by Pepper North
Looking desperately at the remaining humans, Huma tried to remember and focus her mind on her extensive training to prevent herself from responding emotionally. She could recite all the steps Oreg had designed to care for a human first emerging from stasis. She knew they were fragile, but she had not considered that they wouldn’t survive the long trip. A strong hand landed on Huma’s shoulder. She looked to Oreg who had stepped next to her.
“Huma, it is time for you to meet your human. He has been specially matched with you. Of all the Keepers I have trained, I have the most confidence in you and your judgment. Remember, he comes from a world where he is self-reliant and where the tradition is for a male to be the protector for a female. You will need to be strict as he questions you. His thoughts and memories indicate that he is not a scholar. His interests involve manipulation of objects to create a new working object. Give him plenty to occupy him, and he will adapt more rapidly.” He stopped talking to allow Huma to digest all the information that he had shared. “His Earth name is written on his medical chart. You may choose to call him by that name, or you may choose to give him a Nrantian name.” He extended his top arm on his dominant side and held it up to face Huma. “Take care of your human. Contact me with any concerns.”
Placing her top arm from her dominant side as well against Oreg’s, Huma acknowledged the gesture that elevated her to the venerated status of Keeper. “Thank you for all your guidance and knowledge. I will Keep him well.” When Oreg stepped back to open a path to the first stasis pad, Huma walked briskly forward. She looked through the clear shield and felt her heart immediately fill with emotion. “He is mine. Of all the Nrantians, I have been chosen to be his Keeper.”
She leaned forward to press her four arms against the stasis bed seals. Hissing air escaped from the bed’s recycling system. Huma removed the shield and handed it to the attendant who had delivered it from the ship. He nodded and bowed to the Keeper as he handed over a thin file of information for the human. Huma accepted it with a smile before turning to brush her human’s thick blond curls across his forehead. He was beautiful. The radiation of Earth’s sun had kissed his skin. The contrast of his blond hair and the tanned skin was adorable. She was eager to see the color of his eyes, but first, she needed to prepare him for the trip to her home. She opened the seal on his stasis suit to expose his lean, muscled torso. Huma spread a thick layer of crushed magriri paste over his chest. The magriri plant had a sedating effect on humans. The paste was not the most efficient mode of delivering magriri, but it would suffice for the short trip to her home. She reached in to pick up her human, cradling him easily in her arms. She turned to leave the receiving bay. This would be her first and last trip here.
Chapter 26
Her long strides covered the blue Nrantian trawl with speed. The thick vegetation spread lushly across the ground. She had learned that there was something like this on Earth. It was green. There would be many new things for her human to adjust to in his new life. She kept a close watch on his expressive face, watching for any sign of discomfort or stress. Earth had a different gravitational force and air pressure than Nrantia. Humans needed to be kept sedated for several days to allow their fragile bodies to adapt. Finally, she saw her door looming in front of her. She balanced her human in two arms while holding his file in her third hand. She used her free hand to press against the glowing screen. The door opened instantly.
Immediately, Huma carried her precious bundle into his nursery. She laid him carefully on the high padded table and released the seal on his stasis suit again. This time, she efficiently stripped him of all his clothing and rolled him over on his side. Parting his muscular buttocks with two hands, Huma revealed his anus. She opened the sealed jar of lubricant that rested in its own niche in the table. She would use this frequently. She applied a large amount to his clenched opening and pressed a finger slowly inside. Her Nrantian fingers were much larger than someone from Earth, so she did not rush her application of the slippery goo. His bottom had to relax to allow her to insert her finger fully to spread the lubricant thickly throughout his tight channel. Her fourth arm picked up the luryx medication that would keep him asleep during his transition time. She began to press the rounded end of a large red, cylindrical capsule into his rectum. Her steady pressure forced his anus to relax and allow the medicine to be pressed deeply inside. She recalled that, for a human of his weight and size, he would need two luryx capsules each dose. She repeated her process before removing her finger from his rectum and turning him over to lay on his back.
As she washed the magriri paste from his body, Huma allowed herself to appreciate his form. Nrantians were much larger physically than humans. They were a much older race that had been exploring space for longer than anyone could remember. Once they found Earth, the Nrantians were fascinated by the human race. Only bearing two arms instead of the two on each side proved that the Nrantians were the much more advanced race. Humans were also much smaller and weaker, making them a species needing protection. Humans were only brought to Nrantia if they discovered or encountered the observing Nrantians. Mentally, humanity was not ready for visitors from another world.
They are a beautiful race, Huma thought, appreciating his physique. She began to wipe the rest of his body clean from his travels. His smooth skin was colored from the sun mainly in his extremities. The true color of his skin could be seen in his pelvic area. She washed his beautiful face and brushed open his mouth to wipe the exterior of his teeth. She had learned how to care for these. Huma gently separated his upper and lower jaws to allow her to wipe the inner surface of his teeth and his tongue. His mouth was dry from the long trip. She would begin to rehydrate him next.
Her cloth cleansed his arms and delicate fingers before sliding down his torso to his mass of riotous curls. She lifted his sexual organ. “This is his penis,” she reminded herself of the correct words in her new vocabulary. She noted that its size was much larger than the average. Holding it gently with one hand, she spread a thick cream over his curls, being careful to extend her treatment around his sensitive testicles and along the edges of his buttocks. A gentle wipe removed the human depilatory cream and the curls from his nether regions. It was better to remove this while the human was sedated as it was viewed as a mark of maturity and many humans, males especially, would rebel at this treatment. When he was smooth and clean, Huma released his penis. Her human had responded to her gentle touch and hold of his organ with a growing erection. She rubbed it softly up and down as a reward. When he groaned hoarsely in reaction, she knew it was time to cleanse his legs and back. It would not be good for her human to be stimulated awake. She gave his penis a final fond squeeze before continuing her task.
Finally clean, Huma wrapped his delicate bottom in a quobon. Huma had learned that the closest human equivalent to the quobon was a diaper that only infants and some elderly or ill humans wore. Humans here on Nrantia wore these always as the evacuation chambers that Nrantians used were too powerful for the human digestive systems. Their delicate intestines would be pulled from their bodies, causing great harm. He would adjust in time to the quobon. She would need to assist this transition by relieving his shame in releasing his liquid and solid waste into the absorbent padding of the quobon.
Scooping him into her arms, Huma cuddled him against her body. She fixed a bottle of warm magriri juice and sat in the gliding chair where she had dreamed of her human just a few darknesses ago. Looking fondly at the beautiful human in her arms, she allowed herself to relax and absorb the feel of his body against hers. She teased his lips with the nipple from the bottle until he opened his mouth slightly. Huma slid the nipple inside and smiled as he began to suck automatically. His life force was strong.
When he finished the bottle, Huma stood and placed him in his crib. She laid him on his back and covered his body with a fluffy blanket. She brushed a soft hand across his cheek lightly and gasped as the male spread his lips to smile in pleasure. She forced herself to raise the pro
tective railing and lower the clear shield to guard him safely inside.
She walked with firm strides away from the crib to pick up the file of information that she had been given. According to the scans that had been conducted at the time he had been placed in the stasis bed for the long trip back to Nrantia, her human’s name had been Pieter on Earth. She quickly named him. He would be known as Pien here on Nrantia. Pien was the name of the frothy foam that capped vigorously running liquid in nature. His wild blond curls had immediately reminded her of this force of nature as they tossed around his handsome face.
Finishing the file, she stored it carefully before returning to the quiet nursery. She could hear Pien’s soft breaths. Sitting once again in the gliding chair, Huma allowed herself to nap lightly. She would need her rest as she continued to dose Pien with the luryx capsules that allowed him to rest as his body adjusted to life on Nrantia. In a few cycles of pinkness and greenness, he would be well enough for her to reduce his dosage. She was eager for him to open his eyes. “What color would they be?” she asked herself as she drifted off to sleep, ever vigilant.
Chapter 27
At the end of three days, Huma began to cut back on the sedating dose of luryx. Pien would not be completely conscious until the next pinkness, but she wanted him to start absorbing details about the surrounding environment. Hopefully, when he did wake up fully, his mind would have had time to adapt at least partially to avoid a giant shock to his system.
Pien felt himself drifting in that comforting space between being awake and asleep. He was lying on something simultaneously soft and hard. The feel of soft velvet or fur tickled his body. Had he gotten a new bedspread? He couldn’t remember buying one, but he liked it. He felt his lips wrapped around something that dripped a delicious liquid into his throat. A feeling like he had been thirsty for a long time echoed in his brain as he swallowed the mixture greedily. A rumbling of the surface below him and a musical sound enveloped him. Pien tried to open his eyes. His eyes didn’t focus well. All he could see was a vague purple mass that seemed to surround him. “I could really learn to love purple if it’s this soft,” he murmured aloud in a raspy voice before drifting back to sleep.
“Green! His eyes are green!” Huma lips curled upward in pleasure. She had been practicing this expression since her first day of Keeper training. Humans called this a smile, and it was a sign of pleasure and approval. Huma knew that small things like a facial expression from home would make Pien feel more at ease. Of course, she’d also practiced the opposite, a frown. Oreg had taught that humans could be guided simply by encouraging good decisions and behavior with a smile while warning of bad ones with a frown. She was eager to experiment. Only a few more lora. “Hours,” she reminded herself of the human measurement of time. The two did not correlate, but it would be easier for her to explain during his transition.
Chapter 28
Finally, the luryx was receding from his system. Huma held Pien safely against her body. She teased his full, pink lips with the nipple of his bottle of magriri juice. Its gentle relaxant would help prevent him from panicking as he recovered his senses. When he yawned widely, she tucked the nipple into his mouth and smiled as he began to suck automatically. She held her breath as his lush blond eyelashes started to flutter. She could tell the minute his eyes focused on her hand holding the bottle. His body stilled completely.
Pieter looked at the hand in front of him. It was a deep shade of purple and covered with plush fur. He moved one hand tentatively to touch it and snatched his hand back when he found it to be warm. His body shook gently as if he was in an old unbaffled waterbed. Pien blinked his eyes several times rapidly to try to clear his vision. He didn’t remember drinking last night. In fact, his last memory was of running down the dirt trails that wandered around the city park. He held his hand up in front of his face to check his vision and to see if he had been injured. His hand bumped into something. He wrapped his hand around the cylinder, pulling it away from him. He was startled to feel the nipple slide from between his lips. “What?” he said loudly as he struggled to sit up. He felt like he was moving through quicksand. His muscles were not working together.
“Calm yourself, little human. You are okay,” the musical voice he remembered from earlier came from behind him.
Pieter froze in place. He rotated his head to look up into the face of something entirely unexpected. Looking down at him was a large figure with a triangular head. There were two eyes, a nose, and a mouth. Soft purple fur covered the creature. Pieter raised his hand to his head checking to see if he had suffered a head injury.
“You are unharmed, Pien. My name is Huma. I would like to welcome you to Nrantia,” Huma tried to reassure Pien. She knew he was very shaken. “Please, drink a little more magriri milk. It will help prevent you from panicking. I will try to explain things to you.” Taking advantage of his shock, Huma slipped the nipple of the bottle back into his mouth. She nodded at him as he automatically began drinking again. He had become used to his bottle during his adaptation period. “I am speaking to you through a temporary translator. I am your Keeper. That is, I have been granted the great honor of caring for you in your new life on Nrantia.”
Pieter decided he’d heard enough. He pushed the bottle away. Grabbing the purple hand in front of him, he tried to pull the purple fur off. “This isn’t a funny joke. Take off that costume. What did you give me? Drugs? I feel very weak. Who or what are you?” he demanded.
“Ouch, little human. My fur is not a costume that comes off. Look carefully, you will see that I have six fingers and that I am much larger than your fragile human frame.” Huma held a hand up in front of his face. “I also have four arms where you are handicapped with only two.”
Pieter’s eyes slid across its torso to see two arms reaching from each side. “Did I die?” he asked, trying to make sense of everything.
“No, Pien. You are very safe. Your body is very strong. Humans have an adjustment period as they become used to Nrantia’s different gravity and air pressure. There are many things that could endanger a human here on Nrantia. That is why a Keeper is selected for each human who is brought here.” Huma held up a hand to stop him from demanding to be taken back to earth. “Humans are only brought here if they discover Nrantians on Earth. We are monitoring your planet closely with the purpose of supporting your survival at least until your species becomes advanced enough to thrive and explore. I believe you were running in your home country of Sweden when you interrupted Nrantian scientists.”
His eyes widened as he remembered. He’d worked so hard to raise money for the sick child confined to a wheelchair who had moved into their town. The whole town had turned out to support the fundraiser that Pieter had organized. He had just finished counting the money. It was enough to pay for a month of the expensive treatment. He’d thought her parents were so brave as they tried to hide their tears from their daughter when they had shared with him the news that she had been selected for a special drug trial. Pieter was almost turning cartwheels in happiness as he tried to imagine their joy when he delivered the money.
He wasn’t sure why he had taken the shortcut through their backyard. As he let himself in at the gate, he saw the small family through the living room window: the tall, stoic father, the beautiful mother, and Ariel. They were all standing hugging each other. His mind had been struck by the support they gave each other before realizing that Ariel was not in her wheelchair. She was standing—even bouncing—independently of her mother and father’s support. His legs stopped moving. Pieter looked down at the bag of money stored in his battered animal shelter duffle as it rested heavily in his arms. He pulled his camera out of his pocket and took several pictures sending them to the mayor and city council members asking what he should do with the money. When he looked back up, the family had turned to the window. He must have made some noise to attract their attention. The raw hate on their faces made him turn instantly to get out of there.
He sprinted out of their
yard, vaulting over the gate in his haste to get away. Pieter was just turning around the last yard that separated him from his car in the parking lot of the shelter. Only when he turned the corner and began to cross the shelter steps, he just remembered a bright flash and then nothing. Pieter struggled to sit up. He struck out his hands defensively when the purple armed beast began to help him up. Without a second’s delay, his body was righted with his arms restrained firmly against his sides and his hands trapped within one six-fingered hand. He was sitting on the lap of the beast.
“Pien, I will not allow you to hurt yourself. You are not accustomed to Nrantia’s gravity yet. You are not able to sit up independently. Think carefully. Have I hurt you or caused you any harm?” the melodic voice asked. “Besides, you hurt my feelings each time you call me a beast. My name is Huma. I am your Keeper. I was not involved in the decision to bring you to Nrantia. But I am very glad you are here. My life is now dedicated to taking care of you.”
“My name is Pieter. Why do you keep calling me, Pien?” he asked as he struggled to free his hands.
