If she had thought nothing would come of seeing these two warriors, her pumping adrenaline had told her otherwise. Sure enough, they stepped off the glide in front of her, her height likely having drawn their notice. Big and wide as they were, there was no room to pass around them unless she got on the glide. But they weren’t standing there blocking her way for nothing. And being chased after on the glides was not her idea of fun, or any way to keep a low profile just now.

They were grinning at her, as if she were something that had been lost but now was found, and speaking gibberish to each other, probably Sha-Ka’ari, which was really rude when you considered they weren’t likely to come invading without having slept on some Kystrani Sublims first, to acquire the language of the target planet. Even if they hadn’t come prepared to be understood, they could have been given the language their first night there while they slept. They did sleep, didn’t they? Most humanoids did require at least a few hour’s sleep a day, and they were definitely humanoids, and damn handsome ones at that.

They wore uniforms similar to Security’s, long-sleeved, long-legged one-piecers in a dark blue material she didn’t recognize. It was kind of thick, probably to hold in all those muscles that looked like they were about to pop open all available seams. Their boots were standard material, as were their belts, the major difference being they were sword belts, designed to hold nothing else.

Even as they talked back and forth, they were paying her as close attention as she was them. But that gibberish was starting to annoy her. She could speak every language in the Centura League of Confederated Planets in the Centura Star System, all seventy-eight of them. Kystran ranked twelfth in the League in the matter of importance, being a major exporter of luxury items like solaray baths, hair-and-eye changers, adjustichairs and beds, air blankets, all the little things that made life more comfortable and efficient, so Kystran received a good deal of Centura League visitors. But Sha-Ka’ar wasn’t a member planet. There had been no reason to sleep on its Sub-lim, if Kystran even had its language on file.

She was about to say something about their rudeness when the taller one spoke, his Kystrani very slow and precise, as if he distrusted the new language inside his head, which was funny if you thought about it. Not many people from lower-tech worlds believed you could learn a whole new language in just a few hours, especially when you didn’t even have to be awake and listening to do it. First timers were always skeptical, not trusting the new words in their subconscious to come out in accordance with their conscious thoughts. It took a little longer to be able to think in the new language as well.

“You are a Security, are you not, woman?”

Stars, was it the way she stood, ready to take them both down at the slightest wrong move? Or was it her height? They were only guessing, of course. She’d just have to get them thinking along different lines.

“Security? Me? You’ve got to be kidding, sweet-cakes. Do I really look like a Security?”

She spread her arms wide, which parted the lower half of her vest to reveal a wide expanse of bare midriff. As she had hoped, that was where both pair of eyes went, getting their minds off Security.

“I’m a programmer over at Exports Exchange,” she continued, in case there was any suspicion left. “Got transferred there about three years ago, but I’m still not used to living in the city. Stars, the convenience of it all! Plays hell with the body, if you know what I mean. Have to get out and exercise on my off days or I’d go nuts.”

“Off days are free days,” one warrior said to the other.

But neither was really sure. There were always some words or expressions in a new language that made no sense, because you had nothing to compare it with on your world. Such things took a little verbal explaining if you were going to use the new language for an extended period of time.

“You both must be visitors to our fair city, right?”

It was the logical thing to say at that point, and after all, Ce Moerr’s broadcast hadn’t mentioned the Sha-Ka’ajri, so the average citizen wouldn’t know these warriors were the “might” that had somehow accomplished the takeover. She didn’t get an answer, and hadn’t expected one. Besides the fact that they were probably under orders not to alarm the citizens with knowledge of who they were and what they were doing there, who other than a Sec would push the matter if he didn’t get an answer? And she had denied being a Sec, hopefully to their satisfaction.

The taller warrior stepped closer to her, forcing her to bend her head back to keep eye contact with him, a quite foreign experience for her, and frankly a little intimidating. She had never tried her skill on someone his size. Of course, size didn’t really make a difference for most of her moves. But there was always that slim chance that he might get lucky. If her hands and feet weren’t free for her to use, strength could indeed make the difference. Her training demanded that she not let him get so close where he could use that strength against her, but to move back now might bring their suspicion back.

“We are pleased your time is free, woman. Our time is also free, thus you will share your time with us.”

Not “will you” or “how about it,” but “you will.” She had just learned one new fact about the Sha-Ka’ari. Their arrogance was unbelievable. And she had obviously done too good a job of playing the carefree flake of no danger to them. Then she gasped as the taller one’s hand slid through the lower opening of her vest to press flat against her midriff, a hand large enough to cover nearly the entire area, leaving her in absolutely no doubt about what they wanted to do while sharing time with her.

She had an excuse to step back now, to pretend outrage. “Sharing? As in a threesome? What do you take me for, fella, a Stress Clinic worker?”

He was unbelievably fast, grabbing her wrist before she could move back too far. In two seconds she could release her wrist, but she’d be showing them what she could do and the game would be up.

“Hey-” she began, only to hear, “Choose, then.”

So they could be reasonable-as long as one of them got what he wanted. Well, that was all right, certainly better than their first idea. She had already made a mistake by being so friendly, so it was too late to change her tune. And their libidos were already working overtime, if the look in their eyes was any indication, so she knew changing her tune wouldn’t work now anyway. She was stuck with one of them, and as long as it had to be that way, she would play it safe.

With a grin, she shifted her gaze to the warrior who topped her by only a few inches and hopefully would be the easier of the two to handle. “Are you as good as you look, babe, or am I going to have to try your friend here another time?”

With her choice made, she was released, only to have her “choice” step forward and secure her with an arm about her waist. “If you are as good as you look-babe, we will neither of us find disappointment.”

Nothing like getting into the spirit of the thing, she thought with an inward groan, but said aloud, “Then what are we waiting for? My place is just down the street.”

He said something to the bigger brute in the gibberish again and they both laughed, giving Tedra the feeling they still had every intention of sharing her since they considered her their own personal find- they’d just agreed to do it separately now. Well, that was for later worry. The taller one got back on the glide, to her relief, but her present worry wasn’t letting her out of his meaty grip-and he had come up with a new idea.

“I will be more-at ease-do we go to my ship.”

Not farden likely, she almost snarled, remembering in what manner Rourk had said they were being paid. She was afraid the payment wasn’t temporary. Sha-Ka’ari were slaveholders after all.