Len gets Shot at

Len's first action as the new owner of Silicon Whispers was to visit the competition. Ben Shar's businesses were located in the sticks, outside of the official territories of the other Da'Jins. He was just the biggest baddie in a place no serious criminals were interested in.

Since the ghoul felt his eyes rot away from the ugliness of the Silicon Whispers he decided to do some research on what other, better alien brothels looked like. Fawx had taken some of Ben Shar's men back to their ships to relocate them to the shipyard.

Len had also taken one of the lackeys to visit the Entertainment District. It actually took a shuttle, resembling a subway, to travel from the sticks to the central districts. The central districts sounded grand, but the ghoul had a hard time seeing a difference. Maybe it was slightly cleaner and there was less scum in public?

He spotted some armed guys with almost clean and matching clothes. Almost like uniforms.

"Yes, those are the men of Da'Jin Geschlay." the lackey readily explained when he noticed Len's glance at them. Geschlay was the boss of the Entertainment Industry and it seemed that he more or less managed public security in the place.

The brothel the lackey brought him to was a lot less flashy than the Silicon Whisper, but it was very peculiar in its own way. "The Gallery" as it was called, was a group of wide, well-lit halls. The "products" were displayed in clear polycarbonate cells.

Males and females of various races and physiques posed like pieces of art trying to impress the watching customers.

This was not just a simple brothel, to Len it was a cattle market. The illustrious customer could not just pay for a night, but also buy the ware in its entirety. The halls had their own categories of unused, used, and high-class goods.

The ghoul felt like going through a museum about the races of the galaxy. His eyes wandered coldly and unmoved across the well-shaped and scantily dressed bodies on display. It was a shame that he was no human anymore, or this would have been a great treat. Who would lust for the cattle they eat?

His only reaction was his mouth watering when he smelled some especially enticing scents. The products he passed were used to sexual predators, but his gaze made them uncomfortable and gave them goosebumps.

His presence did not hide any of his intentions, although their instincts had dulled with civilization, all of them felt a kind of primal fear. Despite this, Len suddenly heard something.

~Please help me...~

It was a weak voice, but it picked the ghoul's interest. There were not many races with abilities like Telepathy. The ghoul himself didn't have it either, though he could use something less evolved with his descendants and servants.

He followed the weak cries for help and came before a box with a frail female creature inside. The alien inside resembled a short woman with a petite build. With her blue spotted skin and slim limbs, she gave the impression of a fragile glass figurine. The bundle of fleshy spikes that were bound to a ponytail in the back, gave Len the impression of a marine species.

Unlike the other products, she was miserably kneeling on the floor of her container. The ghoul stopped in front of her box, looking down at her. Her eyes, like balls of sapphire, widened when she looked into the cold, almost completely black eyes of the ghoul.

"What a cute, little smurf you are."

Her telepathic cries for help faltered and the shivered under Len's gaze as if his attitude cause her to feel real, physically cold. The evil crouched down to get on eye-level with her. A smile showing his murderous fangs brought her to tears.

"Now, now. Didn't you call for help? When you call out, you can't choose who will answer your cries." he said and looked down at the digital display at the edge of the box. It showed the information and price of the products.

-- Unused--

-- Rare Specimen--

-- Female Pallean--

-- First night: 50 000 Galactic Credits--

-- Purchase Price: 1 000 000 Galactic Credits--

The ghoul didn't have much experience with the currency of the galactic federation, but from the information he had gotten over the last few weeks, this was an enormous sum. A million could probably buy the whole Silicon Whispers.

Even compared to the other cattle on display, this was three times higher than the high-grade products he came past. What was so special about it, that it had such an exorbitant price? Was it just because of the telepathy?

"Step back from the box." a man in a wide brown robe spoke to him harshly. Len looked up, lifting an eyebrow. Pushing back his hood, he revealed the same complexion as the child in the glass box. Another Pallean?

"Hoh? But the little thing was calling for help and I was just deliberating whether to help or not. Their asking price is quite high." Len answered jokingly but didn't move an inch.

"Step back." the Pallean insisted.

Together with the command, Len could feel a slight pressure on his mind that was trying to compel him to step back. The ghoul's eyebrows rose even higher. He stood up and straightened his back, looking the man directly in the eyes.

"Are you picking a fight with me?" he asked and released a dominating aura.

It was a skill that could freeze a normal human in fear. Those with a weak mind could even fall into confusion or directly lose consciousness. It was one of the original powers of a vampire, which he managed to strengthen with genetic augmentation.

The Pallean scowled when the supernatural pressure hit him, but he resisted to Len's surprise.

"What are you?" he pressed out. The pressure seemed harder to resist for him than it appeared at first. The other was barely able to speak. The ghoul's eyes glowed as he tried to invade the opponent's mind.

"That is my question. To be able to resist like this. Truly intriguing. Who are you?" he exerted more force to make the Pallean talk.

"Urgh! I-I am Meas Zol from the Order of Pall," he spoke despite the alien's high resistance.

Len thought about it, but he could not remember any information on such a group. The only thing matching was that Pall was probably the place the Palleans came from.

"Are you here to bring this home?"

Without breaking eye contact, he pointed his claw-like finger at the woman in the glass box. the girl seemed even more frightened, looking back and forth between the ghoul and the Pallean.

Trying to resist, Meas bit his lips so hard that they started bleeding. Len had not noticed anything special before, but dark blue blood exuded an incredibly appetizing aroma.

"...I-" it did not stop him from answering.

What hindered him from answering any further were blaster shots that cause the ghoul to break eye contact with him. With quick reflexes, Zol backed away from Len.

"Get away from Master Zol!" a group of young people approached. They wore similar robes but seemed like teenagers of various races. However, the armed youths were quickly surrounded by the troops of Da'Jin Geschlay.

Standing behind his allies, Master Zol wiped away the blood from his mouth.

"I'm Master Zol of the Order of Pall. In the name of the Order, I will confiscate this girl." he introduced himself and announced his purpose to the armed guards.

"The Order of Pal has no power here. If you want her, you have to pay like everyone else. You will also pay a fine for using weapons in my locale." somebody answered.

With long steps, an almost human female appeared behind the guards. The only difference he could see was the lack of ears or hair.

"Who are you?" Zol asked the person that just entered the scene.

"I am Tavess, the manager," she answered with a mysterious smile.

"Alright. In the name of the Order, I offer you 500 000 Credits for her." Zol answered her.

"The price was one million, it just rose to one and a half. Don't you think only paying a third is a little overbearing?" she rebutted with a bright smile.

"That price is outrageous, to begin with."

"I wouldn't say so. As a Pallean yourself, you should know the kind of demand there is for them. The right buyer might even pay two million credits for an untouched specimen like her."

"You...!" the Master growled. His followers also grimly gripped their blasters tighter.

A Tink Tink Tink caught the attention of the two sides.

The ghoul was poking the girl's glass box like a fish tank. Noticing their gazes, he looked back up at them.

"Oh, did I interrupt you? Since I already have your attention. I will take the girl. Although I have no idea what a Pallean is, or the Order of Pall, seeing the price and so many people fight over it made me very curious."