The thing’s presence came with a bonus though. Trying to breathe past its reek kept her mind occupied and off Jeval and that amazing sex they’d had. Sex that had been wholly satisfying in a bodily way but that had left her heart bleeding and her senses feeling like she had somehow missed something that should have been there, but hadn’t been.
The Morger rumbled out, “You selling today, stranger?”
“No, but I might be renting.”
What? She froze, her muscles cording and tautening at his causal words. That had never been part of the plan! Or at least nobody had told her that it was part of the plan! If the Morger took her out of that big Hall, he’d find himself gutted by the short and sharp blade she had hidden in the belt that held her pants up.
The Morger grunted. “I am not in the mood for a rental. I want to own.”
Jeval said, “Then we have nothing to speak about, now do we?”
The Morger grunted again and ambled off. Margie had to repress the urge to wave a hand in front of her face to try to dissipate the odor he left behind.
Jeval whispered, “It smells like that rotten egg Marik found in a nest a few days ago; remember?”
Margie had to repress laughter by lifting a hand to her mouth and pressing down firmly.
That movement was hidden by the fact that just then a massive fight broke out between two slaves who were fighting for the right to be auctioned off to the wealthiest patrons.
Danger was everywhere, and she whispered back, “I think I should get near the other slaves, the ones brought in by that trader from The Federation’s pleasure world.”
He bent down low. His hand cupped her neck, his fingers spanning across the skin that covered her pulse. Her heartbeat picked up at the casually ruthless gesture. She knew it was for show and that he would not harm her, but fear flooded her system anyway.
He spoke in a harsh tone. “Go on. Go be with the other slaves while I enjoy myself. You annoy me.”
She was sure that last bit was true.
She went, skittering forward on her hands and knees, keeping her head and eyes down the whole way.
The slaves huddled near a raised dais. Pungent alcoholic beverages circulated above but the costliest drink was, as always and on every world that had been civilized and taken to the brink by tech and pollution, water. Not just water, but clean and clear water. Pure water, brought in by ships that traveled many cycles to find it and bring it to those who could afford it.
Revant Two had fresh and clean water. That alone made it ripe for taking, even if there was not much of that water. She had, in truth, no idea how much of it there was but she did know that the planet’s position made it hard to reach and that the water would go flat and stale and become not worthy of the high dollar sales that the traders wanted, so that would help keep them at bay.
But for how long?
The slaves she chose to sit next to looked afraid and tired; many had brands, and some had tattoos on their legs or on the napes of their necks. They were allowed to talk amongst themselves, but very quietly, although, none were.
That sort of flustered her. How was she supposed to get intel if nobody was talking? What would be the best way to start the conversation? Should she just ask, hey, have any of you heard any dirt on The Federation lately?
Probably not.
She squirmed a bit, her nerves rising as she considered a hundred different gambits and discarded all of them. Time was passing way too quickly, and she had to figure something out. Everyone was counting on her and Jeval, and she did not want to disappoint them, nor did she want to miss something vital, something that they needed to know, so she didn’t dare scoot back to where Jeval sat either.
She licked her lips and shot a glance at a male next to her. He was of a species unknown to her, but he looked vaguely humanoid. She whispered, “Have you been here before?’
He gave a short nod of his head. Heart beating faster now, Margie whispered, “I’ve never been here before. I was on Orbital before I came here.” It was true enough, anyway.
A few of the slaves perked up. One female whispered, “I hear it’s lovely there.”
“It is.” Margie looked around the Hall. It stood on a desert plain that stretched far and wide. The city was the only one on the planet, and it had a rep for being rough and tumble, for keeping whatever happened there discreet, and there was plenty of reason to be discreet as well. There were about a hundred dance and carding halls as well as other gambling places. There was rare and exotic entertainment, some of it provided by slaves and some provided by hired entertainers shipped in for that purpose. “I’m a little scared.’”
Another female, definitely not human but very lovely with her green skin and hair, gave her an encouraging smile. “It’s not so bad. They’ll start shouting for us to entertain them soon. Do you have any skills beyond the delights?”
The delights? Oh shit. She meant sex! “I was a gurley on Orbital.”
The green female asked, “How’d you get here?”
“I owed a debt I couldn’t pay.”
