Under a Starless Sky novel Chapter 68

There were days when Kali came to work and didn’t bother with Shen at all. There were days when she strapped him to the table just to examine him with tech. She performed an anal probe and measured bacterial counts. She collected samples of every body cell type and every bacteria.

“If you want to know how healthy a specimen, start with their poop,” Kali explained.

Inevitably, Kali would take a sperm sample. The reward interval was sufficiently random that Shen had erection every time she entered the room due to anticipation. Apparently she couldn’t collect it without getting ‘worked up’ and on occasion she would masturbate while getting him off. The moment she got off, she was all business, and very few words, if she spoke at all.

About 47 days into the captivity, and four hours into a dark cycle, the sound of the door opening triggered the lights. The habitats that held all the creatures remained ‘darkened,’ so as not to wake the inhabitants. Even the side of his habitat where his friends slept was darkened. He could see them asleep even in the dark because the wall gave a view into the habitat with a ‘night vision’ feel of green light, emphasizing heat signatures. All the cages were this way, so he assumed, day or night, their keepers could watch activity. The fact that this information was available to him suggested they wanted him to know they were being watched. He assumed his cell was opened to the greater light from the room because Kali intended to experiment on him.

The hairless giantess entered. She carried with her a tray of food. It was a giant tray, with one normal, human size plate of food with a bottle of wine, on a miniature tray. She sat the tray down, and then delicately moved the smaller tray into the exchange lock. She returned to the door, closed it, illuminated the moon portal, and swung the door full open to reveal the active portal. She stepped through, emerging into the lower area. She came up to Shen’s level. She was twelve foot tall. Unlike her companion, she maintained her same skin tone, white- flawless, like oiled baby skin, tiny blond hairs sparked on her arms and legs. Four arms, but her normal skin tone. She wore silvery, see through nighty that hinted at rainbows if your eyes chose not to penetrate- or drew your eyes back if they did penetrate. Rainbow sparked over her feminine attributes begging eyes to penetrate. It was rather hypnotic. She had wings that were folded. Her skin exuded a sheen that suggested massage oil had been applied, generously.

“Hello,” she said. She opened the exchange box and brought the tray with food and wine. She sat it on the bed. She held bottle and two wine glasses, each in their own hand. She opened the wine bottle with the remaining hand, poured, and then set the bottle down after she re-corked it. “Your friends call you Shen. I am Xana.”

From his position on the floor, in the corner, his most comfortable line of sight brought his eyes to her thigh gap. Rainbow sparks and desire tempted him to linger. There was no hiding his reaction with his hospital gown. His reaction was natural, and also manipulative- his mind was playing out an angle to use her to potentially create discord between assumed lovers. Kirk strategy- use a woman’s love or interest to get the crew’s needs met. She smiled, and held out a glass of wine.

“Promise; it’s not poison,” she said.

Shen didn’t answer.

“I also promise I won’t force myself on you like my wife. I will negotiate in good faith. You must speak to me to negotiate. Drinking with me is a sign of trust,” Xana said.

“I don’t trust you,” Shen said.

“And why should you,” Xana said. “Your emotional and psychological responses to me and my kind is reasonable. Fear. Isn’t it interesting that fear can be so arousing? Come, speak with me. I will trade knowledge for favors.”

Shen stood up. He wearily came forward to collect the glass she held out to him. She withdrew the glass, which in any other context might have been seen as a playful gesture. Going forward would only bring him into ideal grappling range. She smiled playfully and brought the glass back.

“I was going to guess good cop bad cop, but apparently the game is bad cop worse cop,” Shen said. “If I have to choose between the lesser of two evils, I am going to pick the worst one just so I can be done.”

“I really like you,” Xana said, sipping. “Ask me a question, anything. For free.”

She sat the intended glass of wine down and stepped back. He stepped forwards into her space and took the glass from her hand. He sipped this. She laughed.

“I don’t have to trick you to poison you, but if I were going to trick you, wouldn’t I have left the poison in my cup and pretended to drink it?” Xana asked.

“But it's so simple. All I have to do is divine from what I know of you: are you the sort of giantess who would put the poison into her own goblet or her enemy's? Now, a clever girl would put the poison into her own goblet, because she would know that only a great fool would reach for what was given. I am not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But you must have known I was not a great fool. You would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me,” Shen said.

“I am confused,” Xana said, genuinely perplexed. “Are you toying with me?”

“Yes, sort of,” Shen said. “Princess Bride. Iocane powder. One of the more deadly poisons known to man.”

“There’s no such thing,” Xana said. “Is there?”

“You weren’t born or raised in Australia, were you?”

“Where?” Xana asked. “Is this the world you come from, or just a place you know?”

“Clearly you’re not Vizzini. You’re definitely not the Spaniard. I suppose I have to beat the giantess first,” Shen said.

“You’re a funny little man,” Xana said, coming closer and reaching past him for the drink he had ignored. “I might like getting beat. Teach me this game we’re playing.”

“You don’t know enough to play,” Shen said.

“Hence the phrase, teach me,” Xana said. She peered coyly over her glass.

“It would take a miracle,” Shen said.

“Then perhaps I can teach you a game.”

“Now I am confused. Where are we?” Shen asked.

“Good question. Let’s negotiate. I will answer all your questions, but only if you agree to a condition,” Xana said.

“You have nothing I want,” Shen said.

“How about your freedom?”