Templum Veneris

by Jeremy L. Jones

  “This is… incrivel,” said Joana.

  Cronus, wearing his immersion gloves that wrapped around his arm, closed his hand, and the image disappeared. “One cannot understand the data from one side. One can only comprehend. To understand, one must see all sides. Touch it. Listen to its sounds.”

  “Is that what it does?” Joana indicated the silver board Cronus had installed into the ship’s main computers.

  Cronus nodded and pulled the goggles back over his head. “Neuvonet Immersions Operations equipment. What I installed will let us pull what we can from the ship’s ancient systems. We can explore it and process it more fully than ever possible.”

  He paused as the ship’s systems appeared in front of his eyes, reached out to touch the icon for master control, and looked at the data connections. A few of them, visible as bright, glowing points of light swirling around him, were still active, but most looked as dark and dead as a star that had run out of fuel. He pulled his goggles back up. “Most of the computer systems have stopped functioning.”

  Joana shrugged. “Sim. When I start ten years ago, many work. I try to read about Earth. But many stopped and never started.”

  Cronus opened his hand, and a glowing lens in his palm lit up. Joana gasped as again, a holographic image filled the space between them, displaying the same rotating points of light he saw through his immersion goggles. “I see that power has burned out in a couple sectors. Replacing the transformers could bring a few systems online. Of course, I don’t know where you would get such a thing here.”

  Joana thought about this for a moment before her face brightened. “Sim! Poder! Yes, I think the same. Come, come, I show you.”

  Cronus swallowed hard as Joana brushed past him, knelt in front of a bank of computers, and opened the access panel. Some deep-ingrained sense of decorum forced him to look away as she crawled part of the way inside.

  “Sim! Sim! Here! Come see,” she said, crawling back out of the compartment.

  Cronus knelt down next to her, peered inside, and used the palm lens in his immersion glove to light the compartment. From the look of it, a power surge had melted the transformers, but most amazing was that she appeared to have repaired or replaced them from various parts around the ship. “You… You did this?”

  Joana shoved her way next to him in the cramped compartment. She pressed in so close he could feel the heat from her face. She smelled like fruit blossoms and grease; a strange but beautiful combination. “Sim. I use design in ship. Make something that should work, but it does not. It never has,” she said, a forlorn tone in her voice.

  Cronus stood up and pulled his goggles back down over his eyes. He touched a few icons that floated in front of him and accessed the system diagnostics. “I think I see the problem. Without proper calibration, the repaired transformers force the system to shut down. I can reset the system, power up the necessary components to recalibrate and cycle the power.” He pulled his goggles off. “Then many more systems should come online.”

  Joana’s eyes sparkled and she gave him a smile that made his knees weak. “Sim! You think? When I first come here, I open computer systems and spend hours and hours reading about Earth. It make me think so beautiful thing could not exist.”

  Cronus touched some icons in the air to start the systems reset protocol. “Venus seems very nice. It’s warm. Air is breathable. People appear friendly. You’d be surprised how many worlds fall short of that.”

  “Cytherea is okay if you Guarda. You wear the red, you get everything.”

  Cronus slipped the goggles off his head just enough to see Joana clearly. “Red? I can find something red. Althea has probably got something that would suffice. I could ask if you could borrow it.”

  Joana chuckled. “What I meant was… what is word? Citizen. Citizen of Cytherea get everything.”

  “You’re not a citizen?” Cronus raised his eyebrows.

  Joana shook her head. “Must pass Provacao. Must train entire time one is a child. Must fight in arena. Must win. I train very hard, but I lose fight. I am too short. My arms too short.”

  Cronus pulled his goggles back into place. “I am not a fighter myself. I bleed easy.”

  Joana laughed. “You very funny.”

  “I am. People don’t always notice that about me.” Cronus touched an icon, and the few screens that were still lit went black.

  Joana was close to him again. That intoxicating smell of flowers and grease. “What happen?” she asked.

  Cronus took off his goggles and started to slide the immersion glove off his arm. “The system reset has begun. It will take some time. Much data needs to be overwritten. Do you wish you were a citizen?”

  “No, it is better here, I think,” Joana sighed, shaking her head. “Citizen women, they do nothing besides go to Sala, talk stupid with soldiers, make baby and hope baby become Guarda.”

  “What do you want to do?”

  “I would like to see Earth.”

  There was that smell again, she was that close. It both exhilarated and terrified Cronus. He wanted to tell her that he would take her to Earth. He wasn’t sure why or how, but he would. Show her… well, he wasn’t exactly sure what there was on Earth worth seeing in the real world, but he would find something. At the same moment, an urge to back away, even run away, gripped him. Instead, he stared into her dark, piercing grey eyes, unable to flee or speak.

  He instantly became afraid of what to do with his hands. He reasoned that he should just do whatever was natural except that he completely forgot what natural was. He tried keeping them straight at his sides, but there was something stupidly robotic about that. He removed his goggles and fidgeted with the lenses. Finally, Joana, as if reading his mind, solved his problem and took him by both hands.

  “Tell me about Earth,” she said in a voice like satin bedsheets.

  “Uh… okay. Earth…well… the food is good.” He sensed that she may have been seeking a few more details and quickly added, “And there’s lots of holovids involving cats.”

  “Is… how do you say it… system reset going to take a long time?” Joana’s face was just inches from his. “Maybe we find something to pass time.”

  It became clear to Cronus what activity Joana might be hinting toward. Or, at least, he had a pretty good guess, and the idea both thrilled him and caused a flash of terror. Cronus snatched his hands back. “Er, yes. It could be a while. And I should go back to the ship. Our ship, I mean. Our shuttle. Lots of work to do. More equipment to bring back.”

  He stumbled backward and nearly fell into a pile of computer components, then caught his balance and rallied. “I’ll be back tomorrow morning.”

  “Oh,” Joana said, casting her eyes down.

  “Yes… lots of work to do. Rest will be good for both of us. I will talk to you then. We have much to share.”

  With that, Cronus practically ran out of the ship’s bridge, and into the hall that led outside.

  ****

  Althea banged on the front door of an expansive house just up the hill from the Sala Gran. It was made of a type of wood that felt like it was turning to stone right on the hinges. She could break every bone in her hand trying to make an audible sound, so she punctuated the pounding by screaming, “Viekko! I need to talk to you!”

  Eventually, Viekko pulled the door open and stepped squinting into the light wearing nothing but a length of thin, white linen tied around his waist like a towel. He blinked and wobbled as if he wasn’t sure if Althea was standing in front of him, or if she was just a hallucination brought on by a massive amount of drink.

  “Althea?” He slurred in a tone that was a fifty-fifty mix of surprise and contempt. “How did… whatgha… whatchu doin’?”

  Althea showed him the EROS computer on her arm. “I slipped out of the Sala and located you using your beacon. I need to talk to you right…” Some movement behind Viekko caught her eye. “Just how many women are in there?”

  Viekko looked behind him, turned back and g
rinned. “Three, I think.”

  “Three, you think?”

  “The whole evening’s been kindova a blur. But count the legs, divide by two, drop the remainder you get… I think you get three.”

  “Drop the remainder?”

  “One of them might have been mine. Or someone might just be really flexible, either way…”

  Althea threw up her hands. “Well, I am clearly interrupting—”

  “It’s fine, it’s fine. I was in the middle of a break anyways.” Viekko called behind him. “Be right back, ladies. Just have something annoying to take care of.”

  He shut the door and turned to his former lover. “You’re playing a strange game, Althea. You made the…our relation… the future of our rela… our sustai… You made it pretty karsaan clear that there weren’t nothin’ between us no more.”

  “I don’t bloody well care about your… activities,” snapped Althea.

  “Really?”

  “No.”

  “Well… good.”

  “Although, honestly, Viekko. Three?”

  “New personal best for me,” Viekko replied happily.

  “Viekko, there’s something going on here. Something that’s… not right.”

  “Not to rush you,” said Viekko, weaving slightly, “but there was somethin’ goin’ on in there that wasn’t quite right. In fact, it was downright filthy. I’d like to get back to it if that’s okay.”

  “Viekko, listen to me. This woman came up to me after I left the Sala. She was pregnant and terrified. She tried to tell me what was wrong, but she was so hysterical that I could barely make out what she was saying. I think someone is trying to take her child.”

  Viekko stood there for a moment. Althea wasn’t sure if he was processing what she told him, or slowly passing out on his feet. After a while, he said, “That’s terrible. I don’t have words for how awful that is. I’m not wearing underpants right now, so what exactly do you want me to do?”

  “I…” Althea stammered. “I don’t know. But something is going on. I mean, look at what happened at that arena today! You’re okay with that?”

  “Althea, when I was a kid, we was given a gun and sent to fight. Same age as them. Maybe a little younger. Out here, away from all the comforts of civilization, people do what they gotta. We might not agree with it, but it’s survival.”

  “Survival? That’s what you call that?”

  “We could always ask your brother what he thinks—”

  She acted without a moment of thought. One minute Viekko was talking, then a red-hot burning anger flared up and, before she even knew what happened, there was a stinging pain in her outstretched palm and a red mark on the side of Viekko’s face.

  “I’m sorry.” Viekko paused a moment to make sure he wasn’t going to fall over. “That was uncalled for. Look, we’re both tired, and we’ve both had a rough couple of days. Try and get some sleep, okay? In the morning we can ask some questions, maybe track this woman down and let Isra talk to her. We’ll find out what’s goin’ on, okay?”

  Althea stepped back. Part of her wanted to slap him again. Instead, she rubbed her hand and nodded. “Okay.”

  The two stood in silence for a moment before Viekko asked, “We good? Can I go back to what I was doin’?”

  Althea rolled her eyes. “If you must…” She didn’t even get the whole sentence out before Viekko slammed the door.

  ****

  Cronus tore through the cobblestone streets of Cytherea. A blip on his EROS computer gave him a general direction to work with, but otherwise, he selected roads somewhat randomly. From what Cronus could tell, there was no actual organization to the city. It was as if somebody stopped halfway into building a city on the side of a mountain and realized that streets would be required at some point. As a result, the roads only had two directions he could be sure of; up and down.

  When he stopped for a moment to catch his breath, he saw Althea at a five-way intersection, heading toward the Sala Gran.

  “Althea!” he wheezed, trying to catch up to her. “Hang on a minute!”

  “Cronus? What happened to you? You are a hot mess, what’s wrong?”

  “Viekko!” Cronus panted. “Trying to find Viekko! I need to talk!”

  Althea pointed up the street. “That way. Third door on the left. Make sure to bang on the door really loud so he can hear you.”

  “Thanks, Althea.” Cronus started in that direction.

  “One more thing, Cronus,” Althea added. “If he asks how you found him, tell him that’s what he gets for bringing up my brother.”

  Strange request, but Cronus shrugged and ran in the direction Althea indicated.

  He got to the door and checked his arm computer. The transponder Viekko had on his own EROS computer said this was the right place. He raised both hands and commenced a double-fisted assault on the door, yelling. “Viekko! Viekko! I need your help! Viekko!”

  He kept this up until Viekko jerked the door open.

  “Do you folk got some kind of alarm that goes off when I’m about to enjoy myself? Does some voice appear in your heads that says ‘Viekko is happy, better find him and sarmagchny yalgadsyg barikh? How didja find me?”

  “Althea said… something about her brother.”

  Viekko sighed and rubbed his head. “Yeah, this ain’t gonna be the last time I pay for that, tamyn kharaal. Whatcha want?”

  Cronus clutched the door frame. “Big emergency!” he panted. “I need to talk to you about…”

  “Trans-planetary orgy, Cronus,” said Viekko. “Think hard on that phrase, because that’s what you’re ruinin’ for me right now. So think hard. What, of all the wonders in all the Universe, could possibly be so interestin’ as to justify postponin’ that?!”

  “I think Joana wants to have sex with me!” Cronus blurted.

  Viekko thought for a moment and turned back to the door. “I’m sorry ladies, just one… oh! Oh wow! Okay, you just… keep doin’ that, and I’ll be joinin’ you in just a moment.” He closed the door and took a deep breath. “Okay, so… Joana. She’s the cute one that runs the old transport ship, right? The one that broadcast the signal we found?”

  Cronus nodded.

  “And she’s taken a certain likin’ to you?”

  Cronus nodded again.

  “And you’ve come to me for…”

  “Instructions.”

  Viekko looked down at him in stunned shock for a few seconds longer then Cronus felt was strictly necessary before he slurred, “You want me to draw you a diagram or somethin’?”

  “No! No! I know the mechanics,” said Cronus defensively. “I’ve spent hours in the Electric Bordello. Days even.”

  “I see. Have you actually had sex in the real world?”

  “That depends on…”

  “Trans-planetary orgy, Cronus!”

  “Not really, no.”

  “Okay, so where exactly are you runnin’ into trouble?” Viekko enquired.

  “I’m not sure where to start.”

  “Okay, no problem. How do things usually start in the Electric Bordello?”

  “Oh, oh! I’ve got this great new move where I take my hand like this…see with these three fingers…” Cronus held his hand like some kind of deformed claw and started making some rapid upward gestures before Viekko grabbed him by the wrist.

  “I dunno what that is, but you should never do it again. Not here, not in the Electric Bordello, and certainly not anywhere near Joana.”

  “Well, I can’t, she’s still wearing that brown robe. That’s actually part of the problem. How do people even get to the naked part of sex in the real world?”

  “I dunno, try kissin’ the girl for a start,” Viekko suggested desperately.

  Cronus nodded. “Oooh, that’s good. I like that. What next?”

  Viekko threw up his hands. “I dunno! Maybe some light caressing around the face and neck, some nibbling on the earlobes. If that seems to be going well, you can let your hands roam a little…t
amyn kharaal! Didn’t you have a colony festival where you could sneak behind the barn to figure this baas out with the preacher’s daughter?”

  Cronus thought for a moment. “Well… there are farm themes in the Electric Bordello, although you don’t want to go there unprepared. It gets…bizarre”

  Viekko rubbed his temples. “I don’t know what else to tell you, Cronus, short of invitin’ you in for a live demonstration.”

  “Well, that might be useful…”

  “Not an actual invitation, Cronus, and I can’t tell you how disturbin’ it is that you considered it.” Viekko took Cronus by the shoulder and started walking down the street. “Tell you what. Just let her take the lead, okay? From what I can tell, the best thing you can do is avoid any independent thought on this topic. It’s for the safety of you both. So just follow her lead. Ask her what she likes. Maybe let her guide your hand, and…. do what comes natural-like.”