Sappho Chapter 4 free porn video

Chapter 4 Sleep came late as I wrestled with my emotions. I didn't want to think about Joanne anymore. I owed Indira a clear conscious and an open heart, so I concentrated on her smile, on how my spirits had lifted when I'd seen her drive up. I remembered her arms and our first kiss, and thought of her until I felt the warmth of her body and heard her bright laughter again. Sighing finally, I drifted off to troubled dreams. Burying myself in research the next morning, I read up on the less than fascinating history of Woolf's exploration of its natural resources, deciding what to copy for my report, but I took the afternoon off to go shopping. I wanted no repeat of the previous night. Indira might call me later that afternoon and I needed clothes. I wore my long, loose scholar's garb for the shopping trip into Martina, sharing the air-conditioned bus with students and the more conservatively dressed locals: sun-drenched farmers and construction workers, an overweight mother with her obvious offspring, and a few assorted others. One of the early ones aboard, I chose a window seat, my side of the bus affording me a view of three of the five castles that had guarded the harbor in earnest a few hundred years before. Since those early days, the fields of corn, wheat and grazing sheep at the base of the hills had been pushed further out and beyond, replaced by more modern buildings, suburbs and housing developments. Riding down into the valley, we passed by rows of neat stone-cut houses with high- pitched roofs, a few factories and modest businesses, and entered the city proper. About half of us disembarked in the heart of downtown at Chelsie's, a five-story modern department store made of glass and steel, not far from the Queen's administrative buildings where her ministers worked. Chelsie's was large enough to have separate floors for different clothing categories. The third floor was dedicated to children, from diapers, infant wear, school and athletic uniforms to specialty clothes for young doms and fem. The fourth was for adult doms, where manikins in authoritative poses modeled clothing, still in the generally brighter colors of Woolf, but concentrating more on pants, suits, formal dresses - some with padded shoulders - and revealing shorts. I stepped off the elevator onto the fifth floor, sweet with subtle scents for women who loved that sort of thing, and which held the dresses, short skirts and loose, free clothing most fems wore. A plaintive song of a woman in thrall with her dom complemented the overhead pink lighting and floral displays. I thought it a bit much, preferring the background music on the fourth floor, a stirring rendition of "You are mine!" and I wondered for a brief moment if I could be an adequate fem. The moment passed quickly; it was just advertising, after all. Moving to the skirts and dresses, I selected several to try on. Since I'd come to Sappho, for obvious reasons, I'd worn far more skirts and dresses than shorts or pants and had come to actually prefer the freedom they gave my legs. I'd already been through three sets of skirt-blouse combinations and was getting ready to try on a fourth when the vid chimed. I smiled, having a good idea who it might be. The picture ID confirmed it. "Hello Indira, nice to see you again." "Afternoon, Debbie." Her eyes widened as she took in my state of disrepair. I grinned. It was a complete act. I wondered if it were possible to shock Indira, and boobs in a bra certainly wasn't going to do it. I laughed anyway, remembering the "accident" the previous night. "Come on, Indira. It isn't anything you haven't felt already." If she blushed, I sure didn't see it. "I wondered what you were doing tomorrow night, Debbie." I was a little disappointed. I would have preferred to see her again that night, but I wasn't in charge of this relationship. "I have nothing planned. Did you have something in mind? Do you want me in something special?" She shook her head. "Just be yourself. I'll come around and pick you up at the same place and same time. Okay?" "I'll be there. By the way, I had a great time last night." "So did I, Debbie." Her eyes and voice told me that she meant it, and it stirred the urges, making a certain add-on moisten my inner workings - always an interesting sensation. "I'll see you tomorrow, Debbie. Bye!" "Bye, Indira. See you tomorrow!" Indira's image stayed with me as I tried on a few more outfits. I recognized that look of lust; she had enjoyed our date at least as much as I did. When I put on a skirt and moved, I wondered, now, how Indira would see me in it. It was an odd feeling, a fluttering in my stomach. I'd liked it when Indira had looked at me like that. Feeling a little silly, I did some more shopping that afternoon in the lingerie department. I blushed furiously when I paid for two silky nightgowns and a couple of delicate bra and panty sets. 'I can see Jezzi laughing her ass off when she sees this on my expense account,' I reflected ruefully. *** When I returned to the apartment, all of Joanne's clothes were gone. I would still see her, of course. She was still my monitor, at least nominally. I could only hope that she and Bethany would be happy together and leave it at that. We had both gone our own ways and had very different futures. My old girlfriend, Gail, was possibly dead of old age. By the time I returned to Earth, Joanne would probably be a mother. The next day I met Indira by the gate for our second date. It was a little cooler that day, and I wore a short dress rather than a skirt and blouse, but there was little difference in the way she greeted me. She looked me up and down and smiled. "Get in, Debbie! We've got places to go." "I hope so! I didn't want to spend the night here." After I strapped in, we sped off, the powerful independent electric motors pressing me back in the seat, accelerating each wheel just short of a spin. Once we were up to speed she put her hand on my knee. I let it stay, very conscious of its presence. She slid it in a little under my dress towards my goodies, and then a little farther. I moved it back to my knee and looked at her dubiously over my sunglasses. She grinned. "Well, I'm making progress anyway." I threw back my head and laughed. Her behavior was outrageous. "Maybe so, Indira, maybe. Where are we going?" "I thought we'd go to Lady Alena's castle. There's a restaurant inside with a wonderful view and the castle has an interesting history." I loved the idea and, besides, I was a fem. "I'd like that very much." We sped across the valley on the high road overlooking the city, to the steep hill where the imposing old castle stood on its rocky base, a square fortress with four round towers and heavy ramparts facing the valley and harbor. Indira's car purred as it climbed the sharp incline of the narrow road completely around the hill's circumference until the wide arch of the main gate and portcullis greeted us. Far from its old role as home for the House of Flowers and platform for defense of the city, it had been modified a century before to accommodate tourists and an exclusive clientele. White spotlights trained on the entrance, and we rode through the last thirty meters flanked by colorful flags, and finally past two guards in traditional orange tunics and polished steel helmets. The smells of spice, exotic sauces and well-turned beef enticed my nostrils as we emerged from the thick tunnel into the courtyard. Smooth pink arches and cool gray stone columns of the inner palace faced us. Indira turned right through a hooded deck and down to the hidden parking lot, cut directly into the solid stone base of the hill. Small yellow overhead lights showed the way through the dark stone and the electric motors reflected their soft whir from the close walls as we descended and turned into an open section of mighty columns and parking spaces about half-filled with cars. "Most of the tourists have gone by now," she said as we exited the car. "They've already left to return to their hotels or rented houses with their wives and children." She nodded towards a massive blue column and took my hand. "The elevator is this way." "You like the night life?" "Yes, sure, but it's more than that. I try to live. My mother despairs that I will ever settle down, marry and have a child." She shrugged. "I might do that, but not now." She punched the "Up" button and we waited for the elevator to arrive. "Debbie, there is so much to see first!" I'd seen that lost in the unknown look before on my own face. "I know what you mean." The elevator arrived and we stepped inside. She appraised me, pursing her lips. "I don't want to offend you, but I'm not sure that you do. You're a professor, aren't you? Where have you been?" "I may have chosen the academic path, but that doesn't mean my mind doesn't roam. I study people, places and different times. I can imagine myself on an ancient field of battle or on a distant world. And how many choose to travel by freighter nowadays? Most people would just take a plane or car." She nodded noncommittally. "Mm. True." The elevator opened into the plush lobby in the former hall of the palace. We stepped out into an ancient scene with colored tapestries depicting scenes at court, ladies in long, stiff dresses and doms in form-fitting mail and armor. Of course, the information desk in the center, adjoining tour booth, and souvenir stand destroyed any attempt to place oneself into the history of the distant past. The restaurant was built into the wall just below the ramparts overlooking the valley. Other than the stone walls and waitresses in "authentic" attire, it was modern. Indira had made reservations earlier and we sat at a small table close to the outside wall with a tremendous view of the sunset. After we ordered dinner and the wine arrived, Indira poured me a glass. "You know. I really hate men," she confided. "Even more than before." I paused the delicate glass halfway to my lips. "Why?" "That one man destroyed my life. I was able to think of Sappho as the world, in effect, really my universe. Even the space program we have can only explore the small moons and send up satellites - not particularly interesting. And then this creature from legend appears with a new advanced ship and stories that makes fools of us." "You look about the same now as you did before he came, and Sappho is still the same size. Do you hate him, really her, now after what Paglia did to her, or do you hate what she represents?" She leaned back and looked out the window. There was little to see that time of night except points of light in darkness. "What she represents, I suppose, a dream I can't have." She sighed. "If she didn't used to be a man, I might even like her; she did save that girl, after all." "She might like you, too. You are similar in some ways." Debbie rolled her eyes in my direction curiously. "How so?" "Imagine someone on Earth growing up and dreaming to be among the stars, exploring the universe, discovering new worlds. The difference between you and her might be smaller than you think, unless you believe that she came here alone in an unarmed ship to rape the women of Sappho." "So, you believe the vid on the net?" "There's no doubt that she made it. It makes sense to me, Indira." "It does if you can discard about nine hundred years of teaching. I'm not completely comfortable calling this scout a woman, either. I'll grant that she has a woman's body, or as close to one that makes no difference, but she also has a man's mind." "True. But consider this: If we are to believe this scout, then men and women on Earth are happy together. As disgusting as it sounds, men and women marry and have children. They complement each other. If men were so different from women, I wonder if that would be possible." She made a moue of distaste. "Fortunately, I don't have to worry about that." She refilled my glass and raised her own. "Men! Who needs them?" She downed it in one gulp and belched. Then she smiled. Typical dom behavior, but she had a point; I sure didn't need a man. I lifted my glass. "Right! Who needs them?" As I finished my second glass of wine, Indira acquired a certain smooth satisfaction, her demeanor resembling a large brown cat that had just been well stroked. A ripple of unease stirred my stomach; she was up to something. "You know..." she began very casually. Both my eyebrows lifted. "Yes?" "Well, perhaps I should have told you earlier, but naturally I had assumed..." She waved her hand idly, a gesture signifying minor concern. I sighed when I saw where she directed her gaze. About that time, a wave of comfortable warmth enveloped me. "The wine seems strong this evening," I remarked. "Yes. The local brand is particularly effective, er, powerful." She looked down at my breasts, on mild display in the loose dress, and smiled. My heart increased its pace. "You've had two full glasses yourself, Indira. The road down from the castle is steep and dangerous." She pulled a small, flat container from her pocket and showed it to me. "I took a pill earlier. Don't worry about my driving." She sighed too easily. "I'd offer you one, but, as everyone knows, they are only good if you take them before you drink." Through the pleasant effects of alcohol, I pondered my possible seduction. I hadn't even considered giving in before the third date. I wanted her; she wanted me, but there were rules. "You planned this well, but it will take more than wine to bring me down, Indira." The languorous smile returned and she shifted in her seat slightly - in a way I now fully understood. "Mm. Yes, I can see that," she replied. The waitress arrived with food about that time, saving me from further clever conversation. Perhaps it was the second glass of wine that pushed my fem sensibilities to the side, or maybe it was the seductive presence of the woman across the table, the one who declined to be coy. Regardless, I ate my Martina chicken slowly, savoring each bite, licking my lips frequently. Occasionally I'd pass her a nod of contentment. Indira nibbled at her steak a little piece at a time, ripping each morsel apart with her small sharp white teeth, and regarded me in a way that would have alarmed most mammals. The heat from my face and especially from inside told me that this fem had an important decision to make - soon. After supper, she took my hand and we climbed well-worn stone stairs to the ramparts, following a steady beat of a small band, into clear cool air under the stars. Indira inhaled deeply with her eyes closed and allowed the salty sea breeze to do its will in her soft black hair. She turned to me with a smile. "Lets dance." There is something primal in dancing under the canopy of the heavens. The founders had known it, bringing ancient rituals: women dancing around a fire, naked, painted, or smeared in ritual blood; praying to the Goddess of this new world, and to the spirit who dwelled in the sky and in all living things. Remnants of the old cults still lived on in Stein, and even here, on the ramparts above a modern city, a hologram fire burned, a safe and clean fire for this later age. Few danced naked anymore except during the equinox weeks, but the steady pulse and power of the holovid band gave rise to the urge to move. Indira kicked off her shoes, and smiling, pointed to my feet. I tossed mine aside, too and joined her on the cool stone, smoothed by the feet of many thousands over centuries. She danced as much to the sky and ground as she did to me. Facing the fire, she threw her head back and stared into space, spreading her arms and legs wide, swaying, as if feeling some mystic energy. I watched her uncertainly. She noticed me from the corner of her eye and called to me, waving me over. "Join me, Debbie! Be one with the Goddess!" I glanced at the others; of the twenty or so women who danced, none danced to the Goddess. Instead, they moved to the music, ignoring the forces beyond our understanding. "Indira, do you really feel it?" Reluctantly, she broke her fixation on the very distant or very near to address me. "Sometimes I do. I'm no priestess, but on nights like this, when my heart is right..." The light of the flame flickered deeply in her eyes and she touched my face gently with her fingertips. "Debbie, have you ever felt her?" Her gaze was so strong it was impossible to look away. "I...I'm not sure, Indira. I prayed to her, offering her something, something that was important to me." "And did she grant you your wish?" Her fingers were very soft against my cheek. "She granted me the peace and acceptance I had asked for. But how does one know if the Goddess is at work? It might be that I asked myself for something that was in my power to give." She smiled sympathetically. "You expected a vision to appear, a mystical woman in white, who would make the triangle of Aphrodite and say something like, 'Rise daughter, healed and whole!'" I cocked my head and frowned. "Well, no. Of course, if it had happened that way, I would have had fewer questions." "It doesn't work like that for me. The priestesses of Stein might claim to interpret her will directly, but I've never believed those frustrated bitches. The Goddess for me has always been the spirit in everything, the current that runs through every living thing." She stepped back and spread her arms, looking up. "Debbie, this is how I see her! I look at the sky and I am there! When I'm in the city, I'm not an outsider visiting among buildings and thousands of other women; I'm a part of it - I belong there. Anywhere I go, I am a part of it and it is a part of me. I belong! I'm a part of this world." She lowered her arms and looked at me with eyes clear and certain. "When the Goddess granted you your deepest desire, it was because you allowed her to. You let her into your heart, Debbie." I stood there, staring. Everything I'd learned about reason and logic was being tossed on its head. And yet, there was something - a memory of a feeling - when I had prayed to Gaea and the Goddess. In my desperation to eradicate the final traces of my old male self, I had accepted them as real, at least for a few moments. The feeling of fitting in I'd had afterwards was very real and right. It was a little difficult to wade through thoughts like that after two strong glasses of wine, but I could see that it was an attitude, a way of looking at things - and a beautiful way, at that. Indira took my hands and led me to the fire. "Open your heart to her, Debbie. Become part of the world around you and thank her for her gift." I relaxed and took a deep breath of cool, clean air. I squeezed her hands and said, "I will." I stood before the fire into the wind and brushed my hair behind me and out of the way; I wanted no distractions. My head went back comfortably and I looked to the stars, and in my mind I remembered the ordinary planet orbiting the ordinary 'G' class star where I'd been born. It was as good a place to start as any. 'Goddess, I am here!' I closed my eyes, relaxed and opened myself to her, recalling that peace and surety from the ceremony aboard the Allred. It took some time, but eventually I recaptured the spirit of it. She appeared slowly and after a while, there she was, not an image of a woman, but an incredible force that pervaded everything, encompassing the universe: the stars, the planets, down to the smallest thing - including me. For a brief moment I was with her again, and tears rolled down my cheeks through a wave of wonderful acceptance; I belonged. 'Thank you Goddess!' I doubted that it could have been more than a few minutes, but it seemed timeless. When I opened my eyes, Indira stood with hands on hips, calmly, even proudly, watching me return to the world. "Indira, tell me you don't feel it all the time." She laughed. "No, but I feel her when I need to and that's usually enough. Come," she said, pointing into the blackness, away from the hologram lights, "let's find some air." Indira took my hand and we walked together down the worn stone perimeter path high above the courtyard until we reached the side of the castle facing the ocean, all the way to the big guns by the outer wall, and far enough away from the small party for the cool steady wind in our ears to push the pounding bass of the music into the background. We leaned together against the thick wall overlooking the whole valley. White lights were spread unevenly in the vast expanse before us, concentrated mainly in the city proper far below and by the wharfs. The outline of the harbor was a narrow ribbon of darkness widening, twisting, and splitting, joining eventually with the endless black of the ocean; all this beneath bright stars peeking through the pink nebula surrounding this star system. She held me closely around the waist, her warmth welcome against the cooling breeze, and pointed towards the broad vista. "This is my city, Debbie. You know these guns next to us actually fired twice against invasions from our good friends from Stein? The last time was less than a hundred years ago. "Three hundred and four years past, when Queen Danielle ruled, they were fired for the first time in war. This was the time when technology from the founder's ship was just beginning to replace the old ways. Ten paddlewheel troop transports carrying two divisions of the Army of Aphrodite crept down the coast in the very early morning during a rainstorm, hoping to catch us asleep. Four hundred black-clad women from the infamous Angels of Wrath rowed with cloth-muffled oarlocks towards the harbor fort, armed with grappling hooks, handmade submachine guns and hand-held explosive rockets, ready to storm the harbor and capture the big guns before they could fire on the main forces offshore. "It might have succeeded except for a pair of fisherwomen, Joyce and her wife, Jeanne, who had decided on an early start that morning for the rich tunish and green cod fishing grounds off the coast. They spotted the fleet of narrow black craft about two kilometers from the fort, too far for the ship's bell to be heard in the rain. Instead, they covered the deck in oil, lashed the wheel and set the boat on fire, setting a beacon and illuminating a few of the boats. Rocket flares from shore revealed the rest and after the big guns from the fort and three of the closer castles opened up, including this one, fewer than half made it back into the darkness. The bodies of those two brave women were never recovered and a plaque to their honor stands where the old fort used to be." I squeezed her waist. "When you tell it, it sounds like you were there." She turned to me, her gaze one of frank appraisal. "Some say I was born in the wrong century. Be honest, Debbie. What did you feel when you heard my tale? Most would say, in this day of peace and advanced technology for the asking, that it's a story of the old, primitive days before we learned the evils of war." "That's not even close. I imagined two ordinary, hard-working women caught in an impossible place, one they never thought they would find themselves. The choice for them was hard and clear: They could have chosen to take the easy way and live. Who would have blamed them? Who would have ever known what they had seen if they had just moved away? Or they might save thousands, knowing that they would die. They chose the hard way, the right way, and the path that I hope I would have had the courage to take." She took me in her arms and kissed me, a powerful kiss, and one I nearly matched. "You are a surprise, Debbie," she breathed when she came up for air. Her hands ran thick through my hair just over my ears and soft fingers slid down the back of my neck in a dizzying shiver. I sighed easily, accepting her touch. Finally, I could hold back no longer. I pressed forward and brushed her own hair back for a taste of her soft brown neck. Her own gasp of pleasure was my ample reward. I reached for her breast, but her hand stopped me. "It's decision time, Debbie. I don't mind standing here stoking the fires for a while, but unless I misread you completely, you want me as much as I want you." My entire body tingled, demanding her. When the time finally came, it was easy. "My apartment at the university is empty. Joanne moved out two nights ago." She smiled lazily, and her teeth sparkled in the starlight. "That's good, Debbie. Is your bed big enough for both of us?" "I think it's been rated for two. I'm suddenly curious; maybe we should check." Warm brown arms wrapped comfortably around my neck. "Mm. Yes. How about now?" *** The night had turned cool and on the way back I ducked under the air stream. It was easiest to recline the seat and watch the stars. "Don't get too comfortable, Debbie. I would hate for you to fall asleep." I took her proffered hand. "If I do it will be your fault for plying me with wine, but don't worry, I won't disgrace you. I'll be fully conscious for the main event." "Good. Any regrets about Joanne?" I turned my head from the celestial lights to regard her. "You really want to talk about her? You know she never was my girlfriend. She might have been in another time and place, but not now." "That can be the worst kind. You go through life not knowing what could have happened." "One can live for just so long in the past. Even if she weren't in love with Bethany, she and I are going in different directions. It could not have worked. I accept it." "All right. I'd just hate to hear you scream 'Joanne!' in the night." "Never! Maybe, Irene, Kathy, Susan, or Gail, but never, Joanne!" She grinned. "Okay, okay. I get the point. The guard station is just ahead. It's time to sit up and look like a dignified professor again." "Right." I sat up, brushed my hair in the mirror and dug out my university ID, flashing it at a bored blonde guard in a red skirt who waved us through. I unlocked the door and walked into my empty apartment, closing it and locking it behind us. Indira didn't give me a chance to ask her if she wanted coffee or a beer. Her kiss, insistent and passionate, pinned my back against the wall. I let her, relaxing to it, allowing her the initiative. I kissed back, but never so hard as to take the lead. Her small nimble tongue, the same one I'd seen flip back small morsels of meat, probed the inside of my lips tenderly; her lips tasted of oranges. I reached for her waist, then moved my hands up her back. She shifted slightly and wedged her leg between my own, separating them and applying warm pressure to that most tender place, already wet with need. "Mm. You taste good, Debbie," she muttered to my ear. "I think it was the wine, or maybe the sauce..." "Shut up, Debbie," she said softly. "Yes, Indira." And then I moaned as her lips met my neck, and gasped as her hand lifted my dress and slid inside my panties to that hot, wet cleft, so well installed by Sappho surgeons. She found my clitoris immediately and teased it until my knees went weak. She slipped my panties down until I was able to step out of them. Then she devoted her full attention to matters. "Goddess, Indira!" "She's not the one doing that," said a voice amusedly from far below. I leaned my head back against the wall and closed my eyes. Every flick of her talented tongue added to a wall of delicious torment. I reached for her when I couldn't bear it anymore. "Indira." She rose and kissed me, giving me a taste of myself, something incredibly erotic and I kissed her back with everything I had. "Time for bed, Debbie." She unzipped me and drew the dress over my head. Unclipping my bra freed my breasts to cool air. I undid her shorts, blouse and pulled off her panties. A few seconds later we were horizontal on my bed, with Indira doing wonderfully vertical things to me. A moment later I screamed and yet again. When it was my turn I gave Indira the full treatment with everything I had learned as a man and a woman. I watched her, in full satisfaction, as she squirmed, moaned and cried her pleasure, and I only allowed her release when I was ready. When I finished with her an hour or so later, she lay back, limp and drained. She had her eyes closed so long I thought she was asleep, but when I touched her cheek gently with my hand, and she relaxed into it. She opened her eyes and looked at me for a long while. "Debbie, you are never quite what I think you are." "I hope that's a good thing." "It is so far. I'd love to go another round, but I feel like cotton." Reaching up, she touched my hair. "Good night, Debbie." "Night." I watched her sleep for a while, noting the even rise and fall of her breasts and the way her hair spread out on the pillow. I wouldn't do what I had done to Indira again, I told myself; it had been too much like the sexual Olympics. Making love was supposed to be about sharing, enjoying each other, but I also didn't regret it. To see that look in a woman's eyes again; the incredibly vulnerable point just after she loses control; and then, again, where she settles into complete contentment, the stress lines fading, the eyes glazing over in satisfaction... I smiled. It had been a two-way street. When my time had come earlier, I was pretty sure that I had worn much the same expression. 'There is something about you, Indira,' I marveled. On impulse, I lay on my side and stretched an arm over her smooth brown stomach. Her breathing barely missed a beat. 'Thank you, Goddess.' And then, I, too, joined Indira in dreams. *** More than a month passed. The long fall season on Sappho had reached its mid-point and the leafy trees of Earth origins had already turned to brown, yellow, and gold. My research in Woolf neared completion, allowing me some free time. As had become the norm for the last three weeks, Indira spent most of her free time with me, ever since dropping the other woman she had been seeing. I came about, tacking the blue and white twelve-meter sloop Indira had rented into the stiff southeastern trade winds. Spray dripped from my sunglasses. The winds were picking up; I'd already pulled the main in a couple of feet and had my thumb over the button for the jib roller furling. The weather suited my mood, partly cloudy, on this last day of our three-day cruise. Indira appeared in the main hatch, stubbornly naked in the cool weather, except for her trademark reflective shades, holding the remains of a sweetbread roll from breakfast. She waved to me. "Debbie! Just put it on auto and come on down. There's nothing within thirty kilometers and collision avoidance would warn us anyway." "Arr, Captain Indira!" I saluted, and switched the autopilot to its original setting. I swung around the wheel and headed forward. Indira held the hatch open and I ducked inside, dropping the light weather coat onto a hook. We had just made love that morning, but there was no sign of the usually happy aftereffects in Indira's demeanor. "Is there something wrong, Indira?" "I honestly don't know. I just checked my mail. Maybe you should, too." I went to the chair by the vid and brought up my messages. There were three: one from Jezzi wanting a progress report - that was routine, one from Reni wanting to schedule another session, and one from Joanne. I hadn't seen her in several days, but it was still odd to receive mail from her. The header explained it all, though, "Wedding - private." I looked to Indira, but she merely shrugged. I put the headphones on and clicked the "play" button. A smiling vid of Joanne in a Woolf fem dress greeted me first, and then Bethany slithered into view. They stood in a room with a picture of a ship and an old brass compass on the wall, obviously Bethany's apartment. Joanne waved nervously while Bethany lurked over her shoulder. "Hello, Debbie," Joanne said. "We're inviting you and your girlfriend to our wedding on the 20th of this month. This is short notice, but we decided to get married now before Bethany left for sea. Debbie, I know that you and I have had our differences, but please be happy for me. The wedding details are in the accompanying document. Bye!" I removed the headphones, flicked off the vid and stared at the blank screen. Indira moved behind me and rubbed my shoulders. "Something's wrong," she said. I sighed. "I have no claim to her, Indira, and I do wish her happiness. But I don't like Bethany; I don't trust her." Her fingers continued to have their way with tense muscles, and I began to drift away to happy places until, "You're leaving to go to Stein in a week." I turned and placed my hand on hers. "Yes." She bit her lip nervously and smoothed my hair back. "I'll miss you, Debbie, more than I would have thought. When are you coming back to Woolf?" This was Indira at her most serious. I had expected a tearful parting, certainly from my side, but this looked to be building up to be something very different. I smiled tentatively. "I thought you didn't want a long-term relationship." "I've changed my mind." Alarm bells went off. "Indira..." I said uneasily. "I know what you and I both said. You did your part. You've kept it light and easy." She grinned ruefully. "You wore me down." "Indira," I pleaded, "I can't. There are places I must go, things I must do." "I don't believe that you haven't thought about us." "It isn't that I haven't thought about it. It's just I that I knew it would never happen. I have to move on." I stared at her. "This is a little bit surprising." "Is it because you don't want me?" She looked stricken. "How can you even ask that? Being with you has been wonderful!" "Then why? I'll try to understand, but give me a reason." I sighed. "Your tongue is abrasive." "You're too damn flippant," she said angrily. "This is important. Is it another woman?" I shook my head sadly. "No. Indira, please drop it. I know it's not fair to you, but I can't tell you why I have to go, except to say that it's a good reason." She took a seat by the bulkhead and perused me intently. "There's something very strange going on here. If it were someone else, or if certain other things surrounding you weren't odd, I'd think you were lying to me. Why was Joanne staying with you if she wasn't your girlfriend, and what does she do? Her behavior is weird; she has no job, as far as I can tell, and she watches you for some reason." I lowered my gaze and closed my eyes. My head felt as if were made of lead as I shook it slowly. "I'm not permitted to tell you, Indira. After this is over, I'll find a way to let you know why, but that is absolutely the last thing I can say about it now. I'm sorry." "Whom do you work for, Debbie? Are you even a real professor?" I looked up into her face, so full of questions and concern - and I couldn't satisfy them. "I'm sorry. I...I want to go back to Martina now, Indira." The hurt in her eyes nearly broke me. She rose after a few seconds and quickly pulled on a pair of shorts and a pullover. Grabbing her slicker on the way out, she paused at the hatch. There were tears on her cheeks. "I hope it's a very good reason, Debbie. We'll be back in Martina in about four hours." I couldn't just sit there and cry about it. Decided to do something useful, I cleaned the cabin, straightening things up, getting things ready to unload at the dock. While I stuffed some of Indira's clothes into her carryall, I noticed a small box with an elaborate silver- worked design, a crest of a falcon, which had to have been at least a hundred years old. The box was just large enough for a ring - and Indira never wore jewelry. I didn't want to pry, but I had to know. The box opened with the turn of a hand-made knob. The inside held an engagement ring - a big one. Closing my eyes, I wept silently. It was a very long way back. *** I finished my report for Woolf two days later in a rush of concentrated activity. Two legs of my research was now completed. Indira hadn't called me, nor had I expected her to; that last drive back to my apartment from the docks had been chilly. This last afternoon before the wedding was also the last meeting with Reni and one of the very few I had left in Woolf and I stepped briskly down the long hall to the door of pain. This time I knocked on the door using a smooth palm-sized stone I'd found on the grounds on the way over. The sharp painless rap was infinitely better that the labored thuds of my knuckles. "Come in, Debbie." I lifted the old bar and stepped around the heavy door, tossing the stone into a trashcan where it rattled noisily. "Hello, Reni. If you want, you can have the rest of the day with me. This might be your last chance to talk to an alien." She regarded me from deep within the softness of her special chair. "I'll miss you, Debbie, but I hope that we can talk to each other every now and then before you leave." "I'd be glad to - as long as I'm able. I only wish that they would allow me to download some of the information you're interested in from the ship." "That brings up an interesting question. How sure are you that you'll be successful in placing Sappho off-limits when you return to Earth?" "Fairly sure. It will take about eight years to get back with the stop at the beacon. That would mean I'd be away from Earth about sixty years. Although anything could happen on Earth during that time, realistically I don't expect too much change. Your government should be able to control your level of contact with the rest of the universe." "The level of contamination from the outside, you mean." I nodded. "Sappho would certainly see it that way. Contact with men would destroy your society." She paused. "You might be the last man to ever come here." "Yes. And I'm leaving a woman." A long pause: "We've not treated you fairly, Debbie. We've given you no reason to love Sappho." "There are some very good people here, Reni. And, of course, your surgeons have done their best to make me fit this world. If things had been different I might have enjoyed living here. But I'll survive. Even if they can't change me back, there are far more lesbians on Earth than on Sappho; it wouldn't be my preference, but I'd be all right." "What about Indira? Does she know who you are?" I shook my head. "I can't tell her. I'll leave her a message for her after I'm gone. I just hope she doesn't hate me when she finds out whom she was making love to." "Too bad you can't tell her now. If she's as good a woman as you say, then she might understand." *** Joanne's wedding was under the trees by the shore, a favored spot for sailors and their wives dating back centuries. The border of sea and land symbolized the image of the woman who went to sea leaving her wife behind. They did look wonderful together. Bethany wore a formal blue skirt with matching jacket, her silver mate's epaulets setting off her long, gleaming, jet-black hair. Joanne wore a bridal wreath in her blonde hair over a red and gold dress that defined her shape in the morning breeze. They were a beautiful pair, a match for each other. I stood, along with the rest of the wedding party, behind and to the side of the priestess, an elderly woman with flowing gray hair dressed simply in the Goddess' distinctive virginal cotton dress held firmly to her waist with an equally white cord. She held her hand over the couple's hands, now firmly clasped together, and spoke the blessing in a soft lilt that proclaimed her origins in Stein. "Bethany and Joanne, you stand before the Goddess, two women, dedicated and loving, ready to receive her eternal blessing. Who is dom?" "I am," replied Bethany. Joanne smiled shyly, and the look she gave Bethany held only love. "Bethany. You are the guide and stalwart. Always protect her. Always respect her. Always follow the ways of the Goddess." "I will, Priestess." The priestess turned to her fem. "Joanne. You are the conscience and the gentle presence. Follow her guidance. Be her example. Always follow the way of the Goddess." "I swear, Priestess." "And now to seal it with the rings." Bethany and Joanne removed the ring from the right hand of the other and transferred it to the ring finger of the left, slipping them into place at the same time. The priestess looked to the sky and intoned, "Then hold and comfort each other for the rest of your days, for you are married. May you both be fertile and have healthy children." And it was done. The kissed each other long and hard. Women beside and behind me cried, laughed, and threw red flowers over the new couple. I cried, too, and the tears were happy. It was better than I had thought; Joanne was ecstatic, and that's what was most important in the end. "Debbie," spoke a familiar voice. She looked as good as I remembered, maybe better. "Hello, Indira. I'm surprised you decided to come." "I hate mysteries, Debbie. I came to find out what was going on." I sighed. "Indira. It isn't because I don't want to tell you. I made a promise." I looked straight into her eyes. "It's probably better that you don't know." Her looked my face over closely. "Are you going to die, Debbie?" I smiled. "We all die, but, no, I don't have a disease or anything. I have a good chance to outlive you. Indira, I only went out with you because I thought it was temporary. I regret it, but only because I've hurt you." She put her arms around my waist and drew me close. "I believe you, but this isn't the final word, Debbie." Her hand in my hair felt very good; her brown eyes were warm; her lips looked soft and inviting. "I'm not going to tell you anything more, Indira." She frowned. "Hmm. Well, there's something you should know. I spoke with Joanne before the ceremony. She never received your apology on the ship." I stared then whipped my head around to face the newlyweds. "Bethany! Damn her! Does Joanne know?" "No. I didn't tell her about it." I took a few deep breaths to calm my pounding heart. "All right. That explains a few things, but it doesn't change anything. I won't tell her. Joanne is happy and I wouldn't be doing anyone a favor if I told her now. For better or worse, they look like they love each other." She smiled. "So, it isn't Joanne who's keeping you from me." I had to laugh. I would miss Indira so much. "You are persistent." On impulse, I took her in my arms and gave her a kiss - as a dom to a fem - much like the one she "stole" from me on the Allred. "This isn't fair to you. I know. Goodbye, Indira. I'll call you and tell you why I had to leave. You will understand. I swear." I turned away and walked off before I turned misty again. I had said all I could say to Indira, and I had no intention of staying to join any line congratulating Bethany. I had my limits. "I will find out, Debbie!" she called out to my back. *** We flew out the next day in late afternoon, our sleek jet carrying perhaps three-dozen passengers and crew from Martina's main airport. It was a craft I was already familiar with. A copy of the ancient records, it had been designed more than a thousand years ago. Except for experimental aircraft, there were few planes and fewer variations on Sappho; the economics of a world with ten million inhabitants couldn't support a large flight industry. Joanne sat by the window and stared out into the dwindling city before Martina disappeared below our plane's wings, her cheeks still flush from her wife's kisses and lovemaking. Bethany had only left to board her new ship the hour before. As the lights disappeared behind us, Joanne sighed and sat back, lost in remembrance, while I respected her silence. The plane tilted back to gain the necessary altitude to fly over peaks almost six kilometers high. Stein is a country of contrasts. The Joan of Arc Mountains in the west forms the border to Woolf and Paglia. From there on east are forests and cold mountain lakes that turn into to rolling hills, finally flattening to a verdant plain that extends almost the entire way to coast. Cutting the plain into four sections are the fast and un- navigable Truth River in the north, the slower Spirit, and the meandering Vulva in the lower half. We flew to its capital, Ythren, in the far north, a city built in the lofty mountains. Originally located for solitude and contemplation for a rigid sect, it had expanded its role when the Priestesses of Stein became the government. A population of over fifty thousand filled the valley below the ancient ramparts and walls of the holy temples and University. Stein prided itself on its traditions and rituals. When we flew in that night to the airport in the valley, bonfires in the north and on the temple complex in the south proclaimed that the week of the Male Cleansing Festival was in full swing, when Stein purged itself of male influences such as aggression and cruelty. Prisoners were often paroled for the week and the poor were rounded up and fed, often by acolytes or low-level government workers. Lectures on the evils of man, delivered by the High Priestesses themselves, were enthusiastically attended. We had both bought clothes beforehand at Chelsea's for the trip. Woolf's wild colors and patterns, and Paglia's skimpy skirts and halters were unsuitable to Stein's conservatism. In general, Priestesses wore white with trims and colors that determined status, while everyone else wore subdued colors, usually shades of black to gray with browns and dark blues and greens acceptable. Pants and certainly shorts were forbidden. As we started the landing pattern, we took turns changing in the lavatory. I exchanged my colorful Woolf skirt and blouse for a sensible dark gray knee-length dress with lighter gray woolen tights. Joanne emerged from the aisle and took a seat beside me in a long black dress that nearly met the ground. That and her basic white long-sleeved blouse made her look like a schoolmarm on some ancient frontier; I supposed that she was getting a feel for the marriage thing, for she was normally a more daring dresser. "Joanne, I'm sorry that Jezzi wouldn't allow you to leave me. You had very little honeymoon." I frowned. "In fact, I don't even know why you're here. What does the harpy think I'm going to do in Stein, anyway, start a revolution?" "The honeymoon doesn't matter, Debbie. Bethany has to ship out occasionally. It's what she does. I'll be glad to help you in other ways, setting up appointments, arranging travel, helping you with research if necessary." "I would appreciate the help, Joanne, but that means we'd be working closer together." "That's not a problem for me. Indira really likes you. If you're woman enough for her..." She smiled. "Besides," she said, holding up her ring, "I'm married. Your charms will have no effect." I held my hands up in a warding gesture and shuddered. "No more of that for me. I'm staying celibate until I leave Sappho." "We'll see. Indira told me some things about you." The plane landed smoothly and taxied close to the terminal. The airport crew pushed a ramp into place and we disembarked into the muted scream of the jets and bitter cold wind. I wrapped my cape around me, and we joined a scattered procession of passengers hurrying across the black tarmac to enter the lights and warmth of the glass and steel building. We pushed through a family in subdued colors that greeted their daughter or cousin; just beyond, a matron in a long fur-trimmed white coat met a trio of younger women in coarser white woolens who fussed and handled her luggage. Our contact, also in white garb, stepped from the side. I recognized her from her picture, as did she of ours. I smiled and bowed my head slightly to the shorter woman, the manner of greeting a holy woman in Stein. "Sister Maggie Finn?" Her returning smile lit up a brown oval face with shoulder-length black hair. She looked even younger than her picture; I doubted that she was even 20. "Yes. And you are Assistant Professor Debbie Larranti and her assistant, Joanne?" "Yes," I replied. She gave us a small bow and spread her arms wide. "Welcome to the pure and free nation of Stein! We must hurry. The last car to the university is leaving in less than a half-hour from now. If we miss it, we'll have to spend the night in the valley." Joanne and I picked up our luggage from the hopper. We'd each brought only one piece; each of us intended to buy most of our clothes in Stein. Sister Maggie looked at me curiously. "Shouldn't your assistant be carrying your bag?" "I don't expect it from her. She's not my servant." "Odd, indeed! The Goddess has established a system of obligations and responsibilities. Such ambiguity of roles can only breed confusion and hard feelings. She seems a strong girl. Surely she could handle the extra weight." "As could you, Sister Maggie." She smiled. "Please, Professor, call me Maggie. I'd carry your bags gladly, but that would be impossible, I'm afraid. My mistress is Priestess of the Second Ring Nora Elizabeth. You are not even of the order." There were precedents for this on old Earth. Thinking about it, it would make my job harder if I didn't play along. "You're right. Joanne, take my bag." Joanne opened her mouth to protest, but decided against it at the last moment. She took my bag, but with a graceless snatch that showed her true feelings. She had an explanation coming and I had a strong feeling I owed her a lunch - at least. "Shall we go?" "Yes, Professor. This way." We walked to a bus station just outside the terminal. We took a bus marked "Tramway" through a town filled with well-lit stone and marble building, often with thick columns, and small domed structures and statutes of majestic women in robes or flowing dresses. Ythrin was the administrative and religious center for the country. Most of the women living in the city worked in one of those occupations. Few women walked the sidewalks, although a huge stone and metal circular stadium was packed. Loudspeakers outside carried the sounds of impassioned shrieking even through the walls of the bus. I looked to our guide for an explanation. Her eyes shone. "That's Priestess Hera reminding us of the evils of men. Her topic tonight is slavery and torture. It's one of my favorites. I have all her disks." "Men, those animals," I affirmed. "We're so fortunate to be rid of them." Joanne threw me a very skeptical look. "Oh, yes, Professor," exclaimed Maggie, her hands clenching by her sides. "There isn't a day that goes by when I don't think how lucky we are. Oh! The billions of women who suffer!" The bus pulled into a cable car facility at the base of the rocky slope leading to our destination, the temple complex and Hillary University. The traffic in late evening was slow, and the car we rode in, although capable of carrying twenty, held only two besides us, two sisters in their early twenties, whom Maggie knew well, by her glances in their direction. I nudged her. "Go on, talk to your friends for a few minutes. We'll watch the view." She smiled gratefully and moved off, leaving Joanne and me alone in the back. "What is this carrying your bags all about?" Joanne hissed. "I knew that Stein was hierarchal, but here, at the capital, the very heart of Stein life, even the vids and reading doesn't do it justice. It's like a military society, or perhaps old Earth neo-Confucianism would be closer. Everyone has a place and a specific role with obligations and responsibilities to those above and below. An assistant that doesn't carry my bags doesn't 'fit' here." "So, I'm to be your stupid servant?" "Look, don't get upset; I'll wash your underwear if you want me to, but I don't want everyone staring at us, wondering who we are all the time. It's very rare for outsiders to come here. If we mesh well, if we follow a role they understand, then there will be fewer questions." She sighed. "I don't like it, but I'll go along. If it gets too bad, though, I might change my mind." I paused for a moment. "Joanne," I spoke softly, "Look at the buildings and monuments of the city below us. They're lit up so prettily, and the rows of houses, schools and businesses where people work every day - aren't they beautiful? Look to the top of the mountain at those incredible towers and think of all the history behind it. Women dreamed, worked out their lives to build up this society. People are happy here, for the most part. What do you think of Stein?" "Straight-laced, pompous, too religious for my taste. Some women come here to retire. Life on the coast can be restful, and it's cheaper to live here than Paglia." My reflection stared back at me from the glass, a frightened young woman with long black hair in a conservative dress and cloak. "I can't look at it that way. Most of the people who live here would report me to the priestesses. They would kill me, quickly, if I were lucky, torture me to death if they wanted to make an example. It doesn't matter what I look like, my XY chromosomes are a death sentence. Joanne, this place and the people who live here scare the shit out of me." She took my hand, and, for a moment, we were back at that comfortable place before we had fallen out. "I won't expose you. If I have to, I'll walk two paces behind you. It's only three months, after all." I squeezed her hand back. "Thanks." "No, I should apologize to you. This is my world. I, of all people, should not need to be reminded how deadly it is to you." Nearly an hour later, the car ascended to a well-lit hole within the mountain, just below the walls. We heard the "clank-clank" of the huge wheel that turned the cable before we saw it, and then we were inside. We stepped out while the car still swung, Joanne still carrying our luggage. I had expected one, but two women greeted us. The taller, younger one had orange trim on her white robe. She stood confidently, her medium-length brown hair combed back in a simple style. The older wore the pure white of the inner ring. She held her ground as if in confrontation, her hands firmly planted to her hips, her short white hair brushed straight out, glowing like an outraged halo in the lights behind her. Sister Maggie bowed to them both. Her face was pink, but not, I was sure, from the cold of the open hole in the mountain. "Priestesses Hilde, Nora, I have brought Professor Larranti and her assistant." There was nothing to do but face it, whatever it was. I put on my best smile and stepped forward. "I'm honored to be here, Priestesses. Thank you allowing me to come." I bowed. Hilde glared through my attempt at courtesy. "You are only here because Paglia's Executive Directress asked the University directly. The High Council was not informed of your visit." "Hilde, really," spoke Priestess Nora in a soothing tone. "The professor is a scholar. We also exchange students and professors on occasion. Be reasonable," she scoffed. "Why should anyone have informed the council?" "It's her purpose here that concerns me. Young woman, what do you want from Stein that you could not get from published writing and studies?" "Priestess, I came here to look at the source material from the original landing. I will also travel the length of your fine country and look for cultural keys. I've already done the same for Paglia and Woolf." "Studies on our founders and origins have been done." "Mine is the first study to examine all the source material from all three countries, and the only one after the wars. Many suspect that the ancient classics are biased towards their country's position. I am also trying to compare the founders' vision for Sappho with what exists today." She shook her head angrily. "This is useless! Stein is the representation of the founders' will and of the Goddess Herself. There is no need for additional studies." Leaving aside the religious argument, she was likely right; Stein was probably close to what the founders had wanted. Woolf and Paglia were the signs of reason breaking through the cracks of their warped dreams. I smiled again for the old buzzard. "My own research tells me the same thing, Priestess, but I'll have to complete the picture for my thesis. There are thousands of contemporary letters, personal vids, and other ancient documents to examine that can be found only here." "Such a matter should have been taken to the High Council." Nora interjected softly, "Hilde, let her do her study. This visit was approved months ago. I'm sure she'll allow us to attach any comments we have to the final report." Nora's smile was motherly and wise - and too glib - I was being had. The two of them worked as a team. They didn't want to take any chances that a report unfavorable to Stein might escape their control. Hilde pretended to consider Nora's offer, but the satisfied gleam in her eye with this farce was a little too obvious. "I suppose that attaching any necessary comments to clarify matters we might have would be acceptable," she admitted grudgingly. I put my hand under my chin, considering the matter with equal seriousness. "This is very irregular. All scholarly works are given peer review, but you actually want to add your own remarks to the report itself?" Priestess Nora grimaced sympathetically at my pain. She spoke as if the whole affair were an unpleasantness rather than a serious violation of scholarly ethics. "Unless you want to risk waiting months or even years to see our holy relics, what you call source material, I'm afraid that's what must happen. Hilde seems adamant." I sighed. "Very well. I agree." After all, if they didn't like what I wrote, they could come sue me - on Earth. *** We were given adjoining rooms in the university, permitted after Joanne showed the dormitory mistress proof of her marriage. The old spaces in the outside wall for an iron brazier and pipes still existed, a reminder of countless women from centuries past who had prayed and studied by lamplight in this very room, shivering in the cold of the heights. Modern computers and furnishings amidst the worn gray stone walls only emphasized the history of this ancient University, founded nearly eight hundred years ago - the oldest on Sappho. The conversation with Nora and Hilde had worried me more than I let on with Joanne. From experience, those that dealt with people dishonestly generally expected the same in return. Even after I settled into my routine in the library, the musty vaults, and the museums, I felt myself being watched. Sister Maggie stayed with us constantly, ostensibly, to assist us, but she pried too much to have much value except to remind us of lunch or dinner until nearly a month had passed. I was scanning the museum directory lists from my terminal in the library when I noticed an oddity. I asked our spy, "What is 'Type 4 data chips: unknown origin,' Maggie?" Type 4 data was a common recording medium during the Diaspora. She gnawed at her lower lip while she searched the system. "They were discovered in the basement of a prominent family in Gerthe several centuries ago. It was a great loss. By that time all the machines capable of reading them had since ceased to function." "Yes, a great loss." I wondered, though. The records and notes I'd found told me little that I hadn't seen already elsewhere. The past was just too clean. The founding women had been either saints or sanitized to look that way. The past wasn't crucial to the report for Earth - the existing culture was more important by far - but I would be reamed by Earth's historians if I passed-up an opportunity to get the real picture. Once Sappho became a restricted world, we might never have a chance again. I searched the index again, this time looking for type 4 readers. I begged-off lunch, telling Maggie and Joanne that I wasn't hungry. Presented with a choice between food and watching me look through old documents, Maggie chose lunch. The museum staff had already become used to my presence and didn't think much of it when I wandered to the back among the historical artifacts. I found the row and column easily enough. The familiar boxy shape of three readers lay beneath a soft cloth. I opened my purse and withdrew an all-in-one tool. Removing the screws was easy; plasteel didn't corrode. One of my specialty classes had prepared me for this. The ancients had designed well. Other than an adjustable screen and the interface slot for the chip, there were virtually no moving parts. Its only weakness, if one could call it that in a machine with an expected life of hundreds of years, was a small read/write data chip needed for start-up. After a century or so without power, the algorithm faded until its data charge settled below a readable threshold. If it had gone too long, then the data would have to be reentered, data that I didn't have, but if not, then there was a way to refresh the chip. I pulled out my flashlight and unscrewed the end to get the battery. I yanked the small wires away from the LED and stripped the wires with my teeth. The reader's internals were completely molded into a board. I scraped a little of the coating away from two places and contacted the wires for a fraction of a second. Then I did the same with the other two readers and reassembled them. I left the covers off the readers and turned on an overhead light to recharge. Two days later, I returned and tried them all. Two stayed blank, but one screen generated swirls that occasionally formed into attractive women in old Earth settings, women a thousand years dead, but doing things that were very much alive. I grinned. I was watching some ancient lesbian's screensaver. There was no way to smuggle the chips out. Everyone was searched going in or out and all museum items were labeled with a magnetic tag. My opportunity didn't come until a week later. I brought my portable computer inside the artifacts room while Joanne distracted Maggie with a search that would take quite a while. I quickly gathered the chips from their box, put one into the reader and set the transmission rate to 500 frames a second, ten times the default and the maximum my computer camera could record. I linked an audio cable, still thankfully one of the standard types used on Sappho. An hour later, all four chips were recorded. That evening, Joanne came to my room. I'd already found the chronological order of each file. When I was ready, I move the portable to a chair and moved it close. I patted a place on the bed beside me. She sat next to me cross-legged. "This is like seeing a vid at home with my family," she said. "Where's the ice-cream and cake?" "Sorry. And I could use a beer. Unfortunately, the Goddess and her representatives wouldn't approve. Joanne, this vid might be interesting. The recorded date is before the landing." Her eyes widened. "Debbie, start it!" I pushed the start button. # A woman in her early thirties appears on the screen. She is dressed in trim blue pants and a white blouse with blue and gold epaulets. Gentle hand-wringing and a bright smile give the redhead a nervous, eager appearance. # Joanne sat up straight, almost rising from the bed. "Goddess! That's Hattie George." # "To my daughter, whoever you may be. We are fortunate to find a suitable world in our third star system. The plague that drove us so far is many light years behind, and my father, mother, sister Karen and brother Frank are two centuries dead because of it, but it is a blessing, too. Our new world will be a gentle place, a planet of women. All of us who chose to board this ship are lesbians, not a word for outsiders any longer, but of normalcy, and you will be as well, through genetics. "The sum total of Earth's knowledge is with us, its best and brightest: Aristotle, Jung, Einstein, Margaret Mead, Gertrude Stein, Camille Paglia, Harold Fader, and many others." # Joanne nudged me. "Who is she talking about? I never heard half these names." "Most of them are men." "What!?" # "The first couple of generations will be hard as we build our future together. But your granddaughters will see p