Trouble's
Tales
The Party
by Kittiara
No stardate
Trouble moaned into her gag as she struggled with her bonds. Being tied in one position, any position, immobile, for a long period of time was painful, but this position was particularly so. Her paws had been tied together at the wrist, thumbs and middle finger, and fastened to the wall over her head. At first, Trouble thought she'd merely be left to stand there, in the punishment hall, but then the guards had fastened padded cuffs around her ankles and pulled her feet up and apart, to tie them to widely spaced rings in the wall above her head, leaving her bent double, and her crotch prominently exposed. Again, as an added punishment, weights hung from her nipple rings, her right nipple freshly pierced. The rings were a visible and lasting sign of the major punishments she'd accrued in her time at the "academy".
The Academy had thrown a "party" for a very select list of patrons, customers, and suppliers. The Academy was a semi-official branch of the planetary government, a training facility for "personal" slaves. In other words, for turning those that couldn't pay their bills, or who had otherwise wound up incarcerated by the government for non-violent crimes, into sex slaves for those rich and perverted enough to find that of interest. The nominal excuse for the party was "founder's day", the day the first colonists had landed on that planet. For the party, food and drink was freely available, and all the "students" were turned out, loose and unfettered, for the amusement of the guests. What generally wound up happening was a very free-floating orgy, with the guests indulging themselves with each other, or, at their whim, with any of the "students". Instructors cruised the party, watching, evaluating style, and more importantly, "attitude", checking up on how their charges were doing ......
Trouble had a strategy; some of the guests were known to have notable kinks, some of them significantly unpleasant for the student that drew their attention. All things considered, Trouble would rather have a pleasant evening, and she had worked out a plan that she thought would allow her the best possible time, given the circumstances. Her idea was to find a suitable stud, a guest attending the party alone; she'd occupy his time, completely monopolizing him, to the point where no one else will bother her.
As the guards released her into the growing party, Trouble glanced over the crowd. Urrrrrrrr, look at those over there, setting up the bondage cross, and laying out whips......... nope, that’s exactly what I want to stay away from, she thought to herself. She watched as one of her friends, Marla, the she-wolf, was snatched by a pleasant looking, if large male polar bear morph, but then, as he clipped a short lead to Marla's collar and jerked her down onto her knees by his feet, Trouble thought that even that might not be so enviable an "associate". Gazing at the crowd from behind a pillar, she watched the entrance carefully. Finally, she spotted a rather large lion-morph standing in the reception area, looking just a little lost.
Purrrrrrfect, she thought as she sashayed up to him.
Trouble walked up to her "target", and smiled up at him as innocently as possible; my, but he was a big one. Must have been almost two feet taller than her own 5' 10".
"Good Day, Master", she said; "May I ... um, 'assist' you with anything?" He looked down and smiled. "This place has changed a lot since the last time I was here ..... " he rumbled. Perfect, Trouble thought. "Let me show you around, then; perhaps we can find ways to bring back some memories of this place." Trouble purrrrrred. Taking him by the paw she led him off, down a side corridor, completely missing the somewhat pained look that crossed his face.
Trouble showed him through the more highly decorated "public" areas of the Academy; the main hall, the dining hall, and so forth, all the while leading him towards the "theme rooms". He stopped for a moment to watch a tableau as they passed through the punishment hall. One of the male slaves had been dragooned by a trio of guests and was being expertly bound to a post. By the paddles, crops and such being laid out, it was obvious what was about to happen, but to Trouble's surprise, the lion led her off out of the hall when one of the guests gleefully started to lay out a selection of feathers ..... "I feel sorry for that poor sod," he rumbled, "but at the moment, there ain't a damn thing I can do for him ...... " Trouble did her best to reassert "control" and lead him towards her chosen destination.
After passing through a few more halls, and by luck, not encountering any other guests, Trouble managed to lead him into one of the "theme" rooms. These were artistically decorated to yield a certain "mood", for the "students" to entertain honored guests. The one Trouble had chosen, on a bit of a whim, was the room with the "Arabian Nights" theme. It resembled a Bedouin's tent, the floor soft and shifting sand under spread intricately woven carpets. It was lit with oil lanterns, the air full of incense. Of course, there were innumerable pillows scattered about, and the stout "tent poles" had rings attached, so that the guests could restrain their playtoys ..... No sooner had she dragged him through the door than she turned and knelt at his feet, to gently nuzzle his crotch. As she suspected, he was almost hard already, the various sights and scenes they'd passed by obviously having fired his imagination. As she nuzzled gently, her hands found the fastening on his pants, releasing it, allowing them to slide down, and pool at his feet. She purrrrred with delight as she found him every bit as large as she'd hoped, and before long, she was enthusiastically sucking on his hard cock.
The goal, after all, was to remain not unpleasantly occupied until the end of the party, so Trouble was in no hurry to bring him off; she used every trick at her disposal to bring him to the very edge, and then keep him there. To her amazement, he didn't seem to object, but just stood there, panting, making an occasional mewling sound as she did something he particularly liked. Trouble found this surprising, as most males she'd had experience with would have grabbed her ears and fucked her face until they came; this one, however, seemed to be relishing her mastery of her task. Finally, however, Trouble's jaws started to ache, and she sped her motions some. As if reading her mind, he started to move his hips, gently at first, until, moments later, in the throes of his orgasm, he placed a paw at the back of her head, and drove his cock deep into her mouth, to fire his seed against the back of her throat.
Trouble purrrrrred and slowly moved her head back, as his paw released her; she carefully sucked and licked his cock clean, and then sat back on her heels, to look up at him, grinning. "Oh, that was good, very good; in fact that was probably the best I've had in years," he rumbled. Trouble kept her pleased smile on her face, but couldn't help but wonder who in his past had actually sucked him off better than that? Her pride somewhat wounded, she determined that as things progressed, she'd leave him convinced she was the best he'd ever had! Smiling, she rose, and turned, to find the artfully concealed bar, and in a moment she returned with a tray bearing a wineglass and a bottle of the Academy's finest. She found him reclining on a pile of pillows, looking every bit the monarch, used to being waited on by a nubile slave. If he's playing a part, falling into the mood of this place, Trouble thought. He's doing it well ....... I wonder who he really is? Kneeling, she poured the wine and with both paws offered him the glass. He took it and regarded her for a moment over the rim of the glass. Trouble felt herself blushing, for reasons she couldn't quite explain, and looked down, kneeling in the proper position for a slave; knees well spread, paws on thighs, back straight, head down. She heard him take a sip and then rumble in approval. "That’s good; in fact it’s excellent. But I bet you never get to sample the Academy's best." Trouble shook her head no, suddenly worried about where this might lead. She caught him moving, from the corner of her eye, and then blinked as he reached out to place a finger under her chin, tilting her head back. She looked up at him, and found him smiling; with his other paw he brought the glass to her lips and tilted it back slowly. Trouble took a small sip, amazed at his kindness. Despite her efforts to make sure they were alone and undisturbed, she was suddenly afraid that someone would see; the "students" here were not supposed to touch that stuff themselves, and she was worried that even if it'd been his idea, she'd be punished anyway. Seeing the look of concern on her face, the lion just smiled and downed the rest of the glass, as if dismissing the problem.
As he leaned back onto the pillows, he motioned Trouble forward, and she smiled as she literally crawled up his body; as she squirmed, rubbing herself against him, she was pleased to find him once again hard ....... Having squirmed and wriggled up far enough for the head of his cock to slip between her thighs, she found herself at just the right elevation to kiss him, which she did. She purrrrrred into the kiss as she felt his paws slide down her back, to cup her ass, to hold her as his hips rose a little, pressing his cockhead against her dripping sex. Breaking the kiss, she slid back a little, oooooooohing as she felt his cock slide between her labia. Grinning at him, holding his gaze, she slid back a little more, as she sat up, until she sat astride his hips, perpendicular to his body, his cock fully embedded within her. She held that pose, for a moment, telling herself she'd let him get a good look at her like that, but secretly trying to regain her breath; Lord, he felt huge inside her, and she felt like she was afraid to move, for fear of ripping something. He just grinned back, however, and folded his arms under his head, as if to say; "You do all the work; please me, slave".
It took a moment, but Trouble finally regathered her wits. Rising a bit on her knees, she slowly rolled her hips, moving them like an ancient Terran hula dancer. Of course, this made his hard cock move inside her, and she was convinced that he would have heard her stifled gasp if it hadn't been for his own moan of pleasure ... Placing her paws on his chest, she slowly started to ride his cock, repeatedly bringing him to the edge, before stopping, holding his cock in her pussy, until he'd calmed some. Of course, the pleasure wasn't all lost on him, and in the process of holding him on the edge, she herself had several lovely (if quiet) climaxes. She stretched it all out as long as she dared, watching his face carefully for signs, clues as to his thoughts. When she thought he couldn't take it any more, she moved her paws behind her, to cup and tease his balls, as she rose and fell, faster and faster, until once again, she felt his cock start to throb and spurt. She purrrrrrrrrrowled loudly and tightened her vaginal muscles around his cock as he came, and closing her eyes and arching her back, she allowed herself to lose herself in the sensations, climaxing once again.
As she slowly regained her wits, as she felt his motions still beneath her, she let herself fall forward, to lay on his chest. They both panted, in a lovely state of exhaustion, but after a while, they'd both recovered their breath, and he was starting to move a bit under her. Now what can I come up with? Trouble thought. I can't let him go back to the party; it’s much too early. Who knows who might snag me away, to what unpleasant fate? Trouble smiled and kissed him again, and squirmed down a little, until his flaccid cock rested between her breasts. She purrrred and licked softly at the head of his cock as she squeezed her upper arms tight to her body, trapping his cock between her soft breasts. Once again, he just put his arms beneath his head, looking down along his body as if more than willing to just watch as Trouble demonstrated her skill. Taking that as encouragement to proceed, Trouble continued to lick at his cock as she used her paws to push her breasts together. Moving softly, she managed to rock back and forth, sliding his once again hard shaft through the valley between her breasts. She licked at his cockhead with all her skill, and after a while, was rewarded with yet another geyser of sticky white cum. Purrrring, she licked every drop from his tummy, leaving what droplets there were on her breasts in place, as a badge of her skill. As she licked him, she wondered at the time, how much longer before its "safe?" As she cuddled him, tongue flicking out to tease, just enough to keep him from going completely soft, she wondered how many more orgasms he was good for tonight.
Suddenly she became aware of another couple in the room. A well-dressed lady otter had led a Minotaur into the room by a leash; she seemed completely oblivious to their presence as she tied his lead to one of the tent poles and started to disrobe. Both Trouble and the lion watched as she carefully folded each piece of her outfit until except for her jewelry, she was as nude as her slave. Trouble softly fondled the lion's balls, giving his cock an occasional lick as the otteress reached up to grab both of the Minotaur's horns, dragging his head down, forcing him to his knees. Without a word, she directed his muzzle to her sex, and then moaned in delight as he started to lick her. Trouble had seen the Minotaur around the Academy; he was in a more advanced class than she was, and should be graduating soon; judging by the soft noises of pleasure that the otteress was making, he must have been fairly skilled too.
By the time the Minotaur had licked the otteress to her second climax, Trouble had licked the lion's cock back to its engorged state; as they both watched, the otteress turned and crouched, presenting her ass to the Minotaur. He lost no time in moving up behind her, his leash still tied to the tent pole, going taut. She teased him, staying just out of range, making him low in frustration as he tried to bring his truly monstrous cock to her pussy. As Trouble watched, she moved, and straddled the lion's hips, facing away from him, but towards the others; once again, she sank down on his cock, and as the otteress relented and backed just enough to let the Minotaur mount her, she started to slowly ride the lion's cock. The Minotaur was everything Trouble expected a raging bull to be and he fucked the otteress hard. The only thing that kept him from driving her across the floor was the tight leash, constraining him to the tent pole. Trouble moved slowly, a pattern of motion exactly opposite that of the Minotaur, but the lion didn't seem to mind, as he too took in the performance. Finally the Minotaur came with a bellow, his cock pumping so much cum into the otteress that amazing amounts leaked from around his shaft, to pool on the carpet. After a few minutes, the otteress pulled herself free, and quietly gathering up her clothes, she took the leash and led the now quiet Minotaur from the room. Trouble just shook her head as she slowly rode the lion's cock. "I'm amazed she can still walk", she mumbled.
The Minotaur seemed to have inspired the lion. As the otteress led off her stud, he moved his paws to hold Trouble's hips. His legs moved back, sliding underneath him as he rose powerfully to his knees, toppling Trouble forward, until he covered her in the same manner the Minotaur had covered the otteress. Moving with smooth powerful strokes, he began to fuck Trouble in earnest, pounding his cock into her with a ferocity at least as great as that of the Minotaur.
It wasn't long before Trouble was quivering in the throes of another climax, and as her pussy spasmed around his hard cock, he came once again.
As they cuddled afterwards, Trouble purrrred, "Mmmmmmm, that was great, you're really very good; pity you'll never know just how intense an orgasm can feel ... " He tilted his head up a little and looked at her, raising one eyebrow. "Hmmmmmm? How's that?"
Trouble grinned to herself; Got him hooked, now lets see if I can reel him in ... she thought to herself. "Oh, well, it all has to do with sensory deprivation ... Something I discovered in the ‘bondage’ class. They put me in this hood; couldn't speak, couldn't hear, couldn't see, but when I was touched, WOW, the effect was so greatly magnified by the loss of my other senses ... " He grinned softly. "Oh, so you think if I was in a similar situation, the enhanced sensitivity to touch would lead me to a more powerful orgasm?" Trouble just grinned and nodded. "Still, that’s not the kind of thing guests do here. Wouldn't be ‘proper’. And besides, maybe it wouldn't work for you as well as it works for me ....... Maybe you could try it sometime at home, but, well, I wouldn't be there to do the touching ........ "
The lion grinned at her. "I have seldom been accused of doing the ‘proper’ thing ..... Besides, this is a night for excesses, isn't it? And if you're going to squeeze one more orgasm out of me, it’s most likely going to have to take something special ..... Sure, why not? But I bet you can't find a hood that'll fit me." Trouble smiled to herself; "little does he know this place, she thought to herself. Before he could change his mind, Trouble turned and crawled off, to where the toy locker was hidden beneath a pile of pillows. While she couldn't find an all-encompassing "hood", she did find a head harness that she thought would fit, with an attached gag and blindfold, along with some wrist and ankle restraints she thought might fit him. Returning, she found him watching her with a keen interest, apparently relaxed, but she thought she could detect a certain excitement, a noticeable tension ......
She started by gently presenting the gag to his lips; as his muzzle opened she pushed it in and then tightened the straps around the back of his head .... not as tightly as they would have been tightened on her, of course, but then he was a guest ..... Slowly she buckled the straps of the harness around his head, finishing with the blindfold.
"There, now can you see anything?" she purrrred. He shook his head no, obviously unable to speak. "Good" purrred Trouble, adding the finishing touches, earplugs designed for feline ears. Now that he was unable to "object", Trouble fastened the wristlets around his wrists, and linked them together, and then linked that to the D ring at the very top of the head harness. It made him look like a prisoner, with his paws on top of his head, and Trouble had to smile. Gently she pushed him back onto the cushions, then using the anklets to fasten his feet together.
Trouble looked down on her "captive", stretched out on the pillows. Delectable, she thought. Bending over she softly ran her tongue along his cock. She smiled as even this slight touch caused him to stiffen noticeably. She exercised her talent to tease, licking him softly here, pausing, then there, until he was rock hard, and starting to squirm. She was crouched over him, just about to take the head of his throbbing cock in her mouth, when the door to the room opened again. Glancing up, her tongue barely touching the head of her cock, Trouble beheld a small entourage entering the room.
In the lead was a haughty looking mink, decked out in an obviously expensive, if very risqué dress, and carrying a riding crop. She was followed closely by two rather large, and apparently twin male wolves. The otteress smirked; "Well, well, what have we here? Could it be a slave pleasuring a slave? My, how very naughty!" Trouble wondered why the mink couldn't see that the lion wasn't wearing a standard slave's collar, but then she realized that with his mane of hair, she probably just assumed it was hidden. She opened her mouth to explain, but before she could get a word out, the mink stepped forward and brought the riding crop down across her muzzle! "I'll tell you when you can talk, slave! Now kneel properly in front of me, or you'll feel the sting of my crop again!" she hissed! Trouble meekly knelt beside the prone form of the lion, paws behind her back, knees spread, head down. How in the Hell am I going to get out of this one? she thought frantically to herself. If I speak, she'll punish me, probably to excess, and still not believe a word I'd say. As various courses of action and fragments of thoughts rattled through her head, Trouble stayed as still as possible ......
"In case you don't know, slave, I'm the Lady Amalthia, very good friend of the Reagent here, and I'm sure he'd be aghast at two slaves shirking their duties in this fashion, ignoring the guests ....... " The mink declared as she slowly circled Trouble and the lion. "I think you two need to be punished, and severely, to make sure you learn your proper place, and I think the Reagent would be pleased if I attended to this little task immediately!" At this point, the lion was starting to squirm, and to make mumbling noises into his gag; Trouble thought he knew something was happening, but she was also sure he didn't have a clue as to just what had gone wrong. Watching out of the corner of her eye, Trouble saw the Lady Amalthia pull her two wolves together, to whisper in their ears. Smirking, she then stood back as the wolves went about their assigned tasks ......
Trouble watched, aghast, as they took the lion and standing him up, tied him between two stout tent poles, spreadeagled. His head turned side to side, as if trying to divine what had happened, but the blindfold and earplugs prevented him from obtaining any other information, other than there were more creatures in the room than just he and Trouble. That done, they turned their attention to Trouble; at Amalthia's direction, they tied her ankles to her thighs, and then used a spreader bar between her knees to hold her legs wide apart. One of the wolves drove a stake through the middle of one of the carpets, in front of the spread-eagled lion, leaving about two feet of shaft exposed. Trouble winced, thinking that the nasty hole in the rather expensive carpet would ultimately come out of her hide. Casting about, the wolf eventually found a rubber dildo, meant to slide over a vibrator. Trouble watched, wide eyed as he forced the rubber sheath, all knobs and ridges, over the end of the wooden stake. When he was done, the other wolf joined him in picking up Trouble and lowering her onto the stake, the knobby head of the dildo forcing its way rudely into her pussy! She felt sure that the end of the stake would emerge from her mouth before her knees touched the floor, but just as she thought she could take no more, she felt the floor. When the wolves released her, Trouble wobbled, trying hard to maintain her balance on widespread knees, forced to remain upright by the massive shaft buried in her pussy.
When they'd finished, the Lady Amalthia stood back, as if deep in thought. "Let’s see, now, what can we do with these two. That little cheetah looks like she's about to topple over; can't have that, she might hurt herself. So: let’s take a piece of that rope, and pass it through that pulley so conveniently situated on the ceiling. One end, we tie to this piece of rubber like this; and the other end gets tied to this rather large weight". As they shoved the cock-shaped piece of rubber into Trouble's mouth, she found that if she held it tightly, the weight on the other end of the rope pulled her head up, stretching her neck, but helping her to stay steady. However, it was only moments before her jaws started to ache from the strain. Amalthia grinned; "Now, dear, I know that's helping to hold you steady, keeping that nasty phallic thing from tugging at your pussy, but the weight's heavy, and I'm sure the temptation will be to release it, before long. So, to make sure you won't release, it, I'm going to take this piece of fine silk cord, and form a noose. The noose goes around your lion friend's balls, and the other end gets tied to the weight. You let go, his voice changes.”
Trouble was aghast! Her jaws were aching already; how long could she maintain her grip on the rubber? And with her mouth full, she couldn't yell for help!
Amalthia smiled. "The tableau still isn't quite right; we've found a way to keep her occupied, but he's just standing there. We need a way to distract him from his impending neutering. Let's see ... " Moving about the room, gathering toys from here and there, Amalthia found yet another weight, gag, and some nipple clamps. After attaching the nipple clamps to Trouble, she ran a line from their connecting chain over the top of a horizontal tent pole, and down to near the lion's muzzle. Trouble found that the tension on the rubber gag in her mouth kept her head tilted way back, and she had a hard time seeing what was going on; as she struggled in her uncomfortable position, she wondered if the nipple clamps were the type that bit tighter when tugged ...... While one of the wolves held the cord, Amalthia connected the weight to its end, and then connected a short piece of cord from the weight to the rubber phallus. When all was ready, she first removed the lion's blindfold, and then, with a flourish, removed his gag. As he blinked in the sudden light, working his jaws, free at last from the head harness' gag, Amalthia pushed in the rubber phallus attached to the rope. His eyes widened in surprise, as she held his jaw closed. "You see, slave? You let go of the gag, the weight will hang freely from her nipples; likewise, she lets go her gag, and you sing soprano. Elegant, no?" His eyes widened further, and then narrowed to look directly at Amalthia. "Oooooooh, he still shows spirit! Blackie, fetch me my crop; this slave still needs to be taught his proper place!"
Trouble winced as Amalthia strode around behind the lion, to take the crop from the wolf called Blackie. I never wanted this, she moaned to herself, All I wanted was 'a night off'! She watched as Amalthia started applying the crop to the lion's ass. He jerked with each stroke, but managed to keep from howling in pain, a fact that Trouble was particularly grateful for, as it would have meant his dropping the gag, with the inherent ghastly results for her poor nipples! Finally, breathing hard from the exertion, Amalthia stopped. She grinned and took a small tube from one of her wolves and squeezed something into her palm. She spread this viscous goo over the handle of the riding crop and then lifting the lion's tail, slowly forced it into his ass! Despite his restraints, he rose to tiptoe as she violated him. Wiping her paws on his back, she strode over to Trouble. Trouble found it impossible, due to the position she'd been bound into, to keep her gaze downcast, but she tried for a meek and submissive expression. Amalthia smirked; "I suppose, just to keep things even, we should find a nice butt plug for you too,", and with that, she was off, searching the room, until she'd found something to her liking. Trouble lost sight of her as she strode around behind, but then Trouble felt her tail being lifted and something huge being forced into her ass. Whatever that goo Amalthia had used as a lubricant was more than just that; it burned! Trouble almost gasped at the pain, but managed to keep from loosing her grip on the rubber between her teeth ........
Grinning, Amalthia gathered her retainers. "I'm sure the staff will find you here in the morning, and deal with you appropriately. After all, misbehaving slaves must be punished!" And with that, she left, her retinue following without a backwards glance.
Trouble had no idea what time it was, how long she'd "played" with the lion, or when someone might stumble upon them. Time dragged on. Her ass burned, the thick shaft in her pussy tugged at her with each small motion, and her jaws ached like nothing she'd ever felt. She could only wonder what the lion must be going through .......
A noise. Faint, but distinct. Trouble screamed around her gag, the sound inadequate and pitiful to her ears. Then suddenly there was motion as someone came into the room.
She heard a quiet "My God .... " and the sound of hurried feet leaving. Moments later, the room was astir, with half a dozen instructors and guards, all working to release them. As the rubber was pulled from her mouth, Trouble could only moan in relief, but before she could gather her wits to say anything, she was bustled out. She didn't even have time to turn her head, to see how the lion fared.
Told to be quiet, Trouble was marched to a physician, who checked her over quickly. No major damage having been found, she was taken to the baths, where she was cleaned and groomed, and then, to her amazement, she was taken to the kennels. Every time she'd tried to say something, anything, she'd been shushed, to the point of being threatened with a gag. Finally the guards had returned, to escort her to the punishment hall. It wasn't until after she'd been bound that an instructor had come by to explain that the only reason she was getting off so lightly was that the lion had been forcefully insistent that the events had not been Trouble's fault!
"Nevertheless," the instructor continued, "as you know, the events in every room of the Academy are monitored. The tapes for that room, for that time period were reviewed, and despite his statements, we've found your actions ....... lying somewhere between ‘ill advised’ and ‘reprehensible’. Accordingly, you will have plenty of time to ponder your mistakes, as you hang there". The instructor grinned and moved a bit closer. "But you might know that your gentleman friend was most interested in the identity of the lady mink on the videotape, and at length persuaded the Headmaster to reveal her name. Oh, and by the way, I thought that what she did to you should have been punishment enough ...... while there's nothing I can do about that, well, I think this might make the time pass a little more quickly ........ "
Taking something rounded and gleaming from his pocket, the instructor slowly pushed it against Trouble's pussy, pressing it in until it vanished from sight. He turned and strode slowly to the far door, where he stopped and looked back. Reaching into his pocket, he produced a small remote, and thumbed the control. Trouble gasped into her gag as whatever he'd pushed into her started to vibrate powerfully, its vibrations rising and falling, changing frequency and amplitude. Trouble hug in her bonds and MOANED as the device slowly drove her to climax after climax .....
It was several weeks later; Trouble's coffle was being moved through the main hall towards the "advanced" classes as a batch of new "recruits" were being brought in. Trouble's eyes went wide as she noticed one particularly bedraggled female mink; could that really be the Lady Amalthia? Suddenly the coffle stopped, and as Trouble gazed after the departing "newbies", she sensed a presence at her side; turning her head, resisting the temptation to look directly, she found one of the instructors at her elbow. "Thought you might find that of interest," he said. "Seems her ship was attacked by pirates as it left the planet. Her family refused the rather outrageous ransom that the pirates put on her, and she was sold to the Academy. Directly to the Academy. Oh, yes, her family will probably buy her at auction when the Academy's done with her, but in the mean time ........... " The instructor shrugged and smiled and strode off. As the coffle started moving again, Trouble just grinned around her gag.
End of Chapter 13