Earth Keepers

by Jorge Alejandro Lavera

  “The humans have some really interesting people. This incident is lamentable but one bad apple doesn’t spoil the whole bunch,” Gea replied.

  “Princess Gea,” stuttered the girl, getting pale, “I didn’t mean to criticize the policies of the realm.”

  “Don’t worry, it’s your right if you want to. Don’t doubt that I’ll report this to my father. In the first place, I’d like to know why these humans were armed in a public place. And you...I don’t know whether to get angry because you left me alone or because you took a risk with the humans.”

  “I couldn’t leave a lady in danger. Even if their weapons aren’t as dangerous as ours, they have a sharp edge and they were so drunk that they could have hurt someone by pure luck.”

  “Are there rooms available upstairs?” Gea asked the girl.

  “Yes, Princess.”

  “We’ll take one. Come with me,” she ordered Alexis, taking his hand.

  It didn’t occur to Alexis to contradict her.

  They went up to the room the waitress indicated to them and without wasting a moment, she locked the door. Despite their rush, they both admired the room for a minute, since it was lovely. The ceiling was low and there were several triangular windows that allowed the daylight in, while the interior artificial light created an intimate atmosphere. There was a double bed, a chest of drawers, a couple of armchairs, a small table and a couple of chairs. The bathroom could be seen behind a door. The room was clean and smelled of perfume, thanks to some flowers in a container on the table.

  “Come here,” she ordered, taking Alexis by the waist and kissing him when he was pressed up against her.

  Alexis responded enthusiastically and in turn took her by the nape of the neck, pulling her closer and caressing her at the same time.

  Gea moved away and looked at him.

  “You’re covered with blood, and you got it on me, too,” she said, looking at him.

  “I’m sorry. Look at your dress. It will be ruined,” Alexis paused, mortified.

  “Not if we wash it right now. And the same with your clothes,” Gea decided, taking it off and motioning to Alexis to do the same.

  Alexis was paralyzed for a second, fascinated with Gea’s undergarments. The soft white cloth fastened with a hook on both hips and knotted around her chest concealed as much as it revealed and insinuated. The curve of her waist invited a caress with a hand, while her legs, muscular and soft, spoke of endless training sessions and the reward that he would find between them.

  Alexis took a step forward and Gea stopped him, putting her hand up.

  “Stop right there, warrior. You reek and you’re dirty with blood. First we go to the bathroom to get this out.”

  Alexis snorted in a spectacular way, making her laugh. With one hand she took her dirty clothes and with the other dragged him into the bathroom, where she efficiently took off his dirty clothes. She put all their clothes in the panel on the wall and pushed the activation button, ordering a complete wash and dry. Then she finished taking off her undergarments, while she watched Alexis who had turned red and from the bulge in his underwear, not just from embarrassment.

  “So brave with the humans, but you’re afraid of a woman?” she provoked him.

  Now Alexis really turned red. ‘Wow, that’s interesting,’ she thought. It looked like she really was going to have to help him. She smiled and came closer.

  “Come on, Alexis,” she invited him, while with both hands she took off what was left of his clothes to see clearly the erection that greeted her. She took his member with her hand, and holding it, took him to the bath area as if she were taking a pet for a walk. She smiled even more when she heard him moan when she grasped him.

  Resting her hand on the bathroom wall panel, she ordered a complete shower from the computer. Suddenly, warm water sprayed them from all sides. From above, below, and all sides, they received a soapy rain that lasted only a few seconds but enough to get them soaked. Alexis took a cloth that was hanging on the wall and washed the places where the blood had dried and the water hadn’t been enough to remove. The shower activated again, this time just with warm water, and it rinsed off the dirt and soap. Alexis and Gea took advantage of it and rubbed each other. When the water stopped, they were clean and in an embrace, kissing each other passionately. Not being able to wait any longer, Alexis took Gea's leg and lifted it up to support it on the ledge of the shower area. She helped, openly inviting him to separate them. He bent down and gently kissed her pubis first and then kept moving down while taking her firmly by the buttocks. The drying cycle was activated and hot air surprised them for a moment, but didn’t distract them from what they were doing. First with soft kisses and then using his tongue in a more and more daring way, Alexis ended up exciting her in such a way that Gea suddenly gave a cry of frustration and pulled his hair so that he stood up. Without further ado she grabbed his member and guided him inside her, while with the other hand she grabbed his hip to bring him closer. She was so wet inside that the penetration was gentle and fast. They barely moved for a minute when she couldn’t take it anymore and had a violent orgasm, tightening up in such a way that it made him cry out and finish, too. Still standing, she kept moving gently with him inside, for a while, until she let him go. Taking a couple of clean towels from a small bathroom closet, she took him by the hand to go to bed.

  She activated another panel on the wall and the bed, which looked like a block of hard material directly on the floor, suddenly seemed to soften as its temperature rose to a level more comfortable for them. Gea threw herself on her back on the bed, laughing. As she fell, she locked Alexis’ legs together, causing him to fall on her. He rested his pelvis against hers, leaning over to feel her breasts against his body, and taking the opportunity to kiss her. Gea unlocked her legs, crossing them behind Alexis’ buttocks, almost forcing him to move against her. He could not help but respond, getting excited, and in a minute they were making love again. This time they went longer, until she finished with a cry, staying motionless and enjoying the orgasm for a long time, but finally noticed that Alexis had not finished and was still inside her. Smiling, she tightened her legs again, and without letting him go, twisted powerfully so that he ended up on his back, spreading her legs in time so that they didn’t end up under him. She folded her legs against his sides, while sitting astride him, making him moan. Still smiling, Gea started moving her pelvis back and forth, reaching a deeper and deeper penetration, supporting her hands on Alexis’ chest, who held her by her hips one minute and then caressed her breasts the next. To her surprise, Gea felt herself reaching another orgasm, and as if he had felt it, Alexis grabbed her tightly by the buttocks while she leaned over him to kiss him, drowning out their mutual cry, each in the other’s mouth, ending at the same time.

  They held each other in the position they were in and took a while to relax. Lying there sweating, they looked at each other in amazement. Gea smiled, squeezing her legs against him once more, making Alexis moan again, but before he got excited again, she let him move out of her slowly. They didn’t have to say a word. They both went to take another shower.

  Their clothing was ready in a panel that had opened in the wall, clean and dry. After their shower, they dressed and made sure their clothes were perfumed and free of stains, as were they.

  A CORONATION

  Atlantis, Day 1 of the Reign of Gea

  The hall of the royal palace was full. The cameras transmitted the event to the entire world. The crowd was noisy.

  Tzedek was seated on the royal throne. Several guards surrounded him at a discreet distance and he had several floating screens at hand that constantly showed data. He pushed them away with a gesture and stood up. He went to a free space several feet from the throne—the ceremony platform. There was absolute silence in the hall.

  “Citizens of Atlantis,” announced Tzedek, “today I complete barely a hundred years as your king. The tradition for over a million years of our existence is that the ruler be a
queen. As you know, the death of my wife, Queen Metis, left me in this position that I have tried to carry out as best I could. But you also know it isn’t my intention to assume as mine a charge that is only borrowed. All of this time, our daughter Gea has been preparing herself to take her place as the legitimate heir and queen of Atlantis. And now, the moment has arrived.”

  At the side of the hall, large double doors opened and through it entered two rows of guards, separating the crowd to open a path. Gea walked calmly between them. She wore a light yellow dress that ran from her shoulders to her knees, with short sleeves and a wide brown belt. Her shoes were leather, and her long hair was pulled back in a braid. On the left side of her belt, she carried a short sword; on the right, an electromagnetic weapon.

  As she advanced majestically, Tzedek could not hide his pride. However, he managed to compose himself and when the young woman finally arrived at the platform, he moved to one side, lifted his left hand to his heart and bowed before her.

  “Gea, my daughter. From this moment and before all Atlantis as witness, I declare that I renounce my mandate to pass it to you.”

  He put his hand on the left side of one of the floating screens nearby and in a clear, strong voice announced:

  “I transfer all of my reign to Gea Sartaris, daughter of Tzedek Zetos and Metis Sartaris.”

  Gea moved forward and placing her hand on the right side of the same screen, declared with a strong, vibrant voice:

  “I, Gea Sartaris, daughter of Tzedek Zetos and Metis Sartaris, accept the mandate of Atlantis and I swear to execute it with my complete dedication to the best of my ability.”

  The screen lit up green and the crowd erupted in cheering. Alexis was a few feet away and she gave him a big smile. Tzedek relaxed, stepped back a step and bowed, saying:

  “Your Majesty.”

  Gea advanced and sat on the throne that Tzedek had occupied a few minutes ago. She looked at the screens floating around her and noticed a person waiting for her at the side. She frowned at the noise being made by the crowd.

  “SILENCE!” heard every single person in the hall in their minds. Many grabbed their heads and absolutely everyone was immediately silent.

  “Forward, Hephestos. Our best chief of engineering in all history will always have an audience with the Queen,” affirmed Gea.

  Hephestos brought his palm to his heart and bowed deeply.

  “Your Majesty,” he answered, straightening up, “If you will permit me, I want to present you with the latest and most extraordinary invention of my best engineering team.”

  Then he took a delicate gold box, opened it and presented it to Gea.

  Gea looked inside the box and admired the gold jewels. She took the tiara and observed the detail of the construction, the Atlantean segmented gold and the huge emerald set in the front.

  “I know you never make mere ornaments, Hephestos. What is the use of this device?”

  “Your Majesty...the tiara, combined with the bracelets, will augment by thousands of times the reach and strength of your nano-organisms. You can communicate instantly with Lonia and you’ll have access to the entire Atlantis databank just thinking about it. You can protect yourself against attacks and destroy your enemies just by thinking about it, and it will also allow you to destroy any machine, whatever its size.”

  “As always, a synthesis of functionality and beauty,” said Gea appreciatively, putting the tiara back in the box and picking up the bracelets.

  “Just one warning, Your Majesty. The set will adapt to your DNA as soon as they come into sustained contact with your skin, and the tiara establishes a physical connection with your nano-organisms. Once you start to use it, I don’t think there’s a way to stop. That is, it could hurt you trying to get it out of you,” Hephestos said.

  “I understand,” Gea accepted. Like with the nano-organisms that populated her body, this piece of technology would create a dependence. Fine, she was used to depending on technology. Hephestos was really the best engineer that Atlantis had ever had and had been the chief engineer for tens of thousands of years. There were historical pieces he had made for other queens that had aroused the admiration of all, in addition to having proved their usefulness.

  “You have to put on the bracelets first,” explained Hephestos.

  Gea took one of the golden bracelets, cut and fused in strips, compared it to the other, and saw no differences. She put it on her right wrist, closed it and then did the same with the other one. She didn’t feel anything special, but noted how the bracelets had formed and adhered to her skin. She lifted both arms and admired them, turning her wrists. The design was beautiful.

  “Please allow me, Your Majesty,” offered Hephestos, delicately picking up the tiara. “Relax, please.”

  Gea settled in on the throne. Hephestos approached with the tiara, which he adjusted by carefully passing the ends over her ears and lowering the front on her forehead. The jewels lit up and the emerald shone, illuminating everything around her, despite being in broad daylight. There was a unanimous exclamation from the crowd. Gea did not hear it, though, because as soon as it touched her forehead, she fainted.

  ANOTHER LEVEL

  Atlantis, Day 1 of the Reign of Gea

  Gea recovered consciousness slowly, but didn’t open her eyes. First of all, she didn’t need to. She could see everything perfectly. Despite having her eyes closed, she saw everything around her. She could see the people, not just in the huge hall, but all around the city, to whatever distance she wanted, just by concentrating in that direction. She could see the computers, the electronic circuits, even the communication waves in different colors that flew through the air.

  She finally opened her eyes and found Alexis looking at her with concern.

  “Gea, are you all right?”

  Gea could see Alexis’ nano-organisms. She felt the beat of his heart, the adrenaline that coursed through his blood and the fear he felt for her. She smiled, and just by thinking it, reduced the adrenaline and pulse rate of her companion.

  “I’m excellent, and that contraption of Hephestos’ exceeds all of my expectations.”

  The engineer relaxed visibly and smiled, too. Alexis ran again to the side. Gea stood up and looking towards the great hall, raised her head and everyone heard in her mind:

  “Citizens of Atlantis, we have much to do to keep improving all of our lives. Thank you for coming to my coronation. Those who have business with me, please be sure to request an audience with my counselors, and I will attend to you as soon as possible.”

  The sensation of power she had was incredible.

  “Rulers of Atlantis, please present yourselves before me.”

  The guards let the twelve monarchs of the kingdoms of Atlantis pass. They arranged themselves in a semi-circle a few feet in front of her.

  They all bowed and with their left hand on their chest, started to recite the loyalty oath to the crown.

  “Gea Sartaris, daughter of Metis Sartaris, we swear before you, to command our kingdoms in accordance with your desires, complying with the laws...”

  As the rulers recited the oath, Gea squinted her eyes and ‘saw’ that one of them had problems. His signals were completely different, the aura she captured was a dark color. His signals were altered.

  “You,” Gea signaled.

  The regents interrupted the oath and looked at each other before turning back to her.

  When she realized they didn’t know who she was talking about, Gea repeated:

  “You.” This time she pointed at Itheus, the king of the Sixth Kingdom.

  “Your Majesty?” the Atlantean replied, clearly nervous.

  “What are you plotting?”

  “Excuse me? I’m not plotting anything! I’m swearing the oath like everyone else and frankly, I’m offended by the insinua...”

  Gea concentrated her mental power to read Itheus’ mind. The king resisted. If Gea had been just any Atlantean, she wouldn’t have been able to get through the menta
l barriers the man put up, but she used the new device Hephestos had made for her and used her power multiplied thousands of times to force entrance into Itheus’ head. It was like opening a closed cork box with a padlock. The bolt flew off and the lid shattered at her push. The Atlantean fell, sitting on his heels with his arms open and his head thrown back. While the crowd gasped, Gea deepened her exploration of the king’s thoughts and found the real intentions of treason and disloyalty that he hid behind a carefully constructed wall that she destroyed as if it were made of dust. Itheus started to shake, and a string of saliva fell from the corner of his mouth. Gea kept up the pressure and could see the plan to undermine her power in the realm, create altercations to generate restiveness among the people and convince the Council that she must be removed. She also saw the list of people who were involved in the conspiracy. Gea stopped for a moment, giving Itheus time to fall forward, sobbing.

  “My Queen...”

  Itheus had clearly seen the same thing she had. He knew there was no escape route. He would be tried for high treason and the sentence was always execution. In an act of desperation, he pulled out his sword as he stood up, and leaped forward to run her through. He was counting on the element of surprise to get to the queen and attack her before she could defend herself. He might not be able to save himself, but he could save the people who he had been conspiring with.

  Poor Itheus...he never had a chance. The minute he stood up and started to move forward, Gea took control of his body as if it were a puppet. He staggered and stood with the sword in his hand at his side. Gea calmly removed hers from her belt and aimed it at Itheus’ face.

  “This man, who was falsely swearing his loyalty, intended to overthrow me and disturb the peace of Atlantis in order to achieve his ends. The following people conspired to achieve the same ends and will be arrested and tried for treason.”