Misunderstandings · Part 2

Misunderstandings · Part 2 (2/3)
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ke bread or even porridge out of it. My prize find was a plant with an underground tuber that looked like a potato but tasted like a peach, with the texture of a really crisp apple.

According to the food analyzer, a combination of just what I'd found so far would provide a completely balanced diet. I told all this to the other women, but they weren't interested. They're stoned most of the time, and when they want to eat they open a food box. I didn't care, it would just leave more natural food for me.

Everything fell into a routine. During the day I spent my time hunting food and exploring. Walking around barefoot felt funny at first and my feet got a bit sore, but the ground around here was mostly smooth and it wasn't too bad. Soon I didn't even notice I wasn't wearing shoes. I didn't mind being by myself, because all the other women just bickered and complained when they weren't stoned. At night Su and Mari slept in the pod and everyone else was kept outside.

One night I was woken up by the giggling and moans of Yan, Zaphre, and Selen. They were having an orgy, and even though I was on the other side of the pod it was loud. I tried to ignore them and get back to sleep, but I couldn't do it. There was a lot of whispered conversation and then they crowded around me.

Yan said, "With just the three of us there's always the odd woman out. We want you to join in the fun, Dia."

"No thanks, I don't tilt that way."

"That's just because you haven't tried it enough. Sex is always better with a girl than with a man."

She (or somebody; it was too dark to tell) put a hand between my legs and rummaged around. I sat up and swung my fist sideways across my body, hitting somebody's head.

It was Yan. She yelled, "Yow! That hurt, you bitch."

She took her hand out of my vagina and muttered something I couldn't hear to the other women. They moved away, and I hoped that was the last of it, but a few minutes later they were back. "Please, just leave me alone," I begged.

There wasn't any reply, but all three suddenly jumped on me. It tried to wrestle them off, but it was hopeless.

Yan yelled, "Grab her arms!"

They pushed me flat on my back, and Zaphre and Selen held my arms while Yan tied my hands together. She wrapped loop after loop around my wrists, tied a knot, and then pulled my hands over my head and tied the rope to the pod skid. I pleaded, "Please, let me go! I don't want to have sex with you!"

Yan laughed, "What you want doesn't matter any more. It's what we want. Zaphre, gimme some more rope. Selen, sit on her belly. Bend her leg."

I fought as hard as I could, but I couldn't dislodge Selen. She and Zaphre forced back my left leg, bending it at the knee, and Yan tied my ankle to my thigh. My struggles were growing weaker now, and they quickly tied my right ankle to my right thigh. Someone sat between my knees so I couldn't close my legs. Then I felt fingers penetrate my labia and stroke my clit while other hands stroked my breasts and lips sucked my nipples. It should have been pleasant, but I was so angry and frightened I wasn't aroused.

Yan said, "Take good mental notes, Dia. We'll expect you to make all of us cum later."

I stopped struggling and endured. After a while the hands and lips stopped touching me. Yan said, "You're no fun, Dia. So much for being nice. Tomorrow we'll see how you respond to pain. Who's got the weed?"

The three women left me tied to the skid and went back to the other side of the pod. As soon as they were gone I squirmed until I could reach the rope on my wrists with my teeth. The knot wasn't very tight and soon my hands were free. I untied my legs and silently crawled away from the pod until I reached the river bank. I walked quietly until I was sure they couldn't hear me, and then I ran, the pale glow from the ring providing just enough light to keep me from tripping.

I alternately ran and walked all night and into the next day. Around noon I stopped long enough to find some food, and then I traveled as fast as I could until dark. The next day I moved away from the river and climbed a low ridge. From the top I could see higher ground to the west, so I judged that the pod landed near the east end of the planet's only continent. I descended the ridge and headed west. I kept traveling until I estimated I was forty to fifty kilometers from the pod. "Those lazy sluts won't follow me this far," I muttered.

I found a good place to stop, next to a low sandstone ridge with a large depression in the rock, not deep enough to be called a cave, but with enough overhang to keep the rain off. Not too far away there was a spring and a small pool of water. There were some tall plants that looked just like bamboo, and I thought that maybe I could use them to build a shelter of some sort. There was a lot of food around here, and I was going to have to try to gather and preserve some. It was near the end of summer in this hemisphere, and the planet's axial tilt means there will be a lot of seasonal variation.

Now I wished I had brought a blanket with me, but maybe I could catch some of the small furry animals and make one from their skins. I'll also have to make a fire. But I decided to worry about that later. I stretched out on the sand in my 'cave'. It was still warm, and I was tired. I decided to sleep now, and worry about tomorrow tomorrow.

The Leader Council's meeting was almost over. The five beings, who originated on a distant planet they called Garra, were seated around a low table. They were small, with an average height of just less than a meter, and they were bipedal and hairless, with light tan skin and two brown eyes. They all wore a toga-like garment made of a smooth white synthetic fabric and sandals made of leather. A human might compare them to small hairless chimpanzees, although their legs were shorter and their torsos were longer than a chimp's. They had just engaged in a detailed discussion but a human would not have been aware of it, since the Garrans are telepathic and communicated through direct mental contact, although that communication was structured in a way that a human could understand using words.

Prime Leader Zan summed up. #So this year's harvest is projected to be no better than last year's, and we have several more cubs to feed. Almost all of the food we were able to salvage from the wreck is gone. We'll make it through this winter, but hunger is no more than a year away and beyond that is famine. Is that your conclusion?#

Chief Agronomist Wen nodded glumly. #That's about it. We just don't have the labor we need to expand our food cultivation. If only we had been able to salvage some machinery! If only the bonoms had survived the crash! If only we could digest the plants that are native to this planet!#

Zan replied, #No use grieving over what can't be mended. We could have crashed on a planet with a methane atmosphere, or one covered in hot lava. At least here we can breath the air and our seeds will grow. We can't give up. It is our duty to keep our culture alive until we're rescued.#

#What's the chance of that? Our hyperspace beacon needs copper parts to fix the transmitter, and this continent is made up of sedimentary rock with no metallic ores. There aren't even many hard rocks like flint or chert. We can't maintain a modern civilization with wooden tools and a few stone knives.#

Zan stood. #Enough of this wallowing in despair. We've got to keep up a cheerful front, if only for the benefit of the females and the cubs. Maybe the Gods will provide.#

Wen muttered #It's going to take a miracle.#

The meeting was interrupted by a young male. #Leader Zan! Leader Zan! The most astounding event has happened!#

#What is it, Hil?#

#I turned on the hyperspace receiver for it's monthly test and I detected a signal!#

#Is it a rescue ship? What was the message?#

#No, it's not a rescue ship. The signal is not like any I've heard before. I don't think it's of Garran origin! And it's not from space, it's from the surface of the planet! I can't tell how far away it is, but it's east of here, so it can't be more than four hundred xlems away, because that's how far it is to the east end of the continent.# [400 xlems=148.6 km. For clarity, all distances will now be given in kilometers.]

#We've got to investigate this at once! Wen, you've explored towards that end of the continent, haven't you? Travel east as soon as possible. Take Hil with you. Find out where this signal is coming from.#

Another one of the Leaders interrupted. #Wait, Zan. We must not make any rash moves without considering all of the alternatives.#

#What do you mean, Fla?#

#If the beacon is from an alien ship, what if they're hostile? Do we want them to know we're here? We lost all of our energy weapons in the crash. Do you want to face hostile beings with nothing but wooden spears and stone axes?#

Another Leader interjected his opinions and the debate raged on for some time. Finally it was agreed that Wen and Hil would investigate the source of the beacon, but would not make contact without further authorization. By the time this conclusion was reached it was almost dark, and the expedition was postponed until the next morning.

Wen and Hil started their journey before dawn, and by noon they'd traveled twelve kilometers. The Garrans evolved from an arboreal species, and their short legs and the way their hips were articulated made walking slow and running almost impossible. As compensation, their long arms were as strong as their legs, and they could easily travel through trees by swinging from branch to branch. This was a useful skill on their thickly-forested home planet, but not much use here, where trees were widely separated.

They both wore tunics and loincloths made of fabric hand-loomed out of fibers from a native plant, and broad-brimmed hats woven from the long dry stems of the native grass. Their leather sandals were made from the skins of native small herbivorous animals they trapped. They carried wooden spears (which they used as walking sticks) and had stone knives in leather sheaths attached to their belts. In contrast to this rustic garb, their backpacks had been manufactured on their home world from plastic resin.

By nightfall they had traveled over twenty kilometers and they made camp near a stream. The weather was warm and their food for this meal was pre-cooked, so they didn't bother to build a fire.

Hil asked, #Have you been this way before, Wen?#

#Yes, I was part of the group that explored this end of the continent. We didn't go very far, though, just another few day's travel. We'll be the first to see the end of land.#

#If we have to go that far. I couldn't tell the range to the beacon, just the direction. It might be over the next hill.#

#You're right; we've got to stay alert. We want to see the beings that brought the beacon here before they see us. I'm glad we didn't build a fire.#

The explorers were on their way at dawn. About mid-afternoon they were climbing the gently-sloping side of a low sandstone ridge. Wen was in the lead, with Hil about two meters behind him. Both were walking quietly and paying close attention to their surroundings. Wen reached the flat top of the ridge. The other side dropped abruptly, forming a low cliff. Wen stopped and looked around. Suddenly he dropped flat on the ground and signaled with his arm for Hil to do the same.

Hil slithered forward until he was next to Wen. He touched his head to Wen's so they could communicate without broadcasting. #What is it? Did you see something?#

#Yes, I saw a large animal. There! Do you see it? The large black animal drinking from that spring?#

Hil looked in the direction Wen indicated. #Yes, I see it. Look how tall it is, and how long its legs are! Is it native to this planet or could it be from the alien ship?#

#I think it's from the alien ship. We haven't seen anything like it before, and this continent is small and has uniform terrain. It's unlikely that a native species would be confined to a small area, so we would have almost certainly seen it during our explorations. The real question is whether it's an animal or a person. I think it's an animal. It's not wearing any clothes, and it's not carrying any tools.#

#Yes, but clothes are just a social convention in this weather, and you don't need tools to drink from a spring. It must be sapient. After all, it has the technology for hyperspace travel.#

#But it might have been cargo on the alien ship, not crew. Remember, we were carrying bonoms on our ship. What if this is just a stray animal?#

Wen crawled back from the edge of the cliff and signaled for Hil to follow. #There's only one sure way to find out if it's a person or not. I'm going to work my way along the ridge and call to it. If it can receive me it's a person, and if it can't it's an animal. You stay here and stay hidden. If it's hostile I'll try to draw it away from you, and you go back to town and warn the Leaders. But be careful it doesn't see you! It looks like it's fast, and it's almost twice our height and probably three times our mass. Even with our spears I don't think we'd have much of a chance in a fight.#

#You're more valuable than I am, Wen. You stay here and I'll call to it.#

#Yeah, but you're faster than I am, and I'm the leader here so do as I say. Move to where you can watch it too, but keep your head down.#

Wen shed his backpack and moved along the top of the ridge, keeping low and off the skyline. When he was about 100 meters from Hil he crawled to the crest of the ridge and quietly burrowed beneath a bush. The ridge dropped less steeply here, but it still allowed Wen a clear view of the lower ground. He was pleased to see that the creature had moved toward him. It was now beneath a tree not more than thirty meters away, and apparently feeding on nuts, which it shelled with its hands.

Prehensile hands, thought Wen. I wonder if it has opposable thumbs, too. Well, here goes. He broadcast as strongly as he could: #HEY!#

The animal didn't seem to notice. He tried again. #HEY!# Same result. Wen waited several minutes, but there was no sign that the animal had received him. He backed out of the bush and retraced his steps. About halfway back to Hil he crawled to the edge of the ridge and poked his head up. He was startled to find the animal was staring at him from only about twenty meters away. He quickly ducked into the high grass and froze. Several minutes later he very cautiously peeked again and was relieved to see the animal was again feeding on nuts. It showed no sign of having seen him. He called again, and again there was no reaction. He backed away from the crest and hurried back to Hil.

They touched heads again and Wen asked, #Did you receive my calls?#

#Yes, I certainty did. You have a lot of strength.#

#Did you notice any reaction from the animal?#

#No, nothing.#

#Me neither. Well, that seems conclusive then. The basic requirement for personhood is 'it calls', and this animal doesn't.#

#What do we do now?# Hil asked. #Continue our journey?#

#No, we can't pass up a chance like this. This animal is even bigger than a bonom, and if it can be domesticated it may solve some of our food production problems. I'll stay here and watch it. You go back to town as fast as you can and tell Zan what we found. Tell him to send as many men as he can, we've got to capture this animal! We'll need cord, nets, and all the ropeworms he can spare. Empty your pack of everything except what food you'll need and your water jar. I'll camp near here and keep the animal under observation. Now go!#

Hil hurried off. Wen scouted around for a lookout point and was fortunate to find a good place not far away, an outcropping on the far side of the ridge. A tree had fallen across two sandstone blocks, forming a crevice that he could just fit into. He could see the animal from here, and it would be difficult for the animal to see him. If it did see him the steep sides of the outcropping would prevent it from reaching him. Reaching me immediately. I hope it isn't smart enough to climb the ridge somewhere else and cut me off.

Wen carefully observed the animal for the rest of the day, recording video on one of the few cameras salvaged from the wreck of the colony ship. When it got dark the animal went to its den in a depression in the rock. Wen watched until he was sure the animal was settled for the night, and then he made a dry camp in a sheltered place on the ridge. Well before dawn he was back in his lookout position and was able to observe the animal for the entire day. He was careful to record in detail what food it ate.

That night, greatly daring, he crept close to the animal's den and heard it making rhythmic noises as it slept. He was now confident that it was dormant at night and used the opportunity to fill his water jar at the spring.

Wen watched the strange animal for the next two days. It got to be tedious, except for a few anxious hours when the animal moved out of his sight and he wondered if it had left its den area. All it did was sleep, gather food, and eat, with no sign of any intellectual activity. He noted that when the animal excreted wastes it took care to move away from its den before doing so. It seemed to be intelligent, at least compared to a bonom; once it used a fallen branch to knock down nuts from a tree. The only excitement came when it stalked one of the small animals. It crept close and then jumped at the animal, which took off running. It ran after the fleeing herbivore, with a speed that astounded Wen. The small animal was only able to escape by diving into a burrow.

Before dawn of the next day Wen was observing the animal in its den when he heard Hil cautiously call his name. He crept out of his observation post. Hil was crouched behind a bush about twenty meters away. Wen joined him and they put their heads together. #Where are the others?# Wen asked.

#About 300 meters back, hidden in some thick brush. Do you want to meet them there or should they come here?#

#We'll go to them. I don't want to frighten the animal. If it runs away we'll have a hard time catching it.#

Wen and Hil carefully descended the low ridge and made their way to where the others were hiding. There were six males, and Wen was glad to see that Ulo, the town veterinarian, was among them. The others were some of the largest and strongest males in the town. Each had a large wicker backpack, and Wen had them dump the contents. Besides food and personal equipment were piles of cordage, straps, and nets. Three ropeworms were coiled in small baskets, their green skins making them look like animated vines. Wen stroked each ropeworm in turn, and was gratified when their conditioning made them respond to his subtle signals by coiling and uncoiling, elongating and contracting.

Wen inspected the equipment and then addressed the group. #It appears we have what we need to capture the animal. Our best chance of capturing it is to take it by surprise, and the best way to do that is during the night, when it's dormant. Since it's active during the day I assume it uses sight as its primary sense, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have sensitive hearing, so we've got to keep quiet. Above all, be careful! This is a large, potentially dangerous animal. Its claws seem to be vestigial, but it does have fangs. Watch out for its legs, they look like they can deliver powerful kicks. Everyone find a comfortable but hidden place to wait until dark, we'll act then. I'll go back to my observation post and watch the animal.#

Wen crawled back to the post and found that the animal was just waking up. He watched it drink some water from the spring and forage for some food, and then walk briskly away in a straight line. He waited patiently, but it did not return. Finally, two hours after sunset, he gave up. The animal had moved on.

Wen called a meeting of the hunters. #It looks like we were just too late. The animal has apparently left this area. I don't think it saw us though, so it may not have gone far. I propose that we follow its tracks until we catch it or our food starts to run out. Any comments?#

Ulo said, #I suppose that's our best chance. We can't just walk away from this opportunity, our survival depends on obtaining draft animals.# The others in the group indicated their agreement, and at dawn the next day they resumed their hunt.

I woke up at dawn. Before I got up I mused a bit about my life. The days had just seemed to run together, since all I did was eat and sleep. This was a paradise, with a pleasant climate and food for the gathering, but there were problems too. I wasn't lonely yet, but what if it's years or decades before we're rescued? Can I stand a solitary life? What if I get sick or hurt? There would be no one to take care of me. I was briefly tempted to return and live with the other women, but I rejected the thought. I knew that if I went back those sluts would force me to be their sex slave. I'd be one right now if Yan had tied a tighter knot.

I finally decided that, like it or not, I was going to have to return to the pod. Not to live there, but I needed equipment, especially blankets for the colder weather that was surely coming, and rope so I could rig a snare to catch the small animals. It would also be desirable to have some bags or containers to store food and also a fire starter. I didn't think I could ask for this equipment openly so I would probably have to steal it. My decision was made, so after eating some roots and drinking some water I walked away from my campsite.

The weather was very nice today; not too hot and with a gentle breeze. Just for fun I ran, and the lower gravity and the higher oxygen let me leap and gambol. Then I calmed down and resumed traveling at a walk. I continued until the sun went down and then a bit farther, using the faint light from the ring. I camped near the river, but hidden in some thick brush. I didn't expect the sluts to be this far from the pod, but no use taking any chances.

I continued my travel for two more days, going very slowly and carefully so I wouldn't be surprised by any of the other women. I made my final approach to the pod before dawn, and found a good hiding place in some bushes on a low ridge a couple of hundred meters from the pod. From here I could observe the comings and goings of the sluts without them seeing me.

Unusually, Yan, Zaphre, and Selen climbed out from under the airfoil shortly after dawn. Even more unusually, they walked away from the pod, each in a different direction, rather than lolling around in the shade. They must have run out of wild weed, or else Su cut them off. Selen walked towards me before turning in the direction of a grove of nut trees about half a kilometer farther on, and I decided to follow her.

I followed Selen as she walked to the grove of nut trees. She was carrying a cloth sack on a rope sling over her shoulder. At the grove, she took a longer coil of rope out of her sack and tossed it over a branch and pulled on the rope, shaking it to knock down nuts. She was so engrossed in this that I was able to creep up close to her before she noticed me. Finally she saw me and she exclaimed, "Dia! Where did…" Then my fist impacted her jaw and she fell down, stunned but not unconscious. Before she could recover I pulled down the rope from the branch and used it to tie her hands behind her back. I wrapped several loops around her waist and tied it in front, anchoring her hands to the small of her back.

It wasn't long before Selen recovered, and true to form, her first words were a complaint. "Why'd you hit me Dia? And why'd you tie me up?"

"Just returning the favor, Selen. Surely you remember what you did to me just before I left? But why are you out here gathering nuts? Tired of the synthesizer food? Or are you just bored because you're out of wild weed?"

"There is no more synthesizer food! A few days after you left it caught fire one night. It was terrible. Su was sleeping inside the pod and the smoke killed her."

"What about Mari? Was she killed too?"

"No, Su was pissed with her so she gave her to Yan for the night. Of course, she's Yan's bitch all the time now."

"I can't say I'm sorry about Su, but I'm glad Mari is all right."

Selen shook her head. "She's not all right. Yan is even meaner than Su. She treats poor Mari like an animal. Zaphre and me complained, but Yan threatened to do the same to us. She's real crazy."

"Somehow I'm not surprised." I hefted the sack. "So you've had to gather natural food, eh? Lucky that there's so much of it on this planet."

Misunderstandings · Part 2 (2/3)
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