Knollig: A Terraneu Novel ( Book 2) (3 page)

Knollig was describing the city of Terraneu
infrastructure to her, “All of the buildings in the compound have eight walls,
twelve feet long to make a perfect octagonal shape with about 700 sq. ft. of
useable space inside. The walls could be removed, doors widened, computer
consoles added/removed. It is a very functional system.”

Knollig was pointing to the domes they had just
left. “These four are the Square. They have the medical, technology, port pad
and caging domes. These four were built by the original fathers, and are the
only domes in an enclosed wall. The “Square” as we call it is also the only space
that is guarded, and gate access is the only way in or out.” Knollig paused,
“Though if my brother Knaleg has his way, New Haven will also be guarded.” At
her confused look he hurried to explain, “New Haven is the community just to
the south of here for family units. When a female has chosen the male she wants
for her mate, they can move to New Haven. Currently only Amber and Kniam live
there. The units are all on individual solar power, so there is no drain on
resources. We can have one, two or one hundred units running it doesn’t
matter.”

They continued along a path. Knollig explaining as they went, “The rest
of the living quarters and industrial domes are all spaced out in ‘rings’
radiating out from the Square. We left space in between each ring to allow for
personal balconies and landscaping. There are also four larger, twenty-foot
wide travel paths going from the center of each wall. Walking paths were
placed, five feet wide in front of each ring, and behind each ring to make an
interconnected space. The domes are broken into “zones”. They are NW, SW, SE,
and NE. The first ring has five living pods or domes in each zone. The second
ring has nine, the third has thirteen, and the fourth has seventeen and so on.”

He was waving his hands animatedly as he talked, “So if you were
requested to go to R2-SE2, you would find the dome you were looking for in the
second ring, in the SE zone, number 2 position. It is efficient and maximizes
the usage of space, and we are able to shut down a zone if population needs
didn’t require its use.” Knollig took a deep breath, “We were in the medical
dome, which is NE-1 and your quarters are going to be where Amber used to
reside in the complex. R1-NW5. There were some alterations made to it, but you
can return it to normal if you wish. There is currently no one occupying the
R1-NW4 space. That used to be Kniams.”

As they had walked along, she saw a colorful space ahead of her. In a sea
of green grass, there was one dome that had flowers planted along the paths.
That had to be Amber’s old living dome, now hers.

“This is it Mairi. This is to be your home until you find a mate.” He
stopped just where she had expected. The flower strewn paths on both sides
filled her senses with their perfume. She inhaled deeply and smiled. She liked
the addition of the flowers.

“Is there a special way to get inside?” She turned to ask Knollig and was
struck at the intent look on his face. “Is something wrong?”

“You had a strange look on your face as you inhaled the smell of the
flowers…it looked like, I don’t know exactly…?”

Mairi laughed huskily, “I think the flowers smell very nice, I was
enjoying their scent.”

Knollig had stepped closer to her when she started laughing, he was
standing so close now the vest he was wearing brushed against her thin gown.
Her body reacted instantly, and she started to lean forward.

“This is how you access this space. It has been programmed to open for
you alone.” He wrapped his fingers around her wrist to bring her hand to the
console. His palm pressed ever so gently against the top of her hand, she
couldn’t even see hers under his. When her palm was flat against the space
required with a slight beep the door opened.

Mairi’s gaze swept around and found it was actually very nice. She could
see some type of chaise couch that could use pillows. She supposed some could
be made for her, she would ask for green ones since that was her favorite
color. There were some chairs with end tables and in different spaces around
the room were flowers. Growing right out of the ground?!

“How do the flowers grow like that?” She asked Knollig who had stepped
around her to walk into the living space.

“We have an absorbent material that is safe to install in the ground, in
any shape required. The flowers can grow in it as long as they are watered
every so often. It is the same material used in the bathing space.” He gestured
at a doorway.

Carefully she passed through the doorway Knollig had indicated into the
attached space, she gasped in surprise…this wasn’t a bathroom, but a bedroom!

Knollig had followed her, “The doorway used to just be curtains, but
Amber requested we not use that to reach “private” spaces. The other domes
still have the curtain, if a females requests doors they can be added. Since
this space hasn’t been altered back you have a door.

She nodded at Knollig and turned to look around. There was a larger than
king sized, four-post bed in front of her. It wasn't on a raised platform, but
whatever type mattress they had on it was very tall. On either side were
tables, and shelves. There was a doorway to what seemed to be a balcony.

Walking toward the bed, she saw to her left another sheer curtain. She
called out, “I found some of the drape material in here Knollig, and I can see
why Amber would want a door to get into the bedroom.” She turned around to see
where Knollig had gone, and found herself plastered from her chest to her hips
against him. Knollig’s hands had gone to her hips to keep her from falling
back.

“Uh…sorry.” Mairi muttered, “I…that is…” she made the mistake of looking
up.

Knollig’s eyes were burning purple flames. He backed her into the wall
using his body to press into her. His hands landed on either side of her head.
“Stop me Mairi. Tell me not to kiss you.”

She opened her mouth to say what he asked. Instead she ended up leaning
into him, with her hands desperately driving into his hair to hold him against
her. Her lips were plastered to his, their tongues dueling for position. She
felt one of his hands grip the base of her head, fisting a great handful of her
hair. The other arm tight around her waist to pull her up and into him until
they fit together! She was using the wall at her back as leverage to get her
front tighter against him. She felt the hard press of him against her, and she
struggled to get closer.

“Mairi…” Knollig groaned…” he tore his mouth away, “We have to stop…” he
gently moved back, leaving her suddenly feeling bereft. Her lips were swollen
and her eyes were heavy lidded with passion. “I promised myself I would give
you time to find the perfect mate among the men here. I won’t try to pressure
you with sexual advances when you are still recovering from your illness.”

Was he serious? Did she look like she wasn’t recovered? She was almost
screaming in frustration, and he was trying to be noble and walk away. After
kissing her senseless…and just where had he learned to kiss like that?

She opened her mouth to argue that she was recovered just fine, when with
a wave of his hand he said, “The bathroom has water, glasses, a bathing
shower/tub, and bidet for personal needs. You will find clothing in cabinets,
just press buttons…” Then Knollig practically ran out of her chamber as if the
hounds of hell were hot on his heels. Well so much for her tour Mairi thought
with a laugh.

Deciding to look around her space, and then go explore the rest of
Terraneu, she walked through the curtain. This was supposed to be a bathroom?!

She wandered around in amazement. The flooring was that material Knollig
had told her about. She could feel it on her bare feet like sponge. There was
one whole corner taken up with an indoor tropical oasis. If that was the green
plant that Knollig said her eyes were like, she might have to look into a
mirror to see them! Whoa!

She touched some buttons and a tropical waterfall came out suddenly,
dousing her in water! She hurriedly turned it back off. If she were to let it
keep filling, the bottom would create a small pool! All of that was here, in
the bathroom! The fresh air and “earthy” smells coming off the plants were
relaxing, and provided a splash of color. Around to the left from the tub was a
bidet looking thing. Knollig had said something about glasses for water. She
would move those into a different space. She wasn’t sure about having them in
the bathroom…although she hadn’t seen anywhere else to get water. She would
have to ask about that. What about clothes and maybe shoes? She hadn’t noticed
Amber’s feet, but she had seen the boots the men wore. She wouldn’t mind an
outfit like that, but she would need a shirt.

She rummaged around and found a drawer full of what she supposed were
some kind of toga dresses and in another some sandals. She shrugged out of the
gown she was wearing, which was really just two medical robes one on straight,
and one on backward to cover her backside. She was sure that was Ambers doing.
She put on the shoes, which were no problem to figure out. The dress was
another matter altogether! No matter how hard she tried to get it right, there
was a lot of skin showing! It wasn’t like she was as blessed as Amber. She was
a modest C-cup if she had to guess, and she did have to wing it because she
couldn’t find a bra anywhere. There were a variety of panties, if she wanted to
choose a pair. It felt almost decadent going without a bra though. Even though
she didn’t need it for lift, she would have to ask Amber about making
some…eventually…maybe!

With a frustrated sigh she finally gave up on the dress. She knew she
wasn’t wearing it correctly, but she couldn’t seem to get it on, and everything
covered. It did flow to mid-thigh, so she wasn’t concerned with flashing her
thong. It was the top that she couldn’t get right.

With a determined bounce to her step, that almost had her spilling out
the sides and front of her toga. She went in search of someone who could help.
She knew just the person to look for! Knollig would undoubtedly be able to help
her get the dress on correctly.
Or with any luck he would be taking it off!

Mairi paused on the walkway. She really didn’t have
any idea which direction to go. She was turning this way and that when suddenly
men surrounded her. She must have attracted them by just standing there. They
probably wondered what the hell she was doing. Most of them were well over her
5’ 5” frame, if she had to guess…she would put the average height at 6 ft. They
had the usual mix of hair color, and types of facial features. The only thing
they had in common was the purple eye color.

“Hello Earth female, welcome to Terraneu.” One
stepped up to her. Only to be pushed aside by another, “Would you require help
in finding something?” Yet another elbowed his way to her side, “I would be
happy to walk you around the square. The other Earth female seems to enjoy that
activity very much.”

There were so many men talking and vying for her
attention, she started laughing. This immediately had them frozen in place, “I
was looking for Knollig, could you tell me where I might find him.”

They all got a glazed look in their faces, then one
spoke up…”He is in the Council chambers, it is not very far from here. We can
escort you there.” One had a hand on her arm, one put his hand on her back, one
had his hand on her other arm…they all started leading her along the path.

“Thank you” Mairi beamed at them, “You are all very
helpful!”

One particularly blunt male asked, “Have you chosen
Knollig as your mate?” All eyes swung to face her, forward motion on the path
stopped.

Mairi turned bright red. Yes she was attracted to
Knollig and was going to pursue a relationship with him…but she wouldn’t go so
far as to say she was giving them “mate” status.

“I just needed to talk with him. He was kind enough
to offer me a tour of your lovely complex. I just wasn’t ready when he left for
the Council meeting.” She smiled at the men still waiting around her. It wasn’t
exactly a lie. He had said he would give her a tour of Terraneu.

They got the glazed look again, then one said, “So
you are an available female. We can try to win your affection since you have
not chosen a mate?”

Now if you have ever fed bread to a flock of geese
at a lake you can imagine what happened next. Once the males had stated that
she was available since she hadn’t chosen a mate, word must have spread. She
didn’t know how, not one male said a word…they just started multiplying. One
second she was standing with five of them, the next second she was surrounded
by ten…then twenty. She lost count as the space around the dome was quickly
filling with men! She tried not to panic when she got jostled to one side, “You
are not a fit mate for her, and she would prefer me!” Then back to the other
side, “You are scaring her, she would be much better off with me.”

“Get a hold of yourselves!” After this was yelled
over the crowd, the men all froze. Not one of the men moved, or said another
word. They seemed to be stuck in place. Some had made to step, but were only
halfway in the process. They all looked like statues!

One man pushed his way into the crowd to get to her,
so he wasn’t frozen. Some poor fellow was even pushed over, and landed with a
thwack! Undeterred by the person he had knocked over, the man finally reached
her. He had glorious golden hair and a kind smile, “My name is Ailech. You must
be Mairi!” He gently pried the other hands off her arms and back. “Follow me
please, we are having a meeting…and you are welcome to attend, it is after all
about you and the other Earth females. I am actually surprised that Knollig
didn’t bring you.” His eyes were alight with mischief.

“Uh…thank you for coming for me.” She took his
offered hand and together they made their way out of the crowd then toward a
dome that was about twenty to thirty feet away. She could see Kniam standing
outside. His eyes were flashing with anger, and he had a concentrated look on
his face.
 
Beside him was Amber, her
lips twitched from suppressed amusement. A few other people she hadn’t met yet,
and then her eyes landed on Knollig. The reason she hadn’t seen him was that
Kniam had stepped in front of him, with one hand held up as if for silence.

Knollig wasn’t saying anything, his eyes were doing
all the talking. If she was any judge, he was enraged. She was hoping it wasn’t
aimed at her.

Amber rushed over, “Mairi, you look beautiful! Your
dress looks amazing, how did you get it to drape like that?” Amber looped her
hand through Mairi’s arm. “I can’t ever seem to get this thing on properly, and
yours just looks incredible.”

Mairi smiled at the compliment, “Thank you for
saying so, but I don’t think it is on correctly and was looking for someone to
help me with it.”

Amber just smiled, “Are you sure you don’t like it?
I think it looks fantastic. If you are uncomfortable showing that
much…ahhh…cleavage, we can re-tie it. I think you should leave it though!”

Amber had walked her into what was obviously a
meeting dome. There was a crescent shaped table and other chairs set about.
Once the women were through the doors they closed automatically. She heard
great shouts, and yelling outside.

“What is going on out there? Should we be worried?”
Mairi asked nervously.

Amber just laughed, “No. Kniam just released the mind
hold he had on all the males. It is a little something extra he can do. They
can all talk to each other in their minds, Kniam however can “freeze” them if
he has to.” Amber wiggled her fingers and waved her hands around. “He hasn’t
done it very often…though I must say, since myself and now you…he has had to do
it a bit more frequently.”

She burst into laughter when it got quiet again. “If
I am not mistaken, he is giving them a severe talking to! They were acting in a
really shocking way. I mean you would think we haven’t been talking about when
females arrive for the last six months. We are going to have to arrange more
classes for the men. Would you be interested in helping?”

Amber pulled over a chair from a bunch to set next
to a lone chair in front of the crescent. “This is kind of my spot. I come to
the Council meetings a lot. Now you can join me!” She smiled like this was a
great idea! Mairi wasn’t sure what to think.

Amber patted the chair next to her, “You might as
well sit. When Kniam gets into a mood he can be kind of long winded. He will
want to make sure you are comfortable going around in the complex. It is a
really good thing Knaleg wasn’t here.”

At those words there was a resounding yell outside,
“I am taking the offenders on an overnight training mission, be ready in thirty
minutes!”

Amber sighed, “Oops…I spoke to soon. That was
Knaleg. He is in charge of the military men here in the community.” She leaned
in to whisper conspiratorially, “He takes security very seriously! He is
obsessed with making Terraneu safe for the women coming in six months. He is
worried of course, just like the rest of us. I just know that it is going to
work out though!” Amber chirped out happily, then leaned back in her chair. She
really was a gorgeous woman Mairi thought! Her ash blond hair had a mix of
mocha and darker blond. Then there was her body! She made Mairi feel like a
slug!

“Kniam, I don’t think…” with a flurry the men came
through the door.

“Not now Knaleg. I understand your concerns, and we
will work on all of them.” Kniam put his hand on his brothers shoulder, “We
can’t take this incident as a sign of failure. The men were not hurting the
female and I don’t believe they would have. Take them on your overnight
“training”, Amber will increase the number of classes, and we all will keep an
eye on things.”

“Mairi has agreed to help with etiquette classes too
Kniam.” Amber yelled out.

Since Mairi hadn’t done any such thing, she jumped
in her seat at hearing her name mentioned.

“You see Knaleg, the female isn’t afraid of helping
with classes.” He came toward his female, bending low to give her a quick kiss,
which turned into a long kiss.

“Kniam!” All the men in the room shouted. He jumped
with a start, which had them laughing.

“Really you two…with all the sexual intercourse you
have, how are you not tired of each other yet?” Mairi hadn’t met this man, he
stopped in front of her and held out his hand. “I am Thian, a Council member
here on Terraneu. It is a great pleasure to meet you Mairi. Your grandfather is
doing us a great service, and you are an honored addition to the community.”
With a low bow, he moved to stand behind the crescent table at what she assumed
was his chair.

There must have been an agreed upon welcome speech
because she got it again from a man named Asteen. Then it was Ailech’s turn, he
was the golden one that had rescued her from the crowd outside.

Then there was the other brother Knaleg. She had
thought that Kniam and Knollig were large…well she was wrong. Knaleg was eating
his Wheaties or something because he was just…well huge. They reached the same
height give or take an inch. He had the same silky black hair and similar
facial features as his brothers…but his musculature. Wow! He held her hand, his
eyes twinkling, and recited the same welcome speech only he added, “Mairi if
there is anything I can help you with, “His eyes strayed to her exposed
cleavage, “Anything at all…you just ask.” He gave her hand a gentle kiss, his
eyes shifting just slightly to the side.

“Uh…thank you Knaleg, I will remember that.” She
knew who he was looking at, and she understood what he was doing. Sibling
rivalry must be a universal thing. He was trying to get a reaction out of
Knollig.

Knollig hadn’t said anything since entering the
room. He had come in with the rest of them. Silently prowled around the room,
restless and still obviously angry. When the others had made to greet her, he
had worked his way closer and closer until with the last member of the Council
in front of her, his brother Knaleg…he was just to her left. He had stiffened
when Knaleg had taken her hand, and his face was getting redder the longer
Knaleg talked.

Mairi gently withdrew her hand from Knaleg and
looked around at Knollig. Raising an eyebrow questioningly, before she could
say anything, he had bowed low in front of her. When she tilted her head just
so, they were a breath apart.

“I am Knollig.” His husky voice trembled down her
spine, “A Council member here on Terraneu.” He took her hand from her lap, “It
is a great pleasure to formally greet you Mairi.” He brushed his lips against
her hand, “Your grandfather is doing us a great service, and you are an honored
addition to the community.” He turned her hand over and rubbed it against his
cheek, placing a kiss right into the most sensitive spot on her palm!

“Th…” Mairi had to clear her throat. “Thank You.”

“There, now we can get down to business.” Thian
broke the silence that descended around the room. Knollig released her hand,
gave her a small smile and worked his way to his seat. She and Amber swung
their chairs around to face the table.

“Yes, to business.” Kniam stated, hitting the table
with a little hammer. We will be transmitting this meeting so that all of the
other males will know what is being said. “Also, we will be talking out loud so
the Earth females can hear.” His mate gave him a huge smile, and he cleared his
throat loudly. The five Council members bowed to Kniam, then he sat in his
chair. The others followed suit and took their seats.

“Is there anything that you feel you haven’t been
informed of Mairi? Any gaps in your understanding of why you are here? What has
been done to your body medically? Where this is?” Kniam asked her.

Mairi thought for a moment, “I think I understand
everything Kniam, thank you for your concern.”

Thian broke in, “You understand that the females we
are bringing in six months are hopefully going to be mates for the men here?”
Before Amber could correct him he hastily added, “Yes Amber…I know. Not right
away. They are going to be given time to adjust, and get to know the men…then
they can decide if they want to be mates.”

Mairi nodded that yes she understood. She did have
one question, “What if they don’t want to.” All the men froze, confusion on
their faces.

“Don’t want to be mates?” Asteen asked.

“I know that some women may not wish to be tied down
to a mate, which I am all for leaving them their choices. I meant what if they
don’t want to
wait
to be mates?” Mairi clarified.

Kniam answered for the others, “It would be wise to
establish a solid relationship before agreeing to be a mate with a male. Our
males have not had the same experiences as the men of Earth. If a female
chooses to stay single, that is their decision and we will respect that. It
will however be very difficult to change your status once you agree to be
mates. We haven’t decided on an exact process, but it will have to be harder so
that the females know it is a serious commitment.”

When Mairi opened her mouth, Kniam cut her off, “We
are talking about the same thing correct? Mates are forever, like a marriage?”

“Yes.’ Mairi stated, “We are talking about the same
thing, to take one man, move to New Haven…have a mate. What if they don’t want
to sleep around with other men?”

Kniam looked puzzled, “The women will all have the
choice of dating or …” he looked to Amber and she supplied, “hooking up,
jumping in the sack…mattress mamboing.” He gave her an exasperated look, “Yes.
The females from Earth will be allowed to do all those things. They can have
multiple partners, they can take a male then decide against keeping that male.
They will not however, be able to change
mates
easily. This is something
that has been agreed upon by the Council, and members of the community. Why
would a woman not want to see which male would fit her best?”

Amber saved her from answering, “The women can date
as long, or as little as they wish…until they find the one they agree is their
mate. It doesn’t matter how much time passes, it only matters that both of them
are willing and understand the ramifications of choosing mate status.” She
swung her eyes to Mairi, “Also, the men and women won’t be allowed to be cruel
to each other. We are hoping that the psychological evaluation Kneus comes up
with will weed out any really unacceptable females.”