Scerior

by Jilly Bowling

  Jo had kept her eyes down and sat very still, but she could feel Acorus looking at her, against her will, she found herself raising her head and looking at him.

  Acorus looked at her and she felt herself blushing all over. She also got a strange tingling in her stomach and places she tried not to think about while looking at him. He nodded as if in satisfaction, turned on his heel, and left the room, followed by his guard. There was complete silence in the room until Tsasa said “There now, look what you have done. You have angered the General and made us look bad”.

  Jo sat there deep in thought. She felt so alone, more alone than when Gramps had gone, and she had been taken to live with strangers. She made a promise to herself, whatever happened, she would survive this. Maybe one day she might return to Earth, and who knew what the future held, she would try and be strong, because Gramps had brought her up to be.

  Tsu touched Jo’s shoulder and said “Come on Jo. It is time for a shower and massage”.

  Jo stood up as if in a dream, and followed Tsu into her cubicle. The other girls did the same and everywhere settled into a subdued silence.

  Jo showered with the other girls, none of them saying anything. They were all wrapped up in their own thoughts and terrible dread. ‘Who would disappear today?’

  When Jo got back to her cubicle Tsu offered her a hairbrush.

  “So sorry, we did not think, yesterday. We had to search our archives to find out what you use on your hair”.

  Jo started to brush her damp hair and Tsu watched for a few seconds, “Let me do it Jo, that is what we are here for”.

  Jo gave Tsu the brush, and sat there quietly thinking “Tsu you say you cannot lie, is that right?”

  “Yes”.

  “Then tell me, have the missing girls been killed?”

  Tsu stopped brushing and stood swaying, with her eyes on the floor”.

  “Answer me”.

  “Jo I cannot answer you”.

  “Then why should I trust you. You say you are here to help me, but won’t tell me anything”.

  At that moment Tchu and Tjai came through the curtain carrying trays with some items on

  “What is the matter?” queried Tchu.

  Tsu looked at her and to Jo it was obvious that they were communicating in their own way. They had shut their minds to her. She looked from one to the other and said

  “Well so much for trusting you and living together happily!”

  All three Escorii stood, swaying and looking at each other. It was obvious they were arguing and Jo waited for them to finish. Finally she put her hands on her hips and said

  “Well?”

  Tchu said “Sit down Jo and I will tell you what I can. Ask your questions”.

  “Have the missing girls been killed?”

  “Yes”

  “Why?”

  “Because some had diseases and some” Tchu hesitated “were not fertile!”

  Jo did a double take, and her mouth dropped open, “Not fertile, does that mean we are being taken to Scerior to be bred from?”

  Tchu nodded her head and swallowed hard, Jo’s brain was working furiously “But there aren’t any men on the ship are there?”

  Tchu shook her head. It was obvious she didn’t want to say any more.

  “Are they already on Scerior?” asked Jo

  “Ah, yes that is right” Tchu said “There are males on Scerior. Now Jo, no more questions please. We have a lot to do before we reach Scerior”

  “Like what?” said Jo.

  “You need more massage and we must take any hair off you”

  “Hair” Jo touched her hair feeling close to tears.

  “No, no not that hair. The short hairs on your body”

  “What everywhere like a Brazilian?”Jo felt a cold chill go through her.

  “Yes, now you lie on the couch and Tjai will give you a lovely massage”

  Jo lay on the couch as if in a dream. She was right to think this place was like a harem. Where were the men? An insidious idea crept into her head. Could it be they had been taken to mate with the aliens? But that was impossible. They were different species. The Sceriae were like armoured gorillas. There skin looked like an armadillos, and they were frighteningly hideous.

  Jo’s heart felt as if it was in her throat. Would it be like that film Alien? Surely not. Because they would need an awful lot of girls and the ship was only supplied with thirty to forty cubicles. Or maybe not. Maybe this was just one tier of many.

  Jo started to feel drowsy and a sense of peace slid up into her brain. The massage was doing its job.

  Jo awoke once again to a feeling of languorous well being. Her skin felt like satin and she stretched like a cat. As she ran her hands over herself she realised that she had been de-fuzzed everywhere!

  She sat up quickly, how did that happen? Why hadn’t she woken up? Had they shaved her or what? She grabbed her Kaftan and pulled it on. There was a strange musk scent about her.

  Nice but different to how she usually smelled. She usually favoured floral perfumes and fresh scented soap and deodorants. She pulled the curtain aside that led into the main chamber. In front of her was a solid wall. She stood back, then started to press all round the strange metal that made up the wall. Solid. There was no way out that side. She rushed to the curtains on the other side, that led into the corridor leading to the showers, the same solid wall. She banged on the metal but it made no sound!

  She was isolated, by herself, not even the Escorii were with her. On trembling limbs she fled to a corner and sank down, cradling her knees. She could feel the fear rising within her, her heart was pounding and she couldn’t swallow.

  What was going to happen next?

  She tried to fight her fear and refused to cry out. If she was going to die or worse, it would be with dignity.

  She felt a rush of air to her left and looked up; Tsu was coming through the curtains carrying a tumbler and a plate. The metal door hissed shut behind her.

  “Jo, get up off the floor, what is the matter?”

  “I couldn’t get out, the doorways were solid!”

  “Yes” said Tsu “It’s because there is a lot of activity on the ship. Everyone is using the showers, getting ready to arrive home”

  “Oh” sighed Jo “I thought you had all left me. I was so frightened by myself”

  “Do not worry Jo, nothing here will harm you”.

  “Are we nearly at Scerior?”

  “Yes we will be home soon, so come, eat and drink, and I will brush your hair. I have brought a brush with me” whereupon she pulled a hair brush out of a hidden pocket in her tunic.

  Jo got up off the floor and sat on a stool.

  “Tsu, is everything here made from the same material?”

  “Well”, answered Tsu “Everything we use, like seats, couches, tumblers, hairbrush and clothes are made from a certain plant, or maybe you would call it a tree, that grows on our planet. Of course the metal in the ship comes from the ground”.

  Jo sat still letting Tsu brush her hair and fuss around her.

  “Jo I have brought you something you will need, when we leave the ship” and Tsu put her hand into her voluminous pocket and pulled out a pair of sandals. She smiled at Jo and said “Scerior is not as soft under your feet as the ship is. Try them on; I’m sure they will fit you”.

  Jo took the sandals and turned them over in her hands. They were very pretty, cream with coloured flowers painted on them. Made from that same strange material, they were soft and pliant on the straps and insides, but the soles were firmer and seemed very strong. She slipped her feet into them. They had one strap straight across the base of her toes, and long straps that could be criss-crossed round her ankles and legs.

  Tsu bent down and tied the straps
comfortably and daintily round Jo’s legs.

  “Thank you” said Jo “They are lovely, so elegant, yet so comfortable”

  She was thinking to herself that they were like the sandals that the Romans wore when they were ruling a lot of the Earth. Tsu picked upon her thoughts and said, “Yes Jo. The Sceriae have taken a lot of useful or beautiful ideas from your planet”.

  “They must have been watching us for a long time” mused Jo “Have they been taking girls from Earth all these years?”

  “Oh no”, replied Tsu “Only for the last fifty or so years””

  “Why for only that length of time, when they were watching us in Roman times?”

  “You have so many questions, Jo. It is not for me to answer them. Maybe your Lord will decide to tell you but I cannot”.

  “Cannot or will not?” asked Jo

  “They amount to the same thing. Now, no more. Remember Jo, do as you are told, do not say no, do not argue. Your future life is on Scerior. You cannot escape, so use your intelligence and courage and you will find that Scerior can be paradise” Tsu shut her mind firmly and Jo could get no more out of her.

  Tsu handed her the plate, on which was a selection of food, and Jo ate it automatically. When she was finished Tsu handed her the tumbler, which was full of the alcoholic beverage that had been provided when they first ate on the ship. Jo drained it thinking that she might as well be tipsy as it always made things easier to bear, like sex with that wanker Steve. Thinking of Steve brought her up short. It seemed so long ago.

  “How long have we been on the ship, Tsu?”

  “Let me see, in Earth time it is probably four to five weeks”

  “My goodness, as short as that” gasped Jo “Scerior must be quite close to Earth then?”

  “No, it is light years away”

  “But we have travelled it in only five weeks”.

  “The Sceriae can move through space faster than light” replied Tsu “Now, end of questions. We must prepare to land on Scerior!”

  “What now?” asked Jo

  “No in a few hours, but we must sit on couches and fasten belts. If we do not, as the ship returns to normal speed we will be flung about”

  Tsu ushered Jo through the metal doors, which when Tsu looked at them opened with a swish, into the main chamber. All the other girls were leaving their cubicles as the Escorii fussed around them.

  Jo sat down and Tsu pulled a strap from couch and fastened it round her. Then she sat down next to Jo and put a strap around herself. Jo looked round and noticed that each girl only had one Escorii with them. She turned to Tsu and asked “Where are Tchu and Tjai, and all the other Escorii?”

  “They have duties elsewhere” replied Tsu. “Relax and try to rest, as it will be very busy when we land”.

  All the girls settled down on their couches. There was some chatter but on the whole the girls were very quiet, keeping their fears to themselves. Tsu leaned over and took Jo’s hand, and in her mind she could feel Tsu reassuring her. Eventually even the slightest chatter subsided and the girls either dozed or kept quiet, trying to maintain a calm appearance. After some time Jo felt the vibration under her feet grow stronger. She woke up fully and could see the other girls stirring too. The ship swayed slightly from side to side and Jo imagined that she could feel it decelerating. She looked at Tsu for reassurance and she nodded her head calmly.

  “We shall be landing in about thirty of your minutes, stay in your seat until I tell you to move”.

  The ship was making a slight rumbling noise and Jo wished that there was a window to see out of. She swallowed hard as her ears actually popped. She must keep calm and keep her wits about her, whatever happened she vowed that she would face it bravely.

  Finally like a jet landing on a runway the ship decelerated suddenly and dropped. There was a combined gasp from all the girls and finally the ship stopped moving.

  They had arrived on Scerior!

  Chapter 4

  As the rumbling of the ship died away, the large doors at the end of the chamber were flung open. Two ranks of giant Sceriae marched into the chamber. They moved down through couches until each girl had a guard standing by her side. The Escorii stood and reached down to release the straps that held each girl.

  “Come Jo stand up, we must leave the ship” Tsu said.

  Jo stood although she was trembling so much she thought that she might fall. Tsu put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, “Be calm Jo. Everything will be alright”

  The other Escorii were trying to reassure their charges, some with more success than others. One of the Sceriae guards said “Females, do as you are told, or you will be punished”.

  The braver girls spoke to their neighbours saying “Don’t do anything silly. You know what happened to that hysterical girl before”

  Jo told her neighbours to keep calm, and that the Escorii were there to help them, so listen to them. All the girls bravely tried to compose themselves and the guard spokesman said, “Good, now we can leave the ship”

  Jo’s guard turned to her and Tsu and said “Come follow me”.

  Jo’s courage wavered slightly as she realised that she would be the first one onto Scerior and whatever horrors were about to befall them. Her guard led her through the huge doors, turned right into a corridor like the one leading to the showers ‘Maybe this corridor goes right round the ship’ thought Jo ‘and maybe the large chamber is right in the middle’.

  They moved down the corridor for a few seconds, then just ahead of her Jo could see sunlight dancing over the grey of the walls. Ahead of them on their left an entrance in the wall led onto a ramp that reached down onto what looked like a jetty.

  Jo stepped out of the entrance and took in her first sight of Scerior. Below powder blue sky Scerior gleamed in the radiant sunlight. All the buildings Jo could see were white, shaped like houses in Spain or Greece. Between the buildings were swathes of green, with brightly coloured flowers dotted here and there. Looking back at the ship Jo could see it was as tall as a sky-scraper, dull metal, with no openings or markings, until tapering away at the top was an oval dish with clear windows, through which Jo could see movement ‘Was that where the General was?’ she wondered.

  The spaceship was not round as far as she could see, but appeared to be elongated like a giant submarine.

  “Move” snapped the guard and Jo realised she had just been standing staring around her. She moved forward. Realising that the ramp passed over water she looked to both sides and saw that the ship had actually landed on the water. It was so big the ship dwarfed everything around her. As she reached the jetty, the other girls slowly came down the ramp, looking around in amazement as Jo had been doing.

  “It’s beautiful” gasped Sophie “I didn’t think an alien planet would look like this”

  “No” said Jo “The air is so fresh and everything looks so clean and perfect”

  “Come” said the guard and the Sceriae urged them forward.

  “Tsu” whispered Jo “Where are we going now?”

  “To the embarkation and registration building”

  “What happens there?” Jo asked feeling the fear invading her whole body.

  “Don’t worry, Jo” replied Tsu “It is where everyone who comes to Scerior has to report with their names and where they have come from. Then when they leave Scerior that is recorded too”.

  “Well” thought Jo “It is certainly well organised”.

  They walked towards a large building that obviously was something official. There were guards at the entrance, and Jo noticed that all around the jetty was a high fence, looking like netting but with blue lights seeming to shoot along it.

  “Tsu, is this the only way off the dock?” asked Jo

  “Yea, there is great security here, as we do not want rogue species to get onto Sce
rior. The fence has a charge along it that will stun anything that touches it”

  “Is this the only port where spaceships land?”

  “No, there are many more, all of them as secure as this one” answered Tsu “This, of course, is the main one as it is the main city of Scerior”.

  “What is the city called?” asked Jo tripping over as she tried to keep up with her guard.

  He grabbed her arm and snapped something at Tsu “Careful, no more questions, he is getting angry” said Tsu “Ssh, this is the city of Luga”

  As they neared the building, a feeling of menace seemed to emanate from it. Jo shivered, but held her head high and squared her shoulders. Tsu patted her hand and said “Good girl, it is all ok”.

  As they reached the doorway the guards stood to attention and raised their hands to slap their opposite shoulders. Jo’s guard must be some kind of officer. They passed through the doorway into a hall that was similar to the arrivals hall at an Earth airport. Jo’s guard pushed her over to a desk with an Escorii standing behind it.

  “Name and origin, please” it said in a bored voice. Tsu nudged Jo.

  “Um, Joanna Collins, Earth” stammered Jo.

  Her name was entered on a machine, which Jo assumed must be a Sceriae computer.

  “Through to the left” and the Escorii pointed to his left.

  Jo’s guard held her arm and said something to the Escori. It took a step back and stammered “Of course, of course, I didn’t realise that this was the one!”

  The guard and Tsu moved Jo to the right and took her through the door that was situated there. It led into a corridor that they walked along until they arrived at an outer door which led into a wide avenue.

  A vehicle was hovering by the kerb, and they went towards it. Jo moved as if in a dream. The guard climbed into the front, with Tsu and Jo in the back. They moved quietly away from the kerb and flew along the avenue. There appeared to be no sign of life anywhere “Tsu why aren’t there any people moving around?”

  “It is siesta time, the hottest part of the day. Everybody is inside in the cool”.