She cocked her head, seemed to be listening to something. Suddenly, she turned and ran toward the lake and dove into the clear water.
Tom watched her disappear under the surface, watched for her to come up for air. She finally did and came running back. Droplets of water dripped from her beautiful body, smooth muscles rippled under soft skin. She was laughing when she stood again in front of him, her eyes large and shining with bright green fire. “Come, join me in the Water that gives Life,” she said and reached for his hand. Her words came clear and without hesitation.
“So you do speak my language,” Tom said, somewhat perplexed.
“I speak through the Mother,” the girl said.
“I don’t understand.”
The alien girl touched her neck. Tom looked closer, saw the shiny thin film of a transparent substance around her neck.
“This is part of the Great Mother, and through it I can communicate with you. The Mother knows everything.”
“This Great Mother, is she the woman in the pond?”
The girl nodded. “She is that and much more.” She smiled. “You are the Chosen One. The Great Mother is very pleased with you. Tonight, when the night suns are high, you will give the seed of life to my sisters and me. There will be much happiness. I know, I already felt your seed-giver inside me, and it was pleasurable.”
Tom stared at her. “Are you the one I met by the pond the other night?”
Laughing, she nodded. “Yes, I was the one. The Mother sent me to you.”
“She did? Why?”
“To make new life, what other reason could there be?” The girl shrugged and pulled on his hand. “But now you will swim with me in the Water that gives Life.”
Tom followed her into the water. It felt pleasantly warm.
A small group of alien girls swam toward him, crowded against him. With pearly laughter they touched him, stroked him. One touched his genitals, curled her fingers around his penis.
They all looked the same to Tom; he couldn’t tell which one was the girl who talked to him. Only when she spoke did he know who she was. “They are all eager for tonight,” she said, her green eyes sparkling. “They have never collected the seeds of a male before. I told them how you felt inside me.”
“Where are your men?” Tom asked.
“Our men?”
“Yes, the males of your species. Men, like me?”
“There aren’t any.” She dove away.
One of the girls was licking his belly, her soft lips moved down to his penis, sucked it partially into her mouth. Tom could feel himself react to her sucking. He fought the urge and gently pulled his swelling member out of her mouth. He felt sharp teeth graze his skin. Suddenly he was angry, he wanted to scream at them and tell them to leave him alone, but when he looked into their innocent eyes, his anger subsided.
“You are children,” he said softly and ran his fingers through silky hair. “Innocent children.”
He looked across the calm water of the lake, noticed the large number of broad-leafed plants floating all around the lake, like water lilies. They were smaller versions of the one he had seen in the pond, the one that carried the beautiful woman with the flaming hair.
The vision of her appeared suddenly in his head. She was laughing, and his heart ached for her. Tonight, a silent voice seemed to whisper in his mind. Then the vision was gone.
One of the girls rose up in front of him, shook water out of her long purple hair; she laughed, pressed her full breasts against his chest.
“Are you the one who speaks?” Tom asked.
“I am,” she said, looking up at him.
“If there are no males, how do you get impregnated, fertilized?” he asked her. “Who puts the seed inside you?”
“Oh that! It is no great mystery. When the night suns meet in the sky the Great Mother summons the Ugly Ones, the misfits, you call them tree-elves. They are not very smart, but they are very good seed-givers.”
“So they are your males, these tree-elves?”
“Oh no, they are of a different species.”
“I don’t see any children.”
“Children? What are children?”
“Little ones. What about babies, small cuddly babies?” Tom began to feel frustrated. So many questions and no real answers.
“I don’t understand the concept.” The girl frowned, genuinely puzzled.
Tom grabbed her delicate shoulders, stared into her luminous eyes. “You must remember being small, being a child?”
She laughed. “I was never small. I was always like this.”
“What about your mother and father?”
“Mother, father? I don’t fully understand the meaning of those words. I perceive father as the one whose seed made me, is that correct?” She seemed to listen again, nodded. “There is no way to know who that is, just one of the Ugly Ones. It is not important. My mother is the Great Mother. She is mother to me and to all of my sisters.”
She wrinkled her forehead. “My head is beginning to feel strange from all these new ideas and new concepts. I must leave you for a while. My sisters will keep you company.” She swam away, splashing him with her feet.
He shook his head and watched her disappear under the surface.
So child-like and grown-up at the same time. Her body certainly was the body of a full-grown woman. What about her mind, though? It seemed totally alien to him.
The other girls splashed around him, they put their arms around his body, pressed their soft full breasts against him and licked him with velvet tongues. He disengaged himself gently and walked back to shore. Sensing that he wanted to be left alone, they did not follow. He lay in the smooth, purple sand and watched them frolic in the water.
“Children,” he murmured to himself. “Little girls in mature, sexy bodies, products of a young man’s wet dream.”
* * * *
He must have dozed off. When he opened his eyes it was dark, the two satellites were rising above the high cliffs. He heard footsteps in the soft sand. Looking up, he saw one of the alien girls standing in front of him.
She smiled. “It is time,” she said and held out a hand.
Taking her hand, he let her pull him up.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“To fulfill your destiny,” she answered, looking into his eyes. “Come!”
Chapter Fourteen
Captain’s Log
Our horticultural team did a fine job with the garden. However, it outdid itself with the park it created on the 18th floor. There are of course no trees or shrubs, but we have grass and a small pond with a waterfall. The pond is not very big, only about ten meters across, but it is good for the soul. Where they got the water lily from, I don’t know; it is enormous, maybe two meters in diameter, and quite beautiful.
Chapter Fifteen
Space Station
Captain Cunningham stood at the porthole, staring out at the crescent of Nu-Eden. The planet seemed to call to him. He turned away when the transparent material of the porthole began to darken. In a few moments the light rays of the primary would hit this side of the station as it rotated around the planet below.
Nighttime fell over the station, but he couldn’t sleep, so he decided to go for a walk. The elevator took him up to the 18th floor. When he entered the garden, he inhaled the humid air deeply. Almost like being on the surface of a planet, he thought and began his slow walk on the narrow gravel path that circled the garden along the outer wall. It was a nice long walk, nearly 180 meters until he returned to where he started.
After walking it a couple of times, he decided to rest on one of the benches close to the pond. Sitting down, his eyes fell on the plant that floated in the center of the pond. It looked larger than the last time he saw it. A carpet of purple flowers covered its surface, and thick green leaves on the outside created the illusion of a comfortable resting place.
His eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness. A single light in one corner threw long shadows ac
ross the garden and the calm water of the pond. Water cascaded down a small waterfall on the other side, keeping the pond in motion, and from becoming tepid and stale.
The gentle splashing sound made him drowsy, and he closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again he was surprised to see someone kneeling on the water lily. Startled, he blinked his eyes a few times to clear them. The figure on the plant moved, rose. He caught a glimpse of naked breasts, partially covered by long strands of hair, a flat belly, and between her long legs a small, red triangle.
There was no doubt that he was looking at a woman.
Her head turned. She looked at him out of large luminous eyes. When she saw him, she smiled. “Hello, Captain Cunningham,” she said softly, but with a clear, melodious voice.
He felt a strange pulling in his head. Then she disappeared.
Shaking his head, he wiped a hand across his eyes and forehead. He could feel beads of perspiration trickle into his eyes. Looking around he saw that he was alone. The plant was empty. The petals looked undisturbed.
When he heard the whispering of the opening elevator doors he turned his head, watching the caretaker of the garden walking toward him across the grass.
He was elderly, almost as old as the Captain.
“Good morning, Mr. Jackson,” Cunningham smiled, wiped his forehead again, hoping the other man wouldn’t notice his discomfort.
“Good morning, Captain.” Jackson returned the smile. “Can’t sleep?”
“How did you know?”
Jackson chuckled. “Why else would you be here? All by yourself.” He hesitated. “I won’t be long, Captain. I’m just making my rounds.”
“Go right ahead. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be leaving shortly, anyway.” He watched the other man walk to the pond, stick his hand into the water and bring it back up to sniff it.
“Something wrong?” Cunningham asked.
Jackson shook his head. “Nothing I can pinpoint. The water is clear, smells alright.”
“But?”
“We’ve had a nice school of fish in here, brought’m up from the planet.” He scratched his head. “They seem to have disappeared. Can’t figure that one out.”
“That is peculiar.” Cunningham rose, walked closer to the pond. In its middle, the huge plant floated placid and silent. For a moment he caught the fleeting impression of a slight movement among the petals, but when he stared at it, everything remained quiet. “Have you seen anyone or anything ever sitting on top of the water lily?” he asked the other man, feeling a little foolish for asking it.
A frown flickered across Jackson’s forehead. Avoiding the Captain’s eyes, he said, “No, never.”
Cunningham did not miss that slight hesitation, and pressed the issue. “Ever seen a beautiful naked woman in the water, or anywhere in the park?”
Jackson stared at him for an instant, his jaws clenched. Then he shook his head. “I’m not that old, Captain. My mind is fine, and I don’t suffer from delusions, neither do I see beautiful naked women where there aren’t any.”
Cunningham smiled. “No offence, Mr. Jackson. I wasn’t suggesting you were delusional, but it can get lonely up here, and sometimes we daydream. We may see things. Things our mind conjures up. Nothing to be ashamed of.” He patted the other man on the back. “If you ever want to talk to me about anything, feel free to visit me in my office.” He winked. “We Old-timers have to stick together.”
Jackson nodded, smiled tightly. “Like I said, we’re not that old. Our minds are still crystal-clear. There is still a lot of juice left in us. Right?”
“Right. One more question. Has anyone set up a holo projector in this garden?”
“Not that I know of. Why?”
“Just wondering. Well, I must leave you. Have a pleasant day, Mr. Jackson, and try to find out what happened to those fish.”
Cunningham walked slowly back to the elevator, deep in thought.
Had he been hallucinating? Who was the woman he saw? Was he going senile? He didn’t think so, especially after talking to Jackson. Obviously, the man was hiding something. Something he seemed afraid to talk about. The Captain couldn’t blame him, after all he wasn’t going to mention the incident to anyone.
Checking his watch, he noticed that it was nearly five o’clock. No sense going back to bed, he wouldn’t sleep anyway. Therefore, he decided to visit the conservatory.
He chose a table close to the outer rim, the wall that faced the sun. Now darkened, it reduced the fiery ball to a still glaring, but harmless bright disk. The view as spectacular as ever. He could never get enough of it.
Only a couple of tables were occupied. Not many people were up this early in the morning.
A redheaded man at the table nearest to him watched him sit down. Before he could get comfortable, the man got up and began walking toward him.
A young man. Cunningham recognized him as one of the technicians who were responsible for the cryogenic chambers.
“May I have a word with you, Captain?”
Cunningham nodded and indicated the chair across from him. “Take a seat.”
“Thank you.” The young man sat down, fidgeting. “I hate to bother you, Captain, but I am worried.”
“Worried? About what?”
“My sister. Have you heard from Research Team Delta on the fifth planet?”
“Sorry. I wish I could say I have.” Cunningham shook his head. “What’s your sister’s name?”
“Breanna McGuinness. I’m Bret.”
“Breanna McGuinness. She’s the xenologist, right? A bright, young woman. She was excited to go. Last night I received a report from the research station, Mr. McGuinness. As you probably know there is a lot of interference in the atmosphere, they can’t always get through. Professor Tennenboum reported the discovery of ruins. He didn’t go into details, because the connection turned bad. He seemed quite excited. He also told us that the research team is still missing. We have to assume the ship crashed, but that doesn’t mean our people aren’t still alive. Just stranded.”
“Stranded? You have to send a rescue team, Captain!” Bret became more and more agitated.
“It’s not that simple. We don’t have another exploration ship.”
Bret leaned forward, stared at the Captain. “You can’t just forget about them. Surely something can be done. We have a number of shuttles.”
“Shuttles, yes. For transportation. They were never meant for use as exploration vessels on wild worlds, like the fifth planet in this system. If the team shows up at the research station, we can pick up anyone who wants to come back to the space station. But remember, all the members on the team went down to that planet because they wanted to explore a new world. They knew the dangers, and they were prepared to spend some time there. Your sister included. Give them time.” Cunningham tried to put the young man at ease, pretended there was nothing to worry about, when in reality he was greatly concerned.
“Why aren’t they reporting in?” Bret asked the question Cunningham kept asking himself. He shrugged. “I don’t know. There could be a variety of reasons. The ship’s com might have broken down, for instance. They may be in a region where there is a lot of magnetic activity.”
“A lot of speculation, Captain Cunningham. You should never have allowed them to go down there. If anything happened to my sister…”
The Captain’s eyes narrowed. “What then, Mr. McGuinness?”
Bret stared at the Captain for a moment, his green eyes burning, his hands curled into fists. He opened his mouth to say something, then his shoulders sagged and the gaze of his eyes dropped. “Nothing, Captain. I’m sorry I bothered you. You’re probably busy with more important things.” He rose, turned to walk away.
“Everything that happens on this station is important to me, young man.” He spoke sharply. “Your sister wasn’t the only one who went down to the fifth planet. There were nineteen others. I care about every member of that team, do you understand?”
“Yes, si
r.” Bret looked back at Cunningham. “But I only have one sister. She’s all I have. Do you understand?”
The Captain watched the young man walk away, toward the elevators, anger welling up inside him. Why did everyone blame him when things went wrong?
I need a holiday, he thought. Maybe I’ll break all the rules, go down to Nu-Eden and go sailing.
He had no intention of being in the elevator with McGuinness, so he leaned back into his seat and stared at the planet that started to create more and more of a mystery. The psych-team he sent to both colonies hadn’t reported back, yet. They were due back in one week. He didn’t expect much, if something were amiss, at least one of the teams would have contacted the station by now.
Half of Nu-Eden was bright, the other half, the continent where the two colonies were located, lay in darkness.
Wonder if Father Champain finally succumbed to the seductress he claimed to have seen, Cunningham thought fleetingly, chuckling to himself. Seductress, indeed! Then he remembered his own experience in the park, and a sobering thought hit him.
What if there was some kind of virus that infected the settlers? What if someone brought it back to the station?
This was not something he could easily dismiss. He needed to question Jackson again. Suddenly there seemed to be a heavy weight settling on his shoulders.
Maybe I’m getting old, he thought. Perhaps it is time to retire.
Chapter Sixteen
Exploration Team Delta
“What is it?” Breanna asked, starring at the crumbling, moss-covered ruins.
“You’re the expert,” Striker said.
“Alien life forms are my specialty, not ruins of their habitat.” Breanna touched the weathered stones gingerly. “These are old,” she said.
“How old?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Professor Banca is the one to ask.”
“Then let’s bring him up here.”
Herm Woolf coughed beside Striker. “Maybe I can be of help, after all, I am a geologist. I have studied ruins on Sirius V.”
The Xandra (Book 1): Daughter of the Dark Page 10