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Chapter 17
In the junior officer's mess, Garan Duufrig was gambling and, for once, winning. The game had attracted a crowd of officers, each urging on one or other of the players. Duufrig's opponent Chief Drive Engineer, Shicnan Warrax, sat opposite him with a glum face. Behind him stood Deeta Janes and Marni Carris, the two Sol3a women that had been allocated to Warrax when the crew had been assigned their bounty. As they watched their fears grew, sensing that a bad evening at the table for Warrax would mean a bad night for them.
Garan Duufrig, slapped down the three bone strips – "Anax, Belfor Criag!" he bellowed triumphantly. "My win, I think." The crowd at his back whooped their agreement.
His opponent got to his feet and tossed his pieces onto the table. "Curse you, Duufrig. You've got the luck of seven, tonight."
Duufrig grinned as he pulled the pile of his winnings towards him. "Just not your night, Warrax; sometimes you just can't win."
"That's a month's pay you've taken off me."
"Do want to win it back?"
"No, I'm all out of stake money."
"That's OK, you can put up the girls." Duufrig pointed to the two chained Sol3a women that stood behind Warrax. "Those two against the cash you've lost tonight."
"Ah, come on, Duufrig, they're my allocation." Warrax had been enjoying the benefits that having Deeta and Marni brought.
"Sure, I guess that means you can do what you like with them. But if you want to spend the next month on nothing but standard rations…. " He went to get up from the table.
"Oh, shit. OK Duufrig, you're on."
A voice called out from behind Garran. "Stake on the table – you've got to put your stake on the table." There was a roar of laughter as two of Warrax's companions grabbed the girls and pulled them towards the table. The girls struggled and whimpered as they were pulled across the table, belly up, one in front of each player. Their clothes were already tattered as a result of their mistreatment over the past week but now each had her shirt pulled open. "There you go lads, that'll give you something to play on," somebody called. Rough claws and feelers held the squealing girls down, stretched across the table, and the game began.
The bone strips piled up in front of each player. Warrax gave a smile and laid three down on the belly of Deeta who was spread out in front of him. "Anax, Belfor, Criag. Mine, I think."
Duufrig looked on impassively. "I'll take one more piece – you never know," he said, reaching for the pile. He picked up another bone strip, looked at it and then at Warrax. "Oh," he said, "I guess Four Darak beats that, doesn't it?" tossing the pieces down on Marni.
Warrax gave a groan of defeat.
"Thanks very much," said Duufrig, grabbing the neck chains of the two girls and jerking them up from the table. "These two will go nicely with the one I have already. Let me know anytime you fancy another game." Grinning, he led the two women, sobbing with humiliation, from the mess and towards his cabin. He was followed by the raucous comments of his colleagues.
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