Biting her lip she paused at a loss for what she should do now. She decided to go back to her quarters, watch a movie and wait till that evening and drag her friend off when she came for dinner. Heading back the way she came, Thea paused uncertainly at an intersection. Which way did I come? She requested directions from her cerebcom and staggered against the wall at the unexpected flood of information that cascaded through her mind. Instead of identifying a single path it had sent all routes she might possibly take. She rubbed her forehead. Ow. Sighing, she took a hall and hoped for the best.
* * * * *
Soren paused in his industrious waxing of a small wooden sculpture of Shaysha, Goddess of spiritual and mental balance. A faint twinge of distress whispered through his mind. He concentrated on the feeling and it drifted away. Shrugging, he went back to what he was doing. He had decided to spend a few hours doing the same activities as those of his order who had been chastened to remind himself of who and what he served.
Mentally returning to his meditations he lovingly rubbed the oily cloth over the wood, removing dust and buffing it to a high shine. Humming softly, he let the peace of the temple saturate his senses.
The rich scent of the polishing oils, and the soft strains of Ta’e’sha song lightly tickled his ears. The dark wood paneling the walls seemed to hold shadows as close as a lover and whispered secrets teasingly just out of his hearing.
A few minutes later the twinge returned, a bit stronger this time. Frowning, he set aside the now cleaned statue and followed the sensation.
It led him out of the temple and along several corridors until he was walking through an area of unoccupied cabins. The feeling of distress grew stronger and his pace picked up in reaction to it.
Turning a corner he almost tripped over Thea. She was slumped on the floor against the wall with her knees drawn up under her chin and looked near tears. The sensation faded down to a low hum in the back of his mind. He had arrived at his destination.
Thea looked up and smiled with relief. “Hi, Soren. Can you help me find my way back home?”
Soren sat down next to her. “Hi, Thea. I can help you go back home.” The small woman looked relieved, but the distress did not fade completely. “Is there anything else wrong?”
Thea rested her chin on her knees again, making no move to get up. “Lots of stuff. I kinda feel like I’m playing blind man’s bluff, but everyone else left after spinning me.”
He drew up his knees and watched her. “What’s blind man’s bluff?”
She smiled faintly. “It’s a game children play. One person is blindfolded and spun in circles until they are dizzy. Then they are let go and have to try and catch one of the other children.”
He thought about that for a bit.
Thea gnawed on a fingernail.
“That doesn’t sound like a lot of fun,” he said at last. In fact it sounded downright nauseating.
She smiled. “It’s not. Well, it is when you’re a kid, but when you get older you usually just feel queasy.”
“Why do you feel that way?”
She frowned thoughtfully, looking down at the floor. “Well, I woke up here and found out I was married, whether I liked it or not. And to two men, too. That’s just weird and illegal where I come from. Then, I find out they are telepathic, so hey, maybe they messed with my mind so that I would accept all of this more easily. Which is creepy, I mean, how would you feel if you had a bunch of strangers crawling around in your mind doing whatever the hell they wanted to? Digging through your memories like they were your underwear drawer?”
His nose wrinkled.
She continued, “And don’t even get me started on them sticking a computer in my head. Then, they don’t even bother telling me about it let alone how to work the damn thing. I’m surprised I haven’t fried my own brain.” Her monologue continued as she listed all the travails she had gone through in the past few days.
Soren listened quietly. He had never thought about any of this from the point of view of the women. Things that were completely normal, honorable and expected to him were foreign and frightening to them. The marriage tattoos. Body piercing was common. The ethics of telepathy were well established and well known. Cerebcoms were common, even among people who were not living on ships. There was not much he could say about them being taken without their permission, but maybe he could help her with some of her other concerns.
He waited until she had wound down to pensive silence. “Hmmm, why don’t you come back to the temple with me for a little while, Thea. Maybe some of the older asana and I can help you sort this out and answer some of your questions.”
She shrugged dispiritedly, but stood when he did. “I probably shouldn’t stay too long, Daeshen doesn’t know I’m gone.”
“I’ll com the captain and let him know where you are.”
He led her back toward the more populated area of the ship and tried to think of the best way to explain things to her. Clearing his throat, he began with the subject he thought might be the one bothering her most.
“Our race has always been telepathic. We believe it’s because we evolved under water. We do have a spoken language we use when we are swimming; it is similar to that used by the dolphins and whales on your planet, but it’s a bit like yelling when you want to whisper. It echoes all over till everyone hears it, so we generally used it when we were addressing a large group of people.” He paused again, trying to sort his thoughts. “Although it was hilarious the time my friend Kairn whispered ‘nice scales, baby’ to one of the girls in school. She slapped him and the whole class made fun of him for a month.”
He came back to his original subject after Thea giggled softly. “Telepathic speech develops about three months into the mother’s pregnancy. Our parents teach us to focus our thoughts so that we aren’t sending to all and sundry after we are born. From the time we begin our education we are taught what is acceptable.”
Thea listened intently, watching him from the corner of her eye. She waited expectantly when he paused again.
Soren stared at the ground as they walked slowly toward the entrance of the temple. He decided to wait to finish the discussion until they were inside and he could ask a senior asana to join them.
He held the door open for her and motioned for her to sit down at one of the small circular areas made for people to sit while they waited to be attended by the asana. “Wait here, Thea. I’ll go com the captain and see if a senior asana is free to talk with us.” He gave her an embarrassed grin. “I’m still new at this and I don’t want to bungle it and confuse you even more.”
She smiled wanly and settled into the seat. “Okay.”
He disappeared through a door that was placed toward the back of the room.
She looked around curiously. The room was shaped like a wide wedge. Warm, dark red wood covered the walls and silky gray fabric hung from ceiling to floor at even intervals. The curving benches at each of the meditation areas were covered with the same gray fabric. She ran her palm over it. It felt like a heavy raw silk.
There was an archway in one wall that led into a similar looking room. The only difference was that the fabric in that room was a deep, vibrant aquamarine. She turned and looked behind her. There was another door, leading into a room decorated with red.
She looked back down at the bench and rubbed her finger along the wood. It was sanded smooth and felt warm and almost velvety. Hearing soft voices she looked up. Soren was speaking softly with a woman in a gray jumpsuit similar to his.
Thea inspected the woman as they approached her. She had dark lavender hair that fell around her shoulders. It was twisting itself into several knots, creating an intricate design along the back of her head and neck. Her eyes were a shade or two lighter, and seemed to smile warmly. She was obviously older, but the sense of inner stillness she had about her created the impression that she was ageless.
The sight of them together made her smile. Soren, with his bright orange-red hair and friendly personalit
y made her think of an exuberant puppy bouncing along the side of his patient and sweet tempered dam.
Soren assisted the older priestess into a seat across from Thea and then sat down next to her. “Thea, this is Senior Priestess Kyaness. Kyaness, this is Theadora Auralel.”
Thea smiled and offered her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kyaness.”
The older woman smiled. She took Thea’s hand and turned it palm up, stroking her hand from the inside of Thea’s elbow to her wrist. “Hello, Thea.” She released Thea. “That is a formal greeting among the Ta’e’sha. Soren tells me that you have questions regarding our culture, I would be happy to help you.”
Chapter Eleven
Foam burst from the woman’s mouth as her back arched sharply against the chair she sat in. Her nails scrabbled against the arms of her chair. Tortured gasps issued from her throat.
Corvin launched himself from his seat. He pulled her to the floor and stuck a heavy rubber plug into her mouth. Once he was sure she was not in danger of swallowing her tongue he pressed a syringe against the side of her neck and administered a muscle relaxant.
Within moments the spasms eased and her body relaxed against the floor. She stared up at the ceiling and panted. Tears leaked from the corners of her unblinking eyes. Her body shook with another, less forceful, seizure.
Reba, the rape counselor who was conducting the interview with Corvin, gently stroked the woman’s forehead. “You’ll be all right, Sara, please don’t be frightened.” She exchanged a look with the doctor. Motioning with her head, she urged him to back away from the woman.
Corvin nodded and eased himself slowly away from Sara’s prone form. He mentally requested that her physical information be downloaded to his office from her cerebcom. He had every intention of going over it with a fine toothcomb to see if he could pinpoint exactly what was causing the seizures. They were happening far too conveniently for his peace of mind. There had to be something he was missing. Hypnosis maybe? No ... Not everyone is susceptible to hypnosis.
Reba helped the woman stand on unsteady legs. Wrapping an arm around her waist she helped her walk to the bed that had been set up in the room. Sara had not wanted to go home to her mate after she woke up. She had asked for a few days to herself first, although, she wanted to see him before she retired to sleep.
He quietly exited the room, knowing that Reba would join him as soon as Sara was settled and her mate joined her.
* * * * *
Thea smiled tentatively at her husbands. Kyrin was looking down at her sternly while Daeshen was giving her a kicked puppy look. She winced mentally. Great, they act like a couple of asses and somehow I’m the bad girl.
Kyrin grabbed her wrist and yanked her hard against his chest. His stern expression softened after a moment and he bent his head to brush his mouth against hers tenderly. “Welcome home, love. Next time you decide to go exploring please let us know first.” His hands slipped around her waist and stroked her lower back lazily.
Daeshen scooted closer and bent to press a small kiss under her ear. “Don’t make me worry again, love. You’ve earned yourself a spanking.” He winked when she squeaked and slipped around his spouses to relieve Sya’tia of her burden.
Sya’tia smiled at him warmly and allowed him to take one of the wrapped and covered pots she was carrying. “Thank you, Daeshen.” She lowered her eyes demurely and followed him into the kitchen. Placing the pan she was carrying onto the counter she began to remove the wrappings while Daeshen bustled about busily behind her, taking out serving dishes and implements.
An arm slipped around her waist, surprising her into dropping the lid she had just taken off with a clatter. She looked behind her and saw Thea peering curiously over her shoulder. Thea hugged her casually, still inspecting the contents of the pan.
“Smells good! What it is?”
“Uhh. It’s lavoya in creamstal sauce,” she stammered breathlessly.
“Wazzat?” Thea took another appreciative sniff.
“Lovoya is a made from the new tentacles of a creature similar to your octopus and creamstal is the powered shell of a snail on our home.”
Thea watched as the other woman stirred the concoction, and felt herself turn faintly green with nausea. Thea swallowed hard. “Sounds lovely.” She made a strategic retreat lest she insult her new friend. She heard Daeshen exclaim in excitement and turned to see him stick a finger in the mixture. He licked it off with a blissful expression.
Sya’tia blushed with pleasure over his reaction. “It’s my family’s recipe.”
He laid a smacking kiss on her cheek. “It’s wonderful, I can’t wait to eat it!”
She giggled and pushed him away.
Thea turned. Kyrin was watching her thoughtfully. “What?”
He smiled. “How did you like the temple?”
She shrugged, walking slowly toward him, trailing her fingers along the edge of the table. “I like Kyaness. She explained quite a bit to me. She asked me to come back again. I think I will.” Reaching him, she placed her hand on his chest. “I’m sorry I got mad. This is all so overwhelming for me. Every time I think I’m getting a handle on something another surprise pops up and knocks me on my ass.”
Kyrin covered her hand with his. He smiled suddenly and knelt before her, still holding her hand to him. “Theadora, in the eyes of my people we are already mated. But, would you consent to a formal marriage ceremony and accept myself and Daeshen as your husbands in the eyes of your people?” He reached into his pocket with his free hand and withdrew a small object. He slowly held his hand up to her and opened his fingers. A small ring of silvery blue metal rested in his palm.
Thea gasped softly, touching it with just the tips of her fingers. The metal was etched. Small Ta’e’shian figures swam and embraced along its smooth surface. “It’s beautiful.” She smiled down at him, charmed by his proposal, and touched by his attempt to show her that he respected her and her culture. “Yes, I will marry you in the eyes of my people and by the rituals of my God and Goddess.” She held out her hand so that he could slip the ring onto her finger. It was a perfect fit.
Kyrin stood and kissed her gently, coaxing her mouth open under his so that his tongue could make gentle forays inside. He cradled her against his hard frame.
* * * * *
Corvin frowned at the data he had received from Sara’s cerebcom. “This can’t be right.”
Reba looked up from where she was writing a report and making notes on her holoreader. They were sharing Corvin’s office until the new offices for the human medical staff could be completed. “What can’t be right?”
Corvin’s hair twisted against the front of his jacket in agitation. “According to these readings the seizure never took place. It also hasn’t been tracking her hormonal changes like it was supposed to ...” His voice trailed off as he began to look for other anomalies.
The cerebral computers were implanted below the left earlobe; they linked the crew’s brains directly to the ship computer. This allowed information to be fed directly to them. It also allowed them to communicate directly with one another, without having to use the telepathy inherent to their race.
They also monitored vital statistics and could be used to control the chemical and hormone releases in both races. All humans were given subliminal messages to calm them anytime the cerebcom registered a negative emotional spike.
* * * * *
Thea eyed the gray tentacle dangling from the tines of her fork dubiously. A white drop of goo oozed. It dripped onto her plate. She slid Sya’tia a sideways look. The other woman beamed proudly as she waited with an expectant expression.
The men didn’t disappoint her either. They both took bites and moaned like it was the best sex they had ever had in their lives. Thea braced herself and took a bite, trying very hard not to think of what she was putting in her mouth. She had visions of Japanese anime tentacle critters writhing in black pools of water.
She chewed gingerly. It had the tex
ture of undercooked pasta and tasted a bit like pork. The creamstal sauce reminded her of toasted almonds and wasabi, not flavors she would normally put together, but they were very good. She chewed with more enthusiasm. After swallowing she paused for a moment to contemplate this new taste. “I like this.” She smiled shyly at Sya’tia, who glowed in response.
Kyrin asked Daeshen a question and the resulting answer had all of them enjoying a lively conversation through the rest of dinner and well into the clean up.
Once the last dish was cleaned and put away they retired to the living room with a plate of crispy treats that the woman had stopped by the galley to acquire since Thea had not had time to make them. Thea marveled again at the food preparation units. Just like something outta Star Trek! I wonder why so many people cook when they have those.
They all settled in to watch the movie Thea had picked out. Sya’tia asked a few questions about the novel she was reading while the opening credits rolled.
Daeshen got up and disappeared briefly. He returned with a tray of drinks, a carbonated fruit juice that Thea was quickly becoming partial to. After passing them out he lay down with his head in Thea’s lap to watch the movie.
She absently stroked his hair as the first scene started. The room became very quiet as the dialogue began.
* * * * *
Reba stretched. “I’m heading out, Dr. C, I need food and a hug. See you tomorrow afternoon? Are we pulling Holly out of stasis or not?”
Corvin rubbed his eyes tiredly. “Not yet. I think we should concentrate on Sara and Elaine right now. I also want to go over the other cerebcom records before we bring another woman out of it. Have the other ladies finished working with the asana yet? I think we are going to need their counseling skills more than I first thought.”
“I’ll check before I come in tomorrow.” She paused at the door and smiled at him. “Thank you for helping us find a place here, Dr. C, all the women appreciate it. I’m just sorry my training is something that we need.” She waved and the door hissed shut behind her.
The Ta'e'sha Chronicles: Daughters of Terra Page 13
