Yuen-Mong's Revenge (24 page)

 
     
"Implants? What are those?"

 
     
"Plastic bags filled with an inert gel that are inserted surgically to
enlarge breasts or buttocks and to the touch feel like the real thing."

 
     
She could not help laughing. It sounded preposterous, but she sensed
that he was serious. "So they think that I’m only half human because I
limp… Does it bother you too?"

 
     
"It did initially, and I pitied you when I first met you, but no more.
I’ve seen you run, I’ve watched you do t’ai chi, and your movements are
pure grace and beauty. Through you I’ve learned that the handicap wasn’t
on you, but in my mind, that it wasn’t you who should be pitied, but me
for thinking so."

 
     
She was deeply touched by his confession. She went up to him and
said: "Thank you, Atun. Kiss me."

 
     
He took her into his arms, his lips playing with hers, their tongues
meeting, and she liked the taste of his saliva. She pressed her body
against his and felt the slow heat growing in her belly, ready to receive
him, wanting to receive him. "Let’s make love, Atun," she whispered,
pulling him to the bed.

     
He undressed her slowly, kissing every inch of new skin revealed.
When he played with her breasts, she asked facetiously: "Do they need
implants?"

 
     
He briefly met her eyes, as if to make sure whether she was serious.

     
"I would not, even if you wanted it… Anyway, what is that fascination with breasts?"

 
     
"They are the symbols of womanhood," he mumbled between kissing
and nibbling her nipples. "They’re delicious. Don’t you like it?"

 
     
"Oh, yes, it feels very pleasant and goes straight to my belly. Come,
get undressed. I want you."

* * *

When she woke, she could see the rugged mountain range to the west, the
snow-covered tops a delicate pink in the first rays of the sun. She
watched as the sun reached gradually farther down the mountains. A
sense of home sickness for Aros filled her.
Will I ever again watch the
night hunters disappear in the morning dawn, hear the awakening of the
dawn birds?
She doubted it. The coming of Atun had changed her life.
She looked at his relaxed face, its boyish quality when he was asleep.
He
has become younger since I met him,
and smiled.
He loves me.
She knew
that he longed for her to say the three short words.
Do I love him?
Not the
same way he loved her, beyond his control, helplessly. She had chosen
him consciously, rationally. She liked sharing her life with him. She
enjoyed their love making. In fact, it had become more. She needed and
wanted it. Was that love? She did not know.

     
She took a long shower, savoring the luxury of ample hot water, such
a contrast to the need for rationing on the ship. When she came out of the
shower, Atun was lying on his back, eyes open.

     
She raised her arms, combing her black hair, lifting her breasts. She
felt his eyes on them. "You like them?" she asked, teasingly.

     
"Yes, they’re perfect."

 
     
Turning, she pushed out her bum. "Are my buttocks round enough?"

 
     
"Yes, they’re perfect. You know, Yuen-mong, seeing you tease me
like this, I have difficulties believing the sinister plans in your head."

 
     
A quick frown passed over her face and then she smiled again.
"Everything at its proper time. Are there any other parts on me that need
changing?" She turned her face from side to side and then looked down
over her body, assuming the alluring posture of the model in the skin
lotion advertisement displayed in the hotel lobby.

     
He jumped out of bed and embraced her. "No, you’re perfect," he
whispered. She sensed his manhood stiffen against her groin.

     
"Atun, let me do t’ai chi first," she giggled, pushing him away.

* * *
 

More than an hour later, they went down to the dining room for breakfast.
There was no question that she would try the genuine, freshly-made
muesli with a topping of yoghurt, and she approved of it wholeheartedly,
while Atun chose a cooked breakfast of crisp bacon and eggs. She had
her first espresso with cream. "To think that I had to wait twenty years
before I could taste such delicacies? Which reminds me, we must check
out my mother’s credit balance."

 
     
"Yes, we forgot. We can do this from the ICE comunit in our room."

     
"ICE comunit? What’s that?"

     
"It stands for information, communication, and entertainment AI
unit."

 
     
"Can we also find out what Old Earth offers in terms of ship catering
for gourmets?"

     
"Like you. Yes."

 
     
She responded with a smile. "I still have a long way to catch up. We
need food for at least 21 days. And let’s also get some good wine, maybe
even stock up a bit for the future. It surely must be much cheaper here."

 
     
"Yuen-mong, you amaze me. You already think like an Andromatian."

 
     
"If that is bad, don’t tell me. With all that good food around —"

 
     
"— and on offer without having to fool the craw first —"

 
     
"— do we still stick to our plan and only spend two days here, or do
we stay longer?"

 
     
"To do what?"

 
     
"Go riding into the mountains."

 
     
"Would you like that?"

 
     
"Yes, but today lets first do the things that need to be done to get the
ship ready for departure."

 
     
"I see, ensuring survival comes first even here."

 
     
"If we are to succeed, make no mistake about that."

 
     
They looked up the credit balance of Yuen-mong’s father. Her
memory of his pin code proved correct in spite of having learned it more
than ten years ago. His balance was over one million credits. A message
flashed in red letters. ‘Account subject to inheritance procedures after
January 17, 2427 standard’.

     
"Atun, what does that mean?"

 
     
"That after that date, the legal ownership passes to the known heirs.
Do you know if your father has any?"

 
     
"As far as I know, he was an only child and his parents died in an
accident before he married my mother."

 
     
"There may be first cousins who’re eligible, otherwise it goes into the
coffers of the Andromatis treasury."

 
     
"What standard date do we have now… Ah, I see it here." She pointed
to the right-hand bottom corner of the holoscreen that showed ‘November 21, 2426, 08:47', and she realized that this was actually the current
time and date on Old Earth, since the Galactic Federation had adopted it
for all galactic transactions right from the very start of interplanetary
explorations. "So I can still draw on it for almost another two standard
months."

 
     
"No. The moment this notice is attached to an account, all transactions have to go through the official executor of the estate, and that
means you have to engage a lawyer to do this for you. They’ll require
proof and only then will the account be returned to the legal owner."

 
     
"What word did the driver use yesterday when the ground shuttle did
not want to start?"

 
     
"Bugger," replied Atun, laughing.

     
"OK, bugger. What does it mean?"

 
     
"It’s a vulgar archaic swearword. You don’t want to know." He
grinned, looking embarrassed.

     
"Don’t I?" She was curious, but let it pass. "Let’s try my mother’s."

 
     
Its balance was over fourteen million, but flashed the same message.

     
"At least, I still have a chance to recover it, and I already have the
name of a lawyer my mother trusted. A good omen."

 
     
Atun said nothing.
He does not want to disappoint me.
"Atun, think
positive. I will get my hands on all my parents’ wealth."

 
     
He met her eyes, smiling. "You read my mind."

 
     
The on-line business directory showed only one space caterer advertising gourmet food. Many of the items listed, including salmon, lamb
fillets, venison steaks, and chicken breasts sounded appetizing, but she
wanted to taste one or two before placing a full order. They called for an
appointment later that morning. A taxi drove them to an industrial area
on the outskirts of the city. They asked the woman driver to wait for them
and went inside.

     
A jovial, white-haired man greeted them, rubbing his hands. Certainly, they could sample some of his foods. He entered four numbers
into a keyboard on a control console. After two minutes of small talk
between the two men, four trays issued from a food dispenser — a small
cut of lamb, another of fillet mignon, a piece of fish, all garnished with
various vegetables, followed by a chocolate mousse. They tasted them.
Although not as good as what they had eaten for dinner, it came close.
With his help they made a selection to last for thirty days, muesli
breakfast with full-cream milk powder, espresso coffee, cold lunches, hot
dinners, desserts, fresh and dried fruit.

     
They asked him to recommend a wine merchant. He smiled, went to
his desk and called "customers" through the intercom. A short time later,
the exact replica of the man appeared with a big smile, also rubbing his
hands, and was introduced as the brother, wine merchant of repute.
Again, they let him make the selection, including a supply for future
occasions. The bill was settled in gold at the official exchange rate and
both promised that the goods would be delivered to the space port early
the next day. As they walked out of the building, Atun remarked grinning
that their extravagance had cost them ten times more than the standard
space fare.

     
To their annoyance, the cab was gone, the street deserted.
But we
haven’t paid the woman,
Yuen-mong wondered.
What now?

     
"Let’s walk to the intersection down there. We’re bound to find
transport," said Atun.

     
She remembered seeing a stand with several taxis parked alongside,
about a kilometer down the road. They had gone no more than a hundred
feet, when two guys, one blonde, the other dark skinned, came away from
the shade of a building, and she instantly sensed the bad emanations
reaching her. Instinctively, her left hand went for the sling holding her
pony tail, while the right took the three flat Aros stones from the pocket
of her pantsuit. She noticed that Atun had spotted them too.

     
"I think we should go back and ask the caterer to order a cab." He
grabbed her arm to hold her back.

     
Although on Aros, this would have been against her natural reaction
in the face of danger, she turned around, only to face a second pair of
shady looking characters rapidly coming from the other direction. She
felt Atun’s sudden agitation and fear.

     
"Atun, let me handle this."

 
     
"But they may have guns."

 
     
"So far not. If they pull them, drop to the ground."

 
     
The two pairs were closing in on them. She knew her weapons were
surprise and speed, and wondered if these men would take flight like the
savages. When the second pair was about stone’s throw away, she
sharply whipped the sling into action and two stones flew away in quick
succession. A split second later one and then the other guy simply
slumped to the ground without a sound.