The Sardonyx Net by Elizabeth A. Lynn
The Sardonyx Net is a narrative centered around Dana Sardonyx Net, an interstellar smuggler and Starcaptain navigating the complexities of a corrupt system on the planet Chabad. In this setting, dorazine, a tranquilizer used on the enslaved population, becomes a focal point of tension as its supply is controlled by a powerful conglomerate known as the Pharmacy. After a hijacking incident involving a fellow pilot, Dana finds himself ensnared by Zed Yago, a cruel member of the planet's ruling families who commands the Sardonyx Net, a system for transporting slaves.
Zed imposes a ten-year slave contract on Dana as punishment for his smuggling activities, intending for him to serve his sister, Rhani, who manages her family’s interests and oversees the dorazine supply. The complex dynamics of power, attraction, and danger unfold as Dana becomes Rhani's bodyguard and lover, while navigating threats against her life from both Zed and a fanatical narcotics officer. As the plot thickens, themes of control, rebellion, and the harsh realities of slavery come to the forefront, culminating in a dramatic rescue and a shift in allegiances. The story ultimately explores the intricate relationships and moral dilemmas faced by the characters within this oppressive system, leaving readers to ponder the implications of love and power amidst tyranny.
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The Sardonyx Net
First published: 1981
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Science fiction—interplanetary romance
Time of work: Undefined
Locale: The planet Chabad
The Plot
Dana Ikoro, a smuggler and Starcaptain, is en route to the planet Chabad with a cargo of dorazine, which is used there as a tranquilizer for the slave population. The drug’s production is controlled by a conglomerate known as the Pharmacy. Demand for it is constant, but supply is affected when the drug police try to take over the drop points. When a fellow pilot, Tori Lamo-nica, hijacks his cargo, Dana decides to visit Chabad anyway. He is caught by the sadistic Zed Yago, scion of one of the four families that rule the planet and commander of the Sardonyx Net, the slave-transport system. Zed impounds Dana’s starship and gives him a ten-year slave contract as a penalty for his smuggling activities. Zed, a doctor by training, tortures Dana into terrified compliance.
Zed intends Dana to be a present for his sister, Rhani, who runs the financial affairs of the Yagos, managing her family’s investments and slave business and overseeing the all-important dorazine supply. Her brother brings in criminals, who are turned into slaves by the drug. Rhani is kind to Dana, making him her bodyguard and eventually taking him as her lover. Their attraction grows against a backdrop of unheard-of marriage negotiations initiated by Ferris Dur, a member of another of the ruling families but not heir to its power.
Rhani faces ongoing threats and attempts on her life because of the slave trade and the use of the increasingly unavailable dorazine. Dana repeatedly saves her. He never loses his fear of Zed, shared by another slave, Binkie, who eventually turns against the family.
Dana gives the Yago family excellent service despite his revulsion at being enslaved and his yearning for the stars. The attempts on Rhani’s life eventually are shown to be plotted by a fanatical narcotics cop, Michel A-Rae, who shares Zed’s sadistic tastes and rallies the community against slavery and the four ruling families.
It is not until near the end that Zed, torn by incestuous passion for his sister that he channels into sadistic acts, finds what he thinks is love in a double of his sister. Darien Riis, however, turns out to be a plant, intended to make Zed vulnerable and then kill him to get at Rhani. Although Zed survives Darien’s attack and kills her, he is horribly scarred, physically and emotionally, by the affair.
Ironically, Dana rescues him. Zed, a keen ice-climber, decides to have claws implanted in his burned hands. Dana is later kidnapped by Michel, then rescued by Zed and the new narcotics chief. Michel is left to Zed, who tortures him with his claws and eventually sends him to prison. Rhani, pregnant by Dana, had freed him from slavery even before he rescued Zed. He agrees to return to the planet periodically to see her and their child, then leaves happily for his starship.