

Don’t ever trust’em, Joan.

Never. No matter how sincere or sweet they seem to be.

It’s all just a ruse.’

“N-No, Ma’am…I…I’m not having any issues with my current placement.”

Sarah, who looked genuinely worried, seemed to deflate a bit at the girl reaction, still she quickly recovered her cheerful demeanor.

“Oh, Alright, then.

Just, be careful and, if something will ever happen… or someone tries to endanger you, let me know immediately. Just say to one of the guards that you need to see the doctor for your migraine pills.

They will relate to me that something is wrong, and we will investigate the issue, trying to make the littlest fuss we can regarding your involvement.

I know that most inmates believe we are all evil, but this is not the case.
Anyway, follow the rules, obey the guard’s requests and everything will be fine.”

As Sarah said her piece, she quickly left the cell, leaving Joan, once more alone. Slowly, as she was still on her bunk, she started to drift off, entering in a dreamless sleep.

She suddenly was woken up from her rest as she heard some banging from outside the cell, as she stared toward the forcefield, she could see a couple of inmates, from a nearby cell, that were standing right in front of the field, gesturing obscenities at her.

Unable to do anything about them, she tried to ignore them as much as she could but, still she could hear their cackling, their laughter as they found her response to them hilariously funny.

Before she could even think of ignoring them, she saw the two of them freezing suddenly, as an officer appeared right behind them, already holding his gun out, pointing it at the two. Shortly after, Lei Lei was escorted inside, as she looked rather painfully and constantly massaging her chest. Joan, moving herself to a seated position, worried about her friend, began to enquire about what had happened to her.

“Lei? Is something the matter? Have they…raped you?”

“What? No.

It was a medical of sorts. They took my blood, my measurements and so on…it’s just…They did give me a shot of something.

I don’t know what it was but, my chest feels all tingly.
Still, although unusual, nothing happened so…don’t know. Everything’s good.
Glenda?”

“She was called by PA and has left since then.”

With noting to do, the two girls then decided to rest a bit, as they waited for their friend to return, so that they could go to the mess hall together. As Lei Lei let herself down on her bunk, she fell rapidly asleep, without noticing that not only her chest felt still tingling, but it seemed to be getting a bit larger with her every breath.

Joan, instead, laying down, couldn’t refrain from thinking back to her home, to how her family was and what they were doing. She tried to imagine her sister thinking about her but, considering how she had always treated her, Joan was fairly sure that she was the least affected by her vanishing.

‘She’s probably satisfied now that I’m not around insulting her. I’m so sorry, Sis…’


Meanwhile, on Leukos, the Webb household had managed, somehow, to resist the threat of the bankruptcy and was well on its way to recovering the massive expenses they had had to endure, in order to survive the sudden collapse of what had been their most profitable source of income.

While many other families leaded corporations had fallen in insolvencies, they had managed to survive thanks to the intricate web of contacts that each of the family members had.

Surprisingly for all of them, a crucial portion of those funds had come exactly from a few contacts that Joan had supplied to the family. True, most of those were from criminal gangs and smugglers, but still those had been pivotal for the household to remain afloat.

While her Father, Karl, was focusing on searching a new business avenue for the household to actively participate in the galactic stock market, her mother and sister were trying to find out as much as they could about that new penal colony sitting into deep space.

As they verified information, it became clear pretty quickly that having Joan escape from there, or smuggled out, was out of the question.

That Tartarus prison was more like a fortress, so tightly sealed that nothing short of a full-scale invasion could match the forces that were hired to defend it. They had thought about a hacking attack, in order to scramble the data in the facility, making sure that Joan had to stay there the shortest time possible but, also that seemed to bring at nothing, since only the most proficient hackers were available for the job, but the requested fees were so high that, even when they were booming through the market, they couldn’t have afforded it.

Maddie, her sister, then had the idea of infiltrating someone on the same penal colony to let Joan knowing that they were still trying to get her out of there, but also that was soon discarded. There were too many variables. There were no guarantees that the infiltrate could access the sector were Joan had to have been assigned to.

The only avenue that remained them, was to try and struck a deal with the owner of the colony.

Something that, as they had checked on the holo-net dark side, most of those Corps who had one of their operatives taken had seemingly done. As Maddie and her mother, Julia, went to report to Karl the situation, he realized that there wasn’t any other way and so, remaining alone with his wife, they decided to take contact with this Consortium.

As the request was sent through Black Market channels, they had expected to be contacted in the following days. Massive was their surprise as they received an answer, with appointment, not even after ten minutes.

The response was short and, although issued through protected channels, it never mentioned neither their names, nor the names of the representative who was going to meet them. There was only the nickname of the representative, ‘Wish’, and a set of coordinates to be reached.

As they sat idly in their private studio, Karl and Julia made a few calculation, starting to see how much they could actually invest in having their daughter freed without risking the household, and how much they could spend while selling anything they owned.

As they started up the private holo-communicator while using the set of coordinates received by the Consortium, they suddenly saw that someone was already there, waiting for their holograms.

The figure that had answered was vaguely feminine shaped, although considered the shadowing filters it had on, they couldn’t actually see to whom they were talking to. Even the voice had been altered, sounding like a distorted electronic voice, neither male, nor female.

“Greetings. You must be the Webb’s, aren’t you? I’m Wish.
Please to state your business proposal.”

Karl took word, trying to keep his tone soft and polite.

“We would like to know how we can get a someone currently held within Tarturs, out of there before the end of his sentence.”

“I’m afraid that your request cannot be executed. Once in Tartarus, nobody can get out before his time.
If that is all…”

“W-Wait!” Julia exclaimed as she took the word. “We know that others, both Corporations and Privates alike have managed to get just that.

Why couldn’t we have the same? If it’s about the money we can surely…”

“It is not about the money.

Prices will be discussed after having established the kind of service you are requesting. And I can assure you, No one will be getting out of Tartarus before its allotted time.

It would be counterproductive for our business, otherwise.

Still, you are getting closer. You have to make the right request.”

Both husband and wife looked at each other as they tried to understand, until Karl realized what the issue might be. Moving himself to stand in front of the camera, he addressed ‘Wish’.

“So, you agree that there are services that can be established between us, correct?”

“Correct.”

“But without involving getting out of the penal structure.”

“Also correct.”

“What about an agreement on the treatment she will receive while in your care?”

“That, Mr. Webb, is the right question.

Yes, we can provide to a few selected guests a premium VIP treatment while living within our facility. Depending on the price range, we can provide a full package of security and comfort for the entire duration of their residency within our facility…

Or different options for those who aren’t as, influential, as others are.

Would you like some examples?”



As the meeting kept going, both Karl and Julia quickly realized that, although the prices proposed were astronomical, they were so only in relation to a full security package. As they discussed and contracted with ‘Wish’, they soon managed to reach an accord with the Consortium.

“Mr. Webb, let me recapitulate.

The guest, Miss Joan Webb, has been sentenced to five year within our structure. As agreed between the parties, at the receipt of a full front payment for the coverage of the first year, The Consortium will guarantee her survival through the same, renewing the same contract once every year, with valid proof of her well-being once every passing year.

No additional comforts will be given, along with no dedicated external security granted, shall the inmate end up in troubles outside of her cell.

The Consortium guarantees a two-month time of trust, during which agreed services will be provided, before terminating the contract if the payment is not received.

An additional clause has been requested and agreed by The Consortium.

If payment shall be delayed by factors outside of parties authority, the payment shall be considered as cashed by the Consortium, as long as the private entity can prove, without any doubt, that said payment has been issued, but the inmate shall not be released until the full payment has been finalized and cashed.

Are these terms the one under which you, the Private Entity, have discussed and agreed upon?”

“Yes, they are.”

“Then, the contract can be considered finalized and issued.

Starting today, as of this exact minute, the Supplier guarantees the minimum security and safeguard of the VIP guest previously discussed within the contract.

That being said, from this minute start the agreed time of trust, upon which Supplier expect to receive payments in the agreed form.
A physical copy of this contract shall be issued to you within the week through one of our agents.

Supplier reiterates that, if said contract shall be found by authorities from the Private Entity side, the contract shall be considered void in favor of the Supplier, which will hold propriety rights over the subject of this transaction.

For the same logic, should the Supplier end under the authority’s spotlights, the contract shall be considered void in favor of the Private Entity, releasing the inmate in the shortest time possible.”