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Homecomings

A Scarborough Fair Story

by RedFox6

Chapter Three

Confederation of Independent Star Systems

Sanushsir, capitol of Deseret

Present Day

The trip to Deseret was strained, and tension filled the air. Leu and Tollel either argued or didn't speak to one another. They avoided each other as much as was possible on a small ship and slept alone in their cabins.

They came out of hyperspace above Deseret. The antiquated defense grid challenged them, but Marie's responses satisfied it that the Scarborough Fair was just a harmless trader.

Tollel was on the bridge with Leu, watching the planet approach on the viewscreens. It was mostly sand colored, with here and there the blue of large bodies of water, surrounded by narrow strips of greenery. As they got closer, the irrigation systems became visible, stretching off into the distance, feeding the few areas of arable land and supplying the cities and towns with water.

"Deseret is a little closer to its sun than most really care for," Leu was saying, his voice artificially normal, attempting to deny the strain between them. "Makes for a very hot and dry planet. Water is strictly rationed, and stealing water is a capitol offense. Conversely, refusing a thirsty person water can also be a capital offense." He chuckled for a second. "Sometimes, their laws don't make a whole lot of sense."

Tollel already knew most of what Leu was telling her. She'd had plenty of time to research Deseret on the trip here, but she let him continue, hoping to defuse the tension between them.

"Those agri areas are heavily guarded," he went on, pointing them out. "And even with rationing, they have to import much of their food supplies.

"No one's really sure why the original settlers came here in the first place," he continued.

"They were lost," Tollel thought. "Or at least that's the prevailing theory. The natives seem to think that their god led them here to set up a 'model' society for humans."

Oblivious to her thoughts, Leu went on, "Deseret doesn't have much to offer. The only real exports are some mines producing uranium. But they're only profitable because they're worked by slave labor. Free laborers wouldn't put up with the lack of protective gear or safety standards. The rest of their foreign currency comes from trade and banking. They have no tariffs and few taxes on trade. As long as the government gets its cut, almost anything goes. Pretty much anything is available for sale here.

"Their banks will take money from anyone, no questions asked. And their laws forbid releasing bank data to offworld authorities."

With a cynical smile, Leu continued, "Needless to say, anyone wishing to hide their money finds the business climate here to their taste. Various law enforcement agencies would love to crack the bank information services here. Supposedly, even many Imperial citizens keep money here, just in case.

"A couple of TS centuries ago the planet was swept by the Church of Humans First!, a Human Supremacist movement. They pretty much wiped out their competition. No other religions are allowed here.

"This branch of Humans First! is a very strict, fundamentalist order. Outside of a few heavily guarded zones set up for offworlders, no stimulants, caffeine, candy, alcohol or pretty much any substance that could be considered fun is allowed. Of course, there's a thriving black market for all that." He smiled in remembrance, then went on, "I've made a few crowns running that stuff myself. Had to be really careful, though. If they catch you, they confiscate the ship and sentence the crew to the mines.

"Humans First! is a very patriarchal movement. A major tenet is that women are weak, and need to be protected from the 'harsh realities of life'. They can't leave their homes without an armed, male, escort, and must keep themselves covered up so as not to attract unwanted attention. They can't work outside of their home, and in the legal system, a woman's testimony counts for half that of a man's.

"Officially, women's education is discouraged, since females lack the 'necessary strength' to handle the stress of anything that doesn't involve their family. Of course, there's a lot of leeway when deciding what involves their family. Many women are actually highly educated, and are sort of the power behind the throne in their own homes, and sometimes in the government as well.

"Slavery is endemic, and is a very popular punishment, especially for debt," he went on. "It's easy to tell who's a slave and who isn't, since slave clothing consists of collars and bare skin. It's one of their core beliefs that debt is both a sin and a moral failing, and debtors should be exposed as a warning for all to see."

He paused, then continued carefully, "Another of their core beliefs is that, since morphs were created by humans, their natural place is as property. There are no free morphs on Deseret."

"But, the Confed laws say we have full rights," Tollel replied, secretly relieved that they weren't arguing any more.

"Yeah," he said, shrugging. "Doesn't make a difference. In their eyes, morphs are just property, and have no more rights than a car or a spaceship. It's a matter of religion, and the Confed makes an exception for religious beliefs."

After a short silence, Leu went on, "Being property, morphs are not allowed clothing, and have to be kept on a leash at all times. It's their law."

Leu let Tollel absorb the implications, before he continued, hunching his shoulders and looking down slightly, "Billie said we both have to be there. That means, you'll have to wear a collar and leash."

"Anything to see me naked and in chains, hey?" Tollel responded, with a poor attempt at humor. "I just can't seem to stay free, can I?"

"If we both didn't have to be there, I'd just have you stay on the ship," he said, looking at her. "I don't like this any more than you do. But, we don't want to get in any trouble with the Protectors here, they're not very forgiving to outsiders who openly flaunt their laws."

Resignedly, Tollel answered, "If we have to, we have to. I can pretend, for a few hours." Slipping out of her clothes and handing them to a drone, she went on, "But, you're going to owe me big time for this."

"Yeah," he agreed, happy they were talking again. "But you'll have to wait to collect until we leave Deseret." Secretly, he worried a little about what Tollel might demand in payment.

As Tollel got out her collar and a leash, Leu went on in a lecturing tone, "In many ways, Deseret is a very insular and backward planet. Most natives don't speak anything but their own language. Or some dialect of it. Sometimes natives from one part of the planet can't understand people from other parts. Some will speak Lingua Franca, but that's mostly the ones who have to deal with outsiders. If we stick to Lingua Gaelic, very few will be able to eavesdrop on us.

"Their main police and military forces are the Protectors of the Faithful of the Special Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice." With a small grin, he went on, "Even the government shortens that to Protectors.

"Despite the Special Committee's attempts at total consolidation, there are still a plethora of other police forces, mostly local, that enforce the laws in the different parts of the planet. Most cities have their own police forces, sometimes more than one. And they don't always get along with each other. The competition between the various agencies tends to get in the way of actually enforcing the law. Add in the fact that most police are poorly paid, and you can see the possibilities for graft of all kinds.

"Everybody and their brother is heavily armed, mostly edged weapons. They seem to see it as an expression of their manhood. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, most of them don't really know how to use their weapons, carrying them mostly for show. Watching two of the men fight an 'honor duel' can be very amusing, as well as dangerous. Their untrained flailing around is almost as dangerous to the bystanders as to themselves. And when they start trying to shoot each other, duck, and fast! Few of them even really know how to aim, much less hit the target accurately. Even the Protectors aren't very well trained. Basically just armed thugs. Corruption is endemic in the Protectors. Bribery is expected, and enough money will get them to overlook just about anything. There are parts of the planet that are under the de facto control of criminal gangs and warlords. Sometimes their conflicts turn into real honest to Deity shooting wars.

"I was here during the last one in Sanushsir," Leu went on, quietly, eyes distant as the memories of his last trip to Deseret came back. "By the time it was done, over two hundred gang members had died, and at least one thousand civilians had been killed in the crossfire. Both sides used military weapons, including rockets and mortars. The city and spaceport were shut down for a week. The Protectors just basically hunkered down in their bunkers and came out after it was over to count the dead."

A wry smile touched his lips. "In other words, if we get in trouble, don't expect any help from the authorities."

While Leu had been giving his lecture, Marie had negotiated the paperwork, landing fees and bribes and landed the ship at the main spaceport just outside of the capital city of Sanushsir.

She interrupted his reveries. "Leu. The car is fully armed and serviced. The extra armor has been fitted and the power cell fully charged. All electronics are optimal. Your destination has been programed into the Auto-Navi, for when I lose contact with you. The car has been stocked with food and water. You are as prepared as I can make you.

"If you wish to make your appointment, you should leave now," she finished. "And, be careful. I do not wish to be forced to find other partners. If you get in trouble, there is little I can do to help you. I am hooked into their communications system, but it is overburdened and obsolete, while their satellites are few in number, and were due for replacement thirty years ago. Their coverage is spotty at best. This slave market appears to be in a dead zone, just out of reach of our commo. We will be out of contact while you are there."

As they headed out the doorway, Marie said to Tollel, "He does like to prattle on when he's in lecture mode, doesn't he."

"Hey!" he said. "I'm right here, I can hear you, you know."

"I know," Marie responded in a smug tone that caused Tollel to give a nervous laugh, helping to break some of the tension.

"Fraggin' AI's," Leu muttered under his breath as they continued to the main bay.

Tollel took one look at the Runabout, now bulked out with extra armor. "Leu," she began hesitantly.

He smiled and explained, "Bombings, random drive by shootings, kidnappings, and that's just the criminal gangs. At any one time there's at least two insurgencies going on here, including a religious one that thinks the current regime is too liberal. Deseret has never really been all that safe a place to be, and it's been getting worse the last few years." He patted the car affectionately, then went on. "This will give us an edge if we need it. Should be okay during the day, but you never know."

Before getting in the Runabout, Leu finished putting on his utility harness. The compact Lewiston grenade launcher he favored went on his right hip, balanced on the left by a double sheath holding the matching long and short Kataki knives he'd been gifted with years ago, while his automatic rested in its usual place under his left arm. Pouches holding tools and extra ammo dotted the rest of the harness. He was already wearing light bodyarmor under his shirt, and finished off the ensemble with a wide brimmed hat and heavily tinted wraparound sunglasses. He shrugged his shoulders a couple of times to properly settle the harness on his body, then walked to the car.

Reaching it, he held the door for Tollel, then got behind the wheel and drove the Runabout out into the city.

The trip was uneventful. Leu kept the windows heavily tinted, both to keep the sun out and to allow Tollel to look out the windows in safety. What she saw made the zocalo at Tir na n'Og seem overly regimented and controlled.

The main highway from the spaceport was lined with palm trees. The originals had been imported at great cost from Terra centuries ago, and then genetically modified to better survive in the harsh conditions of Deseret. Even with the modifications, they still needed nightly watering from the underground irrigation system. The trees were spaced at precise intervals, with stout metal fences surrounding them. Brightly colored signs warned of the penalties for damaging them, some of which were highly creative.

The Runabout traveled easily through the chaotic, slowly moving traffic. Heat shimmered off the pavement while the Runabout's air conditioning worked overtime keeping the interior cool. The readouts from the active and passive sensors stayed mostly green during the trip. Occasionally they flashed yellow, as the sensors fleetingly detected some anomaly or other. At one point, a sensor flashed red, indicating a target lock. Leu tensed, ready to launch chaff and take as much evasive action as possible on the crowded streets, until it went back to green.

"Weren't looking for us," he thought, relaxing a little. "Somebody's going to get a nasty surprise."

Motorized and unmotorized vehicles of all kinds shared the roadways, blithely ignoring traffic signs. Horns blared, hand gestures were made, and curses were voiced with enthusiasm. Here, a truck was parked blocking two lanes of traffic while its contents were unloaded into a nearby shop. Walking back and forth atop it was a guard with an autoshotgun, eyeing the crowds suspiciously. There, two cars had collided with each other, and the drivers were angrily waving knives and screaming insults at one another, while other vehicles pulled around them, cursing, gesturing and honking their horns as they went.

Above them, flitters and skimmers competed for airspace, sometimes coming within centimeters of colliding, saved only by the automatic anticollision systems.

Mixed into the traffic were heavily laden carts and wagons, some pulled by beasts of burden, others by naked morphs straining against their harnesses.

Bicycles moved nimbly through the traffic, zipping in and out among the other vehicles, their riders carrying small packages and bundles strapped to their backs. Because of their agility, bike messengers were one of the fastest and cheapest ways to deliver packages across the city.

Pedestrians dodged their way across the roads with practiced ease, hopping down off the sidewalks and nimbly threading their way between the moving vehicles. The sidewalks were raised about half a meter above the roadways, to discourage cars from driving on them. Peddlers and beggars lined the sidewalks, hawking their wares or asking for alms. The braver and more agile of them dashed out amongst the slow moving traffic, begging from the vehicles as they went by. On the sidewalks, the pedestrians walked around or, in some cases, over them. Parasols dotted the pavement, protecting their owners from the sun. The Fashionable had theirs carried by slaves, naked under the blistering sun. The Very Fashionable carried their own. Guards and servants surrounded the more important walkers, glaring suspiciously at everyone.

Petty thieves plied their trade, dashing out to snatch wallets or bags, then swiftly vanishing into the crowds. When pursued, they ran down dark alleys, where only the foolish or truly desperate would dare follow.

Gang members strutted down the street in small groups, weapons openly carried, their affiliations displayed by their colorful clothing and elaborate tattoos.

Armed guards stood before doorways inside which shopkeepers and customers haggled loudly over goods and services.

It was almost two hours before they reached the parking lot of the market, a mere 20 klicks from the spaceport. Leu paid the entry fees, handed over a hefty bribe, and was then directed to a secure slot by heavily armed guards dressed in overly elaborate uniforms.

The heat struck them as soon as Leu got out of the car holding Tollel's leash. Her expression neutral, she followed him to the main entrance, one pace back and to his left, heeling like a good slave, or pet. The training she'd received stood her in good stead as she easily blended in with the crowd of owners and slaves. In fact, she blended in better than Leu; despite his best efforts, he still didn't carry the leash with the casual unconscious familiarity of one used to owning slaves.

The guards at the entrance to the market let them through, with only a cursory glance at Leu's weapons, and a slightly longer leer at Tollel's nakedness. Mixed in with the crowd, they walked under the holographic sign proclaiming Siwa's Slave Market and Pet Emporium. Under that was a smaller sign saying, Leash Law Strictly Enforced.

The market was crowded. Buildings nestled shoulder to shoulder, sharing common walls. The streets were fairly wide, but filled with people jostling each other. Large holographic signs floated in the air, advertising the products of the various shops. The ones above the auction blocks very graphically portrayed the goods for sale.

The auction blocks for human slaves were mostly indoors, or at least partially screened off, with seating for the buyers, while the auction blocks for morphs were much more open, exposing their wares for sale. The open blocks had canopies over them, providing partial shade for the slaves and auctioneers, while the buyers stood in the open during the sales.

Interspersed with the auction blocks were other establishments catering to the buyers and sellers. All had large and imposing holographic signs advertising their goods and services. There were cafes serving food and drink, some large enough to have seating areas, while others were mere counters, where one had to eat standing on the sidewalk. Many of the shops sold various restraints, collars, leashes, harnesses, gags and hoods, along with whips, crops, slave prods and other devices of 'discipline' and 'correction'. Several of the larger booths had slaves restrained in various ways, demonstrating how their wares worked. Customers could try out the various devices on the slaves before buying. Further along were stalls where you could get your slave tattooed, pierced or branded in any way you desired. In short, anything you wanted for the restraint and abuse of your slave was available for sale. Business was brisk this day and every day.

Armed guards were everywhere, with private guards protecting the various establishments, while others, hired by Siwa's Slave Market itself, patrolled the streets. None of them seemed to be expecting much trouble, rifles slung across their backs and laughing and joking with each other rather than paying attention to the crowds.

The air was filled with the aroma of food and drink, mixed with the smell of unwashed humans and morphs, and sprinkled with the scents of perfumes and incense trying to mask the odor of despair.

Walking through the bustling crowd, Leu couldn't help but feel nervous, tense and on edge. A slave market was not his natural habitat. He hated them, and all that they stood for. Behind the heavily tinted lenses of his glasses, his eyes tracked back and forth, attempting to see everything. He was assessing everyone he saw for possible threats, his hands resting near his weapons. "A slave market," he was thinking. "Bloodyel. Of all the places that Billie could have sent us to, why did it have to be a slave market, and on Deseret of all the Deity forsaken planets in the Confed?

_ "The only way I'm going to make it here,"_ he thought. "is to take on the role of a ruthless, hardass slave owning bastard."

_ _ Mentally, he began getting himself into the part, his expression becoming colder even as he felt disgust at himself for being able to slip into it so easily.

A nasty half smile came and went as visions of carpet bombing the place with implosion bombs lifted his spirits a little.

At his left shoulder, Tollel walked gracefully, eyes nominally lowered, but still observing things carefully. Naked except for the collar and leash which connected her to Leu, she traveled wrapped in her own memories of such places.

Halfway through the market, a flashing holographic sign caught her eye. It cycled through several scenes of improbably well endowed morphs performing various sexual acts both solo and with others, before flashing Smith'sWell Trained SexPets For Sale. Standing on the block underneath were several morphs chained to each other by the throat, with monogloves holding their arms behind them, thrusting their chests forward. Large ballgags filled their muzzles and numbered tags dangled from their collars. One of them, a female rabbit morph with white fur and pink hair, looked familiar, and Tollel risked a closer look. With a shock, she recognized her. It was Aoife, a slave she had met and befriended when Mistress Selena had sent her to ForeverYours for advanced doxy training.

"Leu," she said quietly in Lingua Gaelic. "The rabbit morph with pink hair and white fur on that block to the left."

His eyes tracked over, spotting the morph. He automatically assessed the guards at the auction block._ _ Heavily armed, but the way they held themselves and their weapons, he could tell they were neither combat experienced nor expecting trouble. "What about her?" he replied in the same language.

"I know her," she answered. "That's Aoife. She's my best friend from Forever Yours. She helped me get through my training there."

With a wry smile, Leu said, "Suddenly, I think I know why we're here." He changed his course, angling towards the auction block, with Tollel close behind him. "And I've got an odd feeling I know about how much she's going to cost."

Reaching the auction block, Leu made a closer assessment of the guards. They were sitting on stools with their rifles slung across their backs and their bodyarmor hanging open to catch any breezes that might pass by. Rather than watching the crowd, they were laughing and joking with each other, passing around a bottle and obviously not expecting any trouble. "If it comes down to it," Leu thought. "I should be able to take out at least two while they're trying to unsling their weapons, and a third before they can start firing. After that, it'll start to get interesting. Too many other guards between here and the gate. We'd never make it. Better to just play this one straight."

_ _ The auctioneer entered from the back and the auction finally started.

Before a mixed crowd of natives and offworlders, he led the first morph forward and began the sale.

"Noble sirs," he said in heavily accented Lingua Franca. "Welcome to Smith'sWell Trained SexPets. We have for sale today a most extraordinary collection of the finest merchandise available, starting with this magnificent specimen." The auctioneer went on to tout the young slave's oral abilities, obedience, and enthusiastic desire to please his master in any way possible.

To Leu's eye, this first slave, a small black and white cat morph in his early teens, looked less magnificent and more bedraggled and downtrodden. Regardless, the auctioneer was skilled, bidding was brisk, and the slave was finally bought by an older human. Leu didn't care to speculate on what services the human would demand from his new slave.

Over the next half hour, the slaves were sold one by one, slowly approaching Tollel's friend. The longer the sale took, the more on edge Leu became, glancing around, fingers tapping on his weapons. Tollel, better trained at hiding her impatience, also anxiously awaited the sale of her friend.

The auctioneer finally brought the rabbit morph to the fore. "Look at this, noble sirs," he cried out, leading her forward. "Number 267. As fine a pet as one could ask for. Obedient and willing to do whatever you wish." He bent her back slightly. Combined with the monoglove pulling her elbows together behind her, the action thrust her breasts out to the audience, clearly displaying her nipple rings. He slyly tweaked her nipples, causing them to harden and stand out proudly, thrusting her nipple rings out even further. The auctioneer's hand went between her spread legs, cupping her pussy and toying with her clit piercing, while he continued with his spiel. "She's hot and willing and ready for the right man. Your merest wish is her command."

His hand went to her muzzle. "Just imagine this mouth wrapped around your manhood noble sirs," he said. "Pure bliss! With her skills, it is the closest a man can get to Paradise in this lifetime."

He spun her around and bent her forward, thrusting her buttocks at the audience. She obediently raised her tail out of the way. "And just look at this ass." he said. "Just imagine yourself using her tight holes for your pleasure, noble sirs. She has been fully trained by the experts at ForeverYours. She is highly talented in all of the bedroom arts. And," he went on with a broad leer, "you know what they say about rabbits!

"Shall we start the bidding at one hundred crowns, noble sirs?" the auctioneer cried. "Yes. Your ears do not deceive you, I said a mere one hundred crowns, and an excellent bargain it is. Who will give me one?"

A hand in the crowd went up. "I have one," he said. "Who will give me one and a half?" Several more hands went up as the price rose.

When the price reached a thousand, only a few remained bidding, including Leu. At fifteen hundred, there were only three, and at two thousand, only Leu and one other were still interested. Most considered that too much for a pet, no matter how well trained. The last bidder seemed less interested in buying a pet and more interested in outbidding an offworlder. After every bid, he would glare at Leu, as if daring him to continue.

Leu made his next bid, the full amount that Billie had given them.

"Expledel," he was thinking. "If that thrice damned smegger raises again, I'll have to dip into our discretionary funds." He was trying to remember how much money they had available if his opponent went over his bid, but it seemed they had exceeded that worthy's budget. With a vicious glare, the other bidder conceded by snarling, "It's not worth that," and stalking off in disgust with his slaves and guards surrounding him.

Leu moved to the counter to pay and receive the papers transferring ownership to him. While he filled out the paperwork registering the sale, assistants led the morph over. They unlaced and removed the monoglove, replacing it with a pair of simple cuffs, and unbuckled and removed the large ball gag that filled the morph's mouth. She discreetly moved her jaw and rolled her shoulders to work out the stiffness from her hours of bondage.

Apprehensively, with her head bowed submissively, the rabbit morph watched as Leu completed the slow and laborious process that made her his property, assessing as best she could her new owner. What she saw of her new owner was a human of middle height and weight, dressed in well worn, nondescript clothing. Short brown hair touched with gray showed under his wide brimmed hat. A wide belt around his waist held various weapons. Aoife recognized a pistol of some sort and a couple of knives, one long and one short, as well as some pouches holding unknown items. Three short, parallel scars ran down under his left eye, marring his tanned skin. The heavily tinted lenses of his wraparound sunglasses hid his eyes. She was unable to get an accurate read of what kind of master he would be. All she could do was hope for a master less cruel than her last one.

Her eyes tracked to the vixen slave next to him, trying to assess her new owner by how he treated his other slave. There were no obvious marks of abuse on her, and her posture and body language showed that her spirit wasn't completely broken.

The vixen glanced at her, and she suddenly recognized her friend Tollel. Eyes widening, she raised her head and began saying, "Toll..."

Before she could finish, the human turned and struck her on the muzzle. Taken by surprise, and with her arms cuffed behind her, she lost her balance and fell painfully on her side.

Several bystanders looked on in approval, and one applauded, saying, "Morph whores should only open their mouths to suck cock."

A look of shock crossed Tollel's face at the blow, but her training quickly changed it back to a neutral expression.

"There'll be Sheol to pay for this," Leu thought, keeping his face hard as the morph struggled to her knees before him. With her knees spread, the fem turned her head to the left, with her chin up, so he could easily leash her. She raised her ears out of the way, the multiple piercings glinting in the sunlight as she did so.

Leu didn't dare look towards Tollel, as he leashed the morph and pulled her to her feet. Tollel's training kept her expression neutral as Leu chained Aoife's collar to her's, then led them both towards the parking lot and their car.

Pushing through the crowds, it didn't take them long to reach the parking lot and the Runabout they'd left behind.

Using his remote, Leu keyed the vehicle on and waited while the security system ran its diagnostic routine. When it didn't explode and the system came up green, he unlocked the doors and led them to the car, putting them in the backseat. Slipping behind the wheel, he polarized the windows so no one could see in and put the AC on high.

When he turned around, Tollel had already uncuffed Aoife and was giving her some water. She was mildly dehydrated, having been neither fed nor watered since well before the auction started. While she sipped at the water, Tollel unhooked the chain between their collars and dropped it on the floor.

Dropping his role, Leu leaned over the seat and said, "I'm really sorry about that. But, if the slavers knew you were familiar with each other, there could be way too many questions to answer and bribes to pay. We might not get offplanet for days.

"Let me see how bad it is," he said to her.

Obediently, she turned her muzzle towards him.

"Aw, Deity's child," he said, examining the mark. "Tony would take my head off for this, and Vito would start with my balls."

With Tollel looking on, he sorted through the medical kit, finally pulling out some painblockers.

"Here, take these," he said, handing over the pills. "They'll block the pain and help reduce the swelling.

"And again," he went on. "I really can't say how sorry I am for that."

"Thank you, Master," Aoife said, before swallowing the pills.

"Please, don't call me Master," he said, before turning back around and pulling out of the parking slot to begin the journey back to the spaceport.

While he negotiated his way out of the parking lot and back onto the highway, Tollel and Aoife spent their time chattering away, renewing their friendship and getting caught up on all that had happened to them in the interim.

Listening to them happily talking in the back seat, Leu smiled and thought, "Maybe this trip is going to work out OK after all."

Traffic was even slower on the return trip, with some kind of bottleneck ahead. Approximately five klicks out from the capital, they had to detour around a Protector roadblock. Beyond it, at the point where their sensors had detected a fleeting target lock earlier, was a large armored SUV, burning merrily. It looked like it had taken a missile or two. Four escort vehicles, two cars and two motorcycles, were also there, shattered by a barrage of missile and machine gun fire. Blocking the road was a large truck that had obviously rammed the first escort car, springing the ambush. Other cars that had been hit in the crossfire were scattered across the road, riddled by machine gun fire and shrapnel. Fire suppression equipment was on the scene, attempting to quench the blaze, while Protectors milled around, keeping bystanders back. Ambulances and EMTs were also there, taking care of the many wounded civilians caught in the crossfire.

Once they'd negotiated their way past the roadblock, traffic returned to its usual lethargic speed.

Their commo had come back, and Leu queried Marie about the incident.

"Hard data is lacking Leu," she said. "Speculation is that it was a gang assassination of a rival gang leader, but whether the intended target was in that vehicle or not is unknown at this point. So far, no one has taken credit for the attack."

"Sooner we're off this thrice damned planet, the better," Leu muttered under his breath, then, "Marie. Get us a launch window ASAP.

"Also," he went on. "We have a passenger. Prep up another cabin, and ready the Daktari."

"We have a launch window in two hours, four minutes, Leu," Marie answered. "Hopefully that will give you enough time to reach the Fair. The next possible launch window will be seven hours, thirty nine minutes after that."

After a short pause, Marie continued, "They have identified the victim and issued a holo of the crime scene. Would you be interested in seeing it?"

"Sure," Leu said. "Why not?"

When the holo came up, he whispered, "Drek." Then, with a quick glance at the backseat, he flipped a switch, activating the privacy screen between the front and back seats. Tollel and Aoife were so engrossed in getting caught up with each other that they didn't even notice the screen going up. He returned his gaze to the gruesome scene pictured on the holo screen. A dozen severed heads had been set on spikes, just in front of the burning vehicles.

Marie did notice, and asked, "Is there a problem, Leu?"

"Maybe," he responded. "Hopefully not. But that head in the front is the spitting image of the man who was trying to outbid me for Aoife. Might be a coincidence, might not be."

After another glance at the backseat, Leu went on, "But they don't need to know how close Aoife came to being killed in that attack. Soon as we get there, we'll fort up the Fair until launch time. Just to be on the safe side."

Back at the ship, Marie ran a quick diagnostic on the weapons systems, surreptitiously activating the PDW's and putting the shields on standby. With the engines idling, she began working out real time simulations of the best escape routes for a hot launch. She also began correlating the various reports on the attack, attempting to make sense of the sequence of events.

"The press is stating that the vehicles were attacked about an hour ago, Leu." she said. "Witnesses state that after the vehicles were stopped, there was a short but intense firefight. Once the defenders were dealt with, the attackers rushed the vehicles and began beheading all the passengers, whether they resisted or not. They set up their spikes with the impaled heads, set the vehicles ablaze and ran off into the city. Witnesses say that a large flitter was seen lifting off soon after. It was obviously a well planned and coordinated attack.

"There is a possibility that we are looking at the opening stages of another gang war, Leu,"

"Just great," Leu muttered to himself. "You know, there's a reason I stopped coming here."

Leu didn't start relaxing until they were safely onboard the Scarborough Fair. Fortunately, neither Tollel nor Aoife noticed his preoccupation.

Exiting the car, Tollel and Aoife continued chattering away as they walked across the main cargo bay.

They paused at a workbench, and Aoife looked on in astonishment as Tollel casually removed her collar and tossed it on the counter.

Leu stopped by the bench and asked, "Marie, how much longer 'til our launch window?"

"We launch in nine minutes, Leu," was the answer.

"Good. That gives us plenty of time."

Smiling at Aoife, he went on, "Let's take care of that collar." He pulled out the electronic key he'd received from the auctioneer.

Handing it to Tollel, he asked, "Would you like to do the honors?"

Smiling, eyes bright and tail wagging, she eagerly took the key. A click, and the collar unlocked, and Tollel removed it from around her friend's neck. She tossed it on the workbench next to hers, then hugged a surprised looking Aoife.

"Come on, you two. Let's head up to the bridge for the launch," Leu led the way, smiling at the happy chatter behind him. "Going back to Deseret was worth it after all," he was thinking. "Saved a friend of Tollel's from slavery and maybe death.

_ "I just hope that was the really bad thing that we had to stop,"_ he went on, his natural pessimism reasserting itself.

They reached the bridge just as their launch window came up. They barely had time to seat themselves before Marie launched the Fair into space. Just like Tollel all those months ago, Aoife watched the screens closely, it being her first time being able to watch a launch from inside a ship.

Once the Fair had safely launched and entered hyperspace, Tollel managed to pry her friend away from the screens and take her to the Daktari. She anxiously waited outside while it performed its procedures.

At the Cormoran Royal Commonwealth Embassy, notification that one of their citizens had been killed three days ago finally worked its way through all the channels and red tape. A list of his personal effects was included, along with an addendum that all personal effects had been sold to pay for 'expenses', including court costs and fines.

When the report reached their office, a controlled panic ensued in the CRC External Intelligence Committee unit there. A small slave cage was hastily bolted to a fast moving gun skiff, and Senior Agent Valentinus, along with a heavily armed fireteam was dispatched with it to Siwa's Slave Market and Pet Emporium, with strict orders to recover his slave at all costs.

Taking off, it swiftly flew to Siwa's, threading through the vehicles, disrupting traffic, and leaving the other vehicle operators to curse at them. Their diplomatic RFID tags ensured the authorities didn't bother them, while the well armed fireteam and prominently displayed heavy sliver gun discouraged the other drivers from pressing the issue.

The skiff reached the slave market much more quickly than a ground vehicle could have. They hastily paid the entry fees and bribes and were directed to a parking slot. Once parked, the fireteam disembarked and entered the market, leaving the skiff's two man crew to guard the vehicle.

Using the data they had received while in flight, the fireteam quickly moved to Smith's WellTrained Sex Petsbooth, pushing through the crowds and brushing aside anyone who didn't get out of their way fast enough.

When they arrived at Smith's, the guards there took one look at the grim faced intruders and began unslinging their weapons. The fireteam swiftly raised their sliver carbines to the ready position, not quite aiming them at the guards. The customers scattered, and the street miraculously cleared of people.

Market guards began moving towards them, and the fireteam took up a 360 degree defensive formation.

Senior Agent Valentinus stepped forward and addressed the guards. "There is no need for this," he said. "We merely wish to speak to your employer about a matter that may profit him greatly."

The auctioneer stepped forward, motioning his guards to lower their weapons. Bowing to Valentinus, he said, "How may this humble servant help you, noble sir?"

"You have a slave here," Valentinus replied.

"This is an auction house," was the reply. "We have many slaves here. In fact, I was about to begin a new auction as we speak."

Valentinus raised his hand momentarily. There was the glint of coins as he went on, "We are interested in one particular item, a rabbit morph that was the property of one of our citizens. We will pay well for it, or information on its disposal."

"I see," the auctioneer said, gesturing towards the rear. "In that case, if you would follow me, noble sir. We can conduct our business in private, away from prying ears."

The guards and the fireteam lowered their weapons from the ready position at the same time, accepting a rough truce, though they both kept a close eye on the other.

Inside his office, the auctioneer bravely turned his back on Valentinus while he operated his computer, bringing the appropriate files up on the screen.

Gesturing towards the screen, he said, "There you are noble sir. Number 267, sold just this morning to one Captain Leucidion, of the Scarborough Fair."

Masking his disappointment, Valentinus merely grunted, "Thank you for your assistance," and handed over several large denomination coins.

Collecting his fireteam, he headed back to their vehicle, already formulating a plan to track down the errant slave.

As the skiff took off, Valentinus was busy on his PPC, preparing his report for the embassy. As soon as they left the dead zone and regained communications, he sent his report, as well as inquiries to the spaceport regarding the Scarborough Fair.

By the time they reached the embassy, their bribes had achieved the desired effect. The spaceport sent over the registered flight plan for the Scarborough Fair, including its next destination, the planet Haiphong.

Subspace messages were sent to their embassy on Haiphong, informing it of the expected arrival of the Fair and instructing it to arrange for the recapture of Aoife, regardless of cost.

Finished, Valentinus sat back and awaited results. He had done all he could, and it was now out of his hands.