Page 2 of Soliv Four
Looking both ways and listening carefully, she took off running down the path until she came to a dead end. Satisfied that she was alone on the trail, she plowed back into the undergrowth several feet, backing out very carefully as she left the false trail.
She quickly crossed the path and slipped into the jungle foliage on the other side, letting it close behind her.
Three spans, she had to stay hidden for three spans. One span was roughly equivalent to one-hundred minutes. Three spans were about five hours. Angie had no idea how much time had passed since this new nightmare had begun, but it was passing almost as slowly as each rotation span on the prison transport ship to Soliv Four...
This wasn’t what she signed up for.
ONE
Tomak Bah’rin and Coraz Da’koff watched as one of their team sparred in the cage with an alien named Jax. They had finished their training regimen and were just passing the time. They stood at the barrier between the observation seating and the training ring.
“I don’t get it, Boss,” Coraz said. “Why are you going on the hunt if none of the females are your fated?”
Tomak Bah’rin shrugged. “The warden said it was good for ratings… and he hinted that there would be consequences if I didn’t participate.”
“You don’t really think we have a chance of finding a true mate here?”
“Maybe a small one. If things were different, I would simply pick one I would enjoy. But we are in prison; we could be killed any rotation. It’s been three star-orbits, and no one has come for us.”
“We always knew it could come to this. Breaking us out of this prison would be an act of war. If the situation were reversed, I’m not sure we could extract an entire team from this place.”
“It would take at least two teams, and there would be collateral damage. I’ve come to accept it’s probably not going to happen,” said Tomak.
“Even in this place, it would be nice to have a warm, willing female to share your bed.”
“They are all willing, with the drug they are given. It’s gotten a few of them killed from being gang fucked too roughly by all four males in the hunt. I go to make sure that doesn’t happen. That damn drug makes the females beg for it.”
“I know; that’s sick.”
“Management doesn’t care. They only care about the credits the hunts bring. I am surprised that they are sending so many females to prison for life.”
“Maybe they are stealing them.”
“Considering what they put us through, I wouldn’t be surprised. We were played, and someone got a big payoff,” Tomak responded ruefully. “Nothing we can do about it now. I will just run the hunt tomorrow and eliminate the males who are most likely to abuse the female.”
“I think when my turn comes around, I will take a female. If it doesn’t work out, she can choose someone else. At least I can enjoy her until the libido drug wears off.”
“I can’t say I wasn’t tempted, but once you have had the pleasures of her body, it would be hard to give that up.”
“Then you could still be challenged for her by one of the other warriors,” Tomak reminded.
“Who of this lot can take anything from one of us?”
“Yeah, but it could still be an annoying interruption.”
The soft whine of a shuttle engine drew their attention as it was coming into land. Tomak pushed off the barrier and started heading for the fence that separated the prisoner’s yard from the landing pad. “Let’s have a look at the new batch of females.”
“Might as well. It’s too hot to train outdoors anymore.” Coraz fell into step beside him, and they ambled across the soft green moss that covered the open areas around the compound.
The grounds were beautiful despite the chain-link fences that divided it. That’s because Zekrain, a small island continent, was the jewel of Soliv Four Prison Planet. This was the only part of the prison; they showed the outer worlds.
This part of the island contained three compounds in one plus the training arena and the competition arena. The men’s barracks were adjacent to the training arena, and the female dorm was on the far side of the landing pad.
Tomak and Coraz arrived at the fence just as the shuttle ramp door opened. The first thing they noticed was the chains tying them together. They all looked scared as they were lined up, almost as though they were about to be executed by firing squad.
Tomak frowned at their demeanor, wondering what they had done to deserve this. Once they stood side by side, the attendant went down the line and removed the chains from their necks. As soon as he returned to the shuttle, the ramp closed, and the shuttle lifted off.
There were fifteen in this group, some humans and some humanoid. Even the plainer ones had nice bodies. Tomak and Coraz bantered quietly back and forth, assessing the virtues of each one while Tomak was considering which ones he would cast his lots for. Four males competed in the hunts for each female.
