Part one here

Tzara watched her new arch nemesis walk away with a swagger that rivalled most of the men in this world. What could she say, she was guilty. She remembered the captain and felt sick. What about the others too, did they get away? If they did would they survive or get shipwrecked light years… she glanced at the food on the table and wished it was sand. Maybe this life was too good for her?

“You okay?” someone beside her mumbled.

Tzara saw Tyler looking at her with concern and shot a look back at Ginette. “What is going on? Why are you here? I mean… shit, it is good to see you but you must hate me too…”

“I don’t hate you, you saved me. I don’t think Ginette hates you either… sorry Lady Dancer,” Tyler winced. “I think she loves it here and has her own survivor’s guilt to deal with.”

“But I killed the ship,” Tzara wailed.

Tyler made a sour face and crinkled up her eyes. “Maybe… maybe not, we don’t know what happened, not really; and in any case it was an accident. It is up to a court martial to decide your fate, not out Lady Dancer.”

The words made Tzara feel better, but not much. “What is it with this Lady Dancer crap and what is she to you?” she asked.

Tyler blushed. “It is a long story,” she blushed. “Let us say it has and is a learning curve for me. You have to know that it is seven months since we were on the ship… subjectively speaking that is. I don’t know Ginette managed that exactly, but we got inserted ahead of you. That after she spent literally days sussing out this world and what you did to create it before she inserted us. She was well prepared. Just between you and me I think this place is some sort of secret dream of hers and she managed to tweak it a little and flesh it out a little more since you made it.”

“I didn’t though, not consciously anyway. It was supposed to be a couple of hour’s distraction, just a test run really. I was going to work out the details later.” Tzara sighed.

“Well the details worked themselves out and with no small input from Ginette,” Tyler grimaced.

“And you?” Tzara asked.

Tyler looked around to make sure Lady Dancer wasn’t watching. Then she made a face. “I didn’t think it through either and anyway…” she licked her lips and seemed to steel herself for a confession. “I was drawn to the service because of a need for discipline and adventure. I have also always been drawn to strong women, sexually I mean…” Tyler looked at Tzara to gauge her reaction; some cultures still frowned on that sort of thing. “I don’t think it matters what I like or what I would have chosen, something in me has fed this place and now I am caught like you… literally in this case. My status here is as legal ward to Ginette until I marry… well since I can’t see that happening anytime soon… and I mean ever…”

“I see,” Tzara grimaced sympathetically.

Tyler shot a worried look across the room to where Ginette and Lord Galen were conferring. Then she sighed, “No you don’t, not at all. I am not Ginette’s sexual partner, I am not allowed sexual partners, I am supposed to be chaste. Meanwhile I have the legal status of… of a child. She spanks me and worse.” Tyler blushed. “It is a life sentence and I don’t even… I hate it and need it at the same time… but I don’t exactly like it.”

“I think I understand,” Tzara sighed. “Part of me has similar feelings.”

Tyler frowned and made another hasty look at Lady Dancer. “Did you know that not only will we not age or die or… I mean like until the simulator is turned off or…?”

“I know, we might be here for hundreds of years…” Tzara could not quite take that in.

“Or a million or… or forever… but that’s not all. We will stay who we are here, as far as everyone here believes anyway. The world might change around us but at any given moment it will accept us for who we are, forever,” Tyler wailed.

Tzara sucked in air through her nose and let it go and with it that thought; it was just too large. Then she fixed Tyler with a hard stare. “Are you saying that we won’t age and no one here will notice? How do you even know that?”

“I am saying that they will accept us as part of their world. As for knowing…? I don’t really, it is just what Ginette said, and she spent hours talking to the avatar and analysing the settings parameters.”

Tzara nodded. “So what will she do to me? What can she do to me?” she asked.

“For one thing, once your Lord dies or releases you she will claim you for the Order of the Steel Rose. Life as a Novice is hard, very hard and our precious Lady Dancer gets to decide when one advances to Adherent, which is not much of a step up. Remember what I said… you could be one of her subordinate sisters for centuries…” Tyler gushed. She took another glance at Ginette.

“And until then…?” Tzara frowned.

“Oh she has other plans,” her friend whispered.

“Such as?”

Tyler shot another look at Ginette and then backed away. “Listen, I don’t want to be seen talking to you,” And then she was gone.

*

Tzara mulled it over. She thought about going to see Lucinda to see what she knew about the Order of the Steel Rose and what power it had. In the guise of Lady Dancer, Ginette had garnered a lot of respect already and it was hard to know how to play it.

Finally she decided to go the horse’s mouth and confront Tyler and Ginette together away from prying eyes. Maybe straight talking was all that was required.

It wasn’t hard to find the quarters of the newcomers and no one troubled Lord Galen’s woman as she slipped down the passageway to the apartments.

She was surprised to find the outer door open and after the briefest pause she went in. The rooms were lavish with tapestries and velvet drapes, but there was no maid in the outer chamber as there might have been so Tzara went in the direction of some voices further inside.

“What did you tell her?” An angry Ginette was saying.

“Nothing My Lady, I…” Tyler wailed.

‘My Lady,’ what even in private? Tzara thought and hesitated.

“Then why talk to her at all?” Ginette asked fiercely.

“I…,” Tyler had no answer.

“I think you have been indulging in some misplaced loyalty,” Ginette snarled, “I think you need to be taught just who is in charge here you little traitoress.”

Tzara found the inner door ajar and instead of announcing herself she took a peek. She gasped and drew back less she was heard. Tyler was across Ginette’s knee with her bare bottom facing the door. Oh my God, she thought and took another look.

Tyler’s bottom was small and pert. The tightly split rounds formed two vulnerable domes, alabaster smooth and Nordic white. Even Tzara could see the appeal if one were so inclined. She dropped back to watch and learn something.

Lady Dancer patted her ward’s bare bottom twice with a long handled hairbrush so that the hapless Tyler squealed and wriggled.

“Childish, I know, but to get us started I am going to give you a long sound spanking just to get your attention,” Lady Dancer said in a voice of steel. “Cherry red is a good colour, the colour your bottom will be after your first spanking today. Then you may go to the corner for a good cry while I summon the maid for a beverage or two.”

“Please… ooh,” Tyler moaned.

“I may even have a nice purple plum as well, in honour of the two you will have by the end of your second spanking,” Lady Dancer teased. “And my treasured little ward, that is not merely a play on words.”

Tyler didn’t answer and was already breathing rapidly as she wriggled.

“Then we will talk and you will tell me every last thing you said to our Mistress Tzang,” Lady Dancer hissed.

“Oh, oh, yes My Lady, but…” Tyler wailed.

“Shush,” the brush wielder soothed, “It is going to happen, so don’t bother trying to explain until afterwards. Then depending on what you say… well we will see if further correction is required.”

“Please My Lady, I…” Tyler pleaded.

“Now, now,” her spanker chided and struck the first blow.

“Ah,” a distress Tyler yelped.

The second spank landed almost at once and was soon followed by a third, fourth and fifth.

The spanking was hard and fast and two or three minutes went by before Lady Dancer paused. All this while Tyler twisted and yelled as her bottom went from light pink to rich red at their uppermost points. Then after giving the bottom a quick squeeze with her hand Dancer began spanking down the curves to really set upon the areas used for sitting. Here she remained for several more minutes until Tyler was a sobbing mess.

Lady Dancer inspected the deep red ovals staining Tyler’s bottom and scratched at it with her thumb nail. “More strawberry than cherry,” she muttered, “Oh well, onwards and upwards.”

Then the spanking resumed.

Tzara swallowed and decided to take her leave. After 15 minutes a bawling Ensign Tyler was really going through it and she figured Ginette was not ready to call a halt any time soon. In fact the sound of distress and spanking impacts was heard all the way back up the passage as she walked away. Poor Tyler, she thought.

To be continued…