“You’re probably right,” Amber agreed, frustrated. “Damn it! Who would have thought that I’d ever be abducted by aliens and sold as a slave on a foreign planet? I mean, hey, how big is the chance of being abducted by aliens? There’s more chance of winning the lottery - but no - I have to go and pick the alien abduction option. Great!”
“Now that I know that I’ve picked the main prize I feel a whole lot better already. First to fourth prize: a trip into space to a galactic slave market to include being auctioned off. Only unfortunately with no return ticket. If I’d known before that it was a one way ticket I’d have turned it down straight away,” replied Keela sarcastically.
“Let’s try to sleep. If we have any chance at all, then it can only be on the day of the auction,” said Amber as she yawned.
“You’re right and I’m already so tired that I can hardly keep my eyes open. Sleep well!”
“You, too.”
Chapter 3
Kanavirius System, Xevus3,
On the streets of Betzlawk
10th day of the month of Jakus in the Year 7067
Federation Time
“Damn it! Does it have to be so crowded? We’re going to be too late,” snarled Marruk impatiently.
Together with his men, Marruk pushed his way through the overcrowded streets of Betzlawk. Most of all he would have liked to declare an attack and fight his way through the crowds with his sword until he found his daughter. But it would not help Solima if the Black Guards seized him and put him in the prison bunker. They had reached the spaceport of Xevus3 in time but there was such a crowd that it had taken hours to dock and still more hours to get through customs. All attempts at bribery, persuasion and even intimidation had not helped them to get through more quickly. The auction had already been happening for two hours and they could not get through the town. The auction was not the only attraction today: there was also a gladiator fight and a wakazabu championship. Wakazabu was a card game in which high stakes were often played.
“Be calm. I have her signal and she’s not far from us,” Kolisz tried to calm him.
“How would you feel if it were Olchak? Would you be completely calm then, huh?” Marruk shouted at his navigator.
Ochakl was Kolisz’ son and was about the same age as Solima.
“No, but then it would be you telling me that I should stay calm!” replied Kolisz with a wry grin.
“You’re right,” said Marruk laughing, but it was not a joyful laugh.
“We’ll get her back,” promised Berka.
***
Keela felt dirty. She had been dressed in almost transparent clothing and she could feel the lecherous looks of the alien men standing in front of the platform looking at the goods. She was standing on the platform with Amber, Ayakala’s daughters and Solima. To Keela’s horror Solima had also been put in a similarly provocative dress. If only she could do something to at least save the girl. The thought of any of the aliens present touching the girl filled her with disgust and anger.
“I wish Solima’s father had turned up here after all,” whispered Amber next to her.
“Me, too,” murmured Keela.
“At least a few of them look humanoid,” Amber observed. “I hope that one there in the red coat doesn’t pick me out. He’s been staring at me for ages as if he’d like to put me on a spit and eat me. And that would probably be preferable to him … urghh, I can’t bear to think of that. I’d rather kill myself that let one of those men near me.”
Amber shook herself and Keela discreetly looked across at the man that Amber had described. He was huge - more than two meters tall - and had scaley, greenish-blue skin. His facial features were similar to those of a toad and he had enormous hands that he had folded over his huge stomach. Keela understood Amber’s concern and horror all too well. This bloke really did look revolting.
“Dear visitors!” came the voice of the man who was to conduct the auction.
Keela had found out that he was called Bobus. He was a Spurk – that was a native race of Xevus3, but one which had originated on a planet that had died out centuries before. He was of the same race as her guards. Bobus was just not as fit as the battle experienced guards – he had a bloated figure with a slight belly. His horribly grovelling smile revealed a row of brown tooth stumps.
“I’m delighted to be able to offer you here again today an excellent array of healthy and extraordinary slaves. Just look at them, my friends, aren’t they wonderful?” He was pointing at the women standing in a row behind him.
Those present uttered sounds of joy. They were clearly all more than satisfied with what was on offer.
“They are all young and healthy - quite definitely an adornment for any man’s bed. And if desired a healer can, for a small fee, carry out a suitability test for birthing. First of all we have a particularly special specimen.”
Bobus turned and pulled Keela forward. The men made lewd comments, a few laughed and Keela pushed away from the auctioneer’s grasp. But immediately two guards appeared and held Keela firmly by her arms, both on the right and the left.
“Yes, my friends,” said Bobus, laughing. “This is a particularly lively thing, isn’t it? She’ll give you a lot of pleasure, I promise you. You won’t find hair like this anywhere. She’s a true rarity. And just take a look at these breasts – aren’t they worth a high bid? How about two thousand Federation Quints? Will anyone offer two thousand?”
A hairy man with four arms raised his hand and Keela thought she was going to be sick. This must be a bad dream. She simply could not bring herself to believe that this was happening to her.
“Ah,” said Bobus, happy. “Here we have the first interested party. Will anyone offer two thousand one hundred?”
The requested amount was offered by another man, who, to Keela’s relief, looked much more pleasant - although she was not, of course, happy about being sold at all. And the auction continued in this way. In the meantime seven different bidders bid for Keela and Keela’s heart sank slowly but surely. Even the hairy one from the beginning was still taking part. She felt so queasy that she would definitely have collapsed to the floor if the two guards were not holding her so tightly.
“Five thousand one hundred Quints have been offered. A good price for an extraordinarily beautiful girl. But she is almost certainly worth a little more to one of you,” Bobus tempted the crowd.
“Six thousand,” sounded the voice of a man who had not yet bidded.
Keela’s gaze moved to the bidder. He was very attractive. He was humanoid with one single deviation – his ears were long and pointed. He had long blond hair and bright blue eyes. But his expression was not friendly. He looked at her coldly and his mouth contorted into a cruel smile that revealed a row of pointed teeth and made Keela’s blood freeze. She had the uncomfortable feeling that this man would not treat her in a particularly gentle way.
“Do I hear six thousand one hundred?” asked Bobus.
The crowd remained silent. No one wanted to bid higher.
“Six thousand! The little one belongs to you,” declared Bobus happily. “Would you like to take her straight away?”
The man shook his head.
“No, I want to buy more!”
“Very good! Very good!” said Bobus, delighted. “Take her away,” he ordered the guards.
***
Keela resisted with all her might as the two guards led her off the platform. She had only grasped the full reality of the situation when the hammer fell. She’d been sold! How absurd was that? She was not a pile of goods that someone could simply sell off. Slave trading had been abolished a long time ago on earth. And these planets thought they were progressive? They may be superior to humans when it comes to space travel - and perhaps in one or other technical area - but their culture was barbaric. Yet all of that was unimportant right now. What was important was that she would not accept, under any circumstances, that she was considered to be a consumer item. And as far as her new master was con
cerned - she did not have the slightest wish to get to know this cruel bloke any better. She would rather die trying to escape! She probably would not survive long anyway with what he intended to do with her, because one thing was certain – it was not going to be a good thing. She knew a sadist when she saw one. No, thanks! Nothing would make her participate in that. She would fight. The damn aliens could go ahead and kill her. Anything was better than being handed over to one of them.
“Let go of me, you horned lizards! Bastards! Let go of me! I’m a dreaded witch – I’ll use my witch craft on you and make your penises go rotten and your testicles shrink!”
The two guards roared with laughter. They were clearly not particularly bothered by her performance. Keela was angry and desperate. She kicked both of her guards wherever she could, and when one of the guards shouted quietly after she had kicked him right on his shin she felt sweet satisfaction. Unfortunately this did not last long as they had reached one of the huts and she was pushed inside roughly and the door was locked behind her.
About half an hour later the door opened and a raging Amber was pushed in. Keela had never been so happy to see a familiar face. As this hut only had a tiny window it was quite dark in the small room and Keela had not felt at all comfortable all alone.
“Ow! You roughians! You sons-of-bitches!” shouted Amber.
The guards just laughed and locked the door. Amber had landed on all fours and she was crawling over to Keela now to sit next to her. The two women hugged one another for a long time, without saying a word, then they let go of one another. Sitting together they folded their arms around their knees and propped their chins on their knees. Neither of them said a word. They were deep in their own hopeless thoughts.
“It’s just completely unbelievable, isn’t it?” Amber was the first to break the silence.
“Yes. It still all feels unreal to me – as if I were dreaming all of this.”
“We’re staying together,” said Amber quietly.
Keela raised her head and looked at Amber from the side.
“The same bloke that bought you has also bought me,” explained Amber. “I’m glad we’re staying together.”
“Yes – me, too. Perhaps it won’t be quite as bad if we have one another. Who knows, maybe this bloke isn’t so bad, after all. At least he looks human and that’s already a huge plus here. It could have been worse for us.”
Keela did not feel at all as optimistic as she made out. Certainly, the man who had bought her did not look as awful as some of the creatures here. To be exact he was even damned attractive, apart from his gruesome teeth, of course. But he was a callous bastard and she did not have a good feeling about him.
Forget it, Keela. Who are you trying to kid? The bloke is a sadistic ass-hole and Amber knows that, too.
“Hm,” was Amber’s only response.
They were silent for a while.
“Oh my! I’m soooo angry!” Amber suddenly blurted out. “I simply can’t just accept this! How can they just abduct us and sell us as birth machines? I don’t get it! I think I’m going to kill the bastard at the first possible opportunity. I’ll do him in!”
“I get you! – Completely!” grumbled Keela. “I feel exactly the same!”
The door was unlocked and to Keela’s joy Solima was put in with them. The door had barely closed when the girl threw herself into Keela’s arms. She was sobbing and Keela rocked the little one gently back and forth. Her protective instincts had awakened. She had always had a weakness for little ones.
“It’s OK, you sweet thing. It’s OK.” she tried to convince Solima.
After a while Solima’s sobbing calmed and she pulled away from Keela’s arms to hug Amber, squeezing her tightly. Then the girl knelt down in front of Keela and Amber and smiled.
“I’m coming with you,” she declared. “I was bought by the same man as you.”
Keela did not know whether she should be relieved or horrified. On the one hand she was pleased that she could look after the girl and have her close by, on the other hand she could not understand what that huge man was planning to do with such a little thing. The thought was too awful.
“You’re lucky that I’ve been bought with you because that means that you’ll be rescued, too, when my father comes!” Solima declared, beaming.
I wish you were right! thought Keela hopelessly.
***
Somewhere in the Kanavirius System
11th day of the month of Jakus in the year 7067
Federation Time
“What was that?” asked Keela, shocked, as an earthquake-like shudder went through the whole ship.
“No idea,” repled Amber. “Some turbulence perhaps. Like you sometimes get in aeroplanes.”
Solima had jumped up from her bed and was listening.
Again a shudder went through the ship. Keela and Amber exchanged frightened glances.
“It’s my father!” Solima declared at last, beaming. “He’s attacking the ship to free us. Now everything’s going to be OK!”
Suddenly a shrill alarm could be heard and hectic footsteps and shouts in the corridor.
“Yes, it really does sound as if the ship’s being attacked,” Keela confirmed in alarm. “Let’s just hope that it really is your father and not someone else.”
Keela, Amber and Solima spent the next hour snuggled together on Keela’s bunk. The ship was shaken again and again and the alarm was still sounding. For about a quarter of an hour there had been no more shuddering, but fighting could be heard and still more hectic shouting.
“They’ve entered the ship,” said Amber in alarm. “It sounds as if they’re now fighting man to man.”
Keela listened and thought she could actually hear the sound of metal against metal - and also something that sounded like shots. Footsteps could be heard in the corridor. They were coming closer.
***
Marruk left the fighting to his men and set off with Berka to find his daughter. His men were given the order to keep the owner of the ship alive if possible. Marruk wanted to deal himself with the male who had bought his daughter like a piece of cattle.
“I think they’ll be on the lower deck,” said Berka.
“Yes, you’re right. Let’s look down there first,” agreed Marruk.
They entered the lift and went down to the lower deck. Once down there, they stood in the corridor, undecided.
“To the left,” said Marruk finally and they turned left.
Suddenly Berka stood still and stopped Marruk with a sign to be quiet.
“I heard something in there,” he whispered.
Marruk nodded. They positioned themselves to the right and the left of the door and Berka pressed on the switch next to the door. With a quiet sliding sound the automatic door opened and two men armed with daggers stormed out. Marruk threw himself at the man on the left whilst Berka dealt with the man on the right. The blades hit one another, sending sparks flying. It was only a short fight. Both Marruk and his brother were excellent fighters and the two enemy warriors were no match for them. Without taking very much time over it Marruk removed his opponent’s head from his shoulders and Berka sank his sword into his opponent’s chest and then removed it.
Marruk slapped Berka on the shoulders and his brother nodded, then, without a word, they continued on their way.
“Father!” suddenly Solima’s voice could be heard. “I’m here!”
“Solima!” shouted Marruk.
His heart was beating hard. Relief filled his being and a happy grin spread across his face.
“She’s alive!” he murmured.
“Of course, brother,” answered Berka, likewise grinning. “I told you that we’d free her.”
They hurried along the corridor. He wanted to get to his daughter as quickly as possible and hold her in his arms. He just had to assure himself that she really was unharmed. And if she was not, then the miserable bastard who had bought her would suffer more.
“Solima?” he called, whils
t running.
“Yes, here!”
They reached the door behind which they believed his daughter to be.
“Are you in here?” asked Berka.
“Yes, uncle! Here!”
“Go away from the door,” said Marruk. “Ready?”
“Yes, we’re ready,” answered Solima.
Marruk took his laser gun and shot at the automatic door. Seconds later the door slid open and Solima threw herself into his arms.
***
Keela stared at the two warriors standing in the doorway. Solima had thrown herself into the arms of a huge man. He had brown hair down to his hips and the same turquoise-coloured eyes as Solima. The other man, likewise huge with long blond hair and the same remarkable eyes, stood there and looked at Keela and Amber - his gaze seemed to be firmly fixed on Amber.
Uh oh! Someone’s found something that he likes, thought Keela with a smile, and Amber did not seem to be able to take her eyes of the blond man either.
Father and daughter let go of one another and looked at one another tenderly. Keela was so happy that Solima had been right. Now that she saw father and daughter reunited she was even more conscious of how awful and unnatural it was to sell a small girl as a slave. The poor thing still had these transparent clothes on and her father seemed to have just noticed that, too, because he was frowning disapprovingly.
“Father, we must take Keela and Amber with us. We can’t just leave them here.”
“Keela? Amber?” asked the man, turning his head to take see Keela and Amber for the first time. His eyes glanced over Amber and remained on Keela. His shining eyes stared at her steadfastly and Keelas’ knees suddenly went weak. She realised how damn good-looking he was. It was just a shame that he was already taken. His wife, Solima’s mother, was undoubtedly already awaiting him longingly. So stupid! She always fell for the wrong guys.
Kidnapping Keela Page 4
