Transported

Iullia's stomach clenched, stars flashing in her eyes with the pain that pounded in her head in time with her heart. Confusion and fear lanced through her when she tried to move a hand only to find her wrists securely bound.

"Keep your eyes closed and try to breath in slow, even breaths through your noses," a voice announced.

Iullia held her eyes tightly shut and then flinched at the feel of a hand roughly grabbing her arm. She tried to open her eyes only to be blinded by white lights overhead, a sudden biting sting on her arm making her gasp.

"Keep your eyes closed," a female voice said from beside her, "The shot will help with the headache while you get rehydrated and recover."

".. hat..." Iullia tried to say only for the unknown woman to release her arm and move away.

Iullia tried to move her other arm only to find it also secured, her ankles likewise shackled when she tried to move her legs. The pain in her head eased while her heart continued to pound in her chest, the brilliant, blurred overhead lights making her close her eyes again when she attempted to open them.

"Please remain still," the original unemotional voice announced, "Continue to keep your eyes closed as you recover. Med Tech's will assist you are moved to the holding area."

Iullia's stomach which had been calming suddenly clenched again. She tried to jerk her arms free of the restraints, whatever the soft material was that held her not even flexing.

"No...." Iullia moaned and tried to open her eyes.

The room was still blurred and indistinct, bright overhead lights blinding her as she lifted her head. The blurred shapes of sleep cells surrounded her on both sides, each with an occupant strapped to the bed.

"... elp me!" Iullia moaned when two blurred shapes in green head to toe uniforms hurried over to her.

"Sedative please," a woman's voice said evenly, Iullia flinching at another stinging bite to her arm, "Let's get her up and moving to the holding area, I really don't want a scene in here."

"The electrolyte IV?" a second voice asked.

"There's water in the holding area, that will have to be good enough," the original voice replied.

Iullia found herself drifting and unconnected, the world still a blur as the two green figures released her wrists and ankles to then yank at tubes and wires she hadn't even been aware of connected to her arm, chest and between her thighs.

The process was quick and efficient, done hundreds of times before, the women grabbing each of Iullia's arms and lifting her up once they had her disconnected. Iullia swayed as she stood, the floor cold against her bare feet and realized that she was naked without the fact registering or causing her the least bit of concern as she floated in an emotionless fugue.

"Come on," one of the women gripping her arm said gently while pulling and guiding, "Step... step... good! Keep going."

Iullia floated along, the two women holding her arms and guiding her out of the brilliantly lit room into a corridor, the corridor leading to a second room with bars dividing it and a full height turnstile in the center. Iullia allowed herself to be guided to the turnstile, the two women helping to move the clattering, clanking bars to force Iullia through. She stumbled forward, still drifting, her vision a blur, aware while still uncaring at the handful of naked women scattered around standing or laying on the floor.

"They done tranked her," a harsh female voice grated, "Who want a taste a new bitch?"

A hand roughly grabbed at Iullia's arm to jerk her around, fingers slipping between her thighs to roughly, painfully penetrate her, Iullia neither caring or reacting.

"Leave off!" another woman demanded, the hands and probing fingers roughly shoved aside.

Iullia was aware of a scuffle, of loud slaps and a cry of pain before more hands took her by the arm, hands that were gentler as they pulled her over to a corner of the room to push and guide her to the floor.

"Sleep," the voice said softly once Iullia had sank down, "You'll feel better when you wake."

"Are you awake?" a female voice asked.

"Iullia opened her eyes and then blinked at the apparition before her. It was obviously a woman with an oval face, small upturned nose and brown eyes, but what made Iullia draw back was the fact that the woman's scalp was perfectly smooth and hairless. Even the woman's eyebrows and eyelashes were completely gone.

"Good, I'm Clarell," the woman said softly.

Iullia glanced form the woman's small mouth, the corners upturned as if in a smile and down to see that she was naked, her eyes drawn to the woman's sex which was just as bald and hairless as her scalp. Iullia glanced down at herself, also just as naked and then cupped a hand over her own sex, the skin silky smooth without a hint of stubble.

"I's told the hair on our head'll grow back," Clarell said just as softly, "But all the rest?"

Clarell made a throwing away gesture and shrugged. She glanced down at the smooth swell of her mound and traced a finger over her skin for a moment.

"Can't say's I'll be carin, feels nice," Clarell added, "What's your name?"

"Iullia," Iullia replied and sat up off the floor to lean back against the wall next to Clarell, "Iullia Matr..."

"Iullia will be good to be getting on with," Clarell interrupted, "Best to forget what was, now that..."

Clarell trailed off and then gave a shake of her head.

"You remember all that's been?" Clarell asked after they both sat in silence for a minute.

Iullia looked up from the cold, metal floor she had been staring at and around the room that contained scores of naked women vying for a patch of open space. She gave a small nod and then returned her gaze to the cold floor. Clarell took a deep breath and let it out without bothering to look around.

"What'd they take you for?" Clarell asked.

Iullia fought back tears at the memory of being arrested. She'd been evicted from the government provided housing, nothing more than a concrete box two meters on a side with a water closest attached even after she had done what the Block Manager had demanded of her, the Itinerant Sweeps catching her sleeping in the street less than a week later.

"I'd no place to stay," Iullia mumbled quietly, "I was sleeping behind stairs in a housing block when they caught me."

"Where?" Clarell pressed.

"The Luis-Lex city district," Iullia replied, "You?"

"I's caught trading what a woman has ta be trading for extra cal-rats," Clarell said with a shrug, "Sale-Euge."

Iullia glanced over at Clarell with a hopeful expression, "What's an ocean look like?"

Clarell gave a small laugh and another shrug, "Why ask me? I's never left my city block till now."

Iullia's stomach gave a loud growl, Iullia suddenly realizing how hungry and thirsty she was.

"There's a dispenser," Clarell said and tilted her head towards the wall, "Water closet too. Someone's even too smart for their pants, you have to use your thumb print to be getting any, and then if anyone but you try's to eat it they'll be bent double with stomach cramps for I don't know how long! I'll save you your spot."

Iullia glanced over to the indented shelves Clarell had indicated and gave a nod before standing up. Her head spun dizzily for a moment until she clutched her arms tightly across her chest to try to hide her breasts before beginning to make her way cautiously through the room. It was hard to find a clear spot to step between the sea of bare feet and legs, many women curled into balls or simply laying sprawled out on the floor. Iullia tried to keep her eyes to the ground but found it nearly impossible to keep from glancing at all the women's shaved scalps or chancing a glance between the women's legs at their smooth sexes, many of their clefts clearly visible. It was odd enough having to be naked in such a large group of women, but it only seemed to make it more uncomfortable to have stolen even the ability to hide their modesty behind their body hair.

Iullia was very aware of her own nakedness, very aware of the feel of the cool air blowing over the swell of her sex between her thighs, her face heating in embarrassment at the thought of all the women in the room staring at her naked body. She tried to ignore the way her body was responding despite herself at the thought of so many eyes focused between her legs.

Iullia reached the dispenser and pressed her thumb against the scanner, the device considering for a moment before flashing green. A cal-rat bar rattled into a slot alongside a bottle of water, a clear door rising to allow Iullia to snatch both before returning to sit next to Clarell.

"How long do you think it will be?" Iullia asked softy while she ate the cal-rat, the water a necessity to rinse down the dry cardboard tasting food.

"We's here or they'd never go'n wake us," Clarell replied, "They done stopped bringing in new women... I don't know, long time now. I'd be finishing that quick or you're likely ta be eating it when they auction you."

Iullia flinched as if she'd been struck but also took the last two hasty bites of the cal-rat and washed it down with a large swallow of water.

"We're really to be sold?" Iullia asked, tears welling in her eyes, "Sold like we were nothing but someone's second hand thing!"

"I's sold meself so many times, won't make no difference to me," Clarell replied and then glanced over at Iullia's tears, "There's laws an such.

"You'll not be laid into, given cal-rats, a roof over yer head."

"But, we'll be..." Iullia began before trailing off.

"Be a brood mare? Have a man rut us without a say?" Clarell said sarcastically, "I've had more men'n I'll ever be able ta count rut on top a me.

"But I never thought I'd have a little'n of me own... until now."

Iullia glanced over at Clarell's almost wistful tone.

"You're not... you want this?" Iullia asked breathlessly.

"There's worse lives to be had," Clarell responded, "Rot away in some concrete hole, fed pressed algae bars that still taste a shit that it was grown on, die without ever having a little'n. Don't you dare tell me you ain't given your cunny for extra calories, or just a favor, new shoes because the rag slippers you's had are worn through before you'd been issued new or a papyrus dress dyed a nice color'n not some gray or brown! Ain't a woman in any city block anywhere who ain't!"

Iullia flinched at Clarell's glare and thought about being evicted from her home in the City Block even after doing exactly what Clarell had suggested for the Block Manager. Clarell's glare softened when she saw Iullia's reaction, the woman reaching out to pat Iullia's thigh softly.

"But here..." Clarell began before trailing off for a moment, "Here. I've heard stories."

"What... what stories?" Iullia asked breathlessly.

"I'll not... I won't be letting meself believe em... not till I's see how things be for mese..."

A sudden loud alarm blared through the room making everyone jerk in surprise.

"Everyone please stand," an emotionless voice announced, "You will proceed through the exit one at a time to be processed from transfer. Any resistance will be met with force. I repeat, everyone please stand. You will proceed through the..."

The announcement continued to repeat endlessly interspersed with the blaring alarm while Clarell stood up, Iullia suddenly finding herself trembling so badly that Clarell had to reach a hand down to help her up. A featureless door along the back wall that Iullia had completely overlooked suddenly opened to a short hallway beyond.

"One at a time! One at a time!" a male voice yelled from somewhere beyond the door.

"Chin up," Clarell said softly and took a step towards the door while holding Iullia's hand, "No worse'n letting some man rut you for new shoes or a pretty dress."

Iullia swallowed with a nod, matching Clarell step for step as they drew closer to the door. It seemed to take forever until it was Iullia's turn to step through the door, several men standing on either side of a yellow line painted onto the floor. Iullia unconsciously covered her breasts with her arms while the first man on the left gestured for her to step forward.

"Come on, hurry up!" the man demanded, his eyes barely even flickering over Iullia's nakedness, "Step on the yellow line and then walk to each person!"

Iullia glanced down at the yellow line as she walked forward, the man reaching out to grab her arm painfully while a second man on her opposite side reached out to attach a collar around her neck. The band was only a quarter inch thick and made of a bronzed metal, but Iullia still flinched at the feel of cold metal against her skin.

Even without ever seeing one, she knew what a neural shock collar was, knew the excruciating pain that it could inflict without the crudeness of electricity or physical harm, pain injected straight into her brain through her nervous system.

"Move on," the man demanded, Iullia stumbling onward.

As she moved between the gauntlet of men she received several shots in both arms, the brief stabs of pain leaving welts swelling along her arms until she finally reached the last man in line.

"Steb aboard and go all the way to the front of the shuttle," the man said and held out a thumb scanner for Iullia to press her finger against, "Take whatever seat is available and attach the lap belt.

"No one is going to check, so if you don't do as your told you're going to end up bouncing around inside the cabin like a pea in a can and if you get hurt, it'll be on you."

Iullia wasn't sure what a pea was but stepped forward through a small door and into a long, narrow room filled with chairs, some of them all the way at the front already occupied.

"Go on," Clarell said from behind her and pushed Iullia in the back to make her move forward.

Iullia gave a nod and moved up to take the next available seat and was in the process of sitting down when she glanced out the small, round window.

"What... what is that?" Iullia asked while staring outside.

Clarell glanced out and then froze, just as amazed as Iullia at the blue and white swirled marble that they could see beyond.

"It's... I think it's where we're going," Clarell said after a moment.

Iullia stared for several more seconds and then sat down. She found the seatbelt and then had to struggle to figure out how to attach it until Clarell reached over to tie the two ends together in a knot over her waist.

"Good enough," Clarell replied, her own seatbelt also tied in a similar knot.

"Zero gee in thirty minutes, I repeat, zero gee in thirty minutes," a male voice announced.

"What does that mean?" Iullia asked while glancing around the long, narrow room as it quickly filled.

"Don't know," Clarell said while leaning over Iullia to stare out the small window.

Iullia tried to ignore Clarell's hand on her inner thigh or how close that hand was to her smooth, bare sex.

"Are those..." Clarell asked in amazement, "I think those are clouds!"

"Where?" Iullia asked and followed Clarell's pointing finger to the white swirls that covered the blue, brown and green ball.

"Those!" Clarell repeated, "I think those are the tops! Like if we were flying and looking down!"

"No!" Iullia said while staring at the scene outside the window, Clarell's hand and the way she was squeezing Iullia's inner thigh to emphasize her points completely forgotten.

"Zero gee in one minute," the same voice from earlier announced making Iullia glance away from the window to see that all the women were now onboard and the door that they had entered through closed "Last chance to strap your cute bare asses in!"

One or two women were still standing, a few others obviously not in their seats as they gazed out the windows at the same view Iullia and Clarell had been captivated with.

"Ten seconds," the voice announced, "Three... two... one..."

Every woman including Iullia and Clarell seemed to scream at the same instant as the floor suddenly dropped out from beneath them.

"Release," the voice announced, "Fifteen second burn..."

The women who had been standing as well as any who hadn't secured themselves suddenly found themselves floating in midair, their arms and legs thrashing futilely. A soft roaring suddenly filled the room and the women seemed to fall upward to slam into the ceiling. Iullia let out a second scream as she was suddenly pulled upward out of her chair with the only thing preventing her falling to the ceiling being the knot Clarell had tied earlier. The roaring suddenly cut off, the women being flung from the ceiling to careen into the floor or even into the heads of other passengers before bouncing upward to hang in midair.

"Get in your chair and tie the belts together!" Clarell demanded angrily when one of the women floated into her.

"Ladies and... well, more ladies, we'll be coasting for an hour before our next correction burn and then entering atmosphere," the man's voice announced in amusement, "I see some of our guests failed to heed the advice of getting buckled in.

"Everyone else, please stay buckled in, the ride only gets more fun from here, the idiots who didn't get buckled in, please take your seat and do so. Or not. It's kinda fun watching your naked asses bounce around in there."

It took time, but the women who had found themselves floating adrift managed to return to a seat and tie themselves in, Clarell even untying herself to help maneuver a woman who had been knocked unconscious to an empty seat and restrain her before returning next to Iullia.

When the man's voice announced "Burn in 30 seconds," Iullia was ready, the narrow, long room even filled with fewer screams when the soft roaring returned. Iullia was pushed upward towards the ceiling again, her hand clutching at Clarell's who held on until the soft roaring disappeared and they began to float.

"Do you feel that?" Clarell asked a few minutes later.

Iullia was about to ask what when she felt a slight thrumming through her chair.

"Everything is shaking?" Iullia asked.

Clarell nodded with a worried look. Other women began to notice, the room filling with scared voices and the occasional scream as the vibration grew to the point where Iullia was clutching at the arms of her chair, her body tense.

"Look outside!" Clarell suddenly said.

Iullia glanced at the window to see streamers of violet and orange streaming past, what they had thought to be the tops of clouds now close enough to reach out and touch. The shaking grew stronger, Iullia now pressed solidly into her seat to the point where it was a struggle just to lift her arm, the occasional colorful streamer of plasma flowing past the window growing thicker until she couldn't even see out.

"What's happening!" Iullia shouted over the continuous screams and shaking of the room.

"I don't know!" Clarell shouted back.

The roaring and shaking continued for a minute more, the giant sitting on top of Iullia finally starting to ease at the same time that she noticed that there was less liquid fire flowing past the window.

"It's getting better!" Clarell shouted.

A higher pitched whine replaced the shaking and roaring, the view out the window changing from liquid fire in every color streaming past to a monotonous gray with what appeared to be water droplets spattering against the glass.

"I would like to thank all of you beautiful, naked beauties for flying Blue Balls Air," the man's voice said much later causing Iullia to jerk awake, "We'll be touching down in another fifteen minutes. You'll have someone meet you at the door and escort you to your... well, escort you."

Iullia couldn't believe she had fallen asleep, her stomach knotting at the thought of what was to happen next.

"It'll be fine," Clarell said softly and patted Iullia's hand, "No different than any'a the other men who've rutted on you."

Iullia swallowed, surprised at how calm her stomach felt and gave a slight nod.

Fifteen minutes later the room was filled with more screams when it gave a sharp lurch, Iullia suddenly pressed forward in her seat. She glanced outside and could now see that it was raining outside, the sky a dark overcast. With a final lurch the room finally came to a standstill, Clarell hastily untying herself to stand up.

"Get ready you cunts!" a woman yelled from somewhere in the room, "When the door opens we can take em!"

"Shut yer mouth!" Clarell yelled back, "What, you ferget the necklace you're wearing!"

"If you're too much a coward sit down and get out a the way!" the woman yelled just as the door at the rear of the room opened with a hiss, "Get em!"

Only one or two women started moving towards the rear of the room, but every single woman suddenly dropped to either the ground or flopped back into their chair at the excruciating pain that lanced through every inch of their bodies. Iullia could only scream in pain for what seemed ages until just as suddenly as it had begun, the pain stopped.

"Stupid splits!" an amused voice said at the rear of the room, "Surprised they ain't all covered in puke'n shit!"

"Hey, I will not complain!" the voice Iullia recognized from their flight replied, "I don't know what they shoot them up with before reentry, but since I'm the poor bastard that has to clean up the mess I'll be forever grateful!"

"On yer feet!" the first voice yelled, Iullia feeling a tingle of pain shoot through her body, "If the lot of ye aren't off this shuttle in five minutes you'll wish you were already dead!"

There was a sudden instant spike of burning pain, gone just as quickly as Iullia had felt it as she scrambled to her feet. Two men, one tall and skinny in a dark blue uniform, the other short and obese with long greasy black hair stood by the door. Iullia glanced at what he was wearing, a vest, button up shirt of some odd looking material and dark green pants to match. Both at the back of the room, women already hurrying to get out, the taller man seemingly embarrassed as he glanced at the naked women, but the heavy set man leered openly and licked his lips, a hand reaching out to grab and squeeze at an ass if a woman wasn't quick enough in passing.

"Come on, go," Clarell said and gave Iullia a soft push.

Iullia stumbled past the man without so much as a glance with her eyes focused on the floor but still saw him reach out to grab at Clarell's ass in passing. The moment she stepped outside she froze in shock, the icy cold rain making her shiver until Clarell stumbled into her and drove her forward.

"It's cold!" Iullia said in shock.

"Keep going!" Clarell insisted as they both followed the line of women ahead of them that was flanked on both sides by mean with truncheons and clubs.

Iullia watched one man casually swat at a woman who tried to break away from the line, the woman crying out in pain until she rejoined and kept moving forward. An enormous building that appeared to be made of wood loomed ahead in the rain, huge doors set on rails pushed open just enough for them to enter one at a time.

"That can't be wood!" Iullia said as they made their way through the doors, "It would cost more than the Emperor himself could pay!"

"Things are different out here," Clarell replied while she glanced curiously around.

Bleachers had been set up along one side of the room, scores of men of every description already sitting in them or milling about.

"Line up!" a man yelled and shoved Iullia towards a line drawn into the soft, dry dirt that made up the floor, "Toes on the line and single file!"

Iullia was shoved and pushed until she was standing in one of four separate lines, her bare toes sinking into the soft dirt and aligned to a dark stain that that formed a line. She wiggled her toes in amazement, the feel of the dirt slipping between them so different than the rough concreate she was used to through the thin fabric of her government issued slippers. She gasped at the occasional feel of pain lancing through her when one of the women tried to balk or refuse, all the women suffering for the infraction of a few by the neural collars they all wore. A man walked quickly up and down the lines only occasionally stopping to shove a woman into place until he was satisfied. He gave a nod and the crowd of men who had been in the bleachers flowed forward as one.

"No different than any other man rutting on you," Clarell whispered although Iullia wasn't sure if the reassurance was meant for her or for Clarell herself.

Iullia stood frozen, her eyes staring down at her toes pressed into the soft dirt as men passed by. One or two paused to reach out, Iullia gasping at the feel of her nipple being seized and pinched or having her chin lifted as if she were no more than a recalcitrant child. Iullia wasn't sure how long it lasted, only that every time she or one of the other women tried to move they all received a shock through their collar. Iullia could hear men haggling and arguing, the thought that they were trying to come to a price to buy her sending spikes of terror through her.

"This one," a man said standing in front of Clarell.

"Fifty two five, no haggling," another man declared.

"Noooooo...." Iullia moaned softly when the first man reached out to seize Clarell by the arm and lead her away.

Even for only having known her for only a day, Iullia found it hard just to keep standing as Clarell was led away, more men coming by to look at her as if she were nothing more than a piece of meat without her even noticing.

"Look up," a gravely voiced said, the tone very clear without being unkind.

Iullia stared down at a pair of boots, the surface worn and scuffed until a hand reached out to lift her chin up. She found herself looking at a man whose face was lined and wrinkled, his fingers bent by arthritis while he held her chin. She felt a flare of panic at the thought of rutting with someone so old, but his clear, gray eyes held hers firmly while he gazed at her.

"Green," the man said softly, "Open your mouth."

Iullia hesitated, her eyes flaring in panic until the man squeezed her chin painfully. She opened her mouth, the man leaning forward to peer inside for a moment. Satisfied he released her chin and then reached out both hands to squeeze her breasts, hefting them as if weighing them for a moment. Again satisfied the man released Iullia's breasts and then completely shocked her by reaching a hand between her legs, a long, bent, arthritic finger slipping inside while she rose up on tiptoe and gasped, his finger working deep inside of her before withdrawing. He brought his finger up to his nose while still gazing at Iullia intently and breathed in her aroma, even going so far as to smear the fluid that glistened on his skin over his lips beneath his bristly mustache.

"This one will do," the man said.

Fifty eight two," the man accompanying said.

The old man nodded while holding out what Iullia recognized as an electronic wallet to be scanned.

"Fine, but take that damn thing off her neck," the man who must have just purchased her demanded.

"Ain't smart ta be lettin em off their leashes so soon, half a them likely to up and run the first chance they get," the auctioneer replied.

The second man who had bought Iullia reached out to take her chin and lift her head again.

"What's your name?" he asked.

Iullia hesitated without making eye contact, the man gripping her chin tightly until she mumbled, "Iullia."

"How smart are you, Iullia," the man asked.

"I... wh... I don't understand," Iullia replied.

The auctioneer began to laugh and shake his head.

"Ain't rightly promisin, that there isn't!" the auctioneer said.

"If'n you're dumb, you could run," the man who had bought her continued without even glancing at the auctioneer, "And you'll be caught in a day. I think the longest it took was four days."

"Three," the auctioneer added helpfully.

"Three then," the man said with a glare at the auctioneer, "I ain't no use for someone that dumb, I ain't the time to go chasin after ye all the damn time, so'd sell your paper to Tyco, that's the mining company here abouts.

"You'd get tranked an be no good but to eat, sleep, shit and fuck. You'd be lucky to have just twenty lads inside ye each day, every day. Only time you'd get ta clean yerself would be when you'd so much seed spillin out that one a them lads couldn't bring himself to add a bit more until you cleaned up and used some a his time he done paid to be up inside ye to make you wash.

"That's where someone dumb would end up, so tell me Iullia, are you dumb?"

Iullia shook her head, her body trembling in fear at the matter of fact way the man had just described what would happen to her if she ran. He wasn't threatening her, only telling her what would happen.

"Say, it, Iullia," the man insisted.

"I'm... not dumb... I won't run away," she replied.

The man nodded and then waved at the collar around her neck.

"Take it off," he demanded.

"Well, it'll be on you if'n she does," the auctioneer said and then reached out a small device that made the collar click and fall away.

"Come on, then," the man said softly.

Iullia was drug along at the old man's side until he reached a cluster of men.

"She'll make a fine brood mare," one of the men called out as the old man approached.

"You sure you can handle her?" another chimed in, "Perhaps you should let me break her in first!

The old man snorted as he came to a stop, "You'd have to find that tiny pecker first and still not break her in properly, Ian!"

The men burst into laughter, including Ian until the old man held up his hand.

"I'm returning to the farmstead," he announced, "I'll be back in town next week to pick up that generator, Mack."

"If'n it's just the bushings it'll be ready," Mack replied, "Have a safe trip back, Jonas."

The group said their farewells before he turned and dragged Iullia along beside him Iullia's teeth beginning to chatter the moment they stepped out into the rain.

"I'm Jonas. I'd not expected a shuttle today," Jonas replied almost apologetically when he glanced down at her body shivering and covered in goosebumps, "Otherwise I'd have brought you proper clothes.

"You'll be warm enough in the cab."

Iullia was pulled along beside Jonas, her feet splashing through the cold slurry of mud and water while rain ran off her naked body in rivulets until the arrived next to a massive metal machine. Iullia stared up at the thing, an open box three times as long as she was tall in the back mounted on top of two triangular tracks, a smaller box in the front mounted on top of two skids. Jonas reached up to open a door and gestured Iullia to climb up.

"Up you go!" Jonas said, Iullia having to scramble and climb her way up to the door which was at head level to her.

Jonas slammed the door closed as soon as Iullia was inside as she looked curiously around. She had only ever caught a glimpse of the control yokes used in riot control vehicles in the City Blocks, usually preferring to be far away from any that made an appearance and stared at the array of buttons and levers. Jonas climbed up into the cab on the opposite side of her, his eyes drawn to her damp, naked body which made Iullia cross her arms defensively across her breasts.

"Can't say's I'll be minding the scenery on the way home this time around," Jonas said with a shake of his head and a tired smile.

Jonas reached down and did something, the cab Iullia was sitting in suddenly rumbling and shaking before smoothing into a constant low throb. Again Jonas fiddled with something and the cab was filled with a blast of warm air.

"If you get to hot tell me and I'll turn it down," Jonas said.

He reached out to take the control yoke in both hands and the entire vehicle lurched forward, Iullia giving a small squeak of surprise which drew a grin from Jonas.

"Ever ridden a truck before?" Jonas asked.

"I've... I've been with men, yes," Iullia whispered, her eyes locked on the ground between her feet.

"What?" Jonas asked in confusion and then shook his head, "No, not fucked, have you ridden one of these! A truck!"

Jonas smacked his hand down onto the seat which created a cloud of dust, Iullia jumping in fear as she glanced over at him.

"A... truck... I've been in a Riot Control Van," Iullia responded when she realized Jonas was referring to the vehicle they were in, "Once."

"Hmmpfh," Jonas said and focused on driving with only an occasional glance at Iullia's naked body before returning his attention to the road, "You hungry?"

Iullia's stomach growled loudly without her saying a word, Jonas chuckling and opening a box built into the seat between the two of them.

"Here," he said and handed her a bottle of water and a round, metal can.

Iullia took the water and had to fumble for a moment to pull the nipple out and take a sip, but only held the can in confusion.

"All's I got is a can a pears," Jonas said by way of apology, "Had a sandwich, but ate it before I even arrived."

Iullia wasn't sure what a pear was and turned the can over in her hand, a metal ring attached to the top of one end.

"You don't like pears?" Jonas asked after watching her for a moment.

Iullia gave a small shrug.

Do you... you pull the tab and peel off the top," Jonas said.

Iullia used a fingernail to play at the metal ring until Jonas held out a hand.

"Let me see it," he said, Iullia watching closely as he pulled up and back on the ring with the top of the can peeling away before he handed it back.

She looked into the can suspiciously which contained a clear liquid and unappetizing grayish white chunks. She glanced at Jonas suspiciously while he smiled at her and then brought it up to take a tentative sniff.

"Go on," Jonas said kindly, "My wife to this day still adores pears. You can drink the juice too."

Iullia hesitantly brought the can to her lips and took the tiniest of sips, flavor suddenly exploding in her mouth. Her eyes flew open in amazement and before she even thought about it took a second much longer sip. There were occasionally issued cal-rat bar treats, flavored bars that were a little sweet, but this was beyond ten... a hundred of those bars combined! It was sweetness that she had never imagined and quickly drained all the juice from the can.

Jonas laughed at her expression and then returned his attention to the road while Iullia fished at one of the grayish white chunks with her fingers. She gave it a sniff and then bit into it, the texture soft but still retaining some firmness with an almost grainy feel in her mouth... and just as sweet as the juice. She chewed noisily with Jonas completely forgotten, the pears in the can gone in less than a minute while she held the can up to catch the last remaining drops of juice.

"Glad you enjoyed em," Jonas said with a smile when he glanced over at her, "Just wish I had some more to give. Toss the can up on the dashboard, we'll recycle it once we get to the farm."

Iullia placed the empty can where she'd been told and licked her fingers before finally settling back to watch outside the window, the world swallowed up in the gray, dismal rain with only an occasional building to break the monotony of wet mud. The warm air blasting into the cab kept her more than comfortable even in her nakedness, even forgetting for a moment and lowering her arms that she had brought back up to conceal herself, Jonas's eyes flickering to her exposed breasts. The two rode in silence, Iullia growing more and more restless, more and more aware at all of Jonas's stolen glances at her body. She remembered the feel of his finger inside of her and shuddered, her eyes locked firmly on the floor of the cab.

"Am I..." Iullia finally began after over an hour of silence.

"Are you what?" Jonas asked.

"Am I... am I to be a brood mare?" Iullia asked, her voice trembling.

Jonas glanced at her for a moment and then shrugged, "in a manner of speaking. Do you not want to have children?

"The fringe worlds, we still don't have a fair balance of men and women," Jonas continued, "Mayhap not as many women are as stupid, pig headed and crazy as us men to head out to risk their necks on a colony world. Be that as it may, if the Emperor wants us to succeed and spread his reign throughout the stars, it's only right he send us a few... brood mares for us to sow our seed out amongst them stars."

Iullia swallowed, her eyes still focused on the floor of the cab.

"You... said you had a wife, I'm... to be yours too then?" Iullia asked softly.

Jonas surprised Iullia by laughing and shaking his head.

"Gods no!" Jonas finally said, "I bought my wife five decades hence, she'd happily rip off my balls if I chose to buy another! No, Iullia, you're to be for my grandson, Oswyn."

"What!" Iullia gasped and actually looked up from the floor to stare at Jonas, "But I thought...!"

"Think what you will," Jonas replied with a shrug, "But...

"Most women... my wife, even Oswyn's mother, more women than not came here just as you. Naked. Scared. Not knowing what's to come next. More'n half of all the women on this here world.

"If I were to lay hands on you, I'd have hell to pay from so many I'd be hen pecked to my dying days!"

Jonas burst out laughing again and shook his head.

"You've no idea!

"Listen to me, Iullia, in many ways your life is going to be so much harder here than it ever would have been back on a Core World," Jonas continued, "Instead a sittin on yer arse rotting away in some gods awful concrete hole doin nothing, expected to do nothing, fed barely enough crap to live and always kept low... here you'll have naught but hard work, child bearing... being a brood mare!

"But it'll be a better life than you could ever have had too, if you only reach a hand out to take what is offered. This is a gift to you. Take it, embrace it, make it yours and flourish!"

Iullia stared at Jonas for a moment and then glanced away.

"What of Clarell?" she asked after a moment.

"Who?" Jonas asked in confusion.

"The woman I stood beside when you... you bought me, what of her?" Iullia asked.

Jonas had to consider for a moment before shrugging.

"My mind ain't what it once was, but I think I remember it being Thomasin who bought the woman standing next to you," Jonas replied, "If it's so, Thomasin's farm is oh... twenty... twenty five clicks south of mine own. His son of age'n what with Thomasin already married, this Clarell's probably meant for his son.

"Once you're settled I see no reason to not go a visiting."

Iullia felt a thrill of excitement and wondered at being so happy to see someone she had only just met. The drive continued for another interminable time the scene outside never wavering from the constant rain and brown mud.

"It's rainy season still," Jonas finally said apologetically, "We're still Cat 3, right on the cusp of Cat 2, but you'd not know it from the weather!"

Jonas glanced over at Iullia, this time looking at her and not at her naked body which drew a glance back from her.

"As I've said, you're for my grandson, Oswyn," Jonas began before trailing off.

Iullia swallowed and wondered what this Oswyn looked like, her small, marble like nipples swelling at the thought.

"You've said you've had your share a men and I'll not ask how many," Jonas continued after a moment, his tone hesitant and uncomfortable, "Ain't my business, but..."

Iullia swallowed and glanced over at Jonas.

"Ain't my business," Jonas repeated with a shake of his head, "But Oswyn... ain't no one on the farm but his mom and aunties and sisters'n cousins, ain't no girls his age in town what with any daughter being arranged a'for she's old enough to bleed."

"I don't... understand," Iullia replied although an idea was forming in her mind.

"I'm saying he's more experience with his palm than with a woman... any woman," Jonas replied, his face that could be seen around his bristling mustache and beard a bright read, "I'm saying you're to be his first."

Iullia looked over in confusion. She couldn't' even recall the first time a man had rutted with her, sex in the City Block's so common, so pervasive that it was just something that occurred. More often than not by force or simply given as a way to secure protection from the force that would otherwise be used, or exchanged to keep from being evicted. Only to be evicted anyway. It was hard to imagine someone, male or female who had never rutted with another person.

"What I'm trying to get at in my own fumbling way is... be good to him," Jonas said softly, "Be good to him and he'll be good... we'll all be good to you."

Iullia knew that there was an implied threat there, that if she wasn't, then they wouldn't be good to her, but also sensed that wasn't what Jonas meant or was even implying.

"We're almost there," Jonas said and nodded out the window.

Iullia's head snapped around to see several buildings that looked to be storage buildings of some type passing by.

"He doesn't know you're with me," Jonas said and glanced at Iullia's naked body, "You're going to be quite the... surprise I'd say."

Iullia didn't say a word as she focused out into the gray, overcast evening. A stone building began to loom out of the rain, a rambling structure that had obviously been built and added onto repeatedly, a second story jutting out in front to form a sheltered porch. As Iullia watched a door opened and several men and women spilled out beneath the overhang, brilliant lights suddenly flaring to life. Iullia held up a hand to shield her eyes, glancing from man to man while wondering which one was Oswyn.

Jonas let the truck roll to a stop and shut off the engine, the silence in the cab lingering while they both sat without moving. Jonas glanced over at her and then opened the door to the cab, Iullia catching snatches of happy greetings and questions before the door closed. Iullia peeked at the people gathered beneath the overhang, her eyes drawn to several men who looked like they could be of an age to be Jonas's grandson. All of them seemed to be cut from the same cloth, tall and broad shouldered with unruly mops of black hair totally opposite of Jonas's gray. She caught a glimpse of Jonas waving as he walked around the cab towards her door and then noticed a woman just as old as Jonas, the woman staring intently at Iullia through the window of the cab.

"Come on," Jonas said the moment he opened the cab's door, the greetings from the group suddenly falling silent when everyone realized that there was a second person in the truck.

"I... I..." Iullia stammered.

"You've no choice," Jonas said gently, "Come down."

Iullia glanced over at the crowd who was now completely silent and then turned to climb slowly down out of the cab. She shivered at the sting of cold rain without really feeling it, her feet splashing into ankle deep mud and water when she jumped the last foot down. She slowly turned around, Jonas slamming the door to the cab and then taking her gently by the arm to lead her over to the overhang.

"Oswyn, step up, boy," Jonas demanded, Iullia jerking at the sudden harshness in his voice.

One of the men stepped out of the crowd, a man a head taller than Iullia with the wide shoulders and mess of black hair that she had noticed among all the men, his expression one of stunned amazement, and yet his eyes still bored into her as he stumbled to a stop.

"Everyone, this is Iullia," Jonas announced and placed a hand in the center of Iullia's back and gently pushed her forward, "I've bought her for Oswyn."

"Jonas Payve!" the old woman who Iullia had noticed staring at her earlier yelled irately, "You're letting that woman walk around naked as if she's still a trasnportee! And in the rain! For shame!"

"Go easy, Liza," Jonas replied and held up his hands, "No one knew a shuttle was landing today, what was I to do, wrap her up in a sack?"

"A sack would be better than letting her run around bald as the day she was born!" Liza yelled and pulled a shawl from her shoulders to storm over to Iullia.

"Iullia, this here is Liza, my better part," Jonas said and shook his head at Liza, "You've wasting your efforts wrapping her up. Oswyn, take her on upstairs, make sure you get her warmed up with a bath after this here rain and get... get acquainted with your wife."

"Grandpa..." Oswyn said, his eyes wide as he stared at Iullia who was staring back at him.

"Go on with you," Jonas snapped, "Go make her your wife!"

Oswyn glanced over at Jonas for only a moment before returning his stare to Iullia, his eyes running up and down her naked body. Iullia could only stand mutely, her body trembling with both the cold, stinging rain and the fear that was coursing through her.

And something else. Something besides the cold that was making her small nipples ache and turning her lower stomach in to a hot, churning pool of lava.

"Oswyn get yer tongue back in yer mouth an take her upstairs to get warm!" Liza snapped, "And don't let me catch either of you out of yer room till tomorrow afternoon soonest!"

Oswyn jumped at his grandmother's sharp tongue and quickly reached out a trembling hand towards Iullia.

"Yes ma'am!" Oswyn said, hand outstretched.

"I'll have food brought up and some of my old things aired and cleaned ready for you tomorrow," Liza said with a gentle smile as she reached out a arthritic hand to place gently on Iullia's arm for a moment.

Iullia glanced at her and gave a slight nod and then stared around at all the men and women standing beneath the overhand, the women watching her curiously and more than one of them men staring more at her naked body than her face. Finally she returned her gaze back to Oswyn who was still staring at her, hunger apparent on his face and then slowly reached a hand out to him. Oswyn took her hand with a smile before turning and leading her towards the door.

Iullia heard several soft voices saying 'welcome', the sincere greeting surprising her as she was led past them, a little girl that barely came up to Iullia's stomach reaching out to touch her hip as she was led past. The moment she stepped through the door she glanced back to see Jonas and Liza standing side by side, Liza smiling and clutching at her husband's hand while he smiled at Iullia.

"I'm sorry... you're name was Ill...?" Oswyn asked the moment she was led inside.

"Iullia," Iullia replied while staring around in amazement.

The living room was wide and spacious with an abundance of chairs and couches to sit on, a circular fireplace dominating the center of the room with a stone chimney that led up to the roof. The wealth around her made her stumble to a halt for a moment, such extravagance beyond her imagination back in the City Block. She could see what appeared to be an open air kitchen beyond the living room, bright orange and yellow, purple and leafy green... things hanging from the ceiling along with bright copper pots and pans dangling from hooks.

"Iullia," Oswyn said, a smile playing over his lips while he stared at her, "There's... would you like to warm up in the sauna... take a bath?"

After the cold rain an equally cold shower or bath sounded decidedly unappealing, but Iullia wasn't even sure what Oswyn meant by a 'sauna'.

"I'm not... maybe... a sauna?" Iullia said uncertainly.

"Yes!" Oswyn replied and turned to lead Iullia by the hand up the stairs to the second floor.

She had a moment to glance down at the front of his pants, the material unfamiliar with a coarse look, but with a much more familiar bulge along the front before she averted her eyes.

"Could I... I'll join you," Oswyn said, almost pulling Iullia along down a hallway lined with doors.

He reached a stone wall made of large blocks and led the way inside, the room beyond obviously a water closet, but one unlike anything Iullia had seen before.

"We've the thermal tap, so you've no need to worry about hot water," Oswyn was saying as he pulled her over to another door and opened it to reveal a tiny room with a bench running along three of the walls, "Grandpa... that'd be Jonas, he had the tap put in decades ago and we even sell power to the Backster's and Teasdell's!"

Oswyn reached inside to flip a switch, overhead lamps suddenly springing to life and beginning to glow red, the heat hitting Iullia's face even outside the small room.

"It will take a few minutes to get warm," Oswyn was saying as he carried a wooden bucket over to a faucet to begin filling, "If you're... if you're cold you could go inside and sit down!"

Iullia only stood watching, the wooden bucket in Oswyn's hand worth more than anything she had ever possessed. Oswyn glanced up curiously to see her watching and smiled while using a wooden ladle to dip into the water and pour it back into the bucket.

"It's for the rocks once they get hot enough," Oswyn explained, his eyes continuously glancing down at Iullia's naked body.

Iullia caught herself glancing down him just as much as Oswyn was looking at her, the fact that she could see the prominent outline of Oswyn's erection through the fabric of his pants still filling her stomach with a liquid heat.

"What is that?" Iullia asked.

"What?" Oswyn replied in confusion and held up the ladle, "Just... carved thorn brush, although I guess you wouldn't have that on any of the Core Worlds."

"The cloth," Iullia asked again, "What is your clothes made of? It's not papyrus."

"Ahhh, I'm not sure what papyrus is!" Oswyn laughed, "But my pants are cotton from, well, we have to trade or buy it since we don't grow any here, but my shirt is flax. We got near on two acres a flax! Grandma has a bunch of her old things made a flax we grew right her on the farm that I'm sure she'll be getting for you."

"Can I..." Iullia asked and held out a hand towards Oswyn.

Oswyn nodded and stepped closer, Iullia running her fingertips over the soft fabric of his shirt while tracing the hard swell of the muscles beneath.

"Flax," Iullia whispered and looked up into Oswyn's eyes, eyes that were a clear gray with a dark rim around his iris.

"Yes, flax," Oswyn whispered back.

"And... this is cotton?" Iullia asked, her fingers straying lower to trace over Oswyn's pants and also the hard swell beneath.

Oswyn let out a low moan and then suddenly stepped closer to Iullia, his body pressing against hers as he reached around to press a hand into her back. He forcefully pulled her against him and leaned in, his mouth finding and kissing hers. For a moment Iullia hesitated, her body frozen in fear, Oswyn's tongue probing futile against her tightly closed lips until he began to pull away.

"Wait!" Iullia gasped, her body trembling and then reached her arms around Oswyn's body so that they both pulled each other into a tight embrace.

This time Iullia parted her lips, Oswyn's tongue stabbing into her mouth. It was a new sensation, something she had never dreamed of, but it also wasn't unpleasant, her own tongue beginning to move, to press against and caress Oswyn's still inside her mouth. She could taste something, a sweetness that reminded her of the treat cal-rats that would sometimes be distributed and closed her eyes.

"Mmmmm," Oswyn moaned into Iullia's mouth, the feel of his hard length pressing into her stomach beneath the coarse cloth of his pants making her stomach flutter.

Finally Oswyn was the one to pull away as he glanced down at Iullia's naked body.

"You still need to get warm again," he gasped and then took her hand to lead her over to the sauna.

"Do I need to put on clothes?" Iullia asked when Oswyn held the door open for her, a dry heat rolling out of the small room.

"No, I need to take mine off," Oswyn replied with a smile.

Iullia hesitated and then began to turn to step inside before Oswyn stopped her and turned her back to face him fully. They stared into each other's eyes for several seconds before Oswyn smiled.

"What color is your hair?" Oswyn asked.

Iullia flinched, a hand reaching up to cover her bald scalp before Oswyn quickly claimed it and brought it to his lips to kiss the back of her fingers.

"I didn't mean it to hurt" Oswyn said while still holding her hand, her fingers pressed to his lips while he spoke, "I know your hair will regrow, Auntie Millia came when I was ten cycles, I remember how her hair came back. You still look... beautiful Iullia, more beautiful than anything, I was only curious about what color your hair will be when it grows back."

Iullia felt a thrill when she heard Oswyn say that she was beautiful, something she had never heard a man say back in the City Block and smiled up at him.

"Light brown," Iullia replied softly while staring up at him, "The color of sand."

Oswyn smiled and reached up to stroke his hand slowly over Iullia's bald scalp.

"I've never seen someone with hair the color of sand before," he whispered, his hand still slowly stroking over Iullia's scalp.

Iullia watched him intently for another moment and then looked down at his shirt. The 'flax' looked thicker and softer than papyrus, shiny round disks decorating the front along what was obviously an edge. She reached out her fingers to tug at the slit that run up the front only to be thwarted by the round disks.

"What are..." Iullia asked, her fingertips playing with the buttons of Oswyn's shirt.

"Buttons," he replied with a grin and reached down to demonstrate slipping the top one through a small slit cut into his shirt.

Iullia grinned and reached up, her fingers fumbling for only a moment before managing to slip the next disk through its fabric slot and then down to the next.

"Buttons!" Iullia said while grinning, her fingers reaching into Oswyn's shirt to stroke his chest.

'Yes," Oswyn replied breathlessly and had to swallow, "I've never appreciated them so much until just this moment!"

Iullia looked up at him with a smile.

"You're teasing me," she replied.

"A little," Oswyn said and then suddenly leaned down to kiss her a second time.

Iullia's tongue was the first to find Oswyn's mouth this time, Oswyn conceding defeat as he allowed her to push her tongue in. Oswyn stroked his nails up and down Iullia's spin as she rose up on tiptoe, their kiss lingering until Iullia pulled away. She took a deep breath and looked down at Oswyn's pants for a moment.

"Is this a 'button' as well?" she asked and reached down to undo the button of his pants.

"A button and a zipper," Oswyn replied while staring down at what Iullia was doing intently.

Iullia undid the button and was already familiar with a zipper, the reusable bags that the cal-rats were shipped in equipped with them. She found the pull tab and very slowly pulled down while staring at what she was about to reveal.

"Gods! I've got to get my boots off!" Oswyn exclaimed once Iullia had his zipper all the way down, his arms shrugging out of his unbuttoned shirt and tossing it aside.

Iullia was disappointed in finding a second layer of cloth beneath his pants still concealing what she sought and looked up at him.

"I need to sit," Oswyn said and quickly sat on the edge of the stone tub.

He lifted his foot and began to untie the laces, Iullia completely unfamiliar with them so that she simply watched. As soon as he had the first unlaced he held out a foot to Iullia.

"Pull?" he asked.

Iullia reached out to take the large shoe in her hands and pulled, the heavy, cumbersome thing so different than the paper slippers that were issued in the City Block, Oswyn's foot slipping free encased in yet another layer of cloth. Iullia boggled at the small sack his foot was encased in trying to understand how rich someone would have to be to wear so many layers of expensive clothing one beneath another.

"My sock too?" Oswyn asked while still holding out his foot.

Iullia glanced from Oswyn's foot and back before reaching down to slip the small sack, the sock off Oswyn's foot before he attacked the laces of his second boot. Iullia helped him pull his second boot and sock off before Oswyn quickly yanked his pants down so that he was standing in what Iullia sincerely hoped was the final barrier of cloth to what she sought.

Iullia's eyes widened in surprise, at the realization that she really did want to rut with this stranger just as badly as what he so obviously wanted to rut with her.

"Iullia?" Oswyn asked at the sudden change in her expression.

Iullia looked up into his eyes and then smiled before reaching down to drag the final piece of cloth covering Oswyn's length down over his hips.

"Is this a 'sock' too?" Iullia asked while tugging at the cloth.

"That's... small clothes or shirt I suppose," Oswyn said the moment before his erection sprang free.

Iullia let out a gasp as Oswyn's length smacked into her stomach, his small clothes falling unnoticed to pool around his feet before he kicked them aside. She reached down to take him in her hand, his tip already weeping a drop of liquid before she looked up to meet his eyes.

"You have a handsome manhood," Iullia said sincerely the heat of his hard length pressed into her hand.

"Ahhhnnn," Oswyn moaned and then leaned down to kiss Iullia once more.

Neither was sure who won the race to penetrate the other's mouth, their tongues meeting at their lips and dancing together, Iullia's hand moving slowly up and down Oswyn's hard length. Iullia rose up onto her tiptoes at the feel of Oswyn's hands on her butt, squeezing and kneading the soft flesh before pulling the two globes apart. She gasped into his mouth while she felt one of his hands began to explore lower, to delve deeper, piercing the hidden valley between her thighs with a gentle, caressing touch over her soft, wet folds discovered within.

"Sauna..." Oswyn finally gasped when he pulled away, "You... you're probably still frozen from the rain!"

The liquid heat that had moved from Iullia's stomach downward to fill her sex gave lie to Oswyn's statement, but Iullia allowed him to pull his length free of her clasping hand to lead her towards the small door of the sauna.

"The water!" Oswyn said and hurried across the room to reclaim the bucket he had filled earlier, Iullia's eyes watching the metronome rise and fall of the muscles in his ass and the bounce of his manhood while he walked.

They both stepped inside when Oswyn returned, Iullia allowing herself to be guided to sit on the bench, Oswyn claiming a place next to her so that their thighs were pressed together. Even as her eyes were drawn to Oswyn's length still standing at rigid attention she had to admit that the oppressive warmth felt good soaking into her body. Oswyn grinned at her and sat the bucket down to retrieve the ladle, Iullia reaching down to reclaim his length in her hand.

"Ohhh," Oswyn gasped while staring at Iullia's and as she began to stroke him slowly up and down.

She watched his face closely, watched his Adam's apple bob while he swallowed, his eyes focused on what she was doing with her hand and smiled. Every man she had ever been with in the City Block had been demanding, forcing himself and his desires onto her. Claiming his pleasure without the least regard or even care for her own. Oswyn seemed to be intentionally holding back even when his desire was so plainly written on his face, something that Iullia had never experienced, something that seemed to drive her own desire to greater heights, to stoke the burning, throbbing flame between her legs even hotter. Oswyn moaned, his entire attention focused on Iullia's hand for a minute until he finally leaned forward to take the ladle from the bucket.

It was Iullia's turn to gasp "Oh!" when Oswyn dumped a cup full of water onto the stones filling the basin at the center of the room, a plume of steam hissing up to quickly fill the room.

Iullia laughed at the clouds of steam circling the room, her hand still gripping Oswyn's length without moving for the moment.

"Could I..." Iullia asked when she glanced back at Oswyn.

"I'd rather you kept doing what you're doing," Oswyn replied.

"I've two hands!" Iullia laughed as she gave Oswyn a forceful squeeze and started stroking up and down his length again.

"I'm... I'm not going to... here's the..." Oswyn gasped and handed the ladle to Iullia.

Iullia smiled at him, recognizing his need as well as how close he was getting to release, her hand moving at the same, slow, rhythmic pace as she leaned forward to dip up a cup of water. She dumped the water onto the rocks with a laugh, more steam filling the room, the heat coating her skin in sweat and soaking into her body.

"In the Core, we... don't use our tongues, no in mouths," Iullia confessed, her hand slowly beginning to pick up speed.

"Oh! I didn't kno..." Oswyn began to say.

"No, I liked it, I enjoyed the feel of our tongues together!" Iullia quickly added.

"Alright... ohhhh," Oswyn gasped, his eyes focused on Iullia's hand.

"I'm asking... do you use your mouth in other ways for each other's pleasure?" Iullia asked hesitantly.

"I... yes?" Oswyn replied, "I'm not... not sure what you mean."

"Do you do this," Iullia replied and leaned down.

"Ohhh, gods!" Oswyn gasped at the feel of Iullia taking his glans into her mouth.

She suckled on just his tip barely allowing his ridge to slip past her lips, her hand still stroking him up and down, her speed more urgent and in time with the waves of pressure she was applying. Oswyn suddenly held his breath, his hips lifting up off the wooden bench in the sauna, Iullia never faltering in stroking his length and suckling his glans.

"Now!" Oswyn cried out, his hand pressing down on the back of Iullia's smooth scalp, "Oh, gods! Now!"

Iullia felt the warm spurt of Oswyn's seed fill her mouth and swallowed, a second and third spurt quickly following the first. She continued to swallow, continued to suckle and stroke him while his body shuddered until no more of his chalky, sweet seed spilled from his tip.

"Enough!" Oswyn gasped, Iullia stopping her stroking and her suckling without ever letting go or letting Oswyn slip form her mouth.

Oswyn relaxed with his tip still in Iullia's mouth, his hand stroking up and down her spin for a minute before giving her a playful smack on her butt. Iullia gasped and quicky sat up with a mock glare at him.

"Is it wise to strike the one who has your manhood still held in her mouth?" she asked with a glare.

Oswyn grinned and gave a nod of agreement, "I will keep that in mind for our future!

"And yes."

"What?" Iullia asked in confusion.

"Yes, we do give our partners pleasure with our mouths out here in the Fringe," Oswyn said with a grin, "Felatio, kissing the snake, but tell me..."

Oswyn pushed Iullia backward so that she quickly found herself laying on the bench, his hands taking her legs and spreading them apart to expose her core.

"Do men taste the wine from their women's font in the Core, too?"

Iullia's eyes widened in shock as Oswyn leaned forward to kiss the swell of her mound. She moaned, hands reaching up to her scalp pull at hair that wasn't there when she felt his fingers spread her inner lips apart, his tongue lapping at the gaping center of her core. Men did go down on women back in the Core, but it was something rare, most believing it to be disgusting and more concerned about their own pleasure than a woman's. All the times Iullia had rutted with a man, it was an experience that she had never had the pleasure of experiencing, her eyes rolling back into her head at the feel of Oswyn's tongue strumming lightly over her clit. Iullia had an instant of doubt, a realization that it had been thirty years in cold sleep since she last had cleaned herself and then was swept away by the pleasure.

If Oswyn found Iullia' flower wanting in any way he certainly didn't show it, pursing his lips and humming softly against her pearl, using his fingers to stroke and massage her small, smooth inner lips, using the flat of his entire tongue to lap at her woman's mouth, even slipping his fingers into her soft warmth to slowly plumb her depths. Iullia desperately wanted to yank at her hair, hair that she didn't have and resorted to scratching at her bald scalp with the fingernails of both hands. She felt a pressure building inside of her, a singing tension of pleasure that had her lifting her hips up off the bench without even realizing, a low, constant moan escaping from her while Oswyn continued to pleasure her.

"OOOHHHHH!" Iullia moaned, all pretense at trying to contain her pleasure, the hold back the volume of her pleasure forgotten.

Minutes later with a suddenness that took her by surprise the dam burst, wave after wave of pleasure cresting and washing over her, the muscles of her stomach clenching painfully, her sheath squeezing and sucking greedily at Oswyn's fingers still buried inside of her. Iullia's fingers still scratched at her scalp with her back arched up off the bench. Oswyn tried to continue lapping at Iullia, his tongue struggling to maintain contact as she twisted herself away until she finally reached down to push his head from between her legs.

"Stop... oh... no more!" Iullia gasped and then slowly and gently slipped Oswyn's fingers from inside of her body.

Oswyn sat up with nervously, his eyes glancing from her wet, glazed sex and up to her face, her eyes still closed while she came down from the heights of her pleasure.

"Was it nice?" Oswyn asked softly, his nervousness obvious.

Iullia opened her eyes to see his troubled expression and then sat up, her lips finding his and her tongue pressing into his mouth to taste her own tangy flavor.

"Yes, it was very nice," Iullia purred when they broke away from their kiss and then leaned in to suckle the nap of his neck, "You gave me more pleasure than I've ever had!"

Oswyn grinned and preened, Iullia laughing and pulling him into another kiss before pouring another cup of water onto the rocks. Iullia lay back against the wall and closed her eyes while reaching out with her hand to find and hold Oswyn's flaccid length. The heat was a wonder, a balm soaking into her body and releasing tensions that she wasn't even aware of while she relaxed.

"Are we... bonded now?" Iullia asked softly a few minutes later, her hand idling fondling and squeezing Oswyn as he slowly began to regain his vigor.

"Yes," Oswyn replied softy, "Although... I suppose it's custom that we aren't until we..." Oswyn gave a small shrug, his length giving a slight jerk and beginning to swell a little faster.

"Custom is that we aren't until you take me," Iullia replied, her eyes still closed while she squeezed his flaccid but hardening length rhythmically.

"Yes," Oswyn replied huskily.

"This is... the heat... it soaks into your very bones and melts you," Iullia said and then opened her eyes to look at Oswyn, "But it's too much for you to take me. Do you have a bed somewhere in this castle, Oswyn Payve?"

Oswyn gave a jerky nod while staring at Iullia, Iullia's hand now holding and stroking his length which had swelled enough to begin standing to attention.

"Will you take me to your bed, Oswyn Pyve?" Iullia asked softly while staring at him, "Will you take me?"

Oswyn gave another jerky nod and then stood up. He opened the door and then took Iullia's hand to lead her outside, the air seemingly cold against her skin after the heat of the sauna. Both of their bodies were covered in sweat, Iullia realizing that she could smell Oswyn's body odor as much as her own, the scent only making the urge building inside of her stronger as Oswyn almost drug her across the room. Oswyn opened the door a crack and looked outside before throwing it open and hurrying down the hallway, Iullia trying not to giggle at his haste, their bare feet slapping against the wooden floor.

"Here!" Oswyn said and led Iullia into a bedroom twice again as large as the room that she had been evicted from in the City Block. Iullia barely had a glance at the four poster bed before Oswyn had slammed the door shut and spun her around, his naked body pressed against hers as he leaned down to kiss her mouth. Their tongues spared and danced, Iullia standing on her tiptoes even while Oswyn wrapped his arms around her and lifted, Iullia suddenly finding herself carried across the room with only the tips of her toes making contact before being flung back onto the soft embrace of the bed's mattress.

"I am yours if you wish to take me," Iullia said and spread her legs wide in invitation.

Oswyn stared between her legs and licked his lips hungrily before taking a step forward and then stopping.

"Where are you in your cycle?" Oswyn asked urgently and reached down to grip himself in his hand.

"My... what?" Iullia asked in confusion.

"Your cycle, are you ready to quicken?" Oswyn asked even more urgently as he stepped between her legs, "It's always a good omen if you quicken on our first night!"

"Quicken?" Iullia asked and then realized what he meant with a shake of her head, "Everyone in the City Block has implants, we can't get with child without a permit from a City Manager, I've never know a woman to even be given one."

She felt a hurt she had never felt before admitting that and was confused by Oswyn's odd look.

"I'm sorry," Iullia said while looking up at him.

"Transportee's," Oswyn started and then smiled down at her, "You've had those implants removed when you were sentenced to be transported."

Iullia's eyes widened in shock.

"You mean..." Iullia gasped.

Oswyn didn't respond but simply stepped forward to climb up onto the bed between Iullia's thighs. Without a word he took himself in hand and guided his tip to the gaping mouth of her sex, Iullia moaning at the feel of him stretching her open and then plunging into her body. Oswyn grunted explosively when he bottomed out inside of her, Iullia lifting up her legs to wrap tightly around his waist as he began to thrust. She looked up to see him staring down into her eyes and smiled at the pleasure they were sharing together.

"Ah, ah, ah, ah!" Iullia gasped with every thrust and then reached up to take Oswyn's head in her hands and pull him down.

Even if it wasn't something practiced in the Core, she found that she loved the feel of Oswyn's tongue plunging into her mouth and dancing against her own at the same time as he penetrated, stretched and filled her.

"Ohhhhhhh, gods!" Iullia cried out, her pleasure quickly building with Oswyn's every thrust.

She loved the feel of his tongue pressed against hers, but not as much as the feel of his hard length pressed into her body.

Liza looked up at the sound of a headboard striking against the wall and reached out to take Jonas's hand with a smile.

"It took you three months to fill me with a child, you think Oswyn will manage to show you up?" Liza asked with a grin.

"Mayhap he will," Jonas replied and reached out to cup Liza's cheek who tilted her head into the contact, "This Iullia, you think she'll do?"

"Oh, I suppose so," Liza said and grinned at the moans of pleasure coming through the walls, "Certainly sounds like she'll be coming along just fine."

Jonas snorted and then let his fingertips run down over Liza's bare sternum, her top having been discarded before she had even came to bed.

"She doesn't have to be the only one to come along just fine," Jonas said softly.

"Oh, you think so, do you," Liza replied and leaned up to kiss Jonas, their tongues touching and caressing without the heat of passion, but more slowly and lovingly.

Touching in a way that still surprised Liza how much she enjoyed after so many decades of never having experiencing it growing up in the Core.

"Lance'n Greggor will be needing wives of their own soon," Liza said while she listened to the rhythmic pounding against the wall.

"You see how both lads turned near green with envy when they saw Oswyn takin Iullia inside?" Jonas said with a chuckle.

"I did! But they'll just have to be making do with their hands til next year!" Liza said with a laugh.

Jonas snorted and then glanced at the wall as the pounding seemed to grow louder.

"Oh, gods!" Oswyn exclaimed from next door, the pounding echoing through the walls coming to a sudden stop.

"What is that?" Jonas asked and stood up to slip his pants off, his own erection surprisingly and most welcomingly stiff.

"Four," Liza replied smugly and reached out to hold Jonas in her hand as she smiled up at him, "But who's counting."

"Hmmm, I wonder who'd be counting," Jonas said and then sighed when Liza leaned forward to take his glans in her mouth.

Jonas grinned and stroked his arthritic fingers through Liza's thin, white hair.

"Did I ever tell you how much I enjoyed you bald as a grape?" he said softly and then let out an exclamation when Liza bit down and gummed his glans for a moment.

She pulled him out of her mouth and then glared up at him before laying back on the bed they had shared for so many decades.

"Get over here and rut me before that snake loses its strength!" Liza demanded.

"Yes'em," Jonas replied and climbed up onto the bed while smiling down at her.