Dominion

by Scott McElhaney

  “Tell Orlo to bring me my ship and I can show them firsthand what it is made of,” he argued, “The fuel rods in the reactor would most certainly be depleted, but there could be little doubt as to what they are made of.”

  “Your ship is gone,” she stated matter of fact.

  “Do you mean it’s still in space or you blew it up?” he asked.

  She turned to Orlo and said something. Orlo replied to her, invoking a firm response back. Both appeared a little frustrated as they continued back and forth for several minutes. Finally, she turned to Hawke.

  “Your ship disappeared one night – presumably stolen, although there were no witnesses. The Demigods had it hidden in a warehouse near the piers,” she said, “Tensions are currently high between the Shomani and the Cheronook, so you can surely understand if you are not granted complete freedom. That is not to say that you would be a prisoner of the Shomani at all. Just kept under watch to an extent.”

  Hawke held up his wrist and showed her the bracelet, “What is this, Kashuba?”

  She turned to the Demigods. Tutanza stated something, then pointed to Hawke.

  “It is a proximity bracelet. It keeps you from going too far,” she muttered.

  “So, I am a prisoner,” he said.

  “No, you have been given some freedom and this freedom will be extended further as they grow to trust in you,” she replied, showing that she wore no bracelet on her wrist, “Soon, you will have no bracelet at all.”

  “Dear Lord,” he groaned.

  Three

  Orlo, Ploy, and Tutanza dismissed them, recommending that Kashuba show Hawke around the local grounds. Ploy insisted upon meeting up with Hawke the next day to discuss what would be required of the Shomani in order to gain the new space faring technology. The Demigods didn’t seem up to discussing Hawke’s present circumstances as a guest and a prisoner.

  It didn’t take Hawke long to permanently dismiss the fact that he was on a future version of the Earth. Once they stepped outside into the cool early evening, Hawke was presented with a blue sun just above the horizon casting an eerie glow across the wide alien trees nearby. If the blue star and the foreign trees weren’t enough evidence, the ringed moon directly overhead closed the case. No version of the Earth, no matter how far into the future, circled a blue giant or had a ringed moon.

  He stopped on the stair, gaping at the burgundy moon above him. It appeared no larger than a half dollar floating above him, but he knew by its ability to hold onto a series of rings that it must be readily as large as a typical planet in the Earth’s system. He wondered for a moment if perhaps the planet beneath him was actually just a moon orbiting the ringed marble in the sky.

  “Captain’s Blood,” she said, “That’s the name of the moon. It’s not good luck to pay it the honor of staring.”

  “That’s an unusual name for a moon, but then again, Rain is an unusual name for a planet,” he offered, returning his attention to the odd trees nearby, “How does this bracelet hold me prisoner? Does it alert them if I run?”

  “No. It heats up as you near your appointed limit. As you go further and further, it heats up more and more,” she said, taking his hand in hers and fingering the bracelet, “But you don’t have to worry about anything because everything you need is fully within your appointed barrier.”

  “But I’m a prisoner, Kashuba,” he said, “Don’t you understand this? I am supposedly an honored guest, yet I’m treated as a prisoner.”

  “No, Hawke! You don’t understand. If you hadn’t asked about it, you would never know its purpose because it would have never heated up. You have no need and you will probably never have a desire to stray far while you are the guest of the Demigods,” she stated, “You will learn soon enough that you are here in a tangible version of paradise that most Cheronook will never experience.”

  He watched her as she gazed upon the bracelet she was fingering. Her expression was one of sincere happiness, unaware of just how worried he was at the moment.

  “Let me show you to the home you will being living in while you stay among the Shomani,” she said, taking his hand in hers.

  . . . .

  She had led him through a humble village of small wood buildings lining a street of cobblestone. Each building was unimpressive, with only a single door and very few windows. If the structures were homes, they couldn’t have housed more than two people.

  After traversing two roads and one dimly lit alley, she brought him to a two-story brick building that resembled a typical Earth structure. She opened the tall door for him and let him lead the way inside. She then gestured to the stairs and smiled.

  “Welcome to the guest quarters. We get the upstairs,” she said, nudging him with her hand.

  “We?” he asked, leading the way up the stairs, “There can’t be much more than a single room up here.”

  “One room and one bathroom,” she said, “You don’t need a whole lot of space for sleeping, Hawke. Are you dissatisfied?”

  He stood at the top of the stairs looking into a dark room. She reached past him and switched on the lighting. There was a large bed, a chair, a wooden chest of some sort, and a door in the corner that presumably led to the bathroom.

  “There’s only one bed,” he muttered, examining the small room.

  “There’s… well yes, of course there’s… I don’t take up much space as I’m sure you’ve noticed,” she whispered sadly, “You really are dissatisfied.”

  “No,” he turned to her, resting a hand upon her shoulder, “No, I’m definitely not dissatisfied. I’m just trying to get accustomed to the ways here. Please don’t let my questions and comments keep hurting you.”

  “Then, you are satisfied with the room? You are satisfied with me?” she asked.

  He turned to her and looked at the woman he originally took to be fragile, small, and much younger than the creases near her eyes had suggested. He didn’t even know this woman, but he felt so responsible for her situation, whether she accepted that situation freely or not. At every turn, it seemed he was hurting her and crushing her expectations.

  He surprised himself as he drew her in to an embrace. He held her for a moment, hoping he wasn’t doing something she would deem improper.

  “Will you please stop concerning yourself with me and do whatever it is you want to do?” he asked, “I am already satisfied with you, Kashuba, so if you want to go hang out with your friends, or take a bath, or maybe sleep, or whatever it is that Cheronook do, please feel free to do that.”

  “I’m a peacekeeper and you are my charge, Hawke. What I wish to do is to take care of you and ensure that none of your needs go unfulfilled,” she said, wrapping her arms around him as he held her, “You accepted me when I put the bracelet on you and I am yours until we pass on. I will forever make you happy and you will forever make me happy.”

  He drew back from the embrace and looked down at the woman in front of him. She smiled up at him.

  “You understand that I am from a different world, right?” he asked.

  “Yes, of course,” she replied.

  “Well, we have different customs that I find hard to break away from. I accept you as you already seem to understand, and I think you’re very lovely. As a matter of fact, I’d really love to get to know you better,” he said with a grin, “But that is where our cultures appear to differ. My people don’t get intimately involved unless there are some deeper feelings between them. Deeper feelings come when people discover a lot that they really enjoy about each other.”

  “Sholiska,” she said, “The ongoing desire that comes after people discover the enjoyment of physical intimacy. I understand. In our culture, once two get together in this way, they almost go crazy for each other for weeks, months, or even years. Sholiska is what we call it. Your culture seems to try to discover that first while my culture discovers it afterward.”

  “No, I don’t think that is the same word we would use for love. Love is more than just physical enjoyment and de
sire,” he tried explaining, “I’m not really sure how else to describe it.”

  “Is it the feeling you get when-” she started to say, before pressing her lips against his and kissing him tenderly.

  He accepted the kiss, startled at first. Then he realized he was returning it as generously as it was given. He pulled back with a sigh.

  “It’s certainly a good feeling,” he whispered, “But no, that isn’t love. If you’re not in too much of a hurry, maybe we can discover it together. For now, I’d really like it if we took it slow. Please understand that I just lost my fellow pilot, my family, and every person I ever knew. It’s just not the right time for me to be as emotionally open as I would need to be.”

  She nodded, then stepped out of his embrace.

  “I understand. My culture honors mourning and I think I may have forgotten the situation you are in,” she said, “We will take it slow.”

  Four

  He opened his eyes to discover a bluish laser beam slicing through the curtains and marking out a bright river of light across the middle of the bed. He breathed in a floral scent, quickly noticing the brown head of long hair near his lips. They had shared the bed, both respecting each other’s space. The chill of the night must have brought her into his arms where she still lay sleeping at the moment.

  He cautiously rolled onto his back and slowly slid his other arm from beneath her. He now recalled a long night of fitful dreams, most of them portraying the Shomani as frightening monsters – the kind of monsters that spent their evenings inside dark closets and beneath the beds of little children. At one point in the night, he awoke with a scream as Orlo leapt upon him and bit into his neck like a vampire.

  That was the moment Kashuba had found her way into his arms, he recalled. Actually, it was the other way around at the time. She held him, soothing him like a little child. Oddly enough, he had accepted her reassuring whispers, somehow believing in his moment of weakness that she could protect him from any and all demons - real or imagined.

  He turned to her and realized she was awake now, watching him in the bluish glow of the morning sun. He smiled at her, earning a smile in return.

  “I lived all my life on a world with an average size yellow star. The light we got from it was basically white. At least that’s how I saw it,” he said, “It could turn the sky orange or red at times near sunset or sunrise, but otherwise our sky was blue much like yours. But never did the star have the ability to cast such pretty blues into a dark room like your star is doing right now.”

  She smiled and drew the blanket up further. The room was definitely chilly.

  “You’re like a child the way you look at our moon, our sun, and just the world around you. It’s nice to see someone so enthralled by what we take for granted,” she said, “I’ve only known this sun, so I see nothing really special about the colors it casts.”

  “Well, trust me. The hues of your world are beautiful,” he said.

  “I’m glad you approve,” she chuckled, “How would you like for me to take you the long way around to the Science Lab so we could pass through the arboretum?”

  He sat up and stretched, noting suddenly that there were two piles of clothing laid out across the chest in the corner. He turned to her, recalling that she was in bed before him.

  “Where did the clothing come from?” he asked, nodding to the wooden chest.

  She sat up, holding the blanket tightly to her body. He noted suddenly that she was not wearing any clothes. Modesty or the chill caused her to draw the blanket around her bottom half, but she seemed to lack any concern about covering the rest. It took some effort to draw his eyes back to the clothing.

  “The Demigods provide you with everything while you are a guest. Sometimes they even have servants come in and clean at night,” she said.

  “But what if we had been… you know… what if we were busy last night?” he asked.

  She grinned and turned to him.

  “So, you changed your mind about sholiska?” she asked with a flirtatious smirk.

  “No! Please don’t keep tempting me as you do,” he pleaded, “You are so attractive to me, but I really don’t want to mess up anything.”

  “Okay then,” she continued to smile, but still didn’t seem very concerned with physical modesty, “Well, the servants would be polite and they never interrupt whatever is going on. It’s improper to watch those who are enjoying each other.”

  He shook his head, refusing to continue his argument. Their concern with privacy and modesty apparently were very different from his and it wouldn’t change no matter what he argued. At least he knew now that the home was not necessarily private and secure. If the Shomani had wanted to kill him last night like he’d dreamed, they certainly could have.

  . . . .

  He followed her out of their home and allowed her to lead the way in the opposite direction of the village he passed through yesterday. The blue sun was low in the sky, chasing away very little of the evening chill. Thankfully, the clothing they offered him was comfortable and sufficient to ward off the cold.

  They passed a few Shomani who paid them little regard as they pursued their own morning destinations. At one point, Kashuba pointed out a large body of water peeking out along the horizon. She called it the Western Sea.

  “What is the difference between the Shomani and Demigods?” he asked.

  “Well, all Demigods are Shomani, but not all Shomani are Demigods,” she replied, “The Demigods have proven themselves in intelligence, strength, and overall supremacy to the rest of those in the world. They are worthy of respect as I’ve explained before.”

  “Do you worship these Demigods?” he asked.

  She seemed to ponder his question for a few seconds. He was startled just then by a sudden roar of thunder. He looked up in time to witness a small silver aircraft passing by overhead. It was the first of any technological vehicle he’d seen or heard since he woke up the previous day. The low-flying craft moved much too quickly for him to identify its comparable class, but just from the few seconds he could see it, it reminded him of a helicopter without the rotors.

  “In some ways, I guess you could say that the Demigods are worshipped,” she replied, pointing then toward a forest in the distance, “Over there is where I will be able to show you some of our beautiful fauna, foliage, and maybe even a few of our native creatures.”

  He glanced around, searching for any other vehicles that would prove this wasn’t just an ancient village. The small homes and the cobblestone roads painted a portrait straight from Victorian England, yet the low-flying chopper was something seemingly more advanced than the aircraft of Earth.

  He suddenly caught sight of another peculiarity. Approaching rapidly from behind was yet another example of something that didn’t belong in a space faring civilization. Two giant creatures, reptilian in nature, were charging toward them, dragging some form of chariot behind them.

  Hawke took hold of Kashuba’s hand and drew her to the side of the road with him, fearful that the human holding onto the reigns didn’t see them. The beasts, snorting and gasping, came to an abrupt halt directly beside Hawke.

  “Quick, get in the back, spaceman,” the charioteer hollered, “We don’t have much time.”

  His attention was drawn instantly from the scaly green “horses” to the bearded man holding the reigns. He held up a rifle in a manner that simply suggested “we’re armed”.

  “Now, spaceman! I’m not willing to die for you!” he shouted, “Get in before the Shomani get here and take you back!”

  The door to the chariot opened and two large men leapt out. One rushed toward Hawke as though to tackle him, but only took hold of his forearm and gestured anxiously toward the open chariot. Kashuba responded in defiance by holding tightly to Hawke’s other arm and tugging him.

  “Get away from us, you savages!” Kashuba snarled.

  “We have your ship, spaceman. If you wish to live, you’ll come with us,” the muscular man attached t
o his forearm stated, “The girl here is a servant of the Shomani and will do whatever it takes to keep you here under lock and key. You are standing in the village where you will surely die as a mindless slave yourself.”

  “Get. In. Now!” the driver hollered, “They will be here any second!”

  “You have my ship?” Hawke finally found the ability to speak, “The ship I arrived in?”

  “Yes, now can we please discuss this while we stretch the distance between us and these murderers?” the muscular man insisted, this time tugging him forcefully toward the chariot.

  “No, Hawke! We stay here! This is my home!” she cried, fighting against the others.

  Shouting erupted in the distance. Hawke turned to see several Shomani rushing toward them. The last thing he heard was the voice of the driver saying something that sounded a little like “Do it.” After that, everything went black.

  Five

  Hawke awoke suddenly to the sound of violent explosions mixed with a cacophony of angry shouts. He was seated on a hardwood floor, propped against a wooden washtub. Another explosion shook the floorboards beneath him, causing ripples in the water of the washtub. He noticed suddenly that his right arm was in the tub. He started to draw his hand out of the water.

  “I wouldn’t, spaceboy,” a deep voice startled him.

  He noticed a man entering the small room with some metal objects in his hands. Hawke suddenly heard what sounded like rapid gunfire coming from the room directly above him.

  “What’s going on? Where am I?” Hawke asked, wondering what the man intended to do with the unusual tools he dropped near the washtub.

  “Your shiny little piece of jewelry is hot enough to burn straight through your bony wrist,” he said, “I’m here to remove that thing before it boils yet another tub of water.”

  He turned his attention suddenly to the hand he had resting in the washtub. The gold bracelet was doing exactly as Kashuba said it would. The man grinned at him, revealing a mouthful of rotten yellow teeth. He held up a tool that looked like a hybrid of bolt cutters and toothy pliers.