After what felt like an eternity of waiting filled with tension, there was a knock at the door. Solae let out a sigh of relief that echoed through her communicator as she summoned her courage and answered the door. Two guards stood in front of the taller and larger Syshin that they were allegedly protecting her from. The duchess in disguise stood aside silently to give all four admittance to the suite. One guard swept the room as a precautionary measure. He did not expect a lady looking for a romp with two aliens to be packing any weaponry; rather, he was combing the quarters to make certain there was no person whom had not paid hiding or items that might become improvised weapons to the slaves in question. They had to safeguard their property and income stream. The second of the two hired thugs delivered a monotone disclosure of what was allowed (nearly everything), what was not allowed (permanent harm and disfigurement), and the protocol for if she felt if she was in imminent danger. No matter how docile the pair of the males she had ordered seemed, they had superior strength to the lady wanting their services, thus the guards were responsible for protecting their customer if something went awry.

Truthfully Solae paid little attention to what they had to say. She nodded when appropriate, gave her verbal confirmation she understood their instructions, and ushered them out of the room as soon as it was pragmatically possible. No one so much as raised a brow at this. The guards had their share of overeager women impatient about shoving them out of the door, either because they were excited to get started or because they were haughty socialites that didn't care to be in the presence of, much listen to, someone of a lower station. If anything, her aloof behavior and desire to get them to exit further sold the ruse.

As she spun around to confront the two Syshin she found them standing together near the bed about to shuffle off some of the furs they were wearing. For a second she was so horrified at them undressing that she forgot how to speak. Of course they thought this was what they were supposed to do since every other appointment of this nature began with them being nude. "Wait- please," she managed, "that won't be necessary." This first sentence was spoken fluently in the tongue of the Syshin, but it was chased with mumbling to herself in the common imperial language. "How ridiculous. The Syshin wear woven fabrics, not furs."

It was hard to say what stunned the Syshin more: that she [i]didn't[/i] want them to disrobe, that she used the word 'please,' that she spoke in Syshin, or that she knew enough about their culture to appreciate how inappropriate their outfits were. The one she recognized as 138 stared at her dumbfounded but afraid to ask any offensive questions. The braver of the two, 427, scrutinized her for several long seconds.

"What do you want us to do?" he asked in a rumbling voice deeper than most of his brethren she had encountered before. He was gruff but, given a history of wanton abuse, she would have been surprised if he had perfect manners. Rather than taking the liberty of assuming his leasor's intentions he waited directions.

"I want to apologize and ask for your help," Solae said in Syshin. There was a pervasive silence as 138 and 427 exchanged glances and looked wildly uncomfortable at this unraveling situation. They were still apprehensive that this was some sort of role play, but the respectful way in which she spoke and her humble body language was beginning to plant seeds of doubt that this was even remotely sexual in nature. No one had ever spoken their language much less offered apologies and requested help. Had they been human they might have pinched themselves to assure they were not immersed in a bizarre dreamscape.

"Our help?" asked 138 tentatively. "We don't understand..." he drifted off.

They watched with bewilderment and then stupefied expressions as Solae carefully lowered herself to the floor and then to her knees in a universal sign of contrition. The potency of this gesture was not lost on the Syshin. She was vulnerable and prone while they towered over her, the shorter of the pair well above Rene's genetically engineered height, with no apparent way to defend herself except verbally. "I want to apologize for the way you've been treated by humanity thus far. I can't begin to make reparations, but if you'll help me, I'd ask you both to accompany me as bodyguards when I leave Zatis."

"You did not bring us here to... mate?" inquired 138 curiously in a more mild, mellowed tone than his companion.

"No, I already have a mate. I brought you here because your mistress would not willingly allow you to leave and because it is important to me that you chose for yourself whether or not you accept my offer. You would not be slaves like you are to Miss Thorne. You would have your own bed, your own possessions, you would be able to voice your own thoughts, and you could end your employment if you decide you no longer wish to follow me," she explained while remaining in the same position.

"This is a trick from Mistress Thorne," the one called 427 told 138 in agitation. "No human would ever offer us freedom."

"We thought no human would learn our language," the other Syshin pointed out quietly, "and she knows our people do not wear furs, she apologizes, she kneels. Mistress Thorne would never hire someone like this."

After brief contemplation of the facts presented, 427 quickly strode forward and put one large hand around Solae's throat to test her convictions. She did not react. They stood there, the proud Syshin bent over, the duchess still as a statute with her hands at her sides in determination not to show she was violent. The linguist closed her eyes and wondered if her blind trust in strangers might be her undoing but mere seconds crawled by before she was released. 427 had to concede that she had proven her sincerity.

"Why us?" he demanded.

"Because the people after me are humans as well," she confessed solemnly, "and the rewards they are offering to other humans are great. Your people have only ever shown me kindness. I want to prove to the empire that you deserve more rights and recognition than any of you are currently given."

"Why should we believe you?" he asked as he stepped back and crossed his arms.

"If I am lying then you will return to Thorne's pits, but if I'm not, this might be your only chance, your best chance to escape. If you don't want to take the risk then I will leave. If you elect to come with me then we will incapacitate the guards and sneak off Zatis- both of you, myself, my mate, and a young girl that we have also freed from Thorne," she promised.

"I will go," announced 138 as he pushed past 427 and awkwardly lent his hand to Solae to help her stand.

"We will both go," added 427, "and we will see if you tell the truth."