by Maxi MacNair
“Ready?” Kallos said.
“Yes,” she said, giving the animal one last farewell before sealing the door. “Let’s go.”
There was much protocol as they approached the ship and Larisa was introduced to a number of noble Halpasen people. The older ones smiled simply and graciously, but she could sense a slight animosity from some of the younger females she greeted.
“And this is Yevis,” Kallos said, closing the introductions of his crew, which were the last in line.
Larisa smiled in greeting towards the man clad in all black. He smiled back jovially before leading the group into the waiting ship.
She, Kallos, and Yevis, stood in the common area of the ship named Silent Night, along with four other crew members. Jusstan, short compared to the others and looking like he had been pulled from his bed ten hours too early, was the chief engineer. Wislin, the pilot and executive officer of the ship, had fiery hair. Mapple, a quiet woman who only nodded when addressed, was the information and communications systems technician, as well as their first aid expert. And Banet, an older male who wore short sleeves that revealed his muscular arms, was the loadmaster in charge of cargo. Perhaps it was just her imagination, but Larisa didn’t quite appreciate the look in his eyes.
Maybe he is just one of those Halpasen that took offense to her being human, she mused.
“Yevis is our navigational expert,” Kallos continued. “It’s a role best suited for space travel, but he knows this ship’s systems better than any of us. He makes an easy journey easier.”
“I’ll certainly do my best, my lord,” Yevis said.
“Well then,” Kallos said. “Everyone to their stations. Let’s prepare for takeoff.”
While the crew members scurried off, Kallos put an arm around Larisa’s shoulder. Her heart jumped like it always did not after they experienced making love for the first time. Afterwards, the two of them simply embraced for some time and chatted about their worlds. Kallos went back to his rooms though to sleep leaving Larisa’s bed feeling a little empty to her for that night and the few after. During the day Kallos seemed like nothing had changed for Kallos, and perhaps nothing had. He was intent on marrying her and had already made it abundantly clear how attracted and fond of her he was. The only thing that needed to change was Larisa herself, and Larisa was now wondering when they were going to get the chance to be together like that again.
“We can watch takeoff from the portside viewport,” Kallos said. “Or from the cockpit, if you’d prefer.”
“I’d like to see the cockpit, if I wouldn’t be intruding,” Larisa said.
“Not at all. There’ll always be space for you.”
The seven beings onboard the Silent Night shared a meal of skewered meat, fresh fruits and vegetables, and sparkling wine in the common area. There were private rooms in which Larisa and Kallos could have dined alone, but Larisa wanted to force herself to be social and expand her knowledge about the Halpasen people. That, of course, resulted in her being confronted with questions regarding her greatest experiences of culture shock.
“The use of titles and formalities has been new for me,” Larisa was saying, avoiding her gut response of drawing attention to the collar around her neck. Based on her previous conversation with Kallos, she doubted they would understand. “And this pre-wedding trip to find those—what are these gems we’re looking for again?”
“Syimondium gems,” Yevis offered. He was leaning into the table, enamoured with the conversation.
“Right. Those. Such an obscure name. It’s hard to remember.”
“They were named after the Syim clan,” Yevis said. “Who first brought the gems to the main continent.”
“And then created a monopoly which lead to one of our gravest wars,” Wislin said in a snarky voice. She took a long drink of her wine.
“Yes, yes,” Yevis said to her with frustration. “I was specifically keeping it simple.”
“So did I,” she said. “I could have recited all of Article 784.”
He seemed to consider that.
Larisa made a mental note to look up this Article 784, figuring that it might do her good to learn some of Halpa’s history.
“Lady Larisa,” Wislin said between bites of a juicy violet fruit. “How do you find being with a Halpasen?”
Banet choked on a bite of food. Mapple looked at the other woman in shock. Larisa felt her face turn a deep red.
“No, no,” Wislin said in a hurry, before Kallos could recover enough from her bluntness to respond. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Then what did you mean?” Banet said, failing to cover his smirk with his hand.
“I meant culturally,” Wislin clarified. “Do humans also mate for life? Do they forge bonds like we do?”
Larisa stared at her plate. “You… mate for life?”
“Wait, you don’t? And you didn’t know?”
Wislin shot a glance at Kallos.
“I thought it was given,” Kallos said.
“No,” Larisa said. “I suppose I should have gathered that, but…”
“It’s okay,” Kallos said. “You can’t be expected to know everything.”
“So, wait, humans don’t mate for life?” Wislin said, breaking a short silence.
“Some do,” Larisa said. “Others don’t.”
“How is that possible?”
“I don’t know what you mean. Sometimes the relationship just doesn’t work out. People stop loving each other, or they were never a good match to begin with.”
The entire table had their eyes on Larisa. The eating had stopped.
“An intriguing possibility,” Yevis said. “But you mean to tell me that humans can live away from the one they are linked to?”
“Bizarre,” Wislin said, resting her wine glass on her lips. “Multiple partners in a lifetime…”
“Perhaps the difference is in how we form bonds with our partners,” Mapple said, speaking for the first time. “The Halpasen are known for forging unbreakable bonds, maybe even with other species. It’s what keeps up strong. It might be that the roots of these bonds are deeper for us than for others. Shallow roots are more easily uprooted by turmoil.”
Larisa played the woman’s words over in her head. She couldn’t help but think about what they meant.
“Let’s hold off on the hypothesizing for now,” Kallos said firmly. Beneath the table, his hand patted Larisa’s. “She’s interested in travel. Why don’t you all share your favorite places?”
“Oh, yes, please,” Larisa said, eager to delve into less serious territory and beaming with interest. “I’ll make a list.”
After getting recommendations from each of them—including an extra few from both Yevis and Wislin—and after another round of drinks, Larisa felt some slight semblance of being at home for the first time since leaving Earth.
~
“We’re lucky this is a small ship,” Kallos said to Larisa as the Silent Night settled down in a crevice surrounded by lush rainforest and steep rock that jutted up to form the Geranum mountain range. “Most have to land miles off and then make the trek to the caverns over land.”
“How close are we to them, exactly?” Larisa undid the safety belt strapped across her waist.
Kallos gave Yevis a questioning look.
“About five minutes,” Yevis said.
“Walking’s good for the legs,” Larisa said, looking forward to being able to enjoy the scenery rather than speed past it. “If that’s okay with you, Kallos.”
“Of course,” Kallos said. “Come, let’s head out.”
“They’re not joining us?” Larisa asked as they left the cockpit.
“The crew? No, no. They’ll stay with the ship.”
“Isn’t it safer to be in a group if we’re digging through caves?”
Kallos smiled. “It’s not dangerous. No sudden drop-offs or anything of the sort. You needn’t worry.”
He stepped out onto the ramp and held out a hand for her.
“Bes
ides,” he said. “You have me.”
“And if you’re not enough?” Larisa smirked.
“I wouldn’t be doing any of this if I didn’t think I could be enough for you.”
After following a trail of worn grass cordoned by tall, redwood trees, they arrived at the mouth of the caverns. The jagged rock faces caught the warm midday sun, making the cave appear welcoming.
“Watch your step,” Kallos said as he led Larisa down the slope that ran into the cave. Sections of dirt had turned into pools of mud from recent rainfall.
“I’ve got this,” Larisa said, stepping carefully. “I’m not afraid of a little mud.”
“Well, you don’t want to be covered in it.”
Kallos pulled a small flashlight from a pocket and turned it on. Its white light penetrated deeper than any flashlight Larisa had ever seen, revealing what looked like a standard cave, with high ceilings and brown walls.
“Actually, I’ve always wanted to have a mud bath,” Larisa said.
Kallos turned to her, the flashlight swivelling with him and its light falling onto her chest.
“A mud bath? What in blazes is that?”
“Just what it sounds like,” she said, giving him a perplexed look. “You don’t have those here?”
“Some animals bathe in mud,” he said. “Do you really have those? Isn’t that what you would call dirty, and a bath is what you use to make yourself clean?”
“It’s more of a spa thing,” Larisa said, motioning for Kallos to lead the way into the cave. “For relaxation and purifying the skin.”
“Is that why your skin is so soft?”
“What?” Larisa laughed. “No. I said I’ve never had one. But they’re supposed to be amazing.”
“Interesting…”
“Anyway, which way?”
They had come to a branch in the tunnel, one path continuing straight, but the other veering to the left and adopting a low ceiling.
“Either,” Kallos said. “Both will lead us to syimondium deposits.”
“Which one’s better?”
“I don’t know if there is a ‘better’ one,” he said. “Tradition says we’re supposed to follow our hearts and go with our instincts.”
The contrast of Kallos’ definitive voice and the corny-romantic content of his words made Larisa smile. It was cute.
“Well, what does your heart say?” Larisa looked up at him.
“It says to ask you that same question.”
“All right,” she said with a laugh. “My heart says we go left.”
“Then left it is.”
After a short distance of low ceilings—for which Kallos has to bend his head and shoulders to accommodate—the passaged opened up drastically and to a sight that made Larisa gasp and Kallos pause in awe. Although they had heard the rushing of water echoing through the tunnel for some time, they hadn’t been prepared for the tower of cascading water that rose up before them, nor the glistening streams that cut their way among a field of shimmering ores and crystalline rocks.
Speechless and as if in a trance, Larisa approached the nearest patch of clear white crystals. She ran her hand over one of the smooth faces, then along an edge.
“I…” Larisa turned and took in the entire cavern once again. “I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.”
“The holo-images I’ve seen,” Kallos began as he went to stand beside her, “don’t do it justice.”
“It’s… incredible.” She turned to him, aware of the heat rising in her chest and cheeks. “I understand why your parents chose to stay here longer.”
“I’m sorry we can’t do the same,” he said with a frown and regret clear in his tone.
“No, no,” Larisa said, taking his hand. “I am grateful for even a minute here.”
“And I’m grateful to be here with you.”
They held each other and kissed, wholly unaware of the passage of time within a seemingly infinite cache of crystals and the constant, reassuring din of singing water. The whole cave had a humid warmth to it like it was a greenhouse.
The two of them walked hand in hand along the pool of water that formed in the room from the waterfall and gazed at the shimmering sea of syimondium crystals. The two of them said nothing, and suddenly something caught Larisa’s eye.
“Are you certain this is the one you want?” Kallos leapt over a stream of water to the formation Larisa was examining.
“I just have a feeling about it,” Larisa said, her nose nearly touching the violet syimondium. “You said to listen to my heart so…”
“This central one?”
“Yes. It’s… brilliant. I can’t explain it. If you look at it a certain way, there’s magenta in it. And veins of red.”
Kallos tilted his head from side to side.
“Look closer,” Larisa said, taking a step back. “You might have to squint a bit.”
Larisa turned her flashlight to the floor and Kallos dimmed the setting on his. He leaned into the syimondium formation, then gently ran his fingers over it.
“You’re right,” he said with a growing smile. “This is the one.”
“You think so?” Larisa’s excitement was evident in her voice.
“I know so,” he said. “Here, hold this bag while I use the scanner and slicer.”
“We just break it off and take it?” Larisa watched as he withdrew an object the size of a quarter, followed by what looked like a laser pointer.
“How else do we get it? Don’t worry though, it will grow back, although it will be different. It might be more brilliant and it might be more dull, but it will be its own.”
A beam of blue light scanned the formation, leaving a projection of dots and a thin, blue line.
“The scanner relays where the bonds are the weakest,” Kallos said. “It shows me where to cut, and synchronizes with the slicer to guide its laser only where designated. Can you hold the top so it doesn’t fall?”
Larisa steadied the syimondium as he cut away a section about the size of Larisa’s forearm.
“Do we really need so much of it?” Larisa helped Kallos slide it into the bag.
“Some will be lost during processing, and not all of it is guaranteed to be flawless.”
“I don’t mind some flaws,” Larisa said. “It’s more natural that way.”
“That is true,” he said, carrying the bag in both hands. “If there’s leftovers, I’m sure we can find a use for it.”
“So… we’re done here, then?” Larisa looked longingly around the caverns. “Are we heading back right now?”
Kallos activated a display on his watch.
“We could stay for a little while longer,” he said, smiling.
“Let’s go sit by the waterfall,” Larisa suggested, slightly embarrassed at how overjoyed she felt at being permitted to stay longer.
“Sure, but the water will spray us.”
“I don’t mind getting a little wet.”
“Oh, you don’t, do you?” He said, stepping up close to her and smiling deviously. “I don’t mind helping with that.”
Larisa blushed and reflexively looked away.
He pulled back and frowned. “Was that too much?”
“No, sorry,” she said. “It just surprised me. That’s all.”
“I’m afraid I’m still learning how to judge the social cues of humans… I apologize.”
Larisa shook her head. “Humans are still learning how to judge our own social cues. It was spot on with what a human would say. I just didn’t expect you to say something… like that.”
“Something bold?”
“Something dirty.”
“‘Dirty’?” He looked at her askance. “Why would you say ‘dirty’? A mud bath is dirty if I remember the word right.”
Larisa thought for a moment, then shrugged. “It’s just what we call comments like that.”
“Humans are strange. There’s nothing dirty about me wanting to pleasure you.”
“Some might think
like you, but not many. I guess it’s a long-standing cultural thing.”
“Still, it’s odd,” he said. He jostled the syimondium bundle he carried. “Anyway, let’s set this over by the entrance first, then go to the waterfall. We deserve a little break from all our hard work.”
Larisa nodded, and they did so, finding a ledge a half dozen feet above the water. Larisa secretly wanted to dive in, but figured that was unwise with the depth of the pool unknown and there being the potential for strong underwater currents. Instead, she simply took off her shoes and socks, and let her feet dangle off the edge. Kallos followed suit, then placed his hand on hers. His touch was warm, and Larisa took comfort in it. Her heart swelled in her chest, beating firm and steady.
As they sat in silence, the waterfall casting a steady and even mist over them, Larisa wondered if she didn’t have more to learn from this culture than she thought. Slowly, her hand crept up to Kallos’ ear and he smirked as she ran her finger from the lobe to the pointed tip.
“Are you being dirty now?” Kallos had to speak loudly over the sound of the waterfall.
“I think I’m beginning to see what you said. I don’t think you can call this dirty at all.”
Kallos leaned in to kiss her and their lips met with instant sparks coursing through the two of them. Their kissing became more intense and Larisa could feel her breathlessness but the sound of the waterfall drowned out all other sounds now. She put her hands on his chest and lightly guided Kallos to lie down as she moved her hands down to the bulge in his pants. Larisa didn’t know what was happening to her. It was either the setting or the fact that there was no question in her mind that she was with someone that desired her. Either way, she knew that she liked having sex with Kallos. There was no denying there was a connection there, which was starting to make the constant remembering that she was going to be married to him a bit easier to take.
She could hear Kallos mumble something, but she didn’t make it out as the sound of the waterfall was too loud. She pushed her hand underneath the waistband of the fabric to grasp his stiffening rod that had already formed a dew drop of moisture on the tip. Kallos kicked off his garment as Larisa moved down to kiss the tip of his penis and take him into her mouth. Larisa watched as his skin started to glow slightly again in the dim light of the cave as she slid her lips up and down his shaft. Soon she could feel a matching slickness herself and could not wait to have Kallos inside her again.
