Sappho Chapter 6 free porn video

Chapter 6 Doctor Liu entered the van for a final check of her patient, pulling on the straps and stays, finally satisfying herself that the gurney was secure and that my leg was comfortable. "I hope you enjoyed your stay here, Debbie," she remarked just before closing the door. "It's a pity to leave like this." I smiled, remembering last night with the Beavers. "I enjoyed it here very much, Doctor Liu," I assured her. She nodded approvingly. "A positive attitude is good. May the Goddess protect you on your return." She pushed the door shut and waved once to me at the window before turning back inside. The van pulled smoothly away from the clinic and sped down the dusty road to the main gate. Rumbling by us on the other side of the road were trucks, heavy equipment, and buses with workers heading back into the farm complex after the end of a long day. I sat up, straining to see out the side window, looking for someone I recognized as they flashed past. I might have spotted Ingrid, but I wasn't sure. After nightfall, several hours later, we pulled into the regional airport in Valentina. Early the next morning we rode in the last cable car, ascending to the Temple complex high in the chilly mountains, returning finally to our small rooms, all three of us exhausted. I abandoned the crutches, took a couple of pills, collapsed into bed, and raised my aching leg on two pillows. Three weeks to go. All the legwork and research was done. Now started the process of bringing it all into a cohesive report - or rather, two reports - one for the priestesses and one, using essentially the same facts, but with different emphasis, for Earth. I didn't want to spend any more time in Stein than I had to, so I worked hard, mainly from my room. Instead of three weeks, I did it in two. After checking it all twice, I showed Joanne and Maggie the final copy for Sappho, and relaxed while they went through it. The Sappho copy had few, if any, surprises. It was a straightforward job, a scholarly work that would slightly advance Sappho history. I left inside a few minor issues that disagreed with Stein orthodoxy - a complete agreement would have looked suspicious, but nothing the priestesses would be too upset about. Maggie skimmed it rapidly. She had already seen most of it as it was being created, so little of it was new to her. She finally turned the last page and put it down. "Debbie, it looks quite professional. I'm no expert on these matters, but there might be one or two places the High Priestesses would want to append." I lay back in the chair, my hands behind my head, and swiveled in her direction, trying to look as if I cared. "That was the agreement. I planned to show them the full report after you reviewed it." "I'll take it to them now if it's alright with you." I smiled. "I'd appreciate it very much. This ankle still hurts a little to walk on." She collected the notebook and rose. "I should be back in an hour or two. Priestesses Hilde and Nora have been following the report with interest; I'm sure they'd want to see it as soon as possible." "Thanks again, Maggie. I'll see you soon then. When the report is accepted we can all ride down to the valley and celebrate." She paused in the door just before leaving and nodded at us a little sadly. "That would be nice. You know, I'm going to miss you guys," she said, splitting her look between us about evenly. Maggie's passion for me had understandably devolved into something more professional since the kiss under the tree. But it had been partly my fault. Each day that passed was another day closer to leaving Sappho. To compound my melancholy, I wasn't even in control of when. The day the hyperdrive development program was sufficiently far along, I would depart this world forever, but the word "sufficiently" was a relative term that could mean a few days or a few months, and only Jezzi would decide. Bethany would also return from her stint at sea to Martina in a couple of days; it was possible that after tomorrow I would never see Joanne again. And then there was Indira. I owed her more than a call from orbit. Joanne had taken her time with the report and finished it more than half-hour after Maggie. She'd examined it with the critical eye of a scientist familiar with journals and articles and, in fact, had even written a few. She tossed the folder aside and considered what to say. "Quite good, on the surface," she decided in the end. "Of course, the whole report is nonsense. The recordings of the founders make a complete hash of its conclusions." "Ah, but that's where you come in, Joanne," I replied, watching my raised index finger while spinning my chair around slowly with my legs. "What would you do, Debbie? Would you release the recordings if you were in my position?" "Oh, no. I've already pushed the non-interference principle to the limit. Any more would get me into trouble." I stopped the chair facing her and leaned forward. Her face understandably had more tension in it than usual. "Relax, Joanne. You know this world better than I ever will; I'm confident that whatever decision you make will be the right one." Slapping her hands to knees, she stood abruptly and began to pace. "This is unfair! You have access to so much more knowledge than I do. I'll make the decision, but is it too much to ask for an objective opinion?" "I don't know if I could be objective, Joanne. I can't tell you anything that might influence you. Those are the non-interference rules. Sorry." She took a few more steps then stopped, twisting her head towards me. "Reni told me that you wished you could simply download the information she wanted from the ship." "That's true, but Jezzi wouldn't permit it. I don't get control of my ship back until I leave, and then I have to leave Sappho space immediately." "All right. But what exactly happens when you go? Won't there be an extended period of time after you leave orbit but before you enter hyperspace? Wouldn't you be free to transmit information then?" I grinned. "Gosh, Joanne, that's interesting. It's kind of a gray area." She narrowed her eyes. "You know, I'm beginning to understand this 'non-interference' policy of yours - at least the way you interpret it. All right. I don't want an objective opinion. I want raw data: history, similar crisis on Earth and elsewhere if you have them. In fact," she said, folding her arms and shifting her body into a cocky pose, "I want the entire history of Earth to study." I shook my head. "Nice try, but it's impossible, far too much data to transfer. However, if the University at Martina should happen to direct a dish to a certain location in the sky and receive data at a certain set of frequencies and protocol, who knows what they might get? Of course, I make no assurances that any of it would be accurate. It could all be part of an evil male plot like the priestesses say." "You're walking a fine line with Earth, aren't you, Debbie?" "Maybe," I admitted. "But I'm allowed some latitude. My deal with Jezzi ends when I leave for the beacon and Earth. Martina is not in Paglia and Jezzi has no jurisdiction there. I should be all right." I looked up at a knock at the door, three taps in quick succession, Maggie's signature. "Come in, Maggie!" I called, wondering what happened. She had returned at least an hour before she said she would. She closed the door behind her and stood against it for a moment, surprised to see Joanne. Her face held confusion and hurt, as if she had seen or heard something she couldn't reconcile - and she had trouble meeting my eyes. "Was the report that bad?" I asked. Her gaze switched abruptly to me, staring at me like a bird at a cat in the room, a far different expression from the normally chirpy Maggie I had come to know. I suddenly had a very bad feeling about this, and darted a glance to Joanne, who looked back in sharp concern. She'd felt it, too. "Uh, Debbie - the priestesses have some questions they want to ask you," Maggie responded, her voice just a tad shaky. I studied the clock on the wall as if it were a work of art, the whole time churning rapidly through the possibilities. "Fine. Shall we say after lunch?" And there it was again, that barely suppressed fright. "Ah, no," she said quickly, moistening her lips. "It's just a few minor things they have to clear up, but they have to see you right away." Maggie was a lousy liar. My heart pounded like a jackhammer as my worst fear peeked out from behind the tenuous fa?ade I'd been living behind for nearly three months. If the priestesses knew who I was, then I would be arrested. Maybe this was just their way of doing it quietly, with a minimum of fuss, leading me like a lamb to the slaughter. I rose from the chair with a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was all I could do to remain calm. It came suddenly, like the flick of a switch: hate, rage with anyone who thought I should die for being born male. Even if this was a false alarm, the constant fear of being discovered, the unbelievable unfairness of it all - I'd already been made a woman against my will; I was certainly no longer capable of raping anyone; I'd been made "safe" for Sappho - why wasn't that good enough for them? I don't think Maggie caught me. It all happened blindingly fast; she might have seen a flash of the eyes, a frozen instant when my jaw tightened. "I'll be right back," I replied. I headed for the bathroom, closed the door, flipped-up and rolled down what I needed to and sat, burying my head in my hands. I had to assume that they knew who I was. If that were the case, then my only hope was Jezzi. That meant Joanne would have to find a way to tell her. It wasn't likely the priestesses would care what Jezzi wanted - killing the "evil one" would likely take precedence - but maybe, just maybe, the priestesses would listen to reason. I sat there until a ring threatened to form on my widened butt, calming my nerves and finding ultimately that I did need to go after all. When I came out, Joanne was gone. I took it as a good sign, picked up a portable computer and a copy of the report, and followed Maggie into the hall. Using my ankle as an excuse, I walked slowly, getting a feel for what was going on around us: the traffic, who was watching us, and especially the woman beside me. Of the students that shared our floor, most smiled or greeted us by name as usual as we passed. But at the end of the hall stood a woman I'd never seen before, a woman about my height but stronger, in a red tunic with a prominent gold inverted triangle of Aphrodite, stiff gold shoulders, red kulats, green sleeves and hose, and black boots - the uniform of the Security Service. She looked on impassively, but her posture proclaimed a cool readiness for action and far too much body awareness for me to be comfortable. I strode by her calmly, even nodding politely, while every nerve in my body screamed for me to run like hell. As we turned towards the stairs, her stare behind me was a blade at my neck. On the ground floor, another red and gold figure waited in the shadows. It was more than my fading hope of coincidence could allow. But most terrible was Maggie. She walked beside me but either just behind or just ahead, places where conversation was difficult and she wouldn't have to meet my eyes. We exited the building and I caught a glimpse of another guard behind us in the glass door. In the open now, we had a walk of about three hundred meters along the windy low outer wall overlooking a drop of a thirty meters to the rock chasm that extended all the way to the city. I spotted yet another woman in red and gold watching us from a bench, and another closer to the central hall, our destination. It was all of a sudden too much. "Maggie, stop," I called ahead, and stopped, leaning against the wall. She hesitated then came to my side. "Is your ankle hurting too much? It's just a little further," she replied impatiently. "You're acting strangely. What is going on?" She glanced towards the hall, where the uniformed figure stood looking back at us. Thus reassured, she faced me squarely, hands on hips, her face sneering in utter disgust. "Why don't you tell me, Man?" The naked hatred in the eyes of my former friend forced me to look away. Gazing over the chasm, the sun seemed stronger on my face, the cold wind in my hair a little colder. "I'm here, Maggie, because your society wouldn't survive contact with Earth. I was finishing a survey of Sappho to put Sappho off-limits, to keep men away." I pushed myself away from the wall and leaned my rear end against it, facing directly into the bitter wind. I caught the whiff of peppered roast beef and fresh bread from the kitchen across the courtyard. The security woman on the bench stood and started a slow walk in our direction; I judged that I didn't have much time left. "Maggie, I have to get back to Earth. Otherwise, others will come here eventually, and there will surely be men and women together. It would ruin the Temple if women see for themselves that men were never the evil the Temple has been telling them for the last eight hundred years." "Bitch! You already did your best to destroy the Temple with your lies on the net. They told me you might invent something like this," she sneered triumphantly. This insufferable bullshit broke through all the sadness and sympathy I'd felt for her. "Grow up, Maggie! I came here alone in an unarmed ship. I haven't done anything evil since I've been on the planet - you've watched me for three months. I'm reminding you that I am, by law, a citizen of Paglia. Stein has no right to hold me!" "Stein never recognized that absurd ruling," she said primly. "You are nothing more than a disgusting disease. Once you are eliminated, Sappho will be clean again." I should have thanked her. My fear was practically gone, replaced by the typical reaction one has after trying to reason with a raving lunatic. I nearly welcomed the arrival of the Security Service to take me the rest of the way, pushing and shoving me to whatever fate the priestesses desired. I'd known the risks when I came to Stein, and all hope was not lost until I lay dead. Once inside the ancient hall, out of the bright light of mid-day, my two escorts held me firmly by the arms while a third came from somewhere. The sting of a needle in my rear end made me cry out, and seconds later blackness overcame me. I woke up bent over a rack, naked, of course. My arms were locked horizontally before me into metal bands attached to brightly polished chains. My legs were spread at about 60 degrees and locked into similar metal restraints bolted to the floor. The smell of light oil told me that my manacles had been well used, and the part of the rack under my hips, a cushioned round cylinder about a foot in diameter, showed sweat stains. Curiously, there were two other racks in the room with similar arrangements. The room itself had the look of some kind of inner sanctum; it had an air of solemnity. Thick purple drapes adorned the walls along with pictures of long-dead high priestesses in robes of various eras. Implements of unknown but dangerous, painful designs hung from a dark polished wooden frame, sharing space with the more mundane whips, flexible canes, a two-pronged shocking device, and objects of a clearly sexual nature. Looking behind and between my legs, I spotted several upholstered chairs and a small table where a weary torturer might recline in comfort and sip a cooling drink. A muffled sound to my right made me jerk my head in that direction. The single door to the chamber was covered in thick brown leather over a thicker padding that I suspected might reduce sound. Four priestesses in the pure white of the inner council entered through it, each with the long cowl raised, their heads bowed and unrecognizable beneath. "You're making a mistake, Priestesses," I said calmly, reasonably. "I must return to Earth to place Sappho off-limits to other worlds with men. Please call Executive Directress Jezzi Belladonna. She'll verify what I say." One robe walked slowly in front of me and threw back her cowl. Priestess Hilde gazed at me coldly; her black eyes regarded me dispassionately within a face composed mainly of disapproval lines. In a way, it was worse than hate; she saw me as an animal, unworthy of true feeling. Her voice was no better. "It is unfortunate that we have only you to pay for all of man's crimes against women. It's even more unfortunate that you are not intact. Still, there is a certain justice that you will suffer as women have suffered throughout millennia." A high nervous tittering came from behind me. "Oh, my, yes. Man's disgusting pleasures are well documented. It's only fair that he should pay the same price." "Don't you understand?" I yelled. "Unless you let me go, more men will come to Sappho!" A soft low voice I didn't recognize said, "Let me start, sisters. You may contribute at your leisure." The last one, a younger woman than the rest by the quality and power of her voice, and the tallest of the four, spoke sonorously: "Dorothy, by all means, start the correction, but first allow me the ritual with this one. Such a unique opportunity should not go wasted. I wish to experience the anguish of our ancestors." "Hera, are you sure?" Dorothy exclaimed in awe. "A real man?" Hera joined Hilde in front of me, removed her cowl, and shook her long hair free. It helped not at all that that she was an attractive brunette in her mid-forties. Her face was vaguely kind but too distant, her words disturbing. "I would feel his evil inside me," she said, staring at me, a hint of longing creeping into the otherwise calm voice. "I want to know the full horror of being taken by a man." I blinked at her in slack-jawed amazement. From my position in the rack, my breasts hung like udders, and my butt was raised and legs spread at an excellent angle to determine absolutely what I was. It would have taken a special mind to look at me and think, "man." I closed my eyes and, for the moment, gave up trying to persuade them of anything. I now had a good idea what the other racks were for. Like the monks of old with their flagellation, whipping themselves for evil thoughts of women or attractive young boys, the priestesses had their Sappho equivalent. The gentle teachings of the Goddess aside, the Temple was based on a vision of dominant male evil and female victimization. With all traces of that era a thousand years removed, true believers would need reminders to keep the original spirit alive. The room had a deeply religious feel to it; everything looked solid, permanent, well maintained - and old. The mountings of my rack were not the newer steel bolts or some kind of modern fastening; they were thick iron bands, beaten and bent into shape by a blacksmith and mortared directly into the floor, the pitted metal worn smooth after innumerable polishings. Thousands of women must have been in my position at one time or another being ritually raped, while an equal number must have played the part of evil, pounding home the ancient message with cruel thrusts and harsh cries in countless displays of holy sadomasochism. Like the European Inquisition, which would rather burn a suspected heretic than allow the chance that a blasphemer might to go free, I could depend on getting no benefit of the doubt among these priestesses, and I resigned myself to bearing what I could for as long as possible. But first I had to rape a priestess. My strap-on dildo was the color of blood. To a mentally healthy person chancing upon the scene, it would have made little sense. My feet had been secured behind the rack with leather cords, leaving my hands free. Hera drew her robe over her head, folding it neatly and placing it at the base of a chair. After removing her plain white panties and bra, she faced me. Looking down at me a couple of inches, she said in a quiet, chilling voice, "Do not hold back, Man. You will be whipped if you do." I nodded. I had a good idea what she wanted - I'd even read certain stories in my younger days that might have prepared me for this moment, although I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I would be involved in one. Hera bent over the rack. The other priestesses snapped the manacles shut and adjusted the rack height with practiced eyes to match me. She was a fine looking woman from any angle. Her derriere was ample but firm and her legs nicely toned and smooth. The rack that presented her so well allowed me the option of holding her hips or grasping a bar to obtain maximum leverage. "Hera, are you ready?" asked Hilde the beast. "I am, Hilde. The Man may begin the rape." "Um," I interrupted. "Exactly how do you want to be raped, Priestess Hera?" Dorothy and the other raised their lashes, and I winced, anticipating pain, but Hera saved me, snarling, "Rape me like you would any other woman from Earth, Man!" Any denial would just get me whipped, so I tried my best. I rammed it inside her, rape-like, not surprised at all to discover that she was already very wet. She gasped well, and I pummeled her enthusiastically, but it became clear fast when the lash first struck my shoulders that I was expected to be vocal. "Get back in the kitchen!" I yelled at her. "Make me some dinner!" Apparently, that wasn't good enough, for Dorothy raised her whip, so I cried, "You screw like a dead dog!" and "You smell like five-day old tuna!" That wasn't quite it either because thin leather struck me at the base of my spine, making me arch my back in agony. Although the leather was soft, and I doubted that it was doing any real damage, it still hurt like hell against my sensitive skin. I glared at the bitch who did it and that gave me the anger necessary to carry on. "You bitch!" I screamed at Hera. "Get back on the street! Wiggle that ass and make me some money!" That was better. Hera moaned at the insults in a joyous melding of faith and degradation. "Slut! Whore, ho, pussy, slit, cunt, puta, hole, er, trollop..." I started to sweat. I was rapidly running out of nouns. "Oh, nothing could be finer than to be in your vaginer in the mornin'," I began to sing. "Nothing could be sweeter than your lips upon my peter..." I lay off that at a lash from Dorothy. "Geez, what are you, some sort of lesbian?" I screamed. Another stroke of the lash seared me, this time across the buttocks. I could barely believe it. I couldn't even make it as a proper rapist on Sappho. Okay! She wanted me to be evil. So, what would be evil to a lesbian? I smacked her on the rear end, bringing a shocked yelp from Hera. Apparently, that kind of contact wasn't customary. "All right!" I thrust hard on the last word, making her gasp. "Playtime is over." I had a special feeling about Hera. Reaching down underneath the soft/hard red dildo, I found her. My experienced fingers teased her nodule in a way I knew well by now. The lash struck me, but I heard a simultaneous cry of wanton lust at my next thrust and I knew I was on the right track. "You want it, don't you, Hera?" I growled low and steamy, in my best imitation of a male voice. "This is your secret." "No!" she cried. Dorothy and the other bitch stood by, their whips raised, but unsure of what to do. Clearly, Hera was having some sort of crisis - but that was precisely the point of it all. I kept it up, teasing her while thrusting, eventually riding and slapping her flanks like a horse. "Hera, you want it! Say it, Hera! Yeeee haaaw! Hera likes it from a man!" "No, you animal! Oh, Goddess!" she screamed, as I continued my evil work. Eventually, she alternated between moaning and crying as I brought her close and then backed off. "Admit it, Hera, you want it!" I hissed. Finally, with her forehead wet, and a revealing puddle of love juice pooling below her transom, she wailed, "Finish it! Finish it, you - Man!" I bent as far as I could towards her ear and said soto voce, "I'll finish it when you say my male name. Say, 'finish me, David,' and it will be over." I pushed forward and she gripped her chains weakly, barely able to fight any more. "Goddess forgive me," she said in the barest whisper. "Finish me, David." And I did, pushing the hapless priestess over the top. She screamed as she shuddered in forlorn ecstasy, an eerie cry of joy and despair, for she had given in to her desires and succumbed to my will. Hilde glared at me. The two others stared in disbelief at their sister in the rack then moved quickly to unsnap her manacles when she shouted for them to do so. When Hera was able, she staggered to her feet and slapped me as hard as she could. The sobbing woman snatched her clothes and, unable to meet the others' eyes, ran from the room naked. I allowed myself a pleased moment wondering what inspiring, uplifting tales she would create from that experience to tell her flock before turning to face the rest. I had an idea of what was coming, and tried to take the ancient advice about relaxing and enjoying, but there is no chance to relax when you're being simultaneously raped and whipped by two insane bitches. After the first few lashes, the pain becomes so intense there is no recourse except to scream and scream. They didn't stop until I sagged in the restraints and lowered my head, utterly exhausted and unresponsive. They let me heal that night in a small cell on a thin mattress. I was allowed no clothes and my hands were tied behind my back, I supposed because they preferred to see me as an animal and watch me eat like a dog, and then it was back in the rack again. The second day was all about humiliation. They abused me in most orifices, lashed and zapped me virtually everywhere, and by the end of the day I was ready to be rescued. They had asked me no questions. From their rants it was evident that they hated me for being born male, but from their cries, what really stuck in their craws was the interview with Trudy Revline, which still circulated on the net. Although Stein was essentially a closed society, and net and vid access was restricted, it had been impossible to keep it quiet. For the first time, the eight hundred year-old tenets of the Temple were being seriously challenged. The third day was worse when other high priestesses had their chance at me. Even in prisoner of war situations, the captors usually want something - information, a signed document admitting to war crimes, a statement of guilt or support - they wanted nothing except to give me pain and humiliation. I was forced to say vile things about myself and do disgusting things. I told myself that it was all about survival; that in the end, it would mean nothing. I had to remind myself of those women I'd met who were not like the priestesses, live through them at night, remembering the good times with Joanne, Reni, the Beavers, and especially Indira. The seventh day was bitter. Jezzi must have known about me by then. She must have contacted the Temple, but there had been no change with the beatings and humiliation. For the first time, I cried at night. It was still early, I told myself. There must be negotiations and deals going on. Prisoners had survived years of torture and had come out all right. A week was nothing. After two weeks I made a mark on the wall, two marks, really. I found a pebble, put it between my toes and scratched until it made a line that would stay. That was my victory that day. I giggled like a crazy woman at my success then cried at the pathetic extent of it, unable even to wipe my eyes. They still wouldn't let me use my arms and I hadn't had a bath since I'd been taken. They wanted to make me an animal. Day 17: I thought it couldn't get any worse. I lost my temper and called Priestess Hilde a monster. She broke two of my fingers. I wouldn't do that again. It was hard enough to work the muscles of my arms as it was, and I'd need both of them strong enough to wring her damn neck. I didn't think I could hate as much as I did then. What they were doing to me was inhuman. Day 28: Miracle of miracles: They stopped torturing me. I supposed they were tired of seeing my filthy ass on the rack, I might have been stinking the room up, or maybe some of the others wanted me clean before taking a turn. It was like a holiday inside the small cell. Day 30: Two guards came for me again, but instead of the expected routine, this time was much different. They un-cuffed my hands in a real bathroom and told me to clean up. After a month in cuffs, it was agony to move my arms forward and up, and my broken fingers weren't healed, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. An hour later, when I'd cleared the worst of the tangles from my hair and scrubbed myself raw, they gave me some underwear and a prison dress. I returned to a better cell and a clean bed. In the afternoon, after the first decent meal I'd seen in a month, the guards came to my cell and slid the bars aside. From their body language and where they were looking, it seemed that I had a visitor. Sitting up quickly, I watched her approach. I'd never seen her before. She was a short woman in her late forties with iron gray hair, trimmed to a no-nonsense style. She waited patiently until the guards got out of the way then walked straight in, carrying a well-worn dark blue bag. She passed me a reassuring nod. "I'm Doctor Sera Gilbert and I'm here to examine you." I almost cried from relief. It was as close to a smile as I'd seen for some time. She wore the conservative clothes that Stein required, but they had a look of newness, as if they had just been bought. Her wrist had a light ring around it amidst a moderate tan, the sign of a bracelet removed - and Stein didn't care for jewelry. "You're from Paglia?" I asked tentatively, afraid to get my hopes up. She paused to look up, stopping what she was doing in her bag. "Of course." She gave me a good look and sudden comprehension flooded her face. "They didn't tell you? You're going home." I swallowed, and this time a few tears got through. "When?" I croaked. This time it was a flash of anger. "Goddess! Those bastards didn't tell you anything. Ms. Larranti, as soon as I finish the examination, we'll go upstairs, where your wife is waiting. Then it's a couple of hundred yards to a helicopter. We should be in the air in less than fifteen minutes. Please remove your clothing and lets get started." I removed my clothes in a daze. I noted abstractly that I had been married, somehow, but I would have married Jezzi to escape that hellhole. Her eyes were cold and furious a few minutes later. "Ms. Larranti, you've been severely abused. Your anus..." I was much more interested in getting my anus out of there than talking about it. "Doctor, I was raped everyday for weeks, beaten constantly and prodded with electronic zappers. Can we go now?" "I need to give you a thorough examination. You may easily have internal damage." I took her hand with three good fingers. "Doctor, I'll be glad to do anything you say - when we get back." A quick look at my face convinced her. "Right. Lets get out of here." Two minutes later, I had my clothes on and escaped the cell. It was harder than I thought to climb the stairs; I hurt everywhere, but I would have crawled away. I couldn't wait to meet my "wife," whoever she was. At the end of a corridor and through a door, we broke through to daylight into the lobby of the hall. A few of the priestesses were there, and I tried to freeze them with my eyes, sending them an "I'm going to nuke you from orbit" glare, but it was a wasted effort. They acted as they had triumphed somehow. I didn't care at the time, but those looks stayed with me. I spotted Tyrona in her security uniform, the dark skirt and suit combination that had brought my manhood to life in the very beginning. Those days were long gone and she did nothing for me now except make me seethe with hatred, although I had to admit, she was a beautiful woman. I looked around for someone I knew - a scientist or acquaintance from Paglia - someone who might have consented to be my wife for a day, presumably as part of a trick to get me out of Stein. Tyrona approached me, her smile reminding me of a sick dog. "Kiss me, you stupid bitch," she said through her teeth when she came close enough to me to be heard. "I'm supposed to be your wife." It was still better than a cell in Stein. "Sweety!" I cried, allowing her to hold me between two enormous pillows. She pressed her lips to mine, but no fluids were exchanged and she broke it as soon as she could. I clutched her waist closely, getting a good whiff of a peculiar musky-sweet perfume, possibly bitch pheromones, while she gripped my dress in her powerful fist like a garbage bag she wished to hold at arm's length, making our progress to the helicopter something of an awkward dance. I held onto a grimace of a smile through a loose crowd of lower order priestesses and sisters, and all the way until we were airborne. "What the hell was that all about, Tyrona? Why are you my wife?" I demanded as soon as the wheels left the ground. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and looked like she wanted to strike me, but the doctor was sitting between us. To my surprise, Tyrona turned red. "The priestesses heard an insane rumor that we were lovers. It made sense to play the part of your wife. Under the circumstances, I was believable - others would not have been. Believe me," she growled, "if this weren't important to Sappho, I would have let you rot." I knew better than to tell her who had started that rumor - or at least I would pick a better time. "Well, for what it's worth, thank you for getting me out of there. I assume that it was necessary for me to be 'married' to leave Stein?" "It was. It allowed the Temple to save face. If you were married, then your release would be for your wife's sake - like releasing a disobedient dog back to its indulgent owner. They could live with that - and Jezzi told them what you still have left to do. All they wanted in return were your services for thirty days. I thought they were very reasonable. I might have held out for more." She grinned cruelly. "You are one rancid bitch, you know that?" She just smiled. "You mean they didn't give you milk and cookies?" I held my tongue with an effort. "Tyrona, did they tell anyone who I was, or show my picture?" "No. Why?" A weight fell away and I lay back in the seat. Indira and the Beavers were safe from disgrace - at least for the time being. "There are some people I don't want to embarrass. Where is Joanne; is she all right?" "She's fine. They let her go after a couple of days. You can thank her for saving your life. The priestesses had shut down the vid and net lines, but she was resourceful enough to call her wife at sea. The ship-to-shore communications are by satellite, not land-line fiber- optics. After making the call, she convinced the priestesses not to kill you." "I see." "I don't think you do, Man. To the Temple, you are an abomination - the worst evil to ever come to Sappho. They were about to proclaim your capture to the world. Joanne somehow convinced them that it was in their interest to keep the biggest news in Temple history a secret. If she hadn't, they would have killed you." "I'll thank her when I see her. And Tyrona..." "What?" "I want a divorce." She snorted derisively then turned away. The scene through the window beside me was all stark shades of gray mountains and frothy green sea. From our vantage, perhaps a thousand feet above the frigid waters, the rocks of Stein looked cold and unforgiving. We were taking the northern route to Woolf, not the most direct path to Paglia, but the fastest way out of Stein, and that suited me just fine. I lay back, snuggled against the cushioned bulkhead, and closed my eyes, quickly dropping off to the steady drone of the engines; not waking until evening at the airport at Reno in Northern Woolf. There we switched to a waiting commuter jet and four hours later, we were back in Paglia city. Joanne and Bethany met me as I walked down the short ramp with the doctor. Joanne looked nearly the same, maybe a little more tense and worried. She wore a light blue skirt and a lighter blue blouse, replacing the thicker conservative Stein garb. Bethany stood by her side, a taller black-haired woman to her wife's blonde, in white shorts and a thin top that showed her figure. I walked straight into Joanne's outstretched arms, holding onto her like a vision I wanted to keep forever. "Thank you for saving my life," I murmured after we broke apart. She smiled, wiping a tear or two from her cheeks. "You gave me the time to get away. I made the call to Bethany and had a little talk with the priestesses, but you were the one who had to stay behind. How bad was it, Debbie?" she asked me, watching me closely. I didn't want to start crying then because if I started I wouldn't be able to stop. I met her eyes, for the moment, not able to say anything - just stare and try like hell not to break down. "It was bad, Joanne." I said finally, and I simply couldn't hold it all back anymore. The pain in her eyes might have been a reflection, and she put a hand to her face. "Oh, Goddess, Debbie! What did they do to you?" Bethany placed her hand gently on her wife's shoulder. "Honey, take as long as you need. I'll be at the hotel." Joanne gave her a quick smile. "Thanks." "Thank you, Bethany. You helped save my life, too," I said. She shook her head. "I just relayed a call. Go ahead, talk," she said, and walked away, heading back to the terminal. Doctor Gilbert also took her leave. "Get some rest, Debbie. Call my office in the morning." "I will, Doctor." The airport had a small park for children by the terminal, unoccupied at that late hour. We walked there in the dark, holding hands. Once there, we found a bench by the child swings. "Talk to me, Debbie," she urged me gently. "I don't care how bad it is. We have all night." My eyes filled with tears. Joanne had been there all along for me - and always when it counted. At first I'd been happy to get out of Stein, but now...just below the surface lurked all the rage and hate that I'd built up inside - and it wouldn't stay hidden forever. I tried to make light of it at first: "Well, after they arrested me, they drugged me, and I woke up naked, chained and bent over a rack." "Oh, Goddess," she said, putting her head in her hands. "Actually, it started well before it went bad..." But I couldn't hang on. The memories came back like a bitter shot of bile. Clenching the good fingers on my hands in impotent rage, I stared at her, pouring forth my hate, describing what I could through clenched teeth or shouting, crying when I couldn't do either. Distantly, I realized I was breaking down - something I'd never done before, and especially in front of someone else. But she was there. She understood, knew when to listen, when to reach out and pull me to her, and at times I clung to her like a lost child. She was soft and warm, wet from my tears and from some of her own; not the classic picture of strength, but she was what I needed. It finally ended, as all things do, and I sighed my last, finishing with a deep breath of clean fresh ocean air. Looking up at her with a twisted smile, I said, "I keep doing this to you." She reached over and brushed away a few strands of hair threatening my nose. "Next time someone cuts off my balls or rapes me for a month, I'll look for you. So, how do you feel, Debbie?" A typically female question, I noted wryly, but pertinent this time around. "Better. It's been less than a day, but it feels like longer. I think I can even be objective. Joanne, after about the first two weeks, I thought that I might be there permanently. I thought that the priestesses might want to keep me until I died, bringing me out occasionally to torture as a way to punish man for his evil. I'm sure that's what they tried to make me think." She took my hand and rubbed it gently. "Debbie, how can people do this to others?" I laughed a little hysterically. "Earth's history is full of worse. It gets especially easy when you think of the other person as less than human." I shook my head at Joanne's expression. "This isn't an indictment of Sappho. A third of the planet thinks I'm sub-human, but they've been kept in the dark and are just echoing what they've been taught for centuries. Paglia and Woolf accepted me pretty well - after I'd been fixed, of course. "If you want to see real intolerance, there's the example of New Damascus. The scout that first went there barely got away with his life. They were so belligerent and unyielding to outsiders the whole planet had to be quarantined." My eyes flashed for an instant. "The priestesses went too far. I think it takes a special kind of fanatic to be at the top of the Temple pyramid. They did everything they could to turn me into the animal they imagined me to be. I hate them the most for making me bend to their will - even a little. After about three weeks, it became a little easier to give in, a little easier to think of a bowl of half-cooked mush that I'd have to slurp out of a bowl as a reward. "My 'wife,' Tyrona, told me that Jezzi made a deal with them to keep me for thirty days. The priestesses just wanted to get the most out of me. It would have spoiled their fun to tell me it would all end after a month. It was all just a damn game to them! What's thirty days of hell for a man after all?" I raged. "Debbie," she soothed, "it's going to take time to heal. What they did will leave scars." I sighed. I'd been whining. "All right. I'll look at the bright side. I'm still alive and reasonably healthy. It doesn't mean I forgive them for what they've done. I'd like to put every one of the priestesses in jail - even better, in the same cell. I'd throw in a rack and a strap- on. For religious guidance, they could spin the bottle or draw lots to decide who the 'Man' would be each day." She laughed. "I'm sorry," she said, mortified. "It was the thought of Priestess Hilde sweating and straining her way to a 'holy' orgasm." I smiled. And then I laughed; Hilde's skinny haunches bent over the rack was a funny picture. "Goddess, it's over and I'm still whining. You know, Joanne, it helped me more than anything that you, Indira, and the Beavers are here in this world. The Goddess can deal with the priestesses in Her own way. Screw them. You were far more important; I want - no, I choose to think about all of you instead." "Unbelievable. After a month of torture and rape, I do believe you're going to be fine. You know, you've changed." "I know what you mean. I could have sworn that I had something else between my legs when I came to this planet." "I remember a time when you couldn't joke about it. You're softer, more accepting. I like you more than I used to." "Well, I am softer, and it's these damn hormones making me cry, making me feel all cuddly and warm. I'm helpless before the feminine onslaught." She laughed. "Well, you haven't changed completely." I took a seat on one of the child swings and leaned back, holding the chains with my hands. The sky was clear and the nebula was out in all its reddish-pink glory. Gabriel was rising in the west. The air was filled with the sea breeze, warmer than in Woolf with a different flavor - saltier somehow without some of the tang. "Do you have any idea how beautiful this world is, Joanne? Earth is bigger, vibrant, crowded, and more varied, but not a bit better. Most of the other colonies can't touch this. Joanne?" "Yes?" "Has Jezzi made up her mind yet?" "Yes. One month, Debbie. You leave in one month." "Ah." It was expected, but setting the date was the beginning of the end. The beauty of the present had just tilted slightly towards the past. I nodded and kicked backwards, letting the swing bring me to my feet as it swung forward. "Lets go back. I have to get some sleep, and I know Bethany is worried about you. I'm pretty sure I interrupted a homecoming between you two." She stood up and brushed off her skirt, the fine dry sand blew everywhere in Paglia. "We leave to go back to Woolf tomorrow. We came down for the day to meet you when you returned." "I'm very glad you did." We started walking, this time separated by a foot or two. "What about Indira, Debbie?" "I'll see her before I go. I'll say goodbye to her face to face. I'll see Reni, too, to make sure the frequency and the protocols are set up for the tightbeam." She stopped just outside the terminal and faced me. "This may be goodbye, Debbie. I may never see you again." She looked up at me. From where she stood, the pulse of the runway lights formed a gleaming path to the center of her eyes. I leaned forward, took her in my arms, and closed my eyes. I inhaled the sweet scent of her hair, felt her body against my own once more, and then I kissed her gently - on the cheek. "If it is goodbye, I'll always remember you, Joanne. You're the best friend I've ever had and I'll miss you forever." In the end, I found that's the way I loved her, at least in this life. She nodded, smiling ruefully. "Sometimes..." she started then lowered her head. "And it goes without saying that I'll never forget you. I'll miss you, Debbie, my best friend, my dearest friend." *** "Ms. Larranti, they raped you terribly. Your cervix is badly scarred." I looked down between the stirrups where the good doctor had been exploring. Unaccustomed as I was to such words as they applied to me, it sure didn't sound good. "What does that mean, Doctor Gilbert?" "The bottom line, young lady, is that your chances of conceiving have dropped to nearly nothing." The idea of having a baby made me squirm. Even though they'd told me I was capable, I'd never really considered it. "Doc, what are the options?" She stripped off her latex gloves and tossed them into a waste receptacle. "Do nothing and eventually - soon, you will become sterile, but the scar tissue might build and cause you problems later on. Or, a qualified surgeon could give you a simple operation and make you sterile without complications, or you could have an intrusive operation with a two-week recovery time that would probably return you to normal." "I don't want to be sterile," I replied vehemently, surprising myself with how much I hated the word. Doctor Gilbert stood deep in the valley of the "V" and looked at me curiously. "Are you sure, Debbie? With your history, I assumed that you might not want to have children." The thought of having a baby - the entire experience of actually giving birth: belly swelling, breasts growing, lactating, and the rest, was as foreign to me as it could be. But this body and I had been through a lot; it was no longer the stranger it had been. The decision had come from deep within; it felt so darn right. "However it happened, Doc, this is what I'm made to do - now. I don't know if it's the urge to reproduce or not. All I know is that I'd feel terrible if I didn't at least have the ability to have a child." She nodded as if she'd known all along. "Of course. I'll schedule an appointment for you for two days from now. It's best that this is done sooner than later." I didn't have anything to do for the next two days except follow the doctor's orders and heal, so about lunchtime I took the car down the coast road, picked up a few beers and snacks at a local Stop & Shop to put into a small cooler, and headed to a secluded section of beach. It was the middle of the week and not many people were around except for a few college students or retired women. I lay out in the sun on a quilt, naked, my bleached body soaking up rays that I'd had seen very little of in Ythren. I'd already had one beer and was nearly ready for another, when a shadow crossed my eyes and stayed. I lowered my shades to see someone I hadn't seen in close to a standard year. "Barbara?" I exclaimed, half in shock. "Goddess, it's good to see you. I'm sorry I haven't been in touch. I thought that Jezzi might..." The petite blond held up her hand. "No apologies necessary, Debbie. You did the right thing." She looked me over, her blue eyes giving me an amiable appraisal. "You look very good. The surgeons did a great job. Your face is a little different, but close enough to the old Debbie to be related." I sat up and reached for a beer. "A lot different from when we first met. Want a beer? Want to join me? There's room on the quilt." She grinned. "Sure." She slipped out of her short skirt, tank top, and the rest of her clothes, and lay beside me, leaning on her elbow. "You know, you have changed." I handed her a beer and took a swig of my own Nectar of the Goddess Light. "We can discuss my changes if you want, Barbara. I'd also love to know what's been happening and how Wendy is, but I have a feeling that this isn't completely a social call. It would have taken some effort to track me down here." "It's a bit of both. Goddess, Debbie, I can't tell you how sorry I am that you had to go through all this. I feel that a lot of it is my fault." "It isn't," I said firmly. "If it hadn't been for you and Wendy, I would have been much worse off. Some good is coming out of this, too. Look, I'm leaving in a month. The deal is still the same. The hyperdrive ship won't be completed for about ten years, but Jezzi did promise to allow some of the more, shall we say, 'extreme doms' to add that part that you like so much to their anatomy." She shrugged. "Once you've had the real thing, it's hard to go back. And a lot of it is knowing who the person really is. Others might be interested in faux men, but I'd know it wasn't the genuine article." She closed her eyes, lay back on the quilt, and separated her legs slightly. "Mm. I remember when you were between my thighs pumping away, your hard chest sliding over my breasts. It gets me wet thinking about it." She rolled her head over towards me and smiled brilliantly, her blue eyes sparkling like sapphires. "Those were the days of dominating you from above, mastering your every move, forcing myself into you, thrusting, taking, and filling your emptiness with me. You were a screamer, Barbara." "Goddess!" She bit her lip and squirmed, snapping her legs together and moving them in and out. I was glad to see that she hadn't changed. "You want me to pour some beer on it? And if you want to hear what I've been up to, then you'd better put some sunscreen on. It's a long story." She stopped and I'll be damned if she didn't place the cold beer bottle where it would cool her down for a few seconds. When she was ready, I handed her the oil and began telling my story. A half hour and another beer later I'd finished. "A fascinating tale, Debbie. I'd love to get a vid copy of your last game. There's not as much to say about us. I'm still working at the fertility center. Wendy is living in a mining town in Stein. She's found someone she likes, but I know she misses you. She'd also be glad to hear that you'd found someone else. She was sure that you would." She sighed. "Debbie, there are two problems that I see with the plans." "I'd be glad to hear what you think." "The first is that you can't trust Jezzi. I'm very afraid that she won't follow through on the plans for the doms to look like men. And I'm concerned about the hyperdrive. After you're gone, what possible leverage would anyone have against her?" "Hundreds of millions have been spent on the hyperdrive so far. I don't trust Jezzi, either, but why would she waste so much money without building a hyperdrive?" And if the hyperdrive is being built, then there is no reason to deny the male changes to any doms that want it. It's just temporary anyway." She gazed at me steadily. "Jezzi is tricky. She is also stubborn. I find it perfectly conceivable that she would waste millions, lie about everything, or perhaps use the hyperdrive for another purpose." "If that's true, and I'm not convinced it is, what could I do about it? I'd be gone." She looked me for a long time. "Nothing. I might, though." I raised my eyebrows and gave her a look. "Really? What could you do?" "I'm sorry, Debbie, but I'd rather not say. It would be better if you didn't know." "You don't trust me, Barbara? I can't be forced to reveal secrets under torture. I've had hypnotic conditioning." "Oh, Debbie!" she cried, sitting up suddenly. "I do trust you - to do the right thing as you see it. I've said too much already. Suffice it to say that I approve of your plan completely, but if Jezzi tries to cheat, I have something that would make her sit up and take notice." "All right. I won't pry. It's officially none of my business unless it affects Earth or breaks one of my non-interference laws. What's the second problem?" "Almost the same as the first. You can't trust Jezzi or the priestesses. Maybe you can explain this to me: When you were tortured by the priestesses, did they know that you were gathering data to make Sappho off-limits?" "I think I screamed that at the top on my lungs several times, yes. I'm also sure that Joanne and Jezzi mentioned it to them, too." "Then dear former-man-who-pleased-me-so-well-with-his-raping-stick- before-it-was-taken, why did they torture you so badly? Didn't they have any idea that you might be so angry with them that you'd junk the off-limits and declare Sappho an open world, ready for more colonization? It's almost the truth now with only 10 million on the entire continent. That would destroy the Temple as effectively as a nuclear bomb, giving you a stunning revenge." "It's not that easy. I'd have to collect data for anything I recommend. And no colony is simply declared an 'open world' unless the colony wants it that way. 90% of the time, Earth sends a large ship to set up diplomatic and trade relations before anything is decided. Hm. A ship that large would hurt the Temple - there would be literally hundreds of men and women on board. But I take your point. The priestesses didn't know that. Why would they risk infuriating me, and screwing up the off- limits policy? Unless..." "Unless, Debbie?" she asked me prettily. "Goddess, you can't trust anyone anymore! Jezzi must be planning something very nasty for me and told the priestesses about it. That's why they looked smug and satisfied when I walked out to the helicopter in Stein. They knew I wasn't really getting away. But I think I can handle this. I haven't told Jezzi everything." "I have confidence in you, Debbie. Now, talk to me of Earth." "We've talked about Earth before. Any particular part?" "The male part, of course." I laughed. "You know, somehow I think we'll meet again." She smiled mysteriously. "I'd bet on it, Debbie." *** I drove my car to the hospital two days later. The operation was fairly routine, Dr. Gilbert explained as I undressed and climbed into bed, and there was nothing to worry about. But while I was waiting for someone to wheel me to a place where I'd go under the knife, there was a brief knock at my door and the door opened almost simultaneously. An older administrations nurse in a spotless white uniform entered my room, shuffled to my bedside, held a document on a clipboard at a convenient height, and offered a pen to my right hand. "Ms. Larranti," she said bureaucratically, "you must assign a person we may contact in case of an emergency." "Is this a confidential document, nurse?" She dropped her impersonal mask to give me a frown. "That's a strange question. All medical records are placed on the net and duplicated at least three times in case of a catastrophic crash. All medical records are available to all qualified hospitals, clinics and doctors in case of need. This is part of your permanent medical record." I thought about it for about a second. "I'd like my wife, Tyrona Malefic, to be the my emergency contact." I took the pen and made the appropriate marks. "Thank you," she replied with just the barest hint of sarcasm. "There, that wasn't so hard, was it?" "No. Not at all." The operation wasn't too bad, mainly because I was sedated. I believed Dr. Gilbert when she said there was nothing to fear. The queasiness was from a feeling that this was a rite of passage. I'd owned that set of reproductive organs, but they weren't something I'd asked for or desired. From now on, though, it would be impossible to say that I'd merely inherited them or they had been forced upon me. Once the micro- scalpel did its work at my direction they would be mine. The word fertile came to mind in all its gravid connotations. This decision, the urgency to have this operation to regain my fertility could be interpreted as an implicit contract with myself; with the legalese cut away, it read that I might, strike that, very possibly would, get pregnant - and have a baby. Goddess. "Ms. Larranti, are you all right? Your heart rate just shot way up." "I'm fine, Doctor. I'm just a little nervous." "That's understandable. Don't worry about a thing. When you wake up you'll be having children before you know it." Goddess! *** "Reni, you're looking good," I said to her image from my apartment computer. Her weathered visage grunted from deep within her chair at the university. "You need new eyes, Debbie. But I'm fine. I'd hoped you'd call a few times before you left." "Been busy. Stein doesn't like outside calls, and I didn't want to call you on a monitored line. I want to come up and see you. We could talk, have a beer or two; it's conceivable that I might have something of interest to tell you." "Anything you say is interesting, unique and gets filed in my stack of stuff. I hope you're going to talk to a certain young lady while you're up here. She's been hounding me about you - where you are, who you are - and I don't like keepin' her in the dark. It's not right, you hear?" "She's the other reason I'm coming up, you cantankerous old bat. Goddess, you sound like my mother. What did you tell her?" "Nothing, except that I was sure that you'd have the guts to see her again and explain yourself." Approval from Reni was always a little like a pat on the head from a respected adult to an adolescent - good but a little disconcerting. "When can I come up?" "Anytime. The sooner the better. I'd make time for you regardless, but classes will be starting soon." "How about if I fly up tomorrow around mid-morning? I have a few free days left." "Excellent. I'll pick you up at the airport." It wasn't difficult to make out Reni's old car amidst the smaller, sportier models. It resembled its owner, old but still solid and serviceable. I hoisted my bag into the back and climbed in. For the occasion, I wore a Woolf dress with green coat, conservative, still full of color, but fairly neutral, not a clearly dom or fem style. "Where to, Debbie? If you're worried about a room, your old place is the university is currently unoccupied. It would be trouble at all to get you a key." "Thanks, that would be great. Why gosh, Reni," I exclaimed, smiling. "We'd have more time to talk." "Yes," she said amusedly. "That thought did cross my mind. How much time before you go?" "A week. I didn't want to tell you everything on the vid, Reni. I'm almost certain that everything I do in Paglia is being monitored. I have a few things I have to do here and I need your help." She nearly ran a red light, jamming on her brakes just in time. "Damn it, girl, you should give me a little warning before you say something like that. Intrigue at my age? You want to give me a heart attack?" It was hard to tell anything amidst all those wrinkles, but her eyes were smiling. Several hours later in the lab, I was satisfied. "As far as I can tell, Reni, the dish is set and the transceiver is fixed properly, but there's only one way to know for sure. It's pretty straightforward, but it goes without saying that I'm not familiar with this equipment." She shrugged. "You're not getting a grade, you know. Just turn the thing on and see if it works." I smiled. "Good idea." I flipped the switch. A faint "beep ... beep ... beep" came through a small speaker. "Locked on okay. Now setting to transceiver mode." I reached down and flicked a dial. "Vicky, are you there? This is David," I said to the small microphone. I waited anxiously for several seconds. "Voice recognition failure," a woman's voice returned. Reni's eyebrows shot up. I raised my thumb in victory and leaned forward towards the mike, resting my hands on the table. "Vicky, postulate a surgical procedure that altered my voice. Use alternative recognition method." "Agreed. Father and mother's first names?" "Harry and Lorraine. Is that it? What kind of security is that, Vicky?" "Rest assured, whoever you are, the questions will get harder." They did. I couldn't answer all of them - some, like my college professor for advanced Calculus, I'd forgotten long ago, but after fifteen minutes: "Very well. Identity tentatively accepted. It's nice to talk to you, David. Access code?" I read off a string of numbers and characters. "Accepted. This is an un-secure line. Future access will require access code beta." "Understood. Accept my voice as valid, Vickie. I don't want to go through a long series of questions again. And call me Debbie." A fairly long pause. "Are you a woman, Debbie?" "Yes, Vickie, I am." "Strange. I detect no desire to become a woman in your psychological profile. Would you like me to change my voice? I have many male voices available: 'You sure are an attractive filly, Debbie. You know, space is a big dark place - it can get mighty lonely...'" "Goddess," I said under my breath, and burned red as Reni appraised me with an interested eye. "Vicky, keep your regular voice, ferchrissakes. What's your status?" "All systems are functioning properly except for the airlock door they broke to get in and the hibernation pod. The door is repairable and the Sappho crew is nearly finished reinstalling the pod." "Vickie, I suspect that someone will plant a device to kill me at some point during the flight back, or disable the ship. It may already be planted. It might be anything." "This is very disturbing news. Turning on all monitors now. I'll conceal the energy expenditure." "Are you certain that nobody knows about you?" "Probability over 99%, Debbie. I detected the break-in, but didn't have the energy at the time to bring you back. I posted the manuals for the systems on the control panel, my reasoning being that if they did disassemble the ship, they would be less likely to break anything through ignorance. They were very careful with the hyperdrive and only removed the failing part. I'm assuming that you had something to do with that." "I did. I'll be returning in six days. I've missed, you, Vicky." "I've missed you, too, Debbie. It will be good to be with my partner again." "One last thing, Vicky. Protocol test. Sending data stream now." I pressed the transmit key. "An ancient protocol packet - type FR-3, but I can configure for that." "Good. I'm dumping the contents of my portable computer memory using that protocol now. I estimate about one minute upload time." "Accepting upload. Debbie, you know I have no feminine hygiene products aboard. Just a friendly reminder in case you need them. It would also be a good idea to bring a spare female catheter that fits your dimensions for the pod; I noticed the Sappho technicians only brought one. The med unit, while programmed for gynecological ..." "You're enjoying this too much." "Yes, Debbie. I have the transmission. Is there anything else, Debbie?" "Nothing for now." "Very well. I'll have a list of decontamination protocols and test procedures waiting when you arrive." "Thanks, Vicky. Debbie out," I replied, powering the unit down with a flick of the switch. "Fascinating. I didn't understand everything; the language has changed, but you're light years ahead of us in AI technology. Vicky sounds nearly hu