Читать книгу The Ride - Tom Ph.D. Anderson - Страница 7

◊I had not finished repairing the big house, the large wood and brick building the previous owner had lived in, when Merritt called from Cocuran Space Control asking for permission to land on my property.

Merritt had agreed to buy my entire first year’s production of wine. The Falcus Federation was interested in buying wine from the man who helped them from once again becoming subject worlds of the Sindar Empire, but the wine was still being aged and wasn’t ready yet.

I could not believe Merritt had made a mistake in the timing of his return, as everything Merritt did would involve a profit or a potential profit. I could only believe he had come to sell me something. Merritt had to know my funds were diminished. I didn’t have the money to buy anything that would make a trip to Cocuru profitable.

When the Kinzu warrior stepped out of the ship after Merritt, I could not believe my eyes. As a child I had lived for tales of Kinzu adventures. The Kinzu were the white knights of the galaxy. Taller than a man with shoulders twice as broad and five times as strong, with a narrow waist and folds of black skin on their heads, which from a distance resembles thick black hair. The gloride planet they had developed on had resulted in their hides being thick and tough, but they were more than just physical power and speed. To a Kinzu honor and justice were everything.

A Kinzu warrior will keep his word or die trying. A Kinzu warrior will not twist his words to say one thing while meaning another. Have the Kinzu on your side and you will prevail, incur their wrath and you will fail. Beware lying to a Kinzu. They can look into your soul and uncover any falsehoods.

Since the first meeting between humans and Kinzu, the words hero and Kinzu have been interchangeable. They were the stuff of adventure tales to tell small children to get them to finish their chores and eat their vegetables.

The Kinzu were the ones who would come to the rescue in the nick of time or find a way out when things seemed hopeless. Believing the Empire of the Lan-Thu was a source of justice for all thinking beings, they became the Emperor’s bodyguard. Their betrayal by the evil Emperor Thu-Lan-Thu was said to be one of the main reasons for the breakup of the Old Empire. After the Kinzu disposed of the evil Emperor, the remaining Kinzu retired to their home worlds.

Although they are a valued member of the Market trading sphere, they were no longer involved in the wider galaxy. Except for the occasional quest a Kinzu would become involved in, Kinzu were seldom seen except in diplomatic missions or to trade and these were very rare.

To actually see a Kinzu warrior, to actually meet a Kinzu warrior, was an incredible honor. If he had come simply to buy wine I would have been crushed.

I asked the two of them into my house for refreshment. The Kinzu went in first, sideways, his shoulders were too wide for the doorway. Then Merritt, who said in a low voice, “Don’t grovel, stand up straight.” Fortunately I had a house master’s chair, left behind by the previous owner, which was oversized and very sturdy. I directed the Kinzu to sit in the house master’s chair while Merritt and I took two others. The Kinzu had the strong lindler tea and brandy; I had the same although my stomach would pay for it later. Merritt had his usual honey beer.

The Kinzu would be able to tear me apart as though I was made of thin paper, but I was not the tiniest bit afraid of him. He looked at me eye to eye for awhile and Merritt just sat looking uncomfortable. I sat with an idiotic grin on my face, once again a small boy waiting for a tale of adventure to begin.

The Kinzu’s voice was deep and his words carefully chosen, “My name is Ischuk and I am a District Master of the Kinzu. I understand you have killed three crocs and a tic with your bare hands. As is my right, I have come to offer you the opportunity to ask for the honor to hunt setti.”

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The Kinzu had shared their world with an animal called a setti since time forever. The setti are not gloride monsters and do not ordinarily go into gloride deposits. They live in the wilderness lands where they would not be touched. If the setti leave the wilderness areas they could be hunted, easily killed with a well placed shot from a force rifle.

In the season when the pods of setti would leave the wilderness areas, groups of equal numbers of young Kinzu warriors would form to hunt them. They would each use a force rifle with only one charge. If each warrior waited until the setti was close enough to make their shot true, their setti was dead. If the shot missed, the Kinzu was almost certainly dead, for setti are very difficult to kill with other weapons.

The setti is a tubular torso on top of sturdy legs with slits along the sides from which spines could be extended or withdrawn. These spines could pick up food and place the food in the mouth at the top of the tube. These spines could also slice through a Kinzu hide with ease and slice him into pieces which the spines could lift and place in the creature’s mouth. These flexible spines were incredibly sharp and could easily cut through the hide of any known creature.

Before the advent of the force rifle, Kinzu life had revolved around building shelters where one could be safe from setti attack. The Kinzu no longer feared the setti. They were mainly a test of bravery and skill. Young Kinzu males compete for the privilege of joining in a setti hunt. Only by killing a setti could a Kinzu earn the right to harvest a spine to be made into a belt. A setti spine belt is the most prized possession of a Kinzu warrior.

◊ Ischuk fingered his setti spine belt as he went on. “A pod of fifteen setti had left the wilderness lands and a group of fifteen young males had won the privilege of hunting them. Two setti were killed and the rest of the pod headed back to the wilderness lands where their hunters could not follow.

“In an effort to head them off, the Kinzu hunters inadvertently herded the setti into a gloride mine at the change of shift when the gates were open. The setti slaughtered the workers leaving the mine and went into its depths. Force rifles don’t work in a gloride mine, so the hunters armed only with ceramic spears and knifes followed them in. Three came out carrying a dead setti. They headed back down with twenty other young males. This time none returned.”

The Kinzu cleared his throat. He was uncomfortable with this next part.

“Before another group of young males could enter the mine, I had the mine sealed. The young males turned violent. This was dishonor they said. Kinzu must have revenge on these setti, no matter how many Kinzu must die in the attempt.

“The mine produces caspin, but there are other caspin mines. This one could simply be permanently sealed, with a marker to the Kinzu who had died there. The young males would not stand for this. The setti had to be killed and dragged out. Honor must be served and every last young male would be willing to die to serve that honor.

“Kinzu are a long lived race, but there are very few children. Each member is very valuable especially the young. To go into the mine to fight these setti without force rifles was not honor, it was madness.

“Even so the young males would not be denied. I told them it was a high honor to fight setti in a gloride mine with only ceramic weapons. There were twelve setti in the mine. A hunter group of twelve Kinzu would be sent in the mine to hunt them. This would be a picked group, and competitions are being held to see who would have the privilege of being in the first twelve.”

Older males with force rifles are standing guard at the entrance to the mine to kill any setti foolish enough to leave. The setti would only leave the mine if they became very hungry and with the bodies of the miners, not to mention the thirty five hunters lost so far, it would be some time before the setti became hungry enough to leave.

“I have seen the way you killed those crocs and the tic with your bare hands. I wondered if your ability might extend to killing setti as well?” I could see Ischuk was making a decision.

“Even outside of a gloride mine where a force rifle could be used, a Kinzu would not use a force rifle to kill a croc or a tic, but he would use a blade. These creatures hold no terrors for a Kinzu with blade in hand. An off-worlder who had killed a croc or a tic with his bare hands and asked for the privilege to attempt to kill a setti, or a pod of setti with his bare hands, how could he be refused?”

The small boy in me accepted instantly. If he hadn’t I might have woken up before he had the chance to accept. I had accepted the moment the Kinzu stepped off the ship. I would kill those setti with my bare hands or die trying. I had no trouble looking into Ischuk’s eyes, because I meant it from the bottom of my heart. The adult in the back of my mind was screaming, wake up, this is real, and you could really end up dead. The trouble was, small boys, they don’t listen.

Ischuk told me that they would like to give me one tenth of a planetary treasury, not as payment for the quest, but to reimburse me for my time and trouble. This was a truly enormous sum, roughly what I would earn in 100,000 years at my old job. I refused the money. I could see the look of dismay on Merritt’s face as he saw his fat commission flying away.

Ischuk insisted. I could see in Ischuk’s face that giving me the money was important to him. The Kinzu sell a great many valuable ores to the wider galaxy, but buy little in return. Only about one Kinzu in a thousand becomes a warrior. The rest are scientists and engineers and farmers and laborers and all the people it takes to build and maintain a star traveling civilization. The scientists of the Kinzu are said to be the equal of the scientists of the Elan. The difference is that the Kinzu do not sell finished products. The Kinzu only sell valuable raw materials. The Kinzu rarely buy finished products or raw materials. The money the Kinzu make selling raw materials is used almost totally by Kinzu warriors on quests. A hero should never travel with empty pockets. I accepted the money. Merritt’s own ship took us to the planet of Market, where Ischuk and I boarded a star transport to Kinzu Prime.

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This year’s grapes were harvested, processed, and the wine was being aged. Michael could not remember the last time the estate had produced so much wine in a single year and it had all been sold.

The new owner was going to Market to see about opening a line of credit. Money was not a problem now, but it never hurt to have something in the wings just in case it was needed. Bob was also going to bring back several of the varieties of grape vines from Market that Michael had suggested.

This was the icing on Michael’s cake; to develop a new house wine from blended grapes was his passion, to start a new house wine that would be produced for generations. Michael had a feeling that the new owner would have many children. It would be nice to have children running around the estate again.

Cedric walked in to find Michael staring at his plans for the new grape fields. “Michael the new owner’s gone.”

Michael looked up. “I thought the star transport to the planet Market didn’t leave for another two days?”

“Bob didn’t go by star transport. He left in Merritt’s ship, just Bob and Merritt and a Kinzu Warrior.”

“A Kinzu Warrior!”

“Yup, a Kinzu Warrior, I didn’t hear all of it, but I think the Kinzu wanted to have Bob kill some dangerous animals they were having trouble with. I can’t wait to tell the boys in town. I hope Bob brings home a recording of him killing whatever it is; the recordings of Bob killing the crocs and the tic is getting old.”

“Bob didn’t say anything to you before he left?” asked Michael.

“No, he just had this strange expression on his face.”

“Strange expression,” Michael said.

Cedric crooked his head to think. “It’s difficult to explain. Do you remember when your oldest son was about ten and you told him you were going to take him to that big deal children’s resort on the planet Delos. Remember that glazed, happy expression your son wore for days. It was kind of like that.”

“Cedric, maybe we should wait until Bob comes back to tell anyone. You don’t want everyone to think Bob is off fighting gloride monsters when he is only seeing a banker about a loan.”

“Can I at least tell Millie?” Cedric asked with a smile.

“You let me tell Mildred,” said Michael. “She is not going to like this.”

◊As I got off the star transport the storybook quality of the quest completely took me over. I was going to battle monsters that could kill a Kinzu warrior with ease.

The Kinzu world’s vegetation was a billion different shades of green and blue and the sky a rusty red. The gravity on Kinzu was more than on the planets I was used to and the air was thick and humid. Any plant I might eat would be instantly fatal. I had a good supply of allergy medication to counteract the effect that breathing the pollen from the local plants would have on me.

It seemed unfair that if I were to eat even the tiniest piece of setti it would kill me, but if the setti were to eat me the worst it would get would be an upset stomach.

The problem of the setti pod in the gloride mine was of sufficient importance that a Great Hall had been constructed near the entrance to the mine. I entered the hall where I would make the formal request to hunt the setti. I was warned not to mislead or exaggerate in even the smallest detail. I was only to speak the absolute truth and I would be believed. My complete credentials, including recordings of my previous battles with the gloride monsters had been sent ahead, as well as autopsy reports on the creatures, explaining the gloride monster’s cause of death compared to the blows I had struck.

A tall Kinzu with graying skin around his ears and the outside of his arms, a sign of great age, asked me why I had come. I had no problem looking into his eyes as I had no intention of lying or twisting my words.

“I have come to try my hand at killing a setti. I have killed a croc and a tic with my bare hands and I seek a greater challenge.”

A young male stood up. “Why Hunt These Setti? Why Here? Why Now?”

“I am not of your world. I am not fleet of foot in your gravity. I could not catch setti were they to run from me. In the mine they are trapped, they cannot run from me,” I told him calmly.

Another young male stood up, a look of triumph on his face. “Is it not true you hunt for the money? That the money is the reason you came, not the challenge of the hunt?”

“The challenge of the hunt was made to me and I accepted before the money was offered. I at first refused. I need no fee. The money was offered again and it was made clear to me that there were no conditions. The money was mine whether I hunted the setti or not. I accepted. If the money is the fee you require me to pay that I may have the glory of the hunt, the money is yours.”

Half a dozen young males stood up to avenge this insult, but more stood up to stop them. They could see the truth in my eyes as I spoke. The insult of implying that one would need to pay money to be allowed to hunt setti was no worse than the insult of asking someone if they required money to want to hunt setti.

After all the young males sat down, a male with so many streaks as to almost have more gray skin than blue stood up.

“The setti has only a shell. There are no bones to break. No pieces of bone to shove through a vital organ, and the spines of a setti are far more agile, far more dangerous than the claws of a croc or tic. Do you simply not go to your death? How do you plan to kill setti without weapons?”

“I did not know how to kill a croc or a tic until the last moment before it was killing or be killed. I feel that when the time comes I will know how to kill a setti. What good is life without a challenge?” As I spoke those last seven words I knew I had won. The vote to allow me my chance was unanimous.

I was invited to break bread with the Kinzu warriors in their great hall. It was a singular honor for a non-Kinzu. I drank Kinzu water filtered many times and ate food which I had brought with me. The only light was from huge fireplaces at each corner of the room which glistened off the walls and ceiling made of shiny white and gold marble. They spoke only standard speech so I could speak and listen to them as well as understand conversations that had nothing to do with me. I felt as though I was in Valhalla. I did not want the evening to end.

The next morning the guards at the mine, force rifles in hand, opened the gate to the mine to let me in. Ischuk stood at my side. “You don’t have to go,” Ischuk told me. “If you don’t want to do this, the money is still yours and I will take you back to the planet Cocuru in my own ship.”

I tried to pull my mouth into as much as a smile as I could manage. “Ischuk I have to go. This fantasy is the high point of my life.”

“Would you like me to come with you? If you’re ability wasn’t up to killing setti, I could hold them off while you run to safety,” Ischuk said solemnly.

“I have to do this alone. It will work out. My ability can do this.” Ischuk turned and started to walk away. I called after him. “Ischuk, if I don’t make it you will tell my Uncle?”

Ischuk smiled at me. “Failure is not an option. After your triumph I will take you to the planet Udell in my own ship and we will tell your Uncle together.”

The guards shut the door behind me. I had not been in a gloride mine for the better part of a year, but I was immediately at home. As I broke each successive gloride web, it was as if they were welcoming me back.

The air in the mine was far too thick and heavy. I looked for the atmosphere regulation equipment. They used an older model I was familiar with. It took only a few moments tinkering to get the air flowing again. I tuned the settings for human standard which would be thin and dry for a Kinzu, but I soon found breathing much easier. Each box I came across I tuned for human standard.

I wondered if it was too much to hope that the thinner air might make breathing difficult for a setti and give me an advantage. It was all very good to speak of the glory of dying for the glory of a challenge of a hunt when one is surrounded by Kinzu warriors in a nice safe great hall. Alone in a mine, the thought of being sliced to pieces by those razor sharp spines, and having those very same spines pick up the pieces and throw them in the setti’s maw, did not seem glorious at all.

I badly needed a drink. I told them I did my best work when drunk. They laughed at me, certain I was making a joke. I laughed too. I couldn’t face them again until all the setti in the mine were dead.

The first two setti I came across already were dead. They had many stab wounds. They had not started to rot. Nothing ever rots in a gloride mine. One at a time I dragged the setti shells in front of the nearest point recorder. The point recorder was not equipped for sound so I made the hand signals showing that these kills were not mine. To emphasize the point I pulled out a piece of broken ceramic blade out of one of the wounds. As the only blade I carried was the belt cutter, and that blade was not designed for fighting, the wound was not made by me.

I tried to cheer myself up with the thought that there were only 10 left and maybe I would only come across dead ones. There was no sign of Kinzu warriors, only Kinzu blood on the stones.

Three setti charged me from a side corridor as I came around a bend in the main path. As they closed with me The Ride began. At the last instant The Ride moved and the spines missed. The setti moved to try to strike me, but The Ride continued to move me so they were in each other’s way and the spines missed time and time again. At last The Ride moved and the nearest setti was between me and the other two setti.

The Ride avoided the leading setti’s spines and moved close enough that my body was able to push away the spines from the bottom of the slit they were coming out of. With the other hand my body pushed through the thin muscle sheeting and into the soft setti flesh up to my shoulder. My body grabbed something the size of a double human fist and with my knees up against the side of the setti shell pushed with all my might. My slime drenched arm emerged holding a still beating organ and the setti collapsed.

My body swung its arm at the other two setti splattering them with slime and they recoiled, but almost immediately attacked again. Again The Ride moved so the spines barely missed and moved in close so my body could strike. By the time the last setti circled to have a better shot at me, my body already had another setti heart in hand. The Ride moved and my body struck. The third setti heart completed my collection.

I was in control again. One by one I dragged the three setti shells in front of the nearest point recorder. I placed the three hearts in front of them and made the signal that these three kills were mine.

Five setti accounted for and seven to go. I hadn’t gone very far when I heard the low tapping of setti feet in the distance. Louder and louder, they were running for me as if they wanted to end this. There were five of them and I was praying for the click that would begin The Ride so I could go from participant to spectator. They were much too close when it clicked in.

The Ride moved to barely avoid the spines of the nearest setti and moved close in so my body could strike. Slime covered arm and heart in hand The Ride moved to barely avoid the other four. Again my body struck and there were three. Avoiding the spines of all three The Ride moved so one setti was between me and the other two. My body struck and there were two.

When The Ride moved next there was no need for my body to plunge my arm in to pull out a heart. The setti I was nearest to fell to pieces as the last setti sliced it apart the better to get at me. The Ride didn’t move fast enough that my body was totally missed, but the spine was only able to cut through clothing and a thin layer of flesh as The Ride moved away. The Ride moved again and my body struck. Heart in hand, but covered head to toe in setti slime, I was in control again.

I had only two to go. One at a time I dragged the four setti shells and the largest piece of shell from the fifth setti in front of the nearest point recorder. I signaled with hand and head movements that one of the setti had been killed by another setti, but the other kills were mine.

As I walked along I followed the trail of setti slime. I was tired, the setti slime I was covered in was beginning to dry, and I earnestly hoped the last two setti had been wounded and were already dead.

Half my wish came true. I came upon one setti shell lying on the ground and the last setti standing over it. The setti made an earth shattering roar and charged me. It was the first noise a setti had made other than the tapping of their feet and the wiz as a spine sliced through the air. It didn’t matter. The Ride began. I watched as my body moved, struck, and heart in slime covered hand The Ride was over.

I looked at the setti that had roared at me. To have a setti roar at you is considered to be an almost magical event. This was the Setti I would harvest my belt from. I pushed my hand into the soft flesh and pushed apart the cords of muscle surrounding the base of the spine. I pulled on the spine and it came out easily as if the setti were making a gift of it to me. I measured the spine around my waist and used the belt cutter to cut the spine to the proper length. I saw the blue center of the spine at the fresh cut. I used the tip of the belt cutter to slice my finger and let several drops of blood fall on that center until it turned the red color of my blood. After removing my shirt I wrapped the belt around my waist just below my ribcage. The weakness that swept over me as the belt began to feed caused me to fall to my knees. The weakness passed and I felt the belt’s power surge into me. The belt was part of my life now. We would learn from each other.

I walked out of the mine wearing my new setti spine belt. There were hundreds of Kinzu waiting for me on the hillside and the thunderous chant of their cheers shook the ground. I was picked up and carried to the Great Hall. Everyone wanted to shake my hand and slap me on the back.

To kill so many setti alone, even with a force rifle, would have been an amazing feat. To kill that many setti with bare hands was a feat for the ages. I was in danger of being torn to pieces. Everyone wanted to touch me, to have some of my magic rub off. I had never felt like a hero before. I was soon surrounded by guards for my own safety.

My trip home was arranged by Merritt. At door of the small star transport Merritt gave me a hug. “Bob I’m not coming with you on this trip. I have hired a team of women to take care of you on your way back. They come very highly recommended. You need to rest and relax and consider your future.” As Merritt turned to leave a woman took my hand and pulled me into the transport.

As the other women walked in the room they all radiated sexual prowess. They lined up in front of me. The six women dropped their dresses and stood before me completely naked. They were all about the same height and they all were large breasted. Each girl’s breasts were shaped differently, but all of their breasts were incredibly beautiful. The first had long, thick, shiny, night black hair, and an exotic face. “My name is Victoria,” she said as she pulled me close and kissed me. The second had multi-shaded, thick, blond hair and a cheerful, sunny face. “My name is Suzanne,” she said as she took me in her arms and kissed me as well. The third had long, auburn hair, and glowed with assurance that this would be the best trip of my life. “My name is Shay,” she said as she held my hands and carefully took my lips in hers. The forth had short, shiny, night black hair with thick bangs down past her eyebrows. “My name is Ayana,” she said as she grabbed me tightly and sent her tongue deep into my mouth. The fifth woman had full, shoulder length, dark brown hair, and a quiet confidence about her. “My name is Patricia,” she said as she held my head in her hands and kissed me gently. The last had long, well cared for, light brown hair, and a face that shined with her desire to make me happy. “My name is Marlena,” she said as she held me tight and brought her lips very close to mine and waited for me to kiss her. When I did, Marlena encouraged me to send my tongue into her mouth for a moment before she pulled away and gave me a loving smile.

Victoria took my hand and spoke for them all. “We are here for your pleasure. Trust us. We will see to your every need.” I knew I had been drugged, possibly with something on their lipstick when they kissed me, but they were all so beautiful I didn’t care. It was a great trip. My every desire was met immediately. If I was thirsty a glass of something delightful and refreshing was there for me. If I was hungry just the right snack was produced. If a woman’s lips or breasts or hair caught my eye, without a word being spoken, she came over to play with me. Victoria was the first of them to make love to me. We kissed and caressed and when I was ready she mounted me. After Victoria pulled my orgasm from me, I fell asleep in her arms. I woke to find Patricia and Marlene on either side of me. They were wide awake and smiling at me, eager to help me start the day.

My days were filled with shapes and colors and sounds and visiting places that had been lost to the dusts of time or fairyland places that I knew could never have existed. The days went by far too quickly. Each night a different woman would make love to me. Each morning two different women would be on either side of me when I woke up to help me start another perfect day. I was never allowed to do anything but lay back and enjoy myself. After that first day the only time I had all six girls in the room with me at the same time was when they attached my setti spine belt to me so it could feed. They seemed to know more about my belt than I did. While my living belt was taking its nourishment from me they all caressed and softly sang to me. There were no words, only soft restful tones. After they removed the setti belt, they all left except one of them who stayed to make love to me,

All too soon the star transport landed on the planet Market and it was time for them to leave me. Victoria again spoke for them all. “We have all enjoyed our time with you, but it is time to say goodbye.” Victoria had me lie on the floor on my back. She leaned over and kissed me gently. Then she threw her leg over my face so her vagina was spread over and almost touching my nose. Victoria waited until I took a deep breath. “Remember me,” she said softly. Then Victoria pulled her leg back and was gone as Suzanne took her place. Each woman kissed me, then threw her leg over my face and waited for me to take a deep breath before she asked me to remember her.

Shay was the last girl in the room. She didn’t bend over to kiss me. Shay pulled me to my feet. “Bob, we feel that we have a duty to help a man back into the real world after he has spent time with us. One of us stays behind to let our client make love to her where he is the one in charge.” Shay smiled at me differently than she had ever smiled at me before. “We had a contest and I won,” she told me. As my head cleared, Shay transformed from being one of the beautiful goddess like creatures who had been taking care of me, into an incredibly beautiful naked girl of about my own age who wanted me to make love to her. I grabbed Shay and kissed her passionately until she was gasping for breath. Then I picked her up and carried her to my bed. I was amazed how small and delicate Shay was. I also loved the way her huge breasts jiggled as I carried her. I laid Shay on the bed and started to really explore her naked body. Shay called my name. “Bob, you don’t have to, but a gentleman would offer me the chance to take an orgasm pill so I could have some fun too.”

“Shay, pulling orgasms out of a woman without her needing to take an orgasm pill is one of the things I do best,” I told her with what I hoped was my most adorable smile.

“Really?” Shay asked carefully.

“Yes, really, this time you trust me.” I took my time exploring Shay’s naked body. Shay was a professional who was deeply attuned to her sexuality. When the orgasm began to build she started screaming. When her orgasm crested, she grabbed my ears and nearly ripped them off. After she climaxed Shay wouldn’t stop kissing me until I gently pushed her away.

Shay gave me a happy smile, looked deep into my eyes, and gently kissed me on the lips. “Bob, I can’t remember the last time I had an orgasm without taking an orgasm pill. This way is so much better than taking an O pill. I can’t wait to tell the other girls.”

I took Shay’s hand and pulled her close. “Shay, how would I go about hiring the six of you again?”

Shay smiled at me gently. “You can’t. Someone has to purchase our services for you. We all decided that our services work better when the man we are caring for doesn’t know we are coming. Besides, I think I could become addicted to a man like you and there are too many other men I want to meet before I let myself fall in love.”

“Shay, I know a woman as beautiful as you wouldn’t have anything to do with someone like me if she weren’t being paid to.”

Shay’s face lost its smile and became serious. “Bob, I’m not twisting my words. You’re cute, you’re smart, you’re funny, and my god, when you got on the star transport on Kinzu Prime the Kinzu looked at you like you were their hero. I’ve never seen a Kinzu look at a human like that before. The fact that you can pull an orgasm out of a woman without her needing to take an O pill is just icing on the cake. If I would turn my back on everything else in my life for one man, it would be for someone like you. It’s just that there are too many other things I want to do before I settle down. Besides,” Shay said as her happy smile came back, “I’d have to use a Thumper club to fight off the other women who’ll be chasing you.”

“Can I give you my address so that if you change your mind I can see you?” I asked her trying to keep my emotions out of my face.

“Bob, we mostly work for Barrilleans who hire us as a reward for humans who work for them or have done them an important service. If the girls and I ever decide to retire, I’m sure Merritt could arrange for us to meet. He seems very impressed with you. For now it really has to be goodbye.” Before I could say another word, Shay kissed me quickly on the lips, turned, and was gone. It was a storybook end to a storybook adventure.

After a brief stop on the planet of Market to acquire several varieties of grape vine, another star transport took me back to Cocuru.

When I got off the star transport, Michael, Mildred, and Cedric were waiting for me. I gave the cart with the grape vines to Michael. He took the cart from me with a relieved look on his face. “Did you get the line of credit?” Michael asked me.

I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face when I handed Michael my journal showing the readout of my account on Market. “I don’t think money is ever going to be a problem again,” I told him. As Michael stared at it, Mildred swept me up in a massive hug, then let me go.

“What’s that around your waist?”

I pulled up my shirt and Cedric let out a roar of triumph.

“That’s a setti spine belt. I told you he was on Kinzu Prime hunting setti.”

Michael looked up from the readout, “And this was your fee? This can’t be real. There are far too many zeros for this to be a personal account!”

“No, that was for my time and trouble whether I hunted setti or not.”

“I suppose you hunted those horrible things with your bare hands?” Mildred was not happy.

“That’s why they wanted me. The setti got into a gloride mine where they couldn’t use force rifles.”

“You said you weren’t going to hunt gloride monsters anymore.” Mildred’s disappointment hit me like a blow.

“I couldn’t say no to a Kinzu. Michael, if a Kinzu asked you to do something, could you turn him down?”

“No I couldn’t. If a Kinzu asked me, I would do whatever they asked me with all my heart and soul,” Michael replied.

“Michael you are supposed to back me up here. We agreed it would be better if Bob didn’t fight any more gloride monsters,” Mildred said as she tried to stay calm.

“Setti aren’t gloride monsters,” Cedric said as he grabbed my hand. “Come on Bob, I am taking you into town to show off your belt. You can scold him later Millie. Bob, do you have a recording of you killing the setti?”

“No, but I have a good one of me harvesting the spine to make my belt.”

Michael looked at the expression on Mildred’s face. She wasn’t happy, but she gave her husband a nod. “Wait up, I’m coming too,” Michael said as he ran to catch up.

When we got to ‘Tully’s Tavern’ it was filled with men. Cedric had told everyone to come here as soon as my transport landed. I took off the belt and let everyone take turns holding it for a moment. I played my recording of me harvesting the belt. There was a groan when I told them I didn’t have a recording of me actually killing a setti. I did have recordings of me dragging dead setti in front of point recorders and I explained what the hand signals meant. No one would let me pay for a drink. Everyone congratulated me and swatted me on the back.

Barnabus asked me when I was going on my first quest. “Getting a setti spine belt is the start of a warrior’s adventures, not the end,” Barnabus told me.

Silus said I was swimming in a lake of luck. “While you’re in there be sure to splash around a bit. Maybe the rest of us can get wet too!”

The tavern owner Tully wanted a life size still recording of me harvesting the belt to hang above the bar. I told him he could have the still recording, “but please leave the still recording of the naked women up there because they have been there forever and everyone would miss them terribly.”

Tomorrow was a working day and one by one everyone stumbled out. Michael had much too much to drink and Barnabus took Michael home with him. “I live closer and my wife Sara has hot coffee ready to pour into us. I shot a message to Mildred’s journal and she shot back telling me to send Michael home when he could walk on his own,” Barnabus told me as he struggled to keep Michael standing up. Cedric’s brother lived over the tavern and as Cedric had far too much to drink as well, Cedric slept there.

I drove home alone. I knocked on Mildred’s door and she said to come in as the door wasn’t locked. Pepper was glad to see me; her tail was wagging so hard I thought the poor dog might break in two. Mildred sternly said “Pepper!” and the dog's tail dropped as Pepper headed for her bed. I almost headed for my bed as well, until Mildred came to the door with a welcoming expression on her face.

“I just wanted to tell you I understand,” said Mildred. “I never cared for the Kinzu Tales of Adventure, but my brothers lived for them. To this day, if a Kinzu were to come to one of my brothers and say that something needed to be done, I have no doubt that my brother would drop everything and go do it.”

“I couldn’t disappoint a Kinzu warrior Millie; I just didn’t want to disappoint you either. I really want you to keep being my friend.”

“I’ll always be your friend no matter what,” Mildred said with a gentle smile. “Bob, I just want you to be happy. Meet a nice girl, settle down. I would love to see your children running around the estate. You have your belt; you have nothing more to prove. I just want you to stop fighting things that could easily kill you.”

“I can’t promise that Millie. If you had seen the way the Kinzu looked at me. If you had heard them cheer.”

“What if next time your ability doesn’t take over and save you?” Mildred asked me.

“I know quitting would be the smart thing to do. I just don’t know if I can. I liked people thinking I was a hero, even if I was just watching myself kill those monsters.”

She gave me an understanding smile. “All I ask is that you be as careful as you can and once in a while let me introduce you to a nice girl. A girl who can convince you how much more fun it would be to stay on Cocuru and raise a family.”

Mildred gave me a hug that was the best part of the adventure. I was finally home again.

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