Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 103211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
“Yes. Seline and I will be traveling to Beselex—the space station which some call ‘the Tangle.’ She will be bargaining for the second half of the Far Box—an ancient Kindred artifact which was stolen from First World long ago. The first half was found in the past ten cycles and the second half has just surfaced—it is owned by a wealthy collector.”
“I see, I see.” Yipper nodded.
“It is a station owned and run by females—much like Yonnie Six,” Nox went on, though Yipper hadn’t asked for details. “This particular group of females believe in keeping males as sexual companions and protectors, though they appear to have little use for them otherwise.”
“It is not unusual for humanoids to group themselves and determine their hierarchies based on sex. No it isn’t, no it isn’t,” Yipper said. “Are you worried about the upcoming trip, Nox? Are you? Are you?”
“I am incapable of worry, as you know,” Nox replied, frowning. “But…”
“But what? But what?” Yipper asked.
But every time I’m around Seline—especially when we’re in intimate situations together— my body is reacting to hers more and more strongly.
However, he found he couldn’t say it out loud. It was not that he felt shame. It was more…a kind of failure. A breakdown in the way things were supposed to be—in the way his body was supposed to react or rather, not react.
Something had to change—he needed help with this strange phenomenon. He couldn’t ignore it and expect it to go away on its own.
“I think I’d like an emotion damper anyway,” Nox said firmly, at last.
“I don’t care if it makes it more difficult to interact with the humans—I need a way to control these strange dreams and…other things,’ he added in a low voice.
“Well…” Yipper sighed. “If you’re sure that’s what you want. If you’re sure, if you’re sure…”
“I am.” Nox nodded—he had a positive association with this decision. He was doing the right thing, he told himself.
“If you’re sure, then I can schedule the operation for after you get back from your mission,” Yipper told him. “It will take some time to complete, yes it will, yes it will. So it can’t be done until then.”
“Thank you.” Nox rose from the exam table in the middle of Yipper’s lab. “I must go—I have to prepare for the mission to Beselex Station.”
“I wish you the best of luck, yes I do, yes I do,” Yipper told him. “You’ll be fine, Nox. And if you change your mind about wanting the emotion damper, let me know. You’re probably still adjusting to a new environment and to living with people who have feelings. Yes, you are—yes you are.”
“Perhaps you’re right. But I still want the damper installed when I return from this mission,” Nox said firmly. The dreams he had been having were wrong. Or at least, out of the ordinary, which could not be tolerated. “Thank you, Yipper,” he said. “I’ll speak to you later.”
“Be well on your mission. You’ll have a good time—yes you will, yes you will!” Yipper nodded enthusiastically until his furry ears flopped.
Nox wished he could be as certain as the Tolleg surgeon. But the dreams of Seline kept coming back to his mind’s eye.
Why couldn’t he stop thinking of the curvy little female and how was this new preoccupation with sexual thoughts going to affect their next mission together?
Nox didn’t know, but he had the uncomfortable feeling he was about to find out. It was just too bad there wasn’t enough time to get an emotion damper installed before he left, but his departure was imminent.
Never mind, he told himself. I’ll get one as soon as I get back.
In the meantime, he had an assignment to complete and a female to protect. He would just have to deal with the disturbing dreams until he could get back to the Mother Ship and eradicate them completely.
TWO
SELINE
“All right—you’re all set to go. I packed you ten Mistress outfits to choose from—that should be plenty.” Kat patted the black carry-all cube and handed it to Seline.
“Thank you!” Seline took the Kindred version of a suitcase—which looked like a square bowling ball with a strap—and nodded gratefully. Ever since she’d started working for the Kindred as a liaison to other female-dominated worlds, Kat had been supplying her with just the right wardrobe to help her fit in to any situation. And once she’d found out that Seline was actually into the more daring outfits she made, she’d gone all out.
“I have some pretty naughty things in there for you,” she said now, giving Seline a wink. “All miniaturized of course. So right now they look like outfits for Slutty Barbie.”
“Kat!” Seline burst out laughing. She and the other woman had a lot in common—they were both curvy and both redheads, although Seline’s hair was more of a dark auburn which looked deep brown in the shadows and wine-red in the sunlight. They shared the same sense of humor and Seline liked that her friend never took things too seriously. She had what people called a “bubbly personality” herself and she enjoyed being silly and naughty and throwing caution to the wind. Sometimes it got her into trouble but more often it made life fun and interesting.