She had had sex before, but nothing compared to what she was experiencing with Felecia. Everything else seemed transitory and pale in comparison, and she felt a wild sense of abandon come over her, as if she had been starving up until that very point in her life. In return, Felecia gave herself utterly to her, letting Maya have all of her with an unreserved passion. Slowly, Maya worked her way down Felecia’s perfect body, building their mutual passions until they reached their peak. When that moment finally came, their simultaneous orgasms were a blinding sweetness beyond words.
Afterwards, they lay together in a warm, naked embrace, hovering in a delicious place that was somewhere between waking and sleep, enjoying the lazy afterglow of their lovemaking.
“I think I could get to like formal tea,” Maya whispered.
“I thought that you might feel that way,” Felecia smiled, an unmistakable desire in her eyes. “Let me do it this time,” she said softly, starting to work over Maya’s breast with her tongue.
Abruptly, the universe around them was shattered into a thousand sharp pieces by the piercing wail of an alarm klaxon.
“Exo Alert!” a recorded voice barked from a hidden speaker somewhere above them, “Exo Alert! This cabin has registered the presence of a hostile foreign organism! You have 60 seconds to seek shelter before sterilization commences! Exo Alert! Exo Alert!”
“W-what?” Felecia stammered.
Maya was the first to rise, grabbing the girl by the wrist and pulling her up with her. “Come on!” she shouted over the siren’s ear-piercing scream. “If we don’t get out of here now, we’ll be kakked for sure!”
An Exo Alarm aboard a ship meant that the compartment would soon be flooded with deadly gamma radiation and poison gas.
“Where are the survival shelters in here?” she asked Felecia. Although most vessels had shelters for the crew to duck into when an Exo Alarm sounded, she wasn’t sure if a liner had the same thing available for its passengers or not. If it did, then the shelter had not popped open and revealed itself like it was supposed to.
“I d-don’t know!” Felecia replied, her features wild with terror.
Maya looked around her, and then she spotted a small plate set in one of the bulkheads that she recognized immediately. It was the cover for an emergency manual release handle.
“There!” she cried, dragging Felecia with her. Overhead, hatches in the ceiling had popped open and evil-looking pipes with silver nozzles were beginning to descend.
“Exo Alert!” the pre-recorded message said, “Sterilization devices are now being engaged. You have 30 seconds to reach safe shelter!”
Maya yanked the plate off and found what she had been praying for; a bright yellow handle. She turned it and a section of the bulkhead in front of her started to open. But then, inexplicably, the shelter hatch started to close again. She reacted fast, grabbing a small chair and thrusting it into the opening.
“Malfunction!” the recording replied, “The hatch for shelter 17201-EA1 is jammed. Malfunction!” In the meantime, the hatch was doing its level best to crush the chair and reseal itself.
“Help me!” Maya shouted, as she pulled with all her might against the hatch. Felecia joined her and together they managed to force it open. But almost immediately, it started to close shut again.
“Exo Alert!” the voice insisted. “You now have 20 seconds to seek shelter!”
“Get in!” Maya urged. “I’ll jump in behind you!” She shifted position and planted herself in the opening, pushing desperately against the mindless force of the hatch with all of the strength she had.
“But—” Felecia started to argue, but Maya would hear none of it.
“Get in, now!”
Felecia leapt into the tiny closet-like space, and Maya knew that she had only a few more seconds before she would be unable to keep the hatch from closing altogether. She took a deep breath and let go, throwing herself in backwards and praying to the Goddess that the hatch wouldn’t amputate anything as it sealed itself. The door slammed shut, missing her left ankle by mere centimeters as she landed on top of Felecia.
“Exo Alert! Sterilization procedures commencing!” the voice warned. Maya pulled Felecia to her, holding her tightly and hoping that the airtight seal hadn’t been compromised with all of their fighting with the hatch.
The seal held however, and the suite outside was flooded with invisible death. The two girls waited in the semi darkness until finally, the recorded voice announced the all-clear.
“Event termination! No viable organisms detected. Shelters will now open. Be advised that security clean-up crews are enroute to collect any specimins. Do not attempt to touch anything. Vacate this cabin immediately and stand by for further decontamination instructions.”
The hatch opened, revealing the room covered in a fine, whitish dust. “Let’s get to the entrance,” Maya said.
Felecia started to reach for a nearby tapestry to cover them with, but she stopped her. “No. Let’s not worry about that right now. There’s no telling what’s in this dust. The clean-up crews will probably give us a blanket.”
They made their way together to the foyer. A solid steel wall, obviously intended to seal off the suite from the rest of the ship, slid up and away as they approached it, allowing them to hear the frantic pounding on the other side of the decorative wooden entrance doors.
“Lady n’Calysher!” a voice shouted. “Are you all right?”
Someone else said something, and then the flimsy doors collapsed as Felecia’s bodyguard smashed her way through. Hands reached in and pulled them out into the main corridor. From somewhere, two blankets materialized and were hastily thrown over them.
“My Lady!” Sharra exclaimed, “Thank the Goddess you’re alive!”
Behind her a worried looking group of uniformed technicians was approaching rapidly, led by a senior ship’s officer.
“Lady n’Calysher, please accept our profoundest apologies!” the officer exclaimed. “There must have been some kind of malfunction!”
Felecia waved the woman off and let Maya pull her towards her own suite, with her bodyguard in tow behind them.
Once they reached Maya’s stateroom, Felecia was administered a sedative by the Ship’s Doctor and given the chance to rest. Maya meanwhile, went to the living area. Captain bel Lissa and the others were there, waiting with the Senatrix for the Captain of the Aphrodite.
When Captain bel Mandi arrived, the Senatrix smiled pleasantly at her, but her expression was belied by the hard gleam in her eyes.
“Captain bel Mandi?”
“Senatrix,” Bel Mandi replied stiffly, “on behalf of the Aphrodite and her crew, I wish to express my regrets at this unfortunate incident. I’ve spoken with our Senior Engineer, and after reviewing the event logs, we have only been able to determine that some kind of software error must have occurred, causing the ship’s computer to register the false alarm. Nothing like this has ever happened before aboard this ship; the Exo Alert System has always functioned without a single mishap until now. I’m just glad that there was no loss of life.”
“As am I,” the Senatrix responded coolly.
“Let me assure you that there will be a full investigation into this event and any responsible parties will be punished,” the Captain added.
“Thank you for your report, Captain,” the Senatrix replied. “You may now take your leave of us. We wish to be alone.”
Captain bel Mandi started to say something, but wisely bit it back and marched out of the suite instead, her staff officers trailing behind her.
“I wish to thank you for the life of my daughter, Maya,” the Senatrix said formally. “If not for your quick thinking and fast action…”
She paused, and a single tear gathered at the corner of her face and slid down the curve of her cheek. The moisture cut a path through the carefully applied layers of makeup, leaving behind a trail of slightly ashen skin.
“…since my wife died, Felecia is all I have left in this uni
verse. When I think of what might have happened…” The rest of her statement was cut off by a harsh sob and she bowed her head and looked away.
She’s in shock, Maya thought, suddenly feeling like an interloper.
Finally, the Senatrix managed to compose herself, and straightened, become the cool, self-assured politician that the Sisterhood had always known.
“It seems that I owe the crew of the C-JUDI-GO another debt,” she said evenly. ”I assure you, this is not an obligation that will be casually forgotten, nor left unpaid. Thank you all.”
“Don’t mention it. We’re just glad that we prevented a disaster,” Bel Lissa replied.
“Despite this ‘accident,’ I did manage to make contact with the courier during my luncheon,” N’Calysher informed them. “Our meeting with the Rampart is to be on Nemesis. My Security Chief will discuss the particulars with you, but in the light of what has happened, I must insist that Lady Felecia accompany us. I no longer feel that the Aphrodite is a safe place for her. I apologize in advance for any inconvenience this might cause you or your crew.”
“I’m sure that with the help of your security team, we can modify our plans accordingly,” Bel Lissa replied. At that, the Senatrix rose and left the suite.
“I feel sorry for Captain bel Mandi,” Bel Lissa said once they were alone. “It must have been difficult for her to stand there and recite all that nonsense about a software error, but I suppose she had no choice. What did you tell me the odds were on such a malfunction, Zara?”
“Something on the order of a million to 1, Captain,” the engineer replied. “Exo Alert Systems have to be foolproof. There’s too much of a chance they’d kill a ship’s crew otherwise. Sabotage is the only answer.”
“Sharra, do you have any thoughts on who might have been behind this little accident?” Sarah asked.
The security chief, who had been waiting off to the side, stepped forwards. “Nothing solid yet,” Sharra answered, “but I have my people looking into the matter. My guess is that they’ll find that the Bio Action Army was behind it, but it’s who’s behind them that interests me more. If I had to come up with a suspect, I’d say Senatrix Danna ebed Haria, but we’re not likely to trace a clear path back to her.”
“I’ve heard of her,” Sarah said. “I understand that she is one of Senatrix n’Calysher’s greatest opponents in the Supreme Circle.”
“Yes, she is,” Sharra replied. “There have been plenty of rumors connecting her with the Bios, but nothing that could ever be substantiated. I’d say the odds your engineer just quoted would also apply to the possibility that she’s not involved.”
“Please, keep us informed of any developments in your investigation,” Sarah requested. “Perhaps, if a credible link can be established it might justify my special attention.” There was a speculative, predatory gleam in her eye that Sharra did not miss.
“I will,” the security chief agreed. “The Senatrix has been beset by Ebed Haria for some time and if we can prove her connection, your services might be just what is required to adjust the situation.”
Then she addressed Bel Lissa. “As the Senatrix said, we’re bound for Nemesis and our meeting will be taking place at the Shadow Lake Lodge. We should have complete privacy; it’s the off-season there, so we will be the only guests. I apologize for having to include the Lady Felecia but the Senatrix absolutely refused my suggestion to have her transported back to Thermadon on a civilian or military transport. Apparently, she only seems to have faith in your ship.”
“Which we hope we will be able to justify,” Bel Lissa returned. “Lady Felecia is a complication, but nothing that we can’t work with. I just hope that she and her mother won’t be too uncomfortable on the JUDI. She’s a small ship and doesn’t have very many amenities to offer.”
Sharra laughed. “I don’t think the Senatrix is too concerned about the amenities at the moment. Provided that we can get her to Nemesis, and then see her and her daughter back to Thermadon safely, I’m sure she’ll be more than satisfied with whatever you have to offer.”
“Good,” Bel Lissa said. “Please try to make sure that the Senatrix and Lady Felecia pack lightly.”
“I’ll do my best,” Sharra grinned.
Bel Lissa smiled back. “We’ll take off in one hour.”
***
A small contingent of the Senatrix’s security women escorted the crew of the JUDI and their passengers as far as the lift to the Guest Hangars. After that, they were left on their own.
The servants had been careful to dress Felecia and her mother in plain jumpsuits and spare flight-jackets. All of their finery had been reduced to the barest essentials, stowed away in non-descript flight bags. By all appearances, they looked just like members of the merchanter’s crew, and no one paid them any undue attention as they made their way to the vessel.
“There she is,” Maya said to Felecia, gesturing expansively. “That’s our JUDI. Isn’t she wonderful?”
“Yes,” Felecia agreed politely, clearly taken aback by the merchanter. Maya realized that in her fantasies, Felecia had probably envisioned the JUDI possessing a more dramatic appearance.
“I must confess that I had always thought of your ship as being a little… bigger,” Felecia admitted, “If only to accommodate enough cargo to make your trips profitable.”
“Mark me,” Zara said, “She can hold more than enough in her belly to make us a profit on every trip.” She gave the JUDI’s metal hull an affectionate pat and let the scanner read her aural signature at the exterior egress hatch.
“What she’s saying is that most of the cargo we haul is small in volume, but special enough to pay for itself,” Maya explained. They followed the engineer into the vessel. “The JUDI isn’t in the business of hauling bulk materials like other merchanters are.”
“I suppose not,” Felecia agreed. “I must admit that it is quite a thrill to be aboard an actual pirate ship.”
“That’s moonrunner, girl!” Zara retorted, “And a proud profession it is! Pirates indeed! You’d think we’re walking around all the time with parrots on our shoulders and swinging cutlasses in the air! Pah!”
“My apologies, Zara,” Felecia said diplomatically. “I meant no offense. Please excuse my ignorance.”
Zara snorted indignantly and crossed the cargo hold over to the main egressway, muttering something about ‘pieces of eight’. Felecia looked at everyone around her with a bewildered expression. “I really didn’t mean to affront anyone. It’s just that I thought--.”
“Don’t mind Zara. She’s just a bit sensitive on the subject,” Bel Lissa interjected. ”She always has been. I can imagine that to you the JUDI would seem to be a pirate ship. No worries though, it’s all a matter of semantics. Welcome aboard the JUDI, gentleladies…whatever she is.” The captain finished her words with an elaborate bow and a wave that elicited a laugh from everyone.
Bel Lissa went up to the control cockpit, and Maya suddenly found herself playing the tour guide for the Senatrix and her daughter, guiding them down the main egress way. “This is the Crews Quarters,” Maya said as she opened the hatch. “You can stow your luggage in here until we can find a place for it in the cargo hold. There’s also a bathroom in here in case you need to use the facilities.” She stepped aside and let Felecia and her mother peer inside the tiny chamber.
“But there are only two beds!” Felecia exclaimed. “How do you all manage to sleep in here?”
“A good question!” Zara laughed as she squeezed by them. ”Welcome to the world of commercial space faring!”
“We don’t all sleep at once,” Maya told the girl. “It’s really only meant for occasional passengers, and a quick nap now and again.”
This elicited a confused expression and Maya elaborated. “Most of the trips through Null are short, no more than a few hours, so we don’t really need berths like a liner would. If we have to, we take turns, but usually we reach port and get ourselves rooms there. Besides, it saves more space for cargo
not having regular quarters. Only Sarah has her own cabin, and she rarely uses it.”
Felecia nodded and she and her mother put their bags down on the cabin deck. Then they accompanied Maya back out into the corridor.
“This is where we eat,” Maya said, indicating a tiny autochef set in a notch in the opposite side of the bulkhead. There was a small folding table and two swing-out chairs. “You can dial up just about anything on the ‘chef, and most of the time it comes out pretty much like it should.”
“But again, you normally eat when you get to port?” Felecia guessed.
“Yes,” Sarah said, making her way past them, “but for the really long trips we can grab a bite in our escort ship’s galley once we’re out of Null. The food is usually quite good.”
“That, and rent bunk-space and showers as we need them,” Maya added. ” I prefer port-side lodgings myself.”
“As would I,” Felecia agreed. Maya ascended the ladder to the command cabin and gestured for them to come up.
“I think I’ll stay below,” the Senatrix said. “I’ve seen the JUDI’s control cabin before, and I could use the opportunity to rest. It’s been a rather trying day.” She left Felecia alone with Maya.
“Watch your head,” Maya warned. They climbed the ladder together and when they reached Maya’s station, she pulled out one of the ship’s two guest chairs from its recess in the wall next to her. “Here,” she said, snapping it open, “you can sit next to me.”
Felecia took her seat and let Maya strap her in. She flashed her a suggestive smile as Maya’s hands made contact with her body and Maya flushed. She also took a little more time than she actually needed to adjust the straps. After all, she told herself, it’s very important to make sure that everyone is properly secured.
“All right,” Bel Lissa announced, “Captain bel Mandi just confirmed that we will leave the Aphrodite registered as the Justine, one of those toy boats out there, and she’ll erase the rest of the departure data to cover our tracks. As far as anyone will know, you and your mother will still be aboard the liner, locked away in your new staterooms, and recovering from the day’s events. That should hold us until we’ve reached Nemesis. Let’s be off, shall we?”
Sisterhood of Suns: Pallas Athena Page 46
