The most common are those who are captured in battle and raids. Since slaves are constantly needed, Ikarus almost always raids skavengers and habs for more bodies to toil away. Ikarus deploys scouts to seek out potential slaves and then the fun begins. Winged warriors dive into the unsuspecting lots of scared victims and loose bolts of poison arrows from crossbows designed to paralyze. Then the victims are dragged in giant nets and brought to the various slave rings that operate on the surface and in the air.

Some slaves are indentured by slavers, nasty Ikareans and skavengers in their employ, who prey and hunt for more lives to sacrifice at the altar of the Ikareans. These slaves are rounded up from decimated bands and unsuspecting skavengers. Occasionally, criminals are sentenced to slavery and then sold to the slavers. Like those captured in battle, they are brought to the slave rings to be bought and sold, many by the very Metrozones from which they are allied.

The rarest of Ikarean slaves are those who are actually born into slavery. Since Ikarus maintains so many servants and custodians to maintain palace estates, it would stand to reason that these slaves would be allowed to breed. This ensures that good help is never too far. These slave "bloodlines" have proud traditions of servitude to their Ikarean masters. In fact they often are treated better than most who dwell on the surface.

However they come the variety of slaves is unquestionable, yet the safety of Ikarus is paramount when bringing in new slaves.

Slavers and scouts bring the wailing damned in sacks and nets. Each is paid a sum of roughly 15 to 25 credits per slave. Here they are stripped of their clothing and seperated from their families and social groupings. They are then given a thorough exam to ensure that they are healthy and untainted by possession or mutation. Those who show even the slightest hint of psionic power are whisked away by members of the Order of Psychers for one of their twisted experiments.

The slaves are then broken down into various classifications (see below). They are shoved through lines and humiliated beyond belief by the jeering slavers and Sentinels. Some are simply pulled from the lines and beaten or executed on the spot, seemingly for no apparent reason. This has the added effect of instilling fear into the crowds.

These slaves, once processed and deemed safe, are then assigned a numbered barcode. This barcode is electro-branded onto the body, typically the forehead or arms. Not only does this mark the slave forever, but it also causes excruciating pain and discomfort which aids in controlling the slaves even more. These marks can not be removed; only a skin graft can cover them.

Slaves are purchased on auction blocks, with the slavers showing them off one by one or in lots. A typical slave sells for around 50 credits, though the pleasure slaves can sell for many times this. Lots sell for around 50 credits a head, but sometimes slavers are feeling good and will throw in a group discount as pens of wailing and overcrowded slaves are hauled away. Such is the price Ikareans place on life.

Buyers not only include the Ikareans. Many hail from places such as Hydra, always looking for more genetic material, or from Prometheus, who search for new challengers for their pits.

What is left over, or found to have the taint of mutation, are released into the wastes. They are told they are free, but in reality they are about to provide entertainment for the jaded Ikareans. Soon after their release, waste hounds are unleashed along with Ikarean nobles looking to improve their aim. Needless to say, even the dregs of slaves provide some use to the Ikareans, even if they are shown to a "merciful" death.

It should also be noted that since Ikareans abhor mutation, they would not go out of their way to raid a mutant settlement for slaves. So at least the mutants are safe from that aspect.

Class One, or labor slaves are those who show physical resilience, and the ability to perform the menial and labor-intensive tasks that run the mighty sky palaces. This is the most common type of slave, as the qualifications are very loose.

Class Two slaves are those who would be called "pleasure slaves." They are used by the decadent nobility as sexual toys and are subject to perversions so horrid they would make even the most skilled Radostian cringe. Many are subject to the "try before you bue" rules of the slave markets. Few perish during this period, but accidents do happen.

Class Three slaves are rare. They are those slaves who are found to have a psychic gift. When they are uncovered, the Order of Psychers takes them to special holding tubes where they will be transported to the Order's Sanctum for experimentation.

Lastly, there are the Class Four slaves. These really aren't a class at all, as they are the mutants and dregs too wretched to be sold as slaves. Instead these slaves will provide sport fo the Ikareans and the slavers, once the day of hard work is finished and business comes to an end.

Despite their predicament, many of the pleasure slaves do live well. They are treated with care (as much care as their master gives them), and they are fed well. In fact, they are often fed table scraps or from the same plates that their masters have feasted from. They are also given over to taskmasters or courtesans who train them in the arts of physical pleasure. Once they are trained they are to please their master, or else be tossed over with the garbage that rains down upon the land below.

All pleasure slaves are fed doses of a narcotic that stimulates the pleasure centers of the brain and instills a sense of euphoria. Not only does this eventually make them addicted to the sick and twisted depravities of their masters, but it also reduces their willpower, making them even more susceptible to the whims of their lords.

These slaves are stripped of their clothing and often run around naked. Some are chained to their master's bedposts; others are strung on leashes and "walked" through the gardens of Ikarus like pets. A rare few are allowed to wear a see-through cloth and some are even allowed to move freely within their master's estate. Such instances are rare at best.

As explained above, the role of these slaves is pure physical pleasure. When their master grows bored with them, they are either tossed over-board, or (if they are quite lucky) are given the task to train other pleasure slaves.

Like many of the slaves in Ikarus, pleasure slaves are generally illiterate, and the drugs all slaves are fed keep them from concentrating on anything but the simplest of tasks.

The living conditions are horrible. Often their barracks are squalid, with little or no heat, and waste in the corners. Prime sleeping spots are taken by the strongest and fittest.

Labor slaves are fed a disgusting gray goop. They are clothed in simple leather harnesses and drab tunics. Also, like the pleasure slaves, labor slaves are fed regular doses of narcotics. These drugs keep the willpower and concentration of the slaves down, in order to keep them from organizing and rebelling against their masters. It also induces a state of constant euphoria and makes this drug highly addictive.

The tasks these wretches are given would make a normal man drop dead within a few days. In fact many do just that. Normal tasks include harvesting Drakonium when a strike is found, dumping raw Drakonium into hoppers to be processed, shoveling processed Drakonium into massive plasma furnaces, and assembling parts churned out endlessly from autofacs. Slaves are worked endlessyl for up to several days. This is due to the high demand for goods and power in Ikarus. Slaves are given a time to rest, but this rarely goes past a couple of hours. Then it is back to work.

Many slaves simply expire at their work posts. Sentinels routinely walk through these areas. They lash their fellow slaves with wet strips of mutant hide or with neurolashses to ensure the slaves are still alive, and to keep them alert. When dead slaves are found they are rounded up and dumped into the garbage chutes to be later jettisoned onto the ground when the garbage cycles dump.

These experiments range from having a slave possessed by a malovelent demon to being totally brainwashed and subjucated into a hab or metrozone as a "sleeper".

These slaves have no assigned assigned tasks, other than what their cruel and mysterious masters wish of them. Because they have the gift they are prized, as a scientist would cherish a new chemistry set.

The experiments they are subjected to have yielded in the past great discoveries. Many of which have led to the development of psiscreens and other psionic defenses. However, some has also been the subject of horror as a possessed slave ran amok.

One experiment rumored to have come from the Order is that of a "sleeper" assassin. This slave is totally unaware of his fate and role. When a command signal is given, the slave seks out his pre-programmed target and attempt to exterminate them. Sometimes, the Order has unleashed these "sleepers" on other nobles as pleasure slaves. Their disguise is so totally complete, only a powerful psi-scan would reveal their true nature.

A birth slave will typically reside with his parents until he comes of age. After this he can be traded, sold, or kept depending on the whims of his master. Birth slaves are also rare, as the narcotics used to keep slaves docile also make them sterile. They are treated as the class they were born into and will never know of any other way of life.

Their treatment is often better than normal slaves. They are worked, fed and clothed according to their station. Birth slaves can lead infinitely better lives, but at the cost of their humanity and freedom. They are like caged nightengales, captive and born to sing for their masters.

The nobles of Ikarus are too busy to be troubled with trivial matters such as enforcing the peace and guarding sensitive areas. Thus, this position falls to the Sentinels of Ikarus. Guards, who are slaves, but trusted with a weapon in the presence of their master. They are the elite of slaves.

The slaves, once selected, are taken to the main mother-ship for psycho-conditioning and indoctrination. These slaves are conditioned to be utterly loyal to their Ikarean masters and to the Celestial Emperor. They serve as elite shock-troops; they can't be bribed or coerced into betraying Ikarus. They will obey their masters and are willing to fight and die for their nation. In exchange for this Sentinels are given uniforms and allowed to wear body armor when performing their duties. They also are given the sweet life, and live better than their fellow slaves and indeed better than most who live on the surface of Avernus.

Sentinel body armor is an insect-like shell and their weapons are varied. They are trained in various forms of combat to help enforce their duties, and bring fear and terror to those who would oppose their master's enemies or the enemies of the Celestial Empire.

Many of their duties include guarding a dignitary, watching over slaves and prisoners of war, guarding a slave market auction, or keeping a watchful eye on their lord's enemies.

Taskmasters are slaves who have shown to have the aptitude for leading. many are former skavenger leaders and warlords who are hand-picked by the Ikareans. This is a very priveleged position as only a few dozen are ever picked. Often the selection process is a trial by combat, where competitors engage in bloody pugilism and the victors are given the privlage of leadership. They must oversee all operations that each class of slave is responsible for. Mostly this involves overworking labor slaves to the point of exhaustion and seeing to it that they are fed and making sure new replacements are always coming in. They are greedy and oppressive. Full of hate for the hardships they have endured, they often take out their anger on nearby slaves.

Like the Sentinels, Taskmasters are conditioned to be loyal to Ikarus. They know that a better life awaits them if they show promise in their duties. Yet they are often unaware that should war befall a skypalace, they will die alongside their precious slaves in a drugged frenzy of destruction.

In addition to the numerous sky forces it deploys, Ikarus also drops ground troops to the surface. These forces comprise slaves and Sentinels levied from their stations. They are formed into squads and given over to their Trustee, a slave who is often randomly picked to lead the squad and handle heavy weaponry.

Slave grunt units are given ancient weapons scavanged from battles and raids. These weapons have no ammo in them until a few minutes before battle, when it is issued out. Each slave grunt (or ground hog) is given an injection fo a combat drug known as Metafrenzum. This drug induces a feeling of near-invulnerability. It makes the slaves feel tough and act with a battle fury that is heightened through killing. It also blurs the vision, making them poor shots. A dreaded side effect is that the drug invariably kills the slave within six hours. Once the drug is given, slaves are told that they will be taken to a better life if they fight gloriously. Indeed this is true, in a sense. After a battle, it is common to see surviving slaves killing one another in an orgy of blood and death, much to the amusement of the Ikarean sky warriors.

Sentinels are also deployed into battle in squads. Unlike their expendable kin, these slaves are not given the drug. Occasionally they may be given various combat drugs to enhance their fighting abilities. Also they know that to survive means to continue serving their glorious empire, and failing to do so means certain death at the hands of the enemy.

There are many ways for a slave to escape their tormentors, but the risks outweigh the act. Labor slaves might be able to escape in a garbage chute, but sometimes these malfunction and don't eject for days. The hapless slave is crushed under tons of refuse. Others might attempt escape when their masters take them with them in their entourage to some no-name hab town or one of the mighty Metrozones.

Whatever the circumstances might be, most escaped slaves don't survive. Many are caught moments after escape, by alert Sentinels. Slavers, who fetch a handsome reward for escaped slaves, hunt down some. Others are lost in the wastes for so long, they perish under the harsh and unforgiving conditions. Those few who can overcome these obstacles are extremely lucky. These survivors may hook up with a convoy or skavenger band. Harboring an escaped slave means death in most Metrozones. Still the price for survival can be steep. If the slave stows aboard a wastekrawler without its occupants knowing about it, they may have a better chance for freedom than one who signs aboard with their electro-brand visible on their forehead.

For evey group that would turn an escaped slave in, there are those who could care less where the slave came from just so long as he works hard and keeps his mouth shut. Some of these groups will actually have the slave sign on for a term and then get them the required surgery to hide their brand.

Slaves almost always have no equipment. They are poor and have only the clothing that was given to them by their masters. As mentioned above, they are mostly illiterate and ill tempered. The drugs that made them feel good are no longer available to them. Many substitute this by an addiction to other drugs. Yet others still pine away in despair of the life, however cruel, they have forever left behind.

Some folks tend to compare slavers with bounty hunters. This comparison is false in many ways. While both hunt for profit, bounty hunters are at least honorable and won't involve those outside of their target. Slavers, on the other hand, won't hesitate to capture as many people as they can when they strike. Also bounty hunters are typically under a contract by a guild or independent company. Slavers have no such contract, save with the slave rings that pay per capture.

Slavers also travel to various hab towns and settlements to claim criminals to be sold into slavery. This is the easiest part of the slaver job as it involves almost no risk, save from the damned's families who will attempt to avenge them before the criminal is hauled off and never seen alive again.

Slavers also employ a number of techniques and weapons for capturing slaves. This usually consists of poisons and nets, but can also be such rare weapons as web grenades.

When a slaver band locates targets for slavery, they set out towards the targets. Sometimes they pose as hapless travelers lost from a storm, other times they dispense with the ruse and simply strike when they are within range. Fear keeps the potential slaves from running too far, and these are either rounded up or simply left in the wastes to perish. A few slaver bands have been known to sneak into camp and plant web grenades around the perimeter of the camp. These devices are equipped with a proximity sensor and when the hapless victims get ready to set out they go off, snaring them in a neat little trap.

Slavers bring in a trmendous amount of money for their work. Successful slavers spend that money on improving their equipment and methods. These are rare, though. Most simply blow it on sin houses and guzzling down cheap synth-brew and yeast liquor. These slavers almost always succumb to a more heavily-armed band of skavengers or adventurers in the wastes. Still the work is minimal and exciting, and also promises a few credits for a day's work.

Waste World and all information in this article are copyrights of Manticore Publications Limited.
This information is presented here by permission of Manticore Publications Limited and the author. All rights reserved.

---

This page hosted by Get your own Free Homepage