Caged Among the Stars, Chapter 1 (Patreon)

“Hey, Vaiken, did you hear?”

“Hear what?” I look up from my datapad to see Tuck poking his head around the corner.

“Zekram,” is all he says, excitement in his eyes. “He’s a sub.”

“What?” I pause the music I’m listening to, sure that I can't have heard him right. “Zekram’s not a sub. He’s a dom.”

“No, he’s not.” Tuck shakes his head as he enters the corner of the lounge area I’ve tucked myself away in to read. “Remember last week, when Malprin accused him of using stims during the last field test?”

“Yeah, but I thought that was just him bullshitting.” Malprin’s always saying shit like that when he comes in second.

“I mean, he was, but you know that it’s still mandatory for a blood test to be done when someone makes an accusation like that,” Tuck continues explaining rules I already know. “And apparently Zekram’s came back this morning, and they say he’s actually a sub. People are saying he's been lying about being a dom this whole time, maybe even since he was a kid.”

“There’s no way that's true.” There’s no way someone like Zekram could have hidden his designation like that for four years. I don’t think anyone could.

“Well that’s what everyone’s saying,” Tuck assures me with a confident nod. “The academy’s Leadership Council is even having a public hearing about it. It’s supposed to start any minute, that’s why I came to find you.”

“Alright, I guess we can go see what's actually going on.” I stand, folding up my datapad and slipping it into my pocket.

It’s another busy afternoon here at the academy, but that’s nothing unusual. Here on Cabria we have one of the larger academies for the Galactic Union, and with the planet located right in the middle of dozens of hyperspace lanes, we get a lot of traffic - and recruits - from other nearby systems. We’ve got cadets from all over this part of the galaxy here, but the majority of the students are local Cabrians.

Cabria is a medium sized planet revolving around a binary star, and comes with all the features you’d expect from a life-sustaining world: moderate temperatures, plenty of water, and a vastly diverse biosphere. We also have two moons, though neither is life-sustaining on their own, and we have almost no axial tilt, so there is very little that changes in the way of “seasons”

Cabrians share the same basic physical form as many other terran-descended species: a head on a torso with four limbs. Our skin tones range from a light pink to a deep, dark magenta, with all shades of red found in between. Our hair comes in blacks, greys, or even silvers, and our eyes come in reds and oranges. We have four fingers on each hand (counting our thumbs), pointed ears, and ridges along the bridge of our noses. We are split into male and female sexes for the purposes of procreation, but it isn't our physical differences that tend to draw the most interest from outsiders.

Cabrian society is divided into two groups: dominants and submissives. Each group is exactly what they sound like; dominants are more assertive and prefer to be in control, while submissives tend to be more passive and yielding to others. But it's not just about our personalities being distinct, there is an actual biological difference. Cabrians need to regularly engage in activities appropriate to their individual designation in order to properly regulate their body’s hormones, metabolism, and other biochemical reactions.

It's not easy to tell if a Cabrian is dominant or submissive just by looking at them. I’ve met submissives that seem large and imposing and dominants who are small and demure. But while there’s no outward physical characteristics that can tell you if a person is a dom or a sub, it’s not usually too difficult to figure it out based on their behavior and personality. Which is exactly why I have a hard time believing what Tuck has to say about Cadet Zekram.

Once a Cabrian child is of age, it’s normal for their parents to have them tested to measure their natural level of domicyclin and suboxane to formally determine their designation. These two hormones are present in every Cabrian, and are very similar in the ways they signal and affect the body, but they aren’t interchangeable. Normally an abundance of one indicates a lack of the other, thus telling you the individual’s designation. For example, my own domicyclin levels tend to top out around 85% of what is considered the natural maximum, whereas my suboxane is rarely ever above 10%. That makes me a level 8 dom. Though not very common, there are some Cabrians whose levels are practically equal and are thus able to “switch” between both roles, but for the most part, doms are doms and subs are subs, and we need each other to stay healthy.

Because of that, our dominant and submissive roles tend to permeate most aspects of Cabrian life. You’ll often find dominants in positions of power, working as doctors or heading up corporations, while submissives flock to more nurturing roles like nursing or teaching. Working in a role that corresponds to your designation can make it easier to maintain your d/s levels in your everyday life, but the far more common way to do that is within your romantic relationships.

Doms and subs will typically pair up according to their d/s levels, though it’s not unheard of for two doms or two subs to pair up. Typically, not long after learning you are interested in each other, a dom and sub will get together and compare their kinks and other needs and determine whether or not they’d make a good match. This can sometimes seem a little too business-like to outsiders, but it's just the way we do things. It's pretty common for someone to bring along their limit list or even a tentative contract to their second or third date. Collars are a common way for a submissive to indicate they are currently in a relationship with a dominant, and seeing Cabrians wearing other gear in public is not uncommon either.

Being a hub planet for the Galactic Union means we Cabrians get a lot of strange looks from offworlders as we go about our business. But as one of the larger and older members of the Union, accommodations have been made for our species at this branch of the academy and others, and Cabrians can be found all across Union-allied space these days. Not that it stops some of the new recruits from giving us a stink eye when they see one of us walking with a leash.

“How exactly did you learn about this anyway?” I ask Tuck after passing one of those recruits in the hallway, staring him down until he looks away.

“Muna told me,” he answers with a sly smile. Muna is a submissive working as a secretary in the administration office that Tuck has been seeing for a few months now. “Apparently his medical results came in this morning, and his suboxane levels were through the roof.”

“Aren’t test results like that supposed to be private?” I certainly wouldn’t feel good about my medical information being spread around the academy like gossip.

“Yeah, apparently his levels were so high that they leaked almost immediately.” He shoots me another grin.

Tuck is a fellow Cabrian and while he’s not one of my oldest friends, he has become one of the best. I met him when we were both first year recruits and we quickly bonded over our similar interests - namely that we prefer to be in the field on-planet over being stuck on a ship like the others. We’re both vying for a Field Commander spot once we finally graduate at the end of our next year.

He’s a dom like me with a similar build. He’s tall at 6’2”, with a strong and muscular upper body. His skin is the color of burgundy, and his hair a dark grey that comes down past his ears. My own black hair is cut short because it's easier to manage that way, and I prefer to keep things low maintenance. My skin tone is a brighter red, one that an Ataxian student once creepily informed me was the color of her and several other species’ blood. Cabrian blood is purple, so I don’t really know anything about that, and I’d prefer to keep it that way. I’m just a couple of inches taller than Tuck (not that I keep track of that sort of thing) with the same muscular build, which makes sense because we’re workout buddies.

The closer we get to the room they’re holding this hearing in, the more crowded the halls seem to become. An annoyed Pachuk student glares at me with one of her eye stalks when I accidentally bump into her, but I just roll my eyes and keep moving. Judging by the uniforms, I’m seeing a lot of younger students around here. I thought Tuck said this was supposed to be a secret, but word always travels fast here.

When we finally reach the room, I’m shocked at how full it is. It’s built like one of the larger lecture halls, with a huge theater of seats arranged opposite a raised stage. A long desk sits on the stage, with three of the five seats behind it already occupied by some of the academy’s top brass: Admiral Halshu, Admiral Ranock, and Commandant Lurza. Seated at a smaller table in front of the stage and below the audience, is Kaylin Zekram, the supposed sub.

I still have a hard time believing it. I certainly wouldn’t have guessed by looking at him. He’s almost as tall as me and Tuck, and though he's a bit slimmer, it’s still very obvious that he works out. I mean, I’ve seen him take out guys bigger than me during sparring matches. His skin is a rosier color than mine, with just a tinge of pink, and his hair is black, except for a single streak of silver down the middle. I can’t see his expression, but from his posture, he seems angry.

The room is filling up fast while Tuck and I try and find a seat. Just when I’m about to resign us to standing here in the back of the room, we spot two of our other friends: Prim and Gax-On, who wave us over to them. We quickly squeeze through the crowd and slip into the two seats they somehow managed to hold for us.

“I thought this was supposed to be a secret?” I repeat as we sit down.

“Word travels fast,” Prim comments.

<Especially when it comes to matters pertaining to your people,> Gax-On adds. <Even non-Cabrians seem to get titillated hearing about this aspect of your society. I can feel a mixture of excitement and curiosity from the crowd.>

Prim is a Cabrian and dom like me and Tuck, with silvery gray hair she keeps cropped short. Gax-On is Lamanan, which means he doesn’t actually “speak.” At some point in their evolution, the people of Lamana developed telepathic and empathic abilities, and as they continued to evolve, they lost their ability to vocalize sound. Instead, they speak directly into the minds of those they wish to communicate with, even passing along some of their emotions. Their mouths are used solely for eating and breathing, and anything even resembling a vocal cord is purely vestigial.

“So do you believe it?” Prim is quick to ask the two of us.

“I dunno.” I shake my head. “We’ve been in classes with that guy for over four years now. and I’ve never felt even a hint of sub behavior from him.”

“Numbers don’t lie though,” Tuck points out. “And I trust what Muna told me about his results.”

<I am more curious as to the purpose of this hearing,> Gax-On interjects. <From what I have picked up, it would seem they mean to expel Zekram for this deception.>

“Not really a surprise there,” Prim adds. “No one was ever gonna be happy about a sub in the officers program lying about his designation.”

The officer program Prim is talking about is the one all four of us are in alongside Cadet Zekram and a few dozen other students. Normally, you attend the academy for four years before being placed either on a ship or in an office working for the Galactic Union on another planet. But if you want to do more than that, like say be a lieutenant, field commander, or even captain, then you have even more training to look forward to. It's an extremely competitive program that is very hard to even get into. Not everyone makes it, and a lot of people drop out, but I haven't regretted it for a single minute yet.

Zekram is actually considered the top cadet in our class. I wouldn’t say we’re even close to being friends, barely even acquaintances. To be honest, I’m not actually sure if the guy has any friends. I’ve never seen him in the mess hall or gym with anyone else, even studying for his exams all on his own. He’s always seemed kind of cool and detached to me. I know there are some people who think he’s arrogant, but I never got that vibe from him. I always figured he just liked being alone, and now I guess I know why. Still... A sub?

<I believe the proceedings are about to begin,> Gax informs the rest of us, probably picking up something from the staff.

He’s correct, and a moment later the two empty chairs on the stage are filled as holograms of Vice Admiral Milok and Captain Yit-ded flicker into existence, becoming solid images you could easily mistake for the real thing. Ranock, Lurza, and Milok are all Cabrian, while Halshu is Quxan and Yit-Ded is Kiaran. Together they oversee operations at this branch of the academy, and come together to make judgments on things like they are today.

“If we could please have silence,” Commandant Lurza announces to the room before banging his gavel down with a crack. “I was not expecting to have an audience today.”

“Yes, I thought this hearing was meant to be confidential...” Admiral Halshu looks down the table at her fellow council members, annoyed, as the room falls silent.

“Well, these sorts of things have a habit of getting out,” Admiral Ranock answers with a shrug. “Now then, shall we get started?”

“Kaylin Zekram,” Lurza begins, glancing down at the pad on the table in front of him briefly. “You have been accused of lying on your admission forms to this academy and using your dynamic to manipulate the staff here to your advantage. What do you have to say in your defense?”

“Sir, I never--” Zekram starts to say.

“Commandant Lurza,” Ranock interrupts, tapping his own datapad. “If you’ll look again at the test results, you’ll see that Cadet Zekram’s suboxane levels are in the 95% percentile.”

“Holy shit, he’s that much of a sub?” Prim  comments as gasps and murmurs fill the room.

Having suboxane levels so high is rare, and places Cadet Zekram in a special category of Cabrian submissive, one that people like to informally refer to as “super subs.” Super subs have a different legal status compared to other Cabrians, meant to protect them by placing them under the care of a dominant, even after they reach adulthood. The thinking is that because their sub levels are so high, they are much more susceptible to being abused or manipulated than other submissives. Though the fact that they are also accusing Kaylin of somehow manipulating people himself is a little confusing.

“I did notice that,” Lurza confirms with a weary sigh that says he hoped Ranock hadn’t.

“I can speak for mys--” Kaylin tries again.

“I’ll remind the sub not to speak unless spoken to.” Ranock quickly silences the cadet, whose neck I can see darkening as his back straightens in silent anger. “As a level 10 submissive, he is unable to speak for himself in legal or any other official matters.”

“Is this really necessary?” Yit-Ded asks, already sounding tired herself.

“I would have you remember that as members of the Galactic Union, all local laws and customs are expected to be followed when on-planet.” Ranock corrects her, with Admiral Milock nodding at his side. “We take the safety of our submissives very seriously here. Normally his guardian dominant would do the speaking for him, but as the cadet has been lying about his designation, I must assume that he does not have one.”

“I am aware of that too, thank you, Admiral Ranock,” Lurza answers, attempting to take back control of the proceedings. “Typically guardianship would default to your closest dominant relative, but given your age, I will allow you the opportunity to contact a dominant of your choosing, though you must register with them with the Department of Dominant and Submissive Services by the end of next week.”

“Thank you, sir,” Zekram finally gets to speak. “But I--”

“That still does not solve the problem of him speaking with us today,” Milock interjects, glaring at Zekram for trying to speak out of turn again.

“Yes, In lieu of him being able to present a defense, I’m afraid we may have no choice but to push forward with his expulsion.” Ranock does not sound too upset by that.

“I will remind you, Admiral, that today is only a preliminary hearing, where all we are deciding is whether or not the cadet may continue to attend classes for the time being,” Halshu hurriedly interjects next. “We will not be having the full hearing for his expulsion until Milock and I are back on Cabria in two weeks.”

“Enough,” Lurza silences the arguing at the table, before lifting his head towards the auditorium. “Would any of the dominants present be willing to step forward and speak on Cadet Zekram’s behalf?”

The entire room immediately falls silent. Like, completely silent. I swear it’s quieter than the vacuum of space in here. Looking around, I don’t see a single person raising their hand or even moving, other than to look around stupidly like I am. That’s not good. I know I joked about him having no friends, but I didn’t think it’d be this bad. But if I had to guess, there’s probably more than a few people in the audience that are happy about this. With Zekram out of classes, and eventually the academy, that means that top spot will be open again - and that there will be one less person around to fight for it.

I hate the thought of someone getting kicked out of school like this. it just doesn’t seem fair... Which is maybe why I start to stand from my seat a second later. As I do, all three of my friends, and then everyone else turns to look at me. Though I stay in place, I meet Commandant Lurza’s eyes.

“Young man,” the commandant speaks to me in the audience. “Are you willing to speak on Cadet Zekram’s behalf?”

“I... I am, sir,” I answer with some hesitation.

With a nod, Commandant Lurza gestures down towards Zekram, silently asking me to approach. Ignoring the sudden bolt of nerves I feel for some reason, I make my way towards the stairs. I can feel everyone’s eyes on me as I walk down, coming to a stop at the side of Zekram’s table.

“Thank you, Cadet...” Lurza starts.

“Urmatin,” I finish for him. “Vaiken Urmatin, sir.”

“Cadet Urmatin,” he finishes. “Now then, how long have you known Cadet Zekram?”

“Going on five years now, sir,” I answer. “We started the academy the same year.”

“Would you say you are close?” is his next question.

“Uh, no sir,” I admit with a shake of my head. “We’ve had a lot of classes together, but we’re really more acquaintances than anything.”

“I wonder why,” Ranock mutters under his breath.

“I see. Well, in that time, have you ever known Cadet Zekram to lie or cheat in any of his classes?” Lurza continues, ignoring him. “Have you ever witnessed him ‘manipulating’ instructors or fellow students?”

“No sir, I can’t say that I have.” I shake my head again. I’m not even sure what that kind of manipulation would look like.

“That’s enough for me,” Yit-Ded quickly says next, crossing his arms.

“Just because one student has not seen any evidence of--” Ranock begins to argue

“Evidence is exactly what seems to be lacking, Admiral,” Halshu cuts him off. “Or does this body now make decisions based solely on accusations?”

“I am afraid I am inclined to agree with them, Ranock,” Lurza states, and as the Commandant, the final decision is his to make. Usually, I’m not actually sure how that really works. “Lacking any evidence to the contrary, I rule that Cadet Zekram be permitted to continue to attend classes as a normal student, pending the results of our next hearing on the subject of his expulsion, to be held in two week’s time.”

To my left, I can see Zekram's shoulders sag slightly in relief - but not by much. Halshu and Yit-Ded look pleased, while Ranock and Milok look unhappy. But Comendant Lurza isn’t finished yet.

“In the interim, I appoint Cadet Vaiken as Cadet Zekram’s temporary guardian dominant, until a suitable replacement guardian has been registered.” He quickly bangs down his gavel. “Dismissed.”

Wait what? I turn and share a lock with Zekram, who seems just as shocked by that final order as I am. But the two holographic council members have already disappeared, and the other three are already leaving the room through a back door. Behind us, I can hear most of the audience starting to leave themselves, those who aren't hanging around to gossip at least.

What did I just get myself into?