SOAP

The Perssonoj were the most advanced tribe on the planet. They lived in stinking wooden palaces, sailed ships, had a rudimentary knowledge of electricity. They discovered soap and water, too.

Jason shed his filthy, itching skins; told the slave girl, Ijale, to strip off hers. He poured water over himself, began to lather with the soft soap. Then he turned to Ijale and started scrubbing her.

Under the encrusted dirt and grime, she was very pretty, especially to a man who'd been a slave for weeks... .