“Or we’re dealing with two people—one on Jaga-16, one on Jaga-18. Either way, someone high up is in on the transfers. And it’s not even the same seller ID for both.”
“Ah-ha! Admit it—you’d love it if the governor of Jaga-18, the one who framed Ileana, turned out to be the guy we’ve been chasing for months. The one leaking tech plans to the Coalition.”
“Obviously. We already know Henri’s bad news. My suspicions have been on him for a while. The Intergalactic Confederation is supposed to be made up of good people—peacekeepers, following the Polarian legacy. Finding a traitor in the middle of that? It’s disgusting. I just hope he’s the exception.”
“Didn’t Akifumi mention some old Terran sage? ‘Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely,’ right?”
“Doesn’t make it any less sad,” I mutter. “I’ll try to reach Akifumi. If he’s heard the rumors about this slave sale, he’s probably already got a task force on standby. We just need to send him the coordinates now that we have them. I’ll ask him to hold off until I’ve got Ileana out. And I’ll let him know our two missions are about to converge.”
“Then let’s get to work!”Wingo says, his tone sharp and ready.
Chapter 20.
Ileana.
I haven’t seen Prax. Bully’s been colder than ever, clearly blaming me for the tension between him and his partner.
A few hours after Prax brought me back to my cell—clean and fed—Bully returned to escort me to the presentation room.
There, I was restrained against a digital wall while one of Vagantu’s managers recorded my physical stats, checked my teeth, and entered everything into a display system—like I was just another item for sale. It was humiliating.
He asked where I was from. I told him I’m Human, half-Indian, half-Caucasian. That seemed to please him. But when I mentioned I had a medical degree and was licensed to practice, he just shrugged.
“If you think buyers here care about what’s in your head,” he said, “then you haven’t understood where you are. Now smile for your promotional video.”
I tried to mentally check out, to focus on anything else. But Bully wasn’t having it. He leaned in close and whispered in my ear.
“Look into the camera. Make them want you. A tearful look works just as well—some buyers enjoy seeing pain. If you don’t cooperate, you’ll regret it.”
I didn’t mean to, but I ended up giving the camera a tear-filled stare, right next to a list of my stats and qualifications.
When Bully brought me back to my cell, he looked satisfied. He didn’t follow through on his threats, but he left me alone with the weight of it all.
Since yesterday, I’ve been curled up on the floor, trying to make sense of how I ended up here. I keep replaying everything, wondering what I could’ve done differently. But I can’t find an answer.
I have to face it. And according to Bully, things could get worse. My future buyer might be even crueler than Henri. And this time, there’s no regeneration chamber to soften the blows.
Henri used to unleash his rage on me, then stop once he’d calmed down. I used to think that meant he didn’t want me to suffer. But now I realize—he wasn’t protecting me. He was protecting himself. If it weren’t for outside scrutiny, I’m sure he would’ve wanted the scars to stay.
I hear footsteps in the corridor. Probably another vendor coming to feed their captives. I don’t even look up. Bully already gave me a nutrition bar this morning.
“Ileana!” a voice calls. “It’s me, Prax.”
I get up and walk to the front of my cell.
“Come. Follow me. Noviosk wants to see us.”
“Who?”
“Noviosk. He’s one of the Coalition’s top leaders—and the one in charge of Vagantu.”
As a guard hands Prax the remote for my collar, I study his face. He looks thoughtful.
“Is this normal?” I ask. “For someone like him to request a meeting with a captive?”
“I don’t know,” Prax admits. “We’ve never been here before. Like I said, we don’t usually deal in lives. But I’ve never heard of this happening.”
We follow the guard through the corridors, moving quickly.
