Questor had used the virtual reality sequences as a sleep learning technique to implant such details in his mind. He did however think about some of the less common details. Such as the unusual way the colonists tended to name things by merging two or more descriptive words. The fact that it was one of the few colony worlds that had been successfully settled without the guild's help. He also thought about the bazaar giant tree colonies that consisted of a double symbionce between two kinds of plant life and one that was technically an animal life form.
No one observed his arrival when he touched down on the planet. Nor did anyone perceive the hidden ‘nest’ he built for his shuttle under a rocky outcropping on the crest of one of the few hills tall enough to stick up above the tops of the huge trees that dominated the lowlands. Steve instructed his shuttle to form a maintenance cocoon. A few minutes later, Steve walked upon XenDar. He had clothed himself in nano-morphic fabric. He brought an unusual looking walking stick composed of some particularly high grade nano-morphic material. It also contained a massive power charge. His pockets contained a number of useful things. Most of which were actually nanomorphic pellets capable of becoming anything from a hunting dart, to a spoon and fork. There was even a fair amount of short term medical nano-seeds.
These were preprogrammed to promote the health of whatever ‘host’ they were activated for. They were concealed in a form of tobacco-like material smoked by some of the residents of XenDar. As the material burned the nano-robots within it were activated by the heat, which they used to charge their systems. They would absorb most of the harmful heat and toxins within the smoke before it could harm the lungs of the smoker. Then these nano-robots would enter more deeply into the body of the host they were bonding with, via their new host's lungs.
The side of the hill was covered with vine like plants but nothing that really resembled trees. For that he'd have to descend into one of the valleys. Once he reached the valley, he would openly walk along the top of the larger branches that connected the separate giant trees they were in symbionce with. The trick was to reach the branches in the first place.
The more dangerous denizen of the forest sometimes hunted among the hills. The real difficulty however, was that before he could get near enough to one of the giant tree colonies to reach it's branches Steve would be in it's shade. Then he'd have to move quickly before the voracious omnivores that nested in the mucky ooze of the forest floor found him. Until then, the worst he could have to deal with would be the predator the locals called ‘SnarlClaw’.
Chapter 9 The Garage etc...
The charging area had two doors. The small one they came in by and a bigger sliding metal door that automatically opened to the outside when Stephanie pressed a button on the carts dash. As Stephanie put the vehicle in motion, Cindy noticed a sudden soft whine that sounded a lot like the distinctive sound made by the ‘Jeep’ Jake had driven her to Hillside in.
“Is this cart electric?” she asked.
“No Cindy, like our so called Jeeps, it actually has a hydrogen turbine engine,” Jake explained.
They were on a short path a few feet to one side of the patio. The path cut through a wooded section of the grounds before it intersected the gravel drive at the crest of the hill. When they reached it Stephanie stopped and faced Cindy.
“We call this access road the main drive,” she said. “To the right it leads down to a few hiking trails and a small stream with some of the best fishing spots in the area. To the left it leads back the way you came up the hill. But we are going down to the garage so...”
Then without another word she drove the four wheeler down the steep path on the other side of the road. She seemed to delight in getting all four wheels off the ground as the vehicle careened down the bumpy path. Cindy didn't have time to worry about it before the path's incline became somewhat less severe.
“Stephanie!” Jess growled. “Slow down!”
“What? Gone chicken on me Jess?” Stephanie accused, as she slowed down slightly to what she considered a safer speed.
“No!” he replied. “I'm just tired of rebuilding the suspension on these buggies.”
“Spoilsport!” she retorted. “Oh well it doesn't matter, were there already.”
As Stephanie finished speaking she stopped just outside the back door to the garage. When they stepped out of the cart onto the path, Jake spoke up.
“Actually Stephanie, I'd appreciate it if you'd try not to get Cindy's adrenaline pumped up quite so hard,” he said. “She's always been turned on by dangerous situations. Between my knowledge of that and your bare snatch, I'm having a hard time maintaining control.”
“Oh please, lets not go there just now,” Jess said. “I haven't recovered from our escapades in the side yard yet.”
“Besides that, I'm a little bit sore down there just now,” Cindy added.
“Alright!” Stephanie conceded. “I'll be a good girl for the rest of the day.”
“Good!” said Jake.
Then he opened and held the door for the others to enter the building. The door opened onto a platform with a few steps leading down to a long narrow storage area.
“This is the third floor loft, Jess explained. “We use it to store a lot of small repair parts and a few bicycles.” Then he gestured to the left where the stairs continued down. “This leads to a much larger second floor where Hillside provides quarters for those of us staff who choose to live on premises. It consists of twenty small bedrooms. Each with a private rest room, consisting of a toilet and sink. There are common kitchen and dining areas. It also has a lounge, a recreation area and a common rest room with a few semiprivate shower stalls and a couple of fairly private bathtubs.”
He paused just outside a door with a palm reader and a keypad with intercom speaker.
“In the employee quarters, staff has a right to a form of privacy,” he continued to explain. “In practice it's rare that any of us care much more about the privacy itself than the average contestant on an x rated reality show appears to. But we do care that we have a right to it. So please bear with me for a moment.” At this point he pressed the star button on the keypad and spoke into the intercom. “Guest alert! I've got the boss's new apprentice and his guest here with me. I'm about to show them my room and would like to let them see what our common area's are like. Are there any objections?”
After about five seconds of effective silence Jess palmed the reader and there was a click. He pushed the door open and led them into a small room with two other doors. One on each side. Neither door had a latch. Instead they were split swinging doors styled a little like the entrance to an old west saloon. Except it would be difficult to see over them because they extended from within a few inches of the floor nearly to the top of the doorway. There were also a few cubbies and shelves loaded with armbands, headbands and sashes. Some were white with a black emblem and some black, with a white emblem. There were also a few that were deep red with a multi-color emblem of gray, brown, and blue. Jess picked up one of the red sashes.
“Access to staff facilities such as these quarters are limited to staff and those we choose to invite,” he informed them. “They are the only places on the premises that staff don't have to wear a black or white emblem. Instead, our guests are required to wear a red guest sash or band. Aside from that, like the rest of Hillside, all other clothing is optional.”
Without comment, Jake took the sash from Jess's hand and slipped it over his shirt. Cindy shrugged, and selected a red headband from one of the cubbies. Then Stephanie also selected a red headband.
“By the way Stephanie, I'm a little confused by the whole headband/armband/sash thing,” Cindy spoke up. “Steve said you were part of his staff. But?”
“Good question,” Stephanie answered. “Only some of the people Steve hired are technically ‘Hillside’ staff. So, since I'm part of Steve's personal staff rather than an employee of the Hillside facility, I like Sandra, need to wear a red emblem here.”
“Th
at makes sense I guess,” Cindy replied. “But Jess made a big thing about having to announce us...”
“And I didn't bother to mention Stephanie.” Jess interrupted. “That's because Stephanie has achieved the rare distinction of having a unanimous standing invitation to enter without announcement from all resident Hillside personnel. I think most of us fantasize about suddenly finding her in our beds and the rest just like her company.
We might as well start with my room, it's though the doorway on the left.”
Through this door there was a short hallway that turned to the right and became a much longer hallway. Which extended all the way to the front of the building. On the left side there were ten doors with palm readers. On the right side there were four doorways with swinging doors. Jess led them to the second door on the left and again palmed the reader. The door clicked and he pulled it open.
“Be it ever so humble,” he mumbled.
Just inside there were a few coat hooks and an open door to the small restroom on the left. On the right there was a small counter top with a microwave on it. There were two small cabinets over the counter and two more under it. Then the room opened up to a ten by ten area.
“It's actually a lot more comfortable than it looks,” Jess said.
As he said that he pointing at a fold out sofa bed located just around the corner from the restroom wall. Beside the sofa bed there was a plain looking bureau. On the other side there was a small table with a remote control and a wireless keyboard on it. The far wall had a sliding glass patio style doorway that opened to a modest balcony style porch just deep enough for a small plastic table with two chairs.
Jess picked up the remote and pointed it at the wall opposite the sofa bed. The top 5 feet of which was instantly transformed into huge wide screen TV. On which some cowboy in a white hat was shooting a six gun at a couple dozen masked men in black hats. All of whom he shot dead without having to stop to reload. Jess pointed the remote at the wall again and it went blank.
“I get just about every TV station on the planet,” he said. “Now let me show you the common areas.”
He then led the way to the nearest swinging door, almost directly across the hall from his room. It was a combination kitchen and dining room with three long tables. There was a muscular black man sitting at the table nearest to the stove. He was wearing jeans and a red shirt. He looked up at them as they entered.
“Hello, I'm Al,” he said. “And the lady here is Sam.”
As he said that he gestured towards the stove where Sam was standing, facing away from them, stirring a pot of soup. Sam had shoulder length hair that had been dyed a bright shade of blue. The lacy black top did nothing to hide the colorful tattoos that ran down Sam's back and arms. The short silver/gray skirt that clung to Sam's butt stopped halfway to the knees. Below that, both legs were covered with more tattoos. What could be seen of Sam's skin between the tattoos, was pasty white. As was the face that peeked at them over Sam's shoulder. The delicate facial skin contrasted with the black lipstick and eye shadow.
“Soups about done,” Sam said while slowly turning to face them. “There's plenty to share if you'd like some.”
Cindy was almost jealous of Sam's shapely figure.
“I didn't know there were any ‘goths’ at Hill...” Cindy's voice trailed off as she took in the rest of Sam's appearance.
It was Sam's eyes that got her attention. They were blue eyes with a difference. The ‘whites’ of the eyes, were actually black. This fascinated Cindy so much that she was already wondering if it was actually some kind of tattoo ink before she noticed that Sam's chest was actually rather flat. Or that the clinging fabric of the front of Sam's skirt showed the unmistakable outline of male genitalia. He wore nothing under his lacy blouse. Which was open enough in the front to show off a large tattoo of the naked upper torso of a black woman with exaggeratedly large breasts that almost completely covered his chest in such a way that the artwork's nipples overlaid his own. Which were only partially covered by the blouse's sheer fabric.
“I believe I'm the only one within a hundred miles of here,” Sam replied.
Jess quickly took the chair across from Al
“I for one would love a bowl of your soup Sam,” he said.
“Me too,” Stephanie added as she sat down beside Al. “If your smart,” she continued with a nod to Jake and Cindy. “You'll both take advantage of Sam's offer. Even Mike says Sam makes the best soup on the continent.”
“Flattery will get you an extra serving my dear,” Sam said as he coyly batted his eyes.
Jake stopped staring long enough to turn to Cindy
“It's been awhile since dinner,” he said. “If Mike says it's that good it just might hit the spot. Shall we?”
“Smells good!” Cindy said as she sat down next to Jess.
Jake sat next to Cindy. Then after staring a Sam for a moment he tried to apologize.
“I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude Sam,” he said. “Would you like some help with that?”
Sam shook his head.
“No, I always like being a good hostess,” he replied. “Almost as much as I like being stared at Jake. It is Jake right?
“Ah, yes that's right.” Jake said as he pointedly tried to stop staring.
Which was rapidly becoming more difficult because Sam was obviously getting a little excited. His hardening organ was beginning to lift the front of his skirt. Sam looked down.
“Sorry about that,” he said. “But I'm afraid I can't help it.”
“Maybe not,” Jake allowed with a shudder. “But I think I can.”
He quickly marshaled what control he had over his nanites and suddenly nobody was excited any more. Cindy stuck her elbow into Jake's ribs.
“No fair Jake!” she said. “I was starting to enjoy the show.”
“Which show Cindy?” Stephanie asked. “Sam's snake or Jake being uncomfortable with it?”
“Both,” Cindy admitted with a sigh.
“Don't let them get to you sir,” Al said to Jake with a shake of his head. “While I'm not sure Stephanie here knows how to take no for an answer. I can tell you for a fact that Sam here never puts a move on anyone that he isn't sure wants him to.”
“I can vouch for that too Jake,” Jess added. “Though I'm not so sure your ready to find that very reassuring.”
Meanwhile, Sam had snatched a stack of bowls from a cabinet and placed them on the counter beside the stove. Then one bowl at a time he ladled them full of soup and placed them on the table. Finally placing the sixth and last bowl beside Stephanie and across from Jake. Next he quickly passed out spoons and napkins and took his seat with a sigh, before he spoke up.
“Oh please do find it reassuring Jake,” he finally kibitzed. “Yes, I'm bisexual. But I don't really mean to make people uncomfortable. Except of course for the fashion police, who don't think us goths have a right to dress up. Them, I ‘like’ making uncomfortable. But speaking of that... Once I get excited, I usually stay that way for a while. But suddenly I wasn't anymore. Did your nanosymbiont do that to me?”
“Yes Sam, in a way it was,” Jake admitted. “Though actually I'm told that my nanites haven't had enough time to form a true nanosymbiont yet.”
“Ya mean ya made ya nanites do that with sheer will power Jake?” Jess asked. Then his fake accent disappeared as he continued without waiting for an answer. “That's supposed to be nearly impossible. Or at least very difficult according to what Sandra taught me.”
“Difficult or not,” Sam was practically shaking as he continued. “It makes me very uncomfortable to have anything like that done to me.” He looked like he was going to be ill.
“I'm sorry!” Jake said.
He really was sorry. He didn't feel like he'd messed with anybody the way he had unintentionally affected Sandra's orientation. Yet Sam was obviously very upset by what he had done on purpose. Which in turn bothered Jake's conscience.
“Now Sam!” Jess butted in. “It doesn't b
other you like this when Steve decides things are getting so out of control that he has to ‘be a wet blanket’ as he calls it. So why are you giving Jake such grief over it?”
“I don't know,” Sam shot back. “It took me a long time to learn to trust Steve enough to be sure he would never mess with my mind more than he had to. And besides, He never makes me feel like I don't even ‘like’ guys. He's always real careful to only make me feel like I'm just not in the mood.”
“But Sam, that's all I was trying to do!” Jake said.
“OK Jake, maybe it wasn't on purpose,” Sam relented. “And you did make me feel like I wasn't in the mood. But when you did that, there were a few seconds when I felt like that the next time I was in the mood it would only be the girls I was interested in anymore.”
“I'm very sorry Sam,” Jake said. “I didn't mean to project my own feelings about such things on you. Perhaps I should just leave.”
Sam quickly looked into Jake's eyes.
“No! he said. “Stay, I believe you didn't mean to. Besides, the soup will be getting cold and I'd hate to see it go to waste.”
The soup was good. Though the conversation was lacking as the bowls quickly became empty. Eventually Sam broke the silence.
“Tell you what Jake,” he said with a wink. “I'll make you a deal. If you will stay out of my soft girlish head, even when I get excited. I'll try not to get excited ‘because’ of your hard manly body.”
It took Jake a couple of seconds to decide that Sam was actually serious about his offer. Another three to make up his mind.
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