by Nathan Jones
When he woke up he was usually at his destination, all the potential unpleasantness of going through the other rifts en route neatly avoided. Which is why when he'd really been on top of things back during his space tourism days he'd tried to plan his flights for his night cycle so he could be asleep the entire time.
Too bad he hadn't thought of that this time around.
As Tycho fell into a comfortable doze he was barely aware of Eva cozying up behind him and pulling a blanket over them both. “Lady's fine, as expected,” she whispered in his ear before kissing it, then draping an arm around his waist and burrowing into his back.
“Good,” he mumbled, settling into sleep easier thanks to her comforting presence.
He awoke to his companion gently shaking his shoulder to let him know they'd arrived at Rykos 5 and it was almost time for the scheduled visit. Tycho waved her off with a huge yawn and sat up, mentally steeling himself for his first meeting with a real human in decades.
Chapter Five
Callista
Rykos 5 was a smaller planet than Helios 4, which Tycho well knew meant there'd be less gravity even without Eva telling him.
“Miss Ensom keeps her manor's gravity set to Homeworld Standard, of course,” she continued blithely, “but outdoors be prepared to weigh 20% less.”
“Got it,” he said impatiently, checking himself one last time in a mirrored wall in his stateroom. Out the window he watched the planet grow larger and larger as they approached.
It was a less hospitable world than Helios 4, distant enough from Rykos that the sun's light didn't warm it optimally. Thanks to that its estates were all clustered along its equator, with most of the rest of the world encased in ice and beset by fierce storms.
“Good for skiing if the weather is clear,” Eva said, smoothing out a few last wrinkles in his clothes. “You might like to try that while you're on-planet.”
Tycho snorted wryly. “I think I'll be content with just the visit this time around.”
The ship quickly made its approach, the reentry as smooth as all Pilot's flying. Once in atmosphere they banked to make for a specific estate dotted among countless others as far as the eye could see.
From the looks of it the grounds of Callista Ensom's estate was mostly taken up by topiary, garden mazes, and pathways that curled and twisted in odd, circuitous shapes around exotic trees and flower beds. Most of the plants were unfamiliar to him, not originally from Homeworld, and he assumed they'd been genetically altered to be more visually striking.
The broad pathway and landing pad leading to the front entrance of the manor, for instance, were lined by trees with jet black trunks and delicate pink leaves, with the blooms of darker red flowers peeking out from among them.
He didn't see any sign of outdoor activity areas, not even a pool, and wondered if she'd actually devoted all 400 acres of her estate to aesthetics rather than any sort of utility. Just another difference between their interests, he supposed.
As for the manor itself, like most it was as distinct as the human who occupied it. Tycho's was essentially a massive block of raw square footage, while Callista's was more graceful and airy, rising to twice the height of his own but not as broad. Rather than a single structure it was a swirling array of separate towers and extensions, all connected by enclosed walkways.
Tycho went back to fetch Lady as Pilot landed them in front of the manor, meeting Eva at the ramp as it lowered to come to rest on the ground of an alien planet. The light and air felt different than he was accustomed to, although not uncomfortable, and he paused to take a deep breath of this new place.
“Shall I accompany you, my love?” Eva asked.
He was tempted to say yes, just so he'd have someone familiar in this unfamiliar place, but instead shook his head. “Wait with the ship. I'll call if I need you.” Without waiting for a response he left her behind.
With his first step outside the ship Tycho immediately felt the lightness his companion had warned him about, not as severe as on some planets he'd been on but momentarily disorienting. Behind him Lady whined as she, too, felt the change in gravity, and he turned to give her a reassuring pat on the head.
“All part of traveling the cosmos, girl,” he murmured. “We can't even see Helios from here with the naked eye.” The mastiff looked at him dubiously, but when he continued down the ramp she followed obediently.
As he reached the bottom he looked up, then started with surprise when he saw the figures waiting for him.
He recognized Callista's companion Bruce, of course, and he assumed the tiny, elfin woman beside him was her house companion Ion. But the real surprise was that the silvery-haired woman herself had come out to personally greet him. She was waiting less than ten yards away, smiling and waving enthusiastically.
Then again, he had no idea what the etiquette was for meeting people in person, so maybe it wasn't a surprise that she was there to welcome him. That just reminded him that he had no idea what to expect from this visit, no basis for comparison.
Tycho had to admit Callista looked even more impressive in person than she had in the face-to-faces, even though the resolution on those matched reality. For his visit she was wearing a body-hugging gown with no shoulders or sleeves that ended just above the knees. Her long hair was back in its braid, resting over one bare shoulder and down to her waist like a gleaming rope. And while the differences were subtle, he was fairly sure she'd applied cosmetics.
She wore some sort of incredibly uncomfortable looking shoes that raised her heels higher than her toes, which made her appear taller and her legs longer. They also made her steps look dainty and her hips sway enticingly as she started forward to greet him.
“Mister Boralene!” she called, arms outstretched. “Welcome!”
Tycho wasn't sure if she was offering a hug, but before he could panic about a response he noticed Lady tensing beside him. The well trained mastiff didn't show any other sign of her wariness, but he still rested a hand on her head to calm her. “Easy, girl,” he said quietly. “She's our new friend.”
Callista hesitated a few steps away, taking a cue from him. “And this must be Lady,” she said, smiling down at the dog. “Welcome to you, as well. I'm very excited to meet you.”
Lady whined very softly, looking up at Tycho for a cue.
He smiled reassuringly at human and mastiff both. “I've looked into introducing dogs to new people,” he said, stepping forward and taking the silvery-haired woman's hand. He wondered if he should've asked first, but decided it would be awkward to mention it now and just continued. “Let me show her your hand.”
Callista looked clearly nervous at the prospect, glancing back at her companion for reassurance. Bruce stepped a bit closer, just in case. That seemed to give her courage, and she nodded and allowed Tycho to guide her fingers close to Lady's muzzle. But in spite of the woman's outward show of calm he could feel how tense she was.
The dog sniffed this new human's hand daintily for a few moments, then gave it a single lick and looked up at Tycho to see if he wanted anything else. “Good girl,” he murmured, dropping to a knee to rub the fur around the mastiff's neck.
Callista had looked slightly grossed out at the drool coating her hand, but now she seemed to take heart from his easy familiarity with the dog and gave him an expectant look.
“Go ahead,” he invited, again taking her hand and resting it on Lady's head.
Starting to smile, the silvery-haired woman hesitantly ran her hand down Lady's back. Then Tycho showed her how to scratch Lady's ears the way the dog liked and she eagerly did that. “Aren't you a majestic creature,” she murmured. She looked up at him. “I can't believe I'm actually touching a real live animal.”
Tycho grinned and pulled a small soft ball out of the satchel he'd brought along. “Want to play catch with her?”
They spent the next fifteen minutes or so tossing the ball while Lady tore after it, clumsy as a puppy in the lower gravity. It was a nice way to break the i
ce with Callista, who was animated and full of laughter at the dog's antics.
But finally she suggested her house companion Ion take Lady on a tour of the grounds while they went inside and got some refreshments. Tycho immediately became nervous again at the prospect of leaving Lady behind, not least because she'd been an easy topic of conversation with a total stranger.
But he'd come to get to know Callista better and he couldn't do that without spending time with her. So he nodded uncertainly and ordered Lady back to him so he could put her on a tether, which he handed to the elfin companion with a few instructions for how to care for his dog.
“I have all the information I need on the care of mastiffs at my fingertips,” Ion said in a high, sweet voice. Tycho reluctantly acknowledged that was accurate, and the companion was quick to lead Lady away on the tether.
“She'll be okay with Ion, right?” Callista asked, watching worriedly as the big dog followed her house companion. “You never introduced them like you did with me, and I've read dogs are wary and willful around strangers.”
Tycho nodded as he watched Lady reluctantly follow Ion, turning to give him a few mournful looks before she was out of sight. “She should be just fine. Dogs don't need to be introduced to companions, or at least Lady and Laird don't, because they don't really feel suspicious of them.”
The silvery-haired woman gave him a surprised look. “Why not?”
He shrugged. “Eva seems to think it's because their senses are so much sharper than a human's, particularly their sense of smell. Companions may be designed to fool our senses so we perceive them as authentic humans, but dogs can sniff out differences.”
“Wow, I never knew that,” Callista admitted.
“I didn't either before I started researching them as potential pets. As for why they don't seem wary of companions?” He shrugged again. “They don't really pay much attention to the other technology they encounter, either. They treat companions about the same as maintenance bots, in my experience.”
“Interesting,” the woman mused. “Meanwhile we happily fool ourselves into believing companions are real friends, lovers, and faithful servants.” She gave him a thin-lipped smile. “I guess in some ways dogs are wiser than humans.”
Tycho thought of Laird and Lady romping together and showing affection and loyalty to each other. He hadn't made the connection before now, but he hadn't really started thinking about the fact that companions weren't real human interaction, and what it might be like to be with actual humans, until he'd seen how his two dogs were together.
“I've certainly learned a lot from them,” he agreed.
Callista patted his arm affectionately, then turned for her manor. “Come on. I know it's morning here, but in honor of it being evening where you're from Bruce is cooking some steaks and whipped potatoes for us. And you'll probably be thirsty after your trip.”
“I could use some water, thank you,” Tycho said, falling into step beside her.
“Okay, but I've got a fantastic vintage red from grapes I grow on my own estate that pairs excellently with the steak.” She grinned up at him. “I don't get many opportunities to show it off.”
Her smile was infectious, and in spite of his nervousness he found himself returning it. “Can't wait.”
The silvery-haired woman led the way inside, and Tycho gave an inward sigh of relief as familiar gravity settled on him. Bruce appeared just long enough to take their shoes and Tycho's jacket before going back to cooking, while Callista led the way to the same living area he had seen her using during their face-to-face.
The furniture was all ridiculously soft, so that the moment he settled onto the reclining chair she pointed him to he immediately sank in so deep he wondered if he'd have trouble getting out. As he settled in the silvery-haired woman plopped down on the same overstuffed chair he'd seen her in before, tucking her legs beneath her in a way that made the hem of her dress ride up enough to be distracting.
“So how about you get started by telling me what you like to do?” she invited.
Tycho shifted in his seat, trying to hide his discomfort. And from more than just the too-soft cushions. “Well I'm sure you've looked over my profile.”
“Profiles,” Callista said with an airy wave of her hand. “Very good for providing all the details of a person's life. Usually without any sort of context.”
His brow furrowed. “Context?”
She leaned forward conspiratorially, inviting him into her confidence. “They don't show our passion for things! It's all dry facts stripped of any feeling or enthusiasm. So what are you enthusiastic about, Mr. Boralene?”
“Tycho, please,” he offered.
“Or Tych?” Her smoky eyes danced at him.
“If you don't mind the informality, Calli,” he replied, smiling. As she smiled back he continued. “I suppose if you don't want to talk about my excursion, then most recently what I've most enjoyed is jumping.”
Callista blinked, absently toying with the thick silvery braid coiled in her lap as she mulled over this unexpected response. “As in base jumping? Paragliding? Elastic tether? Orbital reentry?”
“Nothing quite that exciting, although I've done all those things.” Tycho shrugged a bit self-consciously. “I mean more along the lines of hopping onto things or over things or through things.” She gave him an amused look, as if wondering if he was using a naughty euphemism, and he cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Tumbling, that is.”
After staring at him blankly for a few more moments understanding dawned. “Oh, you mean gymnastics or acrobatics.” He nodded in relief and she snickered. “Well then we may have something in common after all, because I enjoy a good tumble myself. And I have a great appreciation for strong, limber men.”
Tycho felt his cheeks heating. Eva occasionally used innuendo or even outright dirty talk, but he'd never felt this flustered with her. “What about you?” he blurted. “What excites your passion?”
“Aside from our mutual interest in getting jumped?” Callista teased, seeming to delight in her continuing ability to throw him off balance. She leaned back, flicking her silvery braid back and forth between her hands like a pleased cat's tail. “I very much enjoy realtime face-to-face debates. With my opponents on the spot I find I can take our argumentation out of the realm of logic and into the realm of emotion and batter them with tactics they'd never have encountered before.”
Although he'd read of her interest and talent for debate on her profile, the woman was correct that now in context he understood her passion for it better. If she could fluster other debaters as easily as she did him then it was probably very satisfying for her to make them squirm.
“Taking logic out of a debate and exploiting the vulnerabilities of human nature seems like a bit of a dirty tactic,” he observed.
Callista stretched languidly in her chair, watching him watch her body move beneath her tight dress with a lazy smile. “Well I also like to invite real humans to my estate for one night flings, so that should tell you something.”
Tycho forced his eyes up to meet hers. “What do you say we agree this visit won't end in sex?” he blurted, surprising himself.
She blinked and slowly settled back into her chair. “Beg pardon? What's the purpose of it, then?”
It was a bit satisfying to see her thrown off balance for once, even if just a little. “Like I said, I want to talk to you, get to know you. Have a real relationship, something that extends beyond simple gratification.”
“Oh, you were serious about that?” The silvery-haired woman was recovering from her surprise, a small smile curving her thin lips. “You do realize I posted to that hub specifically to find sex with other humans, right?”
“And I told you that I was hoping to get something beyond that from this visit. Which is why I'm suggesting we hold off on getting intimate for now, even though I'd very much like to.”
Callista clasped her hands over one knee and settled her chin on them. “Well that's good, I was b
eginning to think I wasn't your type.” Her smoky eyes studied him intently, as if he was a puzzle she couldn't quite sort out. “So what would we do, then? What exactly were you hoping to get out of this visit?”
Tycho shrugged one shoulder and gave her a sheepish smile. “I'm trying to figure that out myself, although at the moment I'll admit I'm just very much enjoying your company.” He motioned out the window. “Maybe after dinner you could show me your manor and estate.”
Her eyes lit up at the suggestion. “A tour? You're the first person who's ever wanted one.” She made a rueful face. “At least one that extends beyond showing them to the bedroom.”
He had to admit he liked seeing her genuinely pleased. “Like you said, context. It would help me get a better understanding of who you are, what interests you.”
The silvery-haired woman sprang out of her deep padded chair, somehow making it look easy, and caught his hand, tugging him out of the depths of his own seat. “Bruce should still be a few more minutes with the steaks, so we can start right now with my esoteric art collection!” She led him excitedly towards a large doorway. “I have a Galveri that's almost eleven thousand years old!”
A bit bemused by her enthusiasm, but also pleased, Tycho gamely followed her through into another room.
There he discovered that a large portion of the space in the main structure of Callista's house was devoted to a huge, winding hallway filled with columns and nooks, with a high ceiling and numerous windows of colored glass to accent the tasteful and varied lighting scheme. The entire hall was filled with carefully arranged exhibits behind glass covers on shelves, tables, pedestals, and benches. There were also larger pieces behind simple rope barricades.
The silvery-haired woman immediately led him to a delicate shoulder-height amphora shimmering with brilliant metallic glazes painted in dizzying patterns. Once there she happily described the Galveri restorationist movement devoted to solely using items made by their own hands, emphasizing the most bizarre and exotic materials for their production.