Page 39 of Through the Door

Kazi paused, and his black eyes began to flicker with reds, blues, and greens before returning to black.

Tiffany had tears flowing down her cheeks as she kept looking at the image of Aya’s extremely skinny naked body in the repair unit. She had been a grey and white skeleton held together by skin.

Kazi inhaled and stood up. His hand waved, and another screen appeared. Numbers began to scroll across the image. Each bit of her suffering had a number attached to it.

Her lack of communication or a terminal were classified under torture, as were the confinement and lack of days off over four years.

The repair unit, the contact with Ra, Devran’s costs incurred in getting to the station, everything had a number next to it. Then, the bonuses she should have gotten for her successful treatment history, the lack of a voice once her bond was paid out, it all had a financial value.

Kazi smiled. “This was merely to make you whole, the price of your life and your rescue. Now, we work on punitive measures.”

The penalties per day were racked up; the bonuses that had been provided by her clients were tripled. Her initial bond was tripled as Ra had already paid it back. Her wages were tripled as no means for her to access them were ever provided.

Aya whispered as the numbers continued climbing. When they paused, he looked at them and said, “Tiffany, check my numbers.”

Tiffany nodded and looked over, her eyes flickering. “You forgot her statement that she wanted to see the stars and mentioned it during negotiations. That was a verbal stipulation, and they acknowledged it during negotiations. After that, they sedated her, and she woke up in training, and then another sedation, and she woke up on the station. Until Devran took her to the observation deck, she never saw the stars.”

“Sixty percent of the station’s gross income over the next thirty years. If the funds drop due to any action taken by management, they will be put into bond until the funds equal the lost income. Or you can simply take the station now and force them into ruin, but there is enough traffic to keep that station operational for centuries.”

Aya said softly, “I need to know if any others were kept as I was. I need to know that they can be free.”

Devran nodded and worked at his tablet. “Two more Terrans became soothers and are in two peacekeeper training centres on different worlds.”

Aya swallowed. “Make sure they can leave if they want.”

Devran inclined his head. “Of course. One is free, and one has changed occupation to courier after an... incident.”

Aya felt his grimness. “Do I want to know?”

“No. Not yet. She’s healthy and in the stars now, moving between worlds.”

Kazi looked at the files Devran sent. “She has been given compensation for the event. It was enough to purchase her ship outright. She goes where she chooses.”

Aya nodded. “Good.”

Tiffany stared at the file and burst into flame. “I am going to kill them. I am going to gut them and leave them for the healers to put together.”

Kazi patted her and held her against him. “Easy, Tiffany. Their own laws sentenced them. It wasn’t acceptable to them either.”