What price Freedom

Posted on 02 Nov 2010 @ 12:11pm by Captain Reva Madhava & Commodore Da`nal of the House of Varal

1,390 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: M6: Blood of the Innocent
Location: Berath 5
Timeline: Back Post to MD - 3 1800

[A private booth in a dimly-lit bar]

"It was her," the Orion whispered to a stout man who slowly blew out his breath before sipping at the heavy liquor in his glass. The green one waited a breath then added, "You'll see, when she comes up." He received no more than a nod in answer.

[The Auction]

Several souls were being prepared for auction and Treyvan held his 'property' in line.

Near them, a man gasped and laughed: "They expect a hundred latinum for that? I'd pay maybe ten!" He laughed. He was laughing at an aged, wrinkled human male being paraded on a stage. It was an auction for slaves, the use of which was unregulated. This particular male could expect nothing more than being purchased at cost and dying in a harsh work environment, most likely a mine somewhere where life expectancy was short. Next up was a young female, Bajoran by her nose ridges and lively scowl at the crowd. She was stripped of the blanket she'd clung to; underneath, she was naked. The auctioneer groped her breast and called out: "Bidding begins at 500 latinum!"

Reva glanced at Treyvan; he seemed to read her mind and shook his head: "Why give them all a show? Your nakedness should be a prize for the highest bidder." He smiled and knowingly looked her up and down. "It is, after all, rather beautiful." She shuddered.

The auction proceeded rapidly and the bajoran was led off as her auction ended and the next item was prepared.

"Augh! Hey!" The woman next up for auction protested loudly as the cloak covering her was suddenly yanked from her grasp. For a moment, she played tug-of-war with the man who had shoved her onto the stage.

Treyvan smiled wickedly at the excitement of the crowd as he had removed the cloak from his prize. Any guards in the area had already been paid off and the local Marshal had already been promised a percentage so there was nothing to worry about.

Looking up, the green-skinned female stopped; her fear took over and she pulled her manacled hands back to cover her bare midriff. Her outfit didn't cover much and the auctioneer made use of that: "Here we have a rare specimen! An Orion with Betazoid abilities! She'll be able to anticipate your every whim! And who wouldn't have a whim with this particular body? Everyone knows that Orions are lithe, supple. Why, they're nearly contortionists! And this one... can be trained! Bidding starts at fifteen hundred bars of latinum!"

"Lets play it careful here, last thing we need is more unwanted attention." Silonez whispered

Treyvan had stepped aside as the auctioneer keyed in the opening bid. 1500 bars of G/P Latinum. The amount began to climb immediately as the patrons began entering their bids into their bidding pads.

Reva glared at those in the bidding pool, daring them to take her on. They did: bidding quickly ramped past forty thousand latinum. Then one hundred was surpassed. "I hear one-fifty! One-fifty! Anyone to challenge?" The Auctioneer paused, scanning the crowd. "One-fifty! Going Once!"

"Going Twice!" There was a stir in the bidding crowd, but nothing new came up. "Sold for one-fifty!" The auctioneer gestured and a large-muscled male hauled Reva from the stage. She kicked him and bit a forearm; both actions had Treyvan reacting: he activated the collar, shocking the Orion and putting her out cold.

[a while later...]

"Reva...," the voice seemed far away as she struggled to wake up. Finally, she opened her eyes and blurrily focused on a dark-haired man. He smiled and came into focus as she blinked a few times. It was the slight Orion she'd noticed earlier. "Your father was Grax, wasn't he?"

"Um...," her tongue was fuzzy so she merely nodded. How did he know her name? Or her father's name?

"Ha!" The man laughed, seemingly delighted at that information. "You're Europa's girl! I thought you looked familiar, my dear. You look just like her."

Reva was still trying to beat back a fuzziness in her head when two things happened. One, a door opened, admitting a second man; two, Reva realized the first one had a hand on her ribs and that her wrists were still bound, hooked over something above her head. The realization sent a shock through her; the man knew her parents but that didn't mean she was safe in anyway.

The newcomer spoke, "Get away from her, Davies. She's Europa's daughter."

"So? 'ropa's in prison, will be for years. We'll just hold onto her daughter for her, get our investment back." His hand slid to Reva's belly.

"And not have any manhood left once Europa hears about that. Cut her down, put her in a guest suite and give her appropriate clothing," the other ordered. By his tone, it was obvious he was higher on the totem pole than Davies.

Grumbling, Davies did as ordered and Reva soon found herself sitting across a table from a stout man who quietly watched her eat. Swallowing, she asked, "Was it random chance you were there?"

"No," he answered. He'd been forthcoming, filling her in on the hows and whys. He continued, "Treyvan wasn't sutble when he sent out notices regarding the auction. A Betazoid-Orion hybrid... for those of us who know Europa, it brings out our curiosity. This time, it works in your favor."

That gave Reva pause. Her favor? She knew he meant that she'd be in a far worse position if he hadn't won the auction for her. "I suppose... Of course, that depends upon your intentions."

He chuckled. "Of course," he took a sip of his drink and remained silent for so long that Reva started doubting that he'd answer her concerns. Finally, he spoke, "My intentions depend upon yours, Reva. You could stay here, with me, and learn your mother's trade...." He paused as she snorted impolitely. He frowned and summed up, "Yes... well, then we'll make arrangements for you to return to Starfleet, unharmed."

"What will I owe you for that, then?" Reva knew that no one in her mother's circle would do something for free; criminals rarely did.

The man answered, surprising Reva, "Nothing. As Europa's daughter, you have a currency all your own: Europa's good will. Not to mention Europa's money, which I manage while she's away." He smiled and his manner let Reva relax.

Silonez who had stood in the back ground could hear the exchange between Reva and the slaver, he noticed a gold bracelet on the mans wrist, this was the man he was looking for he started to walk over, he quickly palmed a small greyish metal box as he approched the man, "You there how much for this girl." Silonez looked over and gave a quick wink hoping Reva would get the message.

"Eh," the man responded, quickly assessing the man before glancing over Reva. "She's naive and will need a steady hand. I don't think the likes of you could handle her appropriately."

Reva had turned a burning glare on the newcomer, but the fire in her eyes was doused by her companion's words. Naive? Her? Wait, was he starting a bargaining process? "What?! But you said --ow!" She rubbed where he'd just pinched her thigh and shot glares at both men. As the man had said, she was naive; she was missing any subtext either man was sending her way.

Silonez looked over giving a sinister smile from under the hood of his cloak, "I like a challenge."

"Hmm...," the stout man made a show of considering something. Finally, he said, "You'll do me a favor, then, take her, teach her a few necessary things and, eventually, return her to me." Reva stared at the man who had just assured her he'd return her to Starfleet; what the hell was he doing? "What say you to that?"

Without waiting for a response from the newcomer, the man made a gesture and Davies appeared with a small bag in hand. This, he handed to Reva as he pulled her up and stood her next to the cloaked male. "What?" Confused, Reva looked at the stout man then the other two, but her objection wasn't answered as the cloaked man took her arm and pulled her out of the bar.

 

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