by Viola Grace
They left the dining hall and headed into the ship. It wasn’t a road trip, but it was going to be just as entertaining.
Chapter Six
Alcuad asked her straight, “You are the captain’s companion?”
“Yes.”
Nitska muttered, “Doesn’t the thought freak you out?”
“No.”
Alcuad chuckled. “Why would it? There were members of the crew lined up around the oxygen farm. All three sexes.”
“That might be the issue. The Hmrain only has two. You might not have an energy output as digestible as mine is. You are the wrong voltage of energy cell.”
Nitska grinned. “I will spread that about to soothe hurt feelings.”
“You might as well. It is the truth. They can consume passively, but for a really sharp boost, they need a companion.” Sil smiled.
Alcuad asked, “What do they do with the boost?”
“No absolute idea, but part of it is a mild intoxicant, and there is also a steroid effect.”
Nitska laughed. “How did you learn so much in a day?”
“Captain Kalek likes to lecture during foreplay.” She shrugged. “And I ask a lot of questions.”
They stepped into the lift and descended. Nitska laughed for ten levels, and Alcuad had to play the straight man.
She looked at the Terrans in their common area, under guard. She walked into their space and said cheerfully, “Hello.”
The faces from different parts of the world turned toward her. One of their group stepped toward her. “Who are you?”
Alcuad stepped forward. “Mistress Silhouette Rains. Contracted companion to Captain Kalek.”
One of the women snickered. “Oh. You are one of those.”
Sil smiled. “One of what?”
One of the other women sighed. “We got the same orientation lecture. You are compatible to have sex with one of those overseer types—the Hmrain. You have sex for a living. Lucky.”
“Yeah. Did you ask when a companion completes their contract?”
The women frowned. “Isn’t it five years?”
“Nope. It is perpetual unless certain conditions are met. My bond price and those of others like me pays for the shuttles, the medication, and is the entire reason that the education station showed up, to begin with. They don’t need labourers; they are looking for the ones who are useful.”
The group looked at each other, and Sil said, “Now, for the reason I am down here. You were kidnapped before you could get a classification. So, I am offering to have you classified for more than physical labour. It will increase your value to those extending contracts. It will also mean that you don’t have to be bonded out as a parcel, though that did save you.”
One of the men looked at her. “How do you know this?”
“About the bond? I read it before being taken. About the abductors trying to sell the entire container as one unit? I was watching. I have trouble sleeping and can’t sleep standing up at all.”
One of the women stared. “You were in the container?”
“I was.”
Another one waved at her. “Why are you separate?”
“Oh, they tested us for Hmrain compatibility before releasing us from the container. Sort of like turning out your pockets when doing laundry.”
One of the men jolted. “They tested us?” He gestured at the other males.
She smiled brightly. “They did. There are female Hmrain as well, and males who are opportunistic if they can get what they need. They are not hung up on tab A and slot B. They are after the pleasure that we feel and how we process it, the physical packaging just gives them familiar terrain to work with.”
She looked at them and said, “So, who wants to upgrade their lives on an alien planet? I just need you to agree to occupational testing.”
Only two of the group didn’t raise their hands. “Good. And for you two, I hope that you know two of the would-be purchasers didn’t take you and work you to death in the mines strictly because they were being forced to take us all as a parcel, and they had no use for the females. So, unless you enjoy the idea of a male-only workplace where you are slowly worked to death, and the only sexual interaction you get is from another male, you might want to change your mind. If having a short life is in your plans, feel free to take a mining contract, but do remember to ask how long the lifespan of the average miner is. They do have to disclose it, and you will want to know what the travel rate is from the mining area to anywhere pleasant. Just so you know.”
She looked to Nitska. “Can they see the footage from inside the container?”
Alcuad nodded and went to the wall display, calling up the footage.
“Mistress, I am assuming that you just want the moments when there were other beings inside the container.”
“Yes, thank you.” She smiled the polite smile that she had been taught since childhood.
The first image came up of the medics finishing wiring them into the container and securing them. The next image was over a week later and their first time being pawed at.
The guys were being examined, and one of them asked, “You were awake?”
Silhouette nodded, “I was.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“Why didn’t you? Seems like if they were fondling your penis like that, you should have woken.”
He grabbed her shoulder and spun her around, gearing up to yell at a smaller person. She kneed him in the groin, slammed her fist into his jaw, and grabbed his hair, pulling his head back. “I was sedated. Like you. I was paralyzed. Like you. Just wait. This guy was the careful one.”
He looked at her with horror.
She looked at the display. “Oh. There he is. From what I was given to understand, they couldn’t damage us, but that was it. Fingers went where fingers shouldn’t really go, and a lot of pinching of musculature happened.” She flexed her fingers. She had probably cracked something with that punch.
She stood up. “We have shared a bizarre experience, and having you all go to a single colony is not likely, nor particularly desirable.”
One of the women frowned. “Why not?”
“You are in a sector of space that does not have any Terrans in it yet. You are the representatives for your entire species, and if you can get into a more technical or desirable occupation, you can raise the bond value for the other humans to come. You are a limited-edition collectible right now. You are the first, and the more firsts that are out there, the better.”
They looked at each other in surprise.
“Also, be open to sex with a species on your compatibility list as long as the world you are on screens for STDs.” She smiled. “It sounds odd, but it will break you of the us versus them situation that I noticed on the station. There is no us. Us died with our planet. If we are lucky, Terra will be a story that we tell our children, but for that, you need to have them. Children are provided for in your bond, so have as many as you are inclined to with agreeable partners. That is the only way your genes are going to survive.”
Nitska added, “There are some colonies that will put a limit on offspring from a male for obvious reasons, and from that point onward, the male in question would be sterilized with a genetic sample in storage.”
“Oh. That. That too.” Silhouette nodded.
The women chuckled, and the men looked nervous.
One of the men asked, “What if we want to stay on the ship and travel around?”
Alcuad chuckled. “You will have to do very well on our occupational testing. So, spend the next few hours thinking about what you want to do with unlimited options.”
Silhouette added, “No parents, friends, family, or social pressures. Just find something that you truly enjoy and focus on that. From dancing to calculous, there are options for everyone. You just have to prove that you would be good at it.”
Crewmembers with equipment started filing in. Dividers were put
in place. Terminals were assembled, and Nitska explained that the testing was individual and that while the first few questions were similar, as soon as a change in interest was noted by the system, they changed. Also, all events would be closely observed.
Alcuad murmured, “If you want to take the test, you are welcome to. We have an extra terminal.”
“What would be the purpose of that?”
Nitska smiled, “Gaining a ship ranking, Mistress.”
“Oh. I can do that?”
Alcuad chuckled. “There isn’t anything prohibiting it. The first terminal is ready, and we will remain here until you have concluded your testing.”
She sprinted to the testing, put on the headset with the ocular scanner, and started to go through the occupational placement exam.
She removed the headset and rubbed at her eyes, standing up and leaving her little testing space.
Nitska looked at her in surprise. “You are done?”
Sil nodded. “I am. When can I find out what it said?”
“The captain will get the results, and the commander will notify you.”
“Okay. So, I guess I have to head back to the captain’s... oh, can you show me the gym?”
Alcuad nodded. “Certainly. It will be fairly occupied right now, but you will get a feel for the place. We work out a lot.”
Sil nodded. “Excellent.”
Nitska laughed. “You are stronger than you appear.”
“Oh. Sure. It’s important to walk that balance. That is what my mom taught me. You have a better chance of getting away if they have no idea it is coming.”
Nitska laughed. “Oh, I like you.”
She hugged her, and Sil nodded. “I get that a lot.”
Alcuad laughed, and they left the testing area and the Terrans, who were trying to find out where they belonged.
Sil knew where she belonged, and she had a contract to prove it.
She looked around the space with about forty machines of differing designs. There were rings set out and other smaller areas that were not being used. “What are those spaces?”
Nitska smiled. “Individual training. The spaces are rigged with force projections, and it calibrates to the individual user.”
“Can I try that?”
Nitska nodded. “Sure.” They headed for the unused area, and Nitska showed her how to enter her identity and do the ocular scan. Once that was done, Silhouette stood on the mat, and she watched her opponent appear out of nothing.
She was facing a male with a blank panel for a face, slightly taller than she was, and when it lunged at her, she reacted. She dodged, punched, and punched again. The projection paused, backed up, and she heard a word that made her smile, even through the alien language. “Recalibrating.”
“Oh. Did I do something wrong?”
Nitska chuckled. “It is just resetting a different combat dummy for you.”
The next dummy was taller and faster. She took a few hits, was grabbed and lifted off her feet, and that is when she kicked out, put her hands together, and used them as a club. She beat the dummy down, and then, it stepped back once again. “Recalibrating.”
The next body still wasn’t as big as Kalek, but it was closer. It kicked at her leg, got her on her back, raised its fist, and then, she heard. “Halt program.”
“Uh-oh.” Sil looked around from her vantage point on the ground, but all she saw were the crew who had surrounded the mat and had been cheering her on or betting on the dummy. She had no idea.
“Dismiss simulation.” The voice was directly above her. Oh. Right, he could fly.
The dummy disappeared, and Kalek landed where it had been standing. He touched her face, ran his hands down her ribs, and checked her fists. “We are going to medical.”
He lifted her and curled her against him.
“Why? I can just ice my hand.”
“Your body is no longer your own. It is mine. You will treat your skin like it is covered with diamonds.” He rubbed his head along hers.
“Diamonds are really sturdy.”
“Fine. Silk.”
“Still sturdy.”
He groaned and muttered something she didn’t catch as he carried her out of the gym and down to the conveniently located medical bay a few dozen metres down the hall.
The medics smiled as they approached, and Sil noted the grey man who had done her companion assessment.
“Ah, so you recognize Dlafen. He’s one of the detectors who are skilled at finding those with your classification. He is also our primary medic.”
She waved at him with her swelling hand. “Hello. Nice to see you again.”
“What were you doing?”
Kalek walked her over to a scanning bed. “She was about to get flattened by a level six combat construct.”
The medic paused. “A level six?”
Sil shrugged. “I wasn’t winning.”
Kalek growled and settled her on the bed. “I just have one question, who did you hit to break your hand?”
She winced and lay still while the scan went over her. The injuries from the fight were from her hitting the ground. The pain of the punches was nerve activation, not actual damage. Her fist was actual damage.
“Um, one of the Terrans grabbed me and spun me around. I reacted as I was authorized to.” She met Kalek’s gaze. “You did say that I did not have to tolerate insults.”
“I see, so I am sure that there are insults on record for this.”
She smiled. “Of course.”
He sighed. “Of course. So, Dlafen, what is the verdict.”
“Fighter’s break, Captain. We can have that sorted out in a few hours.”
Kalek sighed again. “Right. Proceed.”
It was pretty simple; her fingers were strapped down, and she soaked it in a gel inside a box with a transparent top. Tiny injectors jammed in, and the process began.
Kalek watched, and he asked, “Does that hurt?”
“It isn’t comfortable, but it isn’t precisely painful. It was worth it.” She smiled.
He narrowed his eyes. “Did you have fun with your people?”
“Not really, but I think I got my point across. They aren’t going to magically find a copy of Earth with all of the people and friends they lost. It wasn’t very polite of me, but I urged them to split up and to seek relationships that they found interesting.”
He smiled. “You urged them to follow your example?”
“Oh. No. I told them to find normal relationships and to not hold out on keeping a human bloodline pure. There is no reason for it. Our world is gone. If they want to be Terran, be a Terran to be remembered.”
“You are a very wise little creature.”
“I am not that little by standard scale to my own people. I am slightly above average in height.”
He stroked her cheek with the back of his finger. “You are little and delightful.”
She turned her head to tell him off, but he kissed her, and she squeaked. Her hand was still stuck in the repair unit, so she couldn’t move beyond turning her head slightly.
The medic smiled slightly, and he drew a curtain around the bed where she semi-reclined, and that left her alone with Kalek. There was a dark look in his eyes.
He opened her suit and murmured, “Now we are going to have a little chat about you putting yourself into a dangerous situation and damaging yourself. You read the contract. What did it say about bodily maintenance?”
“No alterations without authorization. No deliberate damage. Remain as well-groomed as circumstances require and the world allows. Dress in an appropriate manner.” She looked at him as he exposed her breasts and shoulders.
“Now, this is not an alteration, but it is deliberate damage.” He kissed her neck and palmed one breast. “You could have struck the torso, you could have kicked, but you chose to hit him in the strongest bone in his head. Having done a bit of research on you, you know better.”<
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She blushed. “I might have an anti-Terran male bias.”
He chuckled. “Excellent.” He drew her right breast into his mouth. She curled her toes and whimpered.
He switched to the other breast and did the same, moving between them at random, flicking her nipples, playing, and occasionally giving her a knee-weakening kiss. The first time that he slid his hand into the lower part of her suit, she came from a small graze on her clit, her body arching and Kalek catching her scream.
She was panting heavily and slowly relaxed against the med bed, blushing slightly as Dlafen came in to check on her healing. “You are doing well, Silhouette. Just another forty-five minutes, and you will be able to use your hand normally.”
She swallowed and nodded. “Thank you.” She looked up at Kalek. “You could have pulled your hand out of my suit.”
He smiled. “Why? Dlafen knows the effect you have on one of my kind and what that effect spurs on.”
Sil noticed that he wasn’t moving. “Are you done?”
He shook his head. “Just trying to figure out if I can get through my mental list before your repair is completed.”
“You made a list?”
His smile was slow. “I did.”
He lowered his mouth to hers. She whispered, “I love lists.”
A hairsbreadth from her lips, he murmured, “I thought you might.”
He didn’t get through his list, but she was limp and sweaty when Dlafen came by to check on her progress. She was done in every sense of the word.
Chapter Seven
Kalek helped her close her suit, and she thanked him tersely. “How generous of you.”
He leaned in and whispered, “I always put my toys away.”
She blushed, but she wasn’t sure if it even registered. Her entire body was hot, and her pulse was appearing in unusual places around her body.
Dlafen pulled back the curtain and came over to them, checking her progress and nodding. The needles retracted, and he asked her, “Flex your hand, please.”
She made a fist, and he nodded. “Good. Scans show it is repaired, but don’t hit anything harder than a projection for a few days.”