Knollig: A Terraneu Novel ( Book 2) (8 page)

“But I don’t understand why we can’t just clone
Tabec! With your technology it would be easy!” Mairi was riding with Knollig
back to camp.

Knollig sighed and held Mairi closer, “It is not that simple. If we
‘clone’ Tabec it will just be a copy. Cebat will know the difference. The
cloned Tabec would not have the same life experiences as the original.” Mairi
opened her mouth to say something, and Knollig jumped in, “Yes Mairi, I am a
clone. However, I am able to access some of the genetic memories of my
predecessors. Tabec would not have that, we do not have her brain waves to
use.” Knollig absently rubbed Mairi’s arms. “If something were to happen to me
would you want a clone if it meant starting over? With someone without my memories
or experiences to draw on?”

Mairi sighed, she knew she wouldn’t ever fully understand the “cycles”
they had gone through, and the cloning they had done. Would she want a
“different” Knollig?

“I guess not.” She sighed, “I just wish Amber didn’t have to lose Tabec.”

“Death will come for all of us sweet Mairi, you know this better than
anyone. Even if we could use the medical unit daily to fix every bit of damage
done to us. We too shall face death when our cells deteriorate and can’t
process the suns anymore.”

Knollig kissed the top of her head, “Enough talk of death, we have
hundreds of years before we face that. We should be looking to next month when
the females will start arriving, and more males will be gaining mates!” He
tried to tease her out of her solemn mood, “Maybe there will even be someone in
that group for Fortem!”

Mairi looked around at her friend riding next to them. She let her
thoughts drift to Fortem and finding him a mate. When the first group of
females came through, he had a good chance at gaining the attention of a few of
them. He had taken all the classes her and Amber had given, he was always
solicitous and charming. He was going to make someone a fine partner, and she
would see to it that she sent as many women his way as she could.

They were getting close to Terraneu now. She was recognizing the scenery
as they passed. Suddenly a streak of fur raced past the Sorrem she was sitting
on with Knollig.

“Was that Cebat?” Mairi asked Knollig, she was a little worried that the
animal had sensed danger.

When Amber let out a startled cry and wiggled free of Kniam to land on
the ground next to their Sorrem, Mairi turned to look where she was running to.
Then it all became clear, it was Tabec! She was running in circles around
Cebat. They were chasing each other’s tails, running around trees and pouncing
on each other when they met again in the middle. Cebat was leaning over his
front paws, then would pounce up at Tabec and “pretend” to bite her. Mairi knew
that he wasn’t using teeth, or Tabec would be seriously hurt. Both of them
froze at Amber’s cry and then all of them were rolling around in a pile while
Amber cried over her “sweet babies”…her “gorgeous girl”!

Mairi had to admit she had shed a few tears at the reunion.

“There you see my sweet little Mairi.” Knollig held her closer still,
“Now you don’t have to worry about Amber.”

~*~*~*

Mairi was worried about Amber. Well she had to admit that they all were.
It had been almost a month since the kidnapping. She and Amber were heading
down to Antilles in the next few days. The preparations were all finalized. The
women arriving from Earth would be taken to a recovery dome that was set up at
the port pad.

Kniam would do the welcome speech in the meeting dome. Then they would
have an informal kind of walk around to get to know the newcomers to see if
there were any women who would be a bad fit for Terraneu. If they found a woman
that needed to be returned to Earth they would send them back, with their mind
wiped as if nothing had happened. If the women were found to be accepting of
the situation and eager for a new life. Then they would be sent on to Terraneu.

 
It was when they arrived on
Terraneu that they would have the medical clean up done. After they were
changed they would not be able to return to Earth, so they couldn’t make any
mistakes. All of the women arriving on Terraneu would be staying. With this in
mind, they had arranged for the woman returning to Earth to think they were
getting a physical. When they went into the medical tent it would instead wipe
their memories, and sedate them for the return trip.

To make matters more stressful they had to accomplish all of that in less
than ten hours. Which is why she and Amber had been working on different
scenarios, trying to imagine what could go wrong. Which was everything!

“What do you think Amber?” Mairi had questioned her about the possibility
of the women rioting. When she glanced over at Amber she realized she wasn’t
listening, but was actually staring off into space. She waved her fingers in
front of Ambers face…”Terraneu to Amber…Hello?” She laughed at her own joke.
“Get it…Terraneu to Amber. Instead of Earth.” When Amber didn’t laugh with her,
she let out a sigh.

“Okay. What is wrong with you?” Before Amber could say “nothing”, Mairi lifted
an eyebrow at her, “Don’t say nothing! Kniam, Knollig, Knaleg…all the Council
members and half the males of the community have commented on your strange
behavior.” Mairi leaned closer, “Is it that time of the month?”

“No, it’s not that.” Amber leaned closer to Mairi, and pointed a finger
at her face. “What does that look like to you?”

Mairi squinted at the area Amber was pointing at. There was a miniscule
red dot just at the tip of her fingernail. “I see a tiny red spot. Why?”

“I think it’s a zit!” Amber wailed. “I have been here for what, almost a
year now…and I have never had a hint of acne. Now look at me…with all the
stress of the kidnapping, and poor Cebat and Tabec being poisoned. Then there
is the trip to Antilles. The pressure that the men are under…don’t even get me
started on the pressure that
we
are under! It’s enough to give me zits!”
Amber ended in a huff, before Mairi could say one zit was hardly something to
worry about, Amber jumped up, “Can we go sit outside in your garden? I really
need some fresh air, and can I please have some more water?” Amber stood up and
was walking toward the courtyard before Mairi could respond.

“Of course.” Mairi took the two glasses to her water feature and refilled
them. Then hurried out into the middle space of her living dome. Here she had
planted every type of flora she could find. There were cover plants that were
like Earth moss, short plants, medium and tall plants, and they were in every
color Terraneu had to offer. She had made four small rock pathways to the very
center, where she had placed nice rocking loungers. Knollig had crafted arched
climbers for each path and the plants had quickly covered them to create a nice
shading effect.

Amber had her eyes closed, soaking in the afternoon sun. Mairi took the
chair next to hers and waited. She hadn’t been sitting long before Amber was
again complaining, “My mind is racing all the time with worry. I have made some
really good friends with the males, and I am in a panic about the expectations
they have.” Amber continued on, and Mairi was only half listening. She had the
same thoughts running around her head too. The males were very excited for the
females from Earth to arrive, and between Kniam’s classes and theirs they had
to hope it was enough. “I almost wish I hadn’t fallen down that stupid hill!”
Mairi shot up in her seat. There was something very wrong, if Amber could say
that!

“Amber! What in the name…” Mairi gasped.

“I said
almost
, not that I did!” Amber snapped back. She lifted
the glass of water for a drink and once she started didn’t stop until it was
empty. “I am so thirsty!”

Then it hit her like a thunderbolt and Mairi started laughing.
“Oh…my…god!” She laughed so hard she couldn’t catch her breath. When Amber made
to try to stand up, Mairi held up a hand…”I’m sorry…I’ll stop...give me a
second.” Amber just lifted an eyebrow and waited for Mairi to compose herself.

“I’m so glad you find my
suffering
amusing!” Amber huffed clearly
offended, tears welling in her eyes.

Mairi turned to face Amber and decided to be blunt, “Do your breasts feel
tender?”

“Really…” Amber stopped tearing at the eyes and glared instead, “What do
my breasts have anything to do with my worry over the men?” Amber bit back.

Mairi kept going, “Are you more tired than usual? Have you missed your
female time? Have you been having
irrational
mood
swings
?”
Mairi kept hinting until she saw the shocked dawning on Amber’s face. “Yep my
friend. If I had to make a guess I would say…you are pregnant!”

Mairi watched the emotions play across Ambers face. All of the symptoms
fit, except morning sickness. Which on Terraneu with the changes they went
through, not being able to eat anything solid, there was no way to know if
nausea was going to apply to their pregnancies.

“I’m going to have Kniam’s baby!” Amber whispered in awe, her eyes
brimming with tears. Her hands went to her belly, trying to feel if there might
be any “bump”. Which of course there wasn’t. She had to be in the very early
stages. “I can’t tell him until after Antilles. He will put me in the medical
bay and not let me out. I have to be on this trip, the men are counting on this
to go smoothly. I can’t let them down.”

“Now just a damn minute!” Mairi was concerned about the effects using the
port pad might have on a pregnancy. “I know you aren’t thinking clearly right
now, the shock and everything…but you can’t go to Antilles. Your pregnancy
changes everything!”

“Don’t be absurd, I have to go…” Amber argued.

“You don’t have to do anything but take care of
yourself…and that baby!”
 
Mairi was
really getting worried. Amber was acting very unlike herself. She would never
intentionally harm her unborn baby. It was time to bring in the big guns…

Knowing the males working nearby would hear and the telepathic grapevine
would get to him faster than if she tried to find him herself, “Kniam!” Mairi
screamed at the top of her lungs and sat back and waited.

Knollig and Kniam were having “the talk” with the
men of the community. All of them were in attendance either physically, or being
relayed the information telepathically.
 
This class was too important to miss, so they had all been linked so
there would be no male missing the lesson.

Kniam had covered the basics of the rules for the hundredth time.

1)
        
Sexual relations with a female does not mean she is your mate.
The females can choose to have sexual intercourse with as many or as few of the
men they are attracted to, until such time as they want to either date, or
choose to enter a relationship with one male, or choose a mate. The females
will have complete freedom in their choices. AS long as they don’t
intentionally deceive a male, that would be severely punished.

2)
        
No physical harm must ever come to a female. To purposefully
harm a female is a crime punishable by death.

3)
        
No female is to be offered a partnership when it was known
that she was already in a partnership, or dating. This was to include terms the
females might use like “boyfriend”, “lover”, “courting” any term that meant the
female was bound to that male could apply here.

4)
        
If a female offered a partnership, when already in one, they
were
honor
bound to decline. No male was to interfere with an existing
bond. If the female
and
male involved insisted they were willing to
accept this kind of duel partnership, the matter is to be brought before the
Council for remediation.

5)
        
If a male and female became mates, the females considered this
to be “married” and “husband and wife”. That pair is committed to each other
for life, and to pursue a mated female is without honor, and punishable by
death.

6)
        
Any female found to be purposefully pitting two males against
each other, would be punished severely. The males were to use honor and duty
above all else when dealing with the females that were coming, and remember
they were all brothers first.

7)
        
No physical altercations over women. Males found to be
fighting over a female, would be punished severely. Knaleg had some training
missions planned just for those offenders. (This threat had all of the males
shuddering in their seats.)

The rules just went on and
on. The males knew them all by heart, Kniam was just trying to ease his nerves
with talking about a topic they all knew. The sex education class that they
were trying to give was an entirely new subject.

 
Knollig laughed at Kniam’s uncertainty with talking about sex.
Between Amber and Kniam, and Mairi and himself, they had been caught in
multiple compromising situations. The men were a little more aware of what male
and female sexual relations meant. He was sitting back and enjoying Kniam’s
version of “the talk”.

His brother cleared his
throat, “All females will be different. Some may want physical contact right
away, others may want to get to know different males before initiating a sexual
relationship. You are to respect a female’s choice.” Kniam paused, wondering
where to go next in the conversation

Kniam must have decided to
go over what the class would entail, “We will cover
human
 
sexual anatomy
,
 
sexual
reproduction
, emotional relations,
 
sexual abstinence
, and
 
birth
control
.” Kniam stated.

Knollig broke in, “Birth control is
easy. We all voted on and agreed to the medical procedure to prevent
pregnancies in females. When you are mated, you can choose to keep the
procedure to prevent a pregnancy, or you can relay your desire for offspring to
the Council for a vote. Just remember it will have to be you and the female
informing the Council of that decision together.”

Kniam continued, “So on to sexual
anatomy.” Kniam pushed some buttons on the console, and a generic holographic
female representation spun into the space in front of the class.

“This is a female.” Kniam stated the obvious,
another sign of his discomfort with the topic, he clicked again. “This is a
male.” Another generic holographic image came up, this one male. “The female as
you all know from the first Council meeting with Amber, has mammories or
breasts as they like to call them. “ Kniam frowned over the memory of all the
males seeing her holographic image, which he had personally deleted from the
database! “The breasts as explained during that meeting are for sexual
stimulation, and when offspring are produced the mammories supply nutrients to
the baby.” Kniam zoomed into the uterine area, “This is where the offspring are
held during a pregnancy. The female has eggs here, “Kniam clicked and moved
into the ovaries, “The eggs are released and if male sperm is present, an
offspring can result. A male deposits his sperm when he reaches orgasm, here…”
Kniam zoomed the image to between the female’s legs turning the holograph into
a decidedly x-rated image.

 
He smiled
over the crowd of men, then his gaze swung to Knollig.

“Knollig can continue with
the male anatomy.” His brother gave him a smug smile.

Knollig knew that his
brother was trying to make him uncomfortable. “The male anatomy.” Knollig clicked
and the image of the female returned to normal, then zoomed into the male,
“Starting at the top. You may feel sensitivity on almost any part of your body
when you are physically attracted to a female. Her hands might feel good
rubbing your scalp, her fingers working their way through your hair, even just
resting her hands on your shoulders might arouse you. This is a good sign. The
male mammary are not like the female. We don’t have the necessary hormones to
create nutrients for offspring. The male mammary can be sensitive, so may or
may not be sexually stimulating to you. You will be able to tell your female
what feels good to you.” Knollig moved down the male body, until he got to the
male reproductive organs, “You have testicles and your male member will grow
enlarged when you are attracted to a female, or when there is stimulation
present that causes a physical reaction. After you are released from the
genetic block, and are able to have an erection it might not always happen
because of a female presence.” Knollig had to laugh, he was just as nervous as
Kniam. “The sperm resides in liquid found in the testicles. During sexual
intercourse you can reach a ‘climax’ that releases those fluids. ” Knollig
thought he was getting pretty good as this. “You don’t always have to have a
female around to have a climax or orgasm…also you don’t always have the release
when connected sexually to a female.”

Suddenly there was a flurry
of voices, all calling out to Kniam telepathically. Mairi had just yelled for
him. Kniam’s head picked up, and he was instantly on his feet from the chair
where he had been lounging. Looking over at him, Knollig just said “Go, I can
finish the class.” Before he had even got “go” out, Kniam was already running
for the door.

Knollig wondered what was
going on, but Mairi and Amber were good friends. If he were needed, Mairi would
have called for him as well…so without Kniam he continued on with the lesson.

“Emotional relations and
females.” Knollig sighed, this was going to be tough. “Females are not always
emotionally involved when it comes to sexual relationships.”

Knaleg came to the front of
the class to “be of assistance” and Knollig frowned. How was he supposed to
teach the males of Terraneu about female emotions? This was something that he
hoped the females had covered.

“You need to be honest with
any female you try to have a relationship with, and hope that they are equally
open with you. Any problems with communication will lead to misunderstandings.
Always keep an open mind, and ask your female questions. Even if they don’t
want to answer, when you sense something is wrong press for a reason. Usually
conflicts can be worked out if you are working sincerely at making things
better.”

At the end of class he
figured they may not be ready for everything that came with having females in
the community, but they were as ready as they were ever going to be. Knollig
ended the class after answering as many questions as he could, then went in
search of Mairi.

Walking outside he could feel the excitement so thick in the air around
Terraneu you could wear it like a coat! He noticed all of the men working out
even harder, to refine their bodies and hone their battle skills. He was hoping
they didn’t plan on using those skills against each other. If it came to that
Knaleg had his men ready to intervene if things got nasty between males. They
had also created a new dome for incarceration in the event of extreme cases.

The men he passed were all practicing the rules of etiquette that Mairi
and Amber had been pounding into their heads. Say this, don’t ever say that!
Say please and thank you. Ask a question, don’t assume you know. Don’t tell an
Earth female what to do, unless it’s an emergency. Respect their feelings,
honor their wishes, and help them live out their dreams here on Terraneu.

He rushed toward New Haven, interested to know what she had needed Kniam
for.