Chocolate Rewards: The Sweetness of Two Worlds Colliding Together

by Burns, Rachel

  “Good, that will be our room. It is also just above my office. Once again a good choice.” Rokai opened his backpack and gently placed a chocolate in Amber's mouth.

  It was so good that Amber had to close her eyes, as she enjoyed the moment. Originally she had wanted to protest to sharing a room with him, but then she got caught up in the taste of the melting chocolate.

  Rokai took hold of her hand and went to their bedroom. The room just needed a bed, he thought. He needed a soft place to lay her down so he could make love with her. He looked over at her, wanting to see if she was having tender feelings for him, too.

  Amber was wondering if his kind slept on the floor.

  Was the bed just on the spacecraft for other species?

  She would need a bed, one with sheets, lots of sheets, and, perhaps, a pair of scissors. If she could just get her hands on some needle and thread, then she could do something amazing with those sheets. Amber had her arms crossed over her chest so he couldn't see her naked. She was feeling really self-conscious. This whole having to earn clothes thing was just too crude.

  “What are you thinking about, Amber?”

  She couldn't answer that she was thinking about clothes, not after he made it clear that he felt that she should run around naked while he wore such soft things that hugged his muscular body. The picture of him naked flashed back at the hotel flashed before her eyes. That was another reason why she should have clothes on. Her thoughts were running away with her, in directions she didn't want them to go.

  “I'm just a little cold,” she answered hoping that he might give her something to wear.

  Rokai jumped into action. “I'll just find the room computer.”

  “Room computer?” There was no way that there was a room computer in here. It wouldn't make sense to have modern technology in the rooms and then cook your food over the fireplace. Those were just two contrasts that didn't pair up, at least not in her mind.

  Rokai looked around and couldn't find one. “This house appears to be a bit old fashioned.” He wasn't sure how to warm her up.

  “Where are you going to sleep?” Amber asked.

  “In here, with you. You won't be cold. I'll hurry back to the ship and bring things over here. I'll get one of the beds out of there and into here. You will be warm tonight, I promise. Wait for me here.”

  He left her standing there all alone.

  Amber darted to the window and watched him pass by. He jumped over the brook and ran off. “How dumb was that? That wasn't smart.” She turned around and headed out of the house. She didn't go the same way as he did; instead, she went in the other direction.

  Amber hated that she was running outside without any clothes on, and she had such a cute Nike outfit at home with matching jogging shoes.

  She tried to stay by the things that she considered to be trees. They were gray with gray leaves.

  Amber was getting a depressing feeling. They had said that the planet was small. Would she end up running in circles? Was she already doing laps?

  Amber heard something behind her. She turned and saw several light purple people coming her way. They were short and chubby in a sturdy way. They had no hair on their heads and their ears were large circle that got smaller as they got closer to their heads, like fat ice cream cones.

  The purple people weren't trying to catch her, but they did seem to be very interested in her. They pointed her way with their fat hands.

  Amber took off running again. She figured that she would be faster than they were because of her long legs but the seemed to taken pursuit of her. She darted in zigzag patterns, hoping to get rid of them. Every time she looked back she saw their smiling faces staring at her.

  “Go away,” she called out. She wasn't sure if their smiles meant that they were nice, or if it meant that they were really excited to cook her over their campfire this evening.

  Amber wasn't watching where she was going.

  “Ouch!” she screamed out.

  First, when she noticed the pain and look down at her foot did she see that she had stepped on something, something with a mouth that was wrapped around her foot.

  The purple people were on her in a second. Amber watched them kill a furry snake whose bite didn't relax just because it was dead. The purple people were helping her to walk somewhere. Amber was starting to see everything double.

  “Rokai,” she called out in a whisper. “Something bit me and it won't let go.”

  Chapter 6 Healing You

  “Thank you so much for helping. I am really glad that we met up at the ship. I was worried how I was going to achieve all of this on my own. Just put the bed in the pink room.” Rokai instructed the Emko where he would like the things placed that they had brought back from the ship.

  “Master Rokai, your slave is out playing in the tall grass. Several of my people have spotted her. She seems to have gotten scared and she is running away from them.” The head Emko, Emil, was addressing him. He was the one that told the others what they needed to do. Rokai was thrilled that he was working on his half of the planet.

  While Amber had slept in his arms aboard the spacecraft, he and Jamko had decided that he and Amber would make Milk chocolate and Jamko would make dark chocolate. That way they wouldn't end up stepping on each other's toes.

  Rokai had noticed her absence the second he walked into their home. Better said, he noticed her lack of presence. His heart ached for hers. He figured that she was trying to run away, but because there was nowhere for her to run he decided that he get the work that needed finished completed before she returned. He even told himself that it was probably for the best. This way she could see for herself that there was no place to run off to on this planet. Seeing would help her believe him.

  He would punish her when she came back home and then make love to her and give her a piece of chocolate, thus giving her a reason to stay close by him. She would want more passion after she got her first taste.

  A few minutes later the head Emko sought Rokai out again. “Your slave has hurt herself. She stepped on a wetu. My people killed the wetu but its teeth are still stuck in her feet. Come quickly, we have to get the poison out of her.”

  “Wetu? Poison? I thought this planet was safe?”

  Rokai followed behind the Emko. Just as he was about to step outside, Amber came in whimpering his name. The Emkos were doing their best to support her up, despite the fact that she was twice their size.

  Rokai took one look at her foot and he wanted to be sick. He lifted Amber away from them and carried her to their bedroom. “What silly nonsense was going through your head again? Amber, stay with me.”

  “I'm sorry. I'm going to die now, right?” She was looking into his eyes, trusting him to tell her the truth.

  “Oh no, we are going to fix you up and when you are all better I am going to give you the thrashing of a lifetime.”

  “Okay, that sounds good. Let's do that.” Her head rolled to the side and she passed out.

  “Amber?” He shook her shoulder. “Amber? Can you hear me?”

  Rokai stayed at her side, holding her hand. He didn't want her to be alone.

  The Emko had gone right to work, doing what needed to be done. Rokai was the only one who gagged as they removed the dead animal's head from her foot, tooth by long hairy tooth.

  They pumped so much blood out of her body that he feared that she would die from blood loss.

  Now that everything that could be done was done Rokai felt drained and useless. There was nothing he could do to help her, except stare at her and will her to get better. Even that wasn't working.

  Rokai sat next to her, holding her hand until it was late. Three stars showed their light down on the this planet. It never got dark here. It just got lighter and dimmer. That would take a long time to get used to.

  Rokai had been giving orders and explaining what needed to be done with the cocoa plants. The Emko were so competent that they didn't need him checking on them.

  They were
a species that was made to serve. They wanted to have a family that they could serve. Rokai had found out in the meantime that all the Emko here had volunteered to join this undertaking. They wanted to be away from the factories and other work places they had. By reading between the lines he was able to hear that they wanted to serve a family that would know who was who among them, and be good to them.

  Rokai was quick to promise that he would be a good master if only they could save his Amber for him. They wanted her to survive just as much as he did. They were very loyal creatures, but a chance to have a good master was something they wouldn't want to pass up. Lots of them had stopped by to check on her and offer suggestions about how they could help her.

  Some told Rokai that they had once worked with families before. Rokai's new house was quickly filling up. He had a large staff that would work in the house taking care of him and Amber.

  The ones that preferred to work outside came in and told him that they were thankful for this chance. They all promised to work hard for him and Amber.

  Amber had no idea that so many people were wishing her well and thinking good thoughts for her.

  Amber had a high fever. Rokai was worried that she wouldn't survive. It seemed more and more unlikely that she would survive this as time past by. He held her hand, trying to convince himself that she would wake up any moment.

  Time past, and still he sat. He should have slept, but he was afraid to. What if she woke up and spoke before passing on?

  He cursed himself for leaving her alone. What master left a newly acquired slave unattended? He should have figured that she would try to run off. Of course she didn't know anything about this planet. He didn't even have a clue.

  He would regret that for the rest of his life.

  When Rokai couldn't hold his head up or keep his eyes open he undressed and laid down in bed next to her. He moved her so she was lying on top of him. Her head was on his chest. This position just felt right.

  Amber heard a gentle pounding in her ear. It seemed so familiar and comforting. She snuggled into it, rubbing her cheek and ear over the sound. She moved her arm around the thing that was making the wonderful noise, wanting to hold it in place.

  Amber noticed that her foot still hurt, but she was too tired to worry about that.

  Rokai's eyes flashed open when he felt movement. Amber's head was snuggling into his chest. Then her arm wrapped around him holding him tightly. He gently moved his hand so it was covering her head, wanting to protect her. He was thrilled that she was moving. It must mean that she would live.

  He smiled briefly before exhaustion took him again.

  Rokai woke when an Emko poked him. His eyes flew open to see what was the matter.

  “The doctor is here,” Emil told him.

  Rokai rubbed over his eyes quickly before he sat up. He gently laid Amber by his side as he got up to greet the doctor.

  He wrapped his clothes around himself as he explained that she had moved in the night. It sounded like he was bragging about her. The thought of her snuggling into him was a moment that was precious to him. One he hoped that he would never forget.

  The doctor looked her over. “Are you positive that she woke?”

  “Yes. She rubbed her head against me and wrap an arm around me.”

  The head Emko, Emil, moved, so he was standing next to his master. He wanted to show the doctor that his master wasn't a liar.

  “Perhaps you dreamt that she moved. My computer is showing that she isn't conscious.” He moved the blankets away from her body and looked at her foot. “I arrived too late. I may have to remove this.” He looked up at Rokai to see how he would react.

  Rokai didn't really care about her foot. He just wanted her to live, but Emil had the presence of mind to say something. “I realize that our medicine is seen as being old fashioned, but her body will fight off the poison and she will heal with time.”

  Emil turned to his master. “Doctors nowadays don't know anything about the art of healing. They can only hold a laser. Trust in our ways. I will find a woman and assign her to your slave she will care for her.” Emil looked down at the woman in the bed and added, “For the rest of her long life.”

  “I am going to trust my worker. He came highly recommended, from King Aideyoung, personally.”

  The doctor was offended by what the tiny man had said. “You are lucky enough to have a woman. It is your duty to see to it that she recovers. If you don't want her another man will, even without one of her feet.”

  “I want to keep her, but I have to agree with my man. And she did wake up in the night. She was looking for closeness to me.” Even now Rokai felt like need to pull her close and holding her tightly. It was a need that he would see to the second that they were alone.

  “I'll be staying on my ship until she dies, but I will report this. Denying a slave medical attention is a cruelty that won't be tolerated.” The doctor packed up his laser and left.

  Rokai's stomach was all in knots as he worried about losing Amber. He just felt strongly that no Emko would insult a doctor without cause. What he said about the doctor just being able to hold a laser was something that his own parents had complained about. The best doctors worked for the King and normal ones had offices on the planets, but those who showed the least amount of potential made house calls to far away planets. This planet was so far away that the owners abandoned it; despite the money they had invested in the houses.

  Rokai undressed, got into bed next to his Amber and moved her like she liked to lie, namely, on top of him.

  Emil entered the room with a smiling female Emko. “This is Zufu, she once served on the King's ship. She left when she married. Unfortunately her husband died. She needs to care for someone again. She would love to care for your slave, master.”

  Rokai looked at the happy creature. “Do you have any experience with humans?”

  “Yes, I worked for one on the King's ship. I never would have left her, but I met my husband, and he had to return to his factory. I went with him. I parted from my human on the best terms.”

  Rokai nodded. In fact, he felt lucky to have her. “Zufu, you have the job. I'll be taking care of her for now but you can lend me a hand with her.”

  “Of course, master.” She stepped forward and covered up Amber's shoulder, perfectly. “The blanket was starting to slip. “Humans get cold so easily.”

  Rokai nodded at her. Amber had complained about being cold. This Emko did seem to know what she was talking about.

  Rokai held Amber all day while Zufu smiled down at her. She would smile when Amber moved a little and tell him when her fever rose or fell. Even explaining what was so good about having a fever. She told him that his Amber was a fighter.

  It quickly became clear that whenever Rokai left Amber's side that she, rapidly, got worse. As soon as he slipped back under the blankets, in close to her she would sigh and her fever would drop.

  Rokai had a feeling that she loved him back.

  Zufu told him that was the only plausible explanation.

  He liked hearing that.

  Rokai stared at her. He had wanted her too much. This was his punishment him for his lust. He had never gotten a chance to get to know her. He had such intense feelings for her.

  Maybe he should have let the doctor take her foot off. No, if the Emko said this was for the best, then it was. They didn't have it in them to harm anyone.

  He just needed to keep his Amber close to his heart where she belonged. If he had it his way than she would never leave this house again. She would get better and he would see to it that she adjusted here. She was just tired. After she rested she would be just fine again.

  His thoughts drifted and he saw them carrying her to the spacecraft, where they would then release her body back to the universe, as they did with their dead.

  Rokai couldn't bare that thought. He didn't want to lose her. He kissed the top of her head, wanting to feel that she was still in his arms. As long as that was the case it m
eant that she was safe.

  He held her close so neither of them would fall out of the bed in their sleep. He fell asleep quickly, already used to sleeping next to her.

  Rokai woke in the morning with the first sounds of the Emko working in the fields. Sometimes he would stand in the window and watch them, but mostly he stayed with his Amber, hugging her warm body to his.

  Rokai looked down at Amber. He could only see the back of her head. She was lying on his chest. He felt her hand on his stomach. He looked at her rounded back, watching closely to see if she was breathing. Her shoulder slowly raised and sunk again. She was alive. She had made it through the nightly resting phase and she would make it through the day, too.

  Rokai had to keep his faith, believing that she would live.

  Rokai inched his way out from under her. He laid her head gently on the pillow, kissing her cheek before he went off to wash for the day. He nodded at Zufu who smiled at him and moved closer to Amber.

  Zufu was running her purple hand over Amber's beautiful hair. Zufu had explained that humans needed lots of contact to be happy and even more to heal.

  Amber still hadn't moved when he came back from his wash in the brook. He sat down and looked at her. Was she breathing or not? He found her pulse and held his hand over her mouth to feel the air moving there. She was doing just fine.

  There was a knock on the door. He rose to answer the door himself.

  Zufu stayed by Amber's other side.

  “Good morning, doctor.” Rokai stepped aside so he could enter.

  The doctor slowly did. “How is she?”

  “She's still sleeping.”

  The doctor checked her pulse and listened to her heart. She was alive and stronger than last night. She could pull through. “Has she woken at all yet?”