Hazwell paused, and then he exhaled. “She’s been tethered.”

  His grandmother, ruler of four moons, a planet, and the station, summed things up with, “Well, fuck. That is going to complicate things.”

  Hazwell watched as the retrieval team caught the shuttle, stopped the rotation, and hauled it into a repair bay. He was watching on the display screen when a figure was brought out on a stretcher, and the medics were running at full tilt.

  His grandmother looked at the display and watched. “Oh, that looks expensive.”

  “What?”

  “Her repairs. She is going to be in debt to the station.” She cackled. “I have never had one of my daughter’s guards up here. I wonder how much she will earn in the ring.”

  Hazwell stared at his grandmother. “You are going to charge her to live?”

  She snorted and waved the display away. “Of course. No one lives on this station for free. Not even you, my darling boy. Now, get out there and fight to earn the upgrades to the ship that’s being outfitted for you.”

  He looked at her and remembered in that moment that she was also the head of a criminal organization that stretched far beyond her star system. She didn’t stay on top by being charitable.

  “You will save her.”

  She waved the doubt away. “Of course. I have the best medics in five systems, but they are pricey. I am sure that if she can spar with you, she will be fine.”

  He blinked. “You are going to make her fight immediately?”

  “Of course. Don’t you want to watch? Your ship won’t be ready for another week.” His grandmother chuckled.

  Hazwell followed his grandmother as she stalked through her domain. He wanted to push past her, but he had no idea where she was going. This was her castle, and she ruled it.

  When they arrived, his grandmother stopped him with a smack to the chest. “Back off. You are the one she is hunting. I will explain things to the little miss. She will play by my rules to be back in the black.”

  He was blocked by two of the secretaries that had appeared from nowhere. They allowed his grandmother to pass while he was left in the hall.

  * * * *

  A woman was speaking, and Solari was getting prodded with a stick. “Oh, Miss Frosty. Wake up. You are wasting my money and your own.”

  Solari woke and sat up. A fluid jack was in her arm, and she was naked. “Where am I?”

  The older woman prodded her in her tether marking. “You are on my station. What’s this?”

  Solari slapped the stick away. “It’s a tether marking. It locks my beast under my skin.”

  “Ah, so you are one of them. No wonder you are one of the queen’s wolves.”

  “Where is my uniform?”

  “It has been removed.” The old woman balanced with her stick. “You can earn it back. You can also earn enough to lose that tether.”

  Solari found her foggy thoughts coalescing into laser focus. “What?”

  “The docs here. They can remove that tether for you, but it will cost you a hundred and fifty thousand credits.”

  “You wouldn’t have told me if there wasn’t a way to make the money. Now, what can I do for you?”

  The older woman looked surprised. “You are so different from what I remember, Little Wolf.”

  “When the boobs moved in, there was no room for a sense of humour. Now, Grandma Nuan, what can I do to get this tether off?” She sat up, and her hair draped over the table next to her. Long hair was one of the queen’s favourite marks of ownership. All of her wolves had hair that would touch the ground if unrestrained. Solari hated dealing with everything beneath her hips. Sitting on her own hair was annoying.

  She looked at the thick ridge of what appeared to be ink on her skin in the shape of a wolf. As far as she was aware, she was the only actual wolf in the group. They took turns brushing each other’s hair. It was a necessity. Some of them were more efficient than others.

  “Who unbraided my hair?”

  Grandma Nuan snorted. “They had to check you for weapons. Only items that are purchased on the station are allowed. If you want that thing off, you will wear what I give you, fight who I tell you, and eat regularly. You are too damned skinny.”

  The old woman used the tip of her cane to lift Solari’s chin. The pressure was not light. “You... you are not the same little girl that followed my grandson around. You are heavier in the soul.”

  “If you help me get the tether off, I will be a whole lot lighter.”

  “Hah. I am not going to do anything but feed and clothe you then charge you for it.” Grandma Nuan chuckled and used her walking stick on her way out the door. “I mean it. It looks like your breasts ate all your body fat along with your sense of humour. You will eat what I send, and you will finish it all, or you will start to eat under observation. That will cost extra.”

  Solari nodded. “I understand. When is my first fight?”

  “As soon as I can get you properly clothed for the job. I am seeing something tight in black to make the subscribers go crazy at the contrast between you and the leather and silk.” Grandma Nuan chuckled and walked out of the med center. “I will give it some thought, but for now, do as you’re told.”

  The medics came forward with a standard thin gown, and she was going to put it on, but the tubes got in the way.

  “I’ve got that.” The physician removed the tubes and sealed the small punctures with a heavy wand.

  She flexed her hand and twisted her forearm. Solari put on the gown and settled back.

  The doctor smiled. “You are in incredible condition.”

  “It is my job. Can you really remove the tether?”

  He chuckled. “That is my job. I will be here when the funds have accumulated.”

  She sat and started to braid her hair. It was going to take a while so might as well get the annoying part of her appearance out of the way. She would deal with the tether when Grandma Nuan had set her enough tasks to earn her way out. That old bitch was a woman of her word.

  Chapter Three

  A hulk of a man with grey and blue skin came into medical, and he nodded to her. “Miss. I have been ordered to escort you to one of the fighter apartments.”

  Slippers appeared in one of the medic’s hands, and when she had something on her feet, she was helped off the bed she was on, and then, the large man was escorting her through the station.

  She had no hairpins, nothing to hold her hair up, so she had simply knotted the end of it, and the damned knot was hitting her in the back of the knees.

  The large man escorted her into a secure section of the station. Her biometrics were recorded, and then, they walked down two halls to a door that glowed when she was next to it. The door slid aside, and she stepped in. The large man followed her and gestured for her to sit. She sat.

  “Madam is arranging your clothing for maximum marketability. You have no assets to sell right now, so keep to the easy fights until you build up an account. Once you have an account, you can issue challenges and set the forfeits and penalties. If you are challenged, the penalty for a loss with you being a female will usually be sex. You will still get paid the base performance fee for the match, but coupling with the winner will be the prize if it is a challenge. Based on the way Madam intends to dress you, expect a lot of challenges.”

  Solari groaned. “Of course. Grandma Nuan always had a sense of slutty.”

  He paused. “I have never heard her called that before.”

  She grimaced. “I met her when I was twelve. I was in her daughter’s household. I was ordered to call her Grandma Nuan. So, that is her designation.”

  “Ah. Interesting. So, you are fine with the challenges?”

  “Why not? I am not going to lose for quite a while.” She shrugged.

  “There will be exhibition matches for a few hundred credits. After you prove yourself, the matches will be based on challenge, level, or public demand. Oh, and each time you have an injury, it will come out of your account unless you get a patron.”

  “And a patron will mean sex, right?”

  He looked at her and inclined his head. “If they have eyes in their heads.”

  “I don’t think the eyes will be an issue. What are the rules about injuring people outside the arena?”

  “It is frowned on. If there is no profit to be had, Madam is not in favour of it. You have the right to defend yourself, but if you can do it in front of the vid recorders, it can help pay your way out of here.” He sighed. “I am sure that Madam was frank about it, but she is in this for a profit. Everything you use, eat, drink, wear, or step on is paid for by your actions. You are running a debt just by breathing here. Remember that. And if you want to return home, you will need to earn your passage back.”

  “So, I am not only going to be fighting for my life but my liberty. And Grandma Nuan is going to make me eat what she chooses. That can’t possibly get me into trouble.”

  The man sighed. “You are going to have a fight on your hands. What she chooses to keep, she keeps.”

  “I know, but she let her daughter go, so that showed progress.”

  He cocked his head. “I thought she lost her daughter in a card game.”

  Solari looked at him, and his eyes widened.

  “Ah. Got it. Well, you are acquainted with her nature. That is the most important thing to grasp.”

  Solari nodded. “When can I expect the clothing so I can get started?”

  “You were nearly dead this afternoon.”

  She nodded. “I got better. Time to move on.”

  He frowned. “Doesn’t your death frighten you?”

  She looked at him and saw a genuine surprise in his gaze. “No. Dying doesn’t frighten me; it is living that is the agony. Freedom is the only hope.”

  He didn’t know what to say to that. He bowed and said, “Your clothing and food are on the way. The master of ceremonies will brief you, and then, when you are ready, you will be assigned your first opponent.”

  She nodded and knelt on the floor.

  “What are you doing?”

  She placed her hands on her thighs, palms up. “Waiting. I am very good at it. I have been doing it for a long time.”

  His expression was quizzical. “You are not what I expected.”

  “You were expecting me?”

  He shrugged. “The queen was going to send someone to retrieve her son. The prince’s guards made it seem like you were all raving lunatics.”

  “Oh, no.” She looked at him through her lashes. “I am not allowed to do that anymore.”

  He looked as if she had hit him with an electric shock. He turned and left her quarters with an urgent expression on his face.

  She waited. There was nothing else to do.

  * * * *

  Hazwell was in his grandmother’s office, helping her with the accounts when Morart entered the office.

  “Where is Madam?”

  “She’s yelling at one of the techs about the frame rate on broadcast module six. Why, what do you need?”

  “The new girl. The frozen one. She’s an Other. A freaking Other. Did you know that?”

  Hazwell nodded. “She’s only half Other.”

  “Did you know she is suicidal?”

  He was on his feet before he thought about it. “What? She said that?”

  Morart paused. “Well, she said life didn’t matter. She can’t be put in the ring if she wants to die.”

  “She will come alive in the fight. You will see.” Hazwell frowned. “I should talk to her.”

  His grandmother came in and pounded her stick to the floor. “No, you should not. I am arranging a patron for her if her scores are any good.”

  Hazwell’s guts churned. “A patron? A fat old bastard who will paw her for kicks?”

  His grandmother shrugged. “Maybe. The lottery is never a sure thing. She might not gather any interest. Then, she would be stuck here forever.”

  Hazwell growled. “You are playing a dangerous game, Grandmother.”

  “And you are forgetting who you are speaking to. Get back to the books.”

  He sat and continued to calculate his grandmother’s tremendous profits. His wrist band chimed, and he rose to his feet to head to the arena. His grandmother didn’t comment. Even he had to earn his way on her station.

  Three opponents down and he was covered in sweat and still furious. His fists were bleeding, his muscles burned, and he wanted another opponent to beat into paste.

  “And the fighting prince wins again! Something has lit a fire under him. Perhaps tomorrow’s bout will lead to disaster!” The master of ceremonies delivered each sentence with a stinging enthusiasm.

  The gate opened, and medics rushed in to tend to his opponent. Hazwell grimaced and made do with the ice bucket. He was not interested in lining his grandmother’s pocket via medical support.

  He was cooling down in the ready room when he heard the announcement.

  “And now for her debut fight, the Little Wolf!”

  Hazwell whipped his gaze to a monitor, and there was Solari, looking as he had never seen her before. He took a gulp of water and swallowed. His throat was suddenly dry.

  She stepped out of the shadows, and his blood went hot. The door back to the arena was locked, or he would go out there and put some clothing on her. He didn’t want her clothed in nothing but black leather, exposed skin, and her tattoo.

  This was a fight he wanted to watch.

  * * * *

  Solari grimaced at the name and stepped forward into the light. The lights on the distant level that indicated the audience focusing began to light up. Apparently, Grandma Nuan’s fashion sense was spot on. The above-the-knee boots that buckled into the bodysuit were shockingly comfortable as well as made her feel more naked than clothed. She could have done without being held down by the groomers and shaved until her pubic hair was a narrow strip.

  She stood in her pool of light and waited while her opponent was announced. The woman who emerged from the shadows had scars on her, a pair of dark eyes, and was wearing a breast band and shorts.

  “My, my. The madam has gone all out with you.” The woman muttered it from between clenched teeth.

  Solari fixed a slight smile on her face. “She wants her money back.”

  The bell sounded, and the dance was on. The master of ceremonies was specific. She had to draw out the fight as long as possible until the viewership was at its peak, and then, she could finish it.

  She danced with the woman, giving her light punches that sent her staggering back. Her opponent was getting angry. When the woman started lunging at her in rage, Solari stepped aside and gave her a punch to the jaw. The thud when she hit the floor was ominous, and then, the lights started going wild.

  “Winner of this debut match, Little Wolf!”

  She folded her hands in front of her and made a low bow to the primary lens. The lights went wild again.

  The exit lit up, and she left.

  She now had to return to her quarters to wait for the next fight. Her debut was going to last for three days or ten fights. She was hoping for the fights being close together since she wanted the tether off her thigh more than she had ever wanted anything else in the world. The queen had always said it was beyond her ability, but apparently, someone was able to do it. Solari was getting it off before Grandma Nuan changed her mind.

  She didn’t know what she would do when the mark was off, but she knew that she would be free. She would finally be herself again.

  Chapter Four

  A meal was delivered to her quarters, and she waited for the call. She was midway through the stew when there was a chime.

  A disembodied voice spoke. “Twelve minutes to next fight. Please return to the arena, Fighter Little Wolf.”

  She finished her stew, slurped down her noodles, and headed back to the arena. She hoped she didn’t get gut-punched, or things were going to get messy.

  She once again waited in her corner, waited for the call, and then, she stepped into the light. It was a theatrical effect that Grandma Nuan enjoyed.

  This opponent was stronger, faster. She was still no match for Solari, but Solari made it last. When she struck the knockout blow, she paused, put her hands to her thighs, and made a bow to the camera.

  The lights on the board flickered wildly as if shorting out. The exit door opened, and the medics surged in. She paused and asked one of them, “What is going on with the lights?”

  “Applause. Someone on the other side is screaming and cheering.”

  “Ah. Thank you.”

  “Miss, your hands.”

  She shrugged. “They will heal.”

  She walked toward the exit, and when she was in the hall, a large man blocked her path.

  “Come with me, Miss.”

  She followed the man who had shown her to her quarters the first time, and he led her back to Grandma Nuan’s office.

  The matriarch and station master was sitting back, her cane across her desk. “Well, child, you are really quite the sensation. Bids are coming in from all sorts of folks who want to be your patron. Several from within the station and many others at a distance.”

  Solari waited for more information.

  “Well, that outfit suits you even better than I thought. In light of your moniker, we may give you the stole from your original uniform. That bit of fur will sell the idea, I think.”

  Solari waited.

  “The reason you are here is that I need your authorization to upgrade your fights. Weapons are allowed, and it seems that you would pull a better grade of opponent if you had some weaponry. What would you prefer?”

  “My telescoping batons, please. They are non-lethal and very effective.”

  Grandma Nuan looked at her with narrowed blue eyes. “You would be comfortable against blades?”

  “Yes.”

  Grandma Nuan cocked her head. “Finding you a short-term patron will be risky, but they would be able to pay for your alteration.”

  Solari cocked her head. “You mean the tether, correct? I would like to have my reproductive system remain intact.”

 

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