Authors: Sheila C. Martian
Galina
Delarosa was among the current group of young women chosen by the
authoritarian Earthgov to trade with the Martians. She had nothing to
lose and agreed to it without coercion or threat of consequences. It
couldn’t get any worse, with life in the old North American
region as barren as any settlement on Mars. At least on Mars they had
the power to call the shots with their seemingly endless supply of
raw resources like biodegradable fuel and unlimited source of mineral
deposits.
She
sighed and looked at the other baleful faces all around her. There
were a dozen girls including her, aged between nineteen and twenty
four. They would be presented before the warlord of Hagar Mills and
he would choose one of them for his personal pleasure, the rest would
then go to other lesser officers, to be their wives or mistresses.
“
Why
so glum, girls?” She tried to alleviate the tension all around
her, as they waited for the doors of the space carrier to open. “It
couldn’t be any worse than here. We are all to be wives of rich
men on a more productive world as opposed to living with nothing here
on Earth.”
“
This
is worse than death.” One of the women responded morosely.
“Mars is a dead planet, with only old men who rule over
criminals condemned to life imprisonment there. We will be as
valuable as petting animals for these rich old men.”
Galina
said nothing. She knew the dark haired woman was right. This indeed
was the end of the road for her. But still, she had the smarts to
make it work for her; if she could survive through the thirteen days
it took to fly to Mars.
Two
weeks in a confined, limited space was enough to drive anyone mad,
especially trapped with a gaggle of hysterical women. Galina was on
the brink of losing her sanity and doing someone bodily harm when
they were informed that the ship had reached its destination.
The
sleek space craft smoothly docked and the hissing of pressure
chambers and airlocks coalescing sounded all around them. Galina
could feel her heart beating against her chest. She was terrified and
excited at the same time. Since the time she was little, she was made
aware of the people on Mars and other settlements. Of how important
they were to Earth and how after nearly two hundred years of life
outside Earth’s gravitational and atmospheric influence, they
had evolved differently.
She
wondered how the Martian men, descendant of the first human settlers
back in 2035 would look now. Due to the severe political and survival
reasons, no information or even images were made available to the
general public about any of the human settlements around the solar
system, but rumors were thick and fast everywhere.
The
doors of the space carrier opened with a hiss, allowing the
artificial Martian atmosphere in. Galina gagged at the strong
pungency of iron and magnesium in the air assailing her senses. She
quickly placed the breathing apparatus back on her face, glancing
around at the others. No one else had tried her stunt, and some
glared at her for being stupid. Galina laughed inwardly; it seemed
she was the only one who felt excited about all this. She had heard
that the women chosen by settlement chiefs had a good stead of
lording over the place as much as their husbands. She made up her
mind to be the one who catches the eye of Ogden Maalox, warlord
supreme of Hagar Mills.
“
Ogden
Maalox!” A metallic voice addressed the huge man brooding on
what looked like a throne made of rough hewn sandstone. His eyes were
half closed and his gnarled chin rested on a huge fist. He wore a
body hugging exo-suit with little gadgets all over it that updated
him of everything going on around his domain, including his own heart
rate.
“
Speak!”
He drawled in a deep voice.
“
A
fresh group of Earth’s bid has arrived.” The announcer
went on. “You are free to choose one or more for your own from
these ten lovely maidens.”
Galina
stared at the lone figure shrouded in shadow before the assembled
women. Ogden Maalox must be a pretty powerful warlord to sit all by
himself in a makeshift throne room, or a very poor one, she thought.
She glanced at the other women; every one of them shook with fear.
The
room was dimly lit, stifling and hot, and yet the women shivered. The
metallic announcer introduced each one of them to the warlord, giving
him a brief description of their backgrounds and skills. He sat as
still as a statue, only his cold, languid eyes regarded them one by
one. Galina knew this was her chance. When her name was called out
and he looked at her, she made eye contact, unlike the others who
stared at their feet. She felt his gaze intensify as their eyes
locked. She went a step further and ran her tongue seductively over
her lips and narrowed her eyes.
Ogden
Maalox’s dark eyes remained in her, even as the next girl was
introduced. She knew she had him. She shifted her weight from one
foot to the other, exaggeratedly pushing her curvy hip outward. As he
raised his large hand for the announcer to stop, Galina closed her
eyes and smiled. She had won him over.
“
I
choose her.” He pointed at Galina. “The rest may leave.”
As
the other women hurriedly exited the stuffy room, Galina ignored them
and walked up slowly to the makeshift throne. Ogden’s eyes
remained on her, his grim lips slowly curving up in a smile.
“
A
willing one I never did see, so far in my twenty two years in charge
of this place.” He said, rubbing his chin.
“
Have
you had many women from Earth then?” She dared to probe.
“
Every
five years, that’s Earth years, they send us a fresh group, to
barter for resources.” He sighed. “Sadly, I have found
none to my liking.”
“
What
happened to them?” She looked at him apprehensively, still
unable to discern his face in the dimness.
“
I
killed them all.” He snarled, cracking his knuckles for
emphasis.
“
What?”
A cold chill seized her entire body.
His
laughter was loud and booming. He waved his hands and the room began
to grow brighter and even warmer.
“
Do
not be alarmed, little one,” He leaned forward. “I am
merely jesting. All of them are well and wedded to others. Women are
rare here on Mars, and thus that gives the Earth leverage over us.”
She
stared at him, unsure of herself. She could see his face a bit better
now and the rest of his body. His head was clean shaved and he was
pale of skin, almost white with a greenish hue. She understood that
the hostile Martian environment required the humans to evolve that
way, over the last two hundred years. Other than that he was just as
human as she was. His huge muscular body and powerful limbs emanated
a feral strength she had rarely seen in the men back on Earth.
“
Now
you, young Galina Delarosa, of the American North Sector S-659.”
He stared into her wide eyes. “You intrigue me. And I am
impressed by your lack of fear and your daring spirit.”
“
So
you’ve chosen me as yours?” She braved.
“
Oh
yes, it’s about time the supreme warlord of Hagar Mills had a
wife to rule beside him.”
“
Why
are you a warlord?” She raised an eyebrow. “Are their
wars going on here all the time?”
His
laughter boomed out again. “No, we are a peaceful settlement of
miners, harvesters and traders. We call ourselves warlords because we
are on Mars, the planet of war.”
Galina
shrugged. “What then would they call those on Venus…
lovelords?”
“
I
wouldn’t know, but love…” He looked at her
appreciatively. “I can be good at it too.”
“
And
why is it so hot here?” She ran her hand over her brow.
“
It’s
the byproduct of the artificial air we need to create.” He
replied casually. “You’ll get used to it. Now enough
talk, show me why I chose you. Undress and let me feast upon your
beauty.”
***
Now Please, Enjoy a Sample
From:
Blasting Off
“
Body
temperature elevation detected. Rise by 0.23 per cent.” Ava
beeped in her usual monotone.
“
Thank
you, Ava.” Katrina smiled, glancing at the personal sensor
strapped to her wrist. The digits showing her exact body temperature
at the moment flashed briefly.
“
You
don’t have to thank it, Kat. It’s just a program.”
The plump young woman standing next to Katrina laughed.
“
Well,
I’m thankful to have this helpful device, Cel, it’s a
marvel.” Katrina smiled at her beaming colleague.
Three
years in training at the best medical institute in the northern
hemisphere had prepared the twenty one year old well. So well, that
her first assignment was the most sought after by all trainee medical
officers in the fleet. Being the top scoring student on a global
platform for the year 2095 had everything to do with it. A posting on
one of the enormous space stations orbiting the planet Jupiter was a
career defining job with a pay scale that would even entice heads of
state.
Katrina
Zoltan stood before the transparent deck of the little transport ship
that carried her and her fellow trainee, the happy go lucky, Celia
Rain, to their destination. They weren’t friends, or even
classmates, but were soon becoming close to each other on their month
long flight though space. As they passed though the asteroid belt
between Mars and Jupiter, Katrina felt her excitement rise up a
notch, thus prompting Ava, her sensor device, to announce the anomaly
it detected.
“
We’re
in the Asteroid belt, but they are all so far apart.” Celia
grumbled. “I was hoping to see the ship’s shields turn
all blue and green deflecting those rocks.”
“
It’s
a misconception, glamorized in the movies, Cel.” Katrina
laughed. “The asteroids are not clustered like bees and birds
like they will show you… but miles apart; enough space for
even giant cruisers to fly through.”
“
Yeah,
science fiction can get away with everything.” Celia laughed
and slipped her arm around Katrina’s slim waist, her pudgy
fingers digging in.
Unlike
her plump colleague, Katrina Zoltan had a well toned body. Almost
five foot nine, her snug uniform delineated every eye-catching aspect
of her near perfect body. Firm shoulders, lean arms, full rounded
breasts, slim waist and curvy hips, an enticing bubble butt and
strong shapely legs drew attention from everywhere. And to add to
that her rich gleaming black hair, a perfect heart shaped face,
emerald green eyes, a cute button nose and full moist lips would
leave most men and a few women breathless.
Katrina
often wondered, on their short trip together, if Celia had more than
just a sociable interest in her. She often felt her colleague’s
‘friendly’ caresses linger a little more than she was
comfortable with. But she decided to not make anything of it, herself
never considering swinging that way; she chose to ignore Celia’s
innocent transgressions. But that didn’t stop her from reacting
to Celia’s sudden moments of affection.
““
Heart
rate elevation detected. Rise by 0.45 per cent.” Ava beeped
again.
“
Oh,
will you shut that off.” Celia sounded exasperated and slipped
her arm off Katrina’s waist, trailing her little pinky over her
firm buttock lazily.
“
I
can never do that.” Katrina looked at her colleague almost
petulantly. “We were told to never disengage vital equipment.”
“
Well,
you‘re not in medic 101 anymore.” Celia replied
derisively.
“
What
are you saying?” Katrina felt a prick of irritation behind her
ears. “Now that we have graduated top of the class, we have all
the more reason to be fully prepared in the field.”
“
Top
of the class?” Celia snorted. “I was never top of the
class.”
“
Then
how did you get this job assignment?”
“
My
uncle’s on the council of the Lunar Miner’s Guild.”
“
Oh,
I see.” Katrina felt suddenly very awkward, wondering about the
rest of the people who would soon be her colleagues on the space
station orbiting Jupiter. Did any of them as equally deserve their
post as she or did they all have highly placed sources to make it
happen for them?
“
Don’t
worry about it.” Celia smiled, walking away. “I just hate
the sound of that thing, you can wear it as much as you like. I’m
going down to get a bite, join me if you want.”