Trannies in Space

The big Vimoran pirate stepped into the middle of the circle. He had a chain in his hand and jangled it absentmindedly as he waited. His slaves stared down at their bare feet. All except for one.

Arela was staring out at the crowd, looking not at all beaten or cowed. Her dark eyes were proud and defiant. Dekker felt a rush of love and pride in his wife.

"You'd better hope she comes back," Yarona purred at his side, in a voice as soft as lies. "Vimorans have peculiar cocks. They shoot out fleshy nubs from the sides and lock in. She might be under his spell."

He ignored her. The Capital officer had flipped up her hood to uncover most of her face. Around her right eye she wore a translucent monocle that was linked in to a half headset. They were expensive devices, but not uncommon. A few of the more well to do slavers were wearing them, too. Unlike theirs, however, Yarona's was grinding away, recording everything for posterity.

The face of a pretty but broken looking female human flashed out in 3D. A name spun underneath it: 'Pira.' The slave's planet of origin and a few vital statistics were also being listed: Submissive, Intelligent, Easy to Handle, May Kick.

A flurry of taps onto tablets, but not many. Evidently this one wouldn't command too high of a price.

A big graphic proclaiming 'SOLD' replaced the slave's face. Pash tossed the edge of the chain towards the crowd, planted a booted foot on the lucky winner's butt, and kicked her towards her new owner. The woman fell and began to cry. A few coarse laughs came from the crowd.

"Here she comes," Dekker said to no one in particular. Lulu's hand found his.

Arela stepped forward, unafraid. Pash hooked a finger in her collar and rattled, shaking her back and forth. She slapped his hand away. The crowd made a small noise of excitement and readied their tablets.

'Arela' the graphic said, and above it floated a scan of her face. Her age and a few descriptive words scrolled by: Educated, Dominant, Combative, Nurturing. The crowd was busy at their tablets, pounding furiously away.