Scouts (3 page)

“Please, Challers . . . we don’t use honorifics like that in the Scouts. Just call me Shirley.”

Captain Shaunson took out his comm-unit and took a brief call. “If you will all follow me, we have a small reception planned. There’s a shuttle coming in and we need to clear the passageway.”

“Of course,” said Shirley, “lead the way.”

Shirley walked beside me, a few steps behind Captain Shaunson. I looked behind me, briefly, to see Val beside Shirley’s partner, Masters. She gave me a stunned smile. It was actually happening—or was it?

I turned back to Shirley. “Are we being recruited?”

“We’re considering it. You’ve passed the first test. You’ve got the drive and curiosity to determine the basic job requirements, and the restraint to make sure you met them. Your investigations and data requests caught our attention, so we’re here to begin your evaluation and training. But that comes later. For now, we celebrate.”

Captain Shaunson’s outer office had been transformed into a tiny banquet hall. Our parents stood there, more pleased and proud than I had ever seen. I sat with Shirley on one side, my mother on the other, and Val across the table. Everywhere I looked, there was loving, smiling appreciation.

The meal went by in a blur. Captain Shaunson made a toast. I think I ate some of the food.

Finally, Shirley touched my hand. “Get a good night’s sleep, Challers. We leave in the morning.”

I took Val aside as people began taking their leave. Tears sparkled in her eyes.

“I can’t believe it. We’re going on a Scout ship!” She wrapped her arms around me and nuzzled my chin, a gesture we had shared a thousand times before.

As always, my body responded to her touch. It happened whenever we got close.

“I love you too,” she said, and kissed my neck.

Fingers to her chin, I raised her mouth to mine to kiss her. “Meet me tonight,” I whispered.

Shirley put her hand on my shoulder. “I meant what I said. Get a good night’s sleep.”

I blushed. We kissed once more, just a peck, and separated. I took her hands in mine and looked into her eyes. “Until tomorrow.”

I thought I wouldn’t be able to sleep, but the stress of the afternoon, as welcome as it was, took its toll. I slept, and dreamed of Valka.

I woke to find my mother packing a small duffel. The months since we had discovered that the station was over the population limit had been tough on her, and it was good to see the weight off her shoulders.

“Good morning, Scout,” she said with a smile. “They’re only giving you a ten milliLowell mass allowance, so I’m making it count. I hope you don’t mind that I let you sleep.”

I climbed out of bed and kissed her temple. “No, Ma. I don’t mind. Thanks.”

“Captain Smith said that all your clothing and equipment would be provided, so I’m just packing some mementos. There’s a holo with some pictures of the family, and a data chip with your journals and records. You’re going to want things to remember your life here. Scouts live a very different life than station people.”

“How?”

She had never spoken of Scouts before, and the thought that she might have been holding some information back troubled me.

She shook her head. “Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll do just fine.” She put the duffel on my dresser. “Go ahead and get ready.”

I showered and shaved, and picked an outfit of pure white to match Shirley’s. I had pretty good shoulders, too, though I hadn’t had nearly as much time to sculpt them. From the look of Masters, the Scouts didn’t lack for workout facilities.

I hurried through breakfast. I didn’t want to be late, even though we didn’t really have a firm departure time. My mother cried as she waved to me from the hatch of our quarters, and then I was on my way.

Val met me at the intersection at the end of our corridor. She hugged me, pressing her lithe body to mine. I could feel her heart hammering in her chest. “I still can’t believe it’s real. I dreamed last night, of you and I on a Scout ship of our own, out among the stars. And when I woke up, I almost believed it was all just a dream.”

“It’s real,” I said, stroking her hair, “but we still have to pass their evaluation—whatever that is.” I pulled away and took her hand. “Come on. The stars are waiting.”

All along the way, people took us aside to congratulate us.

“You remember us when you’re out there,” they said. “Remember where you came from.”

I started to wonder whether Scouts ever came back. They weren’t giving congratulations, they were saying goodbye, and the elation I felt ran with streaks of sadness. It occurred to me that I had never met an ex-Scout, but then I hadn’t met an active Scout until the day before, either.

As we came to the end of the gallery, those emotions froze in a block of terror. Three huge Marines stood in front of the door to the docking bay. Even without their space armor, they were terrifying beings. Two and a half meters tall and massing at least six of me, all of it muscle, there was no denying their immediate power. The fact that the station folk had disappeared from this end of the gallery only added to the Marines’ authority. One leaned forward and stared at me. His eyes were entirely black.

“Challers Dizen?” His question was no question.

Valka took my hand. “There must be a mistake! We’ve been recruited by the Scouts.”

“You’re a citizen of Stakroya Station. Stakroya Station is overpop. In the interest of maintaining life support integrity, I am relieving the station of excess burden.”

The words felt ritualized, as if he had to say them before they could drag me away. I wanted to run, but where? The only way to the Scout ship was past them. I backed away, pulling out my comm-unit. I hit the emergency button. Nothing happened.

Faster than I could have imagined such a creature moving, the Marine’s massive hand shot out and grabbed my forearm. Valka screamed and batted at them, but they ignored her, dragging me towards their ship. I thrashed in their grip, but kicking them was like kicking a bulkhead wall. I had no more chance of getting away than a baby.

“Valka!” I shouted over my shoulder. “Call Shirley!”

“That won’t be necessary.” Shirley stood in the passageway in front of them, arms crossed. “Did you think I wouldn’t know, lieutenant? Did you think I would just let this slip by?”

He leaned down and glared. “We’re within our rights,” he growled.

She stood her ground. “That man is a Scout, lieutenant, and you are
not
within your rights. Put him down, or there will be consequences.”

I was close enough to hear the buzz coming from the comm-unit clipped to the Marine’s ear. He stood at attention and put his hand to the side of his head. “Yes, sir.” He turned to the men holding me. “Put him down.”

They obeyed, setting me down lightly on my feet.

The Marines stepped back away from me and Valka squeezed past them to wrap herself around me.

Shirley didn’t hesitate. “No time for that now. They can still change their minds.”

She took my hand, I took Valka’s, and we hurried down to the hangar.

The interior of their ship was no less wonderful than the exterior. The hatch led to a long, narrow passageway that opened into a circular chamber, with a soft, spongy floor, about as big as my family’s main room. Wide, padded benches ringed it with breaks fore and aft for the passageways leading to the rest of the ship. The dark walls beyond the benches glowed with status displays and programmable controls in between access panels and lockers. The air felt warmer than the station.

Shirley popped open a panel, revealing a set of cubbyholes. Two were stuffed with rolls of fabric and the other two were empty. “Put your things in here, and we’ll be on our way.”

Masters left us, taking the other passageway towards the nose of the ship, and Shirley took a seat on a bench, facing the center of the room. She stuck her legs out and crossed them, leaning back on her hands.

When our things were stowed and the panel secured again, she waved her hands at the benches. “Sit, sit, and I’ll give you the talk while Masters takes us out.”

Val and I sat together, our hands touching on the padded seat.

“Welcome to the Scout Service. You are now provisional cadets. This means you do as I say—or as Masters says, or any other Scout you’re likely to meet, for that matter. Don’t worry, we’re a very informal service. No salutes, no honorifics. It’s actually more like a family than a military service. There are some rules, though.

“One: Take care of your body. It is your greatest possession as a Scout. No unapproved drugs, no alcohol, no caffeine. Of course, it’ll be hard to violate that rule when you’re on a Scout craft, but it’s a rule you should always follow.

“Two: Take care of your mind. I’ve already seen your academic records and you two have solid foundations. You still have much to learn to be full-fledged Scouts. Astrophysics, engineering, xenobiology, economics, history, politics, diplomacy—you’re going to study it all. Scouts get sent on a wide variety of missions, and your most efficient tools are the ones you carry around in your heads.

“Three: No orgasms without my express permission, under any circumstances. The ship is highly sensitive to releases of orgone energy. It shouldn’t be an issue since there’s no privacy on this ship, but there have been accidents.”

I looked at Val. Her brow furrowed.

“I know,” said Shirley, “you’re young, and you need release. I’ll make sure you get the opportunities you need, but they must be under controlled conditions. Don’t worry. The last thing I want is to cause you trauma.”

Masters’s voice broke in, transmitted from the bridge. “We’re away, Shirley. Ready for jump.”

Shirley nodded. “Thank you, Masters. Meet us in the chamber.” She addressed Val and I again. “Looks like it’s time for your first engineering lesson. Faster-than-light travel is dependent upon orgone energy. Merchant ships use basal orgone, the ordinary everyday energy of life. Warships need to be able to generate bursts of speed, so their engines can also accept crisis orgone from rage, fear, and pain. It’s a horrific life, but as long as there are Pirates preying on Merchant ships, we need the Fleet.”

“And then there’s us. Scout ships can travel across the galaxy in a moment, powered by transcendent orgone. Some of the great adepts have learned to release it at will, but most of us use orgasm.”

“Orgasm?” The implications of this secret burst upon me like a bomb.

“You are familiar with the concept?” She smiled. “I’ve read your medical report; everything seemed to be all right, but if there’s a problem . . .”

“No, no.” I shook my head. “No problem.”

“Good.” She glanced around the room. “This chamber is surrounded by collectors that channel the orgone into field generators set in the hull. If the field generators are properly primed, and the navigation computer set to trigger? Pop! We’re there.”

Masters emerged from the passageway and stood in the center of the room.

Shirley stood and moved next to him. “Ready to give a demonstration?”

“As always,” he said, and pulled his shirt up over his head.

I scratched the back of my neck and looked away. “Don’t you want us to, um . . .”

“Of course not,” said Shirley. “How else are you going to learn? Station folk have different ways of looking at sex.”

Masters chuckled.

Shirley shot him a look. “So to speak. You need to shed your inhibitions, and this is your first step in doing that.”

I looked up to see her tossing her top behind a bench. Her full, round breasts bounced with her movements.

“Should I take off my clothes, too?” I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. It felt strange to just sit there, watching.

She rolled her pants down, revealing full hips and thighs. The naked cleft of her pussy held my fascinated attention.

“No, keep your clothes on, and don’t touch yourself, either. You need to learn control and now is the time to start.”

I looked over at Val. Her lips were pursed and one hand nervously picked at the neck of her shirt. She caught my eye and gave me a fleeting smile. This would test her as much as it would me.

Now completely naked, Shirley and Masters kissed, their left hands laid gently on each other’s waist, their right hands roaming over each other’s body. Their kisses were quick, rhythmic, but open-mouthed and full of passionate promise. They sank down onto the floor as one, performing a dance they obviously knew well from long practice. She lay on her back, her hands caressing his shoulders, neck, and ears. His lips traveled over her body, kissing and nuzzling her skin as he gradually approached her breast.