We managed to climb up to the entrance of the ship just as the rocky walls began to grow up and threatened to engulf the ship completely.

Yahn began to push the ignition buttons to start the lift off sequence faster than I had ever seen someone do it. The ship jerked upwards slowly as the rock crumbled all around it. It took a lot of thrust power before we were finally able to fully lift up.

“We almost didn’t make it out of that one. Once the Stonefalians engulf and begin to digest you, there’s little you can do.”

Just then, a loud buzzer sound filled my ears.

“Oh no, this isn’t good,” Yahn said.

“What is it?”

“The fuel sensors are going haywire. We have a fuel leak to the main engine,” Yahn said.

I switched on the navigator to see what our options were for a landing place as we exited the Gammadon belt, luckily without any collisions with the asteroids.

“If I ever go back to the Gammadon belt, it won’t be too soon,” Yahn said.

I looked at him and patted him on the back. “Yahn, that was almost a joke you told just then. Almost,” I said as he laughed, somewhat awkwardly like he was gasping for air.

“And you’re laughing, although it sounds a little weird. We’ll work on that,” I teased as I looked through the nearby planets and moons.

“Looks like the closest option is this space colony called Anarhie,” I said, trying to find out more information about the place.

“We don’t want to go there if we can avoid it,” he said.

“Why not?”

“It’s where every outlaw and crooked businessman in the universe likes to go- to do dirty deals, trade slaves, go to prostitutes….”

“Can we refuel there?”

“Sure, but it won’t be the safest option,” Yahn said. “Still, according to the fuel detectors, we had better get this addressed sooner rather than later. We don’t have much fuel left and we’re losing it fast.”

“Anarhie it is,” I said as Yahn gave me a dubious look.

Soon the space colony came into view in front of the wide window of our spacious Neutomian spacecraft. It looked like several octagon pods connected to one another form a very large silver sphere in the center. The closer we got, the more we could see the activity of its inhabitants, going back and front like tiny ants. As we got closer, Yahn called to one of their landing ports.

“This is Yahn, a Karkastian and Jessie, an Earthling requesting permission to land at landing parcel twelve sixteen,” he said.

“A Karkastian and an Earthling riding together in a Neutomian ship?” the voice answered, sounding slightly confused.

“You heard that right,” I chimed in, smiling at Yahn.

“State your business in Anarhie,” he said.

“We just need to re-fuel and see that our ship is repaired. It’s leaking fuel from the main engine,” Yahn said.

“Alright, permission granted. We’ll get that leak taken care of for you. I tell you though, in all my years I’ve never seen a Karkastian and an Earthling traveling together,” he said. He simply couldn’t get over it.

We landed the ship smoothly and took out our baggage. As the door lifted two rugged-looking men greeted us.

“Welcome to Anarhie,” one of them said, then spat on the ground.

“Thank you,” Yahn said. I nodded to them.

“I see what you mean- they look kind of rough,” I said as we walked down the walkway.

“Those were some of the nice guys,” Yahn said. He had obviously been there before and he wasn’t too excited about being back again.

All around us on the walkway, were creatures from all over the universe-Bloggings with their multiple eyes looking everywhere, red and grey Hardenalters with their bird-like beaks and large feet. There were also some humans and even a Karkastian here and there. The humans that I saw looked shifty-eyed like they were up to no good. One of them looked me up and down like he was undressing me with his eyes. I glared at him and looked away as soon as I could.

Our first stop was an intergalactic mechanics shop that was located close to the landing port. A bearded human with grease-stained clothes appeared in the doorway.

“What can I do you for?” he said gruffly.

“Our ship is leaking fuel from the main engine,” Yahn said.

“What kind of ship is it?”

“It’s a Neutomian space cruiser,” I said.

“Sweet, haven’t had one of those puppies in here in a while. That’s a smooth ride,” he said.

“Sure is, that’s why we need your help,” Yahn said.

“It will cost you twelve thousand Banis,” the mechanic said, crossing his arms. The Bani is a universal currency that they used in these space colonies where beings from all over the universe did business.

“Twelve thousand? That’s a rip off!” I said.

“That’s as low a price as you’ll get around here,” he said.

We both shook our heads and walked off in search of food. Neither of us wanted to have rations again for as long as we lived. Soon, we came upon a café that had high, clear tables and looked relatively clean. The noise coming from inside was considerable and the smell from the beings eating there hit us as soon as we entered. Some of the males turned to look at me as we approached the counter. A two-headed Langmilian took our order.

It was a treat to have real food, or the closest thing to it we could find. The meat tasted good even though it was wild Orallion, which is kind of like a gigantic pig, but with tougher meat. Just as we began to feel better, two tall Langmilians dressed in black, ninja-like costumes walked by our table. They looked at Yahn and whispered something to each other. Then, they kept walking. Yahn didn’t pay much attention.

“Who are those guys? They are dressed better than anyone else,” I said.

“They are slave traders. They are probably the richest people in the entire colony. Slavery is a big business around here,” he said.

“Wow, how primitive. We abolished it in America back in the 1800’s,” I said.

“It is still alive and well in other parts of the universe,” Yahn said. “I haven’t been to the bathroom since we got here. I’ll be right back,” he said.

“Don’t leave me alone here,” I said.

“I’ll be right back, don’t worry. Slave traders are more interested in strong males. That’s what fetches the most Bani at the markets,” Yahn said.

“I see,” I said, trying to appear as brave as I could. I watched as he walked across the room. I was alarmed to see the two nicely dressed Langmilians come out of nowhere with a laser cannon and lead Yahn away.

“Yahn!” I yelled, but they disappeared through a doorway that suddenly appeared in the wall and then disappeared again.

I ran up to the wall and pounded on it as the others in the room just looked at me. A short, fat Hardenalter came up to me and began to speak.

“It’s no use. The slave traders have captured your friend. Now, he will be sold to the highest bidder at today’s market,” he said.

“Where is the market and when does it start?” I asked.

“It is right down the road, there,” he said, pointing to the north. “It is due to begin in the next few minutes. If you hope to get your friend back, you had better have a lot of Bani, it won’t be cheap,” he said, making some noise that was a little bit like laughter, only stranger.

I ran down the street, taking out my laser cannon. All of the creatures stared at me as I ran down the street. A human driving a hovercraft had to swerve at the last minute to keep from hitting me.

“Watch where you’re running!” he yelled. I ignored him and ran as quickly as I could to a place where a large crowd was gathered in front of a stage. A large, blue tent-like structure had been erected behind the stage. It made me think of the circus that my parents used to take me to when I was younger.

A large Yanti with one large, Cyclops eye and four legs stepped up to the microphone set up on the stage.

“Let the trading begin!” he said as the crowd, made up of creatures of every description from all corners of the universe, cheered wildly. I was a little fearful of my safety amongst this rowdy bunch. Finally, the Langmilians from the Café appeared with four creatures strung together with rope. One of them at the very end was Yahn who was tied to an angry Fridel with sharp teeth, cat-like ears, four limbs, and a striped body. He caught sight of me and we exchanged a smile. I was determined to get him out of there as quickly as we could. I had to wait until the bidding was done for the three slaves that were ahead of Yahn.

“Who will start the bidding on this strong, healthy Karkastian? I didn’t even know that there were any of them left. Come on folks, this is a rare buy!” the Yanti yelled.

I raised my hand. Some of the others around me laughed as if they didn’t expect to see a human woman bidding.

“So what do you bid, young lady?” the Yanti asked.

“Twenty Banis!” I said.

They laughed all around me.

“Ok, that’s a pretty low bid there, miss. Who wants to outbid this young lady?” he asked.

A cloaked Langmilian towards the back raised his hand. “I’ll pay forty,” he said.

“One hundred!” I said as the crowd began to murmur.

“One hundred fifty!” the Langmilian answered.

“Now we have ourselves some good bidding!” The Yanti said.

“Three hundred!” I said, even though I knew I didn’t have anywhere near that much. The crowd let out a series of ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs’ when I made my last bid.

“Four hundred!” the Langmilian said as the crowd noises grew louder.

“Five hundred!” I said in a loud and commanding voice. The crowd went crazy as the Yanti looked to the Langmilian. The Langmilian shook his head. He wasn’t willing to go that high.

“Sold to the human woman! Eh, what’s your name missy?”

“Jessie,” I said.

“The Karkastian is sold to Jessie!” he declared. “Now, head on back and have your Bani ready,” he said.

I went back to claim Yahn, but I had no intention of paying for him. I had only twelve Bani and we sure needed them if we were going to eat again anytime soon. One of the Langmilian from the café stood there with his hand open.

“Oh it’s you, is it? You can have your boyfriend back if you pay the five hundred Bani. Let’s have it!” I took out my laser cannon and pointed it at him. I had pushed on the switch a minute ago so that it would be fully activated.

“I’ll let you have it if you don’t give him up to me right away!” I said. The Langmilian threw his hands up in the air as I grabbed Yahn by the hand and we ran through the crowd.

“Thieves! After them!” he yelled as several creatures began to chase us down the street.