by T. J. Quinn
“We’ll be leaving in a couple of hours,” he told her as she closed her eyes, still gasping for air.
“I know, I’ll take a nap on the way to the next colony. I believe we’ll be visiting one more successful colony before they take you and your men to visit an empty one.”
“Don’t your people resent the construction of all these colonies?” he asked, running his fingers through her golden mane.
“Yes, they do. The colonies push them more and more into the woods where they have to face all sorts of creatures.”
“And yet, they don’t fight back,” he stated, shaking his head.
“They have lost interest in fighting. It’s easier to surrender,” she said, sighing.
“I’ll never be able to understand that,” he assured her.
They stayed in bed for a little longer before they got up to shower and get dressed. They left the colony right after the morning meal.
Krug took advantage of the moment to announce the gathering they had planned. Vlyse wasn’t very pleased but couldn’t say no, it wasn’t his place, and he knew it.
“Thank you, Citizen Krug, it’s with great pleasure that we accept your invitation,” Ethan said with a smile.
Once in the vessel that would take them to the next colony, Vlyse didn’t waste the opportunity to rant about Krug’s invitation.
“I really don’t see the point to organize a meeting like the one he’s suggesting,” he said, through gritted teeth.
“It will help us meet a lot more of the people living on your amazing planet,” Ethan replied, trying to appease the man’s rant. Not that he cared much about him, but he didn’t want anything ruining the meeting.
“I believe you’ve met enough people for you to make a decision,” he persisted.
“Perhaps, but it’s always nice to meet people in a gathering such as the one Citizen Krug will organize. I’m sure you agree with me,” Ethan replied, leaving no choice but for the other man than to accept his words.
“Yes, I guess you’re right.”
Ethan ended the conversation and went to meet his men that watched their approach to the next colony.
This colony was different from the others. It was a vast marketplace, where everybody had something to sell.
“The other colonies bring their surplus here, and the Kallasians sell them to the rest of the colonies,” Vlyse explained. “They are excellent traders, and they can get you anything you want,” he added, with a smile on his face that told Ethan exactly what he meant with anything.
Kallasians were a humanoid race with light green skin and white hair. Ethan knew Kallasians came from the planet Kalla, in the second quadrant and even there, they were famous for their trading skills. They were also known as slavers, a trait Ethan didn’t like and one of the reasons why he didn’t visit Kalla ever since the first time he had set foot on the planet.
Something told him this colony did not belong to Krug’s organization.
When they landed at the docking bay, they were received by the Kallasians leader, a man that reminded him of King Sefeth. He was sure those two were friends.
“Ah, my dear Vlyse, it’s always a pleasure receiving you in my humble colony,” he greeted the councilman.
“Kiegor, thank you for receiving us,” Vlyse replied, greeting the other man before making the introductions.
Ethan did his best to hide his feelings when he greeted the Kallasian.
The man didn’t pay much attention to Ethan and his men.
“Did you bring any slaves with you on this trip?” he asked Vlyse, with a lustful grin that sent chills of dread down Ethan’s spine.
“You know I always do,” Vlyse nodded, with a broad grin.
“Perhaps, this time I’ll be able to convince you to sell some of them to me,” Kiegor said with an alluring smile.
“Who knows?” Vlyse replied, without giving a hint of his intentions.
“I’ve organized a tour through the city that I’m sure your guests will enjoy,” Kiegor said, guiding them to a few vehicles waiting for them.
The place was indeed a huge market. They had some fields where they grew enough vegetables to feed his people as well as some barns with cattle, but it was clear trade was their primary activity.
They returned to the palace in time to have lunch and soon after their meal, Kiegor demanded to see the women traveling with them. Ethan wanted to shout his refusal, but he knew it wasn’t his call. Conrad and Jared didn’t look happy either. If the Dreshanian looked unsavory, the Kallasians seemed to be even worse.
Vlyse called out the women and made them line up in the main room in front of Kiegor, ordering them to remove the veils they usually wore when they were out of the harem.
Kiegor let out a loud growl when he saw them. “You have a nice group here, Vlyse. Will you sell a few to me, this time?” he asked, almost drooling as he walked up and down the line.
“I don’t think so, the king hasn’t gotten tired of these ones, yet,” Vlyse explained, with a greasy grin.
Ethan wished he could punch him until he wiped the smile off the Dreshanian’s face.
“Oh, but I have a deal for him he’ll find hard to reject,” Kiegor assured him.
“Let’s hear it,” Vlyse asked, his smile bigger than ever.
By then, the women were trembling so much it was quite noticeable.
“Remember that new elixir he had been looking for? I finally found it,” Kiegor announced with a victorious grin.
“This is getting out of control, boss,” Conrad said, using their private channel.
“I know, but so far there’s nothing we can do. We’re outnumbered here,” Ethan pointed out, doing his best not to show the scorn and contempt he was feeling.
“We can’t let the Kallasian buy any of the girls,” Jared protested.
“I doubt we can protect them all, at least, not now,” Ethan insisted, hating the position they were in.
“In that case, we have to tell him immediately,” Vlyse said, pulling a communication device from his tunic pocket.
He called the king, and just a couple of minutes later he was ending the call with a broad smile.
“Well, is he interested?” Kiegor asked though they all knew the answer.
“Of course, he is,” Vlyse replied, and some muffled cries came out from the women. “You can have them all, if you want, as long as you give him all of your supply,” he added.
Ethan was sorely tempted to grab Neela and get the hell out of there.
Kiegor shook his head. “This stuff is too expensive, my dear friend. The slaves wouldn’t cover all of it.”
“Do you realize all the trouble the king will have to go through to replace these slaves? We won’t have another hunting game for another six lunar cycles,” Vlyse protested.
“I do understand, but it will take me some time to find buyers for them, I won’t get the credits for them soon enough,” Kiegor continued.
Ethan wanted to kill both men. They were the worst scum he had ever met. “I could take some off your hands right now, Citizen Kiegor,” he said, with an ice-cold tone.
Both men turned to look at him, looking surprised.
“I hadn’t taken you for a man that would buy slaves, Citizen Ethan,” Vlyse said, expressing his suspicion.
“And usually, I’m not,” he admitted. “But I got used to the woman you sent me, and I would like to keep her, for a while,” he explained.
Kiegor let out a despicable laugh. “Oh, I know exactly how you feel.” He walked back to the women and started groping them, one by one, very thoroughly.
Ethan pursed his lips together, struggling to hold on to the thread of self-control he had left.
“Some of these could make five hundred credits, the other ones probably three hundred,” Kiegor said when he finished his examination. “Which ones are you interested in?”
Chapter Fourteen
Neela lined up with the rest of the women trembling. She had heard about the Kallasians and their taste f
or slaves. But she had thought they would be safe during that trip since Vlyse wanted to keep the visitors pleased but when she heard Kiegor’s words, she knew they were doomed.
Everybody knew the king was an addict and he would try almost anything that could make his life more pleasant or interesting. They were doomed.
She had heard the Kallasians only kept their slaves for a short period, selling them later to the highest bidder and that always meant a brothel somewhere in the galaxy.
When Ethan suggested buying some of the women, Neela wasn’t sure how she felt about it. Was he really interested in having a slave or was he trying to rescue some of the women? How was he going to select the women he would save? Judging by the prices Kiegor was mentioning, she was sure he wouldn’t be able to buy more than a couple of women.
Ethan walked towards the women line and pointed at Caisys, Ashryn and her. “These are the ones I want,” he replied, with a firm tone.
“Well, you sure have a good eye,” Kiegor said, with a wicked grin. “These two are worth five hundred credits each,” he continued, signaling Ashryn and her. “But this one is old, so I’ll sell her to you for just two hundred and fifty,” he signaled Caisys this time. “Do you still want them?”
Neela waited for Ethan’s answer with her heart drumming in a deafening rhythm in her chest. She would die if he said no. Being a slave at the palace was terrible, but she knew she would die if she were sold to a brothel.
“Yes, I do,” Ethan finally answered.
“Well, Vlyse, I can give you all I have after all,” Kiegor said, turning to look at the council.
Vlyse rubbed his hands pleased completely ignoring the sobs of the other seven women. He sold even the ones he had taken for his own entertainment.
Kiegor motioned some of his guards and just a few seconds later the women were taken out of the room, except for the three Ethan had bought.
“Why don’t we go to my office to finish the transaction?” Kiegor invited Ethan, who accepted, but not before he ordered his men to escort the women to the rooms assigned to them.
Ethan paid for the women feeling his bile coming up his guts as he did. It felt awful, but he knew it was the only way to protect the women. He wished he could afford all of them, but he couldn’t. Neela’s price had made a significant hole in his finances, but he didn’t care.
After the transaction was done, they were invited to go to their rooms. The night meal would be served in a few hours.
Neela was pacing the room when he got there. She froze as he entered the room, staring at him looking scared.
“What’s the problem?” he asked, with a deep frown. He thought she would be happy with the turn of events.
She rubbed her face with a trembling hand. “Why did you buy us all?” she asked, with uncertainty oozing out of her words.
“I only bought you, Neela. The other women were purchased by two of my men.
She let out a deep sigh.
“I thought you would be happy,” he added, taking a step closer to her.
She looked at him, fear still shining in her beautiful green eyes. “I am, but I guess this changes everything, and I don’t know what’s expected of me.”
“Nothing has changed between us, Neela. The only reason I bought you was to save you from the Kallasians. If that doesn’t make you happy, I can return,” he started saying, not sure what was going on.
“No… I… thank you for saving me from the Kallasians. They are even worse than the Dreshanians,” she clarified. “But things have changed, Citizen Ethan. I now belong to you, not to the Dreshanians. What will you do with me?” she asked, looking even paler than she usually was.
“I’m keeping you with me, at least, until we’re out of this place,” he replied. He hadn’t thought about the future. Things had happened too fast to have that many considerations.
“And then, what? Will you sell me off to other people?” she asked, wriggling her hands nervously.
“Of course, not. We’ll talk about your future once we’re out of here and you’re safe, away from the Dreshanians,” he assured her.
She nodded, but something in her body language told him she wasn’t convinced. He guessed she would when he showed her, with acts and not merely words, he only wanted the best for her, she would finally know.
“Thank you,” Neela murmured.
Neela’s feelings were total chaos. She had no idea how she felt or how she was supposed to act now that she was Ethan’s slave. But at the same time, she had no idea how she wanted to respond. Rules had changed, and she didn’t know what he really expected of her. He said things hadn’t changed between them, but they had.
“Now that you’re mine, I guess I can take you out for a walk. Would you like that?” he suggested after a few moments of awkward silence.
“Yes, sir, whatever pleases you,” she said, bowing her head.
“You don’t have to say yes to everything I suggest, Neela,” he replied, running his fingers through his dark hair, feeling a bit exasperated at her and the whole situation.
She crossed her arms around her chest. “What do you want from me? You bought me. How am I supposed to act if not as your slave?” she asked, exuding some of the chaos and desperation she was feeling.
“Can’t you act as if we were friends, lovers even?” a dreadful idea crossed his mind. “Unless you have been pretending all this time and having me at your side is disgusting and not something you would do of your own free will. Is that it?” he asked, with a stern expression on his face.
Things between them had always felt real, heartfelt, but he could be wrong. After all, he barely knew her, and she had been ordered to entertain him.
“No… no… of course not,” she replied, quickly. “I just feel a bit out of place, not knowing what to do or how to act.”
He sighed. “Just be yourself, Neela. You don’t have to do anything, not anymore. Just remember we’re still on this planet and not even we are free to act as we would like,” he warned her. “I haven’t asked you, but I guess I should have. Would you like me to take you back to your people?”
She shook her head. “They would send me back to the palace. They would never take me back, in fear of offending the king somehow,” she explained.
“I can’t leave you in one of the colonies either since you might be faced with the same situation and taking you back to Earth with me is a mistake. The planet is dying, and we’re all leaving.”
“I guess you could leave me on one of the planets you visit,” she suggested, trying to hide her fear as best as she could.
She could tell he was doing all he could to help her and the last thing she wanted was to burden him with her presence.
“Since we can’t do anything, for now, I suggest we enjoy the time we have left on the planet. We’ll discuss your future once we’re out of here.”
“Yes, thank you. That would be perfect.”
“So, would you like to go out for a walk? I believe we could use it,” he suggested again.
“Yes, you’re right. I would love too,” she replied, with a faltering smile.
He closed the distance between them and cradled her face. “Please, trust me. The only reason I bought you was to help you, not to enslave you.”
She nodded, but he could tell she wasn’t completely convinced. He guessed she had been through too much to trust people so utterly.
They left the room and Ethan guided her out of the palace. The guards made no comment when they walked by past them, so they headed towards the city market. The place was as busy now as it had been when he had walked around it with Kiegor, but this time he was able to check all the things they had to offer.
At first, Neela had just walked beside him, without making any comments, but after a while, she started to show him some of the things she knew, especially fruits and vegetables from the planet.
At some point, she showed him a weird purple fruit, covered with thick, red spikes, as big as pineapple. “That’s wanoki. I
t grows wild in our woods, and it’s simply delicious. It also keeps you alive when you’re hungry and thirsty,” she explained.
“You seem to speak with knowledge,” he pointed out, checking the fruits.
“I do. These fruits allowed me to survive during the hunting game,” she explained.
“It must have been hard for you. Would you like to talk about it?” he asked, with a low tone, after he bought one of the fruits, curious to try it.
“I’ll tell you about it, but not here. We never know who’s listening,” she said, guiding him out of the market and into a small group of trees and bushes not far from where they were. “Here, allow me to open that for you,” she stretched her hand to take the fruit after she took a seat on the ground, leaning against a tree.
He kneeled next to her and handed the fruit to her.
She ran one of her fingernails down one of its sides, avoiding the spikes and soon she cracked open the fruit. Its interior was quite similar to jackfruit, but the buds were a vivid red. It was very juicy, and when she handed him one of the buds, he leaned over and took it directly into his mouth.
She was right, the fruit was delicious. He couldn’t quite describe the flavor, but it was between sweet and acid and very nutritional.
“Do you like it?” she asked, taking some of the fruit herself.
“Oh, yes, it’s delicious, just like you said.”
She nodded and gave him more fruit. They quickly ate the fruit chuckling and jesting when they realized there was no water around to wash away the stickiness of the fruit juice.
Ethan scanned the area until he found a small creek not far from where they were. “There’s a creek nearby. Come, we can go there,” he suggested.
She looked at the dying sun. “It’s getting late. We could get lost,” she pointed out.
“That won’t happen. I’ll bring you back safe and sound,” he promised her. “We still have like an hour before the night falls.”
She finally nodded, and he guided her to the water stream. The creek was a bit smaller than he expected, but it had enough water for them to wash their hands and faces.
“Who controls the water in each colony, do you know?” he asked, taking a seat on a rock near the water.
