(Deep Minds Trading Company, Fallharbor Trade Port, Aurum Throni, Terran Orbit)
The Aurum Throni was larger and more magnificent than any other ship in existence, as far as Lorna Crowley knew. Fifty kilometers from one side to the other, it was literally larger than some cities on developed worlds. Its inhabitants numbered in the millions, with more moving through the cityship every day. It was said that the life support systems were designed with one hundred million souls in mind, and she didn’t doubt that the populace was using a sizeable chunk of that capacity.
As she walked through the halls with Gwen and Sam at her sides, all three had to fight to keep from gawking openly at the sheer scale of such an undertaking. The Terran Empire had commissioned the Aurum Throni and twenty other city ships after the Greenwave attack ended the Civil War and wiped out the industry of Earth’s surface. Sure, the other twenty hadn’t been finished yet, and they were all more reasonably sized (a ‘mere’ thirty kilometers across!), but to have even finished one of these colossal ships so quickly, a mere few years after the Civil War, was nothing short of incredible. As a way to showcase the might of the Terran Empire, despite the war decimating their military, it was certainly effective.
Well, if she were being honest, the original cityship was a more modest ten kilometers, only expecting up to a million inhabitants. That was a ‘good start’ according to the imperial designers, who had been convinced that the new seat of the Terran Empire needed to be bigger and grander than the original on Terra. There had actually been quite a few discussions about that on the public datanets. So much of Imperial history and cultural works had been lost when Earth was hit by Greenwave, that it had inspired a renaissance of sorts in the Empire, as they strove to replace what was lost.
In fact, it was part of that effort to rebuild and replace the lost culture of Earth that had caused the planet to be officially rebranded as Terra. Earth had died as Greenwave swept across the surface, destroying all in its path. From the ashes, Terra was reborn, and her children declared that she would be stronger than ever.
Of course, one doesn’t simply scrap a ten-kilometer-wide floating city just because you want to build bigger. That was a kind of waste that they couldn’t afford at the moment. And it would send the wrong message, besides. No, what they did was both stranger and more over the top than even the idea of building these cityships. The original structure for the Aurum Throni was actually inside the current Aurum Throni, encased and buried within the current city!
In the Outer Throne, as the shell was called, there were many districts, each practically a small city in and of themselves, filled with businesses, manufacturers, and all sorts of people. Fallharbor Trade Port was one of the principle commercial ports on the massive station. What set it apart from the others was that it was focused primarily on luxury goods, feeding the need for imports that the wealthy and powerful within the Inner Throne required to live their lavish lifestyles. As such, security was more prevalent than in many places in the Outer Throne, but pickpockets, thieves, and other, less reputable villains, also found juicy pickings here, despite the guards.
Which explained, of course, why she wasn’t walking alone. She wasn’t going to leave herself vulnerable again, not after the last time. The time just after that bastard Nomad had enslaved them, and made them his pets had left their scars. The fact that her new Master had banished the bastard to a fate worse than death, and had then given her and the crew some of their dignity back had done much to ease those scars, but she wasn’t going to risk something like that happening again.
As they walked into the Deep Minds Trading Company, Lorna looked around, taking in the scenery. The trader’s office was more like an art gallery than a shop. Works of art from across Known Space could be found here, though she didn’t know whether they were originals or reproductions. It wasn’t just paintings and sculptures, but also fabrics and exotic pieces of furniture or technology that were unlike things seen in the Empire as a whole. In short, it was designed to be very, very impressive to people who were looking to part with as much of their money as they could.
Of course, it was impossible to overlook the fact that Deep Minds was next to Jezebel’s Luxury Slave Emporium. Or that many of those beautiful things on display in Deep Minds were either modeled, presented, or otherwise enhanced by slaves that were clearly from Jezebel’s next door. The two businesses likely found that whatever deal they worked out was quite profitable for each of them, as attractive slaves helped draw in customers to Deep Minds, while customers with deep pockets would often be inspired by the displays to get ‘live decorations’ for their homes from Jezebel’s.
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Thankfully, Master’s business didn’t take them into an actual slave market. Even if she was already enslaved, a woman walking into a slave market with less than an army at her back was asking for trouble. The fact that a woman owned the slave market didn’t mean anything. Not really. Anyone who thought that women couldn’t be just as cruel and perverse as men was either blind, or practicing their own form of sexism.
A Knelfi woman walked up to them as she was scanning the store. She was wearing a dress designed to show off her body to its fullest, being as alluring as possible without being something one would see on a streetwalker or a whore. A collar around her neck indicated that she was, indeed, a slave. An extremely attractive slave, designed to get individuals thinking with something other than their brains while they started the selling process. The owner was no fool.
“Greetings, ladies. How may Deep Minds Trading Company help you today? If it pleases you, the Master has obtained many rare and luxurious items for your perusal, should you wish.”
Lorna nodded slowly, trying to keep from getting overwhelmed by the perfume and pheromones the slave girl was giving off. Oh, hell, they had modded her to make others more… excitable in her presence! There was no way that she would be able to have anything like a normal life, even if she were freed. Poor girl.
When she spoke, she spoke forcefully enough that the more richly-clad guests who had been frowning at them for looking so ‘common’ could hear her. “I am Slave-Captain Lorna Crowley, of the Black Star Ship Mewtwo. We would like to discuss the sale of some exotic goods from outside Known Space.” The gazes of the onlookers turned from disdain and disapproval to greedy interest in a heartbeat. Softer, she said, “And the Master sends this message: Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start. He said that your Master would know what it meant.”
The woman blinked once, her eyes unfocused for a moment, almost as if she had tranced out for a second. The next instant, however, her expression returned to what it was as she nodded, and said, “If it pleases you, allow me to show you to a lounge where the Master can discuss this with you further.”
They were led into the back of the shop, down a hallway, and to a well-appointed lounge. While it was definitely comfortable (Lorna found that the sofa she sat on was absolutely bliss to lean back into), it did not convey the same level of luxury as the rest of the shop. This was a comfortable place for business to be done. When she checked her communicator, she also found out that she was getting no signal to the outside, indicating that there was some serious security on this room.
After another slave brought them some refreshments (a platter of cheeses with a couple different types of dip), the original slave reentered the room. “Thank you for your patience. The Master wishes to inform you that he is coming personally from the Inner Throne to meet with you. If you wish, he can provide complimentary entertainment, either male or female for you, while you wait. All that the Master asks is that you do not damage the entertainers, as it will reflect badly on him with the Mistress next door.”
Forty-five minutes later, the three women were basking in the afterglow as they relaxed against the firm muscles of the pleasure slaves that had been provided for them. All three men were well-built, wonderfully equipped, and highly skilled in their roles. Indeed, Lorna was starting to consider another round, when the salesperson from before stepped into the room. “The Master thanks you for your patience, and wishes to inform you that he will be arriving in ten minutes, if you have anything you would like to finish in that time.”
Grudgingly, the women got up, allowing the slaves to leave as they began getting dressed. Sam was the first to speak up, “Um, maybe we should stop by Jezebel’s on the way back to the ship? I know we’re pretty crowded already, but maybe just one? To share?”
Gwen laughed. “How would we work that? A group of slaves owning a slave? Or perhaps would we purchase him through the Ship funds, making him part of the ship’s ‘equipment’. But that would mean that he would belong to our Master, in the end, instead of us.”
They were still chatting about the possibilities when the door opened again. This time, however, it was not the sales slave that they had seen before, but a man. He was fair-skinned, and had a more effeminate look to him than the men who had just left. He nodded to each of them, and said, “Hello there. I am Lucio de Lici, the owner of this humble establishment. I am also, as it were, an Advisor to Empress Merida. So, tell me, what brings the delectable Mister Mollen’s people to me today?”
Lorna took a breath, and said, “Our Master has heard a lot of rumors about things going on in the Empire, both from local and Nomad sources. We ourselves hit a… spatial anomaly of some sort as we attempted to enter Sol System. It was severe enough that it knocked our ship off course and damaged the hyperdrive. This is a concern to the Master, of course, as anything that disrupts space is a problem for traders.”
She watched Lucio as she spoke. He was playing the flamboyant type, and, for all she knew, it wasn’t an act. But she could see in his eyes that he was watching her closely, the same way the Master had when he’d been evaluating what to do with her in the few times that she’d seen him face to face. Not sexually, but analytically.
“As you no doubt know, Master has access to a variety of resources that are not available to most people, even amongst Nomads. Because of this, his scientists have convinced him that there is a grave danger approaching the Empire. Among other things, he believes that something begun by the heavy use of the Transition Drive has been exacerbated by the disturbances created by the death of the Harvester.”
Lucio sat down in a chair opposite her, and nodded slowly. “That mirrors what some of the Empress’s scientists have said. I assume, then, that he sent you here to make sure that the Empress was aware of the issue, and also to get more information, without causing a stir?” Lorna could feel her eyes widen slightly, but Lucio simply laughed. “Oh, don’t be surprised. It is the obvious play, when you think about it. Any moves that delicious man makes personally would draw attention from everyone. Sending in scouts makes perfect sense. As does using that code phrase that only a Nomad would possibly know, to ensure it got my attention discretely and quickly.”
He leaned back in his chair, considering. “The only question, then, is whether we can stop what is happening? If not, then we will need to find some way to manage the effects. Tell me everything you can about the anomaly you hit on the way in. That will give us a good first step to work from.”