Free Star Raiders by Elysa Hendricks Page A

of choices,” Shy said. “Without water or any marketable resources, once someone lands on Verus, they have no way of making enough credits to get off again.”
    “Then why would a slaver try and sel his product here? There can’t be much profit in it.”
    “They must be desperate to unload their cargo.”
    “I wonder why,” he mused.
    The reason made her nervous, too. This smel ed like a trap. One she had no choice but to step into. Though she knew she couldn’t save them al , once slaves crossed her path she couldn’t walk away. She knew the pain and suffering of being owned by another.
    The pathetic little town came into view. In the middle of the dilapidated buildings people gathered around a raised platform upon which a group of ten female children, al about six years old, huddled together. Al were humanoid, though several weren’t Earthlings. Shy couldn’t determine their planets of origin. An older girl, probably no more than seventeen, attempted without success to guard them from the hungry eyes of the mil ing crowd.
    Though she was female, the men’s gazes didn’t linger on Shy. Dressed in rough clothing, weapons openly displayed, her hair hacked short—the men moved aside for her to pass. Having Bear behind her didn’t hurt.
    While the younger girls appeared unharmed, though obviously frightened and dirty, the older girl’s clothing was torn; her lower lip was split and her thin arms sported nasty bruises. The haunted look in her eyes told its own tale. Despite that, she stood straight and glared at the men ogling her.
    Shy hated that she’d been forced to let the slavers who’d abused the girl get away. They’d dropped their cargo and left immediately. The whole situation made her uneasy, but rescuing the girls took precedence over retribution. Someday there’d be justice done. The tag on the slaver’s ship would al ow her to track them down eventual y.
    At Shy’s side, Greyson radiated anger. She put a warning hand on his arm and whispered, “Let me handle this.” Lips tight and eyes hard, he gave a nod.
    They reached the edge of the platform just as the auctioneer began. “Wel , gents,” the skinny, weasel-faced man began. “We have quite a treat today. It’s not often we get such a selection of merchandise here on Verus.” He grinned and motioned to the cowering children. “Open up your wal ets and let’s get the bidding started…on this lovely little one.”
    The man’s assistant yanked a girl out of the group. When the oldest objected, he smacked her across the face. Cradling her cheek, she fel to her knees but didn’t cry out. The children al started to sob. Greyson sucked in his breath but stood rigid. Shy appreciated him letting her handle this.
    She could feel Bear’s reassuring bulk behind her. Without him she was sure the mil ing men of Verus would have long since made a move. Many of them had guns, but his own impressive array of weaponry and intimidating size would make even the bravest man hesitate.
    “Young and healthy, this one wil give you years of service.” The auctioneer picked up the crying child and held her aloft for the crowd to see. She dangled in his grip like a broken rag dol . “Let’s start the bidding at a thousand credits.” The crowd muttered in anger and shifted forward. The auctioneer had miscalculated, or was perhaps playing a dangerous game. Not one of the men here looked to have a hundred credits; Shy doubted they could come up with a thousand credits between them al . Besides, the older girl was what interested them. She had curves and was old enough to provide labor outside of bed. The young girls would drain limited resources for several years before the men could recoup their investment—if the girls even lived that long. What was the auctioneer playing at?
    As the silence grew, sweat beaded the man’s oily skin. “Five hundred credits?
    Two-fifty?”
    Several men to Shy’s right argued quietly, and then one shouted,