Chapter 612

Jeff and Diana’s Conversation Continues

“ ... So, what’s the latest on the alien females?” the Prime asked.

Diana frowned as she motioned for him to sit so she could sit in his lap. Once snuggled in, she responded, “I don’t like referring to them as the alien females. They are women. They do have three breasts that are positioned vertically, and their faces are a little different, but they have thoughts and fears even as we do.” She paused for a second before continuing, “Oh, Jeff, it’s sad to see the difference between the two that First has worked with, and the others. All will respond when you talk to them, but the responses of the First Officer’s two females are much like that of two intelligent Earth women who are full of curiosity and life, while most of the other twenty-three have a lackluster response at best, with no curiosity. It only takes a glance to tell the difference.

“Baby, as soon as those two see the First, their faces light up. They’re in love with him. They know what he’s done for them, and I imagine they will do anything for him. I suspect that at this point, all they can do is offer him sex, but you can bet that they are making it as good for him as they possibly can. They told me how he is teaching them to read and has his pad’s AI instructing them about other subjects too. Did he tell you that he reads stories to them?”

When Jeff shook his head, she went on, “Now that they are no longer so dependent on the drugs, I think from the way they talk that their minds are thirsting for knowledge. Oh, Jeff, everything is so new and exciting to them. For the first time in their lives, they’re watching entertainment videos – granted, they are Earth videos. They were given videos before, but I gather that the vids were just sex videos to train them to do things for the males. Now, the First is allowing them to watch videos for instruction on other subjects.

“They have little or no education other than what the First Officer has provided for them, but now that he has slowly reduced their dependence on the chemical in their food, they seem to be starving for knowledge.

“Something else: the First has had the translators ‘map’ English into his two women’s minds so we no longer have to have the translators interpret when we are involved in a conversation.”

“His women?” Jeff repeated with a chuckle.

Diana grinned back at him. “With the way his race has repressed the female population over no telling how many lifetimes, not to mention that their language doesn’t even have a word for marriage, how else am I going to distinguish them?”

“They must have some way to differentiate among them,” Jeff insisted.

“Oh, they do. I’m told that their computer has a personal designation that was given to them at birth for each of them, but the males call for the females by a shortened version of that, which boils down to something like MV-548, or something similar. Jeff, they’re only a number and a warm body for the males of the race to deposit their sperm into, as far as the males are concerned.

“Hon, the women are separated from the men, and if I have any say about it, they will remain so until the women can make their own decisions. I don’t care what their society considers normal. What has been going on is rape, pure and simple.”

“Di, we’ve already discussed this, and the males know what’s going on.”

“Make certain they understand that this will continue until Ship rids this chemical from their bloodstreams, and the women can make their own decisions – however long that will take. Baby, those women will do anything you tell them to, and I doubt that they even fully realize what’s happening. They were being raped practically daily. How could the males not know that the women were out of it?”

“Di, that’s all they have ever known, both males and females, all their lives and probably for many generations. At least that’s what the First Officer says.”

“Maybe so, but it’s just ... Oh, I’m so frustrated. I understand that the chemical must be reduced slowly, but I want it to be out of their bloodstreams so the women can function on their own. Be certain that the First makes his people understand that I will not be pleased if any of the males forces himself on any of the females.”

“I’ll reiterate it. You do realize that those two females are living in the First Officer’s quarters, right?”

“Yes, but we both know that’s different. Even so, I talked to the women.” Diana couldn’t help but chuckle. “It was hard to get them to shut up about the First long enough to answer my questions, though. To put it in its mildest terms, they are head over heels in love with him. I only want the others to be free of this drug so they can make their own decisions. I can’t even imagine a society that keeps half its citizens drugged until they don’t know who they are, and the society has done that for the women’s entire lives. And Jeff, once this chemical is out of their bloodstreams, there should still be time given for the women to become accustomed to thinking for themselves. I have no idea how long that period should be. I suppose it might well vary with the individual. The bottom line, as you would say, will probably be a tremendous change from what the males have been accustomed to. I imagine that none of the males have ever been told ‘no’ by any of their women. When they wanted sex, they chose a female and went at it. Now the women will suddenly have the option of saying no, or even selecting the male or males they want. As with our society, no will mean no, if I have my way.”

“I suppose that the First is going to have some problems,” Jeff admitted, “but Di, this is an entirely different society from ours...”

“I don’t care what they do as long as the woman agrees, but if the male takes her with her saying no, there is going to be a big problem,” the Clan Queen stated emphatically.

Jeff sat in the First Officer’s quarters, each with a cup of stim in front of him.

“Captain, my people and I fully realize that we are bound by your laws. I have gone into detail with both my Bridge Crew and my Engineering Crew. I fully understand your Clan Queen’s concerns, and if the Raider’s full complement were here, I would be concerned as well; however, all that remain of my crew are officers. They are highly educated and operate under a strict discipline. My Steward is technically not an officer, but he, too, is highly educated and has proven to have as much, if not more integrity, as any of us. They all fully understand that the old method of sex with our females has changed. Also, they are aware that what was once the norm for our society is gone forever. We are now part of another society, and that society – now our society – considers taking a female without her permission to be rape. And... there is severe punishment linked with being found guilty of rape.

“Incidentally, there was no word for that in our language, but they know that forcing any female to have sex will result in a very stern punishment that the male involved will probably not survive. Again, I emphasize that all my people are the equivalent of what your military considers officers. They will not violate their code, which means that they will obey any rule I, as their First Officer, set down for them. I have told them that they will have to face me should any of them take any female without the female’s express permission, and that will be well after all females are completely drug-free. They are all aware that facing me is essentially a death sentence. Your Clan Queen will not have to worry about any of my people violating any female – Miadax or Earthling. You have my word on that.”

“Thank you. Have you had time to discuss my proposal about your people being my crew for our trip?”

The First had started to sip his stim, but put his cup back on the table and focused on Jeff. “Captain, as I predicted, all are amazed that you would trust us to do such a thing. Even so, I asked for a vote so that anyone not fully in agreement with the idea could voice his feelings. Considering our circumstances, it would take a fool to vote against such a proposal, and I have no fools in my command – at least not now. Those that fit that category are now scattered among the dimensions along with the Raider.”

“You and your crew will have to swear an oath of loyalty to Ship and me. And I will take that oath seriously. I would suggest that you and two others of your choice meet with Ship and me to outline a course of study to ready your crew for their new jobs. Understand that some of my people will be part of that crew, and remember that our present navigator is a seven-year-old child genius. Please caution your people to treat her with the respect they would show an adult. However, because of her age, I will not expect her to stand shifts, but she will have the authority to question any course derived by anyone else at any time. I trust her with my life. When she says her course is completed and laid in, I never even think to question it. Ship can compute a course faster than any human can, but like everything else, we need to know how to compute the course ourselves, just as with anything a crew can do aboard Ship.

“Ship says that an AI’s actions, no matter how advanced, can be predicted to some degree by another equally advanced AI. With a well-trained human in the mix, she claims that no AI will be able to predict accurately the action of that advanced AI.”

The First sat thinking for a moment. “Most of our AIs only carried out orders and were limited in their scope of actions without our consent. There were incidents in our history that made us very leery of giving any AI too much autonomous authority, particularly in some subjects.”

“Well, Earth’s computers aren’t that advanced yet, I suppose, and Ship is in another category completely. Never confuse her with any AI, no matter how advanced. She is a person, regardless of what her brain is made of.”

For a second, Jeff was almost positive that he felt a warm breath on his neck and the light touch of a kiss, but none of his wives had followed him through the hatch to be with him on the pocket planet.

Although Jeff’s mental discussion with Ship was many times faster than a verbal conversation would be, First had noticed. “Did you just have a conversation with your Ship?” he asked.

“Yes,” Jeff responded, but he didn’t expand on his answer. “I’m going to leave you to discuss with Ship what we have gone over. If I can help, have Ship call me.”

“Certainly, Captain,” First said as he came to his feet when Jeff did.

Jeff stepped through the hatch to exit the pocket planet even as he felt the odd tingling shift that meant he was back in his own dimension. Well, that went better than I expected. Now comes the meeting that I have been dreading. I’m the one who insists that all my women pass Security’s course, so I suppose I’m the logical one to talk to Aiko, but I don’t want to hurt her feelings. Crap, she’s had a shitty life and only after we got her away from that asshole has she been genuinely free. She’s been dictated to, not to say anything about being beaten, since she was fourteen. Before that, her father was her dictator. Well, according to her, and I believe her. Now, just as she’s probably starting to feel secure in a new lifestyle where she isn’t scared all the time, this trip comes up, and she now has to change.