As always, she made a big production out of having the opportunity to finally be part of this tradition. Reaching into the hat, she swished the pi...eces of paper around until her mother finally scolded her to get on with it. Finally her small fingers gripped a piece of paper and pulled it out. She opened it up and playfully looked around the room, tormenting everyone just a bit longer. Her beautiful blue eyes finally stopped on me as she said “It looks like Uncle Ronnie is my first. Now, when they 'mindtalked' it was almost as natural as speech.Thanks a ton, Ten Tina told him as his focus withdrew from her body. I thought I was going to be lost in that hell forever! I told Robinson about it, but she couldn't, or wouldn't do anything to help. Damn! I'm famished!They delivered a meal for you while I was working on you. Will told her I guess they're used to you being out of it. But that reminds me. I've got to find a better place to stay, and a way to get food. I suppose I. ’Having something of a brainstorm, I called Sheila, and put it on speaker.“Hello, Richard. What’s going on? Has Robbie admitted to anything?”“I don’t know yet, Sheila. That’s not why I called. I have decided not to reopen the office.”“I’m sorry, Richard. I know you loved that place. So, maybe Jackson can find something at the CPA’s office for me to do.”“No, no. Not at all. That’s not what I’m saying at all. I still want you to work for me ... just out of your home, instead. I’ll set you up with. The wholesalers along with a few wealthy men with particular tastes had gathered as the naked indentured servants were marched into their holding pens.Most of the willing ones had pledged four years, 410-day years for Terra's yearly swim around its sun took a bit longer that old Earth's trip. Its axis spin was 22 hours so the difference hardly mattered. The criminals, for the most part, were to serve seven years and a few of them were lifers, forehead branded, neutered and never to be left.