Chapter 17: Sold

Two large and robust looking men were positioned by the rostrum, obviously to keep order and to control the proceedings. As each prisoner was needed for auction, one of them would come behind the screen, collect them by name, and act as an escort to the stage.

The men were auctioned first, starting with the least robust and oldest who were quickly sold for only a few credits. They all went through exactly the same routine as Kate had taught Jacqui and then Kate acted as auctioneer taking bids briskly and selling one after another.

As each prisoner was 'sold' one of the 'bouncers' would take the payment from the audience member and hustle the prisoner out to wherever they went next. Jacqui soon noticed that they were using old-fashioned metal coins, rather than wristphone payments, to settle up the debt for their purchases. Doubtless this went with everything being so shabby; this was a very primitive planet and it became less surprising that they used slavery here. It was like the history books told in their tales of the eighteenth century, which Jacqui had never really understood until now, when she was to be sold like the slaves in history.

The last of the men to be auctioned was the one who had seemed almost happy to be here. He paraded with some flair and stood during the auction playing with his enormous prick. Jacqui thought it was the largest real prick she had ever seen, as big as the dildos that the BDSM clubs had used. Although some of the early old men had sold for as little as fifty credits, this young man fetched twelve hundred credits and was bought by the woman who Jacqui guessed correctly to be Martha, the brothel owner.

The first of the women to be sold was also the first prisoner to cause trouble. Kate described her as Maria, thirty-seven years old and convicted of killing her husband. The woman refused to take off her overalls, so Kate threatened her with the neural whip.

"No. I'll die rather than strip in front of all these filthy old men," screamed the woman.

"That is, of course, your choice," said Kate, and tapped her arm with the neural whip. The woman uttered no sound at all, but dropped as though she had been poleaxed to the floor. Jacqui thought she must be dead, but she soon stirred a little and began to weep noisily. The two bouncers jumped on to the stage, obviously used to this happening, picked the woman up and quickly and efficiently stripped her. She was not in the prime of life and her breasts drooped on to her belly. Below the sagging belly, her thin thatch of pubic hair was turning grey, more so than was the hair on her head.

By the time they had walked her through the display routine she had regained control of her body to some extent and could stand up without assistance.

"Turn round," said Kate, "and touch your toes again."

Like a sleep-walker, the woman obeyed, holding the required position for a few seconds before overbalancing and falling to the floor, sobbing. Kate went over to her and threatened her with another dose of the neural whip. The woman desperately struggled to her feet and tried to go through the whole routine unaided, but she was walking like a drunk, much to the amusement of the audience.

"How much whip did you give her, Kate?" asked a small, well-dressed man in the front row.

"She will do as she is told for at least a week, then she'll only need to be reminded of the whip," came the reply.

After that there was some half-hearted bidding and the woman was sold to someone in the front row for seventy-five credits.

"Sold to Karl. Where do you want her?" asked Kate.

"At the mine dormitory. After a week with the men there, she'll not need the whip," he replied nastily.