Starr - Sci-Rotica

Copyright 2002 Cameron Hale

First Published 2002

NOTICE: This work is copyrighted. It is licensed only for use bythe original purchaser. Making copies of this work or distributing it toany unauthorized person by any means, includingwithout limit email, floppy disk, file transfer, paper print out,or any other methodconstitutes a violation of International copyright law andsubjects the violator to severe fines or imprisonment.

"Ladies! Computer cried. Enough is enough! Mistress, will you please remove your crew and allow this wretched creature a chance to properly recover? He will need nourishment and rest. I take no responsibility for his welfare if this unacceptable behavior continues.

Martika glanced at the struggling man and reluctantly hustled the women out. By the way, Computer, I forgot to ask. Does he have a name?

Computer sniffed. I'm not surprised you forgot, Mistress, considering the way you were all pawing him like a museum exhibit. His name is Captain Jack Singer of the Earth deep space probe Andromache.

Really? she mused, lewdly winking at Computer. I wonder what the dashing captain was supposed to be probing?

No doubt you'll find out, Computer retorted out of earshot.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

SCIROTICA

Copyright 2002 by Cameron Hale

ISBN: 1-59109-063-6

Cover art by Martine Jardin

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

Published by Zumaya Publications, 2002

Look for us online at: www.zumayapublications.com

The Academy A brilliant student discovers that her prestigious scholarship conceals a sinister plan for colonization

Assassin A mysterious woman challenges the domain of a notorious underworld figurehead

Desert Dreamer The world of virtual reality provides an unhappy wife the key to escaping her troubled marriage

Detox Hurled to a distant world by their malfunctioning ship, a socialite and her date become the prey of hostile inhabitants

The Doughnut Two sisters enslaved by the sex trade for their survival on a bleak Earth beat the odds through a daring escape

Fly By Nite Brought together by a dimensional rift, two unlikely soulmates meet briefly on a moonlit beach

Fusion An illicit love between a woman and a married man tempts the laws of time and paradox

Game Point An eccentric recluse fond of dangerous games learns a lesson in humility from a daring opponent

Ground Zero A young girl bored with her generic lifestyle is hurtled into a dark realm that releases her innermost desires

Island A woman chosen to spearhead the merging between humanity and an alien race undergoes a profound transformation

Mirror Club A social noncomformist struggles for her identity in an intolerant world bent on harsh methods of rehabilitation

Nuclear Heaven After drifting two centuries, the sole survivor of an exploratory mission is revived to find himself in the hands of a voracious female crew

Off the Beaten Track A cutting edge attraction opens a gateway between the ancient seeders of Earth and its children

Peep Show A woman existing merely as sexual merchandise finds release in the love of two men

Room of Hands An alien using unsanctioned genetic experimentation to transform herself into humanoid form commits the ultimate betrayal against her people

Silent Gathering two scientists studying important archeological relics unwittingly unleash an ancient entity waiting to claim them

Storm Warning A planet in turmoil brings together and ultimately separates two star-crossed lovers

Timespanner A nomadic alien trapped on present day Earth assumes human form to survive and experiences a close encounter with its rescuers

THE ACADEMY

I never understood the logic of situating an exclusive academy on a planet in a remote sector of the galaxy. At least, not until the private cruiser chartered solely on my behalf dropped into orbit around the serene blue giant known as Treor. Below me lay paradise incarnate, revolving in splendid isolation beneath the glare of twin white stars. Feathery swathes of cloud revealed tantalizing glimpses of azure, island-dotted oceans and verdant continents bisected by meandering rivers and mirror bright lakes. In the higher elevations, majestic mountain ranges scythed the flawless sky like upthrust fists, their snow-kissed peaks glittering with the intensity of crushed diamonds.

Enthralled by the breathtaking vista, I concluded that the intention was that if the most promising female minds of the galaxy were to be nurtured to greatness, a remote, idyllic setting was best, a setting that happened to include complete isolation from males, which confirmed my belief that not even genius could fend off the primal call of hormones.

Of course, I was hardly one to complain about the stipulations dictated by the Confederation of Advanced Education. As the winner of the highly prestigious and coveted Mwaor Braak scholarship, I had successfully beaten over a million aspiring applicants after presenting my award winning theory of linear dimensional acceleration to the Judging Committee. Gazing through my cabin's filtered porthole at the dual suns locked in an eternal orbital embrace, I felt the future beckoning me with fantastic promise.

The captain's sandpaper voice boomed over the com. We land on Treor in a few minutes, Marese, he said, the sarcasm in his gruff voice undisguised. If there's anyone you want to contact, you'd better do it now. We're incommunicado the moment we approach our landing coordinates. Then I've got five minutes to get my ass into the outer stratosphere.

What's wrong, Wilk? I innocently asked. After all, you accepted the charter from the Confederation of Advanced Education. And at a pretty handsome price, from what I hear.

A loud guffaw reverberated in my luxuriously appointed cabin. First class was one privilege that time did not change. A job is a job. Only a fool would refuse that kind of payoff, but it doesn't change my feelings about those parasites. They'd cut their own balls off if it would further their glorious cause to sniff out every corner of the universe. Not that they have any left by now. This whole setup is nothing but a front to legitimize unrestricted colonization.

It's really quite an honor, you know, I said, keeping the amusement out of my voice. The Castaltor Deep Space Project is the CAE's most ambitious. Everyone knows that the Academy training is second to none. Some of our greatest leaders were graduates. The sexes are segregated simply to allow concentration on studies. Even you must remember what it was like to be young?

I still don't see what's wrong with men and women working together, Marese. For God's sake, you'd think we were back in the post-nuclear era. Who the hell ever heard of segregation in this day and age? I tell you, it's not natural!

The curt tone of the landing signal cut my reply short. I collected my gear while Wilk floated the cruiser down like a gently falling leaf.

The suns blazed high in the horizon as I stepped out of the craft onto a pristine white beach. My feet sank into velvety warmth that glittered with reflective pinpoints of crushed quartz. Inhaling a sharp, briny tang, I felt immediately exhilarated despite the sharp heat. Surveying the limpid ocean to the west and towering, granite-faced cliffs to the east, my senses were immediately assailed. Flowers in shapes that defied imagination bloomed in riotous profusion, their colors ranging from delicate pastels to vivid primaries. I discerned dozens of different fragrances from shrubs and creepers, interlaced by a musky jungle aroma that left a lingering aftertaste in my mouth.