A Slave's Wager Ch. 01

A Slave's Wager - Chapter One

Aura Livani gazed outside the panning, circular glass window of the Navodari Orbital Space Casino's gambling floor. Its view was spectacular- the wild desert coloration of the moon Habbakuk IV unblemished. The white, bright ice coloration of the planet itself contrasting curiously with its moon.

Both visible, unsettled bodies seeming to contrast even more with the wealth of the Navodari casino. Its fixtures were more luxurious than many of the establishments Aura had gambled at in the Inner Sanctum of the galaxy, and she'd gambled at many. A glass panel, debris-proof window covering the entire side of the ring-shaped casino floor wouldn't have come cheap, but apparently business was such that the casino's owners could afford it.

Made sense, almost, considering Aura's own losses at Navodari. She had stopped counting after credit losses passed 100,000, although after the most recent disaster last night she had the general idea that she was in the hole for maybe... 180,000 credits.

A sum easily more than anything she'd ever lost in an Inner Sanctum gambling establishment, and compounded by the fact that the (partial)heiress to the Livani family fortune was... broke.

Not that she'd ever show it, of course. The dark red sparkling dress she was wearing tonight was one of the most expensive she owned, threaded with Vilani silk. To any casino guests who couldn't resist gazing at her fine body and cleavage, she looked every bit the heiress and professional gambler who'd collected millions in winnings in Inner Sanctum casinos.

Even her boyfriend Verses was unaware of the extent of her debt, already ordering shot after shot of potent Desmonean liquor at the casino bar. Fine for him to be distracted, anyway- he was unaware that Aura had been sucking an Althani pirate's cock in his private suite less than two hours ago. The taste of the alien's cum had been distinctive, salty- Aura had nearly gagged on the scum's load, and needed several rounds of mouthwash and a cleansing before she even felt ready to go to the casino floor.

An investment for the fleeting taste of victory, she'd told herself. The same pirate had promised to fold his hand during the games of Wild Space Tavasc they'd play tonight. With the right application of chips, Aura thought, she could win back half of her total losses. Her skills should be sufficient after such a gambit; less than in a week, Aura would be in the clear, perhaps even having made enough credits back to lease her own starship again. Then the need for Verses' would no longer be part of the picture.

The casino floor was beginning to stir with more energy as some of the guests Aura recognized mixed and mingled, a few patronizing card tables. The Althani pirate she'd serviced earlier greeting a friend and sitting at a gambling table- without so much a glance in her direction in a nod to the scheme.

Maybe he remembered how Aura had sternly denied him her pussy, even as his blue cum covered her face and her bare tits. Either way, a deal was a deal- she'd made sure he promised to help Aura win three different Tavasc hands before her lips so much as touched his musky, veiny cock.

A few of the gamblers with whom she'd wagered last night might've realized how many credits she lost last night, but for the most part, casino patrons were consumed with whatever pleasure had seized upon their attention. Whistles and cheers emanate on the floor as the first scantily clad slave gracefully appears on the dance stage, a few of the band members on the less prominent musician's stand beginning to tune and work with their instruments.

The first dances of the evening were always a good time to mix credits. When the male gamblers were the most distracted, in great part. Aura might even buy a drink for the pretty slave- a green-skinned Desmonean woman- if her dance did the trick. That is, when the slave was finished being ravished by whichever patron rented her body.

One being perhaps most aware of Aura's credit losses was the casino madame- although this free woman certainly wasn't wearing a see-through crop top underneath her shining slave collar. Instead, a more regal, businesslike dress, with a glance almost enough to intimidate a woman like Aura when she'd left the casino floor last night without turning in any winnings.

She glared at Aura with the same suspicion as she made her way to the credit kiosk, her black heels clicking against Navodari's spotless marble floors.

"Forty thousand credit chips, please." The human gambler spoke with the confidence of one who hadn't lost twice that amount last night. With a stroke of luck, she could make back that sum and then some.

The Desmonean casino madame initially looking on with cold apprehension- although she'd seen more than enough in this business to react with disbelief.

"I'm a system accredited gambler." Aura asserts before the madame can try and snake her way out of fulfilling the order. As an accredited gambler's guild member, casinos- even those in the Outer Territories- were obligated to provide tokens.

"Go ahead. Pull up my record."

The Desmonean casino madame Nevalia pauses for a moment before interfacing with an interface screen, although she does in the interest of more than mere customer service.

Viewing Aura's identification chit- her flowing blonde hair and green eyes in her identification photo. Her guild history. Clean legal history, as far as she could tell. Her list of winnings at various venues- with a conspicuous red flag over Navodari's entry.

"180,000 in the hole." She replies promptly, just loud enough that Aura is concerned that anyone else in line might hear. "And you want... more?"

"I didn't ask for an argument. You're guild accredited, right?" Aura responds, using the tacit threat of Navodari's accreditation.

Nevalia further fueling the gambler's ire with a condescending smirk. "Of course we are. "Guild regulation is also... different in the Outer Territories." Halting herself before explaining further.

No, perhaps it was better that this entitled heiress from the Inner Sanctum find out about gambling regulations in Outer Territories... first-hand.

"But you're right. 40,000 credit tokens, of course, miss." Aura relieved that she won't be subjected to the embarrassment of an argument with the casino madame.

Nevalia subtly marking that the casino patron had crossed the 200,000 credit threshold with one click of a button, before distributing Aura's 5,000 credit chips professionally.

"The Navodari Orbital Space Casino is pleased to serve any guild member. Your chips, miss, and good luck."

Aura snatches the chips, securing them in a small black gambling purse- already imagining the look on this bitch's face when she returned later in the evening with a hundred thousand in chip winnings.

The salacious slave on the dance stage is working her own magic on the lusty eyes of the casino's gallery of scum, performing as one musician plays a debauched and colorful performance on an Outer Territories stringed instrument of some sort. The alien woman's hand running over her collar, and over her tits; before both of her pierced nipples touch the steel of the dance stage's pole, small credit chips tossed onto the stage in eagerness for her to show more.

"Keep showing more, princess," Aura thinks to herself as she walks to the pirate's gambling table. "Keep their cocks hard and their wallets open."

Two other gamblers sit with the tall pirate, a cyborg dealer less distracted with the slave's erotic display than the organics. However, the arrival of an Inner Sanctum heiress at their table is enough to distract these rogues from the dance; perhaps another beautiful woman was sufficient to break the trance, although this one was fully clothed and most certainly uncollared.

One bounty hunter who recognized Aura from last night sips from a bright yellow drink, unafraid to risk his wealth at a Tavasc table in the midst of a satisfied, drunken buzz.

"You're a bold one, I'll say that for you." The man says. He'd watched Aura lose three 5,000 chip credits in straight rounds last night.

"That, or you've got deep pockets. Or you don't know where you are. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume it's the second."

"Never assume anything." Aura retorted. Good enough advice, the human bounty hunter considered, enough to bring a smile to his face.

"Fair enough." The bounty hunter's attention to his own stack of chips is enough to draw the attention of the other two players back to the game- the Althani pirate paying no mind to Aura other than a brief glance. Fair enough to avert any suspicions of collusion.

The cyborg gambler beginning to shuffle the Tavasc deck, Aura ready to place a 5,000 credit token on the table- only for a fair-skinned Sylvian pleasure slave wearing a gold body chain to arrive at the table with a full table of complimentary drinks. Gods, these Outer Territories pirates and mercenaries were simply insatiable with their appetite for pleasures, Aura considered, resisting rolling her eyes as the slavegirl offered each gambler a blue drink. Not declining her drink, although she'd save it until after her winnings.

"This slave would also like to inform... the guests that she's available for reservation at the slave kiosk," the girl manages to politely mutter. "For... pleasures, of course." A light blush forming on her face.

"Book yourself under my account, girl. Suite A-412. Dragases." The bounty hunter speaks confidently. The girl's blush escalating- even the tips of her pointed ears tinged red. "Finish your shift first, of course. Don't want the casino floor understaffed."

The girl prescient that she's going to be fucked and ravished by a stranger tonight. Perhaps she's a new slave, Aura can't help but consider- she had never seen a Sylvian pleasure slave before. It had only been two years ago that the Galactic Assembly had updated slaving regulations to apply equally to races such as the Sylvani, and humans, even- a demand that races of the Outer Territories had made in exchange for normalizing their affiliation in the Customs Union.

"It's my pleasure," the girl stutters, quickly correcting herself. "I, I mean- this slave means, it's this slave's pleasure, Sir." Her client smirking as the Sylvian girl all but confirmed Aura's suspicions.

The girl departs as the men assess their own initial wagers- Navodari was in fact a casino, not a mere brothel, although one could have that misconception from the eroticism that colored its main floor.

The three men all wagering 5,000 credits- a sum Aura decides to start off with.

"Been in the Outer Territories long?" Dragases questions Aura, the cyborg dealer distributing five cards each to the gamblers.

"About a month." She responds.

"That's good. It's nice to see more tourists from the Inner Sanctum since the treaty. More business, tourism, thus forth."

Aura ignores the insult of being called a "tourist" as she inspects her own hand. Two clubs of night's edge and two sixes! Finally a touch of luck. Maybe this bounty hunter would learn not to assume anything after she won 20,000 credits.

Aura feigns indecision, pretending she's considering to fold a hand she'll easily keep. The Althani pirate still eyeing the hot slave dancer; an effective enough ruse, considering he's agreed to throw his hand.

The cyborg queues the businessman to her left; Aura's heart racing as he folds. She can barely contain slapping her hand on the table; the Althani wasting no time in holding his part of the bargain.

Dragases smiling; perhaps a bit too intoxicated to realize he's holding up the game. Slowly uncovering a hand of three solar serpents; sending a chill of frustration through Aura's body. The victor collecting a pile of chips as Aura fell deeper into the hole.

"Can't say I would have held." The dealer already beginning the next round, before any losers have time to reconsider if they want to continue gambling away their wealth.

Not that Aura would've been modest enough to even consider the possibility of getting up from the table, anyway. The heiress was beginning to feel irritated with the way the scum of the Outer Territories carried themselves- as if they had no respect for an heiress of the Livani family. She'd show these scum how her family name had earned its reputation.

Three different 5,000 credit chips clink against the mesh material of the gambling table. Boldness noticed by the other patrons, even drawing a look of consideration from the Althani pirate with whom Aura had familiarized herself with earlier in the evening.

"An ambitious call." Dragases doesn't hesitate to match Aura's bet- although his own pile of chips is still comparatively larger, even after using five 1,000 chips in addition to two 5,000.

The cyborg dealer dispassionate to the stakes of this hand, distributing cards all the same to the patrons. Aura's heart racing as fast as it had in any contest of cards- although the thrill of the risk was far overshadowed by her growing concern over her debt.

It takes Aura's most resolute instincts not to react with relief as she uplifts the cards, assessing her hand. Two eights of night's edge and two red moons. A stellar hand, by any gamber's assessment. Aura's string of bad luck had her reassessing her playing style, but convention would dictate a hold on such a hand, anytime. After all, she couldn't imagine losing even a portion of her wager.

The pirate is quick to fold. Perhaps there was the smallest honor among thieves, provided their cocks are satiated. The businessman eyeing his hand and the table tortuously- almost as if to further stress Aura into yielding her intentions. Finally, after fifteen seconds- scraping his cards forward, Aura rubbing her long legs together in relief. Finally- could a touch of luck be at hand? Her eyes could hardly resist the large pile of credit chips on the center table as she happily flipped her cards, the first two patrons content in their decision not to double down. There was no way Dragases could be lucky enough to match such a hand after his last success.

The bounty hunter eyes Aura's red moons with a subtle chuckle- a tacit acknowledgement that he's been bested, finally. Hopefully.

Two spectators- drawn to the gambling table as they pass by, perhaps curious considering the high stakes- murmur as Dragases unveils two sun's edges. Their whispering commentary increases to eager shouts as he slowly unveils one nine of the red moon- cheers of celebration as he unveils the second.

Aura too stunned and dismayed to react as the mercenary reaches forward, grinning at the applauding spectators- dragging all of the won chips to his seat at the table.

Two hands, and Aura Livani had already lost... half of the credits she had obtained from the casino madame. That she'd practically had to force her to even allow her.

"Really just not your night, miss." Dragases says, proclaiming what had already been abundantly obvious.

Aura tries to process the loss of 15,000 credits in a single hand- even as the cyborg bounty hunter delays shuffling on with the next hand. The loss would've been enough to for Aura to take a break- at least take a few minutes before trying another table- but she doesn't have to worry about excusing herself from the table, yet.

The attention of gamblers and patrons shifts to the far side of the casino floor- the subtle sounds of *click, click, click* that the black high heels of the casino madame Nevalia make against the floor. A woman who merits the attention of Navodari's patrons- it's not often that she appears on the actual casino floor. Accompanied by an intimidating security guard- and the flushed, hot, green-skinned Desmonean pleasure slave who finished her dance set three minutes ago.

Walking with promptness and purpose directly to Aura's table, a tablet screen in her hand. It was humiliating enough that Aura had lost 20,000 credits, but now she seemed to have made herself the subject of the casino madame's... attention?

"Miss Aura Livani," Nevalia speaks, her own blue skin tone contrasting with that of the green, scantily clad slave. Identifying the heiress with certainty she had been withholding in their earlier exchange at the chip kiosk.

"I understand your credit debt to the house has reached 200,000?" She speaks more than loudly and confidently enough that every one of Aura's rivals and peers can hear, almost immediately snickering- some with genuine surprise.

Aura nearly blindsided by the madame's confrontational tone. Lying was all but futile as an option, but she wasn't going to take this embarrassing disrespect in stride. Outer Territories scum didn't speak to a Livani heiress like this.

"Why do you ask?" She cut back. "Do we need to go over my guild accreditation... again?"

Nevalia smirking contemptuously, Aura's confrontational gaze soon distracted by the sight of the thin silver chains the Desmonean pleasure slave was neatly holding. Just what... were these scum trying to do?

"There's no need for that, miss." Her very tone dripping with an authoritative presence, as if to command her.

"Under Navodari corporate regulations and in accordance with the Outer Territories Slavery Protocol Act, it's my right as an executive to impound you for slave service, due to your debt."

Wait, what? What did this bitch say?!

"And... it looks like your slave contract was just approved by a Solon magistrate judge, actually." Nevalia shows Aura the tablet screen, giving her only seconds to gaze at a document that contained her identification photo, above a entry that read "PLEASURE SLAVE - NAVODARI ORBITAL CASINO". Aura's debt of 200,000 credits- exactly- listen below.

The whispering questions of the casino patrons shifting to surprised snickers. Nevalia cutting in again before Aura can lash out with a vein of profanities and curses. Before she can even lunge for the security guard's blaster, even.

"You'll have a chance to view the full writ of servitude after your slave processing, girl. For now, you need to accompany the lovely Slave Xenia downstairs to start the process."

"Oh, and you'll need to slip that dress down to your waist, immediately; Navodari policy requires all slavegirls to properly display their tits."

The snickers of the gamblers and thieves escalating to full blown laughing. This was the Outer Territories, after all; the men and women wise with local custom were uninclined for sympathy for an entitled and arrogant Inner Sanctum heiress who hadn't bothered to educate herself on how gambling worked here.

Aura's prescient enough to fire back; the nature of the madame's sick demand enough to draw her sharpest and most enraged tone.

"You have another fucking thing coming if you believe I'm even going to THINK of letting your fucking slave put me in chains for-"

Nevalia isn't interested in hearing Aura's explanation of why she's special; why she deserves an exception to the rules. She rolls her eyes as she nods subtly to the Althani security guard, who activates his stun taser stick with a whirring buzz.

Aura isn't even afforded the opportunity to reconsider resistance by the crowd control weapon's activation- the sick thug zaps her bare shoulder with a mere touch of the stick, making her jerk in her seat. The volts of electricity a true shock to the heiress, who has... never even been so much as touched roughly by a man before.

The crowd more amused than ever, a single reactionary tear rolling down Aura's cheek as she's crudely threatened, and... forced into casino custody. The stick was still on.

"Insubordination of a direct order is a fineable offense applicable to your slave contract, just so you know." Nevalia informs Aura. The heiress scans the casino floor, looking for any opening, anything- a drunken, shocked Verses sits at the casino bar, apparently unwilling to intervene against Navodari's security guards. He didn't feel like becoming a hero, apparently. Fuck him.