“Yes, for a year now. Why, have you already planned who I should impregnate?” he asked seemingly bored with the prospect.
“No, but I will give it some thought. Have you donated yet?”
“Yes, father has some stored.”
“Good,” she said satisfied. Sauveterre seemed unable to speak, startled by Alice’s bluntness.
“So I am to lose my virginity to science?” Anaïs complained weakly.
Alice laughed. “Not necessarily, if you want to fuck the African that is up to you, but he is leaving soon and unless you are at the right point in your cycle you may not conceive naturally. I will ask for each of them to donate sperm and ova before they go. We can use IVF.”
Anaïs laughed. “A virgin birth, how deliciously ironic.”
Sauveterre finally objected. “But this is a retrograde step, treating women as incubators. I had not planned for Anaïs to be a brood mare, especially at her age.”
Alice shook her head. “She is physically and emotionally capable and it is ultimately her decision. She will make a good mother. Besides, you assume the nuclear family and normal monogamy. Look at where you are,” she said as they pulled into the hotel driveway. “This is Bhutan, not bourgeois France. I shall get Tshering to tell you about the Bhutanese tradition of polyandry. She also has distant Musuo heritage. They are a Himalayan tribe on the Chinese side. The women do not marry and take as many lovers as they like, starting at age fourteen. Any child that is conceived is raised by her extended family and they are loved like any child, even though it may never know its genetic father. It seems Musuo women rather like the idea. They are strong and independent. It is a matrilineal society. With collective child raising women are freed from domestication.” She paused and looked at their shocked faces. “We need to think outside the box. We are not obligated to do anything the way it is done on Earth. Nothing. If everyone helps raise children, women will have independence.”
“It is true,” said Anaïs, “why assume a patrilineal society? Besides, there is strong evidence that tribal child rearing is superior in many ways. And Alice is correct. I am physically capable of carrying a child and ultimately it is my choice. I think this is a matter the females must decide. We will choose the men based on their genetic suitability and they can help raise the children.”
They were still talking amongst themselves as Alice lead them down to the underground command centre, using her security card with the confidence of someone who knew she belonged. Akash was just finishing a meeting with Li Li, Prosperous and Akoi. When she saw them Li Li rushed to give them all a warm hug. Alice introduced them and when she came to introduce Prosperous to Anaïs she whispered in her ear, “he’s from Africa” just to see her blush a deep red. Prosperous was perplexed by her reaction and looked at Alice and Li Li for an explanation. Li Li glowered at Alice who had found it all very amusing and apologised to Prosperous using the little Swahili he had taught her “pole, majununi” (sorry, silly talk).
He smiled and gave Anaïs a typical French double cheek kiss. “Pleased to meet you; I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other.”
Alice laughed and Anaïs blushed an even deeper shade of red. Prosperous looked at Li Li for an explanation but she shrugged her shoulders and reverted to French. “Ce n’est rien. Les ignorer.”
“Okay then,” said Akash in English. “I suppose you’ll be wanting to see the footage of Eden. It’s usually the first thing on people’s minds and it helps put things into perspective.”
They sat down, the lights dimmed and the vid started to play. They were all stunned into silence, unable to fully grasp what they were seeing as dramatic landscapes from a new planet brimming with alien life unfolded before them.
58
Nuku, Biyu and Torv
Nuku knew they were holding back for her sake, still, she knew she was fitter than the average citizen. The months of hiking through the dense rainforest of the peninsula had built both her aerobic and anaerobic fitness. She just wasn’t as fast as either Biyu or Torv, who she knew, were keen to test each other.
They came to a rest in a small clearing. She was breathing hard but Biyu and Torv seemed barely troubled.
“Impressive,” said Torv wiping the sweat from her brow.
“Are you serious?” asked Nuku.
“Well, you don’t run every day,” said Biyu looking up at gathering clouds.
Torv stared at Nuku intently. “See, I can tell your heartbeat is slowing. That’s a good recovery rate. You’re not expected to reach the fitness standard of the defenders.”
“Still, I want to be able to look after myself,” she said.
Torv nodded. “So I see.”
She took a deep breath. She had stopped panting. “So, what’s ne…?” She stood still and held her breath. She looked around intently. “Who’s there?” she demanded loudly.
Biyu reacted immediately, tensing as if to expect an attack. When she couldn’t see anything she relaxed. “Maybe an animal,” she said.
Nuku sniffed the air and squinted her eyes. “Show yourself,” she shouted.
“There’s no one,” said Biyu.
The raised hairs on the back of her neck told her otherwise. She looked at Torv for an explanation. She was smirking. “Okay girls; show yourselves. She knows you are there.”
“How?” complained a voice from a nearby tree.
Biyu jumped back as a shape resolved itself, shifting from the colour of bark to a normal skin tone.
“Yes, how?” said another jumping from a branch.
“No one has ever seen us,” said another appearing from behind a tree.
Nuku looked to Torv for an explanation. “They’ve been tracking us? I thought something was following us.”
Biyu shook her head, confused.
“Meet Sun, Mae and Riku – the sisters.”
“Torv told us about you but we didn’t believe her,” said the closest one as she came up to look at Nuku.
“What the fuck!” exclaimed Biyu, clearly startled.
“Chromatophores,” said Nuku looking at the girl. “Are there any other enhancements that have been kept a secret?”
“Yes,” said the girl.
“But we can’t tell, because they’re a secret,” said another with a smirk.
“And if they’re a secret, then we don’t know either,” said the third. “Such is the nature of secrets.”
“How did you know we were there?” asked the first girl.
“Perhaps a movement out of the corner of my eye, a smell, an unusual rustle, the subliminal sound of your breathing.”
“I told you,” said Torv. “You can’t just rely on visual camouflage.”
“Can somebody please explain?” Biyu pleaded.
“Genetics has advanced,” said one of the girls.
“We are the result,” said another.
“They have a special role to play. They have been training with me,” said Torv.
“We will train with you too,” said one.
“I might have been warned,” said Biyu trying to regain composure.
“It’s fun doing it this way,” said one.
“It’s part of your training,” said Torv. “To see how you deal with the unexpected. You may not be able to study your opponent as you have in the past and it certainly won’t be in a controlled situation. Girls fetch the kendo sticks.”
They ran back to the trees and fetched six sword length sticks. They tossed three to Nuku, Biyu and Torv and as soon as they caught them they charged at full speed. Nuku flinched and took a blow to her arm. Biyu hardly had time to react before a blow came at her head; only her well-trained reflexes prevented it from connecting. Torv on the other hand was in full command and parried with ease, taking time to watch Nuku and Biyu. When she saw Biyu backing away she yelled, “piss-weak Zhang. You should have defeated her by now. What if there are others nearby? You’ve got to dispatch them quickly. And you are supposed to protect Nuku. Don’t worry about hurting the gir
ls. They’ll mend.”
Biyu was shocked by Torv’s comments but she still hesitated. She allowed her opponent an opening and she was whacked hard across the back. It stung like hell. The adrenaline rush of the shock sent her into full fight mode and she somersaulted over her opponent’s head and swept around with her stick, knocking the girl on her back. Then with one quick blow to her hand she knocked the stick from her grasp. The girl grimaced but did not cry out. She let her fury carry her to challenge Nuku’s opponent and she hit the girl to the ground. When Torv saw the girl fall she turned her attention to Biyu and began to attack her. Torv was fast and agile and managed to land a couple of painful blows before she disarmed Biyu with a rapid parry that forced the stick from her hands.
“Right Biyu, lesson one: in combat these will be real blades and both you and Nuku would be a pile of dismembered body parts. You can never let that happen again.”
Biyu was furious. “But there was no warning.”
“There never is,” Torv snarled. “Disable or kill immediately. Do not let your opponent get a second chance. Ever. Got that?”
Biyu glared at Torv. “Got it,” she spat.
“Good,” nodded Torv. “Now, Sun, attack Biyu hand-to-hand with everything you’ve got.”
The girl gave a blood curdling screech and her face turned a vivid red as fangs descended from her upper palate. She leapt at Biyu and a cold chill ran through Biyu’s body. The fright caused her to pause and the girl was suddenly on her, grabbing at her throat. Biyu tried to loosen her grip but the girl was strong. The only thing she could think to do was roll and use her legs to kick the girl away. She succeeded and shaken, got to her feet, only to have the girl charge again like a wild animal. This time she was ready and she dodged whilst letting fly with a punch to the girl’s body. The girl did not seem to react and countered with a roundhouse kick. Biyu realised that the only way to stop the girl was to incapacitate her in some way. After a flurry of punches and kicks Biyu managed to position the girl so that she could trip her, put her in a neck lock and choke her. The girl struggled to release herself but could not. Biyu thought that Torv would intervene but she just watched imppassively. It was not until the girl stopped struggling that Torv tapped Biyu on the shoulder. The girl collapsed on the ground gasping for air and the other two began clapping.
“Well done Biyu,” said one.
“I want to fight you next,” said the other.
“What the fuck, are you bitches crazy?” screamed Biyu, tears beginning to well in her eyes. “I almost killed her.”
“She shouldn’t have let you…”
“She made mistakes.”
The girl took a deep breath and stood. When she was steady on her feet she bowed before Biyu.
“Thank you Biyu. I will be harder to beat next time, but you should not hold back. We will not improve if you treat us lightly.”
“Treat you lightly? Do you want broken bones and torn flesh?”
“We do not feel pain as you do and we heal quickly,” said the girl. “We do not take it personally. It is a privilege for us to fight you.”
“Are we breeding killers now?” asked Nuku who had been just as horrified as Biyu.
“Yes,” said one.
“No,” said another. “We are better…”
“At everything.”
“Nature fights…”
“All planetary ecologies produce top predators,” said Torv. “We must always make sure we are better than the top predator.”
“That is a bit reductionist isn’t it?” complained Nuku reaching to comfort Biyu with a hug. “Survival of the fittest.”
“Survival of the best adapted - for each circumstance,” said the girl standing before Biyu. “You are better adapted in this circumstance so you prevailed.” The girl smiled. “I am not angry. I admire you Biyu,” she said as she came forward, her arms outstretched to receive a hug.
The others came forward to comfort Biyu who was now sobbing with relief. Torv joined them and they started to giggle. Biyu’s tears turned to laughter. She felt strangely light headed and happy, the stress draining from her.
“Whoa, wait,” said Nuku suddenly. “Are you girls releasing oxytocin laden pheromones?”
“You can tell?” asked one girl.
“Yes,” said another.
“It helps us to heal.”
“Everyone to heal.”
They fell to the ground in laughter. Nuku felt a strong pull in her gut. She craved sexual release. “What is happening?”
“The normal response,” said one girl.
“You may separate yourself from us if you wish,” said another.
“Or you may enjoy us.”
“We wish to enjoy you.”
“It’s okay,” said Torv. “They fuck like daemons too.”
Nuku surrendered. Impossibly she felt herself being penetrated. It was unlike anything she had felt before. One orgasm rolled into another, one orifice into another: sweet like nectar; wave after wave of bliss, her brain flooded with dopamine.
Then it calmed and they rested, until one of the girls jumped up and dared them to a race back to the base.
Nuku looked at Biyu. Her eyes were shining with delight. She laughed. She felt exhilarated and wanted to run out of sheer joy. Biyu laughed too and started to sprint. The girls yelped and hollered and they joined in the raucous celebration. Biyu headed into the forest, leaping and vaulting fallen logs and Torv and two of the girls sped after her. Nuku tried her best but fell behind, the last girl keeping pace with her to keep her company. She felt like a spright running through the forest simply for the fun of it. She had never felt more alive.
Later that night, just as Nuku was falling to sleep, the door opened and the slender figure of Biyu appeared in silhouette.
“I couldn’t be alone,” she whispered.
“I’m glad,” said Nuku adjusting her position so that Biyu could snuggle in beside her.
“What a weird day. I still haven’t processed it.” Biyu grabbed Nuku’s free hand and guided it to her vulva. “I’m still horny.”
“Me too,” said Nuku as she leant forward to kiss Biyu.
“Did one of the girls have a cock?”
“Yes, their sexual anatomy is modified.”
“Thought so… weird, nice weird though.”
“I think things will get a lot weirder.”
Nuku kissed Biyu and her hands gently explored her taught, muscled body. Something important had changed, something irreversible.
59
Akash
There were moments in the last weeks when he thought the whole project was teetering on the edge of internal chaos. The addition of the Crickets had introduced a wild card. Aviva had expressed concern that their presence might cause interpersonal tensions and ideological conflict, which could lead to the development of cliques and political factions. He wasn’t exactly sure what could be done about it. He had always thought that politics was ultimately a matter for the colonists themselves. Even if he used his authority to establish some ground rules, he knew his authority would only be temporary and that after his death the colony would evolve according to circumstance. Nor was he sure that factionalism was necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps it was inevitable. Surely there would be room enough for everyone? Perhaps factions would develop into distinct cultures, just as the first people out of Africa had spread throughout the globe creating many diverse cultures.
The situation became amplified when the fourteen year-old Thorsson twins arrived (unaccompanied, their parents were busy and would follow later). They were perfect, too perfect: platinum-blonde hair; vivid, light blue-eyes; strong, sculpted faces (more handsome than pretty); unblemished, honey-tanned skin and ideally proportioned, athletic bodies – the very image of the Aryan ubermensch. Naturally they were high achievers in everything they did: sport, music, academics and the social arts. In person they were charismatic, perfectly charming, mild mannered (in the Scandinavian way) and completely without gui
le. It was simply impossible to dislike them. Their perfection caused envy and suspicion. It raised all the old fears about a genetically engineered master race.
The irony was that the Thorsson family had itself been a victim of German eugenics. During the war a great aunt, their maternal grandmother’s sister Frida, had been conscripted into the Nazi lebensborn program. She had been working in Norway and had been spotted by an SS officer. She was only seventeen, blonde, blue-eyed, beautiful, naive. She had little choice; it was a matter of survival in a time of war. She gave birth to two children. One was sent to a German family and one remained with her in Norway. After the war she was persecuted as a Nazi collaborator and her child, a girl, was despised as a Nazi monster, a freak. They were luckier than most. They were able to flee to Sweden and avoid the worst of the backlash. The vilification of lebensbornkinder was a sharp and brutal reminder of the irrational suspicion and even hatred of people who were considered too perfect.
This was something he understood. Few people knew that the Nazis had borrowed their idea of racial superiority from the orthodox Hindus. The term Aryan was derived from the Sanskrit word arya, which meant pure. The Nazis believed they were descended from a distant Indo-European people racially connected to the high caste Indians (the Jews belonged to a separate, degenerate Semitic race). It was still a term high caste Indians used to refer to themselves and they used the caste system to strictly enforce what was essentially a belief in their racial and spiritual superiority. Indian newspapers were full of ads from high caste families seeking high caste brides with complexions like straw (the darker skinned being associated with the Untouchables). This connection was completed when the Nazis chose the swastika to symbolise Aryan dominance. He understood all this because the tantric tradition, like Buddhism, rejected the caste system and deliberately subverted the rigid rules of the Brahmins.
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