Scerior

by Jilly Bowling

  Getting up Jo had a quick shower, and then she made lavish use of the perfume she liked best. Tchu brushed her hair until it gleamed like dark gold, and Jo caught up the sides with jewelled combs, leaving the rest hanging down her back. Putting in an eat pair of earrings she slipped on her dress and put her feet into a pretty pair of shoes.

  They had timed it well, as just as she put on the second shoe, Acorus opened the door and entered. He stood gazing at Jo for what, to her felt like ages. Because of his helmet she couldn’t see whether he was pleased or not, so she asked

  “Will I do?”

  Moving towards her he said “Do? You look amazing” his eyes were glittering with pure lust” I’ll show you how amazing later!”

  Feeling flustered by the look in his eyes, Jo looked down and said “We’d better go or we’ll be late for lunch?”

  “They certainly won’t start without us, so don’t worry” he laughed.

  Holding the door open he bowed, jokingly, at her, as he followed her out. Taking her arm he steered her in the direction of the officer’s dining room. The guard standing at the door sprang to attention when he saw them, his eyes unable to leave the picture of beauty Jo presented. Remembering his duty, he slapped his hand so hard on his chest, that he made himself cough. Even with his face mask down, Jo felt Acorus frown when he growled and said “Watch yourself soldier” following it with a spate of Sceria.

  The guard hastily opened the door, keeping his eyes straight ahead. As they entered the dining room, all the officers stood up and saluted. Saluting back Acorus told them all to sit and led Jo to two chairs at the top table. Two Escorii males pulled the chairs out and helped them to sit. Acorus removed his helmet and gave it to one of them.

  An officer on Acorus’s left stood up and welcomed Lady Jo-Anna and General Acorus to the officer’s dining room. Then lunch was served by the Escorii. To start with the room was quiet, but as Acorus engaged the officer on his left in conversation and the officer on Jo’s right offered her different dishes of food the rest relaxed and a gentle babble of noise broke out. The officer next to Jo introduced himself as commander Osega, the captain of the spy ship. Jo realised with delight that Acorus had arranged for him to sit next to her. She tried to restrain herself and not gabble out question after question, but to ask one thing at a time.

  Asking him firstly about how his spies had managed on Earth she was pleased to be told that they had blended in very well. In America they had passed themselves off as British, in Britain they had passed as Norwegians, and so on all over the Earth. Asking how they had found out about the white slave trade she was told that they had infiltrated a large European gang. They had been working on this for many months. Jo was surprised that they had infiltrated the gang so quickly, as she would have thought it would have taken many years. Here Osega was embarrassed and tried to avoid her questions.

  Turning to Acorus she quietly asked him to tell Osega to answer all her questions, difficult or not. Acorus spoke to him briefly in Sceria and Osega reluctantly did as he was ordered. Because his spies were happy to kill when ordered by a gang boss they had earned his trust.

  “Females as well as males?” Jo asked.

  “Yes, but you know that they would have died anyhow, probably along with our spies. At least they killed them quickly. I don’t want to upset you, but some of your fellow humans are as bad as the Xenorii. They like to give pain, they rape, they torture, young males as well as females. They kill babies and children. Tiny female children are raped by full grown males... ” Osega stopped, worried he had said too much.

  “I know Osega, I am well aware of how many evil humans there are. Decent humans do try to stop them but because of how fragmented Earth is, evil humans get away with doing dreadful things” Jo sighed.

  “It would be better if your planet was run by one strong government, instead of all those different countries run by different types of government” Osega dared to say, deciding that Jo was not easily upset.

  “On Scerior, you have millions of people, on Earth we have umpteen billions” Jo told him. “The only way we could be like Scerior is if billions of humans were killed. It may happen one day, and probably we will have done it ourselves!”

  “You are very open minded Jo. Are many humans as fair as you are?”

  “Yes millions, but unfortunately there are many more who have narrow minds, are bigots, religious maniacs and the just downright nasty. It is difficult to explain our world to a race like the Sceriae”.

  “Well, many thousands of years ago we were fragmented, as are the humans. We fought each other but then we settled down to become one race. Maybe Earth will in thousands of years” Osega said thoughtfully.

  “I’m afraid that there’s nothing I can do for Earth, but hopefully I can help the Sceriae. Now, I have an idea that the females caught up in the slave trade might be good females to collect for Scerior. If they pass the health and fertility tests, they may be so grateful to have a life like we have on Scerior that they will settle easier than girls who have had a happy life on Earth” Jo explained.

  Looking doubtful Osega asked “Don’t you think that they may be too damaged, mentally I mean?”

  “We would have to assess them. The ones that were sent back to Earth could be dropped off somewhere safe. So we would be helping them either way” Jo said thinking fast.

  “The other problem is that these girls are guarded so we might have to kill their guards” Osega pointed out.

  “They deserve killing” Jo snapped.

  Sitting back in his chair and gazing at her Osega said “General Acorus told me that you are strong and clever, but I’m surprised that you’re not upset at the thought of us killing your fellow humans”.

  “That’s just it, they aren’t my fellow humans. They are the dregs of our society. Preying on the weak and vulnerable. I know I’m not politically correct but we treat people like that too leniently. They should be shot!” Jo said vehemently.

  “Having watched Earth for so long I know how difficult it is to control. I must admit that I will never understand your people. Everywhere is so different. You have luxury next door to disgraceful poverty, and the rich seem not to want to help the poor” Osega was shaking his head, “However the thing that concerns me is that these evil men will fight, and some of us may be killed”.

  “We’ll have to plan carefully, to make sure that doesn’t happen. I’m sure Acorus will think of a good plan, and will only take the girls if he can be sure his men won’t be in danger”.

  Turning to her Acorus asked “Did I hear my name?” So Jo told him what she and Osega had been talking about. Acorus started talking to Osega about it so Jo sat back, so that they could see each other.

  For the first time since she had sat down to lunch she looked around the room. All the officers were talking to each other, but they all regularly turned to gaze at her. Feeling embarrassed she lowered her gaze and to her annoyance felt herself blushing. Suddenly Acorus stopped talking and looking at her said “You’re very quiet, are you feeling alright. Your face is red, are you too hot?”

  “No I’m fine, honestly” she answered.

  Leaning close to her he said “We aren’t ignoring you, you know, I’m trying to think of a plan to rescue those poor abused females”.

  Putting her hand up to his face Jo said “Oh love, I’m not upset at you. I know what you are talking about, and I’m pleased. It’s just a bit embarrassing to be the only female here. Especially in this dress”.

  Suddenly aware that all his officers were staring at him all Acorus could say was “Oh”.

  Realising that her hand was still on his cheek, Jo snatched it away, worried that he might be annoyed at what could be seen as a sign of weakness. To Jo’s surprise he turned to her, smiled and taking her hand raised it to his lips and kissed it, then turning to his officers he said “I s
ee that you are admiring the beauty of my lady. I can tell you that, not only is she beautiful but wise, intelligent and caring. She has taught me so much, not just in the area you are imagining”, all the officers laughed, “but about caring about other species too, being willing to learn and live in strange circumstances, without whining or feeling sorry for herself. She is brave enough to sit in a room full of alien males and hold an intelligent and caring conversation with one of those strange males. How many of you could sit, eat and chat while being watched by a room full of the opposite sex, with most of you wondering what she is like to mate with. I can tell you she is wonderful. But this is the last time you will look at her in the way I have seen you doing today. You will treat her as if she is me. If she asks you to do something, you will do it without question. If she needs help you will help her with anything. She is Lady Jo-Anna, Lord General Acorus’s chosen mate and answerable only to me. Do you understand?”

  When he stopped speaking all the officers stood up and slapped their chest with their right hand and shouted “Yes sir”.

  “You are dismissed to go about your duties. The officers from Commander Osega’s ship please stay behind, we wish to speak with you” Acorus said standing up and taking Jo’s hand helped her to her feet.

  As most of the officers filed out, the ones from Osega’s ship gathered to one side. Leading Jo over to them Acorus pulled out a chair, for her, and indicated that the officers take the other chairs round a table. With Acorus on one side and Osega on the other Jo felt more comfortable. There were only ten officers from Osega’s ship so it was much easier for her to deal with.

  Acorus told them that he wanted to know where they had found large numbers of females, and also about the gangs who operated the white slave trade. Osega called on two of his officers to talk, introducing them as Ghera and Octpa, his best spies. Looking at them Jo could see they weren’t quite as well groomed as most Sceriae males were. Their hair was longer and messier; they weren’t as well shaved and seemed to slouch even though they were in armour. When they spoke, their English was less precise than most Sceriae, with bits of slang littered through it.

  She could understand how they had fitted in with the gangs from Russia, Serbia and the Middle East, as they could pass for almost any nationality.

  They explained that in certain towns in Britain and America there were places where young females lived together. As they described the places, Jo realised they were talking about girls schools and colleges. She told them that these were places of education and that the girls from there would be clever but perhaps also difficult as they probably had good lives on Earth. Then she asked them about the white slave gangs. They had found houses all over the continent including Britain, true there were only at the most twenty to thirty girls in such places but they should be easy to take as mostly they were drugged and their guards were of a low type.

  As for high class call girls, they could be found in all major cities. They were usually working alone and should be easy to catch. Osega’s men had made a list for a lot of cities and watched these girls’ movements, so it was just a case of picking them up. Acorus had decided that they would pick up about a hundred this time. Osega commented that that should be an easy target. However to collect seven or eight hundred would stretch the Sceriae considerably.

  There would be no doubt that the authorities that the authorities on Earth would be interested about what was happening so there could be a few incidents between their fighters and Earth’s aeroplanes. Osega had no doubt that the Earth’s fighters would fire on his ships if they were seen.

  Jo asked if the Earth’s weapons could hurt the Sceriae’s ships and Acorus told her that it was highly unlikely, as his ships were shielded and also ten times faster than the humans fighters. His men would try not to damage the humans but unfortunately, accidents happened.

  The very scale of the operation seemed daunting to Jo, but Acorus and Osega calmed her worries by their easy assurance. As Acorus told her, they had been doing this, granted on a smaller scale for many years. The first sortie was to be that night when they would take a group of girls from a halfway house in Russia. Osega didn’t know exactly how many girls there were, but the position of the house was good as it was isolated.

  Jo was determined that she would be there when the girls were brought aboard, but she knew that she was feeling tired, so she asked Acorus if she could return to their quarters to rest. He was pleased that she was being so sensible and offered to escort her. She told him to stay with his officers and sent for Tchu to escort her. Back in her bedroom she took off her dress and climbed into bed. Within minutes she was fast asleep, sure that Tchu would wake her in time to be there as the girls were brought aboard.

  Chapter 34

  Tchu woke Jo at about three am. Earth time, feeling excited she went to jump out of bed but Tchu stopped her saying that she must have a drink and something to eat, and that there was no hurry as there was nothing she could do at the minute.

  Sitting up among her pillows Jo did as she was told, asking Tchu if she had seen Acorus. Tchu told her that he had gone to Earth with Osega’s spies, to take control of the situation and make sure everything went well. As far as Tchu knew they had found nearly forty girls waiting to be transported across Europe. Their guards had not been a problem, some had fought and some had run. All the Sceriae were safe and were transporting the girls back to the star ships. Jo wondered how they had got so many ‘coffins’ on the fighter ships but Tchu didn’t know.

  When she had finished eating Jo had a quick shower and Tchu helped her to put on her armour. With Tchu in attendance she hurried to the flight deck. To her surprise all was calm and Belain was sitting in Acorus’s chair, rising to meet her he told her that all was well. Acorus had just landed in the hangar and his girls were being tested. Some of the girls were in better condition than others. Jo asked how many girls each fighter could carry, and he told her that each fighter had nine or ten, as they had been transported without boxes, and were being put into them as they spoke, to protect them through the asteroid belt. Health test were being done before they were boxed, as it seemed the sensible thing to do.

  “I’ll go down to the hangar then. Any that fail the tests can be taken straight back to Earth. Much simpler than what happened before” Jo left the flight deck and went down to the hangar deck.

  Here, all was hustle and bustle with rows of boxes on trestles, in which the girls were being placed. To Jo most appeared to be white European, all were very young and looked bedraggled and bruised. Seeing Acorus talking with a group of soldiers she went over to him. As she reached him all the soldiers saluted her and she nodded in reply.

  Turning to her Acorus said “We have had great success tonight; this was a very good idea. The Escorii report no serious disease apart from one female. Also we took one female with black skin, to save her from the slave trade. We’ll take them somewhere safe”.

  “Can I see them?” Jo asked “All of them”.

  “Of course, if you close your helmet. You mustn’t risk catching anything. Some of them are absolutely filthy and of course they smell vile!”

  Wondering what the girls smelled of, Jo closed her helmet and with Acorus at her side, went to the closest box. The girl had greasy looking, dirty blonde hair, a pinched looking face, covered in cuts and bruises and was so emaciated Jo stepped back in shock, “Oh my god”, she gasped “Are they all like this?”

  “Most are, some are worse” Acorus told her “All are young and disease free. The Escorii say that they are all fertile, some may be prettier than others, we’ll see when they are clean and drug free”.

  Even with her face mask shut Jo could smell the girl, she smelled terrible. “Why is she so dirty and what is that awful smell?” she demanded.

  Acorus hesitated before he answered, “She is so dirty because she hasn’t washed. The gangs demean the girls to make them more p
liable. The smell is from being raped continually, being drugged and the food they eat. To us all humans have an unpleasant smell, because they are carnivores and use chemicals on themselves. You notice it now because your system has been cleansed. You eat a vegetarian diet, shower often, and are massaged with natural products, not chemicals”.

  “Oh” Jo said, feeling embarrassed “Did I smell that bad?”

  “No, never. Not even when you were first brought aboard, but you were clean, didn’t take drugs, not even tobacco and I don’t think you ate a lot of meat” Acorus said diplomatically.

  “When you first came near me I noticed a musky smell. I don’t notice it now” Jo said.

  “That is because now, to you it is a normal odour. Now do you want to see any more girls?” he asked.

  “Yes, I’ll quickly see them all, and I’d like to make sure that the two who were rejected are being taken somewhere safe” Jo answered.

  Walking between the rows of boxes Jo quickly looked at the girls, as Acorus had said some were in a worse condition, and Jo felt ashamed that humans had done that to other humans. When she reached the rejected girls she was even more upset. The white girl was sweating and breathing wheezily. Turning to the Escorii with her, she asked what was wrong with her. They said that she had an infection which needed Earth’s antibiotics. The disease was unknown on Scerior. When Jo asked if it was contagious, an Escorii said that it might be, but they would keep a close eye on the other girls.