The Bells of Tanah
By Invid Fan
©2012

****

Chapter 6

Alicia floated down the corridor, yawning.

She was never a morning person. Or a noon person. Hell, there were times when late afternoons could be dicy. But, she definitely wasn't into mornings. The getting up, the not falling back to sleep... all too often it seemed so pointless to her. Especially when all it would get her was a day going to various boring classes. You'd think, now that there was none of that, the teen would take the opportunity to sleep in.

But, no.

It was 7:20 AM human time, 7,13 H Orang time, and here she was, not just up but dressed and on her way to breakfast.

Dressed... you could call it that, but she almost felt nude. She had worn less when swimming, barely, and sometimes she and her girlfriends had hung around the house almost naked when nobody was around. But, those were special occasions. Just wearing this, around people like Anthony and Chuck... well, to be honest, maybe she liked it.

The previous day, they had gone through the Bells to see what fabric they could scrounge. Chuck had been right, there were a number of dirty white aprons in the bakery and meat departments, as well as a few green ones in produce. For the most part the fabric was thick, rough. NOT something the women wanted rubbing against their skin all day. A few of the whites, though, had been of a thin, smooth cloth. Looking over the samples of this, Hannah had decided that since the ship was warm anyway (getting rid of heat always being the main problem with space ships), they had just enough of this fabric to create four sets of outfits per person, so long as they were VERY skimpy. Alicia currently sported a bikini bottom, a piece of cut cloth with ties on the side, and a bra consisting of two cups and braided straps. Daium had suggested the braiding, to secure up her good sized boobs so they weren't banging against things, and Alicia had to admit so far it was working well. Everything was kept out of the way, not floating around randomly, there was no chafing, and, damn it, she looked good. 

Actually, the only one who didn't look great in the new attire was Chuck. His simple loincloth, a piece of fabric passed between his legs then tied around his waist, did nothing to cover his slight chunkiness. He didn't seem to mind, though. Having Melinda all over his body for the past few days had probably done wonders for his self image. And, really, he didn't look that bad. By now Alicia simply accepted his new look as the way he was.

Floating into what they were calling the "Commons", for reasons she was unsure about but had no objection to, Alicia saw Tammy over in the kitchen. Daium watched the woman with interest, one hand holding a well placed handle. Alicia floated over.

"Morning."

"Morning, Alicia."

"Morning, Bitch."

Alicia raised an eyebrow at the eight eyed fur ball. It had been said with such matter-of-factness, that she HAD to know what she was saying. The twinkle in those white fur rimmed eyes seemed to confirm that, as if Daium was just waiting for Alicia to object.

Well, maybe she wasn't going to.

"And a good morning to you, too, Daium." She turned to look at Tammy. The older girl had taken over the cooking, moving into the kitchen the same way Chuck and Melinda seemed to be moving into the engine/robot sections. The microwave from the break room had been brought over and hooked into the ship's power supply, Tammy currently nuking scrambled eggs. Sausage, part of the refrigerated meat that wouldn't take well to re-freezing so had to be used up quickly, sat already cooked in a container attached to the counter, next to a bunch of bananas tied to a hook. "You seem to be getting the hang of this."

"Well," Tammy admitted, looking in at the eggs, "I'm cheating so far. Just nuking things is rather easy, and apart from adding some milk to the eggs I'm not really mixing anything. Dinner will be more of a challenge, as I'm going to try to use some of the Orang cooking stuff." A hand reached up to scratch under her left tit. Alicia tried to ignore the movement.

"Should we all be hiding behind blast shields when you do?"

"Might be a good idea." She looked around. "You the only one up?"

"Justin on bridge." The two girls shot their eyes at Daium, then exchanged a glance. It wasn't that her English was improving every day. It was, rather, the way she said Justin's name. There was no need to interpret the meaning of that. Tammy let out a sigh.

"Well, breakfast is almost ready. Those who sleep in will just have to eat cold eggs."

****

Anthony wished he had some idea of how to help Hannah.

The mother of one was re-arranging the shrine in their bedroom. Her one physical photo of little Mary had been taped to the green reed wall, surrounded by some pink plastic flowers she'd found in the store. If there was ever a way to print out the pictures on her phone, they'd add those as well. The stuffed yellow bunny, left in the back seat of her minivan, sat below the picture, tied to the dresser and wearing a pink bib. As Anthony watched, Hannah took the rattle that had been taped to the wall and repositioned it in the bunny's hand. When he was a kid, Anthony was always the kind to re-arrange the nativity set whenever he walked by during the Christmas season. Move the lambs onto the roof, put Joseph outside having a smoke, and so on. That part of him could see Hannah going over to touch her only connection to her child every time they were in this room.

And, who could blame her?

"Ready for breakfast?"

He could see her sigh, bare shoulders slumping. She'd be OK, once they joined the others. Once there were things to do, distractions. It was only here, with him, that she let her loss overwhelm her. So he could rescue her, comfort her.

He'd do anything for her.

Anthony's mind had easily moved past thoughts of the redhead he had started dating a week and a lifetime ago. Georgia had been beautiful, witty, everything he could want. But, he knew she was safe and sound... back home. There was no sense of loss at the idea of never seeing her again. Not when this creature was before him.

Hannah turned, looking stunning in her white bikini. As her head came up, it was like a shadow vanished from her eyes. She chuckled, looking Anthony up and down.

"I still think you should go with bikini briefs."

"What, you don't like this?" He spun for her, showing off the loincloth identical in style to Chuck and Justin's.

"Oh, it IS you, don't get me wrong." She floated up to him, one hand dropping down to rub the front of his outfit. "I just wish it showed you off a bit more." He put his arms around her, cupping that wonderful ass.

"It's work enough fighting you off, and you want me placing temptation in front of all the other women? You're cruel, that's what you are..."

"Hmm..." Leaning in, she kissed his neck. "Now, what was that about breakfast?"

****

 "So," Alicia mumbled, mouth full of sausage, "do we know yet where our furry leader is taking us?"

"Somewhere," Chuck offered, helpfully.

"She's going to take us around the bridge, show us how to work, or at least give us a feel for, the various stations." Justin took a sip of his orange juice, pausing to once again admire the zero g compatible squeeze bottle. They'd found a whole cupboard full of them, although it was still a bit tricky getting liquid into the bottles in the first place. Noticing Alicia was about to speak, he continued. "Once we know how to read the sensors and navigation screens, we'll know where we're going."

"Can't she just tell us? There's no reason for it to be a secret." Alicia shifted her eyes to Daium, as did the others. "If we're in this together, then let's be in this together."

Daium's eyes came up to meet hers. The Orang seemed to consider the matter, then sighed. Letting go of her half eaten mangosteen, she adjusted her glasses, looked around, and considered her words.

"Before we... leave this sun, we go... meet others. Maybe."

"Others?" Anthony drifted a bit closer. She nodded.

"Orang. Maybe. Do not know."

"Survivors," Melinda whispered. Daium nodded, sadly.

"Maybe."

****

"Your English is really improving," Nona complemented Daium as they watched the others half clean up, half goof off as they finished breakfast. "It'll be better than my Malay soon."

"Thank you." Daium smiled shyly at her interpreter. Nona raised an eyebrow.

"I think I know WHY you're trying to learn so fast. You really like him, don't you?"

There was no hint of embarrassment as Daium turned to look across the room. Her dark skinned friend stood out among the others, shorter and thinner than everyone except Melinda.

"Yes. I... I have never liked a male, before. He is special."

"That's one way to put it," Nona said a bit dryly. She'd never thought much of him, although exposure had been limited. She cocked at eye at Daium. "Are there any special phrases you want to learn from me, so you can talk to him later?"

Daium thought for a moment, then nodded.

"How do I tell him I want to mate?"

****

"This," Nona told the gathered humans, "is the sensor and backup navigation station." She motioned with her hand at the control panel Daium currently floated in front of. About three feet long, it was part keyboard, part mass of colored buttons with various symbols. There was order, but not the grid system they were used too: swirls of colored controls were more common, occasionally intertwining. Looking at the patterns, Alicia wondered if each color denoted a function, or a type of sensor. A trackball also sat on either side, as did braided fabric straps that could be fastened behind your back to hold you close to the controls. On the curved wall above, rectangles and circles of various data were projected. Taking her eyes away from the screens, Alicia looked down below.

"Is there any reason this thing is up on the ceiling?"

They were up among the tree branches, although none were close enough to be a danger to inattentive humans. Two other stations were up this high, spaced somewhat evenly around the bridge. Anthony considered the situation.

"My guess," he said, "is that this thing is useless unless you're in space. So, there's no reason to have it where you can get to it if there's gravity. Apart from repair, that is. There's probably a backup somewhere down lower." Nona passed the guess on to Daium, who turned to grin at him.

"Yes! Good!"

Anthony gave a playful smirk to Hannah.

"I get a gold star today!"

She rolled her eyes.

"Boys."

Alicia ignored them. Looking closer at the displays, she caught a change. There was a circular pattern that seemed to be an attempt to show various readings in three dimensions. It had a color scale from light to dark blue, and into that a small speck of green had momentarily appeared. Placing a hand on Daium's shoulder, she pulled herself a bit closer.

"What was that?"

Daium's eyes shifted sideways, her expression otherwise unchanged. Alicia waited a second, then, a second green blip having come and gone at the edge, she pointed.

"There. What's that?"

"What's what?" Melinda asked, on the other side. Her face scanned the mass of unfamiliar data, eyes squinting behind her glasses.

"Two blips, or one blip twice. Weren't there a minute ago."

Daium broke into a grin.

"Good! Good, good, Bitch!"

"Is that your name now?" Chuck asked, grinning. Alicia shrugged irritably.

"I'll wear it with pride. Now, Cheetah, what the hell is that I'm seeing?"

Still grinning, Daium shifted her body to show one long black finger pressing a purple button. She released it, then put her other hand on Alicia's bare arm.

"Test! Test, good eyes! Alicia good! Want job?"

"Job"? Alicia looked at the others, somewhat confused. She didn't move Daium's hand. The touch was... not unpleasant.

"I think," Justin told her, "you're being offered the job of working the sensors. This may require a good eye to catch what the computer doesn't. Hell, maybe their computers aren't that good in this area."

"That makes no sense."

"It's easier to gather the data than to interpret it," he said, shrugging. "We'll find out as we learn more. Do you want the job?"

She looked over the controls. It didn't look that bad. She'd always been good at finding Waldo, so maybe she did have a talent for it. A faint wave rippling through a series of lines caught her eye.

"Is that another test, Daium?" She pointed up above the Orang's head.

Daium's head shot up, her sudden intake of breath sending a wave of tension through the humans. One hand went to the left trackball, as a square of waveforms grew to crowd out all the other displays. One wave was isolated, rotated, compared...

"Kakak!" Daium pushed herself backwards, using feet and hands, throwing herself towards the tree. Landing, she twisted and launched herself at Justin. "Sumi! Sumi!" Daium plowed into him, arms and legs wrapping around the teen as she kissed his face over and over, their bodies now drifting into the wall. "Sumi, Justin, Sumi!"

Alicia raised an eyebrow at Nona.

"Oh, Miss Interpreter."

The Malaysian shook her head.

"Kakak means sister, and Sumi sounds like a name, so..."

Justin grabbed Daium's face by the sides, to stop the kissing for a moment.

"Daium! You found your sister?" She just grinned, leaning in for kiss on his mouth that needed no translation.

Melinda looked at the lip locked pair, shaking her head in disbelief.

"OK, I have NOT been paying enough attention lately."

****

Nona's heart still stopped every time she stepped, or floated, from the bridge into the dome. You couldn't even see the clear shield above them. Only the blackness of space, the stars, the universe... and Bells.

She didn't know if she'd ever get over the silliness of this.

With Tammy floating ahead of her, Nona pulled herself along the guideline towards the open side door into the store. With fifty feet of open space between the hatch and the supermarket, the inconvenience of getting stuck off the ground with nothing to push off of had led Anthony to run a rope not just to this side, but from the produce side door to an emergency hatch into the engine module. There was no need to take chances.

Tammy reached the door, brought herself vertical, and waited. Nona had never paid much attention to the dirty blonde. She was an office girl, after all, older, and a quiet one. Not the type to gossip with the cashiers. Nona had definitely not expected her body to be so well toned. Her limbs were thin but well muscled, those of an athlete. Her breasts were small, true, but they fit her form perfectly. Unruly hair back in its traditional ponytail, she looked like a bikini clad track star... who was giving Nona an amused look over being stared at.

Whoops.

"So!" Nona reached the door, blushing as she brought herself up next to Tammy. "What was it you needed to get again?"

The blonde chuckled.

"Tampons. We should probably get a bunch, just so you girls have them ready." Turning, she pushed off through the bottle room and out into the front of the store.

The various robots had done a good job cleaning up, getting rid of the dust and dirt from a building never meant to be in space. Yesterday when they had raided the place for food, clothing and the microwave, it had still been a bit hard to breathe in places. Today was much better. Relishing the feeling of flying, Nona maneuvered up to the tiled ceiling. From here, she felt like a ghost, looking down on Tammy as she pushed off of registers and displays on her way to feminine hygiene products. There was definitely an athletic grace to her movements...

Shaking her head, Nona dropped down into the aisle next to Tammy.

"So. What brand do you prefer?"

"I usually just get what's on sale. Ah, these are a good price." She grabbed a pack, tossing it in a cloth bag she had grabbed on her way through the store. She grabbed another of a smaller size, then some pads. "If there's anything you prefer, grab it."

With a slight blush, Nona grabbed a box off the bottom shelf and handed it to her. Tammy put it in the bag without examining it. Nona appreciated that.

"So, anything else we should get while we're here?"

Tammy chuckled, looking down towards the other end of the aisle.

"We probably should start stocking up on pickles and diapers, given how the others are acting."

"What?"

"Come on, girl, think! I'm sure Hannah and Melinda are on the pill, but you know that's wearing off as we speak. We'll have babies within a year."

"A year..." Nona closed her eyes. A year. Away from home for a year. She had wanted to get away from her parents for a bit, but not like this...

"I'm sorry..." She felt Tammy's hand on her bare shoulder. Shaking her head, Nona opened her eyes and forced a smile.

"It's OK." She paused, thinking of something. "Tammy... you haven't really told us much about yourself. Or, at least I haven't heard much. Do you have family back home?"

"No, not really." Tammy floated back a bit, coming up against the side of the aisle. "Haven't talked to my family in awhile anyway. Plus," she shrugged, "Beth dumped me a month ago, so I'm not with anyone..."

Tammy paused, amusement creeping onto her face, and it took a moment for Nona to realize the cause was the expression on her own face. She grimaced, shaking her head to clear it as one hand went to her forehead.

"Gah! Sorry! I just did NOT expect that!" Her arms, reflexively, found themselves crossed over her chest. Tammy let out a half amused, half disappointed sigh.

"You have no problem being in front of the guys, but now you're afraid I might look at you. Nona, look..."

"No! That's not...!" She started to drop her arms, only to realize that would expose her bikini clad breasts, which SHOULDN'T be a problem, but...

"Look, I'm gay, not a pervert, OK? I have lots of self control, believe me. The last thing I'm going to do is force myself on hetero girls."

Nona dropped her arms, suddenly tired.

"Please, I'm sorry. I know. But... don't say I'm not even your type. I feel bad enough now without having my ego crushed."

Her eyes lifted, meeting Tammy's. The older woman slowly shook her head.

"I'd never say that."

****

Melinda watched Chuck struggling with the Engineering manual. He had the Orang computer tablet floating to his left, and the spiral notebook with Nona's quick and dirty Malay-English dictionary to his right. A third notebook had his notes. He had insisted, and she had quietly agreed, that they had to start working these things out without having Daium and Nona there all the time to explain and translate. Those two were spread thin enough as it was. Eventually, they hoped to actually program English into the computer system, but for now Chuck was seeing what he could do on his own.

The main problem, as Nona had explained it to Melinda, was that most Malay tech words were actually English words modified for local pronunciation. These words weren't in the Orang vocabulary, nor any words borrowed from Arabic or elsewhere on Earth. It became a matter of guessing and trial and error to work some of the more technical terms out, which is where Chuck might actually do better. He at least knew something about physics and the like, having read far ahead of what he'd needed for high school, or even the first few years of college. His iPhone even had a large number of downloaded college lectures, which she'd started listening to.

What help this would do, when dealing with a culture this advanced, was questionable.

"I think I'm about burned out for the day." Chuck put a hand on the engine room wall and pushed, sending him back away from the evil books. Letting his body relax, his eyes closed. Melinda grinned. Bare feet gathered under her, she slowly traveled on an intercept course. Chuck's body slowly turning, she came up against his bare back. Arms going around him, she pressed against his large, warm body.

"Anything I can do?" she whispered.

"A brain massage would be nice, although the skull opening procedure might be annoying."

She chuckled, rubbing her hands over his chest. Light hairs were coming in over a good chunk of it, and she enjoyed the feel of them. They almost tickled...

"Melinda..."

His voice... was serious. Her eyes widened a bit, as she bit her lip and stilled her hands. This wasn't good. She felt him turning in her arms, pushing off a bit to create some space. She didn't want space between them. She wanted...

Chuck's expression was one of tired exasperation.

"Melinda... you have to start giving me some room."

"Wh-what?"

His eyes closed.

"Look, I like you. I do. But..."

"No!"

It came out of her as a shout. Chuck's eyes shot open. Yes, he should look at her! Melinda's mind was a mass of anger, fear. Her hands went to the sides of his head, not QUITE grabbing him, eyes boring into her man.

"Don't you DARE say you 'like' me! I know what comes after that. Don't you push me away now! Please! I'll do anything! You know that! Please!" She knew she sounded like a psycho bitch. Knew it, and knew it wasn't helping. It never helped. Her mind went back to Trent, and Ricardo. It hadn't helped keep them. But what else could she do! Tears started flowing. What else could she do! She didn't want to be alone...

A hand touched her cheek. It was gentle. She wanted to think it was loving. She needed it to be loving. Maybe she could pretend...

"Melinda, I'm not asking you to go." Her tear filled eyes stared at him. It was true. She could see it in his face.

"But..."

"But you have to give me space. I... I am NOT the most social of creatures, most of the time. I need my alone time. Smothering me WILL drive me away. I haven't said anything, as I know you need me, but... if you're going to share my cabin at night, you can't be with me all through the day."

He was serious. He wasn't sending her away. He... he was setting the terms! Giving her boundaries! She could handle boundaries. Melinda's hands dropped down, one caressing his cheek, with two days growth of whiskers, while the other returned to his chest.

"Will you keep me when the others come to you?"

Chuck chuckled, eyebrow raised at her.

"Excuse me?"

"When Alicia, Tammy, or Nona realize they need someone, and they come to you... will you keep me? I'm willing to share..." And she was. She'd thought about it. Thought about what they would have to do, with only three males and five, now six, females. They would have to share, to keep the peace. Melinda could do that, so long as she knew Chuck would always come back to her...

"IF, and I do mean IF, it ever comes to that, then yes. I won't push you away, unless the normal things that push men and women apart come up between us. And, giving me some space will help prevent that."

To prove the point, Chuck leaned in to kiss Melinda. She whimpered as his strong arms wrapped around her thin body. She felt the ties on her top being undone, then her panties pulled out from her body. Her own hands frantically dropped to his loin cloth, undoing them. His cock sprang out, already hard. Strong hands grabbed her ass cheeks, maneuvering her body. Feeling him against her entrance, she wrapped her legs around him and forced herself down. Groaning into each other's mouths, they slowly thrust, the awkward movements sending them towards a wall.

He was hers. Her father had driven away four wives, and countless girlfriends. Melinda was going to keep her chosen man. Keep him, however she could. She would never be alone...

****

Dinner that night was steak.

Not just steak, but mashed potatoes, rolls, corn on the cob, and carrots. The steak was a bit more well done than Tammy liked it, but for a first try she was very happy. The Orang appliance she had tried was like a sealed two sided grill, which let the juices either run off or stick around and flavor the meal. Given the species seemed to be vegetarian, their equipment was surprisingly adaptable to meat.

So much so, that if she found a book entitled "To Serve Man", she would be the first one to flee.

The nine sat at a large table bolted to the floor. The chairs had seat belts, making her feel like she was belted into a baby chair. It also made the meal feel more... normal, something the others seemed to like as much as she did. The table also doubled as a video screen. At the far end, Anthony was looking at a display of the solar system.

"So," he mumbled, swallowing his food before going on, "this supposed meeting place is over here, out beyond the sixth and final planet." He pointed with a fork. "And just two more days to travel that far? Damn, this ship is fast."

"Oh, it's faster than that," Chuck chimed in. Tammy noticed his hair was even more messed up than earlier. Melinda must fuck him once an hour. "The ship seems to have two engines, just like the ships in Star Trek. Right now we're using what Melinda calls the "impulse" engines, but once we're out of the system we'll switch over to the "damn, Einstein was wrong" engine."

"Well," Justin chuckled, "he obviously wasn't furry enough."

"Two days..." Hannah looked at the spot on the map. "Then what?"

"Then," Anthony glanced at their host, "I think Daium is reunited with her family."

Alicia looked at her with sad, envious eyes.

"Lucky bitch..."

****


Edited by SciFi Nut

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