Earthbound by DM Arnold (read book .TXT) 📕

Nyk heard the sound of the skimmer door. He walked into the kitchen. Senta was examining his purchases. “Is this new?” She held up an injector cartridge.

“Yes, it's a new female endurance enhancer.”

“Well, I want to try that tonight.”

“You hardly need it, Senta.”

She examined the groceries. “You didn't get the snack wafers?”

“...No ... I can go out now and get some.”

She scowled. “No, don't waste a trip. We'll manage without them. I put them on the list because I know you like them. I swear, Nyk, you're determined not to enjoy yourself tonight.” She opened a cabinet door, withdrew a stack of polymer fiber baskets and began filling them with the inhalers and injector cartridges.

“I want to do some more work on Koichi's journal until it's closer to the time of the party. It may be a while before I can get back to it".

“Take these on your way to your little sanctuary. Please, Nykkyo, try to enjoy yourself tonight -- and try to think first of the needs of our guests. Is that too much to ask?”

He took the baskets, plopped them onto a table and headed to the study, pulling the door shut behind him. There, he picked up a datacel containing Koichi's journal. Nyk had not translated the journal in a systematic fashion. He had started with easier passages and worked his way to the more difficult ones as his grasp of the ancient Esperanto language improved. Now he was struggling with an entry from early in the journal. He translated:

5.001 APF

Today begins our sixth orbit around the orange star we now know as our sun. We have agreed on some conventions for the recording of the passage of time. Our year has now been accurately measured to be 251.724 Floran days long. We have agreed the first day of each new year shall be marked by the conjunction of our sun and the star Deneb, which is bright enough to be seen in daylight.

When both Deneb and our sun are simultaneously at the zenith, it is a new year. Every fourth year will be shortened by one day to accommodate the nearly three fourths of an extra day in the revolutionary period -- analogous to the practice of Leap Year on Earth, except our Leap Year shall be shorter by one day, rather than longer. As for marking of time during the day, we have agreed to split each day into two meridians, the Zenith meridian, marked by the sun being at its zenith, and the Nadir meridian. Each meridian shall be divided into eight segments, and each segment into one hundred divisions. We have deliberately avoided the use of Earth terminology of hours, minutes, seconds, months and weeks. So far, there has been scant interest in carrying forward Earth holidays....

The study door slid open. “Nyk, our guests will be here any moment. Please get ready for the party.” He saved the text of his translation and switched off the vidisplay.

Nyk stood on the balcony watching the sky darken and dimmer stars appear. “I hope that's not what you're wearing,” he heard Senta say. “You look like you're ready for a day at the office instead of having some fun.”

“I'm comfortable in this.”

“Wouldn't you be more comfortable in the robe I gave you? You know which one I mean. It matches what I'm wearing. Now why don't you go change? Our guests will be here any moment.”

Nyk walked into their bedroom, kicked off his sandals, removed his xarpa and tunic, and slipped into the short, sleeveless robe. The doorchime sounded. He walked barefoot to the front door and opened it.

The first guests, a pair of young women with dark blond hair, walked in and slipped off their sandals. They were the Arodsu twins, dressed in revealing costumes to be mirror images of each other. “Hello, girls. It's Katha and Ratha, isn't it?”

“I'm Ratha,” the one on the left said. Her twin giggled.

Nyk eyed the colorful, abstract body art on their shoulders and thighs. “Those are ... impressive decorations. Do they rub off?”

Katha giggled. “Not until we want them to.”

“They go all the way up,” Ratha added, lifting her hem. “See?”

Nyk averted his gaze and gestured toward the living room. “Senta is expecting you.”

He greeted more guests, most of whom flocked around Senta. A young man approached Nyk and handed him an inhaler. Nyk smiled and thanked him, then circulated through the guests and slipped it back into the basket of euphoriants.

The doorchime sounded again. Nyk opened the door and recognized Senta's skimmer pilot. “Rez -- come on in. I'm surprised you didn't just drop in onto the balcony. I wasn't expecting you.”

Rez looked at his feet. “Dr Kyhana invited me this afternoon. If there's a problem...”

Nyk shook his head. “If Senta invited you, you're more than welcome. She's in the living room.” Rez nodded an acknowledgement, headed toward Senta and embraced and kissed her. Nyk rolled his eyes as he saw her take Rez's hand and lead him toward the guest room.

An auburn-haired young woman approached him. “Hi, I'm Kyra.”

“Pleased to meet you, I'm Nykkyo.”

She handed him an injector and lifted her hem. “Please inject me. I can't do it myself.”

Nyk saw it was loaded with an orgasm enhancer. He removed the needle guard. She closed her eyes and turned her head as he drove the needle into her thigh and triggered the spring-loaded device. “Done,” he said withdrawing the needle and replacing the guard. “That wasn't too bad was it?” He ejected the spent cartridge.

“No -- I hardly felt anything.” She put her arms around him and rested her head against his shoulder. “It's funny, I can inject someone else, but not myself...” She pressed and rocked her hips against his. “I'm starting to feel it, already.” He held her for a moment, and then heard the doorchime.

“Excuse me,” he said and headed toward the door, flicking the spent cartridge into the waste reprocessor. He opened the door and saw Zander Baxa and his wife.

“Nykkyo, it's been years.” Nyk tapped his left wrist to Zander's. “This is Andra.” Nyk regarded Zander's wife. She was dressed in a tunic and lifxarpa. Andra had oat-straw white hair, alabaster skin and eyes of the palest light blue, almost white. Her sash matched her eyes. She was tall with long neck and legs and slender arms. Impeccable posture accentuated her height. Nyk noted the diamond-shaped Baxa marriage crest tattooed on her right arm -- the black ink contrasted against her creamy skin.

Andra extended her hand. “I'm pleased to meet you,” she said, making a hint of a curtsy.

“I'm pleased to meet you, too. Help yourself to the recreational chemicals.” Nyk gestured toward the baskets on the table.

She smiled. “I don't use them, but thank you so much for offering.”

Nyk saw his wife appear from the midst of the crowd. “Hello, I'm Senta.” She led Andra toward the crush of guests in their living room.

Nyk accompanied Zander toward the baskets. “It's quite a crowd,” Zander said.

“I don't even know the names of most of these people. They're all Senta's friends.”

Zander plucked a pair of inhalers from a basket, handed one to Nyk, put the other to his lips and inhaled. Nyk did the same, but he held his in such a way as to avoid inhaling most of its charge. Zander closed his eyes and held his breath for a few moments, then exhaled slowly through his nose. Nyk feigned a cough and Zander slapped him on the back.

“You haven't changed, Nykkyo. You never could handle drugs.”

Nyk tossed the spent inhalers into the waste reprocessor. “What's happening in the Agency?”

“Oh, the same-old-same-old. You start a tour tomorrow, I understand. You will enjoy yourself, I can assure you. Agency assignments are the most rewarding in the entire ExoService. We're a close-knit group and we take care of each other. For everyone's safety, you might not know the names and locations of other Agents. But we're there, and we help each other out.” He put his arm around Andra and she smiled. “The Agency's been good to me.”

“Come on, Nyk -- have some fun!” Senta approached him, staggering.

“Senta, your robe is open,” Nyk said.

“So what? I'm enjoying myself. Why don't you open your robe and enjoy yourself? You're so stiff, Nyk ... except where it counts. Loosen up and have some fun! I invited the prettiest girls and boys I know. Come on -- use tonight to get it out of your system. You'll be Earthbound a long time.”

“Senta's right,” Zander said. “You'll have to keep your hands off the Earth girls. If Seymor knew you even looked twice at an Earth woman, he'd bounce you back here so fast your head would spin.”

“I don't enjoy intimacy with strangers, and I don't know the names of most of these people. Besides, I'm saving my desire for you, for when I'm home on leave.”

“Maybe you'd like to spend some of that desire right now...” She looked up. “... Andra, can I get you anything?”

“I'd like a cup of water, if it's not too much trouble.”

“Not at all. Come with me.” Senta looked at Nyk. “I'll be back for you, later.” She led Andra by the hand toward the kitchen.

Zander held up his hand. “Go ahead and enjoy Andra. You know her name, at least. I'll call her over.” He waited until she glanced his way. “It's the training, Nyk. They're taught to watch their companions for signals.” He made a slight gesture with his thumb and Andra started walking toward them.

“Thanks, but I'm not in the right mood for any of this. Enjoy yourself, Zander. Don't let me spoil your fun.”

“If you say so.” Zander flicked his index finger. Andra nodded, turned and rejoined Senta. “She's too much woman for you, anyway.” He headed for the baskets on the table.

Nykkyo eyed the festivities. Couples were on the floor kissing and groping each other. He glanced into his bedroom and saw a foursome on his bed -- a tangle of arms and legs. Undoubtedly they included the Arodsu twins; he rolled his eyes. A young man he observed earlier popping psychedelic tabs danced to music in his head. Senta stood with her arm around Andra's waist talking to a group of women.

Nyk saw Kyra sitting on Zander's lap. They were caressing each other and she had opened his robe and slipped it off his shoulders. One of the men swiped a basket of euphoriant inhalers from the table and took it to the balcony. The traditional men's caucus was forming there and a noisy discussion of sports and politics was underway.

He slinked along the wall of the apartment. A young woman who had overindulged in euphoriants tripped over him, fell to the floor and he helped her to her feet. He stepped over a young man who hit his limit and had passed out.

Nyk reached the door to his study. He slipped through, pulled it shut, switched on the vidisplay and began translating.

Nyk lay on his back, cracked his eyes open and closed them again. Senta lay beside him. He recollected the previous evening with a groan.

“What time did you come to bed?” she asked.

“I didn't look. That party kept me up too late.”

“It wasn't the party. You were still in your study when I came to bed.” She rolled from him.

“I want to try to get some more sleep before it's time to get up,” he replied. A clock built into a panel by the bed chimed -- Nadir-four. Nyk groaned again.

He arose and found a cold breakfast package; he ate half and tossed the remainder into the waste reprocessor. Senta was showering as he dressed in a tunic and powder-blue xarpa and packed his travel gear.

She stood behind him. “Wasn't Andra gorgeous?”

“I didn't notice. I did notice how phony she was.”

“Phony? What