by Seven Steps
Terra, at once, lost her appetite.
Vechulla Dii smiled. “See. You keep them in line and they’ll do just fine.”
“You were really going to have them executed tonight?” Terra asked.
“Yeah. So? There’s more than one of them. I can get more. It’s not that serious.”
“Aren’t you attached to any of them?” Terra asked.
“Attached? They’re men. What’s there to get attached to? That’s like getting attached to the washing machine.” She let out a hardy laugh that shook her ample bosom.
Joanna laughed heartily with her, while Terra left the room again.
Where is she going? Joanna wondered.
Vechulla Dii may have been a little eccentric and short tempered with her servants, but she was still a nice woman and one of Joanna’s oldest, most loyal friends.
No need to get worked up over an everyday situation, she thought. In fact, there was a sort of comfort in it. That was normalcy. That was how life was supposed to be. Vechulla Dii’s servants didn’t make her feel guilty or brood or scream at her.
This woman has real strength. If her servants misbehave, she simply replaces them. No arguments, no consulting with Terra, no eyes looking back up at her longingly. She simply did what she had every right to do and felt no regrets. I wish I could be that strong. Maybe one day I’ll have that kind of strength. Maybe one day.
CHAPTER 7
Terra volunteered to attend and speak at a history festival at the First Level School in Habitat Alpha. After the last few days, the last thing she wanted to do was to watch a bunch of eleven year olds recite Venian History, but being a councilwoman came with its obligations.
She sat in the front row of the crowded auditorium, tapped her program on her thigh, and hoped that the festival went quickly.
The First Level School was decorated in the typical Venian style—gaudy. Tall, white columns holding up the golden walls, scattered chandeliers, heavy, dark drapes. Being an auditorium, there were no carpets. However, there were dark marble floors and the heavy scent of flowers.
Terra leaned back in her cushioned navy and gold chair, set her program on her lap, and ran her fingers over the fur arm rest. The soft material beneath her fingers relaxed her, and she let out a breath.
She had to admit that, after the madness at Vechulla Dii’s home, she was on edge. Somewhere between Vechulla yelling at her slaves and calling for The Enforcers, she had made up her mind. She no longer wanted to live on this planet. She’d once thought of Vechulla as a mentor, a close family friend, who, though eccentric, was a model Venian citizen. Now, she just thought of her as a slave driver; a woman bent to terrorizing her slaves into submission.
Terra wanted no part of her old mentor anymore. The thought pained her. After all, hadn’t she known Vechulla for years? The woman had served with Terra’s mother at High Council for years. But, Terra’s mother was dead, and after one night, her loyalty to Vechulla seemed to die right along with it.
She had a new loyalty now.
A beautiful vision of her in Nic’s arms floated into her mind, giving her a sense of both peace and guilt.
What would mother say if she saw me now?
Her musing was interrupted by clapping. The festival had begun.
A little girl with blond, straight hair walked to the front of the stage and bowed.
“Today, we honor our past and anticipate our future,” she said in a shrill voice. “We will learn about our heritage, and why our planet is so full of strength. Strength of character, strength of mind, and strength of body. We will learn about our ancestors, and how we came to be. Please enjoy Venian History and Habitats.”
Another round of clapping.
Terra stifled a yawn and leaned back in her chair.
This is going to be a long morning.
A pale girl with long, straight, black hair and glasses walked forward with a large picture of earth displayed on the screen behind her,
“In the earth year 2025, a group of scientists left earth to set up a colony on the planet Venus...”
The children went through the origin of each Habitat, from the woman who founded it, to the role it played in keeping their planet running. When they were done, the entire class gathered on stage.
“We will honor our ancestors and secure our slaves from sunrise to sunset. Long live Venus. Long live Alpha, Beta, Zephta, and Omega! Long live the Mother Goddess.”
The children bowed and took a step backward amid the clapping of overly doting mothers.
Their teacher, a tall blonde with short hair, red lips, and blue eyes walked forward.
“And now we will hear from one of our high councilwomen, Empress Terra.”
Another round of clapping ensued as Terra climbed the six stairs to the stage.
The children all sat in a circle around her as she approached the white, fur trimmed microphone. She looked out into the crowd, and suddenly felt very tired.
I’m not getting out of bed for the rest of the day after this, she thought.
“Women of Venus unite,” she said half-heartedly.
The audience clapped again. The dry, unenthusiastic clap typical of the overly restrictive Venians.
“The High Council and I would like to thank the children for honoring their Venian history. We want to thank Mistress Chii for instructing them in their studies. We would like to thank the mothers for supporting our young women, and for supporting the council. Hail Venus.”
“Hail Venus,” the crowd said back.
Terra gave a bow before stepping back and allowing Empress Chii to retake the microphone.
“That concludes our presentation of Venian History and Habitats. We thank you all for coming. Hail Venus!” she exclaimed perkily.
“Hail Venus!” the crowd shouted back.
Terra didn’t bother clapping. She nodded to Empress Chii and to the children before walking off the stage, squeezing through the crowd, and walking out the door.
She knew she should have stayed. The women would certainly whisper and wonder at her quick exit. But, she’d lost the ability to care about what the women thought the second she became a criminal.
It took her all of five minutes to find her land pod, strap in, and direct it to take her home.
CHAPTER 8
It was early the next morning when Terra decided against going to her daily council meeting. Between Iris Lia’s death, the newly orphaned children, and Vechulla Dii’s behavior with her servants, she couldn’t face the world again. She took a shower and laid underneath the warm covers in her favorite shell slip, staring at the ceiling.
It seemed like hours had passed when Nic peeked his head into the room.
“Is everything okay, my Empress?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” she said shortly.
“Do you want breakfast?”
“No.”
He hesitated. “Are you going to council?”
“No.”
His feet shuffled across the carpet as he left again. A sigh escaped her lips. All morning she’d felt cold, like her body was lying in a vat of ice. The more she hugged the covers close, the colder she became.
What is happening to me? Is this feeling a punishment from the Mother Goddess for my sins?
Though she wasn’t as religious as her mother had been, she did believe in the Mother Goddess and, like many Venians, hung a picture of the four faced diety in her common room.
A deity who thrived on order and rules. A deity who would not appreciate a woman falling in love with a man.
Terra prayed for the Mother Goddess to forgive her, though she knew that she was not. That knowledge left an ache in the pit of her stomach.
What have I become?
By mid morning, Nic poked his head back into the room.
“My Empress, do you need anything?” he asked.
A tub of wine, maybe. Not a tub. A house full.
Instead, she replied, “No.”
He disappeared from the door a
nd reappeared a few minutes later. He commenced closing the windows and draperies in her room and, when he was done, took off his shoes, slid into bed next to her, and held her close.
He kissed her shoulder, his bulk nearly engulfing her.
She wanted to absorb him. To feel warm again.
The dark magic that lived in his touch did not disappoint her. In Nic’s arms, she felt happiness replace the guilt and sorrow that had begun to leak into her soul. The warmth returned. The lust for life returned. There was no Iris Lia here, no threats, no evils. Just her and the man she loved.
“Nic, tell me you love me.”
“I confess it,” he said.
“Say it.”
He breathed the words she longed for into her hair. “I love you.”
Joy filled her to her core and, somehow, she knew that she was going to be okay.
His energy washed over her, twirled through her, gave her a reason to feel alive again.
Finally, when she felt like she could face the world again, she said, “We’re going out today.”
He paused before answering.
Was he disappointed they were leaving the bed?
The thought made her smile.
“Where do you want to go?” he asked.
“Out, in the street. I want to walk with you.”
Climbing out of the bed, she pulled on her jumpsuit, and dragged Nic toward the door. When they reached the threshold of the house, they assumed their positions. Nic two steps behind, Terra two steps in front.
“Why do I have the feeling that this is going to be an … adventure?”
“That sounds ominous.”
“Terra, please don’t do anything that will draw attention to us.”
“You know me. I’m a model of decency, restraint, and virtue.”
Before he could protest further, she flung open the door and stepped out into the warm afternoon. Granted, the planet was always warm—a dry seventy five degrees in the day—but today felt different. It felt full of hope.
And maybe a little adventure.
She walked down the steps of her home and started toward The Square. With the children still in school, and the women at their work, the streets were nearly deserted. The only ones there were slaves who bustled here and there with packages.
They walked over the cobblestone, her steps slowing until they were side by side.
When they had passed the library on the outskirts of The Square, she took his hand in hers and immediately felt him tense.
“My Empress, we’re out in the open,” he said through clenched teeth, trying to pull away as gently as possible.
A thrill ran through her. She was tired of the rules of the planet. Tired of hiding; tired of stealing kisses in corners and behind pulled drapes. He’d woken in her a rebel. She wouldn’t be denied now.
An Enforcer rounded the corner, and Terra’s heart stopped.
She quickly let go of Nic’s hand before realizing that the large woman was staring at a touch screen in her hand and hadn’t seen them. Still, her heart seemed to leap out of her chest. To hide her nervousness, and her guilt, she pretended to dictate a list of things she needed from The Square.
“A new jumpsuit, with lining this time. Last time you forgot the lining and I nearly froze at night. No. I want good, quality, fur lining along with…”
Her eyes watched The Enforcer as she took a left at the library and was out of sight.
She let out a breath.
“That was close.”
“You seem to thrive on close calls these days.”
She heard Nic’s clipped tone and turned to him.
“It felt good, though, didn’t it?” she asked.
His eyes stayed on the ground.
“My Empress, we have to be careful,” he whispered at her.
She threw her arms around him and planted a kiss squarely on his lips, but before she could begin to enjoy it, he pulled away and took two large steps back.
He was furious. She could see it in the way he tapped his fingers on his thighs.
“Empress,” he said, his teeth clenched.
“Nic, stop it,” she said, looking around. “No one saw—”
She spotted a woman in the store window. Their eyes met. The woman looked at her in shock and disappeared.
Terra knew what she was doing. The woman was calling The Enforcers.
“We’ve got to go,” Terra said quickly.
They sprinted through the narrow streets that ran parallel to The Square, not stopping until they reached the museum. There they stopped to catch their breath.
Nic put his hands on his knees, struggling to catch his breath. “They’re coming for us now,” Nic said. “She saw us. They’re coming to kill us.”
Tears stung at Terra’s eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. She wasn’t sorry about what she’d done. Of that much, she was sure. She’d held Nic’s hand and kissed him in the open.
Even if they execute me tonight, they can’t take that away from me.
“We have to stop this, Terra.” Nic took a step back from her. “I know what you want, but we can’t have it here. We can’t.”
He walked away from her, keeping a wide birth around The Square.
“If not here, where?” she called after him.
He stopped, but didn’t turn back to her.
“I don’t know.”
He resumed his quick pace.
She jogged behind him, guilt creeping back into her chest.
If not here, then where?
CHAPTER 9
Czarina Paris sat in her grand dining room, entertaining several guests—Countess Catherine, Queen Marie, Maharani Nina, and Princess Naiad. They were having dinner together to celebrate themselves and all of their grandeur.
Each woman inherited her title from her mother. Countess Catherine, Queen Marie, and Czarina Paris were part of a long line of Countesses, Queens, and Czarinas. The titles and names Maharani Nina and Princess Niadad were passed down to each ruler of Beta and Zephta respectively.
A servant walked in and refilled the tray of fruit and tarts. He looked around nervously, and quickly retreated back to the kitchen.
“Melcus, we need some more wine now,” he told a second servant.
“I’m on it, Jesh,” Melcus replied.
He reached into the cabinet, pulled out a bottle of wine, uncorked it, and handed it to Jesh who, in turn, put it on the gold plated cart and pushed it out to the half-drunk women. Over the course of the evening, the women’s glasses never emptied and their trays of food never lacked. By the time the get-together was just about over, all of the women were drunk, cursing, and laughing loudly.
“Now, when our ancestors came to this planet—” the Maharani Nina screamed.
“Here we go again.” The Czarina Paris sighed. “The history of Venus parts one through five.”
“—they had nothing,” the nina continued. “They lived by the blood and sweat of their own two hands. They grew their own food. They established the laws. They didn’t need any of this stuff that we have here.” She gestured broadly around the luxurious room with its high curved ceilings, marble floors, and floral scented candles. “So tell me: why do we have to surround ourselves with so many things to feel special? Why do we have to have so many things to feel important? All we need is good food and good friends.”
“I agree,” the Countess Catherine chimed in.
“Catherine, you are the second most powerful woman in this Sector,” Princess Naiad said. “I don’t see you giving up any of your riches for the good of womankind.”
“I would if I had to,” Catherine replied.
“And what about your servants?” Niadad asked. “How many do you have now? Is it twenty? I’ve lost count.”
“I have twenty-six.”
“Twenty-six? Well, when you give up your servants, then I will give up my riches.”
“Princess, you don’t have very much to give up,” Catherine quipped.
“What
ever I have, it’s more than Nina,” Niadad replied.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Nina gasped.
“Oh. Come on, Nina. We all know that you hairy females over there in Beta are on the verge of living on the streets. You’re so poor!”
“We are not poor!” the nina yelled at her. “We chose to live with less because it cleanses the body and mind from the impurities of material things.”
“You live that way because you don’t make your servants work hard enough!” Niadad replied.
“Servants are good at some tasks, but not at everything,” Paris said. “Some things require thought.”
“Servants are useless one way or the other,” Niadad replied. “If they were wiped off the face of Venus tomorrow, no one would bat an eyelash.”
“I happen to like my servants,” Catherine said. “They have their uses.”
“They have no uses. Their only use is serving others, because they are so dim-witted. Sometimes, I wish that they would just disappear.”
“Didn’t you just order a restriction on new servants?” Catherine asked.
“I sure did. One servant per household. That’s all that’s needed.”
“Just one per house?” Paris asked. “Well, you must have had a surplus. What happened to the rest of the servants?”
“We executed them.”
The women chuckled and shook their heads.
“Naiad, you are heartless,” Nina said softly. “What a legacy you will leave behind.”
“Why do you think women left Earth in the first place?” Naiad asked. “Because of abuses by men.”
The women all sighed again. They had heard this story before.
“It is well documented that women planned the space flight and subsequent projects because men had physically and mentally abused them for so long that they had to get away from it all.”
“That story is not true,” Nina said. “And even if it were, men have been a great help to the building of this planet’s infrastructure.”
“They served their purpose. I do what I do to them, because once they serve their purpose, they are useless to me. If left up to me, men wouldn’t even be on this planet.” Niadad took a long gulp of wine.
“Well, let’s toast the fact that it isn’t left up to you, Naiad.” Paris raised her glass.