I do not own Chaotic nor anything related to it. It belongs to TCDigital.

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THe SLaVe auCTioN

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We're in groups of three, covering as much ground as we can. I'm with a mandiblor and Phelphor. Phelphor actually volunteered to go with me. Why did he do that?

{THaT iS NoT iMPoRTaNT.}

Why am I even worrying about it? We need to find Ashley!

"Sense anything odd?" I ask the mandiblor as we walk briskly through the second floor of the market.

The mandiblor folds his arms and fiddles with the edges of his sleeves while his antennae start to vibrate. "There isn't anything out of the ordinary here."

I grit my teeth and pick up my pace. "Tell me when something abnormal comes up. Phelphor, you said you're good at noticing when people are hiding stuff. Anything here?"

{Do NoT GeT uSeD To oRDeRiNG Me aRouND, HuMaN.}

Phelphor looks around. He points and says, "Only thing I can tell is that those gemstones for sale are actually made of glass."

The merchant Phelphor's pointing at flinches and starts packing up his stand. I growl, "We're not looking for false advertising here, Phelphor!"

The mandiblor grabs my shoulder and pulls a little, slowing me down. "Osiris, you're drawing attention."

I have to restrain myself from shouting. "Who cares?"

"Do you want to scare off whoever is holding your servant captive?" the Danian counters.

"She's not a servant," I snap, but I do slow down.

The mandiblor bows his head a little. "My apologies, I just assumed-"

"Shh," Phelphor hisses. His eyes are closed. "Someone nearby is projecting a false persona."

"A false what?" I ask.

Phelphor's eyes remain closed. "He is deliberately acting in a manner inconsistent with his personality. Several feet to my right."

I glance over. "Several feet to your right doesn't help much... Wait."

That Danian, right there. I recognize him. Tall, muscular, blue exoskeleton. It's that Danian prostitute from earlier, the one who became aggressive when I refused his services. The only thing missing is the red ribbon, but of course that would be removable.

I turn away from the Danian. "Tall blue guy over there?" I point discretely.

Phelphor opens his eyes and glances over. "That's the one. He's projecting a soldier's aura, but underneath it is... Holy Cothica, I did not need to see that."

What did Phelphor see? And how is he seeing all this anyway?

{THe DaNiaN iS FaR MoRe iMPoRTaNT, MiCHaeL. THe M'aRRiLLiaN iS NoT WoRTH THe TiMe To WoNDeR aBouT.}

Gah, stop getting distracted. "Hey, um, mandiblor." It's so annoying not being allowed to ask his name. "Who is he?"

"Jaqal," the mandiblor replies. "Quite successful in his, uh, line of work-"

"I already know what he does for a living," I groan. "Just- Okay, is he seen here often?"

"How am I supposed to know that?" the mandiblor asks with an annoyed tone.

I press a finger into my right temple. "Okay, let's see, do we tail him and hope he leads us to Ashley and other captives?"

There's a faint smile on Phelphor's face.

{you WiLL THiNK Me a SaiNT aND a HeRo By THe eND oF THiS Day.}

"I say we follow him," Phelphor says. "If I was a gambling creature, I'd bet my life he'll lead you straight to Ashley."

"You sound sure of yourself," I mutter. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because he's definitely thinking about her right now," Phelphor explains.

Phelphor can read minds?

{you Do NoT FiND My WoRDS SuSPiCiouS.}

It doesn't matter. "Okay then, we follow him."

-\/\/\/-

Ten minutes is all it takes before Jaqal seems to start heading somewhere in particular. I had been keeping an eye on him while pretending to shop when he suddenly ducked behind a tapestry and vanished. Now, how to-?

{FoLLoW HiM iN, STeaLTH WouLD Be a WaSTe oF TiMe.}

There's no time to figure out a way to quietly follow him. I walk briskly across the corridor, dodging foot traffic, and slip behind the tapestry myself.

...Why the hell did I do something so stupid?

In the corridor behind the tapestry, a Danian warrior wielding a pyroblaster is staring at me. My breath catches in my throat, and I expect him to raise the battlegear and take aim.

The Danian does absolutely nothing.

I hear a flutter of cloth behind me, then Phelphor's voice. "Good, I managed to hide you in time."

"Hide me?" I ask, my knees shaking. I slowly edge to the side, but the warrior's eyes don't track me.

"Back when they were still around, M'arrillians used a kind of mind-blank to move around unseen." Phelphor steps up to the warrior and waves his hand in front of his face. "Tricks the senses into not registering their existence. He can see us, but his mind rejects us because I'm telling him we don't exist. He won't even remember us passing by."

Cloth flutters behind us again, and the mandiblor that had been with us steps into the corridor. The warrior's grip tenses on the pyroblaster.

{He iS TRuSTWoRTHy, PaTTaLoR.}

The warrior's eyes brighten. "So, Hawki, I guess we didn't hide as well as we thought. Still, the fact that you haven't sent soldiers storming in here must mean something."

The mandiblor, who I guess is Hawki, looks a little confused. "Pattalor? What are you doing here?"

Pattalor opens his mouth, but then his eyes slide out of focus, and his jaw goes slack. Phelphor turns to Hawki and says, "We need a cover story for you."

Hawki stumbles backwards and clutches his chest. "Where did you come from? Can you turn invisible like a Mipedian?"

"Roll with it," I suggest. We should avoid having to explain so much.

"Yes, I can," Phelphor nods. "I've also turned Osiris invisible, he's standing right next to me."

I have to hand it to Hawki. Most people immediately try to see the thing they were just told is invisible, but he simply nods and says, "A-all right then. Cover story?"

Phlephor glances back at Pattalor. "Obviously you know him. Now, you need to pretend you don't care about the slavery issue, that in fact you're looking to purchase one of your own."

"And send a hive call to the others," I add.

Phelphor repeats my addition. Hawki nods, and his face sets to a stern expression.

Pattalor's eyes snap back into focus. "Elco, er, uses me as a guard when business is being done."

Hawki narrows his eyes. "Why'd you never tell me? You didn't think I'd be interested in doing business with him?"

Pattalor's arms shift uneasily. "Well, you've always seemed to have all four feet firmly on Illexia's floor. You seemed so loyal to her, I thought you'd immediately turn me in."

Hawki presses a hand to his face and sighs. "I'm hurt, Patt! Last night you told me you were so lucky to have someone like me you could tell everything, but you didn't mention this."

"I'm sorry, Hawki," Pattalor cringes. "You can be the male tonight. For the whole week, if that's not enough."

Hawki and Pattalor are a couple? You know what, I'm not even surprised.

"We'll see," Hawki says as he walks deeper into the tunnel. Phelphor and I follow.

"I've hidden your voice from everyone but us," Phelphor says.

Hawki immediately screams, "I trusted him! He seemed like such an upstanding soldier, seemed so loyal to Illexia. To go against her orders like this? If I'd known, I would have never have mated with him!"

Even in a culture as alien as the Danian's, there's such a thing as feeling betrayed by your spouse. Still, isn't it a weird coincidence that I had the soldier's lover following me?

{iT WaS NoT a CoiNCiDeNCe, HeH. you Do NoT KNoW THaT i SpeCiFiCaLLy CHoSe HaWKi To JoiN uS.}

Who made that sound?

{NoBoDy.}

Must have been my imagination. We continue down the corridor.

-\/\/\/-

There's the blue Danian, standing in the crowd. There's an elevated stage with a mandiblor standing on it, and next to the mandiblor is... is a naked Human man in a cage. His hands are tied behind his back, his legs are bound into a kneeling position, and a gag covers his mouth. He's not infected. Yet.

I feel dirty just being here. That guy up there, all of this is happening against his will. He must be so terrified. Why? Why are these Danians doing this?

"Do I hear thirty ambers for this specimen?" the mandiblor calls out. "Thirty ambers? Thirty ambers to number twenty-six. Do I hear thirty-five amber? Thirty-five ambers?"

Specimen! He just called the man a specimen!

As Hawki tries to join the crowd, a nearby mandiblor shoves a paddle into his arms. "You're going to need one of these if you're going to buy anything."

I glance at the paddle. Number fourteen. Huh? I'm sure there's more people than that here.

Hawki also seems to have noticed. "You're giving the paddles out of order."

The mandiblor with the paddle sighs. "I get paid to hand them out, that's all. Why should I care who gets what? As long as Elco gets paddle number one. Can't let the man who runs this entire operation not get what he wants."

Hawki shrugs and steps into the crowd. How are we going to follow him?

Phelphor sighs. "They won't notice you bumping into them unless you make it hurt. Just be careful."

With that in mind, I slip into the crowd and follow Hawki. It feels like ants are crawling on my skin as I maneuver through the crowd, and I'm not talking about Danians.

"Forty-five ambers to number fifty-two, forty-five ambers, do I hear fifty?"

I reach Hawki at the front of the crowd and look around. I don't recognize anyone up here except that blue Danian. All four of his arms are folded over his chest, and he's tapping his paddle against his shoulder as if he was getting impatient.

"Hawki, how's that hive call?" I ask. Anything to get my mind of the bidding, the offering of money for the ownership of someone's life.

Phelphor repeats my question. Hawki answers, "Odu-Bathax and his squad are coming as fast as they can. Osiris's soldiers will be joining them."

"Sold!" shouts the mandiblor. "Number twenty-six, please step forward and claim your merchandise."

A thin four-legged Danian steps to the stand. The mandiblor holds open a bag, and the thin Danian reaches in and grabs a- oh crap. He grabs a tiny orange beetle with huge mandibles. An infecting parasite.

The thin Danian throws the parasite into the cage ,where it seems to melt into the Human's skin. The man lets out a muffled scream and collapses, his body writhing as if in pain. His skin is starting to turn shiny and hard.

I close my eyes and cover my ears, but I can't quite block out the sound of the man's screams. They go on for minutes, and suddenly it's silent.

I open my eyes. The mandiblor is opening the cage, and the man, now wearing a Danian-like body, steps out. The thin Danian steps off the stage, and the infected Human follows.

I puke in my mouth a little.

"Please don't make me have to hide your vomit too, Osiris," Phelphor begs.

I swallow and look back up at the stage.

The mandiblor speaks again. "This is our last piece for today, gentlemen. May I introduce specimen number forty?"

A cage is wheeled out. I can't see inside, it's covered by a black cloth.

The mandiblor continues, "May the final bid begin!" and he rips off the cloth.

ASHLEY!

It's Ashley! She's right there! She's still Human! True, she's naked, tied up, and obviously terrified, but she doesn't look hurt! Come on, Odu-Bathax, get down here!

The mandiblor states, "As you can see, it's much healthier than our usual fare. May I suggest the bid starting at fifty ambers?"

Odu-Bathax! Get your sorry thorax down here!

The blue Danian I recognized earlier waves his paddle. The mandiblor on the stage says, "Fifty ambers to number one."

...Number one?

I stare at the muscular blue Danian. In his upper right hand is a paddle with, yes, the number one on it.

Number one. Elco. The Danian behind this entire thing. The same one who didn't like it when I rejected his services.

Two seconds pass. They feel like months.

The mandiblor sighs and mutter. "We have fifty ambers, do I hear fifty-five?" His heart doesn't sound that much into it at all, like he doesn't expect anyone else to bid.

Elco is already getting up on the stage.

...Wait, that's exactly it. Nobody's going to bid. Elco, number one, wants Ashley for himself. They're not going to argue.

"Fifty ambers going once."

Elco reaches into the bag.

"Going twice."

Elco withdraws a parasite from the bag.

I shake Phelphor's shoulder. "Let Hawki see and hear me."

Phelphor nods. I say, "Hawki, bid. Now."

Hawki stares at me with wide eyes. "What?"

"Three times..." the mandiblor draws out with a roll of his eyes.

Elco turns to Ashley and prepares to throw. A look of absolute terror is frozen on her face.

I grab Hawki's hand and lift up the paddle.

The mandiblor stares at Hawki. Elco almost throws the parasite, then staggers. He turns and stares at Hawki as well.

Hawki blinks, then says, "Yes, I'm bidding. Fifty-five ambers."

Elco looks furious. He chucks the parasite back into the bag and steps off the stage.

"...Fifty-five, then," says the mandiblor. "Do I hear-"

"Sixty," growls Elco.

"Bid," I snap.

"Sixty-five," Hawki shouts.

"Seventy," Elco belts out.

"Seventy-five," Hawki counters.

Phelphor stares at me as the two Danians trade numbers the way two people might trade insults. "What are you trying to accomplish, Osiris?" Phelphor asks.

"Buying time," I mutter.

"One hundred twenty!" Elco bids.

"One hundred twenty-five!" Hawki growls. He then whispers, "You sure as hell better reimburse me."

"I will," I answer.

"One hundred thirty!"

"One hundred thirty-five!"

"One hundred fourty!"

I grab Hawki's shoulder. "Skip to two hundred."

"I don't have that much," Hawki mutters.

I slip a bracelet off my wrist and shove it in his pocket. "Now you do."

"Going once," the mandiblor on stage nervously says.

"Two hundred!" Hawki shouts.

Elco reels back as if he'd been kicked in the face. "T-two hundred fifty!"

"Three hundred!"

"Three fifty!"

"Four hundred!"

"Bulls***!" Elco snarls as he storms over. "How can a lowly mandiblor like yourself have four hundred ambers?"

Whoops. I shouldn't have had Hawki skip.

Hawki's voice completely dies as he stares up at Elco. All four of his legs are shaking.

"Do you know what happens to overbidders here?" Elco roars as he wraps two hands around Hawki's throat.

I don't even think, I just react. I pull a knife from a hidden pocket in my shendyt and thrust it at Elco's shoulder.

The blade bounces off, leaving an indentation in the Danian's natural armor.

"Oh s***," Phelphor exclaims.

Elco's head turns in my direction, and his eyes lock with mine.

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uP NeXT: THe LeaDeR oF THe SLaVeRS

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Like I said before, Chaotic belongs to TCDigital.

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