This happened in the last chapter: the prisoners have been inspected and interrogated by the slave trader before the sale. Teal'c was sold in a private sale to the gladiator school.
.
Chapter 3
The prisoners were then taken out to the market. They were made to stand under a canopy just up the stairs coming from the prison, not quite as exposed as they would be when they would have to stand on the revolving stage for the auction later on. Potential buyers were already strolling in front of them, inspecting the stoke.
"This is so humiliating" Sam whispered to the guys after a matron had inspected her teeth and given her a knowing once-over.
"Yeah, I know" Daniel whispered back. "You OK?"
"To be honest, not really.. This is very uncomfortable" she said, trying to cover her chest with her crossed arms.
"I really miss my pants" Jack supplied, waving his hands around his bare hips. "I don't know where to put my hands" Sam smiled fondly at him, appreciating his effort at cheering her up even in their situation.
"Sir, can I ask you a... personal question?" she asked after a little while where she couldn't seem to be able to take her eyes from his butt.
"Sure"
"How is it that you are tanned like that... all the way?" she added, suddenly blushing. Jack's smug was a sure sign that he hadn't missed it.
"Why Carter... I'll tell you something. No I don't spend my afternoons lying naked on my veranda" Sam's blush took a deeper shade "I actually owe this to my grandmother. She was of Mowak descent"
"Oh..."
"I didn't know that" Daniel interrupted "that's fascinating! So I guess you could say you've got your dark eyes from her too, right?"
"Oh yeah"
"This is the one, รด Priestess" the slave trader interrupted, grabbing Daniel's arm to turn him around.
"Lucullus here tells me you are a scholar?" the Priestess asked. She was a magnificent woman radiating authority and self confidence.
"Yes Your Honor" Daniel answered without thinking. "I study texts, languages and signs from the past"
"What are those on your eyes?"
"It's a device to help my eyes see better Your Excellency"
"I see. You shall be called Linus. Have him prepared and brought to the temple"
"Linus, Your Honor...?"
"The device on your nose sets the focus on your eyes. Your eyes are blue, like the linus flower. It is uncommon here" she smiled.
"The linus flower, flax flower, of course" Daniel smiled back. He was immediately taken away and down to the prison again to be properly dressed and shod. His sale had happened so fast that Sam was mildly shocked and she felt a lump form in her throat. But she didn't have time to grow anxious because the slave trader was pushing her out of the ranks already.
"This one, Priestess, is also a scholar"
"What can you do?" the woman asked.
"Er... I... I'm an astrophysist" Sam answered, suddenly full of hope that she could get a worthy position and stay with Daniel at the temple.
"What is this?"
"Er.. I study physics, how things work, and technology, machines"
"No, I'm not interested. See with Hadrian Anthonius though. This could be something for him" the priestess said, turning her attention to some other slaves "I need someone younger, a teenager maybe, who could be my assistant in the ceremonies. If there is potential, an initiation is also possible. Do you have anything of the kind?" she added, following the slave trader. Sam's hopes were crushed in the egg as she was shoved back with the others. Three teenagers were taken out to be inspected by the priestess.
"You OK?" Jack asked Sam softly as he joined her. She didn't answer at once, but then, she lifted an uncertain face toward him.
"I'm scared Sir. I had hoped to follow Daniel to the temple, to serve there and use my skills as a scientist. Now however..."
"Now what?"
"Now I'll probably end up being a whore for some rich guy and I..." she had to pause to control her emotions before they overwhelmed her.
"C'mere" he said, just before stopping short. "Er... I would give you a hug but..." She considered his hands waving between their naked bodies "But... that'd be awkward..." he concluded, his arms falling along his sides.
"I don't care" she said, embarrassing him and holding around him for dear life. Taken aback, he slowly lifted his arms to hold her, careful at first but soon tightening his hold on her and relieving in the comfort it gave them both.
.
The sun was high in the sky and the time for the dreaded auction drew closer and closer. Both Jack and Sam had been examined along with most of the other slaves. Jack had stopped being infuriated by the words "too old". He heard them after nearly each inspection, and when someone was looking for older servants, they didn't want him either, scared by the word "warrior" on his parchment. Jack couldn't help but worry that he would not be sold that day, thus end up in the mines or the galleys the day after, as promised by the slave trader. He wanted to at least stay in the city so they would have a better chance to find each other when they'd escape... His worries didn't stop him from getting mad each time some man was allowing himself to probe Carter a little too close -and they had been many!- and after he had nearly mauled a fat customer that looked like a pervert, he had been removed and placed at the other end of the row so he wouldn't scare the buyers away. The distance didn't prevent him from assessing his position as an alpha male by glaring at anyone who would look at or approach Carter. Some customers just felt too uncomfortable and chose another female slave. Some others just turned their back at him to look at her and her parchment, and only a few dared defy him by openly inspecting her as it was their right to. The pervert was, of course, one of those...
There was another man too, who had been observing the lot for quite some time from a bench at a distance. He was beginning to get on Jack's nerves. He looked correct enough, but Jack was sure he also was rich and would probably be able to bid high for Carter. He was looking like he was writing a thesis on the behavior of slaves at the market. It made Jack feel like some lab rat and he couldn't help but wonder what the guy's intentions were.
The pervert was done with his probing of Sam, and on his way out of the canopy he stopped in front of Jack, gave him a once over and smiled a cold, vicious smile that sent shivers down his spine.
"Who's that?" Jack asked when the man had walked away.
"It's the Magister Aquilon Tiberus. A powerful citizen of Herapolis. You don't want to cross his way" the guard informed.
"Guess not..."
Jack was beginning to be thirsty in the heat, and hungry too. It had been many hours since the little piece of bread they had been served in the morning, but he supposed the slave trader wasn't interested in feeding them unnecessarily. He would have to feed those who wouldn't sell today, but the others would be fed in their new homes, maybe. There was in any case little hope for food before the evening. Water on the other hand...
"Can I get something to drink?" he asked. The guard sent him a look, and turned around to gather a bucket and a ladle. As Jack was holding the bucket for the next man to drink, he noticed that the odd man from before had left his bench and was hovering closer. The slave trader had seen him, but seemed to know the man wouldn't listen to smooth sale pitch, and didn't approach him. The man was still keeping a distance from the slaves, but was clearly observing them, seemingly more interested in their behavior than their bodies. Taking his time, he approached several of them to question them. His questions were out of the ordinary and several of the slaves couldn't answer him. Jack found him more and more intriguing. The man approached him without a word, locking eyes with him as if to read his soul... Not liking that a bit, Jack tried to glare him into submission and the silent contest went for a few moments, when the man suddenly asked:
"When was the last time you had sex?"
"Excuse me?"
"Don't you think a man should be allowed to relieve his craving whenever he needs to?"
"What kind of a man are you?" Jack fumed "We are no cavemen, for crying out loud! Don't you think a little respect's in order here?" The guard was approaching, ready to intervene if the citizen was menaced. The man's face however, opened in a pacifying smile as he took a step back, studied Jack again for a short moment and resumed his walk, stopping a little further to interrogate a new slave as if on his usual digestive stroll.
"Nutjob!" Jack spitted. He saw the man chuckle silently and couldn't be sure if it was a reaction to his word, or to something the other slave had said. He continued watching him as he was going from one slave to the other with his strange questions, until he reached Carter. There, he pointed at Jack and said:
"Is he your companion?"
"Yes" Sam answered without hesitation. She was sure he had meant companion in the meaning of mate, but she had no wish to detail her relationship with the Colonel to this man. Jack felt his eyebrows climb to his hairline, but he immediately composed himself to back her up. She certainly had her reasons to say that and he was not about to sabotage her plan, whatever it was.
"And you are a warrior. Do you hunt?"
"Er... Not regularly but it has happened yes" She was really wondering where he was going with that.
"Good, good! The priestess of Hera said you mentioned machines?"
"Yes Sir, I study physics and machines"
"Good. Have you seen this before?" he asked, producing a white stick. Sam started back.
"Yes Sir" she said with a frown.
"Have you ever held one?"
"No Sir"
"Good. Here" the man said, giving the stick to her. She frowned, wondering what he wanted her to do with it. She was not about to use it on anyone, if it was what he expected from her!
"Go on! Open it! Take it to pieces!" he encouraged eagerly. Dumbfounded, Sam proceeded nonetheless to humor him. She opened the stick and removed the different parts, careful not to break the little crystal at the end of it.
"Good" the man said when she was done. "Now put it back together" he prompted her excitingly. Both guards and slaves were following her progress closely and held their breath when she returned the stick to him. The man pressed the stick to his forearmed and pulled the tigger. The grimace of pain was soon replaced by a nice smile.
"Good, very good indeed" he said, walking away, leaving Sam dumbfounded on the spot. What was it that man had wanted with her?! Her eyes found Jack's, who shrugged with a smile on his face, hoping that the man would take Sam with him. He had made his mind that this was some mad professor who would allow her to play with doohickeys at will. Of course, there was the issue of the weird questions he had about sex and a man's needs but somehow, Jack was confident it had just been talk to gauge his reaction, as he had done with other slaves later on. No, if only that man could buy Carter, she would be safe.
