Savages, Sluts, and Other Impressions

[Pher 0]

Federation ships were supposedly built for five year exploration missions. They had a reputation for wasting space on the sort of luxuries that made their people soft. Capricorn had been in the hands of raiders for long enough that the remnants of the luxuries were rather worn. Still, Pher and Byblos managed to find a rather worse for wear ‘lounge’ with a view. If it was nothing compared to New Risa’s tourist accommodations, it was still far ahead of what they were used to on the Qob.

“Byblos? Feeling better?” Pher asked.

“Much thank you Pher. We Nausicaans do have some personal pride.”

“A fine thing, pride. I might have to experiment with it some time.”

“Well, I mean. Most everyone thinks Nausicaans are savages.” Byblos looked about for a chair, and not finding one large enough for his frame, leaned against the wall. “I guess I haven't helped that stereotype.”

Pher snorted. “I know about racial stereotypes. Our males are expected to be pirates or gangsters. Our ladies are expected to be sluts. There's enough truth in it not to like it, but…” Pher shook her head. “I guess I'm not doing any better than expected.”

“I don't understand,” Byblos replied, leaning his head to one side.

“No? I grew up as… well…” She considered. “The polite phrase is 'sex industry professional.' Hardly anyone uses the polite phrase, and there are so many less polite ones.”

“Yet," the Nausicaan paused, "you are not the most petite Orion female I have met. You are taller than most. Stronger.”

“True.”

“Listen if you don't want to talk about that aspect of your life I understand. Well, sort of.”

Pher considered accepting the offered out, but he wouldn’t understand her without understanding her past. “I guess I don't want to go into details, no. Still. I do understand that belonging to one species or another means you carry baggage.” She smirked. “At least we don't have to be logical all the time, and only come into heat every seven years.” She faked a mock shudder. “How do they stand it?”

“Hmm, Nausicaan women are very," He had to think of the word, "Homeloving." You don't see them off world. It's a Culture thing, I'll explain that to you when we are in a non-combat zone, it takes some time. Ah, but you wanted to talk about something else.”

“Just… Are you still comfortable working security? We've had a really bad breakdown in the chain of command. I'm not liking it. It's not going to go away. Do you feel you can handle it?”

“Okay, the boss assigned Troy to command the mission to Capricorn. That threw me a bit because It seemed more your expertise. But the Boss..being the Boss I felt I had to comply. Did it work?” He gestured with his hands in a way to make the question rhetorical. “No. I'd rather answer to you than..a scientist.” He scratched the back of his clean hair.

“I'd have preferred to work with you myself,” Pher answered with sincerity. “Troy… is something of a wild man. He might be a scientist in name, but he will meddle in security often enough. He has some very useful security skills. I'd like to be able to point him in a general direction and duck behind cover. Thing is, I was needed down on the planet. With two missions being run at the same time, security personnel had to split. It's going to happen again, I'm afraid.”

“Yes. Most likely. What surprises me is given our lack of crew we would do that, something my former boss on Tranquility never did.”

“Heck, when I went down to the planet, no one knew Capricorn was going to show up. It's not that it was planned. Did things go to plan in your old gang?” Pher sounded a bit dubious. One strove to act to plan, but the universe was not always cooperative.

“Good for a while,” he responded, “until some "Brain" like Troy dropped into our city and fixed the Guardians' equipment. Basically if the Guardians showed up unexpectedly, we could run on our bikes. This human Pet`aQ shows up, gives them them the ability to chase us, everything went downhill. He turned their speeders into racing vehicles; and they had a Guardian who us ODRIs, like yours... in a way I never thought a Guardian would.” He growled, showing his opinion of brains and guardians. “Finally killed that jykin' Guardian in an OP, but by then it was too late. The Cycle Gang had been basically overrun.”

“Yah. Even if it hadn't been, there are always too many Guardians. Some things can't be taken head on.”

“What can a Nausicaan do if he is instantly declared a criminal even if he's just drinking bloodwine? Nausicaans were profiled. There were not many of us on Tranquility to begin with; maybe a couple of thousand. I imagine you know what that term means from Risa, to be Profiled? ”

“Well, we weren't profiled. Or perhaps we were. We were raised with one profession in mind, and not given much in the way of alternative life choices.”

Byblos had to ask.“But your clients, were they not "profiled" aggressive, criminal, gentle, cheap or greedy?”

“Yes and no.” Pher considered briefly. “They were generally aggressive, criminal, greedy, overbearing, used to getting their way. You see, they could afford to go on interstellar vacations. We got to know these real 'quality' people. the people that live on the top of the towers, who own the banks, who tell the Guardians where to go and what to do. We got to know em up close and personal. Not nice people, a lot of em. But we gave em what they wanted, so we got to play at living their life style.”

Byblos considered that for a moment with his hand on his chin, thinking what has Pher been through. He thought he had it rough. “But someone must of… protected you from… known... or presumed Pe`taQs.”

“Some protected me.” Pher considered. “I did eventually got off the world. A lot of the tourists were the Pe'taQs, but not all of them. There were security goons too, that in theory provided protection, but their job was to keep the customers happy. They figured that the best way to assure we kept the customer happy was to make us unhappy if we didn’t, and they looked for any excuse to sample the merchandise. We girls found it best to solve any problems without involving the goons, but rule one was still to make the customer happy.”

Rule two, assuming rule one was unacceptable, was to make it look like an accident, but even this far from New Risa, that was best not mentioned.

“Listen, Byblos said. “If the boss ever puts you in a spot where he wants you to…” He thought it best left unsaid. “I'll object. Of course, that would be the end of my job too.”

Pher smiled sadly. “Not to worry. I think I was made to enjoy my work, or maybe all Orions are like me, or… I don't know. Even Orion Animal Women look down at New Risan lifeguards as being a lower class of slut. Anyway, I need more than any one male can give me. My problem with Joe isn't that he forces himself on me, but the opposite. The Qob is a ship of prudes."

“Uh... Prudes? Where is the Feddie UT when you need one?”

“Prudes.” Pher mocked the stereotypical Fed science officer talking down to the unwashed. “When a highly passionate over sexed female is overwhelmed by desire, a prude is one who isn't willing to risk getting addicted to her pheromones just so she feels better.” She paused. “Do you need a definition of slut?” Then she thought better of it. “Sorry.”

“There are no sluts on this crew. Wait-” He paused. “Are you saying you need certain...attention? Other than what the XO Provides?”

“He…” Pher considered. “We need each other, but he got himself overdosed by Redera. I have to keep cutting back or he will have the same sort of problems many recreational drug users have. I would… Well.” How should she phrase this? “The short answer is yes. I'm not sure 'need' is the right word. I can survive. I just… Maybe need is the right word.”

“Well, I could certainly arrange for that need…” Byblos stepped a little closer to Pher. “Problem is, I have not been in the best...what would a lady say?”

“I'm not sure I can answer that,” Pher replied, stepping into Byblos in response. “We never had ladies on New Risa.”

“But, there had been on Risa, shall I say cleanliness?”

“Water we had,” Pher replied. “Water was one thing that was always there in abundance. It was land we were short on.”

“Space is dry ,cold and harsh. Being with a crew full of scum would, I imagine make it worse. Pher you are smart and strong. I respect that, I also respect you, as well as I have certain needs sometimes.” He came closer still. “But,” he put a hand up close to Pher, “only if you wish. Not on my insistence. You are better than that.” He stepped back. “Besides you can kill me quite easily I suppose if 'things' were not up to your specifications.”

Pher blinked. “Not to worry. I slept with a lot of Pe'taQs, and never felt an uge to kill them.” This wasn’t precisely true, but if the Sisterhood killed every tourist guilty of really bad sex, it would have wrecked the New Risan economy. “I might not have the sort of stink one can wash away in a shower, but I know I can't judge.” Pher smiled, relaxed the hold she kept on her emotions, stepped close to Byblos, and let little dust fly.

Audrey chimed. No one was pleased. “Oh dear, “ Pher said, after a glance at Audrey’s screen. “Time to plot and plan.”

“Agreed.” Byblos unaffected from any dust Pher used, reached towards his backsheath. “Oh by the way my sword is gone. Got that rifle?”

“Aye. So I do,” she replied, returning it. She’d have to see about arming herself later. Byblos would need a weapon. For a while longer, Pher felt more comfortable not seeming to be a threat. “You'll stay by me?”

“I have your back,” he replied with a wink. “Let's fix this mess.”