The Euclidian: Unforeseen Alliance

by Jay Cannon

  “Whee!” Yoyo exclaimed. The others around her smiled and nodded. She leaned forward to gain speed and found it simply exhilarating. The people below and the colored light tubes looked like a blur below her. On occasion the chair would shift from side to side to avoid other travelers. Yoyo sat back a bit to catch her breath and noticed a bunch of people in front of her turning left down a hallway. She leaned left and followed them around the corner to a narrow hallway. The hallway was dimly lit with large windows along each wall. The chairs had mostly slowed to a stop as the passengers observed what was going on inside the rooms beyond the windows. This was obviously the sports arenas for the ship. There were swimmers, acrobats, runners and animal riders of all types. Yoyo was in awe of the exotic animals that were being ridden inside the arenas. The animals weren’t just ones from Euclidia, but from many worlds. There were two, three, four and six-legged beasts of all shapes and sizes.

  Some rooms were reserved for sports and others for battle practice. Small armies in make shift jungles attacked each other with laser weapons. Not the toy kind, but the kind that cause real harm. Luckily the infirmary was able to put everyone back together, though the injuries were still very painful.

  The sports arenas contained various types of sports activities. Most of them included a ball of some sort. There were also several competitive sports that pitted teams and individuals against each other in feats of strength, speed, agility and the ability to work together as teams. Some events were organized. Many were ad-hoc. There were even Olympic-type events where cities, nations and planets competed against each other for money and trophies.

  While the ship was docked in orbit around the home planet of Euclidia the arenas were full of crewmembers. There wasn’t a lot else to do. The captain encouraged there use as it helped to keep the crew out of trouble.

  Yoyo lingered by the large windows looking on in amazement. She had never seen much in the way of sports growing up. Even during brief trips out of the cave on Tammaria or traveling around with Commander Filo did not gain her access to many activities outside the bars, clubs and restaurants they visited.

  Being short and inexperienced, she did not see many sports that she thought she could do well. However, across one of the large fields in a corner she saw a group of people engaged in an activity that she felt she was born to do.

  Yoyo pushed the yellow button on the chair in hopes that it would put her down safely. The chair moved over the nearest chair transport area and settled slowly onto the floor next to it. Yoyo descended from the chair and it immediately disappeared into the wall.

  Yoyo walked along the corridor to an orange tube light, which indicated the entrance to a sports arena. She pulled open the door and the strong smell of sweat hit her in the face. She gagged at the strong scent, but plowed forward. After a while her nose adjusted to the smell and her desire to puke subsided. She was in a corridor between playing fields that was made of a metal-based glass that protected visitors from athletes and their equipment. There were doors every few meters to provide access to the fields. She walked to the end of the corridor where people were standing around waiting for their turn at the wall.

  Yoyo stared through the window for a minute, a bit nervous about going in. She looked at each person take a turn and knew she could best any of them. She had never socialized with many people off planet except for Commander Filo and a few people back in Occum. Though she was suspicious of his intentions, he was the only friend she had.

  Yoyo gritted her teeth and pushed her way through the door into the arena. She got in line with the rest of the participants to wait her turn.

  “Hey shorty,” a person in line shouted at Yoyo. “Are you going to climb the wall in that big robe?” He asked laughing.

  “He is probably going to ride someone’s back up. How can he even see where he is with those goofy goggles he’s wearing,” said another by stander.

  “First of all numbnuts,” started Yoyo taking off her robe and tossing it to the ground, “I’m a woman. Secondly, I’m wearing goggles because my eyes are sensitive to the light, but they also help protect me from your bullshit. Which takes me to my third point. I’m going to let you two get half way up before starting and when you get to the top you will see my ass waiting for you.”

  The two looked on in amazement at Yoyo‘s strong wiry body. She had extra-long fingers and toes, which helped her climb the cave walls back home all her life. Thick, shoulder-length, wavy white hair flowed from her head. She was wearing the tight brown leotards that she wore while in her caves. Though she didn’t have breasts, her body was curvaceous, and the two men noticed. She tightened her arms in a wrestling pose and made a growl at the two men.

  The two sort of stepped back and then laughed. She laughed too.

  “You have an impressive little body, but nonetheless, you are not going to beat us up this wall unless you use some magic or technology.

  “I promise you no tricks I’m going to beat you the old fashioned way. With my talent!”

  “Okay, if we win you do an exotic dance for us.”

  “Sure, and if I win you two do one for me.”

  “Bet!”

  “Okay, see the spot where the person in the blue shorts is?” Asked Yoyo.

  “Yea, we see it.” One of them responded.

  “You can have until there before I start.”

  “You’re nuts lady. No way can you catch us after that.”

  “Then you have nothing to worry about do you? Your time is up. Get going suckers.”

  The three validated their bets with their UCDs and the two men started up the wall. This was not one of the fake rock walls like on the planet Earth, but a real rock face taken from the surface of Euclidia. People climbed without a rope. When some climbers fell and they occasionally did, a gravity system kept them from hitting the ground, though some did scrape themselves up on the rock face on the way down. They would sometimes take others out on the way down.

  Yoyo watched with eagerness as the two climbers ascended on the rock face. When they finally hit the halfway point she started her ascent after them. Now she was a bit worried. Though some of the climbers seemed slow, these two were pretty fast.

  Yoyo used her strength to pull herself up and her long fingers and toes to grasp cracks and crevices in the rock face. She created a rhythm with her body, swinging herself from side to side and up the rock face.

  “Do you see her anywhere?” Asked on of the two men Yoyo was racing.

  “No, I think we beat her. I’m looking forward to that sexy dance from that sweet little thing tonight,” said the other man.

  “I’m looking forward to a sexy dance myself,” smiled Yoyo just above them. “Although I wouldn’t call you two sweet little things. I should be at work around 7:50. Don’t disappoint me boys.”

  ***

  Commander Filo settled into his quarters. As a Lieutenant Commander on the ship he was in an area of the ship restricted to senior officers. The area had a private lounge, club, kitchen, game room and exercise area. His quarters consisted of a two-room suite with a receiving room for meetings and a large bedroom with an office area. His virtual command table is what he was most interested in.

  Commander Filo sat in front of his desk placing his UCD on a spot marked for it. It caused a graphical menu to appear on the desk top. He could select commands from the menu with his hand or just say what he wanted using verbal commands.

  “Bring up the navigation console,” Commander Filo commanded. The desktop responded by converting to a simulation of the ship’s navigation console.

  “Chart a course to the Alpha system and put us in orbit around the fourth planet from their sun.”

  “Course plotted,” responded the navigation system. It displayed the ship’s current location and the path to its destination in compressed format as a hologram above the table.

  “Initiate course on my command. Initiate!”

  Commander Filo executed the scenario several times paying at
tention to all the changes he made to each setting of the navigation system. Though it took him hours, he felt compelled to learn every nuance about the system. When he felt he was ready he performed the navigation manually several times tweaking things here and there to learn the limits of the system as well as its failsafes.

  Commander Filo fell asleep with his face against his desk. He awoke with thoughts about how he would seek his revenge against the Euclidian. He stood up wiping the saliva from his mouth and sleep from his eyes. He dragged himself to his elegant bathroom. He sat on the toilet and relieved himself. As he permitted the warm jet spray to rinse his bottom his thoughts once again drifted to revenge against the people that he now served. He must hit them hard in a way that will cause them to remember his name forever. He let the warm air dry his bottom and then stepped into the surround shower. Hot, tingling jets hit every part of his body. He let his mind relax and drift to the memory of his sweet wife and three kids that were killed during the Euclidian attack. He touched himself as he had not been touched since her death. He climaxed and cried slipping to the bottom of the shower.

  Soon Euclidians! Soon you will feel the wrath of Kenyon Filo!

  ***

  It was just about 7:30 and Yoyo was putting the final touches on her hairdo. She had parted her white silky hair into squares and tied the strands from each square into a single knot. Her hair still hung 10 centimeters from each knot. She dyed the tips of her hair pink to match the tight pink outfit that hugged her body. Her bare arms and midriff showed off her muscular physique.

  Yoyo had sparkling blue fifteen centimeter pumps that glowed when she stomped them on the floor. Yoyo spent several nights with Belo at his dance club in Occum after spending the day with Commander Filo waiting for one of his four contacts to show up. She loved the music, lights, dancing, wild clothes and people from across the universe having fun together. It certainly beat her dark caves. She wasn’t much of a dancer, but enjoyed seeing people jump across the multiple levitating, revolving dance floors.

  Yoyo eventually got the nerve up to ask Belo to let her operate the electronics and music mood at his club. It was the one thing that could not be computerized. The music and ambience had to change with the audience, which came from many cultures across countless star systems. Deltas were different from Ossies who were nothing like Perjorans, who were unique from her own people. Yoyo had to especially be on the lookout for Alphas walking into the club. No levitating floors or flashing lights when they were around. Nothing that might get people excited. Just low lights, mellow music and the establishment’s exotic dancers to keep everyone distracted from wanting to kill the Alphas. There wasn’t one species that they hadn’t gone to war with except the Majorellens. They were too far out at the far end of the galaxy for the Alphas to bother going after.

  The Ossies were the only species that came out on top in a war with the Alphas. The Alphas only sent a few ships and were unprepared for the Ossies ability to cloak and their relentless fighting style. An Ossie snuck aboard their command ship, killed everyone on the bridge and then flew the ship into the ground while chanting a fighting song over the ship’s PA system.

  Yoyo enjoyed learning the subtleties of the job and as she learned from Belo how to be a great techno slinger. She eventually added her own style into the mix. On occasion she would use her powers of persuasion to get the pole dancers at the club to do group dances similar to the cave exercises Yoyo used to do, which brought in a lot more customers to the club. This was noticed by the manager who decided to give Yoyo a paid job at the club.

  “Yoyo, you are fabulous on the electronic controls and getting people to dance,” said the manager. But you have got to find some hipper threads. I can’t tell if you’re a man or a woman under that robe you wear all the time.

  “Thanks, I really appreciate the job. What do you think of these?” Asked Yoyo taking off her robe and exposing the tight, brown clothes she usually wore in the caves.

  “Better. I like the tight fit, but the style is still a bit boring.”

  “Okay, after my first paycheck I’ll get some new clothes.”

  In her free time Yoyo went to several of the dance clubs across town to see what other techno slingers were rockin. After going through ten or so clubs, she figured out what she wanted to wear.

  She could hardly wait for her first paycheck and ran out and bought some clothes, makeup and dye for her hair. She didn’t tell Commander Filo because she wanted to surprise him, though the surprise would have to wait. When she got back to the room where she was staying with him, he was waiting for her with news.

  “Yoyo, I have great news. I received a message from our new ship. They are ready to transfer us at any time. Our indoctrination starts in four hours. We should get packed and check out of here. I don’t want to be late.”

  “Okay let me tell my boss that I won’t be back.”

  “Sure, just make it quick.”

  Yoyo activated her UCD, which was still new to her. “Call my boss,” she requested. Moments later she saw his face on the screen.

  “Hi Yoyo, what do you need?”

  “I’m about to ship out and I won’t be back.”

  “Too bad. We are all going to miss you here. I’ll send your last payment to your account and you should see it on your UCD tonight. Safe travels.”

  “Thanks, out!”

  ***

  Yoyo took a deep breath and walked out of the door of her small cabin to take a transport to the officer’s lounge where she was assigned. Yoyo stood in front of the door to the lounge fretting. You can do this Yoyo. You’re just wearing normal clothes for a techno slinger. She said to herself. Though you’ve never worn anything but boring cave clothes, you can do this.

  A couple of crewmembers brushed past her into the lounge and she followed them in. She walked behind the bar and introduced herself to the man standing there.

  “Hello, I’m Yoyo reporting for duty.”

  “Greetings Yoyo, I’m Jorré. You don’t have to be so formal. A simple I’m here would suffice. I hope you’re not going to wear that huge robe every day.”

  “I have an outfit underneath the robe; I’m just not used to being in public without my robe.”

  “If you want to keep working here you are going to have to be liked by the patrons. Otherwise, you will be sent to a less popular lounge making less money. And that would be a lot less fun if you ask me.”

  “No, I would rather stay here. This place is spectacular,” Yoyo said looking around at the huge room. There were digital lights, big screens pervasive music, game tables and one levitating dance floor. The floor was empty, but Yoyo hoped to fix that.

  “Where can I put my robe?” Yoyo asked removing her robe and exposing her sexy outfit. She was wearing a tight pink top with a swirl design, tight pink shorts, glitter shades to protect her eyes and matching glitter shoes that glowed when she walked.

  “Wow, you won’t have any problems attracting attention with that outfit.”

  “You like it?” Yoyo asked shyly.

  “Very much so. If we were a more compatible species I would be trying to get you out of those sexy clothes, except for the shoes of course.”

  Yoyo blushed. “I’m not sure if I should thank you or slap your face.”

  “Oh I guess I was being a bit provocative, but not any more than your outfit. You can place your robe over there then get acquainted with the bar. Most people will order drinks and food from their UCD, but others like a personal touch and you need to be ready for that.”

  “Got it,” replied Yoyo hanging up her robe and starting her tour through the bar area. Dang, they have a lot of liquor and snacks back here.

  “Jorré, I tended bar on occasion back in Occum, but how do I figure out how to use all these different liquors in drinks?”

  “Point your UCD at a container of liquor. It will describe the contents, of the container, the different types of drinks you can make with it as well as how to make them. Now that you a
re inside the lounge you can use the room icon on your UCD to get info on the lounge. Press it to bring up the menu and then select the drinks command. You can select a drink from the list or just say its name. Then you have the option of ordering the drink or obtaining the recipe for making the drink. Since you work here you can come behind the bar, click the recipe command and the containers holding the ingredients for the recipe will light up. Don’t worry about how much to pour of each ingredient, the container will automatically determine that.”

  “What if we are both making a drink at the same time?”

  “The containers are smart enough to know that you are reaching for the container and extinguish the light or pour the right amount of liquor for the drink you selected.”

  “Doesn’t that make it easy for anyone to be a bartender?”

  “Yes, but the way to be a great bartender is to understand the specific needs of your clients. Plus adding your own flair to drinks will get you special attention.”

  That last statement lit a light bulb for Yoyo and she thought about how she could make the Tammarian grog special. I bet the moss that grows in our caves would be just the thing that our grog needs. When it dries out it can be used as a swizzle stick. Somehow the grog brings out its flavor in a way that excites people. I can’t believe I only brought a small container with me. Hopefully the moss, my outfit and techno slinger abilities will secure my position here.

  Yoyo knew her small container of moss would not last her very long so she contacted one of her friends back on Occum to get her an additional supply.

  “Belo, this is Yoyo. I know you are going to Tammaria tomorrow. Get me a bushel of the cave moss.”

  “What cave moss?” Asked Belo.

  “The shooters that we use in the grog.”

  “Wow, I never thought of bringing any with me. I’ll get some for you and have it transferred to you in a couple of days.”