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Chapter 38
Gnarff's freighter had docked with Thallaxapod in orbit above Forgwin5C. In the massive council hall of the Thallaxapod, Ambassador Taylor was holding a reception for the returning Gnarriotts.
Taylor in full ambassadorial regalia and his wife, Debranna, in an exquisite evening gown, were greeting the guests as they arrived in the hall. Troopers Genes and Harins,formed the honour guard. Pulled back from a recreation break in The Colony, neither was delighted to be sweating in their tight collared ceremonial uniforms. Standing stiffly to attention was not an attractive alternative to enjoying the wholly different stiffness that had been a feature of their trip to The Colony, although there was plenty of cleavage on view as some of the wives of Federation officers arrived.
On a dais to one side of the hall a group of whites from the colony, clad in an approximation of the dress of the 5 th Centium pre-current era Greeks from Sol3a were performing a tableau entitled Sappho's Muse. Taylor, who had studied classics, could hardly approve the interpretation, though he did appreciate the gymnastic endeavours of those involved. His wife regarded the girls' antics apparently impassively but with more than a passing interest in one rather pneumatically endowed girl with short dark hair.
She reserved the same impassive eye for what she took to be her husband's latest infatuation, Captain – now Commander – Jarrin Tarn recently promoted and moved from the Intelligence Corps for attachment, Debranna laughed at the term, to the Diplomatic Service.
Tarn, in a freshly tailored Commander's uniform adapted to make the most of her figure, was the hub of a small cluster of junior officers, all keen to gain some small influence from her improved position.
Gnarff had caused something of a stir by his entrance. For most of the Federation delegation, the status of the women in The Colony was very much a case of out of sight out of mind, except as and when shore leave took them to enjoy The Colony's delights. However, Gnarff had no compunction about showing his attitude towards the Sol system women, even gaining some amusement from confronting the sensibilities of his newly found allies by a display that was intended to confirm his intention to ensure that they remained a cowed species.
As he entered, following him on all fours were two of the Sol5G women, Denyes and Anyara. They were naked apart from the collars that they wore about their necks. From each collar a leash stretched out to one of Gnarff's claws. Covering their sightless, burned eyes, each wore mirror bright contact plates which gave them a mechanical, sinister look that contrasted with their pet like subservience. As he stopped on one side of the room, the two women scuttled closer to him, clutching at his legs until a waved claw brushed them back to sit with heads bowed in silence.
The Sol 3 and Sol 5 women convicted as conspirators for their roles in the "insurrection" had recovered from their Waring Procedure operations. The transponder insertions had been followed by the initial loading procedures that enabled their use as soft robots. Taylor had insisted that they should serve at the reception. Without being fully programmed they could only take on simple tasks as yet. They all wore identical, featureless grey uniform dresses and blank, un-sensing, expressions. All had identical connector ports in the nape of their necks clearly visible as their heads had been shaved during the surgical implantation procedures.
Kelli Failte and Shana Wilson, the two skimmer flyers, were acting as bearers for the train of Debranna's dress, following her as she progressed around the hall. Their movements were still stiff from the use of simple coding in their early programming but they could already follow the simple instructions that Debranna would give by the flick of her fingers. Debranna had tried to use the two of them to help her get ready but their programming didn't yet support those tasks. In temper, Debranna had thrashed the two of them. Her husband had explained that it would have no effect - without the coding implants the girls were unable to act - but it had made her feel better if nothing else. Kelli and Shana stared blankly ahead of themselves. Somewhere deep in their minds there was still a shadow of a memory of their earlier lives. For Shana there was till the trace of the guilt she felt about crashing the skimmer, Kelli still took comfort from the closeness they had felt in the cells and she still thought that she heard Shana sometimes, her thoughts blending with the colours, the colours that told her what she had to do.
Crista, Nataya and Terril, the Sol5g mercenaries, were carrying trays of drinks, following a predetermined course through the room, over and over again. After each circuit their course took them back to the bar where the empty glasses on their trays were exchanged for full ones before they were sent on their way again. The guests gave them scarcely a glance as they picked a glass from their trays or placed an empty one back on them. They of course made no response to the guests other than to pause in their course if their route was obstructed; their programming at least allowed for that.
Allison Mead, once Gnarff's chief anthropologist, now identified as Cybernetic Unit #7069-3, was also following her own pre-determined route around the hall. She carried in her hands a silver tray. Piled upon it was a pyramid of gold wrapped, chocolate globes. Every so often one of the guests would make to take one and then think better of it as they viewed the prospect of the entire elaborate pile tumbling to the floor.
The Sapphic tableau was approaching a conclusion. Taylor fond himself standing alongside Farrin Gnarff as two of the girls achieved a noisy and acrobatic climax as a result of the actions of their partners.
The Gnarriott clacked a claw in approval at the performance of the girls. "Why, Ambassador," he remarked gruffly, gesturing towards the tableau, "you're spoiling us!"
Taylor smiled in response. Farrin Gnarff looked down at the six chocolate balls that he had succeeded in plucking from Mead's tray and absent-mindedly arranged on the table beside him. "Hmmph," he thought, "the Alliansis system!" Permitting himself a grunt of satisfaction he picked up one.
"Alliansis IV – the home world?" asked Taylor who was peering over his shoulder. Gnarff grunted, crushed the ball between his pincer and tossed it aside.
Gnarff looked down at the crushed ball. "No women, regrettably" he said, waving a claw at the two the still sat submissively beside him "but I suppose we still have to do something about it."
Taylor nodded in agreement.
THE END
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