by Eva Brandt
I zipped up my jumpsuit and swept my hand over the tight material, marveling at the perfect fit. Time would tell which category Chimera Academy belonged in. I’d just have to hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
* * *
Pollux
“This sucks. No wonder Brendan had to drag Knox off. I didn’t expect her to pack such a punch.”
I sighed and leaned against August’s shoulder, finding comfort in his proximity, just like I always had. “Brendan is right. We can’t let her stay.”
It wasn’t fair, because I did believe the Sphinx had known what she’d been doing when she’d picked Selene. But at the same time, Selene wasn’t prepared for this place, for what it meant to be a Chimera Warrior, and for the misery of the existence of the women who lived on Tartarus Base.
A twinge of grief coursed through me as I thought about my sister. Once, she’d been able to smile too. I could still remember the hugs we’d shared as children, the way we’d watch the chimeras together and count the stars.
She was gone now, lost to me, like so many others. If not for August, I didn’t know what would’ve happened to me. He’d kept me from falling apart until we’d gotten the chance to meet Scylla and the others.
“You’re stronger than you know, my darling,” Scylla murmured in my head, having obviously heard my thoughts. “But you’re correct. It’s for the girl’s own good that she leave this place.”
Her voice held a mix of anger and sadness. While the burdens on her soul were very different from my own, she understood the cruelty of selfish hearts better than anyone.
“Can’t you make Sphinx change her mind?”
“I can try, but not yet. It’s not so easy, you know that.”
I nodded, well aware that for this to work, we’d have to force Selene into far worse situations than a simple shared room. Yes, she might be uncomfortable with us being around when she slept, bathed, or dressed, but that wouldn’t break a connection between a chimera and a tamer.
She needed to face something truly terrible to turn away from her potential, to reject the Sphinx and the gift she’d been granted. But that was the only way she could return to her previous life—if she severed her connection with her chimera and gave up her position. If that didn’t happen, she needed to stay here. Her power was much too volatile for anything different.
As I mused over what to do, the door opened and Selene stepped out of our dorm. She looked calm, and her smile made me ache. “Thank you for waiting. You mentioned something about a schedule?”
“Yes, of course,” I replied. “Can you show me your back-link communicator?”
She blinked at me in confusion. “My what?”
Oh. I’d forgotten. Terrans didn’t use this kind of technology. Since back-links were primarily meant for tamers, she wouldn’t have seen it in other people either. “It’s a special kind of com-link for chimera pilots. It’s easier if I just show you.”
She nodded, but still tensed when I stepped closer. When I brushed my fingers over the edge of her uniform, she seemed to stop breathing. She needn’t have worried. I had no intention of making our relationship sexual.
I was attracted to her, of course. Any man with an inclination toward the female gender would have felt the same. But my priority right now was getting her out of here and back to Terra, where she was safe. My sexual desires didn’t matter.
I had some trouble finding the familiar latch, since it was hidden under the thick curtain of her crimson hair. Still, I’d used it for years before my body had adapted to my new powers, so I managed. As I flicked the almost invisible switch, Selene’s uniform turned into a far less harmless flight suit, one designed to help and contain her. “You might want to bind your hair. It’ll get in the way.”
Selene was so befuddled she forgot about her previous apprehension. “What just happened?”
“All the students at Chimera Academy naturally emit tachyons, especially when they’re young and have no control over their powers,” August explained. “The uniforms are designed to control that. The back-links turn the mechanism on and off, although they’re only used by tamers. We have specific ways of connecting with our chimeras, so our equipment helps us with that. ”
“I didn’t realize the uniform that function,” Selene mused, still sounded dazed.
“Most things at the academy are functional. Clothes aren’t just meant to cover one’s body. Don’t worry. You’ll learn.”
August took her hand and flipped it around, pressing his fingers to her wrist. He’d never been the most patient person in the world. While not as temperamental and volatile as Knox, he had his own issues. Since the fiasco at the Apsid Quasar a few years ago, he didn’t like to take chances, not with our well-being, at least. Selene was nothing if not a huge chance.
The holo-screen activated upon his touch, providing Selene with most of the information she needed. “That gives you basic access to the academy compound. You’ll find your schedule listed here, as well as the materials you’ll need to get ready for your classes.”
“Right,” Selene said. “Thanks.”
As the long list appeared in front of her, Selene stared in disbelief. Then, she looked from the hologram, back to us.
I had no desire to spend more time with her, but this was just the beginning, and I’d never planned to abandon her in the middle of the academy. For all we knew, she might run into some idiot, blow him up and destroy herself and half the compound in the process.
“Come on,” I told her. “We should probably show you the rest of the base. You can familiarize yourself with the academy later. Do you have credits with you?”
“Yes, of course. My mother gave me money before I left.”
At least she hadn’t come here completely unprepared. Having credits wouldn’t help her face the city, but it was a start. “All right. Now, just remember. This isn’t Terra. Stay close. It’s dangerous for women to wander around alone in Tartarus.”
Selene opened her mouth, as if she wanted to protest. At the last moment, she changed her mind. She didn’t answer, but she did nod.
The academy was a good distance away from the rest of the base, so we had to go back and take another shuttle to carry us to Tartarus City. It was awkward, because none of us knew how to handle this new, weird situation.
Thankfully, the shuttle was fast, and a few minutes later, we reached the landing strip in Tartarus City, officially known as Charon’s Barge. Workers, pilots, staff, ship passengers, and many more hustled and bustled in the area. Most were men, but there were also a few women, undoubtedly Terrans brought in for one of the new brothels.
When we left our shuttle, one of the staff members approached us. He took a single look at Selene, hesitated, and then seemed to make a decision. “Hello, Sir,” he said. “If you’ll follow me please, you need to register your new service provider in our record book.”
The uniform must have given him pause, but in the end, Selene’s looks and gender were more important. This was going to keep happening. I didn’t envy Selene for it.
“Ms. Renard isn’t here as a sex worker,” I said. “She’s a pilot with our unit.”
The man recognized me, of course, so he knew I wouldn’t joke around with something like that. Still, he didn’t immediately let us pass. “Lord Donadieu, there must be some mistake. She’s a woman.”
“And weirdly, that doesn’t make me any less capable of piloting a chimera,” Selene bit out. “Imagine that. It’s almost like my genitals have no bearing on my ability to become a tamer.”
Her flight suit contained most of her power, but even so, her eyes lit up, red-rimmed around the edges. The man took a step back, having obviously realized we were telling the truth.
“My apologies. Please, go right ahead.”
We took him up on his invitation without another word. “General Rhodes told me everyone was going to think I was a prostitute,” Selene whispered as we walked away, “but I didn’t expect it to be quite like th
is.”
“What did you expect then?” August asked.
“No idea. Maybe that it wouldn’t be so prevalent, at least not in the settlement. After all, there are supposed to be women here.”
“Yes, but they’re nothing like you,” I answered. “And you don’t actually see a lot of Chimera women in Tartarus City. Most of them live in the villas on neighboring meteorites, or on the Moon.”
At that, Selene fell silent. I wondered if she was already questioning her decision to come here. It seemed unlikely, but I hoped she’d see sense soon.
August and I took Selene through a brief tour of the settlement. We showed her some of the nicer places, like the sole park that existed in Tartarus Base. But as Brendan had suggested, we also passed through some of the worst neighborhoods. Selene got to see firsthand how women were treated here.
Tartarus City had a lot of sex workers, some of whom were male. They lived in organized, clean brothels and had a safe, civilized existence. But Terran women weren’t always given the courtesy of being fucked behind closed doors. Some men liked to show off their slaves or simply didn’t bother taking the less fortunate sex workers to a private area. This was most often done in the Titans’ Pit, the place where everyone on the asteroid came to fulfill their darkest appetites.
The moment we entered the Pit, we were greeted by the sight of a middle-aged, balding man pinning a Terran woman against the wall and thrusting into her from behind. She was obviously not enjoying the experience as blood ran down her legs. To make matters worse, the man was grinding her face into the wall, reveling in her pained whimpers.
Selene gasped and took a step forward, predictably wanting to rescue the woman. I grabbed her wrist and kept her from rushing ahead. “There’s nothing you can do. See that collar around her neck? It means she’s a licensed sex worker. He has the right to treat her like that.”
The collar stood out against the woman’s pale skin and the sight of it gave Selene pause. Still, she didn’t give up. “Her profession doesn’t matter,” she insisted. “No one has the right to treat another person like that. It’s wrong.”
“Maybe it is, but it’s the way things are on Tartarus. That woman is used to it.”
Selene shook her head, trying to free herself from my grip. “She can go back to Earth. Anything is better than living like this.”
I squeezed her wrist tighter and sparks of tachyon emissions danced between our bodies. The clash of our powers went straight to my cock, but I ignored it. “Are you sure?” I asked Selene. “These women made the choice to come here and sell themselves. They knew what they were getting themselves into. It’s not our place to step in. And even if it were, it’s illegal to intervene.”
“You can’t be serious,” Selene said pleadingly. “She could die.”
“She won’t,” August assured her. “The collar monitors that. It’ll light up if she’s in danger or suffers too much damage. Someone will come to stop it.”
Confirming his words, the collar started to flicker. A few moments later, a drone manifested above the couple. “Warning,” it said in a robotic voice. “According to The Grand Judiciary Dictate 489, the lives and well-being of Terran sex workers are to be valued and preserved. Report to your closest security institution for your fine.”
The man grunted, thrust inside the woman two more times, and shuddered as he came. Then, he pulled out and nodded at the drone. “I’m coming. For Tartarus’s sake… The Grand Judiciary should just abolish that law and be done with it.”
As he stepped away from the sex worker, the woman slid to the ground like a puppet with her strings cut. The drone’s gravitational field caught her and levitated her into the air.
“She’ll be taken to the nearest hospital and healed,” I murmured. “He’ll pay the fine. If she has an employer, she’ll be returned there. If not, she’ll have to go back to the streets and start over. Tomorrow, it’ll be rinse and repeat.”
Selene had started to shake in my hold. “This is just… This is horrible.”
This was nothing. If she knew what happened behind the scenes, what decisions The Grand Judiciary sometimes took, she’d be even more outraged. But telling her would compromise my position, so I had to keep my mouth shut, at least about that.
Besides, even in the Pit, there were far worse areas, like, for example, Persephone’s Plaza. I debated the merits of taking Selene there, but decided against it. We weren’t going to turn Selene away from her chimera in one day and the plaza was much too vulgar. Scylla always hated it when I went there. More importantly, I didn’t want to see how the plaza’s visitors would react to Selene’s arrival. Until now, our presence had deterred the citizens from approaching and harassing her, but that could always change.
“Maybe we should return to the academy. You’ve had quite enough of sight-seeing for the day.”
“That’s a good idea,” Selene replied, her face as white as a sheet. “Yes, let’s go.”
By the time we dropped her off at the dorm, less than half an hour later, she’d recovered some of her color, but her eyes still held a blankness that hadn’t been there earlier. I ached inside, knowing that I’d been partially responsible for that.
“This is for her protection,” Scylla reminded me. “It’ll be much worse if she stays. And hiding the truth won’t help her.”
I thought about Scylla and the way she’d suffered when she’d been alive. I remembered my sister and the horrible way she’d died. Not again. Never again.
Scylla had probably smiled just as sweetly once, before she’d been cursed to turn into a sea monster. Stella’s eyes must have looked like Selene’s, before she’d been led to her fate. I wouldn’t allow the story to repeat itself. My sister’s starlight had forever been extinguished. But Selene’s glow remained, and I’d preserve it, even if I had to hurt her to do it.
Broodmate
Selene
After my eventful arrival at the academy, I didn’t leave the school again. I considered going to Tartarus City on my own, perhaps sharing some of my credits with the women there. But Sphinx forbade me to do so and pointed out that being rash wouldn’t solve anything. Tartarus City was much too dangerous for me to brave on my own.
To deal with the crushing feeling of failure and helplessness, I spent most of my time with Sphinx. She gave me additional background information on what I was supposed to learn here as a new student and told me more about heliovore apsids—the so-called Sun-Dwellers.
It was an excellent distraction and an excuse to keep my distance from things that made me uncomfortable. I took the occasional decontamination shower in the hangars, ate rations brought to me by a helpful drone, and avoided the dorm room for everything else except sleep.
But I couldn’t hide forever, and so it was that, on the morning of the first year of school, I woke up bright and early, firm in my resolve to control my emotions and handle this better.
Yes, things were pretty horrible at Tartarus Base, but my mother had warned me about that. I’d learn how to be a tamer and prove to everyone here that women were so much more than sex objects. Maybe in the future, that would help me assist all those poor sex workers who were forced into a life of humiliation and servitude.
Right now, I didn’t have any power, but as a member of the Grand Chimera Unit, I could earn it.
It was easier said than done and the moment I stepped into my first class, I knew I was in trouble.
The class was held in a stark classroom with bland, metal walls. It was called Introduction to Tachyon Manipulation and taught by a man with eyes as hard as Tartarus diamonds.
“I am Professor Titus Strange and I’ll be your teacher for Tachyon Manipulation,” he said. “Be advised that I will not go easy on you just because you’re young or inexperienced. As long as you’re in this classroom, you belong to me and you will comply with all my orders.”
His eyes lingered on me when he spoke, and I almost couldn’t blame him for it. I stood out like a sore thumb. Not only was
I a woman, but I was also several years older than every other person in my class.
The other students were all teenagers and when the teacher turned his back, they stole unashamed looks at my breasts and ass.
They didn’t say anything, but it was still uncomfortable to be stared at like that. I ignored it and focused on what the teacher was saying.
“As you know by now, chimera pilots—or tamers—all emit tachyons, particles that travel faster than light and originate from Tartarus himself. A human body isn’t naturally aligned to channeling tachyons and therefore, controlling this power is a difficult task.
“As prospective tamers, you all have a degree of talent, but it has not yet reached its full potential. If you connect with a chimera, that will change.
“The hormonal response to an increase in tachyon output often leads tamers to lose their minds or have serious breakdowns. This is why you must learn several techniques that will help you regulate your own brains and make sure you don’t go out of control.
“But before you can do that, you must have an understanding of what tachyon manipulation actually is. Throughout this class, we will use tachyon power as a direct weapon. Even those of you who do not become chimera pilots will need tachyon channeling.”
His explanation made sense, although it also seriously intimidated me. More than one person had told me I was dangerous and I’d acknowledged it was true. But I’d never understood the science behind my power. Knowing my own brain could turn on me because of the gift I’d received was both frightening and humbling.
“Today, we will start with a brief demonstration of what tachyon manipulation is.” He waved a hand and the wall parted, revealing a set of floating robots. They reminded me of the training dummies I’d seen a few times in the Temple of Gaia and I guessed they had the same purpose.
