Runaway
The two moons were almost full when Yash slipped out of the back door of the house, trying to be as quiet as possible. He gently closed the door behind him the moment laughter exploded in the living room, making him cringe. Surely they were laughing at him, imagining him in Jamika's clutches.
He took a deep breath and started jogging through the backyard and into the street towards his friend's house. He was out of that trap, but he needed a hideout. He could still hear his mother saying, "Finally he'll settle and stop running around!" As if his medals meant nothing to her.
He threw a pebble at Shahid's window and the light came on. His friend came to the window.
"Yash!" he whispered, eyes wide in surprise. "Where have you been? What's going on?"
"Get down here," he whispered back. "I don't want to get caught!"
Shahid signaled him to wait and soon joined him under the front porch in his night clothes.
"Did you come running?" he asked, noticing the sweat on Yash's forehead.
"Yes." Yash sighed. He wasn't out of breath – he was used to running for miles – but he was sweating. "I'm in trouble."
"What did you do?"
"I shoved Jamika and ran away."
"Ran away? From home? But why?" Shahid protested in a low voice.
"They kept me locked in the basement," he explained with a huff of impatience. "Jamika visited me every day. Today she told me she's finally pregnant."
"Oh. So?"
"So I'm supposed to marry her! I don't want to spend my life with such an abusive wife!"
"But you have no choice! Unless you manage to leave the planet."
Yash frowned and pursed his lips. "I am leaving the planet, Shahid. Will you come with me?"
Shahid gaped at him. "We'll never make it on our own out there!" he protested.
Yash smiled ruefully. His friend was still willing to be abused.
"I'll die or thrive on my own, then," he said.
"But Yash, surely it's not that bad! I mean, Jamika is pretty, and..."
Yash raised his hand to silence his friend.
"I came to say good-bye. Don't tell anyone that you saw me. I wish you all the best, Shahid. I have no future on this planet."
Shahid opened and closed his mouth, trying to find something to say.
Yash offered his hand, determined. "Wish me luck."
Shahid quickly hugged him and watched him jog away.
Again Yash ran all the way to the spaceport. The night air was cool and moving helped him not to think of what had happened.
Jamika walking into the room with her sardonic smile. Him well aware of another night of torment to come. And then the news, and how he saw red and shoved her away, and she stumbled and fell and lost consciousness. Him staring at her, holding his breath, and seeing the only way out.
He'd quickly put on his gym suit – the only thing that was there, since it was what he was wearing the first night they'd taken him downstairs and locked him in – and quietly went upstairs, passing by the living room door where his mother and hers were talking about the upcoming wedding of Jamika and Yash, with sparse comments from their husbands.
Luckily his gym shoes were by the back door, so he didn't have to run barefooted – although he was ready to do that as long as he could get away from his own house that had become such a nightmarish place.
Yash's mother had decided it was time Yash got married too, to a suitable girl. And since Jamika had been after him for years and she came from a high-middle class family, they'd joined forces with Jamika's mother to keep him locked in until he could be forced to marry his pregnant girlfriend.
Except he'd never loved her. He never even felt any kind of attraction for her – or anyone else for that matter. And he had never managed to get rid of her. Until now.
He reached the spaceport, mostly closed since there were no interstellar flights scheduled for the night. Automated clerks informed him there were a couple of private starships docked and neither were Ypsilantian.
Yash sighed. He couldn't rent a starship because he couldn't drive it. He'd have to beg a stranger for passage away from his home planet. And he had no money. What if he had to pay with sex? He shivered at the thought. But then, it couldn't be worse than feeding Jamika's lust. One more time and then he'd be free.
Then he saw a woman walk into the spaceport, probably a soldier, or a mercenary, since she was armed but wore no uniform. She was a tall and slender brunette probably older than him – maybe in her thirties? She reached an automated clerk to check out her spaceship and Yash approached her shyly.
"Excuse me, ma'am..."
Sky-blue eyes stared at him and gave him the once-over, making him blush. He knew that look. Plenty of women on Ypsilanti had given him that look. Only Jamika had forced herself on him, though.
"I need to leave the planet immediately, but I can't drive a starship..." His cheeks burned with shame, but he sustained her gaze.
"You're Ypsilantian, right?"
"Yes."
"Why am I not surprised an Ypsilantian young man is totally dependent on his female relatives," she grumbled. "You must be really in trouble to talk to a stranger."
"I am. I don't have money to repay you, but..."
She shrugged. "I can't take you to my home planet, since I'm Sylvanian, but I'm not headed there at the moment, so... yeah, you can come."
"Thank you, ma'am," he said, noticing her small luggage, as they headed for the hangars. "Can I help you carry it?"
"No, thanks, I always travel light for a reason." She grinned. "Since we don't have men on Sylvania, we learn to carry our stuff early on. How about your luggage?"
"I don't have any – I left in a hurry..."
"I had guessed that much."
They reached a Futureo-class Fox ship – small compared to most interstellar starships, but enough for one person. Or two.
"It's the most popular size for private ships," she said. "Most rentals are Futureo-class Foxes. Their sensors are slightly below average, the speed is average, but they have good weapons – to make up for the poor shields, probably."
"So is this yours or rented?" he asked shyly.
"It's mine." She winked. "I had it upgraded on Friport so its shields are now about average and the fuel supply very good. I call her Mothership, even though she's not a real mothership. But it's like a second home to me, so..."
Yash nodded, sitting next to her in the cockpit and waiting for her to do all the normal operations before take-off. He was glad he'd found her because he wouldn't have known what to do on his own. Maybe with Shahid they could have rented a starship, but not him alone.
"Ever been off world?" she asked, as the ship purred under them. He shook his head, blushing again. "Not even on an interstellar cruise, or the Galaxy Express? You poor Ypsilantian men are really kept under wraps."
"You could say that, ma'am." He lowered his eyes, unable to keep sourness out of his voice.
"Birgit," she said. "And you are?"
"Yash."
"Welcome onboard, Yash."
Unsure of what to do with himself, he stared at the main screen as the spacecraft slowly moved out of docking. The dashboard looked complicated, compared to the ones he was used to, but then starships were much more than flying cars. His eyes widened as he tried to take it all in.
As the blue-green ball of Ypsilanti became smaller and smaller on the Mothership's screens, she turned to look at him.
"So, Yash, what did you do on Ypsilanti? Is there any kind of career for men on a matriarchal planet?"
There were only two in the Star Nations, Sylvania and Ypsilanti, and men didn't live long on Sylvania, since there was something in the atmosphere that aged the Y-chromosome one year per hour. So Sylvania was an all-women matriarchy, but Ypsilanti had a mixed population, where men had very few rights.
"I'm an athlete," Yash answered. "I'm a gymnast and a runner."
"Cool! How old are you?"
"Twenty-five. I know athletes
don't have long lives in the competitions and games, but I hoped I could be doing what I like for a little longer..." He frowned at the thought of the forced marriage he'd barely escaped. Even off-planet didn't mean he'd be able to keep running or competing in some other planet's team.
"Do you also do martial arts?" she inquired.
"As a sport, yes. I like multiple disciplines."
"I can tell – from your well-toned body, mostly." She smiled. "I could probably pass you off as my assistant for now. I'm headed for a gig on Xi-kong, and they're quite strict with immigration. Although I have been invited by a mob boss, so I'm sure his men will be at the spaceport waiting for me. But then we better go to Friport and get you a duplicate of your ID – I assume you don't have it with you."
"No, but the microchip should be enough to get a duplicate once we're off-planet... Although maybe I should stay off the grid for a while. You mentioned Friport – any chance of going there?"
"When I'm done on Xi-kong, why not? What do you plan to do in the big galaxy out there? Join the rogues and adventurers? It's a tough world and I've heard Ypsilantian men are everything but tough."
"I'm not sure," he admitted, frowning. "Why were you on Ypsilanti and what's the next gig?"
"Coaching." She shrugged. "I'm a mercenary, and since there are no wars to fight at the moment, I usually get calls for counseling, training or giving lectures or things like that. I'm a veteran of the Sylvanian army, but since the end of the war with the Reptilians, I've left the home planet and the service of the queen. I like the company of men."
She caressed his cheek and he stiffened. He'd hoped a Sylvanian wouldn't have a go at him. They prided themselves on not needing men. He had stumbled on one of the few who was actually interested. I must be cursed by the Goddess. She's already punishing me.
Birgit scoffed. "You're a strange one, Yash. Why are you running away?"
"They locked me in a room and forced me to do their bidding." His voice was flat, but didn't shake.
"Who is 'they'?" she asked, confused.
"My family. And hers."
"Goddess!" Birgit snorted. "I didn't know Ypsilanti would have corrective rape and forced marriage for reluctant men! Although, is there such a thing as a reluctant man?"
He was about to snap at her, then remembered where she came from. She liked men, but couldn't have met that many until she left the Sylvanian army. And it had only been nine years since the end of the war.
"This thing that I have between my legs has a life of its own," he said staring into space. "A boner doesn't mean I want it. We can have erections even in traumatic or painful sexual situations, or through manual or oral stimulation, but this doesn't mean we consent."
"So you were made to penetrate without enjoying it," she said, thoughtful.
He glanced at her. She seemed to understand. Maybe because she didn't know much about men, she was willing to listen to him. That was new. But he wasn't going to tell her everything yet.
"I thought men couldn't be raped by women." She sighed. "I guess I was wrong. Did your family do this to you because you were more interested in men or what?"
"I don't know." He shrugged. "It's tradition. I'm supposed to get married, give up my life and take care of my children. I'm actually asexual, but I've been sexually harassed and assaulted by this girl who claimed she had my interests at heart." He smiled ruefully. "She was only after her own pleasure."
"I can't blame her, you're handsome," Birgit said.
Startled, he looked at her and she winked.
"Don't worry, I don't like forcing myself on anyone," she added, patting his shoulder.
He smiled, relieved. "Thank you for understanding, Birgit. Did you have the Sylvanian real deal?"
Sylvanians had daughters by creating sperms from their bone marrow. They didn't need men to reproduce – they called it "the real deal."
"Actually no." She grimaced and averted her eyes. "No motherhood call yet. I guess we're both exceptions to our sex's rules."
She looked at him again and grinned. He smiled back, relaxing. He still had no idea of what to do with himself, but at least now he was free of his abusive girlfriend and bride-to-be.
***
Xi-kong was inhabited by Humanoids with black hair and slanted eyes, usually shorter than Birgit and Yash. A half-dozen tattooed men welcomed them at the spaceport and took them to a mansion outside of town. The mob boss was fat and as tattooed as his men. Middle-aged, he stared at Birgit with a scowl before grinning at her total lack of response.
"I had heard Sylvanian women were different. You don't seem to be afraid of men."
"Why should I?" she replied with a shrug. "You called me here. Surely it wasn't to rape me."
"No, I want you to show me how a woman fights."
She scoffed. "At your service. You know the fee."
"Is your skinny assistant fighting too?" the don asked.
"No, he's still in training, not ready to become an associate yet."
Yash remained silent and with his eyes low. He knew almost nothing of that planet's culture and didn't want to get in trouble in foreign territory. Yes, they were all Humanoids, but each planet had its own customs and traditions, and he didn't want to break some rule he wasn't aware of.
"Only a Sylvanian could have a male trainee... where did you find him, though? There are no men on Sylvania!"
"Ypsilanti, where else?"
"Pshaw!" The don completely lost interest in Yash. Ypsilantian men weren't considered men by the rest of the galaxy, since they were so subdued to their women.
Yash knew that if the man came to know he'd been raped by a woman, he'd laugh at him and tell him "you deserved it, faggot" or something like that. As if it was Yash's fault his family had decided his asexuality was a shame, and his mother wanted grandchildren as soon as possible.
He watched Birgit fight in a Xi-kongian arena against men who used acrobatic martial arts that left him gaping. He wished he could learn to fight like that, but he doubted it was a good idea. Just because he didn't have an ID didn't mean he should join the criminal world. He didn't even know if they accepted outsiders.
Birgit's fighting skills were good enough to allow her to stand up against one opponent at the time and the mob boss clapped his hands, impressed.
"Are you sure your body is not enhanced?" he asked at the end of the show.
Still catching her breath, Birgit took off her shirt and showed off her tank top that barely covered her breasts. "I'm not taking down my pants," she warned. "No enhancements, no. But I learned to fight with enhanced teammates, so I probably developed more strength than the usual woman."
They spent one night in a hotel, since Birgit was sick of traveling at night. She wanted to shower and sleep in a real bed before heading to Friport, and the mob boss sent them to one of his clients, who gave Birgit a double room, offering the key with a smirk.
"Let them think we'll have a wild night of sex," she told Yash as they went up the elevator to the room. "I'm too tired for that, but they don't know it."
She smiled at him and he smiled back, relaxing a little after the tension of the fight and the implications in the hotel manager's stare. His hands were still clenched into fists and he made an effort to loosen his fingers, taking deep, calming breaths.
"Do you think I could come back here and learn their fighting techniques?" he asked her.
"I don't recommend it," she warned. "Yes, I've heard of a few Alahairian residents who were allowed into the local martial arts schools, but it's mostly a well-guarded Xi-kongian secret. It's like each Family has its own style and they have championships, like you have games and competitions on Ypsilanti. I can train you, if that's what you want."
"You think I could be a good mercenary?" he asked as they entered the hotel room.
"I don't know," she replied. "Are you tough enough? We'll see. Mind if I shower first?"
"No, go ahead."
He sat in the armchair by the window, pondering. Whe
n he'd shoved Jamika, it had been the first time he'd hit a woman. Now that he thought about it, he'd even slapped her before shoving. That part was still sort of blurry and he hadn't slept much since they'd left Ypsilanti.
In fact his eyelids were quite heavy, even if he hadn't really fought that day. Only two days since he'd run away from home and the nightmare was still alive in his memory, not allowing him to sleep properly. He had sore muscles and cramps, and even a touch of nausea as he tried to let go of his worries and memories.
He dozed off on the comfortable armchair only to be awakened by the memory of that first night, when he'd woken up with Jamika straddling him. He was still in his room back then, and she'd managed to make him hard, so he was already inside her. Frozen, he'd laid still, unable to even fake climax, so revolted was he by the experience.
And things had only gotten worse afterward. His resistance to Jamika's sexual assaults had alarmed his mother, and they'd decided to lock him up and force him – which of course hadn't helped and made him hate the unwanted sexual contact even more.
From that moment he'd had frequent headaches and difficulty sleeping – and the latter didn't seem to be going away anytime soon. He snapped awake before Birgit came out of the bathroom, so he couldn't have slept more than a few minutes. He was tired, but was too afraid to sleep – just in case some other memory came back in his nightmares.
They went back downstairs to have dinner with minimal speaking – she must be tired, since she didn't ask him any more questions – then lay side by side on the big bed, both dressed. He felt Birgit's breathing slowing down and imagined she was asleep. Slowly he drifted off too, but again was awakened by his nightmares.
Panting in the dark, he felt a cool hand over his forehead.
"It's over, Yash, don't worry, nobody is touching you," Birgit's voice said from the dark. "Try to sleep. Boy, you're fucked up! I'd hold you, but I'm afraid it might be worse."
He caught his breath before speaking. "Do you have any sleeping pills?" he asked. That was the only way to fall into a dreamless slumber.
She switched on the light and stared at him.
"Did they drug you?" she asked bluntly.
"Once or twice." He shrugged. He'd lost track of how many days he'd been locked in the basement. "Mostly she threatened me, and once she shoved a dildo up my ass as well. I'm not a violent person, so I didn't really fight her off – and all my physical strength became useless because she made me feel powerless."
Star Minds Interregnum Page 5
