Chapter One

“I don’t know why you have drug me out here,” Lotor growled as he looked at the scene before him. He found himself in the dark and dirty underbelly of the galaxy and on the last planet any self respecting royal would be; lucky for him he wasn’t self respecting.

“I’m pretty sure that something has just come on the market that you cannot live without,” Grieg replied, just loud enough for Lotor to hear. The fellow half drule was normally rather blunt and straight forward, Lotor didn’t like the vague reply.

Lotor knew exactly where he was. Everyone knew what business took place on the backwater planet of Catarthis. No one even made an attempt to hide the business that was being conducted here. Transactions were being conduced in the open.

People were being bought and sold.

Lotor had never set foot on the planet before. His father never had to purchase his slaves, their stock was kept full by their warmongering. The sales of their slaves was handled by a broker. He never had to sully his hands with the trades.

Lotor followed Grieg closely. Only Grieg knew where the two were headed and Lotor did not want to lose his pilot. The streets were almost a roar with activity. Even though the evening was almost gone and night upon them, the streets were teaming with activity.

“Here,” Grieg said finally as the two walked into an arena of sorts. The building looked to be ancient, made from carved stone with modern improvements. It looked as if some sort of fighting event could have been held in the raised center of the building with tiered seating around. Behind the seating were cages filled with alien people.

“The last thing I need is another slave,” Lotor hissed to Grieg as he caught sight of the first tortured face peering out of the cages. They were all shaved of all their hair, male and female together in the same cage, stark naked. There were so many races that Lotor could not focus them all. Some ranged from pale to dark, irridescent to abysmal, young to old, fit to fat. He had never in his life seen such variety but they all wore the same expression. They had all been worn down until they were nothing like their former selves.

They were all broken.

Lotor had strayed past several cages and he heard the event coordinator calling for the attention of the crowd. The auction was about to start, he was expected to take his seat soon. Grieg never left his side, waiting for him to find a seat.

“Lotor!” He spun around, looking for the meek voice that had called his name. He thought for a moment that he had imaged in.

“Did you hear something?” Lotor asked, looking to Grieg. No one around him seemed to react as if someone had been calling for attention. The cages around him showed nothing but filty downtrodden faces. The auctioneer was still calling for everyone to find a seat.

Lotor had almost turned to find away when he felt something tug on his sleeve. He turned quickly and swatted at the human that was pulling at him. The woman reeled back from his blow. The handlers were on her after a split second too, using their rods to shock her back into submission.

“Lotor,” he heard again and was shocked to see the woman’s mouth move with the sound. She was human and quite fair, even that was obvious under all the street dust. When her eyes openned, they were a brilliant shade of blue.

A hugh that he knew he would never forget in his entire life.

Grieg grabbed his arm and pulled him away.

“If you want her, you have to buy her,” Grieg said in his ear, quietly. “Poker face.”

Lotor understood now why Grieg had brought him here and why he has been so tight lipped about the details. The information that Grieg must have intercepted was high risk, for all parties involved.

Lotor composed himself and knew that his face was as stoic as ever. He joined the other shoppers in the bleacher seats and listened to the trite speach given by the event coordinator. These slaves were bottom of the barel, the auctioneer was saying. Not pretty enough for the harems or strong enough for the farms. Lotor knew this level of slavery too, for this was where Haggar would get subjects for her experienents.

“You should bid on one or two before she comes up,” Grieg suggested. “Make it look as if you are a casual purchaser of commodities.”

Lotor nodded at the suggestion. He did not want to tip anyone off as to his real intention now that he knew why he was here. The auctioneer concluded his diatribe and brought the first slaves forward.

Lotor sat through several purchases until the first human was brought to the sales block. The bidding was luke warm but Lotor made his obligatory bids but allowed himself to be outbid quickly. The bidding was low the bidders seemed to know what they were looking for, the stronger and the prettier were being purchased at a slightly higher amount.

Lotor sat through several more purchases until he finally saw what he wanted.

An attendant brought forward a human woman, all of her hair shaved from her body and naked, like all those that were sold before her. She had a slave collar around her neck and the leash was handed to the auctioneer. She did not get any sort of introduction. Lotor was certain that no one knew who she was. She was so thin and pale that he almost did not recognize her. Her stance was timid and submissive. She did not look up to see the faces of the crowd.

“We shall start the bidding at 100 credits,” the auctioneer shouted, the standard starting price of this slave lot.

Lotor listened for the first bid and in a moment he heard it from an alien down in the front of the seats. The alien’s friends seemed to agree with his bid.

“200 credits?” Lotor looked about and him and no one seemed inclined to bid. No one knew what sort of treasure was standing before them.

No one bid.

“200 credits.” Lotor bid, staying as cool as he could. No one knew but the stakes were high.

“Do I hear 300?” the auctioneer asked, looking at the first bidder. The alien looked back at Lotor’s direction, not certain who had bid but cursed. He shook his head toward the auctioneer.

“200 credits then. Sold then to the gentlemen with the white hair.”

The woman was hurried off the block and the next brought up before Lotor could really take it all in. All of the purchases were going that quickly. The auctioneer had hundreds of people to sell before his day was done. He did not want to draw things out longer than he had to.

Lotor was certain that he was in a strane dream. He was going to wake up any moment in his own chambers and laugh at himself. If he wasn’t dreaming, he had just purchased the Princess Allura of Arus for a mere 200 credits, and no one was the wiser.