by Mark Wandrey
“Paying for all the stuff you’re doing.” Cherise gestured at the technical drawings on the car’s display.
“My stuff?”
“You know what I mean. That hub is exporting ten thousand tons of food a day through the old Rusk Portal.”
“So they did activate it after all?”
“You don’t keep up with the news, do you?”
“I’m too busy working on my stuff.”
“Touché. Yeah, we activated that portal and the one in Gulf, as well.”
“We’re shipping out all our food? Isn’t that dangerous?”
“Hardly. We’ve been implementing Concordian production and growth techniques for years, and output has tripled. For a hundred years we’ve been trying to make some real money from the Concordia, one way or another. The pittance we get from the Tog is nothing more than a stipend. We exported some minerals, but this planet is so depleted of heavy and ferrous metals, there isn’t much to offer. Once food production took off, we got all kinds of lucrative offers.”
“Why would other species be so eager to buy our food?” Cherise shrugged. “I mean, they’re their production techniques, why aren’t they using them?”
“Maybe it’s cheaper to let primitive people like us grow it.”
“You’d think the way they use robots…”
“I haven’t seen too much of that sort of thing in their agriculture business.”
“I have. Check this out.” Minu’s fingers danced over the computer keyboard, and the car’s display showed an army of robots arrayed in what was clearly a military formation.
“Why are they standing like that?”
“Parade formation.” Minu saw Cherise’s confusion and held up a hand. “Just a second, watch.” After a moment, a massive crab-like walker came into view. Perched inside a clear bubble was an alien resembling a cross between a dolphin and an octopus. It was using its arms to operate the walker and issue orders to the robots. As the ranks of robots began to march, slither, and fly away, the being followed behind with a squadron of huge dragonfly-bots, acting as an escort.
“Wow,” Cherise said as the scene ended. “Is that standard combat for higher-order species?”
“From what I can tell, yes. Let the bots slug it out. They don’t believe in getting their hands bloody.”
“Or tentacles.” They both laughed. “Where’d you find that?”
“This?” Minu asked, suddenly worried she’d shown too much. “It’s just some stuff I dug up.” Cherise was about to push her for more info when the autopilot announced they were arriving at Steven’s Pass.
The car touched down, and Minu steered toward the compound door by the garage. Christian and Gregg stood in the doorway chatting. When Cherise caught sight of tall, muscular Christian, she smiled. “Pretty boy,” she said. Minu’s cheeks burned. The boys spotted them, and Christian waved, while Gregg stared in amazement. As the passenger door rotated up, Cherise slid into the back seat, followed quickly by an ogling Gregg.
“When did you get the car?” he asked as he fit his long frame into the somewhat less roomy rear.
“A few months ago,” Minu admitted. “I didn’t have anything else to do with my money. Hi, Christian!”
“Hi, yourself,” he said as he folded himself into the passenger seat. He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips. Minu felt a little shudder run up her spine. The way his eyes twinkled when he looked at her made Minu feel really good in places that had never felt that good. She could hear smooching sounds from the back seat as she locked the passenger door. “Okay, okay, get a room.”
“I would, but I can’t afford a car or a room,” Gregg said.
“Hmm, who needs a room?” Cherise purred as Gregg shamelessly let his hand travel up her naked thigh. Cherise had long legs, and it looked like a fun trip.
“What’s the plan?” Gregg asked when Cherise finally smacked his hand just as he was approaching her panties.
“Fun, and lots of it,” Cherise cheered.
“Sounds good to me,” Christian agreed. He cast an eye at the screen, still showing alien robots marching around. Minu stowed the screen in the dash, and he shrugged.
“Can’t have too much fun in Chelan,” Minu said, “and it’s about six hours to Tranquility…”
“Too far!” her passengers said at the same time.
“How about Leavenworth?” Cherise asked.
“That’s not a very safe place,” Minu said, without thinking. The others blew raspberries and booed her. “Come on, there’re more armed assaults and robberies there than anywhere else on Bellatrix.”
“Sounds like my kinda place,” Cherise chuckled. Christian held up his hands and said he wasn’t the driver.
“Don’t you worry,” Gregg said and flexed his arm, making his biceps stand out like bulging steel. “You’ve got a scout with you.”
“Oooh, baby,” Cherise cooed and dug her fingers into his muscle.
“Make that two scouts,” Christian reminded them and winked at Minu.
Minu thought she’d better decide before Cherise got impatient and started squeezing other bulges. All during her childhood she’d heard her mother’s admonitions against Leavenworth, home of thieves, scum, and pornographers. Since becoming Chosen, she’d learned it was a favorite hangout of Chosen scouts and older Chosen. It was also only a hundred and fifty kilometers away, or about a 40-minute ride in her nimble little aerocar.
“Leavenworth it is,” she said and launched the car. “I hope I don’t regret it.”
* * *
Forty minutes later she guided her aerocar into a landing. “Don’t let the automatic pilot take you in,” Cherise warned her, “it’ll dump us in a public lot outside the strip, and we’ll have to walk a kilometer.”
“And someone will try to steal your car,” Christian agreed. It looked like she was the only one who’d never been to the infamous town. Following her friends’ directions, she let the beacon lead her in, then engaged manual control, steering them down to a landing on a properly yellow striped road approved for take-off and landing. Not many cities on Bellatrix had them. Using the car’s small wheels, she drove toward the center of town.
Leavenworth sat in a valley up the river from the gorge where Steven’s Pass perched. A naturally lush area, it would have been perfect for agriculture. Unfortunately, it was on the main north-south Kloth migration route. Twice a year, thousands of the rampaging carnivores tore through the valley, trampling every plant in sight and eating anything that moved. More than a hundred years earlier settlers had tried corralling the beasts with huge poles, encouraging them to move through the valley. It only worked sporadically. The valley became a favorite for Kloth hunters, and eventually a boomtown arose. The generally sleepy village bustled with activity as the migration approached. It was only natural the town had a high density of bars, brothels, and other establishments necessary for the upkeep and happiness of the rough and ready Kloth hunters.
As Minu steered her car onto the main strip, she could see it was basically an island. She asked about it, and Gregg filled her in. “The Kloth were too tough for anything humans could come up with centuries ago, so they eventually settled on diverting the river and putting a small dam in it. Now the town sits on an artificial island. As we all know from experience, Kloth aren’t much for swimming.” Cherise and Minu nodded gravely. Minu thought she’d have to share some of her stories from the Trials with Christian sometime.
Because of the way the island was created, there was extremely limited space. As a result, the little city had almost as many tall buildings as Tranquility in half the area. Only three kilometers long and one wide, Leavenworth was a very busy place. Minu looked with wide eyes at the bright neon signs offering gambling, sex, alcohol, alien intoxicants, and more. One casino proclaimed it had, ‘the best in alien entertainment.’ “What about there?” she asked them.
“I don’t much like what most aliens consider entertainment,” said Gregg. The others agreed.
“Am I the only one who’s never been here?” The others kept quiet, so she knew was. “Well, I guess it’s high time.”
“There, that place,” Gregg said and pointed to a hotel near the end of the strip. “The Dunes,” he said, smiling. It didn’t look like much; in fact, it looked like one of the oldest places on the avenue. “It was opened by a guy from the Desert Tribe.”
“That explains the name,” Cherise said. Minu steered her car into the circular drive. An abundance of plants and flowers bloomed along the stone-paved driveway. She saw a sign near the entrance. “Chosen are our favorite customers!”
“This close to Steven’s Pass, you’d think they’d all welcome us,” she said.
“You’d think so,” Christian responded.
“Some people will never like or trust us,” Gregg said.
As she pulled to a stop a man dressed in a curious uniform hopped out and offered his hand. Startled, she yanked hers away, and he stepped back to make room for her.
“Welcome to The Dunes,” he said with a flourish. The man scanned the group of young people and stopped when he saw Gregg climb out. “Chosen are particularly welcome, as always.”
“Thanks, Lester,” Gregg said and handed the man five credits. Minu tried to keep from ogling at his wanton money flashing.
“This is why you can’t afford a car?” Minu asked him. Gregg smiled and gestured toward the ornately-carved wooden doors. Like a drum major, he led them inside.
* * *
Most of the things her mother had warned her about turned out to be true, or at least based on some truth. The Dunes was a pleasure palace that catered to all needs. They took Minu around to show her what was available. Their hostess made it known that if anything wasn’t to their liking, she’d take care of it. Minu and Christian decided to try some gambling, something she’d never done before. She didn’t find it terribly interesting, but Christian was having fun, so she went along with it.
As they bet small amounts on cards, then dice, Minu thought about many things. The weapons project her team was working on was forefront in her mind, along with another project she’d been working on for some time, without luck. Back in her room was a computer chip, encrypted in a way Pip had never seen, with a message she couldn’t read.
As the afternoon moved on, the friends went to see a show. Unlike the more outlandish alien entertainment found elsewhere in Leavenworth, The Dunes specialized in the more conventional fare of song, dance, and scantily-clad females. Gregg and Christian couldn’t keep the grins off their faces as scantily-clad turned into unclad. Cherise caught Minu’s eye and shook her head at the boys’ reactions. Minu could see Gregg’s arm around Cherise, one hand cupping a breast. Minu’s breath caught in her throat.
As the sun was setting, they found seats in the lushly-appointed lounge. A woman was singing a mournful tune as a man played along on an old-style piano. “This is more to my liking,” Minu said with a big smile. Christian smiled back, and she felt her neck get hot. The woman finished the song, picked up a guitar, and began playing an instrumental. Cherise and Gregg got up and moved onto the dance floor.
“Dance?” Christian asked.
“I don’t know how,” she said.
“I can change that,” he said and took her hand. She tried to resist, though not very hard. Before she realized it, his arm was around her waist, and they were on the dance floor. “We need to be a little closer for this to work,” he said, and she melted against his body. Instantly she regretted her third glass of mead. He pulled her arms around his neck, and she could feel the tautness of his muscles. The subtle but manly scent of his cologne and the intensity of his blue eyes made her heart race. He carefully guided them so their bodies moved gracefully to the beat of the song.
“I think I like dancing,” she whispered, laying her head against his muscular chest. He’d seemed so tall before, but now he felt perfect. Her head fit nicely just under his chin.
“I know I like dancing with you,” he replied, then moved a hand from her waist and tilted her chin toward his face. His lips were warm against hers. She opened her mouth, and the tips of their tongues touched. Lightning bolts started in her belly and raced up through her head. She put her cheek back against his chest, and they continued to dance, his heart beating steadily and hers thundering in her head.
After several hours and many dances, Minu realized their friends were gone. When she and Christian returned to the table, she found a room key and a note.
Minu,
Have a great night. We’ll see you at 07:00 to head back to Steven’s Pass.
Cherise
“I guess we’re on our own,” Christian said and pocketed the key. Minu shivered slightly and nodded. “It’s getting late.”
“It is,” she agreed and tried to speak calmly. “Looks like we already have a room.’
“Yeah,” he said, and for the first time she noticed that he looked nervous, too. “You want to see what the room is like?”
“Yes, I would.”
The waiter brought them another bottle of mead wrapped in a silver cooling blanket and a pair of mead flutes. Christian offered his hand, and Minu took it, afraid he’d feel her shaking as he led her to the lift. The room number on the key led them to the top floor. Christian opened the door, and they entered a suite with a panoramic window overlooking the entirety of the Leavenworth strip. The twinkling lights were almost hypnotic as Minu stood staring in wonder, the half empty mead flute in her hand forgotten. Christian came up behind her and, after placing a hand on her slim waist, he began teasing her neck with his mouth.
“Can we have some more mead?” she asked, her voice quavering slightly.
“Sure,” he said and went to refill the glasses. She took a deep breath and asked herself if she wanted to do this. He came back, smiling gently, with two flutes of fine mead. The answer was yes, she did. The room had a premium sound system, and Christian found some music like they’d listened to in the lounge, so they danced for a little while. As they danced, his hands touched her in ways no one had ever touched her before. She shook so badly she found it hard to stand, and he finally broke away, concern on his face.
“Are you okay?” he asked. Minu nodded, then shook her head. “What can I do to make it better?”
She reached behind her back and undid the simple clasp on her bra, then swept it and her shirt over her head in one easy motion, like she did when getting ready for bed. She used all her willpower to keep from covering her naked breasts with her hands.
He looked at her and smiled softly. The way he appreciated her body made Minu feel like a precious sculpture. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered and came to her. They moved to the music for a minute as his hot hands caressed her breasts, teasing the nipples. A gasp escaped her lips. He removed his shirt, and she felt his well-muscled, nearly hairless chest and taut stomach, with a hint of hair at his belt line. With much more confidence than she felt, she undid his belt and loosened his pants. He helped a little, and his pants slid to the floor. His manhood stood rigid against her abdomen. With trembling hands, she gently touched it. He leaned into the contact with a sigh. “Don’t be afraid,” he said, and she gripped him more firmly.
A short time later they lay on the bed, wrapped in each other’s arms as soft music played in the background, and the lights of Leavenworth twinkled over the bed. Minu was breathing hard and no longer in control of her body as Christian’s expert hands made her feel things she hadn’t thought possible. Then the moment arrived, and he was on top of her, kissing her neck and breasts, his hot breath coming quickly as she felt him press against the place she’d never allowed a man.
“Are you sure?” he asked huskily.
“Yes, please, now,” she groaned, all reservations and fear gone. She wrapped her legs around his waist and lost all coherent thought as passion crashed through her body.
Afterwards, Minu’s eyes welled with tears. Christian held her, stroking her hair and whispering into her ear
as she sobbed. He couldn’t understand why she was crying and neither did she. It was enough that he was there to hold her. “Thank you,” she whispered as he lay against her.
* * *
April 30th, 518 AE
The Dunes Hotel, Leavenworth
At ten minutes after seven, Minu and Christian ran out the front door hand in hand, and found Gregg and Cherise already there, laughing and kissing. “Someone had fun,” Cherise said when she saw them with their hair still wet, and their cheeks red with excitement.
“We went for an early swim,” Minu said quickly. Her attempt to cover up their night of carnal pleasure fell flat on its face.
“Is that what you’re calling it?” Minu turned twelve shades of red, then started laughing. Christian grabbed her and pulled her into his powerful arms for a long, deep kiss. Minu molded her body against his without hesitation and realized with a shock that she wanted more. Oh no, what have I unleashed? Gregg and Cherise cheered her on, and though she blushed even more, she didn’t stop the kiss.
The valet pulled her car up and the friends piled in. A minute later Minu took off illegally from the strip, startling several Beezer tourists who shook their furry arms at her as she climbed away.
“That’s a moving violation,” Cherise chided.
“Screw it,” Minu laughed.
As they flew, Gregg and Cherise continued to kiss. Christian leaned over the central column and held her hand. When the car began descending to Steven’s Pass, Christian leaned over and whispered in her ear.
“I don’t have any expectations after last night. I know we’re Chosen, and that makes things complicated.”
“I’m glad you understand.” Minu smiled, then kissed him. “But I know who I want to spend my next day off with.” She blushed and batted her eyes at him, sucking on her lower lip seductively. He grinned like a little boy with a new toy. “It was wonderful, Christian. Thanks again.”
