Elysium Shining

by Terri Kraemer

She reached a series of buildings that stood two or three stories tall, as was the general height limit of buildings in this station. The doors and windows gave a sense that each of the buildings had their own compartments. Zoey scanned the area and saw the sign that called one of these buildings a hotel.

  She needed some place to rest, and some place to dry off. Zoey didn’t have the money to pay for one room, however. What was she going to do? Could she talk someone into giving her a corner of the floor for the night?

  “Zoi’ne?” said a familiar voice behind her.

  Tong-Chang stood with an open umbrella in one hand, and a bag with a single package in the other. She raised her hand with the bag in it and brushed half of her fingers outward. She made the motion again and mouthed out a “come here” toward Zoey.

  Zoey approached her friend—she was her friend for real, she hoped—and joined her beneath the umbrella. “What are you doing here?” Zoey asked.

  “I was going to grab a room,” Tong-Chang said. “I thought about joining some of the crewmates, but right now’s probably not a good time.”

  “Did you need to be alone?”

  “It would have made things less awkward. Oh no, Zoey, what’s wrong? Where are the others?”

  “I think I fucked up. Things were good, too good, but then they started arguing. Captain Druvvin was there. I slapped him, and then I ran off, again. I don’t even know why I ran.”

  Her friend wrapped an arm around her. Tong-Chang felt warmer than normal. She guided Zoey toward one of the nicer looking hotels.

  “Don’t worry,” Tong-Chang said, “I got you. Let’s get a room together.”

  “How can I ever pay for this?” Zoey said.

  “You don’t need to. I had this before I ran into you.”

  * * *

  It was a love hotel. Zoey had no idea what to expect or how to interpret this as she entered the room and sat on the bed. The room actually felt clean, cleaner than much of the station, and the sheets felt plush and wonderful underneath her. She ran a hand over the comforter and clenched it with fabric in hand, thoughts racing through her mind before she could grasp a single one of them.

  As the door closed, Tong-Chang set her bag down on a small table and then took a quick look by walking around the hotel room. Zoey looked about from the bed she sat on. It was so much nicer than anything she had ever seen in her old life, and certainly better than the quarters she slept in on the Marslou. Yet, it didn’t seem fancy or grand, like some rich person’s suite. It was comfortable and equipped with the things that either girl needed for a couple nights.

  “So it looks like we’re sharing the one bed,” Tong-Chang said. “I hope that isn’t a problem. I’ll probably spend a lot of time in the bathroom, anyways.”

  “I didn’t bring any other clothes with me,” Zoey said upon sudden realization.

  “Neither did I. I expected to have time to head back to the ship to grab some things, but listen to the rain now.”

  Drops of water pelted the world outside the room. The room was warm and relaxing, not to mention dry, but the moment was an awkward one.

  She had never slept with anyone before, let alone naked. Zoey looked into Tong-Chang’s beautiful face and knew this was about to change. Every mental attempt to contain that change made Zoey’s face feel even hotter. Tong-Chang giggled at her and grabbed her bag. She said, “I’ll try not to make this too awkward for you. I do, however, need to take care of something, so I’ll probably do it in the bathroom like I mentioned.”

  “What do you need to do? Is it anything that I can help with?”

  Her friend giggled again and hesitated. “How much do you know about Ginserei physiology, or about us in general?”

  “I don’t know. You have ears that remind me of the cute little rabbits we have back home; on Earth I mean.”

  As Zoey formed a relative size and shape in the air with her hands from what she remembered of the critters, Tong-Chang felt behind her head where the tip of one of her ears poked out.

  “You also have this equally cute patch of hair right here above your boobs,” Zoey said. “I’m not sure if that’s just you or your whole race, or how that works. Other than that, you seem . . . well, I guess ‘human’ isn’t the right word is it?”

  Tong-Chang looked down in thought, her fingers tracing the line of thick, short hair that ran a couple inches down her chest behind the top that she was wearing. She set the bag down again and sat down next to Zoey, who had no clue as to what was running through her friend’s mind.

  “So you did see it,” Tong-Chang said. “That moment was a little fuzzy for me, but you saw it. I guess I should be glad you didn’t see the whole thing. Oh, you don’t know what that means either. Right.

  “First of all, I’ve begun my tangouchu. It’s what we Ginserei call a thing that’s supposed to happen every six months to six revolutions, depending on the woman. You Aelfs have full cycles that last about three months while Humans have it for four. For us, we ovulate once in a long while because it is triggered by a number of factors, and the end result is different for us as well. For us, our female bodies pick up the tempo and become hotter until we physically can’t stand our hearts beating too fast or our brains against the rising temperatures. Again, this is supposed to happen every six months to as many revolutions, or years.

  “I’ve been overdue for the last two years. I started to feel hotter than normal since the day after that attack happened with the Kroke Team. My sense of self control diminished as well, making it harder not to feel constantly horny. When you checked in on Dasos today I was confirming this with a laeknar since I only ever felt this way when I was thirteen. I was treated medically back then so I wouldn’t lose my mind and risk death. The alternative means of saving my life back then would have been to become pregnant.”

  Zoey gulped. She felt sorry for her friend if this was true; her hot friend that Zoey had tried to restrain herself around ever since she met her.

  “This sounds horrible,” Zoey said. “Or I think it does. Why are you here instead of Medical Bay or a local hospital?”

  Tong-Chang said, “I brought what I needed in that bag over there. My plan was to lock myself in here and treat my growing needs over the course of the next day or so. I already informed the captain that, if needed, I might need a day or two to myself once we’re all back on the ship, and he knows not to send any boys my way since they’ll be so hard to resist.”

  “Harder than the admiral, or his wife?”

  Her friend became so wide-eyed as she gasped and put her hands over her mouth. “H-how did you know?”

  “You were naked in their quarters when I found you that night. I wasn’t so sure if it was them or the one Hulda’fi that let me pass, but I think you just confirmed it.”

  “Please, Zoi’ne. No one should know. No one needs to know that I was supposed to be on duty, but spent so many hours in bed with one, sometimes both, of them. It would be bad enough if anyone learned that I was in that bed. No one would believe me if I said how persuasive they can be. It would be the end of my career for sure!”

  Zoey grabbed her hands gently. “Who would I tell, and why would I? I don’t rat out my friends.”

  Her copper eyes were beautiful. Zoey’s poor heart agreed. Her mouth wished to agree by doing more than words alone. She stayed herself, feeling her feverish, equally vulnerable friend in her hands. It got harder to resist the longer they went on.

  “I’m so glad he had his tubes tied,” Tong-Chang said, almost whimpering.

  “Too much information, but so am I,” said Zoey. “I’m sorry to ask this all of a sudden, but is it wrong if I call you hot?”

  “That depends on you. Would you do anything about it?”

  In a moment that Zoey couldn’t chalk up to anything, because her mind was so clouded with elusive thoughts and stampedes of desire, she returned the favor that she’d owed Tong-Chang for the last few days. Tong-Chang didn’t struggle against her. She didn’t even break awa
y except to take off her uniform top and strapless bra. The mere concept of mistakes drifted off into outer space.

  * * *

  Her friend was so warm without the comforter over them, but at least Tong-Chang wasn’t burning up now like she had been before they got in bed together. As Tong-Chang pet her head gingerly Zoey used her shoulder as a pillow and ran a finger up and down the soft fur patch on her friend’s chest. Everything was calmer now, including the rain.

  Zoi’ne had gotten to know more of her friend’s body tonight than she ever thought would happen. Yet, as she stroked the line of hair, Zoi’ne thought about ex-girlfriends who shaved their legs and her own recent experience with it, and noticed something about that line of hair and its left and right edges.

  She leaned in and kissed the exposed side of it.

  Tong-Chang gasped and said, “I wasn’t expecting that.”

  “You shave here,” Zoey remarked.

  “Don’t go telling anyone. That’s a personal secret.”

  “What, is there a military regulation against having too much hair on your chest?” Zoey knew already that shaved legs for both genders was advised because of regulation socks and boots, but only so many men and women of either race bothered.

  “No, it’s nothing like that. I shave it to hide something I’m not proud of. I never really told anyone, not even my past lovers.”

  “I see. Maybe, hopefully, you’ll trust me with that one day. I doubt I’ll be in any place to judge.”

  “You’re too sweet. If I didn’t know any better I’d say you take after your mother.”

  “Right, what mother would that be? The one on Earth never really cared about me. I don’t know if Bon’sinne really does either, not after I ran off.”

  “I meant Bonny. She obviously cares about you.”

  “She cares about Il’lyse.”

  “We all did. I can tell you, in so many ways, that you’re not her. You’re similar in many ways, sure, but you’re you. No, really. Who was it that tried to bring the family together during the Hulda’fi attack? Who picked out your clothes? Who took the initiative to learn lyurunics so quickly?”

  “I did all of those.”

  “Il’lyse was reluctant to learn a lot of things the rest of us take for granted. Not everything, mind you, but she put off learning my entire given name until about ten minutes after she tried to propose to me, when we were fifteen. Stars beyond we were too young then. It was because Il’lyse wanted to dance about and enjoy life without anything, not even basic facts or details, getting in her way. It was infuriating because of how smart she also was.

  “But you? You move a lot like her. You challenge the words we use almost as much as she does, but only because you know different ones. When I learn more about you I’ll be glad to say more than that.”

  Zoey quaked, and her eyes welled up with fluid.

  “Come here,” Tong-Chang said, hugging her. “We can make everything alright for you. I’m sorry you’re having such a crisis so close to the start of your new life.”

  “What if they don’t take me back?” Zoey asked.

  “If that happens then something is wrong with them. If that happens then I’ll take you home with me.” She took a deep breath. “I’d offer you a place in the High House of Leezu. That would mean accepting my place there, though, and growing the rest of this.”

  She indicated the fur on her chest. Then Tong-Chang said, “By now they’ve probably picked a new heir to be leader of our House from my dozen brothers and three sisters. It’s most likely a man sitting on that seat, just like the emperor, and either one would have a say in where your place would be. I wouldn’t want them to take you from me, but accepting my place as heir means I would have to accept what they choose for you.”

  “We’ll just have to make our own home then,” Zoey said.

  “She would have said that too.”

  “I’d have liked to meet her, I think.”

  “Oh, let’s avoid those fights. You’re different from her, but you’re not the first to hit someone with authority in front of other people. Also, please don’t do that again.”

  “No promises.”

  Tong-Chang heaved suddenly and grew hotter. For a moment Zoey thought her friend was angry at her. One glance at her face, however, told a much different story. Zoey kissed her on the lips.

  “Maybe we should grab your medicine soon,” Zoey suggested.

  “We have tomorrow,” Tong-Chang said. “Tonight I feel like putting that off for as long as possible.” They collapsed back on the mattress, their affections intensifying.

  * * *

  It took her about five minutes to figure out how to work the cell-comm. Zoey had been told last night, during one of their love-making sessions, that she could call for room service when she got hungry, as the bill would go to the account that Tong-Chang was using. So she browsed the short menu that came along with detailed pictures and descriptions, and chose something for breakfast.

  She found something that looked like pancakes that were pinched together from four sides, and then stuffed with cream cheese and fruit; then drizzled with fruit syrup. Zoey asked the person on the other end for one of those and some eggs and bacon. Two prices were listed with different signs next to them, but the smaller number was still a big one.

  This sure does seem a little pricey, Tonny. I hope it’s really OK.

  Hopeful that all was well, Zoey sat on the foot end of the bed again and gently rubbed Tong-Chang’s ankle, with its hair stubble poking out after an unknown number of days or weeks. Her friend and lover stirred, and all was right in the universe, Zoey thought.

  Tong-Chang sat up suddenly, gasping for air. “Oh no,” Tonny said.

  “What’s wrong?” Zoey said.

  “I can’t feel it. Did you use the medicine on me while I slept, by any chance?”

  They both glanced at the bag, which remained as untouched as the package within it. Zoey wouldn’t know where to begin with that medicine, she figured, if Tong-Chang was putting off using it.

  “But how?” Tong-Chang said. “No, he can’t be. He couldn’t! I wouldn’t be able. Oh no, no, no.” She patted herself down on her own face and body, her eyes rife with the sort of fear a deer might have in front of a speeding vehicle.

  “Tonny, you’re scaring me,” said Zoey.

  “I’m not delirious. I can’t feel it. Zoi’ne, we need to get to the Marslou’s Medical Bay as soon as possible.” She scanned about the room and grabbed her pants, which were hanging off one corner of the bed.

  “I ordered breakfast before you awoke, but I think I can cancel it if I need to. Tell me what’s happening; please?”

  “My tangouchu passed too quickly. Either I’m about to die, or else I’m pregnant.”

  [ 14]

  Dasos ran into Medical Bay, expecting to have to enter one of the main chambers. If Zoey had hurt herself again, he had no idea what he was going to do. The same went for if her emotional collapse last night led to a greater need for a laeknar’s attention. Had her health diminished so many days after having woken up? Had last night’s rain caused hypothermia and further trauma? He was sure there were other possibilities, but Dasos kept running until he passed the examination room and surgery room, both marked vacant, and entered the waiting room on the way to the main chamber.

  He reached one of the doors and opened it when a girl’s voice called out to him. “Das,” she said.

  Then he stopped in the middle of the opened doorway, turning to look back at the seating area of the waiting room. Zoey and Tonny were both on the sofa staring at him. Dasos walked over to them; no, he sprinted, his mild chest pain be damned.

  “What happened to you?” Dasos said, kneeling next to them and hugging his sister. “Are you hurt?”

  “I’m fine,” Zoey said. “I’m not the reason we’re here right now. Why are you here? I mean, how did you find us?”

  “Word got around that you returned to the ship and came this way. We were so w
orried about you. We feared the worst might have happened to you last night after you left us at that restaurant.”

  “Tonny and I spent the night together. I’m so sorry for running off like that. I feel like such an idiot for doing that.”

  A laeknar approached and said, “Ensign Leezu, we are ready to see you now.” She led a forlorn Tong-Chang into the examination room, leaving Dasos and Zoi’ne in the seating area.

  Zoi’ne wiped her eyes and groaned. She said, “We had to cancel breakfast and hurry on over here. At least they were able to confirm that she’s not in immediate danger.”

  “What danger would she be in?” Dasos asked.

  “You would have to ask her, assuming she’s ready to tell. I hurried the both of us over here when she told me something was wrong. I even asked the laeknir how long of a wait this was going to be, and if this was one of those cases where she’d be called into the room and have to wait another hour before the doctor or whoever arrives. You should have seen the look I got.”