Torture Odeon's Point Of View

: EXTRAS

Maybe an hour after Cortin began her preliminary examination, Odeon

glanced toward the observation room, raised a hand in acknowledgement

when he saw the light on above the window, and spoke softly to Cortin.

"Someone in the observation room, Excellency."



She turned that way. "Colonel Bradford?"



"Yes," Bradford replied over the intercom, "with Ranger Medart and Lt.

DarElwyn."



"If you'd care to, you're welcome to join me in here."



"Thank you, Excellency." Moments later, the three entered the large

room, while Odeon hid his surprise. Joanie didn't normally allow

anyone around during a third-stage session except Odeon himself or

another Inquisitor!



"The interview went all right?" Cortin asked.



"Quite well," Bradford replied. "I'll get the operation moving as soon

as I get back to my office."



"Good--thanks, both of you." Cortin turned back to her prisoner, still

addressing the observers. "This one's nothing special, except in the

number of his crimes and the fact that he wanted witnesses until he got

to the last victim in each series. It was the rapes that were his

particular thrill; the murders were enjoyable, but more of a side

effect. So I'll be concentrating on the punishment for rape."



Although he'd been her assistant for a little over a year, Odeon--as

Illyanov had predicted--still didn't like the work; he helped only

because he loved Cortin, and there were things her own torture and

maiming by the Brothers had left her physically unable to do, until

Jeshua, and later Shayan, had healed those injuries. She could do most

of them now, everything that didn't require a man's extra muscle, and

he could've asked to be excused, but she liked having him around, and

they were both used to the routine. So he stayed--though part of him

regretted the end of his three-week "vacation", studying with DeLayne.



Keith, unlike Odeon--and Medart, from his expression--seemed to have a

true appreciation of Cortin's intent and ability. Not, Odeon told

himself, that he should be surprised; from his studies, Sandemans

considered it perfectly honorable to torture a captured enemy for

information, and certain offenses against honor or custom demanded the

offender's lingering death. But they were more direct about it; a

beating was the usual method.



It was several hours before Cortin was satisfied with the prisoner's

general condition: his entire body except the genital region so bruised

or abraded that even a light touch brough curses.



She stepped back to survey him, then smiled at her audience. "That

takes care of the preliminaries; now we can get to the real

punishment." She went to a cabinet, removed a vial and syringe.



"This is eroticine," she said, forcing the liquid in the vial down her

prisoner's throat. "In small doses, it's a male aphrodisiac. In

larger ones, like this, it forces an erection and increases semen

production by several hundred percent. He has no way to stimulate

orgasm, so that is forced out by simple hydraulic pressure--quite

uncomfortable, I've been assured. This dose is oral, so he'll be that

way for about twelve hours." She picked up a syringe, cleared it of

air. "And this is algetin, a pain-enhancer that's most effective on

swollen tissue such as an erection. It's a combination I think

particularly appropriate for a rapist."



"An intriguing combination," Keith said. Moments later, when the man's

erection firmed and grew moist, he looked curious. "Is that wetness

normal, or is it a drug effect?"



"Neither, Lieutenant; it's a side effect of the satyr plague."



"I see." Keith paused, cocking his head. "You said he can't bring

himself to climax, Excellency, and this does seem effective--but what

would happen if he did? Would it be a temporary relief, or would the

algetin make it as much an agony as it usually is a pleasure?"



Odeon frowned to himself. That sounded more like Joanie than it did

like the Sandemans he'd read about. Still, this was the first one he'd

actually met . . . and Joanie was considering her answer.



After several seconds, Cortin said thoughtfully, "We're cautioned

against it in training, since it's presumed orgasm would bring relief;

if anyone had experimented and found otherwise, it should've been

reported in the professional literature. Since I've never read about

such an experiment, I doubt it's ever been tried--but now that you

suggest it, the idea seems plausible. If you'd like to try,

Lieutenant, be my guest."



"No," Medart said firmly. "He can observe, since this is within your

law; taking part would go against a number of the laws that govern the

Imperial military." He turned to the Sandeman. "What's wrong,

Lieutenant? You're not acting like any warrior I've ever

met--including yourself, a couple of days ago."



"I feel fine, sir--I'm just not embarrassed by his display, the way I'd

have expected, and I . . . admire Colonel Cortin's work, which I

wouldn't have expected at all."



"Just how strong is this admiration, Lieutenant?"



Keith looked from Ranger to Inquisitor and back, his expression

answering Medart's question before he spoke. "Strongly enough that if

I thought there was any chance of acceptance, I would offer her my

fealty."



Cortin looked at him thoughtfully, then smiled. "If that means what I

believe it does, Lieutenant, you'd be in no danger of refusal."



Keith returned the smile, then acted on her promise and knelt.

"Colonel Joan Cortin, I wish you as my chosen lady, if that should be

your will. I offer all that is in me to give: body and mind, will and

honor, whatever courage is mine. And death itself may not deny the

service I offer, in whatever afterlife is to come."



Oh, dear God! Odeon thought in a mixture of fear and awe. An oath like

that, to the acting Protector? And Ivan's prediction that the true one

could come from the Empire, which he'd accepted without really

believing. And the timing--over four months ago, Shayan had declared

himself their reluctant and temporary ally, informing them the true

Protector would manifest in less than six months. He sent that ally a

thought. *It has to be Keith, doesn't it?*



He felt Shayan exploring his recent memories, then agreement. *It

would seem so. I cannot say when or how the exchange will be made,

however.*



*Then will come what you've been calling the decision point.*



*Indeed. Were I you, I would increase my devotional activities,

particularly the Mass--I give you leave to say it as often as you

wish--the Rosary, and the Litany of the archangel whose name you share.

Now I would recommend you get back to work.*



*Yes, Your Holiness.* Odeon's attention returned to his surroundings

in time to see Cortin extend her hands to Keith, smiling.



"I accept your service and yourself with thanks, warrior."



Keith took her hands and rose, then bowed to her. "You do me great

honor, Thakur."



"The honor is mine," Cortin replied. "Are there any formalities that

need to be taken care of?"



"I'll handle those when we finish here," Medart said. "His release

from service, back pay and allowances--but it'll be up to you to notify

his clan and make arrangements for his tattoo."



"When we're done here, as you say." Cortin turned to her new sworn

man. "To give you a status recognized here, I'm commissioning you a

Royal Enforcement Service officer. Now, would you like to test your

theory?"



"Very much, Thakur." Keith paused, then continued apologetically.

"I'm afraid I don't know how, though. One of our strongest customs

forbids any same-sex physical intimacy. Since it seems yours doesn't,

that no longer applies to me, of course--but the fact remains that I

have no such experience."



Cortin chuckled. "That can be remedied easily enough, if you decide

you want to, but for your present purposes you don't need experience.

All you have to do is take hold of him, snugly enough to provide a

friction surface but not tight. The eroticine will make him take care

of the rest."



"That sounds simple enough." Keith reached for the prisoner.



The Sandeman didn't look too sure of himself, Odeon thought, when he

took hold of the prisoner's erection and the man began moving. Well,

Keith had said he had no experience with men . . . It looked like he

was a quick study, though--starting to rub and squeeze in a way Odeon

was sure he'd like to experience. Without the drugs, of course.



And, Odeon thought, it seemed pretty clear that Keith enjoyed the pain

he was inflicting. That brief smile as moans became cries reminded him

again of Joanie; Keith's reaction to his first third-stage was a far

cry from Odeon's own. Still, he told himself, maybe Keith's pleasure

shouldn't be a surprise, since the Protector's role included the

punishment of sinners.



The Sandeman's smile grew as the prisoner's moves became faster, more

urgent, and Odeon was surprised he could keep hold, but he managed--and

the prisoner climaxed in a prolonged series of spasms, screaming in

agony.



Keith turned to his chosen lady. "Was that satisfactory, Thakur?"



"Most satisfactory," Cortin said with unconcealed admiration. "You've

just given me--all Inquisitors, once I get it published--what promises

to become an extremely useful standard technique, especially with

rapists. I'll see you're given full credit, of course." She smiled at

Keith. "You've also changed my plans for him. That degree of pain,

administered repeatedly, can be lethal--and I can't think of a more

fitting end for a rapist. We'll let him drip overnight, then give him

a fresh dose and see how many times he can take what he forced on

others. What do you think?"



"I don't share your expertise, Thakur, so my opinion may not be valid.

Still, it sounds appropriate to me."



"So be it, then." Cortin smiled at him, approvingly. "Would you like

to help? You seemed to enjoy yourself as much as an Inquisitor would,

and Mike doesn't have that particular quirk; he helps because he loves

me, not because he likes the work."



Keith hesitated briefly before answering. "It surprises me, Thakur,

that I did enjoy it. But I would not displace Captain Odeon from

something that brings you two close."



Cortin looked at her second in command. "What do you think, Mike?"



"If he wants it, he's got it," Odeon replied promptly. Turning to the

Sandeman, he went on. "As she says, I don't have the mental quirk that

lets me like hurting people; I'd be glad to get out of the job."



"It seems I do," Keith said. "At least since she wants this one to

hurt, I took a great deal of pleasure in causing him as much pain as I

could."



"It's all yours, then," Odeon said promptly. "With my thanks, by the

way--which I'll demonstrate later, if you want."



"In the meantime," Cortin said, "I'm hungry. Let's go up to supper."





Return to main storyline: 31. Explanation









30d. Torture (Keith's point of view)



Keith was surprised to find himself more intrigued than anything else

at the scene through the observation room window. What she'd called

the third-stage room resembled, more than anything else the young

Sandeman could think of, was a museum exhibit of a twentieth-century

operating room he'd seen once, with cabinets of supplies and equipment,

monitoring machinery, even a surgical table. But operating rooms

didn't have chains hanging from the ceiling, and patients weren't held

spreadeagled, naked, between those and eyebolts in the floor--and he'd

had no particular feeling toward the doctor in the display, where he'd

developed a strong fondness for the Inquisitor.



A couple of minutes after they entered, Odeon glanced toward the

observation room, raised a hand in acknowledgement, and said something

to Cortin. She turned toward them. "Colonel Bradford?"



"Yes," Bradford said, "with Ranger Medart and Lt. DarElwyn."



"If you'd care to, you're welcome to join me in here."



"Thank you, Excellency." Bradford switched off the intercom and turned

to the others, looking surprised. "That's a first; she doesn't

normally allow anyone in there except Captain Odeon or other

Inquisitors. The disadvantage is that you can't avoid her prisoner's

screams by shutting off the intercom."



"Even so," Medart said thoughtfully, "if an invitation's that rare, we

ought to accept."



The three entered the larger room, which smelled of antiseptic--rather

to Keith's surprise. Why should Her Excellency care about infection in

people she was torturing to death? He might ask her later, if it

looked like she wouldn't mind discussing her work.



"The interview went all right?" Cortin asked.



"Quite well," Bradford replied. "I'll get the operation moving as soon

as I get back to my office."



"Good--thanks, both of you." Cortin turned back to her prisoner, still

addressing the observers. "This one's nothing special, except in the

number of his crimes and the fact that he wanted witnesses until he got

to the last victim in each series. It was the rapes that were his

particular thrill; the murders were enjoyable, but more of a side

effect. So I'll be concentrating on the punishment for rape."



Keith watched attentively. These were the preliminaries, obviously,

but he was interested in anything and everything she did. It was

several hours before she was satisfied with the prisoner's general

condition: his entire body except the genital region so bruised or

abraded that even a light touch brough curses--and by that time, Keith

was admitting to himself that what he felt for her was more than

fondness.



Cortin stepped back to survey her prisoner, then smiled at her

audience. "That takes care of the preliminaries; now we can get to the

real punishment." She went to a cabinet, removed a vial and syringe.



"This is eroticine," she said, forcing the liquid in the vial down her

prisoner's throat. "In small doses, it's a male aphrodisiac. In

larger ones, like this, it forces an erection and increases semen

production by several hundred percent. He has no way to stimulate

orgasm, so that is forced out by simple hydraulic pressure--quite

uncomfortable, I've been assured. This dose is oral, so he'll be that

way for about twelve hours." She picked up a syringe, cleared it of

air. "And this is algetin, a pain-enhancer that's most effective on

swollen tissue such as an erection. It's a combination I think

particularly appropriate for a rapist."



"An intriguing combination," Keith said. It sounded rather like a

peculiar form of induced need, with no intent of release--and he had to

agree with the Inquisitor; it did seem appropriate for a rapist. That

reaction made Keith more than a little surprised at himself. Since

this was a punishment situation, the prisoner's nudity hadn't bothered

him; that was a normal part of punishment for serious violations of

custom at home. But that didn't include sexual arousal, even

drug-induced. He should have been seriously embarrassed, to the point

of having to leave; instead, he found himself intrigued by the

phenomenon as the man's erection firmed and grew moist. "Is that

wetness normal, or is it a drug effect?" he asked curiously.



Cortin glanced at him. "Neither, Lieutenant; it's a side effect of the

satyr plague."



"I see." Keith continued watching, pleased by the prisoner's

increasing discomfort, his moans and small spasms as semen began

oozing. "You said he can't bring himself to climax, Excellency, and

this does seem effective--but what would happen if he did? Would it be

a temporary relief, or would the algetin make it as much an agony as it

usually is a pleasure?"



After several seconds, Cortin said thoughtfully, "We're cautioned

against it in training, since it's presumed orgasm would bring relief;

if anyone had experimented and found otherwise, it should've been

reported in the professional literature. Since I've never read about

such an experiment, I doubt it's ever been tried--but now that you

suggest it, the idea seems plausible. If you'd like to try,

Lieutenant, be my guest."



"No," Medart said firmly. "He can observe, since this is within your

law; taking part would go against a number of the laws that govern the

Imperial military." He turned to the Sandeman. "What's wrong,

Lieutenant? You're not acting like any warrior I've ever

met--including yourself, a couple of days ago."



"I feel fine, sir--I'm just not embarrassed by his display, the way I'd

have expected, and I . . . admire Colonel Cortin's work, which I

wouldn't have expected at all." And herself, to an even greater

degree . . .



"Just how strong is this admiration, Lieutenant?"



Keith looked from Ranger to Inquisitor and back, certain his expression

was answering Medart's question before he spoke. "Strongly enough that

if I thought there was any chance of acceptance, I would offer her my

fealty."



Cortin looked at him thoughtfully, then smiled. "If that means what I

believe it does, Lieutenant, you'd be in no danger of refusal."



Keith returned the smile, feeling a blast of elation, then acted on her

promise and knelt. "Colonel Joan Cortin, I wish you as my chosen lady,

if that should be your will. I offer all that is in me to give: body

and mind, will and honor, whatever courage is mine. And death itself

may not deny the service I offer, in whatever afterlife is to come."



She extended her hands, smiling again. "I accept your service and

yourself with thanks, warrior."



Keith took her hands and rose, wishing he could display his elation,

but that would be improper with others around. Instead, he bowed to

her. "You do me great honor, Thakur."



"The honor is mine," Cortin replied. "Are there any formalities that

need to be taken care of?"



"I'll handle those when we finish here," Medart said. "His release

from service, back pay and allowances--but it'll be up to you to notify

his clan and make arrangements for his tattoo."



"When we're done here, as you say." Cortin turned to her new sworn

man. "To give you a status recognized here, I'm commissioning you a

Royal Enforcement Service officer. Now, would you like to test your

theory?"



"Very much, Thakur." Keith paused, then continued apologetically.

"I'm afraid I don't know how, though. One of our strongest customs

forbids any same-sex physical intimacy. Since it seems yours doesn't,

that no longer applies to me, of course--but the fact remains that I

have no such experience."



Cortin chuckled. "That can be remedied easily enough, if you decide

you want to, but for your present purposes you don't need experience.

All you have to do is take hold of him, snugly enough to provide a

friction surface but not tight. The eroticine will make him take care

of the rest."



"That sounds simple enough." Keith reached for the prisoner.



He grasped slippery flesh, pleased when the man winced and tried to

pull away. That should be a good sign. He followed the flinch,

keeping the snug hold his thakur had recommended--and she was right,

the prisoner began pumping, almost immediately accompanied by cursing

and moans. For a bit, Keith remained still, getting used to the feel

and rhythm. This was all he had to do, she'd said, and Keith was sure

it would have the desired effect--but she wanted the man to suffer as

much as a human could. Sure that there had to be a way to elicit more

pain on the way to its peak, he tried modifying his grip, going with

the prisoner's movements, kneading gently at the end of each thrust.



He was rewarded when moans grew louder and curses became incoherent

cries. He wanted to turn, see if his thakur was pleased, but he didn't

allow himself the distraction, contenting himself instead with a brief

smile. He was surprised at the ease with which he'd been able to make

even this sort of sexual contact with another man, but his primary

emotion on that subject was gratitude; since his thakur clearly had no

objection to man-loving, even seemed to actively approve, he had to do

so as well, and it was kind of the gods to make such a drastic change

so easy for him.



He was less surprised, though still a bit so, by his unexpected

enjoyment of a painmaster's role, since Sandeman did have some

circumstances where such was appropriate, though it had no

professionals. That was a fortunate turn, since it saved him another

adaptation--though if he were to serve his thakur properly in this

capacity, he really ought to get some training; a true painmaster

should be getting at least some screams by this time.



The prisoner's movements became faster, more urgent, and Keith smiled

again. A few more seconds . . . yes, good! The prisoner convulsed,

thrashing as wildly as his bonds would permit, but warrior reflexes let

Keith keep his grip while the man climaxed in a prolonged series of

spasms, his screams eloquent testimony to his agony. Keith felt a

sense of accomplishment at that, a deep pleasure that didn't end even

when the climax was over, the flesh in his hands softened slightly, and

the prisoner sagged, going limp but kept from fainting by the algetin.



Keith turned to his chosen lady. "Was that satisfactory, Thakur?"



"Most satisfactory," Cortin said with unconcealed admiration. "You've

just given me--all Inquisitors, once I get it published--what promises

to become an extremely useful standard technique, especially with

rapists. I'll see you're given full credit, of course." She smiled at

Keith. "You've also changed my plans for him. That degree of pain,

administered repeatedly, can be lethal--and I can't think of a more

fitting end for a rapist. We'll let him drip overnight, then give him

a fresh dose and see how many times he can take what he forced on

others. What do you think?"



Keith was flattered that she asked his opinion, but . . . "I don't

share your expertise, Thakur, so my opinion may not be valid. Still,

it sounds appropriate to me."



"So be it, then." Cortin smiled at him, approvingly. "Would you like

to help? You seemed to enjoy yourself as much as an Inquisitor would,

and Mike doesn't have that particular quirk; he helps because he loves

me, not because he likes the work."



Keith hesitated briefly before answering. "It surprises me, Thakur,

that I did enjoy it. But I would not displace Captain Odeon from

something that brings you two close."



Cortin looked at her second in command. "What do you think, Mike?"



"If he wants it, he's got it," Odeon replied promptly. Turning to the

Sandeman, he went on. "As she says, I don't have the mental quirk that

lets me like hurting people; I'd be glad to get out of the job."



"It seems I do," Keith said. "At least since she wants this one to

hurt, I took a great deal of pleasure in causing him as much pain as I

could."



"It's all yours, then," Odeon said promptly. "With my thanks, by the

way--which I'll demonstrate later, if you want."



"In the meantime," Cortin said, "I'm hungry. Let's go up to supper."





Return to main storyline: 31. Explanation