I looked at Naari. His shoulders sagged, and relief was painted all over his face.
"All right," Khiru said as he snapped his telecom device shut. "If that's your choice, you may come with us."
I had a hunch it all came down to that one detail: it was my choice. Naari and Khiru acted like they'd won a war they hadn't even fought.
A few smiles and nods were enough to celebrate our confusing agreement, and we resumed packing.
Less than an hour later, the second and third chambers in the cave were empty, all their content transferred to the first one, near the exit. After a thorough cleaning, followed by Khiru's detailed inspection, we settled amongst the containers and waited for the shuttle to land.
Naari was sitting next to me, and both of us were staring at the makeshift wall of planks and stones blocking access to the cave.
"Tell me, how did you get all your stuff inside? Is there another entrance?"
"No, we came through this one. We froze the wall, moved it on the side, and closed it back in its original position when we were finished. We added a door, there," he pointed to the left, "but it's invisible from outside."
Damned. To think I had crawled in the mud.
"And will you freeze the wall again now?"
"No time for such fancy tricks today. I'll use something more drastic. But hush. Here it comes."
I felt the arrival of the space vehicle more than I heard it. The ground shook, and a hot wind blew through the cracks in the stones. Then, with the exception of a long "whoosh" sound, the spacecraft landed in silence.
We all stood up, ready to get going, but Khiru ordered us to stay still, his hand translating the words for me.
While we waited, Naari took a device that looked like a riot gun reassembled with a vacuum cleaner. He aimed it at the center of the wall. A heat wave formed and expanded on all sides. It quickly covered the whole surface and disintegrated the rocks one by one. The process was clean and smooth; frightening, too, when you considered its potential as a weapon. The wall had simply disappeared, without the slightest fleck of dust to indicate its past existence.
More Khyrians were waiting for us behind the wall. They gave me long once-overs and acknowledged my presence with a friendly wave before setting up to work. A sense of trepidation filled the night. No one wanted to be lingering out in the open when the first pink shades of dawn would hit the woods.
Getting out of the way, I left the cave and studied the Khyrian space shuttle. It was oval-shaped and as big as a bus. Its nose resembled the front of a plane, with tinted portholes on all sides. At the back, a huge door opened on a hold that accounted for four fifths of the vehicle.
I felt a light touch on my shoulder and turned around to see Swomi pointing at the stairs.
While the men loaded the gear into the cargo shuttle, I followed the Khyrian girl up to the cockpit. The seats were set in lines of four, two on each side of the aisle, with no separation between the two pilots and the passengers. Swomi put me on a window seat just behind one of the pilots, then went to sit two rows back.
From my first-class position, I watched the Khyrians empty the cave and return it to its original wilderness. The only traces of intelligence left were the graffiti drawn by a bunch of kids twenty years earlier.
The Khyrians embarked quickly. Naari sat across the aisle from me, and Khiru took the seat next to me.
"You're okay?"
"Y … yes," I whispered, not too convincingly. The sound of the door sealing on us made me realize what I'd got myself into, and distressing doubts were nagging me.
Khiru squeezed my hand, and my heartbeat got out of control. "You'll be fine."
Perhaps if you kissed me…
At that moment, one of the pilots shouted a warning, and Khiru let go of my hand to check dials above our heads.
The excitement of sitting next to him paled in comparison to the flight ahead. I stared through the window, waiting for the ground to move away from us, and hoped I wouldn't get sick.
The shuttle took off vertically, like an elevator, then dashed into the sky like a rocket. During our ascent, Khiru told me to hold on, but I obviously missed the advice. The sudden acceleration pushed me forward until a force field on my chest blocked me and threw me back into the seat.
Shaken, but relieved to see I had an invisible seatbelt, I caught my breath and braced myself for more fun. But after the initial acceleration, the ride became as smooth as rowing a boat on a lake at dawn.
We were already flying above the clouds, so high that I caught sight of the Earth's natural curve for the first time. The sky was deep blue, slowly verging on purple, then black. When we reached space, I marveled at the millions of stars ahead, like generations of astronauts before me. But unlike them, I was heading for one of those stars, Khyra's sun.
Looking back, I watched the Earth shrinking in the window.
I lost sight of my beautiful blue planet too quickly as we left it behind to continue our short trip to the spaceship. I checked my watch for the first time since take-off. Only five minutes. And only one hour before we reached our destination, my new home for the next year or so.
Noncha was the name of the Khyrian vessel. It meant "hope" in their language. I could see how this was symbolic in their search for a friendly alien civilization. For the return trip, it would incarnate my aspirations for a better life.
Chapter THREE
One hour of incessant wonderment later, I set two shaky feet on the Noncha. After going through a decontamination airlock with all the shuttle passengers, I expected a formal committee to welcome me at the other end. I was disappointed when only one man showed up, apparently a doctor. While everyone else, including Khiru, dispersed inside the spacecraft, Naari stayed with me and explained that the medical staff wouldn't allow me in the common areas until they had checked me thoroughly for viruses and potentially fatal diseases brought back from Earth.
I followed Naari and the doctor to a medical facility next to the landing bay, where a younger assistant waited for us. The room looked like a dentist's office: a long padded armchair stood in the center, and various tools wired to the ceiling hung high around it. There were cupboards and shelves on both sides, and a desk at the back. The wall above the desk held a frame with the moving picture of colorful fish swimming in schools. Next to the door were a sink and a tall white cabinet, sealed like a refrigerator. The oddest characteristic of the room was its fresh, natural smell. Had I been blind, I would have mistaken it for a flower shop.
Naari translated the doctor's explanations about the full-body scan procedure. It was harmless and painless, and I needed to strip.
"Completely," Naari insisted.
It made sense, so I blushed, then I complied, and I blushed some more. Standing naked in front of three ear-less men was distressing. Could I trust them? Like the ankle cuff and the brain controller illustrated, Khyrians were full of surprises.
Once I stood in my birthday suit, the doctor directed me to sit on the chair and said they would start with a blood analysis. He sat at the desk and, while he spoke, the picture of the fish changed into tables of data. The assistant applied a thick pad the size of a stamp to the inside of my elbow while the doctor read the information it sent on the computer monitor.
Next, the assistant pulled down another tool to inoculate me with antibodies. As Naari explained, they would protect me against Khyrian diseases until I went through the proper health program. Again, there was no shot, just a pressure applied on my arm.
This painless procedure restored my confidence, but I wasn't ready when the chair went down and transformed into a bed. A metallic platform, like a stool hanging upside down, descended from the ceiling toward my feet, and stopped when I feared it was going to crash them.
Then I felt straps around my wrists.
More bondage? This time, I disagreed, if only because I didn't want them to think I was easy. Or naive.
"Hey," I said to Naari, "I don't want to be tied up. Tell
him to undo these!"
"Sorry, Megan, but it's a safety measure. Like I said, the scan is painless, but the first time, it can be impressive. The beams are extremely sensitive and the slightest movement will affect the readings. Then we'll have to start all over again, and it could take hours. So we don't want you to fidget."
While he spoke, the assistant also secured my ankles, and was fastening a translucent strap around my waist.
"But I can control myself. I'll be still," I insisted.
Naari shook his head.
I searched his face for a sign that he was teasing or playing with me, but he turned away to face the computer screen. Forced into immobility, I watched the lights turn orange and the scanner stir quietly over my naked legs. Naari hadn't lied. It was painless, hopefully harmless, and tediously boring. When the square platform reached my hips, it was almost touching my skin. The straps had a purpose after all. I was getting increasingly nervous about messing up the whole process.
Disturbing ideas floated through my idle brain. Like why the Khyrians weren't touching me while I was helpless. And why I wished they would.
As the scanner progressed to my chest, I forced myself to relax and rewound the film of the last two days, from my intrusion in the cave to the heavenly vision of the Khyrian starship against the starry background.
The Noncha was made up of two rings, a small one inside a much bigger one, linked together by six tubes. More details had come into view as the shuttle had neared its destination: aerials, lights striking out of windows, landing stages, evacuation holes, blinking signals. Judging from the rows of lights, the outer ring was divided into five floors, with countless windows on each. Hundreds of people would easily fit inside.
Nibbling at my nails, I had watched the docking maneuvers as our tiny shuttle flew into a hangar on the lower floor. Khiru must have felt my apprehension. He had touched my arm and smiled.
Snapping back to the present, I caught myself smiling back at the scanner above my head. Now I was all excited again. But the scan was completed before my restlessness became a problem. The platform rose back to the ceiling, and Naari untied the straps and straightened up the chair.
"See, not so annoying, was it?"
"No. Are we done now?"
"That's it for tests for today. We'll get the results from the scan tomorrow, but," he looked at the doctor who nodded, "you don't have any germs we can't handle, so you're clear."
"That means you're going to show me the ship?"
He laughed.
"That means you're going to put on these clothes and meet the Officer Corps. Then, yes, I'll show you your room and the ship."
I put on my underwear, then the white shirt and blue slacks Naari handed me. The pants, too long for me, were grazing the floor, but with my tennis shoes on, they looked like chic beachwear.
The Officer Corps was the command crew, and they wanted to welcome me on board officially.
When Naari and I entered the reunion room, I shrank under the stare of seven pairs of dark slanted eyes, six of them belonging to men. How sadly reminiscent of Earth. I'd always assumed that a more advanced civilization would put an end to gender discrimination, among many others, but it wasn't so.
As my eyes lingered on her, Nur introduced herself as the commanding pilot, in charge with the trajectory of the vessel. She was as tall as the men, slender but muscular, and had a definitely leadership look. I wanted to think of her as the captain, but I knew she wasn't. Naari had told me that the Corps shared the responsibilities of commanding the ship. While each member had specific tasks, they also formed a joint unit when important decisions needed to be made. They were all experienced pilot engineers, and any one of them could have run the ship on their own in case of emergency.
Nur clasped my hand for two seconds, then offered me one of the seats around the coffee table. I sat down while everyone else did likewise.
The reunion room had a warm appeal. It combined the coziness of a family space (low couches, coffee table, soft colors) with the efficiency of a conference facility (computer frames on the wall, stationary supplies on shelves). It prompted reflection as much as relaxation. It didn't help much in my case. I was too anxious to think or rest.
Because none of the officers, except Khiru, spoke English, Nur introduced the rest of the crew and explained how they worked. She never used any title and called them by their first names.
With Nur, the Officer Corps was made up of six specialists. Two of them administered life on board, one for the Blue Team, the other for the Green Team. The mission specialist (Khiru) was in charge of the Earth expedition. There was also a communication specialist liaising with the mother planet, and a machinery engineer who monitored any problem with engines and other equipment. I noted that Naari wasn't part of the Corps.
Finally, the youngest man in the room, barely out of his teenage years, turned directly to me.
"And I'm Vhar, your language expert," he said with a semblance of a bow. "I'm not an Officer, but I joined them today because I've learned five of your languages, and that made me some kind of specialist, too."
"Great," I spoke for the first time, my voice slightly hoarse. "I really want to learn your language as soon as possible."
"Of course," Nur agreed. "Vhar will be your teacher and will spend as much time as he can with you. In fact, he doesn't have much else to do, eh, Vhar?"
Like I said, she was a born leader.
"Now, there's an important issue to address, but we can do it privately."
Nur said a few words I couldn't understand and everyone left, even Khiru, although I believed he tried to stay, but Nur convinced him not to. This was women's business.
When Nur and I were alone, I realized how tense I'd been. My shoulders relaxed and I was finally able to drink the blue juice that had been waiting on the table since I sat down.
"Sometimes there's just too much male blood around, isn't there?" she smiled.
"True. They're all friendly but, well, they're still ... men," I giggled.
"I know. And there are many men on Khyra."
I laughed, thinking she was being ironic. She wasn't, but she wasn't ready to start that discussion yet. She had another sensitive point to raise, and I suppose one was enough for my first day.
"So, tell me, Megan, what do you think of sex?"
I was so surprised, I asked her to repeat the question.
Sex? It could be great, but disastrous, too. In fact, it had never been satisfying, and I knew why. But I chose to keep that to myself and erred on the safe side.
"Sex is...a basic need. And it's fun."
Nur looked like a teacher who's decided to be lenient with a difficult child.
"I'm glad you see it that way. The reason I'm asking you is that you'll find our lifestyles very similar to yours, except in that particular area. Whereas you Earthlings seemed to be either scared of sex, or obsessed with it, we assume it is as essential as eating or sleeping. It's an important part of our lives, not only in private, but also as a social group. We believe that ignoring sexual instincts leads to frustration, anger and high levels of stress. Which is why we do our best to exploit them, for the benefit of all."
Visions of carnal orgies came to mind. We were far from the love bondage the soft cuff had hinted at.
I gulped. "I'm not sure I follow you."
"Do you have erotic fantasies?"
"Yes," I said cautiously.
"And have you had a chance to fulfill them?"
I thought of a lifetime of pitiful attempts.
"No, not really. I never found anyone to share them with me. But I did try on my own, though," I proudly added, trying to score bonus points.
Nur grinned. Obviously I wasn't making a tremendous impression. Should I tell her about my self-bondage experiments? No. It was too early to share those private details with a woman who'd just warned me about "exploiting sexual instincts."
"Well," she said as I kept silent, "at least you have an open mind."
"But what are you trying to tell me? That you have sex anywhere, anyhow, with anyone?"
"Oh no. Common sense and decency dictate a few rules, but all in all, you'll find we have few inhibitions. It'll become clear soon enough. Even aboard this ship, a workplace where people must behave responsibly, you'll come across certain ... scenes that may offend your sensibilities if you're not prepared."
"What kind of scenes?"
I hoped we shared the same ideas. But even if we did, my own fantasies scared me.
"Nothing excessive. Most people prefer playing in private or in special gatherings, but there's an exhibitionist streak in many of us, and we like to let it loose every once in a while. It's sane, and fun, as you put it."
"What about me?" I asked. "Will I be expected to behave like you?"
"By Plya, darling, you do what you want. A small few of us never play and it's fine, too. You're likely to catch the attention of many partners, but nobody will ever force you to do something against your will. I only want you to be aware of our different approach. See, when we learned about you joining us, we debated whether we should stop our games so as not to offend you. But we finally decided not to conceal anything because this is going to be your life from now on. Whether you like it or not, this is the society you've chosen to live in.
"Besides," she added, "after three and a half years on a spaceship, we need the distraction."
Again I wanted to ask her what I might expect, but felt I would have to find out by myself.
"There's a lot you need to learn about us," she continued, "and you will. In time. For now, ask questions when in doubt. You'll always find someone to answer you."
I thanked her and became very quiet. I'd always been highly critical of the way Earth society judged sex-related matters. I considered myself a free bird in that department. But would I be able to soar as high as the Khyrians?
Our conversation drawing to an end, Nur summoned Naari to accompany me to my bedroom. While we waited, she gave me a silver badge, which, she explained, I would need to retrieve goodies from the Galleries. I proudly pinned it on my chest. I was now officially a member of the Noncha crew.
Worthy of a Master: The Tale of a Perfect Slave Page 3