Sisterhood - Alienation

"Are there many of your race surviving today?" I asked as I slow fucked Zethra'ah.

"Huh? Oh. Yes. There are many millions of us." She groaned her head down as she pushed back against me. "So damn deep. I am no good for my family."

"Family? Are you intimate with family members?" I asked as my toes started curling again. "I am close."

"Of course!" She growled and picked up the pace. "It is a daughter's duty to keep the males among her family happy. The same is true of sons. We don't cross the line and use the promise among family though. Children born that way are frowned upon."

"Can you have children with the other?" I asked reaching down and teasing her clits.

"No silly," she whimpered. "We aren't designed that way. One is for pleasure the other for children."

We came at the same time and she nearly fainted when my load hit her womb. Could she even get pregnant by me? If she did, how would they be treated? I pulled out and she rolled onto her back and she was grinning fiercely. I saw fierce because of the glow from her eyes giving her features an eerie cast.

"What about solid waste?" I asked and she turned her head to face me.

"Solid waste? Our bodies are not that inefficient." She said and there was that word again efficient. "We process everything we eat with little waste byproducts."

"I hate to pry." I said and she encouraged me to ask questions. "What happens in times of drought or famine?"

"We are capable of entering a trance state to reduce our bodies needs. The same is true in times of plenty. After awakening from our slumber, we will be ravenous but once we have restored necessary dietary needs, we can switch off our appetite. Our bodies tell us what we need. There are specific urges we will feel, and we eat to fulfill those needs."

"So, if your body is low on a particular vitamin you will crave foods high in that vitamin?" I asked.

"Exactly, crave, that is the word I was seeking. The same is true of sex. I crave you Keeper." She purred.

"One last question." I said as the other sisters sat patiently around us. "How long did it take your scientists to make your people so efficient?" I asked using her favorite word.

"You misunderstand Keeper Duskwalker," she said with great reverence. "We didn't do it your people did. The Duskwalkers shaped us in their image." She said and I grabbed her by the wrist and examined her hand. "No silly," she giggled. "We aren't worthy to carry that mark. After the war they rescued the survivors and gave us the gifts to allow us to survive and even thrive. For that we hold the memory of your people as sacred. We learn the names and watch over the places where your people sleep or are buried. This is holy ground to us."

"I see." I said and then turned my attention to the others. "Alright, who wants to get their promise pounded rotten?"

Thorn was right this planet's rotation was slower than the Earth I knew so well. I sat naked on the roof of the temple looking out over the valley and peeking glimpses of the landscape beyond. One of the younger sisters braved the roof and joined me via an access panel that allowed repair of the water collectors.

"I am Kuush," She said introducing herself as she sat next to me. "Something is bothering you. We call all feel it. I was sent since I have the knack for drawing out emotional venom from the wound. Tell me, maybe I can help."

"Well Kuush," I replied using her name to make her smile. "My world is so much different than this. There are oceans and the sky is blue for one." I began and she let out a cry of triumph. "What?"

"First, you aren't the first Keeper to visit Korriban. There is something you need to know. This is your Earth. I thought you knew. Korriban. It means the Red Earth in the old tongue. One of your predecessors worked out the truth. Shall I explain?" She asked and continued. "He theorized that the primordial Earth was struck by another celestial body. The event that in your universe created 'the moon' as he called it. In this version the impact sent the world hurtling out of the solar system making your world a rogue planet." She paused to let me assimilate the implications. "It wandered the galaxy for billions of years. It was eventually snared by a gas giant, that one there the ringed planet. Over another billion years it settled into a stable orbit, warmed by the suns and life evolved as it did on your own. It is so written in the sacred texts."

"Makes sense. Red Earth in the corner pocket." I joked and Kuush lit up like a Christmas tree.

"I knew it!" She exclaimed her voice echoing out over the valley. "Sorry. The minute I laid eyes on you I knew you were a practitioner of the sacred art."

"No disrespect Kuush, but uh what the hell are you talking about?" I asked and she winked at me.

"It is okay the entire sisterhood are skilled as well." She replied and saw the obvious frustration in my expression. "Pool. You know cue ball, number 8 ball... pool!"

"Hmmm. Why is pool so important to the sisterhood?" I asked and she was on her feet and pulling on my arm.

I took the easy way down instead of climbing the outer surface of the temple. Once on the ground floor she directed me to the game room. I stared open mouthed at the regulation pool table with green felt and all. She handed me a cue stick and I examined it. It was a good weight, straight, but for the life of me I couldn't place the wood. It must be local. Kuush took a stick for herself after setting the table for a standard game. Since I was the visitor, she let me break. When was the last time I played a game of pool? It must have been a few years at least. The cue felt good in my hands as I settled the tip of the stick in the crook between my inner thumb and forefinger. I balanced my formidable strength with accuracy. I got a good break and sank two balls. The first to go was the ten ball so I would be solids. The crack of the break was like ringing the bell for service for the sisterhood. Thorn followed out of curiosity.

"The Keeper plays." They whispered.

"Does he know St. Fats of the Minnesota?" One of them asked and I just smiled.

I was able to sink two balls before missing. The look of genuine disappointment was clear on their features. Did they expect me to run the table? Kuush was flawless in her execution and ability to set up shot after shot. She was merciless as she cleared the table and even finished off the eight with a behind the back shot. Smart ass.

"Good game." I said and she seemed upset. "No, I mean it. You play very well. I'm a little rusty to be honest. I haven't touched a cue in a couple of years."

"It is as the other Keeper foretold." Zethra'ah intoned and quoted him verbatim. "This ain't everybody's bag baby."

I chuckled and fearing repercussions I explained how antiquated that phrase was.

"I mean no disrespect, but I was caught off guard." I said and all was forgiven.

The sisters liked playing pool nearly as much as they did fucking. There was an almost monastic veneration attached to it. The cue was a sacred object and the table a place of worship. When I suggested making love on top of the table they were torn between blasphemy and fantasy. I suspected they would never admit to the latter though. Each one of them took turns schooling me in the 'high art' of pool. I learned the physics of pool from the best players I had ever encountered. I had seen hustlers pull off some amazing shit, but these girls performed real magic.

It was nearly dawn when we called a halt to my training. Thorn and I were given the guest room which was decorated in something between high tech and early xenomorph. There was a definite organic feel to it. I tried sleeping but my mind wouldn't shut down and my frustration leaked through.

"Keeper... Jerry... just examine it already." Thorn giggled sleepily.

I slipped out of bed and took out my eyepiece and examined the structure of the wall. I was right, it was a blend of organic and non-organic materials. It was interesting but what purpose did it serve, if any. I touched the wall and it responded by growing warm. A portion of the wall changed into a display listing the rooms temperature, humidity, and current light level in a scale I was unfamiliar with. I lifted my hand and the wall returned to its smooth surface. I stored the data the eyepiece had collected and added it to things I would try when we returned. I crawled back in next to Thorn only to find her fast asleep. I cuddled behind her and closed my eyes.

I was walking naked through the hallways of the temple. I knew I was dreaming when none of the people reacted to my lack of clothing. There were hundreds of people both male and female. They all wore the same gunmetal gray and black uniforms and robes. There appeared to be two different class of inhabitants. Most wore the uniforms while only a few were clad in the ornate robes. Were they students and teachers? The numbers seemed to fit. Each room's purpose was clearly defined a lecture hall, or a lab, or a martial art dojo. Had this been a military academy or even a monastery? As I walked down the halls and peered in, I discovered that I was wrong about the robed individuals being teachers, they appeared to be advanced students.

"Today's lesson will be more difficult. All of you have advanced so it is time to help you develop your telekinesis to the master rank." The instructor said as he turned to face his class. He was a Duskwalker! "Jinn, you go first. Just as you did yesterday but I have set the resistance to twice the weight you lifted before. Begin."

So, this was a Duskwalker academy and they were training those psychically gifted. I sought out one of the dojos and watched their combat techniques. To my surprise there was a holographic instructor here. The students wore loose fitting uniforms like the one I had seen in the tomb. It reminded me of photos I had seen of martial arts ghi. It seems that repetition and hands on training were a universal concept. The moves were clean, graceful, and looked easy enough to learn.

The dream was breaking up and I woke. I was on my back with Thorn snuggled close. I lightly stroked one of her lekku and she purred. She kissed my cheek and looked for the bathroom. I sat up and pressed my hand against the wall and thought bathroom. The room responded as the walls reconfigured themselves. There was what had to be a toilet and a large shower receptacle. Talon relieved herself over the flashing green target. The rest was automatic in removing the waste. She stripped down and entered the shower. She was scanned and the perfect water temperature was provided as well as cleaning materials. Once she indicated that she was finished the water shut off and she was air dried.

"I want one of those. Look at my skin." She said beaming at the fresh healthy glow.

"Me next," I said and placed my hand on the wall again. "I'll see if I can figure it out and if I do, we'll all have one."

"Look!" Thorn gasped and pointed behind me.

"What?" I said looking over my shoulder at the wall. "I'll be damned." The wall had produced a slender tendril of quasi-matter and at the tip was a glittering crystal. "Is it a data crystal?"

I asked as I took the offering. "Thank you." I said as it withdrew the extension and gave off a pleasant chirp. "A.I. blended with programmable matter?"

"Shower now theorize later." Thorn laughed as she pulled me from the bed and shoved me into the receptacle. "Well?"

"Amazing!" I said as the water fell and it produced cleaning gel, shampoo, and a substance to both clean and freshen my teeth and breath. "I see what you mean... whoa... what the hell happened?"

"What's wrong?" Thorn asked approaching me.

"My body hair it is gone." I noticed after rinsing off my arms.

"Eyebrows and head hair," Thorn listed off. "That's it."

"I guess Duskwalkers didn't like shaving." I commented.

The sisters were having a communal breakfast and we joined them. I commented on the shower and they seemed genuinely surprised. They were equally shocked when I told them about the smart wall and how it provided a toilet and shower.

"Your people," Zethra'ah explained. "...mastered the science of blending living and unliving to serve them. The smart wall as you call it is the most simplistic of their accomplishments. Even their clothing possessed those qualities. It acted as garments as well as armor and weapons. Many fell in battle when attempting to assassinate a Duskwalker when apparently unarmed."

"I can see why they were so feared." I commented.

"And adored." She added. "It was only by infighting that the era of the Duskwalkers came to an end." She sounded almost sad.

"How long did it last?" I asked and she thought about it.

"Over ten thousand standard years." She said after a long pause.

"Standard years? What constitutes a standard year?"

"It is founded off a base ten system set up by your people. A standard year has 400 days. Each day is broken up into ten hours of light and ten of night. Each hour is 100 minutes long, each minute is made up of 100 seconds... that's about it."

"So, it isn't based off an actual planetary cycle."

"That is a matter of some debate." Zethra'ah declared and with a sweeping gesture a holographic screen sprung up above the table we were seated around. "This is a computer-generated image of the Duskwalker's home system according to the sacred texts."

"Crazy." I said staring at the ten planets moving in perfect circular orbits around a red giant star. "Which one is theirs?"

"The fourth from the parent star, the one with the four moons." She indicated and the fourth planet was centered in the display now. "See how the moons create daily eclipses along the equator of the planet. According to the records they are named Dawn, Day, Dusk, and Dark."

"They created their own clockwork star system... holy shit!" I gasped and looked at Thorn.

"I've never heard of a race with such formidable skills." Thorn said equally awed by the demonstration of power.

"There has to be some kind of machinery in place to maintain that kind of precision." I said thinking out loud. "Impressive... hell... godlike."

"Exactly." Zethra'ah intoned in absolute reverence. "How about a tour of the temple after morning meal?"

"Yes please." I said and the word please sliced through them like a vorpal blade.

"Keeper is too kind." They said in one voice.

We finished the meal of imported vegetables and fruits. After breakfast Zethra'ah took the lead and provided us with clean clothing. The weave of the material was interesting and comfortable. When she saw me running the material between my inner thumb and index finger, she told me the skins were brought in by merchant ship. They processed the materials themselves and then sold them when the merchants returned. We changed into the new clothes and she took us to the chamber where the crafts were done, and my jaw dropped when I saw the carcass from the last shipment.

"A dragon!" I squealed like a little girl. "That's a god damn dragon!"

"I believe that is what the natives of the world call them." Zethra'ah said smiling at my enthusiasm. "We get three with each shipment. They are frozen soon after death so that when we thaw them out, they are as fresh as possible. We removed the soft tissues first, process what we can and recycle the rest for food stuffs. The horns, claws, wing membrane, and skins are the most highly sought after. We make custom garments for nobles, crime bosses, and the like. The bones are used for weapons or artistic endeavors. Our garments are made from the wing membranes. It provides light yet extremely durable clothing. It resists the sand and wind easily and can turn aside most blades."

"Perhaps the Keeper would like us to craft something unique for him?" One of the ladies offered.

"More like let him work the material with his own hands," Thorn interjected. "He has a knack for creating things of great beauty and cunning function."

"That would require him to stay a bit longer," Zethra'ah said with a wolfish grin. "I'd be happy to help the Keeper in any capacity he might need."

"Yes... yes!" The others agreed quite enthusiastically.

"You spoiled them." Thorn giggled.

"Well... if I could have access to your workshop... I might be able to stay for a few days." I said and the entire sisterhood was all smiles.

We came to an agreement. I got a closer look at their machinery and was impressed at what they were able to accomplish. Thorn laid her hand on Zethra'ah's shoulder and they shared a knowing look. The next room was unused and had an energy to it.

"What purpose did this room serve?" I asked.

"I don't know. The furnishings and machinery are stored elsewhere. Would you like to see them?" Zethra'ah asked.

"Yes." I agreed feeling a psychic tug. "Lead the way."

The interior of the main temple was impressive. The same ruddy sedimentary stone we had seen outside had been quarried and cut to fashion this building. Fossils of various sizes were used to decorate the hallways and floors. The storage room was in a far corner of the temple. The sisters carried lighted staves to illuminate the chamber. The power grid didn't extend this far. There were sconces that held lights but damage to the grid kept this area in the dark. I stopped the sisters when I spotted what I hoped was an access panel. I launched my drone and I directed it on a repair mission. It went straight for the panel. It extended its two manipulator arms and triggered the sliding mechanism revealing the control panel beneath.

"See what you can do." I said and the drone tweeted back.

It scanned the inner workings and displayed the damage and it was done deliberately. You could see the clean cut severing several arterial machineries. The drone brought the two ends together and the self-repair system kicked in. A soft hum could be heard and felt as power was restored. I told them it was sabotage and they were strangely silent. We continued to the storage room.

The layer of dust covered everything and indicated they had been here for quite some time. Zethra'ah pointed out artwork, chairs, recliners, and machinery whose purpose was unknown. They offered to carry the machinery back to that chamber to be reassembled. The pulse took me by surprise. I spun and looked over the filthy items trying to isolate the source of the psychic call. The second pulse came from the distant corner. I vaulted over the furniture and isolated the plain stone pedestal before the third pulse occurred.

"What is this?" I asked.

"My apologies Keeper." Zethra'ah said and informed me that it was also part of the items removed from the chamber. "It was the first thing removed. My superior was responsible for it being placed here. It disturbed her but she never explained why."

I squatted next to the cylinder of black polished stone. I asked if the stone was native, but she shook her head. I placed my hands along the smooth surface and felt for irregularities. Something had gotten my attention and I wanted to know what it was. It was a long and painstaking process, but I found a hidden catch. I waved them off in case it was trapped. I was about to activate the button when Thorn cleared her throat. I looked up to see my drone in her grasp.

"Work smart," she said repeating the advice I gave out all too often to the girls back home.

"Yep." Was all I could think to say.

I changed the drone's mission to traps and explosives. It scanned the surface and then spiraled around the pedestal until the entirety of it had been checked. It chirped the all clear. I pressed the button and the concealed panel popped open and the drone flittered over and scanned the interior. It hummed happily when it finds something interesting. It gave off three solid beeps that whatever it was fell under the category of unknown. I reached in and pulled out the neatly folded material.