Dar Planet

The sound when we left the ship was deafening. A discordant, unharmonious choir of undulating shadow called out at once to their returning leader. I pressed myself hard against Perikos, trying to hide my entire body in its cool mass. I couldn't understand anything in the mess, the music was too jumbled and the notes too confused. I could barely see anything at all against the dark horizon and the shadows except for the glowing red light emanating from the earth beneath the spongy fungal ground. The first thing I noticed was stupidly the only thing I had never even considered -- the gravity. On Ferox 4 I always felt flexible and well-balanced; on Kragosa I felt clumsier and heavier at first but as they starved me it didn't really last long and I adapted. The gravitational field on the ship seemed perfect somehow, or at least I never even thought about it. But here I felt much slower and heavier, like I'd gained twenty kilograms overnight. I struggled to keep pace with Perikos' easy glide but considering my lack of exercise over the past year, just walking was difficult. Perikos slowed down, gathering me close to its darkness and waited for me to catch up.

An enormous mass of shadow split off from the rest and descended like a serpent meters before us. I felt faint, dazzled by its size and speed and strangeness. And then everything went silent.

The dark creature before us sang out, its music joyous yet tense. I wasn't even aware Perikos could sing out loud; it always extended a tendril to my ear and its music was so quiet by comparison. This music addressed the crowd and this time I understood its meaning.

"

Welcome back, Leader! We believed you would never return and lost all hope! You have done the impossible! How is it that you are well in spite of all you must have endured?

"

A tendril pressed against my earlobe and I heard Perikos' words to its friend, spoken softly, addressing the shadow directly rather than speaking to the crowd.

"

Thank you for your warm welcome. I shall tell you soon, my Second, for it is a thrilling story and I bear good news on my return. I brought back with me something

--"

"

An alien!

" Boomed the enormous Shadow before us and I felt the press of a hundred sightless senses searching for me through the air. "

You have brought an Other here, Leader, because you know times are meager and the Resistance needs --

"

"

Thank you, Second, but we are tired and we wish to rest before any formal greeting

," Perikos interrupted quietly, its tone guarded, even dangerous.

"

We!

" Shadow's carrying notes reverberated off the ship, the ground, even my bones. Something strange, invisible but palpable was emanating from Perikos and Shadow must have sensed it because it took a different tact. "

The Resistance struggles and now it has hope! You have come back as if from the dead, so glorious are you! How can I ask your people to wait when it would give them such hope?

"

Perikos shifted a moment, coiling more tendrils around my back and shoulders. In the same soft tune it said, "

Then tell them I only require a quarter hour to compose myself before I am ready to greet them again

."

There was more pressing silence and this time it was Shadow's turn to say something quietly, for only Perikos and I could hear, except I couldn't understand it. It too was musical but it sounded like no notes or pitch I had ever heard before. I couldn't pull emotions or impressions or memories or anything like I usually could from the song.

Without responding, Perikos pulled me away, past the gauntlet of other Perikos and away from Shadow and around something that looked to me like a giant fungal tree. I strained to see it even in the red light, and struggled to pull my body along with Perikos. It pulled me beside the tree and I collapsed onto its soft, slippery trunk.

"They wanted to eat me, didn't they?" My voice sounded flat, vacant. I knew they would at first but I hadn't counted on the Shadow getting pushy about it.

"

They're not going to

," Perikos said.

"Won't that make you kind of unpopular?" I asked.

"

I anticipated that they would be shortsighted, that they would notice a creature as appealing as you are and would lose self-control. They would not understand what it could mean for us, for the Resistance

."

"And what exactly do I mean for the Resistance? Because I was never really clear on that." I felt my temper flair up again.

"

Here war is won by whoever has the greatest number of expendable supporters, soldiers who live and die for the cause. Soldiers who volunteer to feed the rest of us when there is no other choice, no animals or prisoners-of-war on the opposing side. Compared to you there is little sustenance to be gained from one another anymore. You are a rechargeable energy cell, that, when used carefully, would never run out of fuel

."

I sat there speechless. I knew I could help Perikos, certainly it had told me I could help with the war. But this?

"My pleasure and fear are your strategic advantage and all you have to do is convince your friends not to use me all up before you get organized, have I got it right?"

"

No one else will use you

," Perikos said, its tone dark, impatient. And something else.

"But you will?"

"

Naturally. You agreed to feed me

."

"Well! I…fine!" I blustered. The truth was I didn't like to think of Perikos understanding me in such terms. How human of me.

A thick tendril began to pet the top of my head. "

Little Shade, calm yourself. You are so deliciously afraid you are not thinking rationally

."

I took a deep breath and counted down from ten.

"

The others of my kind sensed the incredible power and complexity of human fear when you disembarked. I anticipated this problem as well. Their hunger is great and you are as tempting as waving well-cooked flesh in front of a starving human. Difficult to resist

."

Not exactly a pleasant picture but I got the point. "I get that they want to eat me, but what now?"

"

Now they are assembling, waiting for me to speak to them. To promise them hope, justice and revenge against the King's Faction. They are curious about you, about why I am so protective of you. No doubt they thought I brought them a gift to honor my victory in escaping. Now instead they suppose I am being deliberately selfish and avaricious. The longer I delay explaining the situation to them the more volatile they become

."

I shivered then and Perikos tipped my chin up to stroke my lips with the feather-soft tendril. "

I know this frightens you. I will not ask you not to be frightened and at any rate I am not sure it would help. I only remind you to trust completely that I will keep you safe

."

That was a tall order, I thought. I kept checking the horizon for sunrise and seeing nothing. I heard them now, not far away with the riotous sound. Perikos extended a tendril to help me up.

"

You seem tired

."

I stretched my neck and shoulders. "It's the gravity, I think. You

better

protect me because I can't run away for shit. I'm so heavy here."

Two thick tentacles scooped me off the ground and I felt my feet dangling in the air. "

You do not seem markedly heavier to me

," Perikos said, his song bright and warm.

Perikos carried me back towards a shallow ravine near the ship. The entire ravine was cloaked by chattering darkness. I understood very little besides a few comments about fear and food. My fear only intensified and with it, the volume of song in the waiting crowds.

At the top of the shallow ravine Shadow waited for Perikos. We drew closer and I could sense somehow that Perikos was as acutely alert as I was. We stopped before Shadow, who withdrew a short distance and Perikos turned me to face the mass of darkness. The outcropping we were on made a natural podium though I wasn't keen on being unable to quantify our audience. Perikos set me down next to it, encircling my wrists in darkness again. It let me retreat a few meters so I stood away from the crowds. A hush fell over them.

"

I have returned

." Perikos' music was unlike anything I'd ever heard as it sang out loudly, not the ear-tickling whispers to which I had grown accustomed. In those three notes I felt rather than inferred its miserable, murderous existence in Kragosa, its tremendous relief in discovering me and being allowed to preserve my body. Our escape from the prison walls, stealing the ship and returning here at all costs, it was all as bright and vivid as though I lived each day of it.

"

I promised you all when they sent me away that I would return to you and I have. You have suffered great losses while I was gone, but no longer. We are united again from across many Systems and this time no one may stop us from our goal. We will take this world back from those who would slaughter our Friends to stay strong. From those who would oppress us, from those who think we owe them our lives for the privilege of being ruled. We will fight and we will triumph

!"

The cacophony exploded from the ravine. It was hard to tell but it seemed joyous if a little bloodthirsty for my taste. It died away as quickly as it came.

"

Congratulations, you have been marvelously successful in returning. Would you share with us the fruits of your success?

" Shadow's song reverberated again in the silence. As the riotous grinding music roared again I decided it was fair to hate Shadow.

"

Silence please

." Perikos said, and the noise died away promptly.

"

I must begin by saying that my escape from Kragosa was not due to my own strength or cunning, for all the strength and cunning in the world are useless when the prison is carefully guarded with Light

."

A very ugly sound rose up from the crowd. I felt like I had learned my first swear word.

"

There was a creature at Kragosa with me, someone else who should not have been imprisoned, who agreed to help me escape. This creature is all but immune to Light and is not shaped like us, nor does it communicate as we do. It did have one unique and very powerful characteristic that allowed us both to escape: its feeling. Its species feels and reacts very strongly to stimuli which provided me with the sustenance I needed to survive. We formed a close bond and left the planet together. The creature decided on its own volition to return home with me because of the bond we shared

."

"

What is it?

" A patch of darkness sang from the crevasse.

Perikos paused and then said. "

It is a human female, a refugee from the Union

."

The din swelled again and Perikos pulled me closer to its side.

"

We have encountered humans from the Union and they have always provided us with excellent sustenance

." It was Shadow again. I was starting to think he and Brogn the Warden were cut from the same cloth.

"

This human female is here as a refugee from the Union, not as their representative

," Perikos said.

There seemed to be general assent that that didn't matter in the slightest.

"

She is here as my guest

," said Perikos.

There was a ferocious uproar from the crevasse that left me cringing and I tried to hide behind Perikos. Even I thought "guest" was pretty weak but the very idea that their leader was either entertaining company when he ought to be planning a war or else lying so feebly to deny them food was apparently intolerable for the rest of the creatures.

"

Quiet, please

," said Shadow, so I knew nothing I wanted to hear would follow. I was right. "

Surely our Leader doesn't mean "guest". Surely we misunderstood. Perhaps he has…taken a mate

."

The uproar was softer this time, more unsure. The dissenting songs were vocal to be heard distinctly against the din.

"

A human female?

"

"

No possible conception!

"

"

Unnatural!

"

"

Disgusting!

"

For my part, all I could think of was Shadow's pronoun.

He

. Perikos never struck me as a sex but I never asked. Still though, my eligibility as

his

mate, their leaders mate, was in question. With good reason I suppose. We weren't mated by any definition that existed on this planet.

"

She is not a mate

," Perikos echoed my sentiments. Something about learning Perikos' masculine nature and hearing myself described as female…my stomach felt strange again.

"

The human is my…Friend. We are companions, we share a close bond. I will not allow anyone to harm her."

When no one cried out, Perikos continued

. "As you will have noticed, as I tried to explain, she is capable of amazingly intense feelings of an emotional nature. To consume all the energy she is capable of producing would be lethal and wasteful. But by harvesting her with care we can utilize an almost endless supply of food. Our side will be stronger; we need not forsake our values of non-violence for our cause. No more of us need die and no more need go hungry if we use the sustenance she emits sparingly

."

Yikes, I thought as the crowd sang out in cautious support. I hope Perikos intends to qualify that statement. He waited for the rest of the noise to cease.

"

I have promised to protect her from harm and she has promised to allow me to feed. Anyone who touches her may feed but no one may touch her without my permission. She is to be considered my property, that no one should infringe on. Each of you knows that I do not break my promises. Please do not make me punish anyone for not heeding this warning

."

Double yikes. Property? I suppose it's better than rape, but still. Not to mention the melodies from below.

"

How do we know you're not just hoarding it all for yourself

?"

"

That the human will help us all rather than just you

?"

I couldn't tell how Perikos was feeling but I could imagine these attacks wounded him. I wished I could say something but I knew better.

"

How dare you

!" cried Shadow. I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "

Our Leader has never broken his word, never given us cause to doubt. He struggled to return from a Union prison and now brings us good tidings and we doubt him! For shame!"

I didn't like the way Shadow said "Union prison", to say nothing of its hypocrisy.

"

Certainly, as an act of good faith our generous Leader will allow us a small sample of the power the human can generate

," said Shadow.

The angry, hungry songs from the crowd agreed. I pushed my body closer to Perikos' mass but he pulled me forward, around towards the assembly, holding both my wrists together in one black tendril. Perikos positioned me so I stood in front of him, my body against his, between him and the crowd. I was so docile, so trusting I didn't realize what was happening until it was too late. I tried to turn away, to run or hide but Perikos held me so tightly I might had been held by a vice. I tried to twist and struggle but thick tentacles as strong as steel held my legs shoulder-width apart and my arms were pulled over my head, the iron grip Perikos had on my wrists acting like manacles. My bracelet bit into my skin. I felt something poke between my legs and a wide, flat tendril covered the whole of my sex. My panic abated only slightly.

"

Very well. Everyone is permitted providing they take very sparingly. If I feel my trust in this has been violated then the human will remain off-limits. Please do not be the one who denies their fellows such an exquisite sample. And please be very gentle as humans are soft by nature, particularly females. My Friend, as my General you may feed first

."

I saw Shadow's tentacle begin to extend towards me and I feared I would faint dead away.

"Please, please no! Don't! This wasn't part of it!" I whispered, too scared to scream.

Perikos massaged my scalp with gentle tendrils, as the one at my ear whispered back. "

Shhh. You promised to trust me and so you shall. If you speak now I will have to silence you. Let yourself feel you need to feel. I have got you. Know they won't hurt you

."

Shadow's thick tentacles extended out towards my body and my field of vision narrowed and became even darker for just a moment. I felt my legs wobble underneath me as though they would give out at any second but Perikos held my body still.

One thick, ugly appendage, soft and vaguely unpleasant smelling wriggled through the air and across my naked belly. I felt something then, something roll through me like a wave of nausea as it left a trail of moisture on my skin. Not like slime really, more like an alien, intimate sweaty handshake. I shuddered but held my tongue. This was a fight for later because for now I was going to lose.

Shadow's rubbery limb brushed over my stomach up a few inches as it explored the swell of my breasts. My revulsion intensified as the tip of the tentacle clumsily clamped down over one nipple, twisted it awkwardly before releasing it. Then in trailed rapidly downwards like a bloodhound with a scent, back over my belly and down to my sex. Even though Perikos' broad tentacle covered my most sensitive bits and prevented any penetration, I could still feel its pressure, its alien touch through the barrier. I felt a horrible, humiliating pang of arousal as well as rush of disgust. What the hell was wrong with me? Clearly I was perverse enough to pant for anything offered, no matter how disgusting.

Shadow sang again to Perikos, like he did before and once again the music was so fast, foreign and complex that I couldn't understand it properly. I did understand it as a question about sweetness or maybe fruit. Something decadent or exciting. Perikos' answer was thoroughly understandable.

"

Mine

."

I felt the pressure of Shadow's tentacle ease and saw him almost seem to retract into himself like spring loaded blackness.

"

May we

?" I heard in song.

"

Was it delicious

?" asked another from the darkness.

"

Nothing of any great worth

," Shadow answered, this time so I could clearly hear him. Not that I was complaining, I'd really rather he never touch me again but fuck, talk about sour grapes.

"

If you are slow and careful, you may

," I felt Perikos say behind me and all other thoughts fell away as I felt a fresh flood of panic course through me.

For a moment I wasn't sure what I was seeing and then eight or more distinct inky arms rose from the crevasse and reached out towards to nakedness. Perikos tightened his grip.

I felt one trace careful, almost ticklish circles around my areolas while another stroked the area between my thighs just under my sex. A third poked at my stomach and my bellybutton while another explored my neck. Still more touched my hips and the backs of my knees, my collarbone and my right ear. My eyes rolled back again and I tried to keep my breathing normal. This time I didn't feel nauseated or sickeningly aroused but my fear wasn't pure either. I felt my heartbeat flutter and I felt something…off.

"

Little Shade? Are you well

?" Perikos' music was as soft as a whisper but it was all I heard. I felt a little surge of pure hatred, stringing rage and then I saw a blur of blackness in front of me and I didn't feel anything at all.

I opened my eyes to near total darkness. I was lying on the spongy fungus-covered earth and there was something long and narrow in my throat. My gag reflex went wild while I coughed up what felt like a medical tube of some kind. "Perikos?" I managed to choke through my hacking fit.

"

Little Shade

." He seemed to descend from above like a twisting spider made of shadows. There were no stars overhead and it was warmer than before. I couldn't see or hear anyone around. Perikos wrapped my torso, head and arms and thin black tendrils. "

I was making sure you were breathing properly. I am sorry

."