The Voyage Home

by D. J. Holmes

  “We may as well start at the closest one,” Divar responded. “I know as little as you do.”

  “Well then lead on Master,” Sarah said as she bowed slightly to Divar.

  Divar grinned back and then walked past her, motioning for her to follow. Sarah obediently fell into step behind him. With one hand, she absentmindedly reached up and fingered the slave collar around her neck. It was a fake, yet she hated wearing it. Divar had flat out refused to wear it. Wearing it on Ankara had brought back all the memories from the two weeks the Tuscan pirates had enslaved him. He had refused to ever wear one again. Plus, it made more sense for Sarah to be the slave. The plan was for Divar to pose as a slave owner who had come to buy more human slaves. Sarah was hoping they would be able to find a human who could tell her the location of Earth. If that didn’t work, Divar was going to try and buy the information from the slave traders. If they were bringing human slaves to Berius to sell, they had to know where Earth was.

  For five minutes they made their way deeper into the city of Kashal. The other slave markets were far enough away that they would need to hire some sort of ground transport. For the first slave market, they could walk. As they got closer to the market more and more non-natives to Berius became evident. At the same time, the Beriusians who were visible looked more and more nervous. They seemed to be going about their business quickly in an effort to leave the area.

  “Do you think the slavers would abduct Beriusians and sell them as slaves?” Sarah asked.

  “Not officially,” Divar answered. “I checked. The planetary government has laws forbidding the sale of natives as slaves. Though I imagine that doesn’t put those who have to live right beside the slave markets at ease.”

  “Plus, if they took you, sold you and shipped you off planet before anyone knew about it, there wouldn’t be much the authorities could do to free you,” Sarah added. She knew all too well what slavers and pirates would do for a quick profit.

  “True,” Divar said. “I’m sure the locals don’t sleep too easily at night. It makes you wonder why the planetary leaders encourage the trade.”

  “Economics,” Sarah guessed. “You know as well as I do there isn’t usually much on a Tier Two colony to attract traders or outside investment. The planetary leaders probably supplement their incomes handsomely with the profits from selling slaves.”

  “Or they are in the pockets of the slave traders,” Divar said. “I’m sure the kind of money that can be made from slaving could easily buy a few world leaders.”

  “I’m sure,” Sarah said. Alexandra had told them the gold they had taken from 10045x was easily several times the yearly GDP of a Tier One or Tier Two colony. Though she knew Draxler would never have dreamed of getting his hands on such a quantity, he had been pretty rich by galactic standards. The slavers on Berius were probably just as well off.

  “Here we are,” Divar said as they came to stop in front of a large building. “Remember, stay quiet.”

  Sarah was about to ask Divar how he knew they had arrived but she shut up when she looked more closely at the building in front of them. It was five stories high and though it didn’t tower over the buildings on either side of it, it did stand out in other ways. While the adjacent buildings all appeared to be built of some local dull red brick material, the building in front of them was shining by comparison. Sarah didn’t know what it was made from, she guessed it was some form of marble. Whatever it was, it screamed wealth. The rest of the building’s trappings gave off the same appearance. There were carvings along the walls, statues outside the building and its two large front doors were made from intricately decorated wood.

  Though Sarah didn’t know much about Berius, from the information Alexandra had, she knew it didn’t have any large flora useful for building. The wood for the door was clearly imported at great expense. It was likely the rest of the materials the building was built of were imported as well. Included in Alexandra’s information on Berius had been a visual of the Government Chamber. Even it hadn’t looked as impressive as this building.

  The final tell-tale sign was the four foreigners guarding the two large wooden doors. Each of them held a large laser rifle and they had various other weapons in holsters and sheaths. They were eyeing Divar and Sarah.

  “Greetings,” Divar said as he stepped forward. “My name is Cra’yal. I am looking to purchase some slaves. It is my first time on Berius but I assume I have come to the right place?”

  “You have,” one of the guards grunted. “Let me see your customs chip.”

  Divar reached into one of his pockets and fished out the chip the customs officers had given him after they had landed. “Here you go,” he said.

  “This says you are a commodities trader, what do you want with slaves?” the guard asked.

  “A customs chip doesn’t always reflect reality,” Divar answered. “I do some business in parts of the galaxy where it pays to have a legitimate business as cover. Not all Elder colonies are as open to slave trading as Berius.”

  “Hummph,” the guard mumbled. “It will be five thousand credits to enter then.”

  “Certainly,” Divar grinned and handed over a credit chip. “I have heard a lot about the slave markets of Kashal. I hope your wares live up to the rumors.”

  “They will,” the guard guaranteed. “The five thousand gives you access to the market until the end of the day. Today’s auction will begin in two hours. You can inspect the property for sale until then.”

  “Thank you,” Divar said as he took back the credit chip. He walked past the guards as they parted to let him and Sarah through.

  Chapter 28

  As Sarah walked through the large double doors she was momentarily blinded by the lights that shone on her. Whilst it had been approaching evening outside, inside it was brighter than she was used to, even on Destiny. Someone was trying to make a statement. After a few rapid blinks, she could see more clearly. The internal structure of the large slaver building was a rectangle. In the center was an open courtyard. Around the courtyard there was an open walkway on the level she was at. If she wanted, she could walk around the courtyard under the cover of the impressive marble building. From what she could see from looking across the courtyard, the levels above her consisted of large rooms. The sides of the rooms faced into the courtyard were all glass or some other kind of transparent material, though there was a strong tint to them, making it all but impossible to see if anyone was on the other side.

  In the center of the courtyard there was a cage. It looked like a section of the floor within the cage could descend to the lower levels of the building. Ahead of Divar and Sarah a staircase disappeared to a ground floor. There were two more guards at the top of the stairs.

  “I guess we go down there,” Sarah whispered, making sure the guards didn’t see her talking.

  Divar nodded ever so slightly and then started off in the direction of the staircase. The guards watched them approach but didn’t say anything. Divar nodded to them and then started down the stairs. When they got to the bottom, the sight that greeted Sarah seemed unreal. Cages filled this level of the slaver compound. They lined the walls of the building and several rows crisscrossed the middle of the floor. Only the center of the floor was clear. It was obviously some kind of elevator that lifted slaves up to the courtyard above for sale.

  Within the cages there were all sorts of aliens. Some were species Sarah recognized, others she had never seen before. They were a multitude of shapes and sizes. Nevertheless, they all had one thing in common, they all wore slave collars. Instinctively, Sarah’s hand went up to hers.

  Moving through the walkways that ran parallel to the cages there was a similar diversity of species. Multitudes of slave traders appeared to be examining their potential purchases with a keen eye. Occasionally one would bark out a command to one of the slaves. In response, the slave would stand up or perform whatever task that had been requested of them.

  “It’s disgusting,” Sarah whispered.
Her heart going out to the slaves all around her. None would meet her eyes. She wasn’t surprised. If half the things she had read from Wealthy’s computers were true, the slaves would almost all have suffered terribly on their way to Berius.

  “There is nothing we can do at the moment,” Divar whispered. “Let’s see if we can find what we have come for.”

  Without waiting for a reply, he started forward. He feigned interest in a couple of different slaves as they made their way around the cages. Each cage had a number on it which Sarah took to be the lot of the slave. It seemed they were all going to be auctioned off that night. With a couple of the slaves, Sarah had to fight not to throw up. They simply stank. Others looked almost respectful in fine clothes and carried an alert look on their faces. A brief glance at the holo read out attached to each cage told Sarah a bit about each slave. As they continued to walk, Sarah saw that some of the slaves were well educated and recommended for various business tasks. Others, the ones who looked beaten and roughed up, were not recommended for anything more than mining or some other dangerous form of menial labor.

  When Sarah’s eyes found what she was looking for, her breath caught in their throat. She couldn’t help letting out a moan. Three humans sat in a cage together. Their clothes barely covered their privates and even then, they were torn and ripped. One of them held her arm at a weird angle, suggesting it was injured. The other two had bruises on their faces. Sarah’s groan caught their attention and, as they looked up at her, she saw two were male and the third female. The female was the one with the damaged arm.

  Despite their condition, they looked beautiful to Sarah. They were her people. Like she had been, they were slaves. That fact didn’t make them any less in her eyes. What was far more important was that she really wasn’t alone in the galaxy. Ranack wasn’t just a one off, she had found other humans.

  Her gaze focused on the female. She looked very different to Sarah. She had golden hair and was clearly taller than Sarah. Her body seemed leaner and more muscled as well, though she still possessed the same curves Sarah did. As their eyes met a familiar look of despair crossed over the female’s face. Sarah recognized it easily. She had worn the same expression herself many times. She guessed that for the slave, seeing another human wearing a slave collar didn’t inspire much hope.

  Sarah wanted to speak to the humans. To ask them about Earth. To reassure them. Yet before she could, Divar reached out and guided her past them. The look in his eyes warned Sarah to stay in character. He shot her another glance when they stopped at the next cage. It too held a human. This time it was a young-looking male. Sarah guessed he couldn’t be older than sixteen or so. In contrast to the previous humans, the boy was well dressed. He even met Divar and Sarah’s eyes. “Hello,” he said as they stopped in front of him.

  “Hello,” Divar replied, slightly taken aback.

  “My name is Rex,” the boy said. “I have been trained in finance and business management. For the last two years I have apprenticed with my trainer’s accounts manager. If you would like to know more, you can read my file or ask me yourself.”

  “You are not like some of the other slaves?” Divar asked.

  “No,” Rex replied as he looked at the humans in the cage beside him. Sarah saw what she thought was pity on his face. “Most of the others here were abducted or stolen from their worlds. I was born a slave. My breeder has taught me my place in the galaxy. I live to serve whoever my new master will be.”

  Sarah couldn’t help but feel pity. Not for the other slaves, but for Rex. He had no idea what freedom meant.

  “Interesting,” Divar said, staying in character. “I will keep an eye on you when the auction starts.”

  “If you do purchase me, I look forward to working for you,” Rex said.

  As they walked on, Sarah shot a quick glance at Rex’s file. His breeder was listed there, a certain Roland Vic’ip. The file said that he was the premier breeder of humans and several other species on Berius. Paying him a visit might be worthwhile, Sarah thought.

  A few cages down Sarah saw something that made her blush. There was a female slave who was barely covered. Where the clothes the previous human female had worn had been ragged and torn, hers was designed to draw attention. Her file made Sarah blush even more. Supposedly the slave had been trained for one thing. The look on the female’s face suggested she looked forward to what she was to be sold for. Sarah guessed it was all part of her training. Shaking her head, she moved on, there was nothing she could do for her. She couldn’t help everyone.

  When they got to the end of the cages, there was another staircase that they used to ascend back to the level they had entered the building on. At the top of the stairs there was an alien in very fine-looking clothes waiting to greet them. He had a large bulbous head and long stringy hair that reached down to his midriff. He was bipedal, though strangely he had three arms, none of them looking as if they could lift much weight.

  “Welcome, welcome to Berius’s principal slave emporium,” the creature said. “My name Cal’ra. I’m am in charge of hosting tonight’s auction. May I ask, did you see any specimens you liked downstairs?”

  “Yes,” Divar answered. “I saw a couple of lots I might be interested in bidding on. I must confess though, this is my first time visiting your establishment. Can you walk me through your bidding process?”

  “Certainly, certainly.” Cal’ra said. “If you will follow me, I will set you up in a bidding booth. From there you can watch the auction in comfort and bid on whatever lot takes your fancy.”

  Divar nodded and dutifully fell in step beside Cal’ra, Sarah followed a few meters behind.

  “The bidding booths are located on the three floors above us,” Cal’ra said as they walked along the edge of the courtyard. “Today is a particularly large auction. Already forty traders have requested a booth.”

  “Impressive,” Divar said. “After viewing your stock, I’m not surprised.”

  Cal’ra smiled and stopped beside one end of the building. Reaching out he hit a concealed button and two doors slid open to reveal a turbolift. “After you,” Cal’ra said.

  “Thank you,” Divar said as he stepped in.

  Cal’ra then stepped in and waited for Sarah to enter as well. Once she did, he hit another button. The doors shut and Sarah felt a slight jerking motion. A mere two seconds later, the doors opened again. Sarah found herself looking into a small booth with four seats in it. Each seat faced the open courtyard below. From the view, Sarah guessed they were three levels above the courtyard.

  “You can take whichever seat you prefer,” Cal’ra said. “This will be your private booth. In order to bid, you must place a credit chip into the terminal here,” he continued as he stepped into the booth and pointed to a small terminal in the center of the room. “You will be able to bid on any lot up to the amount of credits you have available. If you want any refreshments or food stuffs, simply make your requests through the terminal. A hatch to your right will open and deliver whatever you have ordered when it is ready. Do you have any questions?”

  “Just one,” Divar said. “If we make any purchases, where do we collect them?”

  “Once you have completed a purchase,” Cal’ra said. “Your terminal will produce a purchase chip for you. Your purchases will be returned to the cages you viewed them in. You may go down to the cages and exchange your chip for your purchase. The guards down there will ensure you are given the control codes for the slave’s collar. After that the slave is yours.”

  “Thank you,” Divar said. “You have been very helpful.”

  “I hope you are able to find what you are looking for,” Cal’ra said. “I will take my leave now.”

  “Thank you again,” Divar said as he bowed slightly to the retreating Cal’ra.

  As the doors to the turbolift closed, Divar shot Sarah another warning glance and then looked up to the corner of the room’s ceiling. Sarah looked up and then nodded back. There was no sign of any listening devi
ce, but then there wouldn’t be. Whoever owned the slave market probably went to great lengths to keep an eye on his customers, as many of them would also be his competitors. They would have to stay in character.

  In silence, they both moved forward to take seats to wait for the auction to begin. Divar put a credit chip into the terminal and then browsed the various beverages available. After selecting one he sat back and got comfortable. Sarah could have done with a drink, but she knew a slave owner would never spend the kind of credits that the available drinks cost on a slave.

  It was a full twenty minutes before the auction began. Sarah had been looking at the other booths, trying to figure out how many were occupied. In some of them it was possible to see the occasional movement, but she couldn’t get a real estimate as to just how many other slavers had come. She knew they had plenty of credits to buy one of the humans. Yet she was concerned that if there was a lot of competition and the price went too high, it would draw suspicion. Sarah hadn’t spoken about it with Divar, but she knew what he was thinking. One of the beaten-up slaves was the best purchase to make. It looked like they had been abducted from a human world, perhaps even Earth itself. Rex, having grown up in captivity, would likely know nothing of interest to them. Yet if they paid too much for what looked like a nearly useless human slave, people might start to ask questions.