Day employees had finished thier shift for the day and were filing out the security fence's secure door.

One such was a female named Sieta, a red furred beauty of an Ivae. Sieta was on her way home to make dinner for her younger sister, Meoko.

Sieta was a glass installer and made a fair amount of money doing it. She and Meoko lived well in an apartment. 21 years old, a young adult, Sieta was the only guardian of 17 year old Meoko after an industrial accident killed thier brother and parents long ago.

She went about her daily afterwork routine, visiting a fish market for fresh fish steaks and accompanying gravy, going to a drink machine near thier apartment building for honey milk and finally to a fruit stand for meea fruits.

She got these to make her and Meoko's dinner. She then boarded a shuttlebus and took the route home.

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

Lanac frowned as he watched the red furred one from orbit. "That's one's got a pretty hide. Perhaps we can skin her?"

Yuashotha shook her head. She came to the data display of the customized Asikiwa white ship and examined the footage. "We will not kill our wares, Lanac. Fur is not used on most highly technical worlds."

He scoffed and looked at her. "You have obviously never lived on a Teshin world."

She grinned. "I've only been Teshin for a week, dear boy."

They were capturing Ivaea for the slave market on New Yatheva, some 14,000 light-years away. They had captured 3 males and 2 females so far, now in large cages in the ship's cargo area. They had capacity for 30, twice more if they put 2 to a cage but Ivaea were not small creatures.

Lanac searched for thier associate, Raler, who was struggling with a female Ivaea in the back.

The Ivaea, easily the size of the humanoid Teshin, was fighting being encaged. She swiped claws at the armor suited male to no effect. He struggled and grabbed his stunner, touching her in the throat with it.

She coughed, staggered back and fell heavily on her back. She had spotted dark yellow fur, the spots, an exotic red color. Her large yellow eyes glazed over, nictitating membranes half closing. Yuashotha slapped the intercom button angrily. "Idiot! Do not kill our stock!"

Raler glared at her through the holocam's display. "This animal tried to bite my throat out, ya scaly bitch. It isn't dead." He then took the Iavea's hands and dragged her into an open cage, slamming the door as he backed out of it. Heavy magnetic locks clicked on.

Yuashotha seethed but kept her composure. This one would learn proper manners soon enough. "Get ready to go out. We have a new target."

Raler made an offensive gesture and disappeared into the ready area.

"This one is asking for it, Lanac," she said.

Lanac nodded. "Yes, has him an attitude. Don't worry, my lady. He will be replacable easily once we sell our stock."

Both cackled, dreams of avarice between them.

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

Sieta arrived home to their small wooden apartment. "Meoko! I'm home!," she called out, hoping that her beautiful sandy colored furred sister would come help her with the groceries.

Meoko bounded into the room, her media band around her hooded ears. "Sieta! Listen to this!" She pulled it off and took the groceries before givng it to her. She went into the kitchen.

Sieta put it on to hear an Ivae male newscaster report, "...citizens are urged to stay indoors or near law enforcers. Several have been brutally abducted by an alien in what is described as Teshin or Asikiwa armor. The Law Enforcer Pact is searching for this alien but it appears to have vanished, likely by Oti magic."

Sieta frowned. She had heard of Oti magic, magical seeming technology from a world not too terribly far from Ivau Eta. Oti magic, as the Ivae language called it, was mainly matter transport through energy or some other nigh impossible feat.

It might as well be magic to the average Ivae.

She scratched her left ear as the media band was a bit too small for her. She took it off and went to get hers, which had holographic video.

Once she had it, she sat down on her chair and put it on.

Scenes of a grey suited humanoid shooting Ivaea with some sort of energy weapon appeared before her. The unseen newscaster said, "This alien appears not to discriminate between sexes, though it is postulated that it likely cannot tell us apart. The government advises us that it has contacted the Cuaxa for assistance but they cannot send help in any quick fashion. We urge all of you to stay indoors. Admit no aliens. Trust your senses."

Sieta shuddered as she thought about the alien taking her or Meoko.

Meoko collected her media band and sat beside her chair. "Sieta, you don't think it will come here, do you?"

She twitched her ears. "I do not know, dear one. Are your claws trimmed?"

Meoko extended her beautiful sharply curved claws on her finger tips. They were golden clear. "How is that?"

Sieta extended her own claws, also golden clear but larger and more curved. "I have been neglecting mine. I should go trim them." She got up. "Do not answer the door if someone calls upon us." She put her media band down and went to the lavatory.

"I won't, Sieta. Can I have some honey milk?"

"Yes but do not spoil your meal." She closed the door and reached for the claw trimmer.

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

Yuashotha came into the cargo area just as Raler took a heavy stunner and capture nets into the Oti transport room and vanished in a glittery distortion.

She liked these creatures. Strong workers, a rather simple culture. None of these creatures possesed a vehicle or spacecraft, even. They fought fiercely when threatened. Perhaps she could sell some of them to the beast fighting clubs so popular amongst lesser cultures like the Teshin or others.

Most of the encaged ones were sleeping off the stunner's effects. Those that were not clawed and banged the doors of thier cages, growling and saying something in thier language which didn't sound nice.

Yuashotha knew that they might be more trouble than she thought though she had a powerful Asikiwa artificial brain learning thier language, which would in turn teach her that language. Certain words and threats would no doubt scare these simple creatures into submission.

She would have to feed them. Let them eat raw meat like the Kerewa did. Pity she didn't have any of the lesser ones with her to manage the Ivaea better.

The meat was purchased from a butcher shop in a orbital spaceport near this system. This system had no space based commerce options, though a great deal of cargo traffic not worth raiding.

Lanac was currently watching that fool Raler go for the pretty red Ivae. Were thier pelts valuable?

Yuashotha dared not to touch one, lest it bite her hand or injure her somehow. This new form of hers was considerably more fragile than her Asikiwa form. But she liked it more than naught.

"Stupid beasts," she said in the Asikiwa tongue as she went to inspect the meat stores. They would eat when the cells were full.

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

Sieta finished her trimming and was proud of her work, admiring her claws in the lavatory's lights. She put away the trimmer and went into her bedchamber, where a fur brush was. She needed to bathe.

There was a loud crash suddenly.

"Sieta!!," Meoko cried.

A strange buzzing sound silenced her and Sieta could hear her body hit the floor.

An alien male's voice obviously cursing as he neared.

Instinct overtook Sieta, her claws extending and her fur bristling. She loped into the front room, leaping into the air with a graceful arc that ended with her tackling the alien, landing on his torso.

She found his throat and bit down, her pointed carnivore teeth sinking into hot flesh and metallic tasting blood. The alien struggled with a metal object under Sieta's body.

By the time that she realized it was a stun device, it discharged on her lower abdomen. She jumped, only to crash to the floor, weak.

Consciousness faded from her as she saw the alien die. Good. She had done it. Wouldn't the others be proud?

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

"Damn!!, Lanac roared, as Raler died, his throat bitten out by the red furred Ivae.

Yuashotha watched in morbid fascination as the Ivae leaped and pounced on the holodisplay. "This is beautiful."

Lanac began putting on his armor. "I have to go get those two. That red one is definately going to the pelt processors for this."

She looked at him. "I forbid it. She can be sold to the beast fighting clubs. You may retain pelt rights if you wish."

He gave her an evil look, but relented. "Very well, my lady." He fastened the armor and took his helmet, which Raler did not do. "I will be right back." He went into he cargo area.

Yuashotha watched the replay more times, fascinated by it. Surely they could fight.

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

Lanac appeared in a wooden apartment where Raler lay dead in a pool of his red blood.

There were two Ivaea in here, the red one, Raler's blood on its mouth and jaw, and a slightly smaller sand colored one, obviously related judgeing from its similar facial features.

He netted the red furred one, sending it back through the Oti transporter.

The sand colored one proved more difficult to net due to the way it lay across a couch looking chair.

He struggled but got it netted and took it over to Raler's body. They all transported back to the white ship.

Once in the cargo area, Lanac took Raler's body to the iceroom, then came out and dumped both Ivaea onto the metal floor.

Those awake made an awful commotion of oaths and scratching thier claws on the metal doors.

"Shut up!!," he yelled as he dragged the red furred one in by her scruff, which might have been painful if it was awake. Good. He dragged it inside and slammed the door closed.

The sand colored one was dragged into the cage beside it and he engaged the locks. He then went to talk to Yuashotha.

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

Yuashotha smiled. "Did you get the red one?"

Lanac nodded. "Yes. We should leave and sell what we have. We need more people to do this."

She considered that for a minute and then nodded. "You are right. Fly us through subdimension to New Yatheva. It should only take a day."

He took off his armor and went to the cockpit to make this so.

Yuashotha would have to start calling the slave traders and see if the artificial brain was done yet. She got right to work.

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

Sieta awoke with a very painful cramping in her lower abdomen. She had to go, soon. She got up and looked around, finding herself in a cage of some sort. There were other Ivaea in other cages, the ones who had been abducted.

She was dismayed to see Meoko laying on her back like a cub's doll in the next cell. Her body reminded her of her need to go. She found a simple recepticle and cringed in deep embarrassment as she had little privacy in here.

None of the other Ivaea were looking at her and she squatted over the recepticle to urinate.

Her skin felt sore, as if someone had pulled on it. Where was this? She finished, regretting the lack of santiary spray jets, and got up.

Most Ivae never wore any clothing. Thier fur covered all of them. No need to.

Sieta and Meoko were of the minority of Ivae who were solid colored. It was usually considered a beauty thing though the low level industrial worker never got any male attention. Likely due to her quiet demeanor and the fact that she stayed at home a lot.

No more apparently. Who were these aliens? What did they want? Was she in a spacecraft? Felt like it. The room was a cold white and was chilly in here. Her fur kept her warm.

An alien female, judging from her breasts, came in from an unseen door. She had yellow hair on her head and bare skin elsewhere. She wore a black suit. She came to the center of the room.

The other Ivaea yelled curses at her and threatened to kill her and eat her, though none of them actually would. Ivae did not eat people, period.

The taste of the male alien's blood reminded her of that. She so wished to bathe and scrub it from her fur.

"Listen up!," the female said in the Ivae tongue, silencing all. "You are captured. You are now slaves. You will be sold in market. Any of you that does not wish to end up as a rug or coat will behave and cooperate."

Everyone was shocked, including Sieta. She was terrified. Enslaved? The concept scared her.

The female made a strange sound, laughter? She bared her teeth. "I am Yuashotha. I am really Asikiwa so do not let my form fool you."

A quiet chorus of gasps and horrified whispers spread amongst the Ivae captives. The Asikiwa were feared even this far from thier dominion.

The disguised Asikiwa laughed again. "That's right. You all will be processed and sold on the general market except for..." She looked right at Sieta wih her strange white blue eyes. "You. How are you called?"

Sieta refused to say anything to this creature. She backed to the back wall of her cage.

The disguised Asikiwa produced a control from a pocket in her back suit and electricity suddenly shocked Sieta, making her cry out and stumble to her hands and knees.

She hurt badly. That was a fair charge that hit her. She blinked, nictitating membranes closing over her eyes as they teared up.

The alien female came to the door of her cage. "Now will you tell me your name or will you taste electricity again?" She held the alien control menacingly.

Sieta coughed, her mouth dripping saliva onto the floor, shaming her. She sat up on her knees still. "I am Sieta," she quietly said.

The disguised Asikiwa bared her teeth again. "Sieta...that is a nice name for you, red one. You attacked and killed that man, did you not?"

Sieta got to her feet. She looked at the alien female with what she hoped was a hateful look. "He was hurting my sister. I would do it again too. On you."

The female laughed slightly. "Oh, really? A fighter, eh? I have plans to sell you to the gladiatoral fighting clubs. See how well you fight."

Sieta was crushed and afraid. Even the Ivae knew of beast fighting. She looked down at her feet. "I am no fighter. I am just a factory worker."

The disguised Asikiwa began to walk away. "You are no longer. Get ready for your fate, red Sieta." She pushed a button on the control and Sieta was shocked again, falling down and curling up in a fetal position, hurting so bad, physically and emotionally.

She began to cry.

To be continued in 'The Market'

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