Explanations of Indentured Servitude

Posted on Mon Jan 23rd, 2023 @ 3:47am by Captain Calypso Skyie

Mission: Trade And Tribulations
Location: Trarim

Several of the crew had beamed down to the planet before Calypso made her way to the transporter room. Two of her security personnel were already at the planet-side beam-in site, but the Governor of Trarim had been unavoidably delayed for nearly an hour before they could get away from what they were involved in. But the time had come and Calypso had put on her dress uniform in the meantime and reached for the collar as she cursed the designer of the torture device that meant to suffocate her. "One to beam down, Chief." She finally smiled at transporter operator.

A few more seconds and she was on the ground and she felt the difference between the neutral and dry atmosphere of the ship and the overly humid and warm feel of Trarim. "Captain Calypso Skyie, I presume!" A booming, clearly Dashian-accented voice announced and Cally looked over to see a definitively overweight by about twenty kilograms, very airily dressed Dashian with a wide-brimmed hat approaching, arms wide open in a universal form of greeting. "Please, allow me to introduce myself, Governor Horim Torresh, Chief Arbitrator here on Trarim." He gave a half-bow, which Cally returned, resisting the urge to reach up and tear her collar off.

"A pleasure to meet you, Governor Torresh, on behalf of the United Federation of Planets, I offer you my hand in peace and friendship." She extended a hand, palm up, in a show that she came without hostility. She'd had some intense classes on diplomacy during their voyage, but she knew she was still an amateur. Why didn't they send a REAL diplomat along with her?

She needn't have worried as the Governor clasped it with both of his hands and shook it up and down, "Come, come! I managed to stall the opening of the day's games once I heard that a new species, well, relatively new species at least, had entered the system! After all, we must celebrate the splendor Trarim's hospitality!" He released her hand and turned to show off the main city on the world, "Besides, the Zhiavon did a very basic explanation, but he's a naval officer, he doesn't really know Trarim the way I do!"

"Please pardon my ignorance, Governor Torresh, but while I recognize that Zhiavon is a rank, I'm unsure what it would equate to in our system." Cally fell into step with the governor even as he began to trundle towards one of the larger buildings in what was obviously a modern style of city, despite the old-fashioned look to it. It was very open air in a Roman fashion to her eyes, hiding very little from inquiring eyes. Good for security and well... Openness. "I myself am a starship Captain, responsible for just my ship and crew. Above me would be a small detachment commander, known as a Commodore, who would be in command of perhaps a half-dozen starship. Then would be a Rear Admiral, in charge of a full squadron of a dozen or more, a Vice Admiral would have two or three squadrons, then an Admiral with command of a full fleet."

Governor Torresh contemplated for a moment, then nodded, "He would be on the order of a Commodore to you then, Captain, because his detachment is a medium group of the Hegemony Navy, but it is made up of smaller ships. The Hegemony takes the defense of Trarim seriously, as we take the responsibility of all of our territories. You see, we have been the primary power in the region for nearly a thousand years. We developed our faster than light drive six hundred of those years ago, but Dashian society isn't a true race of explorers. We've expanded slowly, system by system, not by conquest but by nurturing those we come across. There are several polities within Hegemony borders that are independent, others that we've brought from pre-spacefaring races to full Hegemony members over the course of a hundred years or more!"

Cally listened intently, committing everything to memory, "The Federation is truly a star nation of exploration. Our mandate is actually to go out and find new races, see new things and places. I know I for one would enjoy exploring around the Hegemony, but the Zhiavon mentioned to me that there are several systems that are completely off limits. He provided us a starmap, but it was rather... light on the details."

"Naval officers and their secrets." Torresh shook his head slowly, "I understand his reluctance, however fewer altercations can happen if both sides are fully open with each other. I'll make sure that you have a detailed star chart with information on all of the Hegemony worlds that you may need to know. Of course, there are those off-limits systems, but we can make sure that you steer clear of them." He continued to point out things, "Ahh, and here you see part of the Trarim justice system at work!" Brightly colored workers were walking down the street with cleaning implements in hand, four of them using wide brooms to clear the rather clean streets of the massive city.

"Those are... Indentured servants, right?" Cally asked, "We did get a very brief overview during our initial transmissions, but the Zhiavon definitely didn't go into details on this."

"Yes, Indentured Servitude is one of the most innovative parts of the Trarim Compact. With so many species visiting with so many sets of laws regarding their own people, we negotiated a system universal to all races, some of which were adamant about not having their people held in prisons." His gravelly voice made it almost sound like he was a part of those negotiations, "If someone cannot pay the fine, they are put into our indentured servitude system, with every crime we can imagine attached with a monetary value. The more heinous the crime, the higher the price."

He gestured to the street sweeping crew, "These ones were caught in the act of theft, as seen by their bright blue outfits. The one in green was convicted of assault on one of the merchants. As they were unable to pay the fine, they chose to work it off over a period of time."

"That's a novel idea, Governor, but for all crimes? Certainly there are some that require something a bit more severe than sweeping streets?" Cally was questioning, genuinely curious about the system.

"Of course. Slavery is met with death by the Hegemony. There are no other options for that crime, as Dashia was once a slave world to the Zenteri." He smiled slightly, "You'll never meet one of them, Captain, the pre-Hegemony Dashians handled them in the way we handle all slave-holders." The look on her face caused him to pause, "Don't think of us as barbarians, Captain Skyie, we were enslaved relatively shortly after we reached the stars, the Zenteri were ruthless invaders, importing our people to their own world while treating Dashia as a breeding pen for disposable cannon fodder and servants. It became one of our founding principles that anyone caught holding slaves will not be treated with mercy. That's why we have this system."

He didn't let her interject before continuing, "But that is the most extreme we get. We know of at least two races outside the Hegemony that market in slaves, and we do not go out of our way to combat them. They have been made aware that they are not welcome in the Hegemony aside from contacts that do not carry that cargo. Limited contacts with vetted people."

Calypso grimaced. She also didn't suffer slavers happily, but that had been stamped out in the Federation ruthlessly, but peacefully. "I'm sure we can both agree that it's a bad thing." She agreed, very, VERY aware that she was in a first contact situation where she essentially WAS the Federation, "But, let's talk about this 'Indentured Servitude Program', if you're willing. I'm actually rather curious about it all."

He gave a wide smile, which on the wider-than-most-Dashians-she'd-seen-on-the-street didn't do him much in the way of a compliment. Meanwhile, a larger central building loomed in front of him, "Of course. While each crime has a monetary value attached to it, each person put into the program has a choice in what duties they must perform to pay it off. General street-cleaning and public service are of course the lowest-risk, slowest repayment of the debt. Upkeep is included in everything, so these ones have the blandest diet and most basic sleeping chambers, along with the least amount of 'free' time for their own. It is a punishment, after all, not a governmental support program."

He gestured to another person, following a family of yet another species, "Some are 'hired' by outside entities by contract, with a more expansive set of duties to perform. These outside contracts are more intensive typically, and while the families, let's call them, pay the Trarim government for the use of our servants, depending on the duties involved increases the 'repayment' of the indentured servant's debts faster. Some of these criminals are actually even hired on by the families after their public debt is settled, providing gainful employment after they're finally freed. Upkeep is also provided by the families, so that is another benefit to being 'privately' employed."

He stopped right before entering the towering building and gestured to the side, "That building is another governmental repayment center, where servants have decided to repay their debt to society by performing personal acts. It is technically a brothel, where people come for sexual and other pleasures. This repays their debts significantly faster than standard service and is purely voluntary. We do not force people into these acts, Captain, I must be very clear about that." He looked her in the eye to gauge her reaction.

For her part, Cally wasn't offended by the thought. She had finally met her niece, who was in a way in that same business. That conversation had been VERY uncomfortable, but the nonchalance and the patience that Michelle had given her in regards to her line of work had settled her down significantly. "So long as no one is forced and it's consensual for all parties, I don't believe I can rightly judge the justice system. However, Governor, I believe that brings us to this building?" She gestured in front of them.

The smile grew as broad as his face, "Indeed Captain! This building is the crown jewel of Trarim's justice system. It provides not only entertainment for everyone on the planet, but also provides those indentured servants who choose it, to pay off their debts very quickly. It's also the highest risk of injury or death, which is why it 'pays' so well. Everyone who enters here is a volunteer. They are made fully aware of the risks, because each activity in here carries a risk, no matter how carefully we adjudicate the events."

They finally walked into a gilded door, then came to a halt while a walkway began to move them forward, "The most basic forms of combat, such as fist-fights, padded weapons and armor, the ones least likely to cause permanent damage, will pay off one's debts at a rate of about seventy-five times that of street-sweeping. Naturally, after a combat, all injuries are healed by our medical teams. After all, this is a form of debt repayment AND entertainment. It wouldn't do to leave entertainers in pain and disfigured."

A door slid open in front of them a ways ahead, allowing natural light to enter again. By the feel of the walkway, Calypso thought they'd risen a little bit as well, but Torresh continued on, "The more dangerous the combat, the higher the repayment. For a fight that could potentially end in death, but so long as both combatants fight valiantly and where one can yield and survive, repayment is valued at a hundred-fifty times that of street sweeping." The door came closer and the walkway stopped right before the threshhold, "And lastly, for deathmatches, repayment is three hundred times that of street sweeping. Yes, Captain, it's a very high risk, but imagine nearly a year of sweeping taken off the ledger for one single risk?"

They stepped out onto a short balcony, filled with seating of luxury. The arena itself was louder than ambient, with much of the seating around being filled with various species, but with more than its share of Dashians, "Again, all survivable injuries are treated promptly and properly and no one goes into the arena unwillingly. Even those who are convicted of murder and fight in here are willing, in fact, many of those are very willing to risk their lives if they enjoy the act. The arena is also a mix of those who are indentured servants as well as professional gladiators and the like. Some have repaid their debts to society and THEN joined the ranks of the professionals because they truly enjoyed their time down there."

Cally shuddered at the thought of being in an arena as a form of entertainment, but understood that things were different in all societies, reaching up to just undo her collar at this point. The heat and humidity were getting to her, "So let me get this straight... Let's say someone does something that would warrant a year of servitude... They can shorten that by private contract with a family for about half that time, by selling themselves for services for about a third of that time, or fight in the arena in non-lethal combat for about that same amount, or lethal combat for basically instant release. Do I have that about right?"

"You do indeed, Captain." Torresh agreed, "The details may differ ever so slightly, but in general, you are correct. But if I may, you appear to be uncomfortable. If I may, behind this door here is a room with a wardrobe of far more comfortable clothing, far less formal as well. I can delay things here for a few more minutes if you'd like to peruse the offerings and change into something less likely to cause you to overheat?"

Cally thought that over for a moment, then reluctantly nodded, "I would appreciate that, Governor, I'll take as little time as possible. Pardon me for just a few minutes." It was also a way for her to regain her composure. Different societies had different methods of justice. Well, at least they didn't execute people for minor things, that was something, right?"