Hundreds of temporary shops were set up in the city square. Every merchant had listed where and for what purpose they were purchasing debt slaves.
Each merchant evaluated the slaves specifically for their own goals, allowing people to sell their relatives in the most profitable manner.
As if wishing to wash the filth from the streets, raindrops fell from the sky. The yellowish buildings around us darkened from the moisture, forcing Erra and me to seek shelter under a canopy.
Three hours of active searching had yielded zero results. A couple more hours, and I would have to return to my apartment to prepare for teleportation to another planet.
"Are you sure you didn't make a mistake?"
Erra had just bought some snacks and tossed a bag of nuts onto the table.
"Care to bet on it? Let's say ten to one in your favor."
When had I ever won a bet against a diviner? I was left with no choice but to turn back to the ongoing auctions.
A buyer was recruiting staff for an elite brothel. Watching the naked women was more pleasant than watching men have their teeth and skin surfaces inspected.
"Eyes hurting?"
The crunching of nuts and a spiteful voice prevented me from appreciating the variance in female physiques.
"I am evaluating the scenery."
"Right, the mountains and ravines?"
I turned around and opened a second bag of nuts.
"You're the one who led me specifically to an area where the primary slave buyers are brothels. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
Erra glanced at her hand, where a Force storm was already beginning to form.
"One more word, and I'll help you embrace one of those girls."
I had to nod several times; I did not want telekinesis used on me.
Erra snorted with displeasure and stopped gathering the dark Force.
"Where is Aloysius? He has a good sense of humor."
She thought for a moment, then casually boasted of House Kallig's successes.
"Fighting. They found an entire Jedi temple out there."
The girl knew how to surprise me. The Jedi army was on almost every planet now — veritable space flies.
"Another one? There are more of these cultists than exogorths."
The Jedi founded numerous independent and isolated academies, orders, and small organizations throughout the galaxy; they were only loosely subordinate to the unified Temple.
Alsakan claimed that the official Temple on Coruscant was trying to maintain neutrality in this conflict. The entire axis of the Perlemian Trade Route was fighting against tyranny from Coruscant.
The core of the opposition was Alsakan; this occurred due to Coruscant's illegal actions. According to the parliamentary session protocol, a vote is a legitimate method for redefining free economic zones.
Coruscant refused to revise the status of its planet, which contradicted the principles of the Republic. Then, Alsakan held a revote and assigned itself the status of an economic zone, bypassing Coruscant.
The Jedi did not want to interfere in the political squabbles of two wealthy Core planets. The Republic army was not intervening, and the armies of the two states were too small.
Unfortunately, the war attracted other countries. Fringe factions and entire star sectors were hiring or secretly entering into alliances with external forces. Dark Jedi, mercenaries, pirates, and Sith were exploiting this opportunity.
In response, the Coruscant army was hiring volunteer Jedi, while the Ailon Nova Guard suppressed any local military forces allied with Alsakan.
Coruscant did not possess an army capable of dealing with the enemy, yet they were winning anyway. The volunteer Jedi were far too effective as shock troops, and temples outside Coruscant wanted to reap political benefits from the war.
"My brother said these aren't Coruscant Jedi. Maybe just imitators."
The army recruited any Force users capable of passing the vetting by observers from the Coruscant Temple.
"How much longer do we have to wait?"
Erra looked at her datapad and employed her Force technique again.
"Look to the left, then wait five minutes. The Force says this will solve your problem."
I followed her instructions, subsequently scrutinizing everyone selling slaves. In just ten minutes, a male Sith appeared, followed by dozens of Twi'lek slaves. But something else entirely caught my attention.
"Seriously? What kind of critical luck is this?"
Amidst the useless aliens, two nexuses of the Force were visible. Erra and I exchanged glances, but her expression was far too arrogant right now.
"Who said I made a mistake? Do you want to know what the Force says now?"
I looked again at the two Twi'leks who possessed the gift of the Force. They were definitely not Imperial pilots, but it wasn't hard to guess the secret here.
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"Your abilities defy logic and common sense. Do they have a special talent for mechu-deru?"
Not every Force-sensitive became a good pilot, but technokinesis was a massive advantage.
"Guess again. Now tell me, why are they red? Which alchemist made this replica?"
Both Twi'lek girls were red-skinned. Their mouths and eyes were covered, and their clothing was practically nonexistent.
"You should read more; it does wonders for cognitive abilities. Twi'leks can be red. The Sith aren't the only ones with that skin color."
Strange, very strange. Any Sith slaver tests a slave for Force sensitivity. The man leading the Twi'leks possessed a license to buy and sell slaves; a metal badge on his clothing proved that fact.
"Cute. I could stock up on red house slaves later."
Force-sensitive slaves cost hundreds of thousands of gold coins, while exotic brothel slaves cost only tens of thousands of gold. Why would he disguise valuable slaves and sell them as third-rate shit?
"Local brothels mainly buy them up. In terms of rarity, they're like albino Sith, just like you."
Erra pulled her hood over her head, trying to hide her white hair.
"I am not an albino; it's simply a mutation!"
Noticing how intently I was watching the Twi'leks, she finally started using her brain.
Kallig came to similar conclusions as I did. Then we nodded to each other and walked toward the nearest food stand. Right now, we wanted to watch the drama unfold, intervene later, and profit from it.
I pulled two crystals from my pouch and activated the inscriptions that amplified hearing. Taking a crystal from me, Erra handed me a bag of dried meat and joined the observation.
Meanwhile, the merchant approached the brothel slave buyer. Unlike the locals who sold children, he purchased slaves from remote settlements.
"Evans? Where did you get the Twi'leks? I thought you flipped humans."
The Sith narrowed his eyes and carefully inspected the quality of the livestock his old human acquaintance had brought.
"The less you know, the better you sleep."
The group consisted of women; they all possessed beautiful appearances and large breasts.
"Alright, let's take a look. Strip the livestock."
The merchant's subordinates complied with the Sith's request, and the women were meticulously examined. A report and quality assessment were drafted next to each of them. The two men haggled, and every mole became a reason to raise or lower the price.
At the very end, it was the red Twi'leks' turn.
"Thirty thousand."
The human's face paled; he felt his heart stop. The buyer hit him right where it hurt most. That price was simply unthinkable.
"Is this a joke? They are red! Do you understand what that means?"
Twi'leks were a recent addition to the Empire, and red Twi'leks were almost non-existent. Perhaps the situation would change in a hundred years, but right now, they were a scarce commodity.
"They'll be slightly more popular with the Red Sith, but that doesn't change the situation much. We recently received a batch of female criminals — genuine, Force-sensitive Red Sith women! You can visit the brothel and fuck one of them."
Evans looked ready to cry. Why couldn't that have happened after he sold his livestock!
"That's not how we do business. I expected ninety thousand."
The buyer's eyes widened in shock. He looked into the girls' eyes and saw only hatred and the will to fight.
How long would it take until they obediently sucked a client's dick? Training slaves was an expensive and lengthy process, making his price perfectly adequate.
"Tuk'ata! Have you traded red Twi'leks? I have. Maybe I lowballed you slightly, but you're out of your fucking mind."
The human considered the Sith's words and realized he had forgotten to ask his acquaintances about the market price for red Twi'leks.
"Fine. Give me sixty thousand gold. Be a normal merchant and stop undercutting the price."
The Sith glared at him like the ultimate enemy of his entire life.
"Thirty-three thousand. Not a coin more."
He was still undercutting the price, but his acquaintance shouldn't know that.
"They are twins; I'm selling them as a package. I am certain it will be a special feature for the brothel. Clients will be ecstatic. Give me eighty thousand for both."
Evans was convincing. Even the buyer considered the prospects of such services. He glanced at the girls once more, then attempted to check their genitals more thoroughly.
At that moment, he caught a knee to the head. The merchant's servants tightened a rope, beginning to choke the rebellious slave.
"Sister!"
The second girl began to thrash, but she was choked as well, followed by several electric shocks. Both girls convulsed from the pain and ceased resisting.
"She has no training! Letting clients near her is dangerous!"
The merchant wouldn't give up. He was thinking of ways to drive the price back up.
"Try examining their vaginas again, both are virgins."
The buyer spat on the ground and decided to speak honestly about the brothel's criteria.
"Even if they've been fucked by a rancor, what do I care? The brothel values something entirely different!"
The buyer beckoned a human woman over, then handed her a thin wooden stick. Absolutely unashamed of the onlookers, the girl inserted the thin stick into herself and held the object with her vagina.
"Now that is true high quality! This girl's mother trained her from a young age. She can hold a one-centimeter diameter cylinder! She can do this exercise for eight hours! Those are the criteria that matter. I paid eighty thousand for her. She's just a human, but I was willing to pay even more. Bring me high-quality livestock, and we'll talk differently. What can they do? Cry about how bad it is to fuck for money? Seventy thousand for both, and that is my final offer!"
The man bit his lip. He had expected to receive two hundred thousand gold.
At that moment, a Sith in military uniform approached them. Displaying zero tact, he groped one of the sisters. The Twi'lek cried out, then jerked to throw his hand off her breast.
"Keep your hands to yourself!"
The human looked at his servants, but they only shook their heads. They did not want to provoke a Sith with special military status.
The Sith continued to grope the slave's breast, smiling lustfully.
"Hello. Are they painted? Looks like real skin. I haven't seen Twi'leks with this coloration yet."
"Stop groping the livestock, or I'll call the city guard."
The Twi'lek girl headbutted the Sith in the face. Erra could barely contain her laughter.
I clutched my nose and grumbled insults in displeasure. Why did I have to be the one to get hit?
I had to let the girl go and show my purse to the merchant.
"You are insulting my honor. If I damage the livestock, I will pay you compensation. They are quite feisty."
Evans recalled the Sith's words and sighed heavily. The girls really would have to be trained.
"Alright. Sorry I lost my temper; there are all sorts of weirdos around here. You touched? You liked? Leave."
I opened the purse and displayed its contents: several ingots of alchemical metal. The human's eyes widened to the diameter of coins.
"I like! I've always dreamed of fucking twins like these. Can I buy? I'll give you ninety thousand gold for both."
At that moment, the Sith lost his patience. My actions had just ruined a perfect deal for him.
"Who are you? He's selling to me! Do you even have a license to buy slaves?! Get out of here!"
If not for the fair's rules, this Sith might have already attacked.
Evans merely scoffed at his acquaintance and happily extended his hand to me.
"Ninety-five thousand, and these two Twi'leks are yours."
I pulled out an ingot, then took a few gold coins and a small piece of Leviathan scale. It was slightly more than he had asked for.
We exchanged contact data, and then I received the official contract of ownership on my datapad.
I was handed the ropes that bound the girls' hands. As a bonus, I was given collars and a remote that controlled a disciplinary tool.
Shaking hands, we parted ways. The buyer shouted and complained, but we ignored him.
Erra had watched this entire circus. She had bought herself more dried meat and was currently enjoying the plot development.
"I'll shove your teeth up your ass! That was my client! Mine!"
The slave buyer threw a mug of alcohol at me and began cursing with every profanity imaginable. In response, I merely walked toward the exit.
The girls tried to resist and struggled, but the disgust in their eyes was replaced by a sense of panic.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that some of the buyer's guards had vanished. My hand reached for my blaster; just in case, I took off the safety.
Erra finished eating and stealthily followed close behind.