Chapter 21: Seeta

Although Ganesh is predominantly an agricultural world, it boasts a small but well regarded research institute dedicated to studying intelligent alien life. When Seeta left high school six years ago, her excellent academic grades lead to the offer of a place as a junior research assistant at the Alien Species Research Institute. More accurately, Seeta’s role was as an assistant to a junior research assistant. Even on out of the way planets in remote sectors of space, being given important work depended more on who you know, and less on what you know. Seeta made the mistake of repeatedly pointing out the inequalities in the promotion of staff at the institute. After three years of backbreaking and mind-numbingly boring work, Seeta lodged an official complaint. The complaint was duly processed with a predictable outcome. Seeta was invited to quit her job at the institute or face a criminal investigation. Fearing the consequences of further angering the powers-that-be, Seeta complied and joined her long-time friend Tamarah in working on a nearby farm.

Seeta’s time at the institute wasn’t entirely wasted. Among other things, she learned to recognise the AI generated script used to represent Valkyrie words. Seeta is one of the few humans who understand how the raw communication is translated into the script commonly used to display Valkyrie words. Seeta’s work at the institute also alerted her to the frequent mistranslations in the inter-species communications. It’s a miracle that seemingly intelligent conversations between humans and Valkyries happen at all. Seeta knows that the information about the Valkyries that finds its way into the school curriculum is closer to fiction than fact. However, few people are ever going to get close enough to a Valkyrie to discover any inaccuracies, and the quantity rather than quality of material taught in schools is considered more important.

Until now, Seeta’s experience at the Alien Species Research Institute has been of little value in her subsequent life toiling on a Ganesh farm. Lorna’s theory that Dog Star Six’s destination is in Valkyrie territory has suddenly given Seeta a new purpose. Seeta’s fears and worries about what will become of her and the others are replaced with a return of the steely resolve that earned her a reputation as a troublemaker at the Ganesh institute.

When Seeta hears of Lorna’s suggestion that the Valkyries may be communicating whenever a control collar touches the moisture in a woman’s cunt, Seeta initially thinks that the idea is ridiculous. However, she too experienced a moment of disorientation when her collar touched Tamarah’s cunt. What seemed like a rapid flow of meaningless data flashed through her mind before Tamarah broke contact with Seeta’s collar. On reflection, Lorna’s suggestion may not be as far fetched as it first appears. Unfortunately that doesn’t help Seeta understand what the message is saying. Is everyone receiving the same message, or is each message different?

While Seeta would like to develop Lorna’s theory further, she needs Tamarah’s cooperation. When it comes to any sexual activity, then Seeta invariably submits to Tamarah’s desires. While touching her collar to Tamarah’s moist cunt doesn’t seem unduly difficult to orchestrate during sexual play, Seeta would never dare do such a thing without Tamarah’s full knowledge and consent. Unfortunately, Tamarah is in a bad mood following an argument with Evelyn, so now isn’t the best time to broach the subject.