Private A Different Kind of Contract

[Varro]

A LIFE OF HIS OWN

The steady hum of the freighter's engines had become almost comforting. Almost. Varro sat alone at one of the small tables in the mess, absently turning a fork between his fingers before taking another bite from the simple meal resting on the tray before him. The food was warm, filling, and entirely unremarkable. That alone made it remarkable to him. No one had dictated when he would eat. No one had measured each bite. No one had expected him to smile while doing so. It was just... food.

His eyes drifted around the modest room before lowering to his own clothing. Durable brown cargo trousers, sturdy boots, and a dark sleeveless vest over a simple shirt. Practical. Functional. Comfortable enough that he almost forgot he was wearing them.

His fingers unconsciously brushed the rough fabric over his chest. Not silk. Not carefully tailored finery designed to make him look expensive. Not revealing garments selected to advertise someone else's property. No jewelry announcing ownership. No ornamental chains. No collars hidden beneath elegant fabrics. Just clothes.

A tiny smile tugged at one corner of his mouth before quickly fading beneath a wave of nerves. Freedom still felt... borrowed. Ra'a'mah Numare had paid a price greater than Varro could properly comprehend to purchase that freedom. She had offered him something he had never truly possessed before: choice. It was exhilarating. It was terrifying.

He still caught himself waiting for someone to remind him that he belonged somewhere, that he had duties beyond those he chose for himself. Instead, Ra had simply spoken of work. Honest work. A job. Responsibilities earned rather than imposed.

The concept remained strangely foreign. Varro had spent his entire life learning to anticipate the desires of masters before they voiced them. Merchants. Nobles. Crime lords. Whoever happened to possess his contract at the time. Every smile had been calculated. Every word measured. Every mistake punished.

Now he was expected to think. To decide. To build something resembling a future. His lekku twitched faintly behind him as he glanced toward the entrance to the mess for what was likely the fifth time in as many minutes.

Ra had asked him to meet her here before they reached their destination. She had mentioned discussing his new position during the journey, though she had offered few details beyond assuring him that it would suit his abilities. He hoped she was right.

He wanted—truly wanted—to prove that purchasing his freedom had not been a mistake. That he could become more than someone trained to entertain and obey. More than merchandise that happened to breathe.

The thought tightened his stomach more effectively than the meal settled it. Drawing in a slow breath, Varro straightened his posture and folded his hands neatly beside the tray, resisting the instinct to stand the moment someone approached the doorway. Old habits lingered. But perhaps...

Perhaps they did not have to linger forever.

VARRO
• Location: Hyperspace
• Objective: Discover what this new life means
• Outfit: Basic Work Attire
• Company: Ra'a'mah

 

[Ra'a'mah]

The door to the mess slid open with a quiet hiss, and Ra'a'mah stepped inside carrying her own tray. Unlike Varro's, it held little more than a mug of caf and a modest meal she had only recently found time to collect. Her eyes found him almost immediately.

He was sitting exactly as she had expected.

His back was straight, his hands folded neatly beside his tray, every movement composed and deliberate. He wasn't simply waiting for her. He was waiting correctly.

As she approached, she noticed the subtle differences from the day she had purchased his freedom. The practical clothes suited him far better than the garments chosen to display him as someone else's possession. They fit comfortably, allowing him to move naturally instead of carefully preserving an image. That much had already begun to change. The uncertainty she saw now wasn't in his appearance. It was in the quiet vigilance behind his eyes.

When Varro instinctively started to rise, Ra'a'mah lifted a hand, the small gesture accompanied by an equally gentle smile.

"Please," she said softly. "You don't have to stand every time I enter a room."

She settled into the seat across from him, setting her tray onto the table before wrapping both hands around the warm mug. The silence that followed wasn't awkward. She allowed it to linger for a few moments, giving him time to sit comfortably again instead of rushing straight into business.

"I imagine this has been... a strange few days."

The words felt like a dramatic understatement even as she spoke them.

"I won't insult you by pretending I understand exactly what you're feeling." Her golden eyes met his steadily. "But I suspect you've spent most of your life trying to determine what other people expected from you before they ever had to ask."

A faint smile touched her expression.

"I'm afraid you're going to find me rather disappointing in that regard."

There was quiet humor in her voice, though the sentiment behind it was entirely genuine.

"I don't expect perfection. I don't expect gratitude. And I certainly don't expect you to become someone different overnight. Freedom isn't something people learn in an afternoon."

Only then did she steer the conversation toward the reason she had asked him to meet with her.

"I told you I had a position in mind for you. Not because I needed to find somewhere to put you, but because I think you're already qualified for it."

She rested her forearms lightly on the table, speaking with the calm confidence of someone who had already considered the matter carefully.

"You've spent years observing people. Learning to read them. Anticipating their needs before they were spoken. Remaining composed under pressure. Remembering details. Managing expectations." She gave a slight shake of her head. "Those aren't the talents of an ornament, Varro. They're the talents of someone exceptionally skilled at understanding people."

She took a sip of her caf before continuing.

"I oversee a considerable number of operations. Ships, facilities, personnel, visitors, business partners. Every day, people from very different backgrounds pass through those doors. They don't need another soldier."

Her smile returned, warmer this time.

"They need someone who notices when a guest has been waiting too long. Someone who realizes an employee is struggling before they ask for help. Someone who can smooth over a misunderstanding before it becomes an argument. Someone who knows how to make people feel welcome because he genuinely sees them."

She allowed the thought to settle naturally between them before continuing.

"You'll be trained. No one will expect you to know everything on your first day. You'll make mistakes, and when you do, we'll correct them together." She tilted her head ever so slightly. "That's how employment works."

For just a moment, the executive disappeared, replaced by the woman who had sat across from him in Xygrit's office and offered him a choice instead of another contract.

"And if, after you've had time to discover who you are, you decide this isn't the future you want..." Her smile softened. "...then we'll find one that is."

There was no obligation hidden behind the promise. No invisible chain waiting to tighten. Only a choice. It was the one thing she intended never to take from him again.

Varro

 

[Varro]

A LIFE OF HIS OWN

Varro's body had already begun to rise before Ra'a'mah's gentle gesture halted him. The movement froze for only a heartbeat before he nodded in understanding and settled back into his seat. Even that simple act felt strange. Every lesson drilled into him over the years insisted he should remain standing until told otherwise, yet she had already told him otherwise.

He folded his hands together, though they rested a little less rigidly than before. "It has been..." He searched for a word adequate enough before settling on one of the few that seemed honest. "Strange." A small smile touched his lips. "Wonderful... but strange."

His eyes met hers. "I hope you know that I stand because I believe you deserve my respect. Not because I think of you as my Master." The distinction mattered to him. He wanted it to matter to her as well.

As she spoke of anticipating expectations before they were voiced, Varro found himself nodding in quiet agreement. It was true. Entire conversations had once depended upon reading the smallest shift in posture or expression. One wrong assumption could earn praise. Another could earn punishment. He had survived by learning the difference.

Her smile drew one from him in return. "I do not think it is terribly difficult to understand how a slave thinks." There was no bitterness in the observation, merely acceptance. "But... I appreciate that you do not pretend to know exactly what was in my mind."

When she joked about being disappointing, an unexpected chuckle escaped him. "I have already discovered you are almost never what I expect." The warmth lingered in his expression. "I will do my best to give you my honest self." He hesitated just long enough for the next admission to feel deliberate. "I should also admit... I do have a great interest in seeing you pleased."

His eyes drifted briefly toward the tabletop. It had once been his entire purpose. Every lesson, every correction, every punishment had revolved around becoming exactly what another person desired. Perfection—or at least the appearance of it—had always remained just beyond reach. Masters always found something else to improve, something else to demand.

That part of him had not disappeared simply because someone had declared him free. Nor had his gratitude. He suspected it never would. If Ra truly wished for no constant displays of thanks, then perhaps he would simply have to learn to carry that gratitude more quietly. It belonged to him now, not as another performance, but as something genuine.

He drew a steady breath. "Thank you... for your patience." The words almost became a bow. His shoulders threatened to dip from long-ingrained habit before he consciously stopped himself, forcing the impulse to remain only that. "And... for this opportunity."

As Ra described the qualities she believed he possessed, Varro listened in silence. Observation. Composure. Remembering details. Reading people. The list sounded so much nobler than the reasons he had learned them. For perhaps the first time, he found himself wondering if those years had left him with something besides scars.

A faint laugh escaped him. "I believe I will need quite a bit of training." His smile widened ever so slightly. "Even if it is only learning how to use the skills I already have for something... worthwhile."

Then came her final promise. That if this path was not his, they would find another. Varro simply stared at her for several quiet moments, realizing he was lingering on the way her expression softened when she spoke, as if it mattered to him in a way he did not yet have words for.

No owner had ever planned for a future that did not directly benefit themselves. No one had ever spoken about helping him discover who he wanted to become. His throat tightened unexpectedly, and he became uncomfortably aware of how much he wanted to keep that gentle attention on him, rather than let it drift away. "I..." The word caught before he managed to continue.

"I cannot promise I will know what kind of life I want." His voice was quieter now, but steadier than before. "I have never been allowed to ask myself that question." A grateful smile returned to his face. "But... if you are willing to help me find the answer..." He nodded once. "I would like very much to try."

VARRO
• Location: Hyperspace
• Objective: Discover what this new life means
• Outfit: Basic Work Attire
• Company: Ra'a'mah

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Ra'a'mah listened without interrupting, quietly pleased to see him remain seated after the initial instinct to stand. It was a small thing, but important. Habits built over a lifetime did not disappear in a matter of days, nor should they be expected to.

A gentle smile touched her face as he spoke of respect rather than ownership.

"I'm glad you made that distinction," she said softly. "Respect is something given freely. It has value because it can also be withheld." She inclined her head slightly. "If, one day, you disagree with me, I hope you'll feel comfortable enough to tell me so. I'd much rather hear an honest disagreement than comfortable silence."

When he admitted that he wanted to see her pleased, Ra caught the subtle shift in his expression. There was gratitude there, certainly, but something more beginning to take shape beneath it. She recognized it for what it was, and more importantly, why it existed. It wasn't something to encourage, nor something to embarrass him over. It was simply another part of the life he was learning to rebuild.

"You'll find," she replied with quiet warmth, "that seeing your employer pleased is not an unhealthy thing. Most people want to do well at their work." A faint smile crossed her lips. "The difference is that your success will no longer be measured by how indispensable you make yourself to me. It'll be measured by how capable you become on your own."

She let that thought settle before continuing.

"I want you to succeed because it gives you more choices, not because it makes my life easier."

His uncertainty about the future earned an understanding nod.

"I wouldn't expect you to know the answer today. You've spent your life asking who other people needed you to be. Learning who you are is going to take time." Her expression softened. "There is no deadline for that."

She rested her hands lightly on the table.

"The position I've chosen for you is only a beginning. You'll spend time with our logistics and administrative teams, learn how the company operates, and discover whether the work suits you. If it does, wonderful. If it doesn't..." She smiled reassuringly. "...then we'll look elsewhere."

Her tone became just a touch more practical.

"You don't owe me success, Varro. You owe yourself an honest effort. The rest, we'll figure out together."

For a moment she simply regarded him, seeing far less the former slave than the capable man who had quietly identified leadership, empathy, initiative, and trust in a room full of strangers.

"I have every confidence," she said, "that you'll surprise yourself long before you surprise me."

Varro

 

[Varro]

A LIFE OF HIS OWN

Varro considered Ra's words about respect for a moment. The idea that it could be withheld was nearly as strange as the idea that it could be freely given. Respect had never really factored into the relationship between slave and master. Obedience had. Deference certainly had. They could look like respect from the outside, but there was an important difference.

The suggestion that he might someday openly disagree with her drew a slightly skeptical smile. "I will try to remember that." He paused, then gave a quiet chuckle. "Though I suspect disagreeing with you may take a little longer than remaining seated when you enter a room." At least he had managed the latter once.

The distinction Ra made about pleasing an employer caused his expression to turn thoughtful again. Wanting to do well was acceptable. Wanting her approval was acceptable. It was the why behind those desires that had to change. Capability rather than indispensability.

Varro slowly nodded. "I think I understand." Or at least he understood the words. Making himself valuable enough that someone wanted to keep him had been a matter of survival for most of his life. The idea that Ra wanted him to become capable enough that he no longer needed her ran directly contrary to practically every relationship he had ever known.

His smile softened. "I suppose I should warn you that becoming capable on my own is going to take some adjustment. I am rather experienced at making myself useful to other people." There was enough humor in his voice to acknowledge the obvious without dwelling upon where that particular talent had come from.

"But more choices..." His lekku shifted slightly as he considered that. "I think I would like that." Choices still intimidated him, but he was beginning to understand that intimidation did not make them undesirable.

When Ra explained the position in more practical terms, Varro listened closely. Logistics. Administration. Learning how the company operated. None of it sounded glamorous. That was oddly reassuring. He had experienced quite enough glamour for one lifetime.

"Logistics and administration," he repeated, almost testing how the words sounded when attached to his future. A small grin followed. "I cannot say that was where I imagined my talents eventually taking me." Then again, he had never imagined his talents taking him anywhere of his choosing.

His gaze dropped toward his half-finished meal as she told him that he did not owe her success. That one was more difficult. Varro knew Ra meant it. He also knew some part of him rejected the idea completely. She had purchased his freedom. She had given him clothing, transportation, employment, and now the promise that if the employment failed, she would help him find something else.

Gratitude demanded success. Old conditioning demanded perfection. Ra demanded only effort. Of the three, hers was by far the easiest expectation and somehow the hardest for him to accept. "I can promise an honest effort." His gaze lifted to hers again. "I suspect there will be times when I try to give you considerably more than you asked for." His smile turned faintly apologetic. "You may have to remind me that those are not the terms of our arrangement."

There was a little humor there, but also genuine acknowledgement that freedom had not miraculously remade him. It would take time. Ra had repeatedly told him so, and perhaps eventually he would learn to extend himself the same patience she seemed willing to give him.

Her final statement caught him off guard. Varro stared at her for a moment before his smile slowly returned. "You have a great deal of confidence in someone you've known for a very short time." He almost lowered his head. The familiar obedient gesture began in his shoulders before he caught himself once again. Instead, Varro leaned back slightly in his chair.

A tiny victory. "I hope you're right." There was no immediate promise to prove her confidence justified. No declaration that he would become everything she expected. He deliberately denied himself both.

After a moment, his smile became warmer. "And I think..." He hesitated, considering the words before committing to them. "I am beginning to hope that I surprise myself too."

His eyes briefly wandered around the mess before returning to Ra. There was something almost overwhelming about the woman sitting across from him. Not because of what she had purchased for him, but because she seemed determined to give him things that provided her no obvious benefit in return.

A career if he wanted one. Another path if he didn't. Choices. A life. Had Varro still been expected to anticipate what would please the person across from him, he would have known exactly what to say and precisely how to say it. Instead, Ra wanted whatever came naturally. He was discovering that natural was considerably more difficult.

So he simply smiled. "I think I'm looking forward to finding out who that man is."

VARRO
• Location: Hyperspace
• Objective: Discover what this new life means
• Outfit: Basic Work Attire
• Company: Ra'a'mah

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Ra'a'mah's smile widened slightly at his admission. "Oh, I'm quite certain there will be times when you give me considerably more than I asked for." She had already seen enough of Varro to suspect that much. The impulse to anticipate, prepare and provide before anyone could ask was deeply ingrained in him. "And when it happens, I'll remind you. Probably more than once. Eventually, I expect you'll start catching yourself before I have to."

There was something quietly satisfying about watching him do exactly that now. Twice she had seen the beginnings of the familiar deferential gesture before he stopped himself, and this time he had replaced it by leaning back in his chair. Ra didn't point it out. Turning every small act of independence into an accomplishment worthy of praise risked making her approval another thing he learned to seek. Instead, she simply accepted it as normal, because eventually she wanted it to become normal for him as well.

His comment about her confidence earned a slight tilt of her head. "I've known you for a short time, yes, but I watched you assess an entire room of people with very little information and tell me things about them I hadn't noticed myself. You weren't trying to impress me when you did it either." A hint of amusement entered her expression. "So perhaps I have enough evidence to justify a little confidence."

She glanced toward his half-finished meal before looking back at him. "As for logistics and administration, don't dismiss them too quickly. You spent years learning to notice what people needed before they asked, remembering details, anticipating problems and understanding how different personalities fit together. Those are useful skills when you're coordinating people and resources. The difference now is that nobody gets hurt because you failed to anticipate someone's mood." Her expression softened. "You'll make mistakes. Everyone does. We'll correct them and move on."

When he finally admitted that he was beginning to hope he might surprise himself, Ra's smile became warmer. That, more than any promise of loyalty or success, was what she had wanted to hear from him. "Good. Hold onto that." She settled a little more comfortably in her seat, giving him none of the scrutiny he might once have expected after such a personal admission. "You don't need to know who that man is yet. Give him a chance to exist before you start deciding what he's supposed to become."

For a moment, her attention drifted around the mess as well, settling briefly upon the ordinary surroundings that had become the setting for a conversation neither of them would likely have imagined when they'd first met. Then she nodded toward his tray with a trace of humor. "For tonight, though, I think we've given your future enough work to do. Finish eating before it gets cold. Tomorrow I'll start showing you how the company operates, and we'll see whether logistics proves considerably more interesting than it sounds."

Varro

 

[Varro]

A LIFE OF HIS OWN

Varro's smile took on a slightly sheepish quality when Ra confirmed that she fully expected him to do considerably more than she asked. "I suppose admitting the problem is the first step." There was humor in his voice, though he suspected they both knew it would take considerably more than awareness to change habits that had kept him alive for years. Still, the thought that someday he might notice them before Ra did was encouraging.

Her explanation for the confidence she placed in him was harder to dismiss. Varro remembered their first conversation clearly. He had assessed the people around them because that was simply what he did. A room full of strangers had once been a collection of potential dangers, desires and expectations that needed to be understood as quickly as possible.

"I wasn't trying to impress you," he admitted. "I was simply... paying attention, and doing what I was told." The realization brought a thoughtful crease to his brow. Perhaps that was precisely her point.

He listened as she reframed his old skills once again. Remembering details, anticipating needs, understanding personalities. Ra kept taking pieces of the person slavery had created and showing him that they could belong to someone else. To him. Her comment about mistakes, however, drew a quieter reaction.

Nobody gets hurt because you failed. Varro looked down at his hands for a moment. "I think that may be one of the harder lessons." His gaze returned to her. "Knowing that a mistake is simply a mistake. That it can be corrected and everyone moves on." There was no need to explain why. Ra knew enough already, and Varro was grateful she rarely forced him to give voice to things simply because they existed. "I will try." It seemed he was saying that frequently lately. Try. Not promise. Not guarantee. Not swear that he would be perfect. Try. Perhaps that was another lesson.

When Ra told him to give the man he might become a chance to exist before deciding what he was supposed to be, Varro went quiet. His entire life had been built around someone else answering that question first. What was he supposed to be? Attractive. Entertaining. Attentive. Obedient. Whatever his owner required. Now even Varro wasn't supposed to decide too quickly. A genuine smile slowly spread across his face. "I think I would like to meet him without giving him instructions first." There was a playful quality to the words that surprised even him.

Then Ra nodded toward his meal. Varro blinked. His eyes dropped to the tray and then returned to her as a soft laugh escaped him. "Yes, Ma—" He stopped. His mouth remained slightly open for an awkward heartbeat. Varro stared at Ra before closing his eyes with a quiet groan and rubbing a hand across his face. "That one may take a while."

Despite the embarrassment, there was laughter in his voice when he lowered his hand. He did not apologize. He did not immediately offer some formal correction. Instead, he picked up his fork. "Yes, Ra." The name still felt strangely informal on his tongue, but he accompanied it with a small smile before taking another bite.

"And for what it is worth, logistics already sounds considerably more interesting than my previous employment." His expression turned mischievous for just a moment. "I admit that is not a particularly high standard, but there were visitors that weren’t all that bad to entertain…" Varro looked at Ra with a smile before he took another bite, actually allowing himself to concentrate on his meal rather than monitoring every movement of the woman across from him.

Tomorrow there would be instructions. Training. Mistakes, apparently. He would learn about ships and personnel and schedules and whatever else Ra's business required of him. For once, tomorrow did not belong to someone else. Varro found that he was rather looking forward to it.

VARRO
• Location: Hyperspace
• Objective: Discover what this new life means
• Outfit: Basic Work Attire
• Company: Ra'a'mah

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Ra'a'mah couldn't quite prevent the smile that appeared when Varro admitted that simply paying attention had been what he was told to do. "Exactly," she replied. "You weren't performing for me. You were using a skill so naturally that you didn't even consider it one." There would undoubtedly be more of those discoveries in the weeks ahead, abilities he had learned for reasons neither of them particularly liked but which nevertheless belonged to him now. She suspected separating the skill from the circumstances that had created it would take considerably longer than teaching him anything about logistics.

His thoughts about mistakes were met with understanding rather than reassurance. Ra could tell him a hundred times that no punishment awaited him for getting something wrong, but eventually he would need to experience it before he truly believed her. "That one probably will be difficult," she acknowledged. "So we'll handle it when it happens. You'll make a mistake, we'll determine why it happened, fix whatever needs fixing and continue." A slight smile returned. "Eventually, I expect you'll discover that most mistakes are considerably less interesting than whatever your imagination tells you is going to happen afterward."

His desire to meet himself without instructions earned a quiet laugh from her. "I think that's an excellent place to begin." She was still smiling when he nearly called her Master, though she carefully resisted making too much of the correction that followed. The groan and hand dragged across his face were amusing enough on their own, and more importantly, he had recovered without apologizing or seeking reassurance.

"Yes, Varro," she answered with just enough humor to acknowledge his deliberately informal use of her name before reaching for her caf again. His observation about his previous employment almost caused her to take a drink at precisely the wrong moment. Ra lowered the mug instead, one eyebrow rising as she regarded him across the table. "I'm going to assume that's an endorsement of logistics and refrain from asking for details."

The fact that he was actually eating now mattered more than anything else she might have said. His attention had shifted toward his meal rather than remaining fixed upon her, and Ra was content to let it. There would be plenty of time tomorrow for schedules, personnel, cargo manifests and the thousand mundane details involved in keeping her operations functioning. Tonight did not need another lesson.

She finally returned to her own neglected meal, comfortable silence settling between them. "Finish your dinner," she said after a moment, warmth lingering beneath the simple instruction. "Tomorrow you can begin discovering whether you've secretly possessed a lifelong passion for cargo manifests."

A faint smile touched her lips as she took another sip of caf.

"And if not, we'll find something else."

Varro

 

[Varro]

A LIFE OF HIS OWN

Varro gave a slow nod when Ra explained that he had been using a skill without ever considering it one. That was an odd thought. There were plenty of things he knew he could do well, of course. He had been trained to know them. But those had always been framed in terms of what made him valuable to someone else. Attractive. Attentive. Entertaining. Discreet. Able to remember a preference after hearing it once. Perhaps there were other things buried among all that training that he had simply never thought to claim for himself.

"I suppose I'll have to start paying attention to what I do while I'm paying attention," he replied, the faint smile on his lips acknowledging the absurdity of the statement.

Mistakes were another matter entirely. Ra's explanation sounded perfectly reasonable. Make a mistake. Determine why. Correct it. Continue. Varro understood every step. He also knew that understanding them while sitting comfortably across from her was going to be very different from believing them when he inevitably failed at something. "I suspect my imagination will be quite creative the first few times," he admitted. "But I will try to remember this conversation when it happens."

He was beginning to realize there was a difference between trusting Ra and trusting the world she was describing to him. The first had come surprisingly easily. The second would require evidence. Fortunately, she seemed perfectly willing to provide it.

Then came the raised eyebrow. Varro caught it immediately. Of course he did. His own expression brightened with unmistakable amusement as Ra carefully chose not to ask for details about the visitors he had entertained. "That was absolutely an endorsement of logistics." There was a brief pause before the smile at the corner of his mouth became just a little more playful. "Mostly."

He took another bite before deciding that perhaps one clarification was worth making. "For what it is worth, Ra, you don't have to avoid the subject on my account." His tone remained easy, without any trace of embarrassment. "I have no shame about what I did. It was my life. Some of it was unpleasant. Some of it..." His lekku shifted faintly as his smile returned. "...was considerably less unpleasant." He gave a small shrug. "I have found other people are usually much more embarrassed by the details of my former occupation than I am."

Varro let that observation stand exactly where it was. He did not elaborate upon which visitors had qualified as not all that bad, nor did he make any effort to encourage Ra to reconsider her decision not to ask. He simply returned to his meal. That, too, felt like something he was allowed to choose now. He did not have to conceal his past to make others comfortable, but neither did he have to display it for their entertainment.

When Ra ordered him to finish dinner, Varro's eyes flicked upward with a spark of amusement. This time there was no almost-Master waiting on his tongue. "Yes, Ra." He deliberately took another bite.

At the mention of a secret lifelong passion for cargo manifests, Varro laughed quietly and shook his head. "I spent a considerable portion of my life memorizing people's favorite drinks, meals, music, conversation, clothing, schedules..." He paused, his smile threatening to turn mischievous again before he wisely left several other categories unspoken. "...and quite a few other preferences." He gestured lightly with his fork. "If a cargo manifest is simply remembering what someone wants, where it is supposed to go and when it needs to arrive, perhaps I have been preparing for this my entire life." The idea was ridiculous enough to make him chuckle again. "But I think I will reserve judgment on my lifelong passion until I have actually seen one."

His attention returned to his dinner, and for a few moments Varro was content to let the silence settle between them. Tomorrow he would begin. Not as Ra'a'mah Numare's newest possession. Not as an entertainer being introduced to another patron. An employee. Varro still wasn't entirely certain what that was supposed to feel like. Perhaps that was the point.

He took another bite before glancing across the table at Ra with an easy smile. "And if cargo manifests prove terribly disappointing, apparently I have an employer willing to let me try something else." He shook his head slightly, still finding the concept remarkable. "I think I can live with that arrangement."

VARRO
• Location: Hyperspace
• Objective: Discover what this new life means
• Outfit: Basic Work Attire
• Company: Ra'a'mah

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Ra'a'mah considered his comment about his former occupation for a moment before giving a small nod. She hadn't avoided the subject because she believed there was anything inherently shameful about it. Her concern had been considerably simpler. Too many decisions had already been made for Varro, including when and how much of himself he was expected to give to other people. She had no intention of becoming another person who assumed access to pieces of his life simply because she was curious about them.

"Fair enough," she said. "Then I won't treat the subject as though it's forbidden." A hint of amusement entered her expression. "Though I reserve the right not to ask questions when you start looking entirely too pleased with yourself." His mostly had certainly qualified. Whatever portions of his past Varro remembered fondly were his to remember that way. Freedom did not require him to condemn every moment that had come before it, merely because the circumstances surrounding those moments had been wrong.

His assessment of cargo manifests drew a quiet laugh from her. "You've reduced an entire profession to remembering what someone wants, where it goes, and when it needs to arrive." Ra lifted her caf and considered him over its rim. "Which is annoyingly accurate." There would be considerably more to teach him, of course. Inventory systems, contracts, procurement, scheduling, personnel, customs regulations, and enough bureaucracy to test even his newfound enthusiasm. But none of that needed to happen tonight. Tomorrow would arrive soon enough.

"And yes," she added when he marveled once again at being allowed to try something else, "you do." The answer was deliberately uncomplicated. By now, she suspected Varro understood the principle, even if some part of him still found it extraordinary. Employment wasn't another form of ownership. If logistics suited him, he could build something from it. If it didn't, they would find something that did. Someday he might even decide that what suited him existed somewhere beyond her company entirely, and when that happened, Ra hoped he would be able to leave without wondering whether he required her permission.

For now, however, he was eating. He was laughing. He was discussing tomorrow without speaking about what someone else expected him to become. Ra decided that was enough progress for one evening. She finished the last of her caf and rose from the table, collecting her tray before glancing back toward him. "Get some rest when you're finished. Tomorrow morning I'll show you around properly, introduce you to the people you'll be working with, and finally let you meet one of these cargo manifests you've apparently spent your entire life preparing for."

A smile lingered as she started toward the door. "Try not to be too disappointed if it isn't love at first sight."

She left him to finish his meal without ceremony. There was no final instruction beyond the practical one she'd already given, no expectation that he follow, and no need for him to ask what came next. Tomorrow had already been decided as much as it needed to be.

For the first time in Varro's life, what he did with it afterward would be up to him.

Varro