In the next cage, Meoko, her sandy colored younger sister, sat against a back wall, snoring softly, her head slumped foreward. She had recieved a much heavier stun than Sieta and had trouble staying awake.

Six other Ivaea sat in their cages, some sleeping, others talking and growling quiety about thier coming enslavement.

They were in a spacecraft of some kind though none of them could agree as to what kind it was. The female who called herself Yuashotha claimed that she was really an Asikiwa, one of that hated race of ancient reptilian creatures that could control elemental forces and the fates of trillions of beings.

All of them believed her. Who else would enslave the peaceful Ivaea? They were uncertain of where they were going.

They had eaten hours ago. Raw meat, bloody and full of gristle. Few Ivae could eat such a thing after thousands of years of cooked and processed food but they did, afraid of being starved.

Sieta did not. She gave her share to Meoko, who ate both shares ravenously, which worried her. Had the stun affected something in her?

Now they were sleeping, hoping this was all a bad dream.

********************************************************

An unknown amount of time later, Yuashotha entered the cargo room with a loud horn. She laughed quietly.

Sieta, who sat on the floor of her cage looking at Meoko, turned to look at the alien female, afraid of being shocked again.

The disguised Asikiwa female seemed to single her out for some reason. None of the other Avaea were shocked like Sieta. Yuashotha bared her teeth in what Sieta had come to recognize as a smile.

She sounded the horn which hurt Sieta's ears and startled all of the sleeping ones awake with expressions of pain.

"Listen up! We are approaching the world called New Yatheva. I want all of you to behave or else you will go to the pelt collectors. I have collars for each of you to wear."

An alien male, not unlike the one Sieta had killed had came into the cargo area with a large box. He sat it on the floor and began handing leaher and ceramic restraints and collars to Yuashotha, who pushed one set of each into each of the eight occupied cages.

When she came to Sieta's cage, she smiled. "Ah, red Sieta. I have a special one for you." She pushed a dark red leather and ceramic muzzle, collar and retraints thorugh the bars of the cage. "Put them on. If you fail to obey, you will be shocked helpless and I will put them on you and you will not like that."

Sieta snarled at her, offended at being restrained like an animal. "Shock me then. I will not be chained like a beast." She was really afraid but hid it behind her hatred for this one.

"Sieta, please do it, don't let them hurt you again," Meoko said from the next cage. She had put her collar on and was sitting close to the bars that separated them.

Sieta felt scared and angry. She wanted to bite this one, no matter the risk. If only the bars were not between them. She growled. "No, dearest one. I will not be trealed like an animal."

Yuashotha laughed loudly. "You are an animal, red Sieta. Now obey or pay the price for disobedience."

Something in Sieta snapped and she roared, baring her killer teeth and sharp canines. It startled all of the Ivaea, who were taught from cubhood not to ever betray their animal past.

Yuashotha took a few steps back, astonished. She recovered quickly and shook her head, smiling. "My, my. You are quite the wild one, aren't you? I told you to obey."

Sieta growled, her teeth still bared at this one. "I promise to kill you someday, alien filth."

Yuashotha pulled the control from her black suit's hip pocket and shook her head again. "You are only hurting yourself, you fool." She pressed a button on the control.

Electricity struck Sieta hard in her back, making her quiver and cry out in pain. She fell onto her right side, still being shocked.

She could barely hear the other Ivaea growl and scream for it to stop.

Sieta was in tremendous pain and thought that she was dying. It hurt so bad. Tears flooded her eyes, saliva dripped from her mouth, she convulsed and her claws felt like they were on fire as did her fur.

The it stopped abruptly.

Sieta violently quivered in pain and sorched muscles. She could not get up. She wanted so to die. She blinked her eyes, her nictitating membranes covering both eyes but she could still see the one she hated most now.

The door to her cage opened and Yuashotha came in. She stooped to pick up the restraints and then came to Sieta.

Sieta wished that she could move. Dig her claws into this one's flesh until she gushed blood but she could hardly feel her body, much less move it.

Yuashotha placed her booted foot on her left shoulder and pushed her onto her back.

She fell over like a broken doll. Strangely, she had no skin burns or singed fur, though she did not think of this at the time.

Yuashotha stroked the fur on her chest. "Soft as I imagined. I hope you do well in the fights, red one. I'd hate to see you lose this beautiful pelt."

Sieta tried to speak but nothing came out. She wanted to cringe at this one's touch. But nothing happened. She was stunned and helpless.

More tears blurred her vision as Yuashotha started putting the restraints on her wrists and the collar on. Sieta could see that it had her name on it in Ivaea glyphs and alien letters. The muzzle fitted over her feline-like nose and jaw, holding her mouth closed, making it hard to breathe. Her nose was congested.

Once finished, she used a leash to haul Sieta to her feet. The female Ivae tried to stay on her feet but could barely manage to. It was that or be choked.

Yuashotha pushed her down, making her land hard on her backside, which hurt, jarring her bones and making her slump foreward, her muscles unable to constrict.

The alien female scoffed, a snort like sound. She stroked the top of Sieta's head. "Sleep now, red one. We are taking you to a different place."

Sieta tried to sniff as effluvient dripped from her muzzled nose. It made her cry more.

Yuashotha walked away, closing the door of the cage and locking it. She looked at the others. "Get ready to leave. If you try to scratch or bite, Lanac will kill you at once."

One by one, the cage doors unlocked and swung open.

Meoko clutched the bars between her and Sieta's cage. "Sieta? Sister?," she asked, her voice full of concern.

Sieta could not turn to look at her or talk. Tears dripped down her muzzled nose.

"You, Meoko, come along now," Yuashotha said. She brandished the control.

Meoko whimpered in fear. She looked again at her big sister. "I love you, Sieta. Don't forget me." She reluctantly stepped out of her cage and joined the line of the other Ivaea.

They were ushered out through a side door and down a ramp into bright sunshine.

Sieta was left alone in the cargo area. Afraid. Worried about Meoko. Broken hearted. And mostly anger. She would have vengeance.

She regained enough strength to lift her head and saw how her fur was now stained with her mucous, saliva and tears. The muzzle was so tight and restricting. The indiginity of it hurt more however.

********************************************************

Yuashotha went by the more Teshin like name of Yuleta when dealing with others.

She registered seven Ivaea and got 930,000 sendarinas for each of the 4 adult Ivaea. Curiously, 13 year old Elea was worth 1.4 million sendarinas and 17 year old Meoko brought in 2 million even.

It was much more than Yuashotha expected all to her delight. She had grand dreams of selling thousands of Ivaea and reaping in fortunes that would rival that of her Asikiwa days.

She went and purchase new clothes and gave Lanac his share, which he invested into upgrading thier ship.

He had gone off to find people skilled in shipcraft on this busy market world of New Yatheva.

Yuashotha wondered what kind of price Sieta would bring. She was a strong and agile Ivae female. Young enough to be trained, old enough to know the value of her life. Her pretty red fur only added to her appeal.

She hoped to get more for Sieta than all the other adult Ivae combined.

She went to the Beast Fighting Commission on this world to get a list of buyers.

There were 14 Clubs, 89 Individuals and 3 Professionals who all bought new fighters. The Melreis Club was a small club that specialized in felinoid fighters like Keerchi and Katlani.

Its single Katlani was killed in competition last week, leaving an open spot.

The Ivaea were not felinoids. They were Ursine, but Yuashotha believed that Sieta would fit the bill just by having fur and claws.

She went and bought cleansers for furred beings and a fine brush, though she was chagrined at having to clean Sieta, who had to look fine when Yuashotha took her to the buy.

********************************************************

Sieta had slowly recovered though she was very sore. Her hands were swollen from the restraints and the muzzle was extremely uncomfortable.

She sat where she had been sitting for a long time now, longing to be free and for a bath.

Where was Meoko now? A fresh stab of grief struck her heart at the thought of her sister. She had run out of tears to cry.

Suddenly, the door at the far end of the cargo room slid open. In strode Yuashotha with a small mesh bag with a brush and what appeared to be a cleanser within.

Hope sprung in Sieta though she knew better than to expect kindness from the disguised Asikiwa female. She slowly got to her feet.

Yuashotha came to her cage door. "Red Sieta," she said wih a smile. "I've come to clean you. I will warn you now. The last shock you recieved was mild to the one you will get if you try anything. I will release you so you can clean yourself up. You'd better do a good job because if I have to clean you, it will be unpleasant. Understand?"

Sieta did not want another shock, no matter the cost. She backed her hooded ears and looked down in shame. "I will clean myself good."

Yuashotha unlocked her cage and opened the door. She took the leash and led Sieta to a different room, one with a huge basin made of white ceramic, set into the floor.

Sieta was suprised. This ship must have been huge.

Yuashotha unlocked her restrains and took off the collar and muzzle with a warning look in her eyes.

Sieta stretched and yawned widely, letting the alien female see her carnivore teeth.

"Get into the basin," Yuashotha ordered, obviously uncomfortable.

Sieta memorized her smell, a musky sweet smell, for the future when she would kill this one. She popped several joints in her knees, hands, back and neck and slowly stepped into the basin sitting down on its cold bottom.

Yuashota said something in what Sieta guessed to be the Asikiwa language.

Hot water suddenly began filling the basin from all around its rim. It was uncomfortable at first but the warmth soothed Sieta's sore body.

Yuashotha gave her the mesh bag. "You have 30 minutes to clean yourself. Look." She pointed to an Ivae style clock in the far wall. "Keep track of your time. If you are not clean by then, you will be sorry." She left the room and the door slid shut behind her.

Sieta growled in frustration and anger. She took out the brush, a fine one compared to her brush at home, and the cleanser, whose label was in an alien script.

It smelled good, like a flower. It was a thick grey color and lathered easily when she applied it to the brush. She scrubbed her fur clean, including her nose and face.

The brush felt good on her sore skin. She wished she could keep it but she doubted that she could. She scrubbed and rinsed, looking even more red when wet.

She grabbed the collar and muzzle and knew that she would have to wear them again. She began to scrub them clean too.

The collar wasn't really so bad. It was pretty, made of leather and gold, her name in gold on it in at least three languages. She carefully cleaned it, hoping that it would become less stiff.

The muzzle, which she hated, was just plain ceramic and leather. She growled to herself as she scrubbed it too.

Sieta looked at the clock. 20 minutes had gone by. Was there an air dryer in here? She finished cleaning everything and climbed out of the basin, which drained instantly.

An energy field suddenly surrounded her and the collar and muzzle.

She suddenly felt dry, her fur restored its normal appearance. The restraints were dry too, and indeed less stiff.

When the energy field went away, Yuashotha came in and smiled. "How pretty you are. Good work. You cleaned your restraints? Oh, how clever, red one."

She picked them up and began putting them back on Sieta, who had to fight the urge to claw her to death while her hands and claws were free.

"There," she said once everything was in place. "Let's go see your buyer."

Sieta growled. "I am no slave. You have no right to do this to me."

Yuashotha cuffed her on the side of her head. "You are not to talk of what I have the right to do," she said testily.

Sieta cringed at the pain. She growled again. "I swear a blood oath to make you pay. You..." Her collar tightened, suddenly choking her.

Yuashotha stopped and got in her face. "You animal, do not threaten me. I will wear your hide as a coat after skinning it from your living body."

Between the muzzle and the collar, Sieta could not breathe. She felt pressure behind her eyes and her body straining for air.

The collar loosened and she coughed, doubling over, struggling to breathe.

Yuashotha yanked on her leash, making her stumble. "Come on. No more talk from you. If you so much as growl, I will electrocute you to death." She led the wheezing Ivae out into bright sunshine and onto a concrete landing area, where a groundcar waited.

Sieta was pushed into the back and restrained with thick bands that constricted her chest. Her throat burned and breathing still was not easy.

Yuashotha got into the operator's seat and drove them down a concrete roadway.

Soon the passed into open country of flat, shrub covered hills and green-grey grass. The sky was a deep blue and there were 2 suns high overhead, visible through the groundcar's transparent roof.

Sieta was worried about her impending fate. She did not want to fight anyone. Being beastly shamed her deeply. She vowed not to let anyone make a beast out of her. She was Ivae, a civilized and docile omnivorous creature. Not a bear, not a cat.

Before she could ponder this more, the grouncar passed into a walled estate and stopped before a large building with many mirrored windows.

A male of another humanoid species stood outside dressed in white.

"Red one, I will tell you this once. If you cause trouble or ruin this sale, I will kill you," Yuashotha said and got out.

Sieta wanted to roar at her, to make her pay for her threatening words. The muzzle kept her mouth closed. She growled in her frustration.

Yuashotha opened the door beside her and undid her seat restraints. "Get up, you evet."

Sieta's fur bristled at the obscene Ivae insult. She promised herself vengeance. She got up and Yuashotha jabbed her in the ribs, which hurt severely. Sieta winced in pain.

The alien female ran her alien hands down Sieta's fur, flattening it out. "You stop that at once."

Sieta so wished to talk but her muzzle was on too tight since Yuashotha made an adjustment to it after the choking.

Yuashotha took the leash and led her to this male.

He looked her over like merchandise, humiliating her openly by making comments in an alien language.

Yuashotha talked to him for a while and they haggled, no doubt, for how much Sieta was worth. Then she smiled. "Yes, red one. You have brought a pretty price. Obey your master now." She went to the groundcar and got in, driving off at once.

Sieta watched her go with a firm resolve to get her one day.

The male pulled on her leash, gesturing for her to follow.

She had no choice but to follow him.

He led her to a small media room with many screens and made her sit in an uncomfortable chair made for humanoids. He then fastened what looked like a media band around her head and irritated her ears with it.

He then left, closing and locking the door behind him.

Something happened and a terrible headache struck Sieta at once, making her whimper in pain. She felt dizzy and passed out, her head hitting the table she sat at.

********************************************************

She awoke with a stinging in her neck. Her headache was gone and the media band was taken off. But her forehead hurt from hitting the table. She blinked her eyes several times to clear them.

The master stood there with a needle gun. "You understand me now?," he asked.

Sieta was suprised. She knew his language. She pointed to her muzzle with her still bound hands.

He shook his head. "No, you will try to bite, won't you? I know how you beasts are."

Sieta narrowed her eyes and growled at him menacingly.

He struck her hard with something that stung her whole left side very painfully.

She suppressed her whimper of pain, averting her now teary eyes. She closed them, her nictitating mebranes clearing the tears away.

"Don't you ever do that again or to the whipping post you will go. I'd hate to scar the pretty hide of yours," the master said coldly. "Get up, we need to scan and analyze you. Never seen your kind before."

Sieta was horrified at the thought of analysis. She was led by her leash out of the media room to a larger room with blue walls and a raised circular platform.

The master left her there and a tall, thin robot with grey metal coverings came in. It said in an electronic voice, "You will be scanned. Any wrong moves will bring you pain or death. I will remove your restraints and you will step onto the platform." It did what it said it was going to do, removing her muzzle, collar and restraints.

Sieta flexed her hands and opened her mouth widely.

"Go now," the robot said.

Sieta glared at it but did as it said, stepping onto the platform.

Blue and red scan lasers ran up and down her suddenly, making her feel naked and exposed. The platform slowly rotated under her feet.

Sieta fought hard to stay still, afraid of what might happen if she didn't.

This went on for about five minutes and everything suddenly stopped.

The robot came to her. "You will be trusted to be unrestrained for now as your new raiments are being made. I will take you to your assigned room where you must read the orientation data. I will test you after one hour on it."

It led her outside, into a courtyard of sorts and down a steep wooden ramp to a villa of sorts with small wooden cottages.

She was taken to one that had a carved wooden plaque on the door saying Red Sieta on it. She didnt mind being called Red but Red Sieta bothered her.

The robot opened the door. "Go in. You will be locked in. In one hour, your assigned servant will be in to collect you. You will come to my area in the scan room where you will complete your orientation."

Sieta went inside as the door closed and locked behind her. She looked around, liking the wooded floors and nice large chairs. This room smelled nice, though she suspected that those scans told them what was pleasing to her.

She found a chair at a table with a video screen upon it. She went to it and sat down, activating the screen. Now readable alien letters scrolled across it in immense quantities. Whole books of data.

Sieta groaned. She was supposed to learn this in one hour? She noticed an Ivae style clock on the wall, suprising her. She made note of the time and got to work, studying, afraid of the consequenses if she didn't learn it in time.

To be continued in "Orientation"

� 13 April 2004 Gregory Thompson. Any reproduction is forbidden.