Chapter 36: Voucher
SleepyWonder - So, what did you think of the picks?
Ura - I think the engineer from Haliox University is more competent than they know. Heliox is a much more renowned university than the Pirates know. It is for a select community that the Federation loves. I do not know why she was on a cargo ship, but I am surprised they picked her up. She will probably be a keeper, no matter what. I am more worried about the Cat-kin. They tend to hate Rish, and the feeling is mutual.
I looked over at her, shrugged, and typed my reply on the tablet.
SleepyWonder - I don't really care about the relations, to be honest. We might have friction, but it will probably come from her. I like my guns and other things, but as long as she does her job properly, she looks to be a real asset that we can use well.
Ura looked at me in surprise, then looked thoughtful. We were quiet in the chat room for a minute before Ura started to reply.
Ura - We will see about her. We can use the voucher on the Cat-kin. They probably will be unhappy that we use it this way without informing them. But we can also tell them that we also didn't use it on their most expensive slaves. Still, we must converse with these two before solidifying our choices.
SleepyWonder - Completely understood. I will let you lead the negotiations, but I will also keep my hands on my guns to show our willingness to fight.
Ura nodded, and we both leaned back in wait when Lindsey returned not long later.
“Sorry for coming back; it seems they brought the product for you to view and converse with,” Lindsey said, pointing at the window, which turned back into a window instead of a screen. I couldn't help but wonder if the door was a fake out, and we were watching the screen instead of looking directly at her. On the screen, a woman was walking out, looking annoyed. Cute little horns suck out from her temples, and a long clack tail emerges from her worn-looking plain brown dress.
Emily looked annoyed and turned to face the window and glared. You could tell she hated being shown off like this, and the shackles on her hands were obvious. She was an attractive woman, and her long ears made her look like an elf-demon mixed person. Her breasts were about a C Cup at most, and the clothing was not flattering.
“This is the product named Emily. Would you like to converse in person or through the glass?” Lindsey asked.
“In person,” Ura replied, and Lindsey nodded. She turned and opened the door, “Bring the product in!” She called out, and a moment later, a Man with his own gun motioned for Emily to enter the door.
“Fuck you,” A sultry womanly voice came out of Emily’s mouth as she walked toward the door. A moment later, she was here in the flesh and looked at Lindsey with hatred, “Fucking dog,” She scoffed. Suddenly I saw Emily shake, and her mouth turned to a snarl as I noticed Lindsey pressing something on the tablet.
Emily only sneered, taking the pain of whatever the punishment was before Lindsey turned to her, “Now, Emily,” Lindsey began, “These two women are looking to purchase you. They would like to chat with you.” She said plainly and turned to us.
“You may talk, but no planning of taking her out of here without paying us or escaping. Brutus behind her is ready for that type of talk and will shoot first and ask questions later,” Lindsey informed us before taking a seat in her armchair.
“What the fuck do you two fucking want?” Emily asked. Her personality seemed to be quite jaded, but I would be too if I were in her position.
“Well,” I began, “We are looking for a Slipstream Engineer for a small cargo hauler that we think you are a great fit for. You will be allowed relative freedom working on the drive and even a wage later to purchase things you wish. We will allow you to earn experience and freedom from us in time.” I said, and we instantly had Emily’s attention.
“A small-time cargo hauler with a slipstream drive?” Emily asked, looking thoughtful, “Small crew, you must be smugglers but not pirates.” She began thinking, “How long will it take to earn my freedom, and how much will the wage be?” Emily asked, her voice still sounding annoyed.
“We will work that out without the current company. We will work with you so that you do your best for us instead of forced labor,” I informed her, and I looked at Ura, who was nodding.
“We know there are many things that a competent, well-educated Slipstream engineer can do to our ship if they no longer care for their lives. We will work something out, and you will have some relative freedom and can earn more freedoms as you earn trust.” Ura said. “I can guarantee that as the ship's current captain,” Ura finished.
“Best offer I guess I can fucking expect with these fucking assholes around owning me. Can't fucking believe I had to help that Johnson fucking asshole with a fucking issue on the Heat sinks because he was too fucking useless to do it himself when these fuckers picked me up.” Emily said, looking at Lindsey. Then she spat on Lindsey without a word. “Fuck you, dog,” She snapped and gritted her teeth as Lindsey pressed a button on the tablet and looked at Emily with disdain.
“Are you purchasing this product or not?” Lindsey asked. She looked completely unfazed by Emily's actions, which was odd to me in so many ways. I looked at Ura, and Ura nodded to me.
“We will take her and pay for her now. Please prepare to hand her over immediately, and she can join us before we meet the other woman we were looking at.” Ura finished, and Lindsey nodded.
“That will be three hundred thousand credits. Thank you for your patronage,” Lindsey said with a smile and nodded.
Ura stepped up, and a couple of documents were exchanged before we signed the electronic and physical papers making Emily our property. It was odd, but I felt strange like I was purchasing a car more than a person. Not long later, though, she was ours completely, and Emily shook her head.
“This is a punishment device for the product. Press it or download it onto a tablet, and you can punish her for her words that might not be exactly against the orders you gave her. Or you can use it if you like to be a little sadistic,” Lindsey said, looking at Emily before reaching up and adjusting her monocle. “The product is legally yours now. Please keep her from assaulting me during the rest of our transaction.” Lindsey finished, and Emily barked a laugh.
“Fuck you, Dog. I hope you and your Pirate trash burn in a sun for eternity.” Emily snapped.
“Emily,” I said, turning to look at her with what I hoped was an understanding look. “Please restrain yourself till we leave. I would rather not end up punishing you for valid feelings of hate. Okay?” I asked her, and Emily turned on me with fire in her eyes.
Emily opened her mouth to say something but paused. She closed her eyes, and when they opened again, I could see a bit more restraint in her demeanor but also like some fight left her. Not much, but it was restrained and would come back with force if we mistreated her. “Fine, I will be quiet,” Emily said before adding after a second, “For now,” She finished, and I nodded so did Ura.
“Great, it seems that the product will listen to you for now; please keep a good hold of her leash,” Lindsey said with a smirk as I noticed Emily looking heated. The hate between these two seemed to be at an all-time high, but I wanted to claim my voucher for killing Oxrock. It was also the reason we purchased Emily now instead of together. “I have been informed that Nyava has been,” Lindsey closed her eyes for some reason, “Brought up to talk to you. Please be aware of the personality traits in the profile.” Lindsey finished before turning to the wall as the man walked back out of our room and into the viewing room.
We saw a very attractive and annoyed-looking woman with large triangular ears. Little white puffs came from her ears, and she was super cute looking. Her hair was long and wavy all around. She looked like a windstorm had hit her just moments before and looked like a fur ball. A white jacket with stains on it covered her on the sides, and when she turned to look at us, she looked more annoyed. Under the jacket was another beat-up-looking dress with a long black tail that swished in the air behind her coming up and twisting around her hip like a belt. She looked very annoyed, and I saw the short fur on her arms and legs with the jacket being pulled up when she put her hands on her hips. I couldn't tell much about her other than she was extremely annoyed by her entire demeanor.
“Well, This is Nyava. Would you like to talk to her in person or through the wall?” Lindsey asked, “My personal belief is this conversation would be better through the wall since she looks,” Lindsey paused, “Focused at this moment,” Lindsey finished.
“In person, please,” Ura replied, and Lindsey sighed with the greatest show of emotion she had shown yet.
“Very well,” Lindsey replied. She turned, and the door opened, and Nyava looked at the guard, annoyed, although she wasn't in cuffs like Emily still was.
“Oh, Can we have the cuffs taken off, Emily?” I asked as they brought in Nyava.
“Please wait till you are leaving to take the cuffs off her. We have had some incidents with the product, Emily.” Lindsey said calmly.
Nyava came into the room looking very annoyed. “Are you the reason I lost my thinking time?” Nyava asked immediately. “That is fine. I am just wondering whether you have any equipment for a potioneer. Medical bay? I am terribly bored in these holdings, and they find me annoying. If you do not have the credits to afford me, please do not call me again. The food here might be terrible, but at least they provide a quiet spot for me to contemplate recipes. I am looking forward to when I am on a medical station with proper supplies.” Nyava said rapid fire. Her words were quick, and she looked at me with a questioning look. “Oh, A Rish, Interesting. Quite a similar species to mine but with some serious disadvantages and positives that help with the manufacturing and usage of propellent-type weaponry. I have been meaning to look more into your physiology.” Nyava turned to Lindsey, who looked annoyed already, “Would you be able to provide the proper documents so that I may be able to look into this further? I think it would be fascinating and would bring up my price so you can sell me at a greater amount of federation credits later.” She continues spewing more, and Lindsey hits a button on the tablet.
“OH! YEAH!” Nyava suddenly exclaimed and moaned loudly, and her tail shot straight up, and her body shivered, much to my surprise and Ura's. “Nyaaahhhhhh,” Nyava purred as whatever happened continued till Lindsey turned to us, looking exhausted.
“Do you have any questions? Make them now before she goes off again.” Lindsey said.
“Are you interested in working in a small smuggler's ship making potions and being our Medical officer?” I asked.
Nyava looked out of it for another second before her eyes snapped to me, then to Ura. “Oh, A small smugglers band? Neutral and will be out of the way. They may even end up in trouble. As long as you provide materials, food, and a place for me to work and study, then I don't care if you are a massive freighter with three hundred people. As long as I get to look inside people when they are injured and continue to experiment. Press that button once and a while, too,” She said, pointing at Lindsey, “It is quite an enjoyable experience that they use to punish people. I don’t understand why people hate that feeling. There is nothing like the anatomic nervous system being flared up to high heavens to brighten one's brain. They have come up with something truly special.” Nyava continued, and I looked at Lindsey with understanding.
This Nyava was a hardcore electro-masochist or something. I didn't know, but for someone used to controlling their slaves with the shock collar, someone like her who enjoyed it for prolonged periods was something of an anomaly. Even Sadists wouldn't like this woman either, as they tended to want the women to feel the pain, not feel that pain as pure pleasure. It was an interesting conundrum, but I looked at this woman, and Ura looked at me and shrugged.
“Nyava,” I began, “I am a bounty hunter, so you will have to work on a Rish most of the time when I am injured. Is that an issue?” I asked.
Nyava turned to stop her from talking for a moment, “Why not? Is there a problem?” She asked, “I know some of my kind dislike the Rish because we look so similar, and you tend to be gun-loving hotheads. Terrible shame what happened to your homeworld. But that isn't my problem. I find it more an interesting thing to study.” She told us before she was about to continue talking, and I held up my hand, which she seemed to respect.
“Then we will purchase you,” I said, turning to Lindsey, “I did a job for your company not long ago and received a Voucher for a slave instead of payment,” I told her, and Lindsey’s eyes widened in horror.
“No, No, No, No, No,” She said, showing the most emotion I had seen yet before turning to look at Brutus. “Brutus, Give me the central tablet,” She said with a shaky voice.
He handed her a much thicker tablet, and she took it. Nyava looked interested, looking over at Lindsey as she pulled up something on the tablet, and her eyes widened. “WHO THE FUCK PUT THE VOUCHER IN LIKE THIS!” She screamed. Emily was laughing now, and Lindsey looked up at me with horror on her face, “Why didn't you tell me that you had a voucher?” She asked, “You were the one who took out Oxrock?!”
“Never said anything about reporting I have a voucher when coming in,” I said, pulling up the voucher on my tablet, and Lindsey snarled, looking down at her tablet. She seemed to look through things and looked up at Brutus.
“I have to oblige this voucher, or the bounty hunter organization will get involved. We cannot mess with payment and wanted to give one of our lower-level slaves away.” Lindsey said with a sigh. “Brutus, Derrek was the one who put this in. Ensure that security has him in a collar by the time we finish. We need to make up the monetary losses,” She snarled before turning to me more composedly while Brutus nodded and looked away and down at something. Without me noticing, the monocle in her eye fell, and she reached down and picked it up off the floor while Emily laughed in the background while Nyava looked mildly interested in the proceedings. “We will honor the Voucher, and we will also put in the mistake to the Bounty office so this doesn't happen again if we use their services. Please consider us again in the future when you have recruiting issues or are in need of an extra product in the future.” Lindsey said, her face composed once again.
Lindsey’s composure when it came back so fast from a loss was interesting, to say the least. I nodded, “We will definitely be thinking of your company When we are considering these issues in the future,” Ura replied before I could, and I nodded again.
“Thank you; hopefully, that will make up for the loss we received this time. Next time if you have a voucher, please inform me. It would be very much appreciated,” She finished, and Nyava chuckled herself.
“Looks like I have a new owner, Nya,” Nyava said, looking relaxed, “I will miss the silent time Nya,” She finished and was about to go on a rant when Lindsey hit a button, “AH!” She moaned out.
“Please let us complete the details of this before I have to hear another of her rants. She has even relaxed enough to start that fucking Nya shit again, and I hate it.” Lindsey said, and Emily was now down on the floor with tears in her eyes as the slavers who held her took a hit from our use of the voucher.
Twenty minutes later, we were heading back to the spaceship with two slaves in tow, heading up to the spaceship with Emily free from her shackles.