Under a Starless Sky novel Chapter 64

Arne, Shen, Uffe, Erico, Orton, and Jerica were each contained in private cylinders. The floor and ceiling of their individual canisters were illuminated. They could make out some of the ‘floor.’ They could see each other. They could hear each other, as there was a speaker system that allowed that much information to pass between them. Their cells allowed them room to stand, maybe sit in the lotus position, but not escape.

“Where are we?!” Erico said.

“Not Kansas,” Shen said.

“One of these days, you will teach me your language,” Arne insisted.

“And me,” Jerica agreed. “I have informed the others we are unharmed.”

“How is this unharmed?” Orton asked.

“We’re alive,” Jerica said.

“Till they drown us?” Erico asked.

“How do you communicate with the others?” Shen asked.

“I can talk to myself,” Jerica said. “Loxy wants to know if your suit is operational.”

Shen executed an audit. It responded: ‘I am Auto-TL, as her awareness was in the other container at the time of separation. I can remain auto, or go full bright- though doing so could result in divergence and sentience.”

“Stay auto,” Shen said. “This is confusing enough for me. Can you scan the room?”

“Most of the system is offline. Universal translator is still on. Psychic amplifier is offline. My sight is limited to visual spectrum only,” Auto-TL stated.

“Tell Loxy, it is operating below minimum standards. The systems that are working suggest tech was used to shut systems down, leaving me with the bare minimum,” Shen said.

“She asks you to speculate,” Jerica said.

“We were either teleported, like transporters, or we were killed and clone, which might explain why we’re in tubes,” Shen said.

“She wants you to describe the tubes,” Jerica said.

“You know how you get money from a teller with a vacuum tube, old school letter exchange thing? It’s like that, only smaller, no apparent door. If I didn’t know better, I would say we are in specimen collection tubes. We are now action figures in a display case.”

“You want me to say all of that?” Jerica asked.

“Yes,” Shen said.

Lights came on. It was immediately apparent that the ‘floor’ was a table. The person entering was a giantess. She was at least 36 feet in height. She was wearing a nighty with white frills and lining, but otherwise bright red as if she were a Christmas cheerleader. She was yawning and stretching as she entered. Stretching revealed her arms were not shaved. Her legs were not shaved. Her hair was straight, shoulder length, blond- not matching her body hair. Her left eye was green, with apparent circuitry and illumination, while her right was blue. Her breast were massive, free to move with the momentum her body gave them, and clearly defined by the silk they pressed into. She was barefoot, knees and thighs exposed. She sat down in modern chair and rolled up to the table to examine her capture. Two of the wall had shelves, with habitats, like hamster cages. There were clearly humans in some of them, maybe all of them.

“I told you there were giants,” Shen and Erico both said simultaneously.

The giantess touched the table and a screen illuminated. Information began scrolling. She pursed her lips, and summoned water. It arrived on the table in a blaze of lights and drank.

“I am interested in your tech,” she said. “Who gave it to you?”

“Well, there’s a story here…” Shen began.

She pointed at him. “Not you, little man.” She pointed to the others. “Sleeper immunity. Who gave it to you?”

“Benefactors,” Arne said. “It is in your best interest to release us, before you anger them.”

She seemed amused. She tapped instructions on her screen and their bracelets went away.

“The underground has no authority here. They can no longer track you,” she said. “I will chip you later. You belong to me now. You will fight in the games, or die. If you are successful, I will allow you to breed.”

“I wouldn’t dream of eating them,” she said. She licked her lips and tapped the glass next to Arne. “Exactly.”

“Seriously, don’t touch, don’t eat, don’t fuck with them,” the hairy one said. “It’s been a long time since we had fresh stock.”

“Yeah, well, ever since the fall, commerce has been practically nonexistent,” the hairless twin remarked. “I so miss the markets. All those lovely shoes.”

“You don’t need a market. You can print anything you need,” hairy sister said.

“It’s just not the same,” the hairless twin lamented. “The true makers put their essence into things. That essence can’t be duplicated. Hanshar snow boots, for instance. The love and detail that went into those handcrafted products felt like an extension to the body. It was like being barefoot and yet hugged! That level of love was unparalleled and can’t be captured in mass produced products. Only her soul through direct contact could put the Hanshar warmth and breath into it. And when the makers shared their essence, the products were improved. But now, she is gone. Most of the makers are gone or in hiding. Maybe all gone. But she is gone and there will be no more Hanshar magic weaved into world. Mortals would kill to have access to my closet.”

“Stop dwelling on the past,” the hairy one said. “When we take the surface back, there will be new markets and new makers. There are products undreamt to come.”

“True enough. Why is this one dressed like a chef?”

“I don’t know,” the hairy one said.

She got up, retrieved an empty habitat from a shelf and brought it to the table. The habitat was divided into sections- two separated compartments, with upstairs and downstairs. It was simply furnished, like a doll’s house. One by one, the hairy one picked up the canister holding a person, connected it to the top of the habitat, and pushing on top of the canister, she caused the bottom to ‘iris’ open and drop the person into the habitat. All but Shen was dropped into the left, upper compartment. The compartment allowed for them to drop in on a bed. Down stairs was exercise equipment and a lavatory. It had a living area, and a television monitor on the habitat wall which could only be seen from the inside, so if they sat and watched, someone outside the habitat could sit and watch them watching something. All of it was open so they could be watched from outside from any angle. There was no privacy.

The room Shen was dropped into was clean- sterile clean as if it were a procedure room. There was a glass wall dividing this section, and a door to the next room with staircase down. On the other side of the door was shower and lavatory.

The one without body hair yawned. “You coming back to bed?” she asked.

“No,” the hairy one said. “My brain is too awake now. Go sleep.”

“Are you sure? You want help?” the hairless one asked.

“No,” the hairy one said. “I got this. Go. We’ll have breakfast together at right time.”