Glimpses of the Island

Field Work

The plane touched down on the dirt airstrip next to a small village. This was Mark Sturgis' initial visit to equatorial Africa and the first of what would be several field trips to inspect the progress of the power transmission line. The Congo Republic government was backing the construction to bring power to a new mining district. The royalties from the cobalt being produced there would pay for the bonds in less than five years, so there was little financial risk. Without cobalt jet engines and gas turbines couldn't be built, and the Congo had most of the world's supply of the strategic mineral. The only other source was Siberia, where mines were operated under horrendous arctic conditions and shipments of the precious resource were spotty at best. Aircraft engine factories and electric utility suppliers all over the world needed reliable sources and paid dearly to ensure uninterrupted delivery.

It was difficult to recruit experienced engineers to work in central Africa, and that was reflected in the price tag in his contract. The signing bonus for this project was paying the costs of moving to the Island and then some. His new friend, John Leeds, had been instrumental in helping Mark and his wife Cathy put all the pieces together. John had sponsored their names to the Island's immigration board, he had put Mark in contact with the Island-based civil engineering company that was managing the Congo project, and he had even volunteered to help them get settled once they decided to move.

Mark thought back to that first invitation, when he had flown to South Africa and then taken the freighter to the Island. John had shown him the sights, talked about the society, and then arranged an appointment with the immigration review board. The meeting had been short; their application was approved with no objections. The job interview had also gone well, but the company's need for a hands-on inspection was urgent and already overdue. He had returned to California to give Cathy the good news and wrap up their affairs before moving. Time was short though, with the result that Mark had to travel on to the Congo and not complete the trip back to the Island with Cathy.

As the small plane taxied to a stop he saw the group of ubiquitous Land Rovers parked at one end of the dirt airstrip. A Belgian company was constructing the towers for the transmission line, after which Mark's company, as the general contractor, would see to the installation of the power cables. It was his job to drive the length of the power line and evaluate the work completed to date. Beyond the Land Rovers were several military trucks filled with government army soldiers who would theoretically provide security for the trek.

As with much of central Africa the Congo had problems with guerrilla bands, most of them little more than bandit gangs raiding to fill their pockets. Mark's company had quietly arranged an insurance policy with the bandits too, some cash bribes and a promise of retaliation by highly skilled mercenaries against the leaders if their agreements were not honored. The company had used the same policy in the past with great success, and the few times that it had been necessary to carry out the threat had only added to the company's reputation. Employees could take on projects in some of the most dangerous areas of the world with virtual impunity. Mark knew the poorly paid soldiers coming along with him represented a greater danger than the bandits, but given this was a high profile project they should be on their best behavior.

As soon as he was out of the plane the first person to meet him was the local manager for the company's interests. He took Mark over to meet the construction foremen while one of the workmen fetched Mark's luggage from the plane. Mark spoke neither French nor Flemish, so he was grateful when he found some of the Belgians could speak English. Introductions were made all around and then they were on the way to the construction site. Mark's driver, a local, didn't speak English well, so he was able to turn his attention to the countryside.

He thought back to the day it all started. They had gone to bed for the night. Lying in his arms Cathy had told him of her secret desires, of her need to be owned, and how she wanted to feel him controlling her every moment of the day. She had told him of Internet websites she had found and how they explained the master/slave lifestyle.

Mark had taken the lead role in their relationship virtually since the first time they had met. He had been careful not to be overly aggressive and had gradually assumed the dominant position as she reacted positively. He would tell friends they had a "traditional marriage" when someone remarked on how she seemed to defer to him. It got the occasional raised eyebrow of surprise, but people seemed to understand it was what he and Cathy both wanted.

John Leeds had been in town working on an extended consulting project at the old company where Mark had been working. They had met one day for lunch and became friends. It had been just a few days after Cathy's revelation that John had been talking about his wife Anna. He had pulled out his wallet and showed her picture to Mark. The collar around her neck was prominent and obviously not jewelry. Mark recognized its meaning from what Cathy had told him, so he decided to ask John about it.

What John related to him took Mark by surprise. A private island where women were actually owned, a place where a man was literally master of his household; it sounded like something out of a bad attempt at an erotic novel. On the way home that evening he thought about it. When he told Cathy about their conversation she became excited and wanted more information. She talked of nothing else all night. It was clear the Island had struck a responsive chord in her. She was fascinated by his description of the picture showing John's wife wearing a collar.

The next day Mark called John to invite him to dinner. The conversation afterwards stretched on for hours as Cathy asked question after question. When John left to go back to his hotel Mark inquired about information on moving to the Island. John had told him it was possible and would make some calls.

Now Cathy was on the ship, and Mark would be joining her a week after she arrived. In his briefcase were the papers detailing the basic ownership agreement and some other documentation explaining his obligations and privileges. He had read it over once, and would read it again as time permitted. In real terms there was little that he didn't do already, as far as his commitment to care, shelter, and provide for Cathy. What amazed him was the scope of his power over her. If she signed the agreement she would be taking an immense risk. As long as they lived on the Island then for all practical purposes she would be his property, except that he couldn't sell her to someone else. It might have been a common practice two hundred years ago, but he still couldn't quite believe it existed in a modern society today.

In the distance he could see the skeletal outline of completed transmission line towers marching across the valley. They would be at the construction camp in a few minutes. This afternoon he would review the plans and progress to date. The long inspection tour would start in the morning. Mark had already flagged several stopping points on his topographic map but knew there would be more only someone on the ground would notice. He had to make sure the towers were properly spaced and accessible to the heavy trucks equipped with the cable pulling winches. If they had to resort to helicopters the costs would skyrocket and might even result in a net loss for the company. For his own peace of mind he also wanted to see how the weather would affect their operation. They didn't want heavy trucks out in the field during a monsoon.

In a way this trip might be a good idea after all. It would give Cathy some time to see the Island on her own and talk to some of the people there. John had stressed how important it was she understood what would happen and that she fully comprehend both the risks and benefits. Mark knew his absence could give her the space she needed to think through the consequences, without feeling any pressure from him. Except for some limited communication through the telemetry satellite link he would be out of touch till he left the Congo.

At the construction camp there were trailers set up for the staff. Most were partitioned into living quarters but one trailer was set aside for the field office. The project manager made room for Mark at a table so he could go over the construction plans for the final phase out to the mines and smelter. The distribution substation would be built on the land being used for the camp, and afterward smaller lines would be run to the mine heads. He spent the rest of the day going over the paperwork, with a break to look around the camp and plan how the substation would be laid out. Few people were in the camp since the crews would not return from the field till dusk.

That evening he dined on authentic local cuisine, prepared by some village women the construction company had hired to run the camp kitchen. Both the meat and some of the vegetables in the stew had an odd taste but were quite good. Mark made a mental note to ask what he was eating later on, unsure if it was a good idea during the meal. He hadn't thought to check with John about the food selection on the Island. Cathy was proud of her cooking but he was sure if faced with a choice cut of wildebeest roast she would need some help. This was the opposite end of the world from California; there wasn't likely to be a corner taco stand or noodle shop.

After dinner he sat outside his trailer for a while, looking at the stars in an unfamiliar sky. This was south of the equator; the night was a display of strange constellations. After a while he did pick out the Southern Cross, the only stars he knew about. Many times he and Cathy had spent the weekend camping out in the Sierra Nevada mountains, away from the city lights of Los Angeles. They had sat up late, his arm around her, looking up at the night sky, picking out constellations while talking about their hopes and dreams. They would be looking at brand new stars now. In a way it seemed to fit with starting a new life.

He turned in early since they would be starting at dawn tomorrow, to get in as much daylight as possible. This would be the last night spent in relative comfort; for the rest of the trip it would be a sleeping bag and tent. Mark sat up in the cramped trailer bed and opened his briefcase to get the ownership contract papers. He wanted to check some points one more time, to let the implications roll around in the back of his head while he was working the next few days.

The basic contract was clear in spelling out obligations. In addition to the travel bond, which he had already posted, he had to guarantee her the essentials, that he would provide food, shelter, and medical care if she needed it. He would not inflict serious injury or disfigure her. He would not appropriate any property or financial assets which belonged to her. He would take responsibility for her actions and see to it she learned and kept within the laws and customs of the Island.

She was required to acknowledge his authority as her owner, to obey his orders and faithfully keep to whatever rules he imposed. She had to follow the laws specific to her new status, including restrictions on travel, handling money, wearing the collar, and curfew. Unless the terms of the contract were violated she could not leave him or refuse to honor her commitment as spelled out in the contract. Neither of them could back out unilaterally.

The consequences for breaking the contract could be severe, for either of them. If he failed to support her he could be charged with neglect. If she disobeyed or broke a law she could be charged with disobedience. Both crimes could be treated as felonies if the situation warranted. And if she ran away, or he abandoned her, the explanation booklet for the contract made it clear the penalties were very severe, including fines and prison sentences.

This was the part that made Mark uneasy. He had no intentions of abandoning or mistreating Cathy, but neither did he want some stranger second-guessing him. He needed to talk to John about those clauses, in particular what kept some well-meaning but misguided government official from passing judgment on his and Cathy's relationship. He had read of too many cases where social workers destroyed lives by careless and hasty, poorly-informed judgments.

Mark put the papers back in his briefcase and turned out the light. Drifting off to sleep he thought about Cathy. There was a nagging feeling of guilt that he couldn't be with her at such an important moment in their lives. At least she would be looked after, by someone Mark trusted.