by Jay Cannon
“That’s why you are trying to kill millions of Euclidians?” Asked Yoyo.
“Yes, because they destroyed our planet.”
“They only did that because you attacked them after pretending to be friends with them right?”
“We have a spiritual right to all lands. It has been prophesied that we will rule all lands and I mean to help fulfill that prophesy.”
“Was the prophesy legitimized because it was foreseen by some visionary or because one of your rulers felt it would justify the killing of innocent people for gain?”
“We are a mighty race. It is our right to rule all. Why do you question that?”
“Being mighty doesn’t make you righteous or even right.”
“But here I am just moments away from a new wave of attacks which will bring the Euclidian to their knees. We have several hundred cloaked ships nearby waiting for the moment to attack. Once the destruction of Euclidia starts, the government will be too distracted to see what is going on in space. Our fleet will swoop in and destroy all the vessels, space stations and colonies in the Euclidian system before the government knows what happened. And I will forever be a hero to our people.”
“Interesting theory. Too bad no one knows you’re out here. Remember, we told the people in operations to forget who we were.”
“Who cares what the Euclidians think. The ship coming to cloak us is aware of whom I am and the plans I made with our war minister.”
“I’m thinking they are going to remember you for another reason.”
“Really?!”
“Yes. Tell me commander, what’s this command here for?” Asked Yoyo pointing at the control panel.
Chapter 22
Li Xiao boards the Andrea
Li Xiao appeared back in her bedroom and there was Cobalt waiting for her and he instantly hugged her.
“I’ve been missing you terribly and worried that you might be killed before returning to me. You could have even changed your mind, which probably would have been best for you; it just would have saddened me.”
“How could I stay on Earth in its present condition? And how could I stay away from you since you made me love you? I was so afraid and then I was so curious. And now I don’t want to be without you even though I don’t know what the future holds for us.”
“Okay, so let’s get going. We should get started with your indoctrination. I’ll take you to my quarters first so you can put your bag away.”
“I’m ready,” said Xiao sighing heavily.
Cobalt spoke some words into his UCD and moments later the two of them were in his quarters.
“This technology is so wonderful,” said Xiao looking around Cobalt’s quarters. “Cobalt, be honest with me. Are you okay with us being together?”
“Of course I am. If I wasn’t I wouldn’t have offered to have you join me.”
“On our planet we are concerned when our mate is from a different race. What would your mother think if you brought me, an alien, home with you?”
“I don’t have a mother per se, but if I did she would welcome you with open arms. She would understand the world I live in. Maybe you would like to see more of the world where I come from.”
“Can we go now?”
“So to speak. Put on this helmet. I’m going to dial in my home city on Majorelle.”
Xiao instantly found herself in the middle of an alien city. “Oh my goodness this is marvelous. Look at all the people. Can they see me?”
“No, you are only there in the virtual sense. You can see, hear and smell things as if you were really there. You can look inside buildings, sit in a vehicle or listen to music playing. Lean forward to move forward in the city and twist your body to turn. One of the neat things you can do with this device is look at an area over time. Say you wanted to see a building being built, the change in traffic or the effect of a river on terrain. You can do that by adjusting the start time and programming increments.”
“How far back could I go? I mean can I see your planet being formed?”
“Only in the theoretical sense. We don’t have recorded history that goes back that far.”
“I love this device. It’s really like I am there.”
“If you’re done I should probably get you to indoctrination.”
“Okay, I’m ready to go. Will you be there with me?”
“Unfortunately not. But don’t worry. You will be in good hands. Just don’t freak out at the aliens you might see there.”
“Okay, I’ll try to stay calm.”
When Xiao arrived for indoctrination, she was assigned a guide other than Cobalt. Xiao passed indoctrination, including creation of her ball gown and her first language lesson with flying colors. She created an intricate burgundy and white dress with a white mask. When she arrived at the language center she finished the initial lesson right away. She decided to stay in the language center to take additional lessons. She was hoping to learn enough of the language to become a diplomat for the Euclidian. She took the greeting and salutations, food, travel, military and mining operations lessons. When it came time for the ball she was ready to converse with the Euclidian guests. She even learned to write some of their language.
“Li Xiao, what are you doing?” Asked Cobalt. “You can’t spend all day here. You are such an over achiever.”
“Maybe you would prefer going back to my cabin and practicing counting,” she said smiling.
“No time for that. Let’s tour the ship. We should start with getting you a medical exam.”
“Really? I hate getting those on Earth.”
“It’s not the same as you may have experienced on Earth. There’s no pain and we provide a lot of services that can improve your looks and the way you feel.”
“I guess I could tolerate it.”
“So let’s go to the transport chairs. I’ll show you around the principal corridor before dropping you off at the medical center.”
“Okay, if we must.”
Cobalt and Xiao spent the rest of the day exploring the ship and the rest of the evening exploring each other.
***
The next day Cobalt and Xiao spent the day practicing the Euclidian language, holding each other, and then getting ready for the ball.
“Xiao, I’ll be back in 30 minutes. I need to work with the interrogation team on a new captive. Once that is done I will come back and take you to the ball.”
“That’s fine Coby, I could use the extra time. Just don’t be gone too long. I want to enjoy all the ball has to offer. And be prepared to mingle, because I want to meet as many people as possible, okay?”
“Certainly Xiao, just don’t call be Coby at the ball okay?”
“Oh, I think it’s such a cute pet name.”
“Maybe so, but let’s keep it to ourselves.”
“Sure Coby baby,” Xiao said smiling and kissing Cobalt on the cheek.
“Okay, I’m off Xiao see you soon,” Cobalt stated walking out the cabin door.
Chapter 23
The Ryan Nebula
Calvin woke up in a deep sweat. He was somewhat disoriented waking up on the ship for the first time. Sitting on the edge of his bed he wiped the sleep from his eyes.
What have I done? Stated Calvin slapping his hands on his head. Have I sentenced myself to a life in a freak show with me as the main freak? I enjoy Uan’s company, but will this force me into his servitude for the rest of my life? He may end up being my only friend and he’s not much of a friend. Plus I have to learn this damn alien language. Calvin thought pounding his hand into his fist.
I have a thought. I’ll just get a Euclidian girlfriend. I’m sure one of the short ones would be into an urban legend such as myself. Dominique certainly doesn’t seem to like me. She’s so cute that I’m sure every alien on the ship will be after her. I need to take my mind off my loneliness and get some sleep. On Earth I was the guy who could find things. Here I can’t even find my way back to my cabin without my UCD. I’ll see what I can find on
my monitor.
Calvin turned on his monitor and searched through the options. The alien entertainment wasn’t of much value to Calvin since he didn’t understand it. He decided to take a view at alien civilizations. He lied on his bed, fascinated by the civilizations.
“Use the emersion helmet for better viewing,” a voice came from the monitor. A light from the ceiling pointed to what looked like a head covering made from nylon straps. Calvin tried it on and lied back on the bed to see what the difference would be.
Wow, this is fascinating and almost creepy. It’s like I am right in the midst of these aliens and can touch them, but my hand passes right through them. I can’t get any sleep like this. Let me see if I can find something more scenic.
Calvin flipped through the selections and found something that looked interesting. It was simply titled Ryan Nebula - Stellar Creation. Its image looked a lot like the pictures he’d seen of Pillars of Creation from the Eagle Nebula. He decided to lie back and check it out. Then there he was floating in space.
This is just spectacular. I’m surrounded by clouds, dust and what appears to be newly forming stars. Those stars have to be millions of miles away and they are like they are right in front of me. I can’t imagine how fast I must be moving.
Calvin dozed off as his mind continued to drift through the Ryan Nebula until he heard, “Dominique mat blani.” Calvin was still woozy from being asleep, but eventually responded with, “sah.”
Calvin’s door opened and Dominique walked in wearing a blue silk-looking robe with an intricate design. “Wake up sleepy head,” stated Dominique to Calvin.
“I was having the most amazing experience. I’m glad you’re here though and I love what you’re wearing.”
“I just had this made for me. I just adore the facilities here, though I still miss home. How are you doing?”
“I was having moments of anxiety before going to bed about my decision to come on the ship. I didn’t have a great childhood and my life before Uan showed up was tenuous at best.”
“What do you mean? Tell me about your childhood,” said Dominique sitting next to Calvin on his bed.
“Well, growing up in the projects was brutal. My father killed my mother when I was seven and went to prison. I got stuck with his crazy, drunken brother. I got tired of him hitting on me and left to live with a friend of mine. I learned to steal and fence things pretty quickly. In the hood, you could always find someone to buy what you have.
“So you sold drugs too?”
“Not exactly. I moved quantities of things around to people who might sell it on the street. The major suppliers like to stay off the radar. That’s how I met Bo Sam. I was making a delivery of product to him and asked if I could get him some other stuff. I found what he wanted right away and he then made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. He paid me well, gave me a great place to stay and provided protection from people who often wanted to attack me during deliveries. Though it was a scary job at times I didn’t see an easy way out.”
“So how did you hook up with Uan?”
“I was at Bo Sam’s place getting him a drink. When I went into the room where Bo Sam was waiting for me and everyone was dead. Uan was just standing there holding his bloody spear. I believed he was going to kill me next, but I convinced him that I could be of use to him so he let me live. So what’s your story?”
“I don’t have much of a story. I grew up in a hick town in the middle of Louisiana. Because I’m small and cute every guy in town wanted to have their way with me. So I learned to fight and started carrying a gun. A club owner I knew thought I would be good at his door. Guys would appreciate me greeting them and if they got out of hand I could throw them out. Off hours I would chauffer people around in my limousine or do some bodyguard work.”
“Why didn’t you get married or go to college?”
“I wasn’t interested in the guys in my town because they were just tired. My grades weren’t good enough to get me into college and I’m not much of a studier anyway. I was going to save my money and move to Dallas, but then this thing happened. So now I’m going to outer space.”
“How do you feel about that?”
“I was scared at first, but I felt it would be better than being on a post-apocalyptic Earth.”
“You’re right about that.”
“I’ve been playing some of the sports games here and practicing my Euclidian.”
“So I guess some of the aliens have been coming on to you.”
“Yeah and it’s been getting me horny and that’s why I’m here.”
“Excuse me?”
“Why do you think I’m wearing this robe with nothing underneath it? You don’t expect me to sleep with an alien when there is a perfectly good human just down the hall from me do you?”
“You mean me?” Asked Calvin choking up.
“Yes I do,” replied Dominique leaning into him. “So go take a shower or throw me out.”
“I’m certainly not going to throw you out.”
“Then hurry and go take that shower and be sure to scrub those naughty bits. I don’t want to taste any funk on my tongue.”
“With that kind of offer, I’d be happy to scrub the skin off my privates. By the way, have you tried your immersion cap yet?”
“No, I don’t even know what that is.”
“This is it,” said Calvin holding his up to Dominique. “It should be on your shelf next to your desk. Go get yours while I take a shower.”
“Okay, I’m game for anything once. I’ll be right back. You go clean up,” said Dominique going out the door.
Calvin told the access system to let Dominique in when she returned. Once Calvin stepped out from the bathroom Dominique was lying on his bed with her silk robe open, but still covering her sensitive areas. Calvin was wearing Euclidian boxers.
“That instant-dry system after the pulsating shower is a clever idea,” Calvin said nervously.
“Stop talking and get over here. I want to taste you,” demanded Dominique.
Calvin gulped and walked towards Dominique. She sat up, pulled away his boxers, flipped him onto the bed and started nibbling and licking at the tops of his thighs. Calvin gasped and tried to sit up but was pushed back down by Dominique’s hand on his chest.
“Stay put big boy, I’m just getting started.”
Dominique licked and nibbled Calvin’s thigh up to his crotch, over to his other thigh and back again until he was quivering all over. Calvin could see her breasts swaying as she worked him over.
“Let me tell you how this is going to go Calvin,” said Dominique licking her lips and looking up at him sexily. “It’s been a while since I’ve been with a man so I’m going to take my time with you. I’m going kiss and lick every poor on your privates until you explode across my palate. I want you to just lay back and enjoy it. When I’m done I expect you to do the same for me. Once I have had my fill, you can have your way with me. How do you like that plan?”
“I think I’m going to explode right now.”
“If you do I’m going get my gun and shoot you in the foot.”
“Okay, I’ll hold it.”
The next couple of hours were a dream come true for Calvin. He had often thought of Dominique and wondered what it would take to attract a woman as beautiful and fiery as her. When she was near he could hardly breathe or speak. It wasn’t a lust, but a real attraction. She was his Cleopatra and Joan of Arc.
When they started making love Calvin had her put on her emersion helmet. Calvin could feel himself floating in space again, but this time it was different. He could feel his entire being drifting away as their bodies intertwined. It was if he was part of the universe and she was a constellation about which he revolved. Her scent, her touch, the sight of her eyes on him made him weak all over. The deeper they went into the Ryan Nebula the deeper he wanted to go. Not just into the nebula, but into her heart. His body melted into hers until he no longer had a sense of himself. An hour later he came to lying next to
her.
“That was just heavenly Calvin,” stated Dominique. “The helmets were a great idea. I guess I’m going to have to make frequent visits to see the rest of space with you.”
Dominique hugged him and Calvin kissed her tenderly on her lips. She gasped and pushed him away. “That was nice Calvin, but we’re still just friends so don’t get it twisted. And if you tell anyone about our little tryst I’ll cut your balls off. See you tomorrow,” stated Dominique blowing him a kiss and walking out his door. Calvin just collapsed on his bed with a smile.
Chapter 24
Medical Exams aboard the Andrea
“Okay, I admit it, this is great. It just took me a while to believe this crazy contraption wouldn’t fall to the ground and kill us. How fast do you think these things can go?” Asked Dominique.
“Who knows,” replied Calvin. “I know it’s faster than I can stand. It gets to the point where I can’t breathe sometimes and I have to back off.”
“Do you want me to ask one of these guys?” Asked Betty. “I get to going as fast as I can stand it and one of these guys zips past me.”
“Is your Euclidian that good?” Asked Dominique. “I’m still learning basic stuff.”
“I spent as much free time as possible in the language rooms. I don’t want to be killed or thrown into the captive cells for not picking up the language quick enough.”
Betty waves at a passerby. “How fast can these things go?”
“The chair has no top speed,” the person responded. “The top speed is whatever you can stand. As you lean forward the chair’s speed will keep increasing until you pass out and then the chair will set you down.”