Sentient trading, also called slavery or sentient trafficking, refers to the practice of transporting, buying, and selling self-aware beings for the purpose of forced labor. Those who engage in the practice of sentient trading are commonly referred to as "slavers." Illegal in the United Empire of Earth (UEE) and the Xi'an Empire (SaoXy'an), it is condemned by sentient rights organizations as a violation of personal autonomy. In the Banu Protectorate, sentient trading is referred to as indentured service and is governed by contracts with set beginning and end dates or set debt thresholds.
