1. After six minutes she was finally able to sit up and open her eyes. To her surprise, all of the walls of her cell were transparent. Even the Ellinod’s. The big beast-like humanoid was sitting in the middle of his floor and gazing at her with those sea-green eyes. Thick, ridged eyebrows were lowered. The creature looked ready to chew through the walls of his cells if he was forced to. “I was wondering how long it would take you to wake up,” he said in that soft, gravelly voice.
2. “You’re looking at life without parole on Dumanbarti Four,” she told him, using her best professional voice. Getting back up, she made it a point to turn around slowly and look each Kronner in the face. A few were nervous, but the majority had that evil glint in their tiny pink eyes she easily recognized. “I am a JoJo. I represent the law in this quadrant of the Nebu Hollum galaxy. By kidnapping me, you have violated not just galactic law, but the laws of the twelve treaties of the universe. At the least, you all will be sentenced to life on the prison moon. And I can assure you your life won’t last long.”
3. “I don’t want her tamed!” Vol Brod yelled, suddenly whirling around in his seat to face the Kronner. “I don’t want her tamed! I want her to obey our wishes, but I want to keep that fire alive! Do you understand me? Our subscribers aren’t paying to see her broken. They want to see her fight! They want to see her defy us and rebel! They want to see her humiliated and de-humanized, but they don’t want her defeated. Am I getting this across to you, Mincred?”
4. They ate in silence. When they were finished, Safan threw the empty trays at the wall and reached for her. Maurra let him pull her roughly against him as he settled back down on the floor on his side. Stretching out a heavily-muscled arm, he guided her head down, urging her to use it as a pillow, and gently brushed her hair over her chest and belly for further warmth. With her buttocks nestled in his crotch, the Ellinod threw his other arm over her until she was safely ensconced in his embrace.
5. She turned on him with renewed fire. “You know nothing about what it was like, so don’t try to placate me! You weren’t there. You didn’t have to endure...” She swallowed, afraid to go on. “The only reason you’re here is because you and the others are just itching to condemn what I did because you want the integrity of the Jora Cartuum to remain spotless. You want to prove to the galactic councils that even a JoJo isn’t above punishment for breaking the law. Well, that’s all fine and good, Dreeson. I’ll take my bitter pills for breaking the one law, the one law! But not for the other shit, do you hear me? And I want you to promise me that Tramer Vol Brod will be held accountable for everything he did.”
6. She looked up and over at the group of Ellinod. They were busy trying to turn a speeder right side up, except for one. One with a peculiarly crooked horn. One who turned around and stood frozen to stare at her in shock and disbelief. He wasn’t as wasted as the others, considering the short amount of time he had been here, but the dark bruises and half-healed welts across his chest and face were evidence of how bad things were in the mines. Maurra felt her heart slamming against her ribcage. Safan!
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