Chapter 13

Alex floated in a black and trackless void, unable to see anything, but not fearing his loss of sight. He found this to be odd, but paid the thought no mind, as he felt like he was in a place of comfort. He kept floating along, sensing that he was heading somewhere. Slowly, light filtered through to his vision and he could see something ahead. It looked like a portal, with white light spilling out of it and shapes lay within it.

Moments later, the light consumed him, and he was no longer floating in the black void, but in a blue sky dotted with white clouds. Beneath him, mountain-like spires jutted out of a white mist, that hung low and obscured the ground at their roots. Alex saw green vegetation growing on the spires and he thought he could make out the blue shimmer of water through the mist.

Tiny waterfalls spilled out of some spires, adding to the misty shroud, but they didn’t hold Alex’s interest for long. Looking in the distance, he saw a mountain range, some of them with white snow-capped peaks. The thing that caught his eye the most, was a glimmer of gold light that was reflected by the massive waterfall, pouring out of the mountains.

The amount of water that came down off the range reminded him of the holostills he’d seen of Niagara Falls. The massive torrent of water that spilled off the river and into the chasm below was breathtaking to watch, just like here. As he floated closer, he saw that the light was wasn’t the sun reflecting off the water, but the reflection from a massive city that was built right in the middle of the river.

Not knowing what this place was, Alex drew near to it, feeling some familiarity to it. It was almost as though he had been here before but could never remember having been to a place like this. He floated closer to it, just enough to where he could make out figures standing on the balconies and walkways. It was then, that whispering voices sounded in his ear, causing him to slip away from this dream, waking him up.

Instantly, the dream began to fade, bringing him back to reality and his physical body. Sensations that he couldn’t feel, returned to him and memories of the night previous, flooded back to his mind. Alex smiled at it all, remembering just how much sex he’d had and who he had it with. He groaned slightly as both pleasure and pain bloomed throughout his body, telling him what was good and what needed looking after.

The voices he’d heard while floating in the dream could now be heard more clearly. They were feminine voices, one of them frantic and vehement, while others were defensive and soothing. Alex couldn’t move just yet, as he was just shaking the lethargy off his limbs, but he could hear the conversation between the women in question clear as day.

“ ... sure that you didn’t overdo it on the dosage mama?!? He’s still out like a light and hasn’t stirred in a while!” Natalya accused.

“I told you there would be side effects of using it and this is one of them. The poor man, pushing himself to satisfy each one of us? He will need his rest after that, especially with these two barging in like they did,” Korsa said, glancing over to Shazza and Luminia.

“Not our fault, as you invited us into the room,” Shazza shot back.

“I’m with Shazza on this one. We walked in on you lot, true, but you could have told us to leave. Instead, you wished for us to join you,” Lumi agreed, standing with her new friend.

“I’d have thought you two might have been embarrassed and walked away, finding us like that,” Kasumi griped.

“There is no such ... formalities ... among my people. If you walk in on someone who is busy having sex, you either wait for them to finish or join in. Only children are shooed away, but they know what goes on when they’re not around. We are not a ... prudish people,” Luminia stated, folding her arms beneath her breasts.

“My people ... think along ... similar lines. There is no need to be uptight about the matter,” Shazza said. Seeing that this tangent was a lost cause, Natalya rounded back on Korsa.

“Are you absolutely sure you didn’t crack his pelvis mama? You were a bit rough last night, so I need to be sure he’s going to be ok,” Natalya worried.

“Look, I’ve told you before young lady, nothing is broken in the man. I’ve done several checks on him and shy of bringing a portable scanner in here to check for sure, he will be OK,” Korsa soothed her daughter. Nats would have continued, but Alex opened his mouth and interrupted her, startling the lot of them.

“I’m perfectly all right Nats, though your concern is appreciated,” Alex groaned as he brought himself to a sitting position.

“I’m a bit sore, tired and dehydrated, but I’ll be OK. Though, if I’m being honest, death by Snu-Snu wouldn’t be such a bad way to go,” he quipped. The women stood there, open-mouthed for a moment, before Nats and Korsa snorted, laughing as they did so. Lumi and Shazza were both looking at the other women with a sense of bewilderment, not knowing what was so funny.

“Death by Snu-Snu means ‘death by sex’. It’s an old Earth reference,” Alex explained to them. Hearing this explanation brought realization to both women, who then pitched a fit of giggles.

“Well, you are right. It would be an ideal way to go,” Shazza chuckled as the shared mirth died down.

“Indeed! I assume the others are elsewhere at this moment?” Alex asked, noting the absence of Taal’ani, Inari and Priya.

“They’re busy cooking up breakfast and if you don’t move your ass, sir, you’re going to miss it,” Nats informed him.

“All right. Let me shower and I’ll be along in a minute,” he told the women.

“Can you stand?” Korsa asked him, the doctor in her coming out.

“Just give me a moment,” the big man said.

Slowly, he swung his legs over the edge of the massive bed, placing his feet on the chilly floor. He took a breath to center himself and stood, wobbling slightly as he did so. Alex took a couple of steps and saw that his gait was slightly unsteady but strong. He looked back at the assembled women and they stared back at him. It was then he noticed that he was still naked, as the stares from all four of them were ... hungry.

“Ladies, if you please? Your Commodore needs to get dressed,” he told them, trying to snap them out of the lust fueled daze they were in. Coming to, all four of the women blushed and started filing out, with both Nats and Kas firing him expectant looks. He even caught a glance from Shazza which seemed ... hopeful? He shook his head as the door closed behind the women and he walked into his shower unit.

Alex turned on the hot water, letting the steam from the shower head bathe him in its heat, before he stepped under the needle spray. Letting the water cascade over him, he recalled the amazing encounter over in his head. It was absolute bliss and a total living fantasy, and he had the sore parts to prove it. What was most surprising was just how liberal both Kasumi and Natalya were.

Natalya, given that she had been raised in this century and away from the norms he’d grown up in, wasn’t too surprising. Kasumi on the other hand, was a complete surprise! He didn’t think the newly promoted Captain had that level of kink in her! Though, since they’d been together, she had shown him a whole new side of herself that left him in wonder! He wasn’t aware that women of his era had that in them! Maybe they were just better at hiding it than the women of this one?

He was snapped out of the ruminations by something else that was on his mind that demanded his attention. That city he had dreamed of, in that place, he had been there before. The last time he had dreamed of it, was when he was on Earth, before they had launched the Perseus. He wasn’t sure what it had meant, but he knew that it meant something. He went looking for an old friend of his, who was in tune with the spiritual world and how things worked in it.

Analisa was glad to see him and was more than happy to help him, as he had helped her out of a tough spot or two when they were growing up. She had done a reading for him and seemed troubled by its implications. She had told him what was coming, but for the life of him, Alex couldn’t remember what she had said! He knew that it was important and that there was something related to the city in her reading, but the memory eluded him.

Sighing in frustration, Alex went about soaping up and getting ready for the day. There was a lot to be done and he could focus on memories of the past another time. Rinsing off the soap and shampoo, he killed the water and toweled himself dry. He stepped out into his quarters and went for his closet to fetch his uniform. Alex noted that all of his blue tunics had been removed and replaced with white ones.

He made a mental note to thank Jaesa for this as he got dressed. Stepping into his new uniform felt good, almost like he was a new man, stepping into a new life. The moment he thought about it, he realized this to be a truth and chuckled at it, as he styled his hair. He looked at himself in the mirror and pleased at his reflection, turned on his heel and left the room.

He didn’t have very far to go as the Officer’s Lounge, which also served as the Officer’s Mess, was where everyone was likely gathered. He could smell several breakfast odors and his stomach growled in anticipation. Alex stepped through the doors, which opened to admit him, and he saw that a veritable buffet had been prepared.

“Commodore on deck!” Kasumi called out as she bolted upright and stood at attention. The rest of the crew followed her example and stood with her, each one of them still as a statue. Alex smiled at this and walked in, glad to see that military protocol was being observed amongst the crew. He walked to the head of the table and seated himself before he spoke to them.

“At ease and be seated,” he replied, and the crew sat down. “You may all serve yourselves. After last night’s ... activities, I’m sure everyone here must be starving.”

A round of giggling followed that comment, and the ladies started digging into the stacks of food in front of them. Alex helped himself to some maple sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs, toast, a large glass of orange juice and a large mug of coffee. It was times like this that he was glad the Perseus was so well stocked, as he couldn’t imagine his mornings without coffee.

The room was full of nothing but the sound of eating as everyone got some food into themselves. Alex figured the women were likely just as hungry as he was, with how voracious they were being with the food. The feast in front of him had taken a lot of time to make, as there was enough for at least five times the current crew. He looked around the table until he’d located Inari and caught her attention.

“Thank you for the time and effort you spent making this feast for everyone, Commander,” he thanked the woman.

“Not a problem, sir. It was the least I could do, and it feels good to be cooking again,” she enthused while taking bites of a large cheese and mushroom omelette.

“Sir, if I may, what is the next step?” Kasumi asked.

“There is no need to stand on formality here Kas,” Alex responded warmly. “But in response to your question, there is a lot that needs doing. Though the Perseus is back online and much of its functionality restored, we’re not at one-hundred percent yet.”

“I can attest to that sir,” Natalya interjected. “Though I have done a lot in restoring the Perseus’ systems, there is still more that needs doing. Shields, weapons, hull repairs, additional Sentries to replace the ones lost or broken, the list is endless.”

“And that’s not counting all the other ships that need to be built to restore the fleet that was travelling with him. Where we would find proper personnel to crew them, is another matter entirely, but we’ll cross those bridges at a later date. We need to focus on what we can do here and now,” Alex continued.

“My people?” Lumi wondered tentatively.

“Yes, Luminia. We will help them as promised, as by helping them, we are helping ourselves. We will need all the allies we can find, if we are to have any hope of taking Earth back. In fact, I have been working on something for your clan, with Jaesa’s help,” Alex explained to the alien woman.

“You have? What is it?!?” Lumi asked excitedly.

“Finish your breakfast first, then I’ll show you,” he told her as he loaded his plate with a helping of chicken and waffles. Alex couldn’t understand why he was so damn hungry, but he just kept eating like there was a hole in his middle. He grabbed and demolished a stack of pancakes as his third plate, when he felt his stomach filling and just finished them. He looked over to Korsa, who was literally covering her face with her hands as she snickered at Alex stuffing his face.

“Your hunger pangs are a result of the enzyme I gave you last night. It drew from every nutrient reserve you had, to give you the stamina to fuck like you did. As a result, you probably felt weak and ravenous this morning?” she asked him.

“Yes, I did.”

“That’s your body’s way of saying that your reserves are depleted and need replenishing. So you will be hungrier than normal for the next couple of days, but be mindful of how much you eat, or you’ll have a spare tire in no time,” Korsa warned him.

“Thanks for that,” Alex stated as he decided against loading up his plate a fifth time. “Well, I would say that it’s past time to collect a few things and plant those new seedlings. Jaesa, do you have the Sentries in Hydroponics yet?”

“I sent them the moment you walked into the lounge, sir. They have begun planting the seedlings and will continue to tend them as ordered. Harvesting of the excess food in Hydroponics has already commenced and they are packaging everything now,” the AI replied.

“Very good. Ladies, if you would join me all on the bridge as we go over the details of what needs attending to on the Perseus? There is a lot that we need to go over,” Alex stated.

“Yes, sir!” they all replied. Almost immediately, everyone stood up and started cleaning up the leftovers. In no time at all, the mess was cleaned, and all the food put away. As one the crew marched out and headed to the bridge. After getting off the elevator and filing out onto the bridge, Alex led the way to the main holo-display, where Jaesa was waiting.

“Good morning, sir! I trust that everyone is well rested? Or ... as rested as can be expected?” Jaesa asked with a smirk.

“Jaesa, were you spying on us?” Kasumi asked, her voice mortified.

“It is part of my programming to monitor everything that transpires aboard the Perseus. Watching you ladies prancing around in those skimpy outfits ... it wasn’t that hard to put together what you were all up to last night,” the AI chuckled.

“And, judging by the big smiles and grins that every woman had on this morning, I would say that last night was ... pleasing, for everyone involved,” she finished.

“That’s one way of putting it,” Korsa said with a grin.

“I am rested enough to carry out what needs to be done Jaesa. Thank you for your concern. Can you bring up those plans we had finalized the day before?” Alex stated as he brought the focus back to what he had in mind.

“At once, sir!” Jaesa said as she disappeared. Moments later, a structural blueprint appeared on the display, the design of it eerily familiar. It took a few seconds for the ladies to recognize the structure as the living dome beneath Luminia’s home.

“This is ... the dome where we grow our food! You have ... plans to rebuild it?” Lumi asked tentatively.

“Not just rebuilding it, improving it. What you see is the current structure that lies beneath the ice. This is the new version that has been planned,” Alex said as he typed a few keys on the holographic keyboard. Seconds afterwards, a new hologram appeared overtop of the original, easily covering it.

“This is...” Lumi started, awed by the size and structure of it.

“I had taken a few liberties with the design, making it larger and adding extra superstructure to help with its reinforcement. With Jaesa’s help, we hit upon this size, as a way of making easier to sustain the population of your settlement, as well as having a surplus of food, that can help the others, while they get their own domes rebuilt,” Alex stated.

“It is an ambitious undertaking sir! Where are we getting the materials to help build it?” Kasumi asked, confused.

“Kas, the fallen ships,” Inari told her. Kasumi then facepalmed herself for overlooking such an obvious resource.

“What about the Perseus?” Natalya asked. “Are we going to have enough resources to bring it back online as we need to?”

“I have already done the calculations necessary, with all two hundred and eighty-seven ships. It will take approximately twenty percent of the crashed ships in the Dead Snows to rebuild the Perseus to one hundred percent functionality. As to having the needed materials to rebuild the navy we lost, it will take an additional forty percent of the remaining ships, to replenish our material stockpiles for starship construction,” Jaesa said out loud.

“So that leaves around forty percent of the remaining wrecks to help the Artucian rebuild their habitat domes. I have conducted deep scans of Talemkha and have found no less than thirty additional domes, all within a one hundred kilometer radius,” the AI informed them.

Jaesa then displayed a render of the planet, with the locations of each dome highlighted in yellow. Luminia was in shock, seeing there were at least seven within two days march from her home! Next to the display, was also a list of materials needed to complete the reconstruction of each location. Next to it, was the number eighteen, with the current materials they had found via the crashed ships.

“Eighteen more can be built?” Lumi gasped.

“Yes, though with additional scans, I can locate veins of the necessary minerals required to bring the remaining domes online. It will take some time, as your people will need to learn how to properly mine and smelt materials...” Jaesa went on before Luminia cut her off.

“This is amazing! This will save my people from starvation! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Luminia enthused, hugging everyone in her excitement.

“It will take time though,” Alex stated, as he walked forward, looking over everything. “We won’t be able to bring down seedlings or any plants or trees right away. We will have to make the climate inside the dome much warmer in order for the plants to flower and grow.”

“And the whole system that manages it will have to be broken down and rewritten, as I’ve spotted numerous glitches that haven’t been corrected in a while,” Taal’ani said, putting in her two bits. “Not to mention crafting the new crystal for the dome to hold together.”

“I gather you’ve made some headway with that issue?” Alex asked.

“Partially. I’ve made several strides in tweaking the molecular structure of it so it stands up better to heat, but it’s not ready yet,” Talon grumped.

“I might be able to assist you with that. With your permission Commodore, Chief Taal’ani and I will go into her findings and work on a viable way to make the crystalline composite come together as needed,” Jaesa asked.

“Very well Jaesa. Use whatever information and resources needed to make it work,” Alex responded.

“Thank you, sir. Jaesa, archives?”

“I will meet you there in a few minutes, provided I am no longer needed here?” Jaesa asked.

“Go on. Your help will be essential if we are to make the domes a viable alternative to how the Artucian are living now,” Alex said, dismissing both women with a wave of his hand.

“I can’t believe that my people will no longer be worries about surviving on Talemkha! We no longer have to worry about not having enough food to feed everyone!” Lumi said, reiterating her previous statement.

“Was it really that bad down there?” Korsa wondered.

“Yes. My mother, among many other chiefs, believed that we were slowly dying. We had adapted to the climate on Talemkha, but it was a slow process and many people died because of it. With the inter-clan warfare that was happening, we believed it was only a matter of time before our numbers were too low to survive over fifty years on Talemkha,” Luminia explained.

“Well, I think your people will see a resurgence soon!” Natalya stated, with the rest of the crew voicing their agreement.

“Well, now that the new dome has met with your approval, did you want to head down to hydroponics and pick out a few choice items to bring down for your people?” Alex asked.

“Yes please! Are we going back down after the Hermes is packed?” Lumi queried.

“That is the plan, yes,” Alex responded.

“Well, I would like to go back to my quarters first. Just to retrieve something that I need.”

“Head on off and we’ll meet you down in hydroponics then,” Alex stated, gesturing for the rest of the crew to join him.

“If you don’t mind sir, Pree and I will head over to the Hermes and go through the preflight checks and any additional maintenance,” Inari stated.

“Sounds idea Commander. Dismissed,” Alex said, saluting both women. With that, everyone headed off to their duties, with the rest of them heading down to oversee the harvest.

“So, Korsa, I believe that you mentioned a rite of passage last night?” Kasumi asked, curious about the topic.

“You sure you want to know about it?” Korsa asked the redheaded woman.

“Absolutely! If I’m going to get out into the wider galaxy, I would like to know more about the peoples that inhabit it,” Kas stated.

“Well, it originally started as a way for Khontarans to produce more offspring after the war...” Korsa began as the elevator door closed.

Lumi entered her quarters and headed over to where she had left her ceremonial robes from the day previous. She looked the over and saw that there wasn’t a speck of dust or dirt on them. They were as pristine as they had been when they were first made. She was very thankful, for what these humans called ‘laundering’. Keeping their clothes clean was essential for not only appearances’ sake, but for hygienical ones as well.

She smiled at the look of them, wondering how she would be received when she wore them. She then looked over to where she had left her father’s sword, looking the weapon over. Luminia remembered the day he had cobbled the thing together, using many metals he had scavenged over the years. It almost seemed a fool’s errand to her, but once he had assembled it, it was a sight to behold.

He’d also used the hide of a Tashkuun beast as its sheath, thinking such a weapon needed a proper case to carry it. She pulled it out of its scabbard, to regard the weapon, knowing that it was one of the few things left of Faal’Dahr. She hefted the weapon, taking a few experimental swings with it, knowing that her father had done what he could to balance it. She felt a small vibration as she kept swinging it through the air, until she stopped, and the weapon literally fell apart.

Luminia’s heart sank as the components of the blade clattered to the floor. It couldn’t be! It was not possible! Her father’s sword had come apart in her hands and she wailed at it! She gathered everything and tried to assemble the components back together, but nothing stuck! She tried inserting everything back the way it was, several times over, but the blade did not hold together.

Lumi wept at this, thinking it a bad omen that the blade had fallen apart, with no way to fix it. She was lamenting having to go back to her village, bringing the broken weapon and having to explain it to her mother. While she was trying to reassemble it yet again, an idea came to her. The Perseus was equipped with a whole section that was used to manufacture entire ships! Since the metal of the sword was similar to the metal of the ship, there might be a way to repair it!

Luminia grabbed a towel and gathered every piece of the blade, wrapping them and the scabbard within it. Leaving her quarters, she made her way to the elevator, then the monorail station. She put in Hydroponics as her destination, knowing that if anything, the Commodore would know how to fix her blade.

“So, let me get this straight, this ritual, called Touch of the Many, is something that every Khontaran has to go through?” Kasumi asked, her face intrigued and bewildered at the same time.

“Yes. Prikodonlye hengikh, (Touch of the Many) is something that every Khontaran male or female must go through. It is a means of building not only sexual experience but also sexual confidence. It is also a way for them to explore their sexuality, so they can find their way through life much easier,” Korsa explained.

“When do Khontarans usually come of age?” Alex asked as he was overseeing the Sentries at their work.

“Between the ages of seventeen to twenty. That is the usual bracket for both males and females when they reach their full height and stature,” Korsa told him.

“How many Khontarans usually take part in this ritual?” Kasumi asked, genuinely curious.

“At least three of the opposite sex, between the ages of twenty and five-hundred must participate, but they only do so voluntarily. As many as eleven may join the Khontaran in question during this ritual,” Korsa went on, as she was going over the checklist of what they considered safe for the Artucian, which was pretty much everything.

“Why eleven?”

“So that an even number is maintained and some participants can pair off to wait their turn,” the big woman stated matter-of-factly.

“Hmm. That makes sense,” Alex stated thoughtfully.

“But the ritual isn’t just about sex. Various forms of advice are also given by the volunteers to the one who is going through the ritual. The advice is given both before and after and sometimes, contact between participants is kept open over the years.”

“Don’t the husbands or wives of the Khontarans get jealous of such things happening?” Kasumi wondered, puzzled.

“It does happen from time to time, but the one thing that is valued by all Khontarans is honesty. Very little is kept from our chosen mates, as transparency in a relationship is paramount to us,” Korsa replied.

“So, the enzyme you cooked up, is used in these rituals?” Nats asked.

“Yes, though the one I gave Alex last night was a severely watered-down version of it. We Khontarans have great levels of stamina and can have sex all day easily. Prikodonlye hengikh (Touch of the Many), is usually a ritual that lasts for days, usually three or four. It is something that is a staple in our society, as all Khontarans are proud sexual beings,” Korsa continued.

“What if the Khontaran in question is gay, or a lesbian?” Shazza wondered.

“Such relationships are allowed, but each Khontaran must sire at least one child with a member of the opposite sex. It’s a way of ensuring that our species will continue, but thankfully, there is no stigma about such pairings, as rare as they are.”

“So, how long was your Touch of the Many, if you don’t mind me asking?” Kasumi said.

“Mine lasted six days, and I had four men and three women volunteer to join me,” Korsa said, while blushing slightly.

“Do Khontarans go for that long during the ritual?” Alex asked, wondering but also curious about Korsa’s predilections.

“Not generally, but the women of my family are rather ... voracious in our ... appetites,” the red-skinned woman said, while blushing fiercely.

“What’s the longest it’s ever gone on for?” Shazza queried.

“Two weeks solid, not including breaks for meals and cleaning up. That record is held by my sister, Diranna, who is mated to three men and a woman,” Korsa finished.

“Damn! She must be ... quite amorous in order to handle four mates!” Alex chuckled.

“You have no idea! She was thinking about adding a fourth man, but the rest of us talked her out of it, as she barely had enough time for her current mates as they are! I swear, that woman can be quite the slut! That and she participates in rituals for both men and women regularly!” Korsa stated, shaking her head as she remembered her sister.

“Is that common on Khontaran society? Polycules I mean,” Kas clarified.

“Not usually, but it happens enough to where it is not considered an anomaly,” Korsa replied. Other questions were written on everyone’s faces and Korsa was ready to answer them, but a puffing Luminia interrupted them. She approached Commodore Tomisic, looking hopeless and despondent.

“Luminia? What is wrong?” Alex asked. In answer, she opened up the toweled bundle she was carrying, showing him the broken blade.

“My father’s sword has fallen apart. Can you fix it?” she asked him.

“I would help you if I could, but I don’t know how to do that Lumi. I’m a soldier and an officer, but working metal is something that I do not know how to do,” Alex told her gently.

“Alex may not know how to repair your sword, but I can,” Korsa piped up, having overheard her plea.

“You do?!?” Lumi asked, her eyes wide with hope.

“Yes. Another ritual that is done, with every Khontaran that hopes to become a warrior, is to forge their Thuun’tara blade. Along with crafting their weapon, they must also be taught and know how to care for it, so it does not rust or fall apart,” Korsa told her four eyed friend.