20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Nala

Absentmindedly, I tug at the collar around my neck. Even though the crew assured me it’s been deactivated and no one can use it to hurt me, the mere presence of it grates on my nerves.

Despite being a slave in everything but name for the past five years, I’ve never worn a collar. Putting it on now when I’m so close to finally being free is beyond ironic, but it’s the only way I can get aboard the Arcade and find Ellen, so I keep my protests to myself.

As Astra and I change into simple dresses suitable for slaves, an argument breaks out on the bridge. I only catch the last part of it, but it’s not difficult to figure out what it is about. Nikolai was ordered to stay behind on the Supernova and he doesn’t like it. “... been trained in combat,” he yells just as we return to the bridge. “I don’t enjoy fighting, but that doesn’t mean I can’t fight!”

“We don’t need fighters for this mission,” Zarkan replies. “We need a small team to sneak in, locate Faelin and Nala’s daughter, and get them out. We’re already pushing our luck by letting Astra come.”

The glare Astra gives him is one of pure defiance, challenging him to say she can’t go. He just shakes his head, huffing out a laugh. “No Astra, I’m not crazy enough to argue with you. But you, Nikolai, are a doctor. You’ll be waiting by the airlock to receive the wounded, should there be any. I’m not going either.”

“Yeah, but you can’t go because you’re a Lakhartan,” Nikolai retorts, then after a moment’s pause he shrugs his shoulders, sighing. “Fine then. But I want a gun. And if things go wrong, I’m going in.”

Zarkan nods. “Pick whatever you want from the armory. But please, be careful. All of you.”

I can see it’s killing the captain to stay behind, but Nikolai is right. The Lakhartans are known for their strong code of honor, from which they never stray. It’s the reason there are so many of them in the UGC forces.

A Lakhartan buying illegal drugs or weapons in a secret marketplace? He’d stick out like a sore thumb.

A Lakhartan selling slaves? Every single guard would be on us in a heartbeat. It’s just not done.

Tareq approaches me with a length of chain and I shudder. “Is that necessary?” I ask as he attaches it to my collar.

“Once inside, we can use it as a weapon,” he explains. “We can’t bring guns on board, so we’ll have to rely on other things. This,” he raises the chain, “is reinforced Angrian steel. The same material this ship is built from. I can strangle an Okri with it in under ten seconds and he has no chance of breaking free.”

“Oh. Okay.” I tug on my collar again. “Sorry, I don’t want to sound like a child, but are we there yet?” Two ships have disengaged from the Arcade and jumped into hyperspace during our approach and I’m praying that Ellen wasn’t on either one of them. D’Aakh has assured me that the process of transferring a slave between owners takes longer than that but I can’t help but worry.

On the main viewing screens, the battleship is growing larger by the second. Growing and growing. So fucking huge. Despair nearly overwhelms me. How am I going to find my baby in there?

“Approaching the designated airlock,” Cai announces before a low thud reverberates through the ship. “Connected. Engaging docking clamps. Airlock ready.”

Silence ensues.

“Alright, everyone, it’s time,” Zarkan says. “Last chance to stay on the ship.”

Astra crosses her arms defiantly in front of her chest before glaring at Tareq, daring him to say something. I mirror her stance but don’t bother glaring at anyone. Nothing will make me stay here while Ellen is in danger.

Zarkan heaves a sigh. “Very well. D’Aakh and Omni will head to the weapons and tech stalls,” he says, confirming the plan. “Once the fighting starts, grab whatever you can and rejoin the rest of the group. Tareq and Lyriana are in charge of our ‘slaves’,” he smirks. “Get your bearings first and avoid Drayth at all costs. We can’t have him exposing us before we’re ready. D’Aakh will hack into the station’s systems and find out where Faelin and Ellen are being held.”

The technician nods, already working on his datapad. “Their security is decent. It might take a while.”

“Remember,” Zarkan stresses, “you each have to play your part until I give the signal. Once the fighting starts, return to the Supernova immediately.”

“What about other slaves on the ship?” I ask quietly. I’m grateful that the crew is willing to help me save Ellen but leaving dozens, maybe hundreds of others behind doesn’t bode well with me. “I know we can’t save everyone, but…”

“Actually, I can help with that,” D’Aakh interrupts, “I think. Cai? Will you help me hack into the Arcade’s safety protocols?”

There are a few seconds of silence. “I’m not allowed to perform any action that causes direct harm to others,” she says. “Hacking another ship’s systems and tampering with their security protocols might endanger the lives of all inhabitants on board. Therefore, I cannot offer you my assistance.”

“True,” D’Aakh nods, tapping on his top lip. “But what if I told you that the crew of that ship are criminals enslaving sentient beings and our tampering with their system will free them?” While Cai takes a moment to contemplate the scenario put forward, D’Aakh tells us, “The AI is still supposed to say no. The baseline directives embedded into each system should prevent it from agreeing. But if I’m right—”

“I will assist you with this task,” Cai interrupts him, “but I will not tamper with the ship’s atmosphere, propulsion engines, escape routes or prohibit the use of any escape pods. Nothing that directly endangers life. Given my restrictions, can I still be of assistance to you?”

D’Aakh chuckles to himself as if Cai had said exactly what he’d expected her to say. “I believe so. I plan to unlock every holding cell across the entire ship and disable all slave collars. Does this interfere with your programming?”

“No, it does not. I will happily assist you with this task,” Cai replies and judging by the number of raised eyebrows around me, I’m not the only one who heard the hint of joy in her voice. “The Arcade’s guards are waiting for you by the airlock,” she reminds us. “I suggest you leave before they get impatient. Impatient beings tend to display unpredictable behavior.”

“The computer is right,” Zarkan says. “Go. And be careful. Oh, and D’Aakh?” He casts a suspicious look at all of the computer systems surrounding us. “Should I be worried?”

“About Cai? No,” D’Aakh replies confidently. “It’s a scientific curiosity, but I don’t believe it’s dangerous.”

I step in. “She,” I correct him. At his questioning look, I explain, “Cai said she wanted to be considered a female. So…don’t call her ‘it’.”

“Of course.” Laughing, D’Aakh shakes his head. “Like I said, curious. But not dangerous.”

“As if we needed another female on the team,” the winged Quintran, Omni, smirks. “Lyriana is already way more than enough. Let’s go already. I can’t wait to buy me some new weapons.”

Lyriana smacks the top of his head. “You do know we’re not really here to shop for weapons?”

“Why not?”

“Because they’re illegal?”

Omni rolls his eyes. “So? We’re outlaws now, we can—”

“No, we can’t!”

“Shut up, both of you,” Tareq interrupts them. “Focus on the mission. Let’s go.”

To my dismay, he hands my chain leash over to Lyriana, who immediately tugs on it, making me stumble. “Come on, slave,” she teases. Bitch.

Tareq and Lyriana take the lead, Astra and I trailing behind our “masters” being led like sheep to the slaughter. Once we pass through the airlock, the Arcade’s guards scan us all for weapons, then direct Tareq to the best locations on the ship to sell his “merchandise”. Even I can tell that these guards are much better trained than the ones Drayth employs.

Entering the main marketplace, I find myself both impressed and appalled in equal measure. The place is enormous, larger than the largest market on the Farpoint Gateway. It’s difficult to believe we’re still on a ship. The stalls stretch as far as the eye can see and the ceiling is so high that the ambient yellow lighting creates the perfect illusion of daylight.

If the local aliens were selling fruit or kitchen wares, it would be a wonderful place. Instead, I see a peddler offering samples of O to anyone who passes by. An Ataxi a few stalls down is selling prosthetic limbs riddled with secret compartments and weapon attachments. Another is surrounded by dozens of cages containing various animals I don’t recognize.

D’Aakh and Omni separate from us to peruse the weapons stores while we head deeper into the chaos of the marketplace.

I hear it before I see it. An auction. It’s rather old-fashioned in its set up, with a crowd of aliens yelling their offers at the auctioneer who’s standing tall on a raised platform in the center of the plaza. Next to him stands a young, short Katerelan, his blue skin paled into a washed out shade of gray. He’s completely naked, his trembling body covered in lash marks.

Without even realizing it, I take a step toward him. To what ends, I don’t know. Something, anything. The sharp yank on my chain has me stumbling backward. “Not now,” Lyriana hisses.

To an outsider, she must look completely aloof, unmoved by the scene unfurling just a few feet from us. But I can see how the corners of her eyes crinkle as she plasters on her furious scowl. How her fingers grip the chain tightly enough to turn her knuckles white and her mouth tightens into a thin line. She’s furious and for once, it’s not at me.

As we make our way through the crowds, someone touches my hair, quickly following it up with a grope of my breasts. “Good,” he grunts, his desire obvious under his bulging pants. “How much?”

Lyriana smirks at him. I think it’s her meanest smirk yet. “More than you can afford. Piss off.” She wraps the chain around her hand a few times to shorten my leash, forcing me to step closer to her. “Stay close,” she orders before adding, “It’s not safe here.”

Well, duh. I suppress the urge to roll my eyes because it’s probably not something a good slave would do.

I do my best not to imagine Ellen being forced to walk this same route. God, she must be terrified! Is Faelin with her? Is he protecting her like he promised? I want to believe that he is keeping his promise, but with all of the disappointment I’ve been through, it’s difficult.

Would he leave Ellen behind to save himself? Eyeing the short length of chain between my collar and Lyriana’s hand, I dismiss the idea. Even this female, who openly dislikes me, is risking her life to save my daughter. And Faelin…well, he doesn’t dislike me, which is a miracle given everything I did to him.

Will he still want me once all of this is over? A whore with a half-alien child? I’m not exactly high up on the “date-ability” scale. And why do I even care? It’s not like I want to stay with him. Do I?

Lyriana suddenly stops and stays motionless for a few seconds. “Alright, thanks,” she says into her comm. Fortunately, the guards let the crew keep them, so we can communicate easily. She grabs my collar, pulling me close to whisper into my ear. “D’Aakh found the location of the transfer cells.” Before I can ask her anything, she adds, “Sorry about this.”

The slap is so fast I don’t see it coming but my cheek feels the after effects. Even though Lyriana was clearly holding back, it still hurts like a motherfucker. “Stupid bitch,” she shouts. “Will you never learn?!”

“I-I’m sorry, M-Mistress,” I stutter, playing along with whatever she has in mind. If it gets me to Ellen, she can slap me all she wants.

“Sorry?” Lyriana repeats mockingly. “You will be sorry. Excuse me?” she asks the nearest guard. “Is there somewhere private I can rent out to discipline my slave? A cell, maybe?”

Tareq joins us, dragging Astra along by her wrist. “Is the bitch giving you trouble again?” he asks, shaking his head. “You’re really bad at training them, L. Look at mine.” He gestures at Astra. “Perfectly obedient. Aren’t you, sweetheart?” Grabbing Astra’s hair, he pulls her in for a passionate kiss, then gives Lyriana a smug smile. “See?”

“Shut up, asshole,” Lyriana barks. “So, is there anywhere available for rent?” she asks the grinning guard, her glare sharp enough to skewer him.

“You can discipline her here. No one will mind,” the guard suggests. The audience we’ve picked up agrees wholeheartedly. Lyriana just stares at the guard, unswayed by his suggestion, or the crowd’s enthusiasm. “But if you do want something private,” the guard continues, seeing she won’t be swayed, “you can use one of our transfer cells. Charges apply, though.”

“Obviously. Just tell me where to go. I can’t wait to show this cunt her proper place.”

To the great disappointment of the crowd, the guard pulls out a small datapad. A few touches later, he holds it up to Lyriana’s device, transferring the directions and access codes that will lead us to the cell she just rented.

Once Lyriana confirms payment, she yanks on my chain again. “Come on, bitch. And I don’t want to hear a single word or I really will cut out that fucking tongue of yours.”

“Oh, I have to see this,” Tareq chuckles, he and Astra following us away from the marketplace. Hopefully, closer to Ellen.