When they got to the port, all was hustle and bustle, although Jo could only see one star ship. Wondering where the others were leaving from Jo walked up the ramp onto the ship. A guard led her to an ‘elevator’ which rose up through the lower decks. When they reached the required level the guard led them along a corridor and indicated a door. Opening it for them he ushered them into a good sized room, then he left to go about his duties.
To Jo’s surprise the room was very comfortably furnished, with a large bed, easy chairs and a table and chairs. There was an ensuite bathroom, similar, but not as large as the one in the villa. Tchu and Tjai pressed places on the flat walls, which caused panels to open, showing cupboards. Some already had Acorus’s clothes in, while others were empty. They proceeded to unpack Jo’s clothes and hang them up. Tchu told Jo that she should put her helmet on as they would be taking off shortly. Jo did as she was told, and once again was surprised at how comfortable she felt.
There was a knock at the door and when Tjai opened it a guard was standing there.
“Lord Acorus requests your attendance on the flight deck, Lady”.
Jo followed him to the ‘elevator’ and they travelled up another deck. It was different to the lower decks, a lot smaller and was filled with instruments, dials, and lights, some lit up some not. All around the walls technicians were sitting or standing at their stations. In the centre were two padded seats, equipped with seat belts and foot rests. Acorus was moving from station to station talking to each technician in turn. Belain was standing behind him listening as the technicians answered Acorus’s questions.
Jo stood silently, knowing she mustn’t interrupt, until satisfied with everything at last
Acorus turned towards her. Seeing her there his eyes twinkled and he said “Look at our first female warrior”.
Everybody turned to look at her and she could feel herself blushing.
“Soldiers, this is Lady Jo-Anna, my consort. You will treat her with deference, exactly as if you were dealing with me” Acorus ordered.
All the technicians stood up and saluted her. When she saluted them back they cheered her.
At a wave from Acorus they sat down and continued with their work. Acorus led Jo to one of the padded seats and fastened the belt around her, whispering “This is the way I really like you, all tied up”.
Jo tutted at him but grinned with her eyes and he said “You look far too sexy in that armour, this monster wants to eat you alive”.
“Behave yourself or I’ll take it off” Jo warned.
Laughing he replied “I’m sure my soldiers would like that. But I wouldn’t, that is only for me”.
Taking the seat next to her he issued orders to shut all the doors and hatches. Then talking to a technician directly in front of him, he told him to take them out. All Jo felt was a gentle humming, but suddenly she could see the whole port and beyond, through a narrow window closest to her. Then she was pushed back into her eat and her face plates shut across her nose and mouth. Outside the window all she could see were stars going off into infinity.
Looking around her she saw that everyone’s face plates were closed, including Acorus’s. Leaning towards her he said “The acceleration causes the face to clench, which automatically shuts the plates. It stops the force from making your face hurt”. Feeling glad that she had armour on she nodded her head that she understood.
“We will be travelling like this until we find the wormhole to your universe. After a short while there will be no force on your body, but keep your armour on until I tell you it is safe to take it off”.
“How long will it take to find this wormhole, then “Jo asked.
“It varies, they move occasionally, but we usually find it in three to four days” Acorus answered “Then we travel a trillion times faster, but there is hardly any pressure. Our ancestors found these holes by accident. Some ships disappeared for ever, but over eons of time we have made instruments to detect each hole correctly. And now we know which one takes us to each universe”.
“If you hadn’t found these holes, how long would it take to get to Earth?”
“Our descendants, descendants would be dust and we still might never travel that distance.
That is why the Xenorii have never reached your universe. We must hope that they never do, and we take great care that they never follow us. That would be the end of your planet!” Acorus said gravely. For the next two hours Jo sat and watched the stars and marvelled at the infinity of space and at the Sceriae explorers who had tamed it. All the technicians attentively watched the instruments in front of them. They were relieved after two hours and left the flight deck to go to the canteen for refreshments.
Acorus asked Jo if she was hungry and when she said that she was, he handed control over to Belain, and escorted her back to their chamber. Telling Tchu, Tjai and Khala to fetch them some food, Acorus removed his helmet and told Jo to do the same. Excusing herself Jo dashed into the bathroom and undid the flap in her armour. Having relieved herself, she heaved a sigh of relief as she had been longing to ‘spend a penny’ for over an hour. When she returned to the bedroom Acorus raised his eyebrows and asked “Feel better?”
“Yes thanks, being pregnant isn’t easy on one’s bladder!”
“I’m sorry, I should have thought. Don’t be frightened to say, if you need a rest break. You don’t have to stay on the flight deck, you know”.
“I was enjoying it. Everything is new to me and I love learning new things, but if you don’t mind, I will have a nap after lunch, as I want to conserve my energy, for when things get exciting” Jo said sitting at the table “Gosh, I am quite hungry now”.
The three Escorii hurried in with trays full of food and laid it out on the table. Thanking them, Jo tucked in. As Acorus watched her pile her plate, he said “I do hope we’ve brought enough rations!”
Throwing a piece of fruit at him Jo told him it was his fault for getting her pregnant and then still demanding sex from her. She needed three times more energy than she should.
Pursing his lips Acorus said “You could have stayed on Scerior, then you would have been free of my attentions for weeks. After all there will be plenty of females for me on the return journey”.
Surprisingly Jo filled up with tears, furious with herself for her weakness. In an instance Acorus was by her side saying “I’m sorry, I was only joking. You know you are the only one for me. Don’t cry Jo, I want no other female”.
Sniffing loudly Jo said “It’s this stupid pregnancy. I’m not sure of anything at the moment. I’m just mixed up”.
Taking her in his arms he cuddled her and said “Whatever worries you, please talk to me about it. I can’t help if I don’t know what’s worrying you”.
“You are on duty at the moment. Now is not the time for my problems. Can we talk later?”
“I will make time this evening. We’ll have supper and talk” Acorus promised “Now eat as much as you want”.
When they’d eaten their fill Acorus went back to his flight deck and Jo with Tchu’s help took off her armour and gratefully got into bed. She wasn’t just physically tired but mentally exhausted too. Thankfully she fell asleep immediately, and slept solidly for three hours. When she woke up, she was alone, no Tchu or Tjai. But she was pleased as she needed time to sort her thoughts out. First of all, she was excited about seeing Earth. She knew she wouldn’t be allowed to land but with the Sceriae’s technology she could see her world again. How would leaving it behind affect her?
She hated the thought of young girls like her being abducted. She couldn’t stop it, but she could help the girls to survive and maybe make a good life on Scerior. One minute she hated the Sceriae, the next minute she admired them. She loved Acorus but, deep inside she was still afraid of him. When she admitted that to herself, the tears started again. Why had she fallen in love with him, an
alien who had no concept how complicated a human was. How could she tell Acorus all that was upsetting her? It was hard enough for a man to understand a woman, never mind an alien male. She decided that the best thing to do was to tell him as little as possible, just as most women never told their partners everything; she would choose her words carefully.
As she sat up ready to get out of bed, she felt happier in herself. Having admitted to herself what was upsetting her she realised that she could manage her emotions, as long as she knew what they were! Heading into the bathroom to have a shower she heard Tchu and Tjai enter the bedroom, but carried on into the shower, wanting to be alone still.
Standing under the powerful jets of hot water she marvelled at the luxury on the star ship. It took so much technology to send a rocket to the moon, from Earth, how the hell did this giant ship travel through universes with its passengers feeling only a gentle hum. As the hot air came on to dry her, Tjai popped her head round the door and asked if Jo would like a massage.
“Yes please, a calming but revitalising one please”.
Tjai did exactly as Jo asked and made her feel great. Tchu helped her with her armour, and Jo left the bedroom feeling ready to face anything. When she got to the flight deck, Acorus was striding about shooting out questions in Sceria, so Jo sat in her seat and kept out of the way. Outside the window nearest to her she could see a planet, surrounded by a blue haze but she couldn’t make out any continents or mountains. Wishing she could ask Acorus what it was she was seeing she looked round for someone who was free. Everyone was very busy, checking dials, looking at monitors, or looking down long tubes like telescopes.
Suddenly Acorus saw her and strode over to her. His eyes smiled at her so she asked what was going on “We are just passing the planet called Haptha, the Xenorii tend to hide on it, ready to follow us. Two of my star ships have sent out their fast fighter ships to reconnoitre.
So far we have had no sightings but it is best to be careful. Somehow they have learnt of the wormhole to your universe. I think you call it the Milky Way, why we do not know”.
“Are they a danger to Earth?” Jo asked “I thought you said they didn’t have the technology to travel to Earth”.
“They are dangerous to any specie of flesh and blood” Acorus told her “As to their technology, I think that at the moment they would flounder in the wormhole, but who knows what they are developing. A hundred years ago we thought Earth would take many hundreds of years to make a simple rocket. You have done that and made some very dangerous weapons, which some on your planet would use indiscriminately. Humans could become as dangerous as the Xenorii in space”.
Not liking what he was saying Jo said “You’re surely not likening humans to the Xenorii?”
“Well you tell me. Would they leave backward planets alone or conquer them and inhabit them with humans, and then different races of humans fight each other for supremacy, wiping out the native species along the way. Or would they behave like the Sceriae? Not interfere in their development, but trade fairly with them, and assist them to develop their own sciences. This was how the Escorii came to live alongside us. How various specie are happy to visit Scerior, or entertain the Sceriae on their own planet” Acorus patiently explained.
Then changing the subject he asked “Would you like to look down a magnifying tube?
You can see the planet quite clearly even through the haze”.
Jumping up Jo said that she’d love to, so Acorus motioned one of the soldiers away from the tube and helped Jo to bring it into focus. To Jo’s surprise she could see individual rocks on the surface of the planet, and when Acorus zoomed the magnifier in, insects like millipedes on the surface. When she asked what they were, Acorus frowned and said that they were very nasty. Without armour they could bore into the skin and travel through a body, eating it slowly.
“Ugh” Jo said “That’s a planet to be avoided. How do the Xenorii hide there? Aren’t they flesh and bone?”
“They are not like humans or the species you have seen on Scerior. Their own legs are made of hard sharp scales, as are their feet. Actually they use those creatures to torture prisoners. They really are disgusting” Acorus shook his head in distaste.
“I can’t see any plants or anything else down there. So what do those things normally live on?” Jo asked.
“Underneath the surface are huge caverns with vegetation and other life forms. Those creatures are the only things that live on the surface. We think that their bodies need the radiation that is felt on the surface”, Acorus explained “Obviously they feed underground”.
“Have you been down there?” Jo asked.
“Of course. I’ve been on every planet in our universe”.
Jo decided that she’d stretched his patience enough so let the matter drop and stood up to look out of a window. As she walked from window to window, space stretched out before her. But when she reached a window at the rear she was amazed to see that all around behind them were giant star ships, like the one they were on. Flitting between them were smaller, but extremely fast fighter ships, moving between and around the star ships.
Landing decks were open on the star ships and the small ships landed and took of regularly.
“Goodness, how many soldiers are travelling with us?” Jo exclaimed
“Each star ship has between one hundred and fifty, and two hundred soldiers on them, then there are the fighter ships pilots, a hundred on each star ship. Also we have altogether about a thousand Escorii. So we are many thousands” Acorus said
“Is that the whole army?”
Laughing Acorus replied “Are you a human spy? All these questions. No it is not the whole army. Scerior’s army is many millions and many more star ships. We wouldn’t leave our planet unprotected, anything can happen between universes. One day a more advanced specie might find its way to our planet. Who knows? It could happen tomorrow”.
“Oh!” was all Jo could say.
“Nothing should surprise you, Jo. Here you must be ready for anything, take nothing for granted, and always look at everything twice”. As Acorus spoke to her a soldier appeared with a message.
As Acorus listened to him Jo went back to looking out of the window, thinking about what they had been talking about. She had so much to learn, it would take forever. What Acorus had said about Earth was probably true. Humans of the stronger countries had wiped out natives of some countries. Would they listen to the Sceriae and follow their advice? She didn’t think so! The more she learned about the Sceriae the more she admired them, apart from the abduction of girls like her. She wished that she could get past how she felt about that.
Acorus finished speaking to the soldier and said “Jo, sit down and put the belt round you” Then he issued orders in Sceria and suddenly everyone was very busy. Jo did as she was told, immediately, recognising the tone of Acorus’s voice. He had issued an order that he expected to be obeyed instantly. Strapped into the chair Jo craned her neck to see what was happening beyond the windows. The fighter ships had formed into blocks of nine, flying in a ‘V’, like geese, and ten of the ‘V’s’ were heading away from the star fleet round towards the back of the planet.
Turning her head to look in the opposite direction she could see fighter ships going that way as well. She was dying to ask what was happening but everybody was so busy she wisely kept quiet. Acorus was standing in front of screens, like television screens, set into the control panel. There were dozens of them, nine were lit up and the rest were blank. At intervals a Sceriae soldiers face appeared on a screen and Acorus spoke with him. Jo concluded that they were the officers in command of the other star ships informing Acorus how their fighter ships were faring. All the technicians on the flight deck seemed to be waiting expectantly for something to happen.
Suddenly all the screens lit up together with the Sceriae all talking rapidly. Acorus snapped out
orders and one of the star ships on the outskirts of the group took off so fast, that Jo gasped as it disappeared behind the planet. Then Acorus snapped out another order and a star ship from the opposite side took off round that side of the planet. The two screens belonging to those ships now showed space and stars. Then suddenly the screens showed two giant space craft with two different types of fighter ships in battle around them. The large craft were a strange shape with parts sticking out at all angles. To Jo, compared to the Sceriae’s ships they looked dirty and untidy and the fighter ships looked as if bits of metal were hanging or falling off them.
The Sceriae fighters looked as if they were destroying many Xenorii fighters but the large craft were now firing at the Sceriae’s ships. As the battle grew larger on the screens, the Sceriae star ships fired on the Xenorii’s large craft. The Sceriae’s weapons hit the Xenorii’s spaceships head on, and the two ships peeled away from the battle abandoning their fighters. As they fled the Sceriae fired once more and both shots hit their targets. The two Xenorii ships seemed to shudder and then one completely disintegrated, imploding quickly, leaving a dust ball in space.
The other ship disappeared round the planet and Acorus issued a stern order, and his star ships didn’t follow it but turned on the enemy fighters, who tried to follow their large ships. Some tried to fight their way through the Sceriae’s fighters, which were much faster and more manoeuvrable. Acorus issued another order and one of the star ships extended an arm from under their flight deck and attempted to grasp an enemy fighter. It managed to grasp one but it immediately blew up, Acorus shouted at the officer in charge of that ship and a brilliant blue light engulfed the enemy. The extended arm grasped the stricken fighter and slowly pulled it into the flight deck at the base of the ship. Acorus quickly ordered the other star ship to do the same, and nodded in satisfaction as it captured an enemy fighter successfully. Nodding his satisfaction he issued another order and the Sceriae fighters wiped out the remaining Xenorii.
Scerior Page 30
