Chapter 16 - A Venture, A Consequence
After Fiona sat back at the table with Aerialus and her host family, the humans asked her questions. Some were of concern for her well-being which made her feel somewhat valued. Others were about what was discussed with the Primusian captain. Before the scout slave answered, she figured that Aerialus did not fully tell what her conversation was with their slave master. Doing her best to look natural with a small smile, Fiona answered them making sure to choose words that did not cause suspicion or doubt.
As time passed, the demeanor of table began to lighten up. A couple of alien species came by to greet them. The exchanges of conversations between them seemed to lift the mood. It made the evening a little more uplifting versus the complications caused earlier. Robert asked if Aerialus wanted to dance to which she looked hesitant. Sue tried to persuade the Baklavaian to try it as to experience something new. To the human's surprise, Fiona stated to her fellow slave to try it.
"You never know when we will get another chance to experience this Aerialus," the slave scout indicated looking at her. "I'm even willing to try it."
"...?" Aerialus blinked and looked at her. Glancing at everyone else, she stared at the younger male before looking at the table.
"...I...I don't know how to dance though."
"That's okay," Sue interject with a smile. "Robert can show you the basics. Right dear?"
"Y-Yeah. I'm not great at it but I can show you," Robert informed then tilled his head toward where the dance floor was. "I can guarantee that most of the people over there don't know how to dance. It isn't stopping them from having a good time."
"...I...I see," Aerialus answered then gave a small nod. "I guess I will try it."
"Yay!" the mother expressed with a beaming smile. She immediately reached over to Howard and grabbed his arm.
"Let's go honey. It will be a family event."
"..." the older male blinked then stared at her. "...dear...you know I don't dance."
"I remember when you would take me dancing."
"Yeah...but it wasn't to this type of event," Howard agreed with a small head nod. "And with all these...new faces watching."
"Oh come now. We aren't alone," his wife persisted and gave a play pull. "Come on. Dancing will take your mind away for a bit."
"..." he grunted but begrudgingly nodded. Slowly standing up, Sue got up and next to him. Looking at the other three, Robert stood up followed by the Baklavaians.
"We can all take turns with dancing with each other so nobody will left out. It will be fun," Sue stated like a cheerleader. Turning around and heading towards the dancing area, Howard was in tow with a small frown on his face.
"My dad isn't that comfortable with very large crowds," Robert informed getting near both women. Seeing them turn to look at him, only Aerialus nodded her head with a slight smile.
"I can relate to your father...the act of doing this with so many unknown individuals around and watching...feels embarrassing."
"Runs in the family," the son stated with a smirk. Looking at the other woman, his smirk dropped a little.
"...um...I hope we aren't imposing on you."
"..." Fiona responded with shaking her head. "You are not. I have little experience with this type of event...so like Aerialus, I'm not sure what to do or how to act."
"Okay...I know my mom can be pushy, but she does it to not have anyone left out."
"...I see..."
"It is...an odd behavior compared to when we were on the slave ship," Aerialus explained. "But...it is more pleasant to be around."
"..." Fiona blinked and looked at her peer. Giving a nod, she looked back at the human male.
"Please lead us to the area."
"S-Sure," Robert spoke.
Turning around, he lead both Baklavaians to the dance floor. The closer they got, the music became louder. Not blaringly loud, but enough to where the two alien women felt the sound waves vibrate their insides slightly. Seeing the parents shuffling amongst the crowd of dancers, Sue had a smile on her face. Though Howard looked stoic, Aerialus could sense that he was trying to enjoy himself.
"You ready Aerialus?" Robert asked and offered his hand.
"...y-yes," she answered and carefully grasped his hand.
Walking out to dance floor and being somewhat near the older couple, they began to mingle and mimic others nearby. At first, the female Baklavaian did not know the purpose of doing these body movements. As minutes went on and copying what Robert was doing, something clicked in her mind. Timing the beats with her steps and body movement became the apparent point of dancing. Her silent validation of dancing was seeing the humans smile at her as well as other dancers around them.
'Seems that aligning movements to the music...is all that dancing is,' Fiona observed watching outside of the outlined dance floor.
Feeling her mind begin to drift to what Olton stated to her before departing, she looked down in thought. Hearing sound around her, she tried to figure out why his aura was so much sharper than before. After a couple of moments, something in her nerves flinched. Blinking and looking up, the people on the dancing floor did not change. Looking to her right, she froze from seeing someone stand near her.
"H-Hello there," a male human greeted her. He was dressed up in formal attire and felt approachable. Given his physical features and how defined they were, it gave her an immediate feeling that it wasn't an alien in disguise.
"...hello..." Fiona greeted as normally as possible.
"Are you by chance looking for a dance partner?" he asked.
"..." she was about to answer when something crossed her mind.
'...do not...deceive me...' the Primusian commander echoed in her thoughts. It immediately gave her the answer to the stranger's question.
"I'm...with that man there," the Baklavaian informed and pointed. Seeing the person look and see, he gave a raised eyebrow.
"He is dancing with my friend."
"I can see that...does that...bother you?" he wondered, surprised at how frank she was.
"The ratio of men to women for us Baklavaians is 1 to 2...so it is not unusual for us females to share potential communion partners," Fiona explained as calm as possible without breaking face.
"...whoa...really?" the human reacted with both eyebrows raised.
"Yes...I have heard humans partake in similar partnerships all throughout your planet. It is not so strange...yes?"
"Uh...well if you put it like that, yeah."
"I appreciate your offer...but I will wait for my turn. Sorry," she apologized. To her surprise, the male didn't get angry.
"N-No worries. Hope you can enjoy your time here," he replied. Turning around, he walked away while looking around. Not too soon, he was talking with another female species. Blinking and contemplating if he was really seeking a mate, she heard footsteps to her left. Turning, it was both Robert and Aerialus.
"Are you okay?" Aerialus asked looking less tense than before.
"I am fine. It was just someone asking if I wanted to dance. I declined his offer."
"You didn't want to dance...or not dance with him?" Robert spoke looking at her. Seeing her turn to him, she answered.
"I did not know him...so I was not sure about him."
"Ah...stranger danger. Makes sense," he replied with a smile and head nod. "If you want to dance, you don't need to have a partner. You can just join us and we can dance together."
"..." both Baklavaians stared at him. Blinking, they looked at the other individuals on the dance floor. Seeing couples, there were others as big as eight people dancing together and making their own circle. Turning back to him, they nodded their heads.
"Well, let's head back out there. Can't let mom and dad show us up on lasting out on the dance floor," Robert stated with a smirk. It caused Aerialus to give a small smile while Fiona still looked neutral. The three headed back out and slowly got involved with the activity that others were partaking in.
In another room deeper in the ballroom party building, there was a conference going on between two parties. It convened the local human government of the city and representatives of the Primusian race. Given consent by the high council for the alien race, the Captain of the slave ship was elected to be their spokesperson. After what seemed like an hour or two, both sides discussed many topics. However, there was a main one that took the most importance of all discussed. Reaching near the end, one of the legislative human members spoke.
"Based on our discussion here today Captain," the lead began. Standing up along with a few others, the Primusian leader also stood up.
"Can we count on your active support of...community service?"
"Of course gentlemen. We are solving a solution to both my race and yours. My Council members will be most pleased on this...collaborated effort," Olton said with a smile. Seeing the humans smile as well, the leader reached his hand out to him.
"Thank you Captain. Let it be known today of your ongoing civic service to better our communities and relations."
"..." the commander felt the corners of his mouth rise a little higher from his statement. Reaching his hand out and gripping the other's hand, the firmness matched his. Both began to shake as to confirm their agreement.
"You say kind things human. Hopefully the public's view of Primusians will change over time."
"I can assure you Captain...your efforts will not go unnoticed," the government official remarked and let go of his hand. Gesturing to the other members in the room, all were giving confident expressions.
"My team will make sure that your humanitarian outreach will not go unheard."
'This meeting and arrangement...went very smoothly...almost seems too good to be true,' Olton thought while mildly listening to the lead legislator. Watching him go to a mid-size cabinet, he brought out beverages. Hearing him say what the drink was, it seemed similar to what was on his ship. Trying a brandy, he hid his expression of immediately liking the drink. Mentally shaking his head and going along with the 'toast' the human was saying, he mentally grinned.
'Nevertheless...this has become a most savory development...one that the high council will view me...favorably.'
After an hour or so, the family and Baklavaians decided to end the evening event. It seemed that the initial dancing had loosen the tension all were feeling since the run in with the Primusian leader. All participated in going to a few alien species to greet and have conversations. To what Aerialus and Fiona observed, Robert was a bit more comfortable socializing with those that didn't look close to being human. Sue and Howard went toward the ones that resembled more of animal or reptile, but were overall humanoid.
Departing despite the ballroom party continuing on, the group of 5 left the building. The evening sky had turned to night. Despite darkness clinging to the sky, the city itself was not hidden from it. The number of lights shining on structures and cars made it seem that it was near dusk. Following the humans back to their vehicle, both alien women kept looking around in awe.
"It feels different to be near the lights than seeing from afar," Fiona commented staring at something to her right.
"Yes...it has quite a different vibe than at the house or during the daytime," Aerialus agreed. "Are you...going to wait for the captain?"
"..." the slave scout turned her head left. Looking at her, she shook her head.
"He said I could tag along...as long as I am within your host family's vicinity. I'm sorry to keep bothering you and your host family...would it be alright if I got a lift to...my host family's home?"
"O-Of course!" the female slave replied with a smile. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind giving you a ride home. The human's road vehicles are quite comfy and not really noisy."
"Thank you," Fiona spoke and gave a small head bob.
Reaching the automobile, Aerialus asked the family if her fellow Baklavaian could get a lift to her location of the home stay. Sue answered readily that they could without a second thought. Both males nodded their head which made the scout slave feel a little better. Getting into the car, all could fit comfortably. Hearing it start up and eventually move, Fiona's senses were heightened. The sensations were similar to being in an aerial transporter; however, she could see close to the ground and how things looked while moving.
"Where is your home stay dear?" Sue asked from the front passenger seat.
"..." Fiona looked away from the window and looked at the older woman. "It is within the same neighborhood as yours. The Captain gave me special privilege to walk from your home to my host family's house."
"How convenient," Howard remarked without a hint of mockery or suspicion. Getting off the freeway, they began to traverse into residential areas.
"I'm surprised that he would allow you to walk without being near one of your host family members," Aerialus whispered and looked at her.
"..." Fiona steeled herself without giving a physical indication of stiffening. "I was too...even after his stern talk with me."
Continuing the drive, the group finally reached their home. Getting out of the car, Aerialus's family stated about walking her to her home. Fiona thanked them and stated she knows how to take care of herself. She also stated that the neighborhood was friendly than others so she wasn't worried about something happening. Even when Sue persisted given that the house was within the neighborhood, the slave scout continued to refuse. Causing awkwardness to rise, she said her parting and walked down the sidewalk.
"Should we tail her?" Robert asked standing near his parents. Believing the older female human would agree, the Baklavaian saw the older man shake his head.
"No. We offered and she refused. Let it be her choice," Howard stated. Turning to the house, his wife got next to him.
"Dear...it is late at night. The lamp posts aren't going to light everything here. What if there is someone lurking?"
"I understand...however...she is an adult who can make her own decisions."
"...but..."
"If she doesn't trust us, then that is understandable. Aerialus did not fully trust us when we first met her," he pointed out while hearing two following sets of footsteps.
"..." Sue and Robert responded with pressing their lips together slightly.
The Baklavaian slave kept walking despite cringing a little from the statement. Knowing that it was trust, it just seemed harsh. At the same time, Aerialus felt she could understand if that was what Fiona was going through. Shaking her head, she blinked and looked forward. The aspect that she and the rest of the family was back home made her feel better and safe.
"..." Fiona walked down the sidewalk.
Passing a few houses, she turned her head to look behind her. Seeing that the host family and Aerialus were not standing at the driveway, she stopped. Sighing in relief that the feeling of being watched went away, she turned around. Looking down both ways of street and seeing no vehicles coming, she crossed it to the other sidewalk.
Reaching it and heading back the way she came, she walked to the high tree that she moved to. Constantly looking around to see if anyone was looking from windows, most of the homes had their drapes closed or partially open. Seeing that the coast was clear, she removed her heels and placed them at the base of the tree. Placing her bag on the ground, she rummaged through it and retrieved four items.
Putting two gloves with modules on them, the two slip on boots had similar devices on them. Putting the heels back in the bag and slinging it behind her, she activated a small button on the gloves and boots. Hearing a soft electronic wind-up sound, she put her palms on the tree. Feeling herself being lifted up, she put one foot on the tree. Once grip was felt and was ascending a little quicker, she put her remaining foot on the bark.
Going up the tree and avoiding ramming into the thick branches, she could barely see her camping equipment. Reaching it, she timed herself to pull her hands and feet back. With a small hop and landing on a wooden appendage, Fiona turned off the modules. Sighing to herself from feeling safe, she began to change to get into her slave jumpsuit. By the time she put things away and was in a more comfortable and warmer attire, exhaustion hit her.
'...I can barely keep my eyes open...' the slave scout thought to herself.
Rubbing her eyes did not make her feel more awake. Unable to suppress a yawn, she moved to her makeshift netting platform with a sleeping bag. Getting inside while lying down, her forward view was of the home of Aerialus's host family through the dark leaves. Unable to see the neighbor's house, she looked in the direction of where the other Primusian scout would be. Unable to see the tall trees in the distance due to the darkness, there was no blue light that was seen either.
'He...or she probably fell...' the Baklavaian thought then yawned again. Moving her head back and closing her eyes, the onset of sleep was felt in her mind.
'...asleep...I'll...move...tomorrow.'
'...you...would decieve...me...again?' a familiar voice ranged in the air. An echo accompanied it along with reverb to make volume of the person seem bigger and louder. It sounded disappointed and grave. At the same time, the sensation of someone staring down was all encompassing.
'...do not...lie to me...again...' it continued followed by the sound of faint whisps in the background. They were not near or far. More so enveloping the surrounding space with no clear distinction of where it was coming from.
'...your act of collaboration with these...inferior species...is not...appreciated...' the person spoke coming from behind. Feeling of whipping around, there was nothing there. However, the feeling of something ominous watching was growing faster.
'...HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN...WHO...YOU...ARE...?' it barked. A sudden and loud slam erupted causing the vague and opaque environment to shake. Overwhelmingly, something was rapidly approaching. Like an outreaching hand about to grab and squeeze; however, nothing did. Instead, a wall of white noise and instability swallowed everything.
' #$I#$#O%$W$#$N%^#Y#$#$O^%#U #$%#$'
"GAH!?" Fiona bolted awake.
Sitting up and breathing heavily, she immediately looked at her surroundings. Still in her makeshift camp in the trees, it was still dark. Not moving and just letting her eyes wonder, there was nothing around her. No disturbing aura was felt either. Trying to move her hands, they flinched a little while have small tremors.
'...what...the heck...was that?' she wondered with anxiety.
Feeling herself beginning to calm down a little, her eyes darted to something. Viewing the house that Aerialus was staying at, there was no light from any of the windows seen. The only illumination were from the street lamps that gave off a dim yellowish-white color. Keeping herself still and staring, her eyes widen. An unclear silhouette was moving in the darkness. If it was human or some animal, there was not enough detail to determine which. Reaching for her small bag nearby quietly, she felt around till she found her binoculars.
Keeping her eyes glued on the general area of where the figure was, she slowly got her tool out. Bringing it to her face, she put it to her eyes and turned on the heat vision. Upon doing so, she tensed up from seeing nothing was there. Clenching her teeth together, she cycled through the different settings available. Upon getting to the last one that was a bio screening, it showed only the wall, front lawn, and the stone pathway to the front porch.
'...if the scanners aren't showing anything...then nothing was there...' Fiona told herself in her mind. However when she took the binoculars away from her eyes and looked at the house, the sensation was still there.
"..." she pressed her lips together. Bringing the viewing tool back to her eyes, she zoomed out a little bit. Activating the heat sensor again, there were now four signatures. On the second floor of the house, three were in horizontal position. The remaining one was standing and appeared to be staring out of a window.
'Aerialus is up as well,' the slave scout thought to herself.
Glancing at the area that she last looked at, there still was nothing there. Seeing movement, she focused on the figure that was walking away. Appearing to leave her room, the Baklavaian slowly walked down to the 1st floor. Able to get a bit more detail of her silhouette, it appeared that she was holding herself as if cold. Watching her rub her right arm while mildly glancing around, her head suddenly darted to the front door. Given it was in her sights, Fiona quickly changed through the filter settings.
'...' Fiona curled her lips inward and pressed her teeth down. Changing back to the heat sensor settings, Aerialus's silouette was seen.
'...there is nothing there...' she stated in her mind. Seeing that the other Baklavaian had not moved and was still staring at the door, she thought that she would eventually turn around and head inward to the house. However, Aerialus slowly began to tip toe backwards while still facing the entrance.
"..." the slave scout felt her pulse and heartrate increasing.
'There is something there...if she is sensing it...did we have the same dream?'
Watching her back up into the kitchen, it seemed that was enough distance for her to turn away from watching the door. Going to one of the chairs that was not pushed in, Aerialus sat down. Looking like she was dealing with stress, she bent forward and put her hands on her head. Removing her binoculars and staring in the same direction, small hairs on her skin were slightly raised. Either the phantom was still there, or her mind was losing it. Closing her eyes, she took a slow breath in then out.
'If I look one more time and nothing seems out of the ordinary, I need to stop and break away.'
"..." she breathed through her nose one more time and felt ready.
'...if nothing occurs...I can stop...'
Bringing the binoculars back to her face and looking at the kitchen area, Aerialus had stood up. Walking a short distance, she opened up something and took an object out. Going to the other end of the kitchen area, she retrieved another item. Recognizing that she was pouring herself something to drink, she put back what she removed from the first location. Seeing her approach the kitchen counter and take a drink, the cold liquid contrasted briefly when it was going into her heat signature. Seeing her place the glass down, her head turned to the left.
'This must be the affect of what these humans call...' Fiona began to think relaxing a little. She trailed off seeing Aerialus suddenly duck to be hidden. A second later, a faint beam seemed to be slowly fanning left through the windows.
'...a...fever...dream...' she finished.
Feeling her insides tighten, she remained still. Only moving one finger at a snail's pace, she changed the filter settings on the device. Getting to the one that was for radiation, the barely seen laser became somewhat clearer. Seemingly looking like it was going through house, it was slowly fanning back to the right. Watching it, it would reach a point then pause. After a few seconds, it began to move to the left again.
'...why does that...not feel...normal?' Fiona pondered in her heightened state.
Knowing it would be a gamble and exposing her position to the other scout, she decided to trace the beam. Moving the binoculars up slowly, the source came from a height that was similar to hers maybe higher. It seemed to be in the general area of where the Primusian scout was. Observing it, the laser didn't seem to move. Seeing a small fog around the base of the light, the amount of concentration of radiation was very low.
'This seems to be the same area of where the scout is...did the person move and forget the laser pointer?' she wondered. Moving her head to look above the device, she could only see faint specks of light throughout the darkness.
Moving her head back to view through the binoculars again, she slowly cycled through the settings again. Not seeing anything that would indicate someone was holding it, the scout slave assumed someone tied the laser pointer to a branch. Going back to the radiation filter, her eyes bulged with horror. Lynched from a higher wooden appendage, a person was dangling motionlessly. The aspect that the individual had enough radiation to be defined in the scope was not on the Baklavaian's mind.
"..." Fiona looked away and put the binoculars away.
Feeling more than spooked, she immediately got out of her sleeping bag. Pack her things, her insides were turning. A phantom sensation of her lower half tingling came from what she saw. Shaking her head hard and feeling cold sweat beginning to form, she suddenly froze from a scared thought. Shaking and looking straight down to where the ground should be, the thought of the opaque silhouette came. Remembering that her focus changed, apprehension festered inside her mind and gripped it from not knowing where it went to.
'...did it...get that person?'
'Is it down there still...waiting for me?'
"..." the Baklavaian curled her lips in and bit down on them with her teeth.
Feeling stuck, she stopped packing. Sitting with her knees to her chest, she stared down the darkened tree. Despite able to see enough to make out where the ground was, the amount of shadows everywhere was keeping her paranoid. It felt like being in an abandon planet with an unknown predator somewhere in the darkness. Waiting for the opportunity to grab her.
'...I'll...have to...stay alert...until dawn...' she thought. Swallowing a lump in her throat, she waited in silence. Flinching from the faint sounds of the dark early morning, she did not move or utter a sound.