The first thing you notice is the vibrator in your cunt.

The second thing you notice is that you can't move.

You can open your eyes, and when you do, it's to a world of white. White walls, white ceiling, everything lit by a soft white glow whose source your limited field of vision can't see. You can move your eyes, but not your head, to it's hard to see exactly where you are, except that you're standing on some kind of podium. You can tell this because creatures to the left and right of you, about thirty feet away, are on similar podiums. The thing that strikes you about them immediately isn't how they seem to be as helpless as you, held on their feet by straps like the one you feel wrapped under your own breasts. It's that they aren't human.

The figure to the left is bipedal, but scaly, with horns and a long tail. The figure to the right has three legs and no discernable face. Before you can decide which thing to freak out about first -- the apparent existence of aliens, or the fact that you're naked and paralysed in a strange room -- a door to your left, behind the scaly thing, opens.

What enters can only be described as a robot. A disk with three wheel rolls along the clean white floor, and protruding from its middle is a long, many-segmented pole, clearly capable of moving about like an elephant's trunk. On the top of it, about six feet off the ground (and at your current eye height, with the podium), is a transparent dome containing the image of a very inhuman face.

Behind the robot is some kind of giant jellyfish.

Or octopus. Or squid. Whatever it is, it's made up of a large, balloon-like body supported by about two dozen tentacles rolling it through the room with a smooth, swaying gait. It's about eight feet taal, and you can't tell if it's male or female. Both? Neither? As the pair get close, you can see that the jellyfish's tentacles aren't all identical -- some have broad, flat ends for walking, others end in masses of tiny, dextrous filaments, and some have suction cups. Two have eyes, which the thing raises and points at you.

"And this is what you wanted to show me?"

The jellyfish doesn't speak English. It speaks in what can only be described as lyrical burbling. But somehow, you recognise the words.

"Yes, Honoured One," the robot replies. "This is a human. Believe me, it can more than meet your requirements."

"That's what you said about the previous sale, and yet it died within ten days." The jellyfish runs a gel-coated tentacle up your side to fondle your left breast. Everywhere the gel touches you tingles with warmth.

"That is because you kept it on the edge of orgasm for four days and then forced it to orgasm nine times in quick succession, Honoured One. Tessalates are renowned for their delicate nervous systems. Humans, however, are both incredibly durable and extremely responsive. This one has had no enhancements except its translation implant, and look how well it already performs."

"Yes, I see that you've been getting it ready for me," the jellyfish says, tracing its tentacle down over your navel to your clit, which it starts to rub slowly, setting up a rhythm with the vibrator. "So this can keep up and provide my party guests with a proper show?"

"Given the insatiability of you and your party guests, Honoured One, I do believe you ask the impossible. But it will not die of overstimulation. Humans tend instead to pass out, and after a little rest, are ready to perform again. Their performance time can be extended with artificial stimulants and implants, both of which we can sell you, but overuse of these carries the risk of the human sharing the tesselate's fate."

"I'll keep that in mind. Although you know how difficult I find restraint." The tentacle swirls once more around your clit and withdraws, leaving copious amounts of the warm, tingly gel. Paralysed, you can do nothing but ride the sensation. "I'll think about it, if the bequerani sale doesn't bankrupt me."

And with that, the jellyfish sashays off through the room and out a door at the other end, the robot following.

You can do nothing about the insistent vibration in your cunt, or the warm tingling on your clit. Together, they're almost unbearable, but don't have quite the power to bring you to orgasm. You can do nothing but endure until the effect of the cream fades, almost an hour later, and the door opens again.

This time, the robot is accompanied by some kind of wolf creature. Six and a half feet tall on its hind legs, the creature is heavily muscled and covered in shaggy brown fur. No... it looks more like a hyena than a wolf, with giant ears and powerful shoulders. You can't help but notice that it's sporting a massive erection, easily the biggest dick you've ever seen. Male, then. Or maybe not? Female hyenas have phalluses.

"This is the one, Captain. Human. Very durable."

"You better mean what you say. I have a crew of six. Without a fucktoy, tensions are high."

"I can see that, Captain. But the advantage of a human is that it has three usable holes. Only one generates a consistent sexual response, but they are very responsive if -- "

"Why do I care how responsive it is? How it experiences getting fucked doesn't matter, so long as it's strong enough to take a pounding but weak enough to hold down. Three holes, you say? Where?"

"A human's mouth, vagina and anus are all capable of being used for your purposes, Captain."

The hyena person strides up to you and pulls your mouth roughly open, peering inside. "Doesn't look deep enough, but I'm sure we'll make it work." Not bothering to close your mouth, it pulls your legs wide open and jams two fingers roughly into your cunt, tossing the vibrator aside and feeling around. "Mm. Maybe." Then it jams a finger up your ass. "Oh, this is way too tight. My crew would tear this up."

"We can sell you devices to stretch it out for easier use, Captain."

"So, two holes until the third is ready? With your extortionate add-on prices? Ha. Show me what else you got, first." The creature stalks off, the robot motoring along behind, trying to keep up.

You are free of the stimulation of the vibrator, but now you have another predicament -- the hyena person didn't close your legs or your mouth. A gentle breeze teases your nethers as you hang by the strap around your torso, your legs no longer able to touch the floor. You swing about gently. Drool drips down your chin.

Just as the rope around your torso starts to become painful, the robot enters with a third person. This one, to your surprise, seems human -- or as if they once were human. They've altered their body with implants to the point that it's hard to tell their sex. On their bald head, a metal plate stands out among their tattoos. One eye is artificial, and there are electronic ports of some kind implanted in their arm.

"This is it, Captain."

The cyborg looks you up and down, clearly unimpressed. "Oh. A human."

"Yes. Given your human crew, I just knew I had to hold this one out for you and give you first refusal."

"Senni, you know I'm not looking for crew. I'm looking for a service bot. It doesn't matter what meat you sell me because I'm just going to fill it with the alterations I want and train it to obey me how I want anyway. It's just got to be able to sweep floors, carry cargo and serve food. So if you're trying to sell me meat at ten times the price because it happens to be human, you're scamming the wrong person."

"You... don't want human?"

"Human is fine. An advantage, in fact. It takes pleasure and pain to program a biological organism into a service bot, and I know how pleasure and pain works for humans, so that makes it a lot easier. Anyway, some of my crew might want to fuck it, so human is a bonus there. But I'm not taking it if you're going to con me on the price, okay? Show me what else you've got, and we can go over the price list."

The pair, once again, wander away.