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Part 8: Alarming Discoveries
Chapter 32: Solving Contradictions
Contacting the third of the three races awoken from the Atene hibernation chamber is going to be easier said than done. We know very little about the Hrill. As far as we know, they have had minimal contact with the Atenex, and none with Thurn. Tambara told us that the Merope sometimes trade with the Hrill, but she was unable, or unwilling, to provide details.
The Atenex, or elves as Thurnians incorrectly call them, have had an uneasy association with Thurn for over fifty years. Not only did Cassandra’s and my forebears kidnap over a hundred female ‘elf maidens’ and take them back to Thurn, but they enslaved the elven women and fucked them like whores. Unfortunately, that situation hasn’t changed much in the intervening years despite my own efforts to persuade the Thurn government to make improvements. Back in Thurn, adult elves are second class citizens with few legal rights. Worse still, young and adolescent elves are regarded as nothing more than semiintelligent animals. Even now, adolescent elves are forced to work in Thurn’s factories, mines and farms for minimal pay. I’m not sure that introducing another race into the mix is going to be of benefit to the Hrill.
Despite the disgraceful treatment of Thurn’s elves, the survival of the Atenex race owes much to the rampant breeding of Elf Maidens in Thurn. Because all elves born in Thurn are clones of their mother, the Atenex female population now exceeds the number of male Atenex by a considerable margin. Contact between elves in Thurn and the freeborn Atenex has been limited, so the gender mix among freeborn Atenex is more balanced. However, that situation is already changing after the disastrous decline in male Atenex fertility. For the first time in recorded hi, Thurnian men have been allowed to breed with freeborn Atenex females. While that should stem any decline in the Atenex population, it creates an even worse gender skew. Nor does it help a similar reproduction problem in Thurn. The static, possibly declining, population of native Thurnians, is a stubborn problem needing some serious research to find a solution.
When we set off from Atene, we knew that our mission to find another of the five hibernation chambers, or Potiora, would bring us into contact with one or more other races. However we are illprepared to deal with the information the strange machine that controls the Merope Potiora tells us. Apparently the Hrill are suffering a catastrophic decline in population, and may soon face extinction. The Merope machine suggests we help solve the Hrill’s problem in the same way that my forebears unintentionally solved the Atenex struggle to maintain a viable population. I’m unsure what good will come from us making contact with the Hrill, but we should at least try.
Our group has met with the leaders of the only race awoken from the Merope chamber. If their leaders are to be believed, their population is already several times larger than the combined populations of Thurnians, Atenex and Hrill. Furthermore, the Merope technology is more advanced than anything used in Thurn or Atene. Which means that the Merope are far better placed to help the Hrill, but they show no inclination to do so. The Merope no longer visit their Potiora, and the vast knowledge stored in the machine is ignored. Instead, the Merope, or at least their leaders, are embarking on a mission of world domination. They anticipate that in a few generations their population will grow large enough to expand into Atene and Thurn. I suspect the Merope leaders would be perfectly content for the Hrill to become extinct. Thurnians and Atenex may one day share the same fate if the Merope leaders have their way.
“We could learn a lot by spending some time here at the Merope Potiora,” says Cassandra. “Not least of which are answers the anomalies between what the Dioxippe machine told us at the Atene Poriora, and what the Merope machine is telling us here.”
“I agree,” adds Ikaroa, who was Cassandra’s research partner during our time in Atene. “Dioxippe was adamant that this is the world on which our distant ancestors evolved, Merope says that it isn’t. One of them must be wrong. I would like to discover the truth.”
“I would also like to discover more, including learning some of the knowledge stored in the Merope machine,” I reply. “However, that will take several months, and time isn’t something we have in abundance. We promised to return to Atene within six months; at least a month before any pregnant Atenex gave birth. It has taken us nearly a month to reach here from Atene, and a return journey travelling against the river current will be much slower. Added to which, we will need to carry the boats around the rapids that initially delayed us. That won’t be easy if nearly half of our party is pregnant. The longer we delay returning to Atene, the harder our journey will become.”
“We should also try to locate the Hrill,” says Makareta. “We aren’t likely to get another chance once we return to Atene. I estimate that we have three months before we need to start our journey back to Atene.”
I’m reluctant to suggest dividing our small party, but doing so offers the best chance of achieving both goals. Fortunately there is general agreement when I suggest the idea. Cassandra, Ikaroa, Defina35, and I will remain at the Merope Potiora. Meanwhile Makareta, Ihapera, Whina and Emere will try and locate the Hrill. I think we all understand the risks of dividing into such a small groups. The river and surrounding jungle are home to several species of beasts. Although most of them seem harmless if left alone, none of us fool ourselves into believing that there aren’t dangerous predators lurking nearby.
We move most of our supplies into the Merope tower. Makareta’s party can travel faster without the burden of excess supplies. The second wakawaka is taken out of the water and stored inside the tower. Leaving it moored in the river would be asking for trouble. The river provides both drinking water and a plentiful supply of fish, so Makareta’s party can easily find food on their journey. Both Whina and Emere grew up in a riverside settlement, so they will be familiar with edible plants that grow near the water. We, on the other hand, must forage in the thick, and potentially hostile jungle, or eat from our stored supplies.
We discuss Makareta’s exploration plan, although it is little more than a rough strategy. Apart from a squiggly line on the map I drew back in Atene, we have no idea how far upstream the river is navigable, nor anything about the terrain surrounding it. From what little we know about the Hrill, they are apparently genetically suited to a dry desertlike environment. In other words, nothing like the damp jungle surrounding us here.
Makareta promises to return here no later than ten weeks from today. I would have preferred a shorter absence, but she and her party may need to travel a long distance. Besides, our research here could easily take that long to make any sense of what we hope to learn.
We part company early the next morning, and Cassandra, Ikaroa and I begin our own ambitious task. Defina35’s skills are vocational rather than academic, and she excels at metalwork. She finds some scraps of metal, presumably leftovers from when the Merope race abandoned this area. Before long she is producing a variety of tools and more than a few weapons.
Cassandra, Ikaroa and I make good progress with our research over the next week. Ikaroa is still in heat, so she and I are occasionally distracted by ual urges that we need to satisfy. Cassandra soon overcomes her morning sickness, although Rawiri demands some of her time whenever he gets hungry. The Merope intelligence that controls the Potiora provides answers when asked direct questions. However, after its initial bout of helpfulness it rarely volunteers additional information. Consequently we spend a lot of our time trying to work out what questions to ask. We gradually build up a clearer picture of the origins of the Potiora, and why our ancient forebears created them.
“Not everything that Merope and Dioxippe tell us is correct,” says Cassandra when we review our first week’s work. “Merope says that each Heliade stores a huge library of facts about our ancestors, but those libraries aren’t exhaustive. I think that is why Merope and Dioxippe disagree about whether we are living on our ancestor’s world or a different one. They both hold facts that help solve that question, but nothing that answers it directly. Being intelligent, they’ve interpreted the facts they each possess, and arrived at different conclusions.”
“It would be easier if the Heliades shared their information with each other,” observes Ikaroa.
“Yes, but I think their inability to do so is a deliberate feature in their design,” replies Cassandra. “The Heliades seem to be able to converse with each other, but only about limited subjects. Merope said that each of the ancestor races that contributed to a Potiora chose what information to pass onto their descendants. That implies the different races didn’t agree with each other.”
“Hmm, that could be true,” I muse. “Dioxippe said the old world was dying from natural disasters that triggered famines and wars. That suggests there was a lot of distrust between the different races in the dying days of their civilisations.”
“Which is something we are in danger of recreating here if the Merope leaders proceed with their goal of racial domination,” says Ikaroa.
“Possibly,” I reply. “But we are a long way off being able to address that issue. For now we must learn everything we can about our origins. That may help us understand a way forward.”
“We should instruct Merope to answer our questions with stored facts provided by the ancients, rather than the machine’s interpretation of those facts,” says Cassandra. “That way we can put our own interpretation on those facts.”
While Cassandra’s suggestion seems such a simple idea, it enables us to make several breakthroughs in our understanding of our origins. Over the next month we learn enough to compile the various strands of our research into a coherent picture. By combining and filtering the information given to us by the Dioxippe and Merope machines we resolve the initial conflict about the world on which we live.
We deduce that we are living on our ancestor’s world, but that the habitable zone on it has reduced to a narrow band around the centre. Frozen wastes cover most of our world to the north and south. That explains why Thurn’s winters are so bitterly cold. Away from the coast, the land is sheltered from the icy winter winds, so the climate becomes temperate and eventually tropical. We can’t explain the relatively short distances between the climate zones, but that is what we see and experience around us.
“I asked the Merope machine to try and explain the different climate zones,” says Cassandra. “There are no facts in its library to explain the rapid change in climate as we travel south.”
“Hopefully it didn’t conclude that we are on another world,” I reply, hoping that we have disproved that erroneous theory.
“Hmm. Yes, Merope did suggest that. But it was only one possible explanation it offered. A large heat source to the south of us could achieve the same outcome. Perhaps something natural like a volcano, but it could also be something our ancestors left behind.”
I’ve never seen a volcano, and I’ve only read about one in a discredited hi book gathering dust in Thurn’s Imperial library. Mountains that spew fire and molten rocks seem more like fiction than fact. But Cassandra isn’t ready to dismiss the idea, partly because her research in Atene also found mention of fire breathing volcanoes.
“We don’t have the time or the resources to travel south and investigate that theory,” I say, knowing both Ikaroa and Cassandra are enthusiastic for such a venture.
“I agree,” concedes Cassandra. “But if such a heat source exists, then according to the Merope machine, the jungle to the south of us should turn to desert as it nears the source. Isn’t that the sort of environment in which the Hrill are adapted to live? If Makareta’s party succeeds in making contact with the Hrill, perhaps they will know something about it.”
We celebrate our progress the following evening. Defina35 has been busy exploring the remains of the Merope settlement while Cassandra, Ikaroa and I have been busy doing our research. Despite her city upbringing, Defina35 has successfully seen off the occasional encounter with wild beasts. Generally the animals living nearby will avoid confrontation. The wicked looking blade that Defina35 has made for herself has so far deterred any animals who mistake her for their next meal.
“The Merope social structure that we observed in their cavern must have evolved here,” says Defina35, when she gives the rest of us a tour of her discoveries. “See. This house clearly belonged to one of their leaders. The house is well made and the walls are still largely intact. Inside, I found an abandoned plate that was made of metal. When I compare this house to the others, there are several big differences. Most of those houses have collapsed, and what remains suggests they were hastily made with shoddy materials. I also found several of these scattered around the village.”
I look at the box of metal objects that Defina35 has gathered. I’ve seen such things used in Thurn to restrain dangerous prisoners and disruptive adolescent elves. Since it seems unlikely that the Merope’s ancestors would leave such items in storage for their descendants, I conclude that the Merope made such items themselves. Tambara told us that Merope had a limited supplies of metal, so using a precious resource on prisoner restraints speaks volumes about their society’s priorities.
“If the majority of the Merope population are treated little better than slaves, then the expansionist dreams of Merope’s rulers could be upset by rebellion from within their own society,” observes Ikaroa.
“Possibly,” replies Cassandra. “Thurn’s leaders treat adolescent elves similarly, but their rule continues unchallenged. I think it would take a significant event to spark an open rebellion in either society.”
“I agree, but it something worth noting,” I add. “Where do you think they found the metal, Defina?”
“There are iron and copper items among the things I’ve collected,” replies Defina35. “This area is unlikely to have natural deposits of either metal. I think they were made by melting down other items that the Merope have found. There are traces of a forge in one of the ruins.”
“They may have used any metal items in their hibernation chamber,” says Cassandra. “After all, the chamber had served its purpose, so anything in there would be redundant.”
Chapter 33: Breakthrough
Our research continues to make progress, and we should be able to complete our work by the time Makareta’s party returns. We approach the time of the month when Defina35 and Ikaroa should be coming into heat. I confess I am eagerly waiting for the chance for some . At first we think that Defina35 is a little late coming into heat, but as the days progress, she realises that she may be pregnant. She’s had with me on countless occasions and not become pregnant, so it seems likely that her escapade with the stud in the breeding pens in Merope may be the cause. It’s too early to be sure about her pregnancy, but it means that Ikaroa is going to be the only available Atenex for until Makareta’s party returns.
with Ikaroa is problematic. She has been more than willing to have with me when she’s in heat. But Ikaroa is the bonded mate of an Atenex male. I’m aware of the dire social consequences should I make Ikaroa pregnant. Consequently I’ve previously been careful not to spill my cum inside her. Cassandra’s and my ambition is to unite the Thurnian, Atenex and, if possible, Hrill, races. Sparking a private feud with an Atenex male will do nothing to help achieve that goal.
Of course, Cassandra and I could have together with Ikaroa’s help. My cock will respond to Ikaroa’s pheromones, and even though Cassandra isn’t in heat, she is capable of enjoying . However, doing that is unfair to Ikaroa, whose own ual urges will go unfulfilled.
“We need an artificial cock,” suggests Cassandra. “I could fuck Ikaroa with it while you fuck me.”
“There’s no need for that,” replies Ikaroa. “Mikaere forfeited his claim over me when he abandoned me in the care of another male at the rapids. I have waited the customary four week period for him to return and make amends, and he has failed to do so. Atene law states that I’m no longer bonded to Mikaere.”
Most of the Atenex customs are strange, although they generally have a practical purpose. I haven’t come across this custom before, but I have little reason to doubt Ikaroa’s word. However, I’m not sure Mikaere will view Ikaroa’s claim the same way. After all, he doesn’t know where we are, and he didn’t have a choice of his destination after being banished from Merope. Consequently he hasn’t been able to make amends even if he wanted to do so.
In the end, it is Ikaroa’s powerful pheromones that break my resistance. Even Cassandra is sympathetic to my urgent need to fuck someone. The hooded males in the Merope breeding pens spent most of their time with huge swollen cocks straining the stitching on their pants. I’m more fortunate in that my pants are loose fitting, and my erect cock is a more modest size. However, the need to ram my cock into a moist hole is almost unbearable.
By mutual arrangement, Cassandra is allowed first use of my erect cock. By now we have experimented having in a wide range of locations and positions. Cassandra has recently discovered a passion for having me lie down on my back while she straddles my cock. Usually she faces away from me when we have in this position, but today she faces towards me. Ikaroa takes up a similar position, straddling me with her pungent cunt practically brushing my face. She faces Cassandra and I detect them fondling each others breasts as Cassandra pumps up and down on my cock.
I focus on restraining my orgasm since I don’t wish to come prematurely. Cassandra feels no need to exercise the same level of restraint and I detect several orgasms wrack through her before she yields the use of my cock to Ikaroa. The two women swap positions and I’m pleasantly reminded of the tightness of Ikaroa’s cunt. Her muscles grip my cock like a vice, and it’s only the abundant juices flowing from her cunt that enable her to move up and down on my cock.
Meanwhile, Cassandra is far from idle. She places her cunt close to my mouth and invites me to push my tongue inside. We’ve only done this on a few occasions, but I’m happy to comply. Cassandra frigs herself to another orgasm while I eventually surrender to Ikaroa’s strong pumping. I can’t hold on any longer and I flood her innards with my cum.
If I thought that was going to be the end of our games, then I’m soon disabused of that notion. Ikaroa’s powerful pheromones are a deadly lure to my ual urges. With Cassandra’s help, my cock is soon a rigid pole once more. I doubt I can produce much in the way of cum at the moment, but that isn’t what Ikaroa is wanting. I recall that Atenex males have much smaller cocks, so I think this is the first time Ikaroa has experienced something so large inside her. It’s driving her crazy with lust.
Cassandra opens Ikaroa’s cunt lips wide and I guide my cock into Ikaroa’s tight hole. This time I’m the one doing the pumping, while Ikaroa wraps her legs around my thighs, preventing me from withdrawing. She’s almost out of her mind with ual heat as several orgasms wrack through her in quick succession. My cum from our initial coupling mixes with her abundant juices, making it easy for me to drive hard and deep into her yielding body. Cassandra looks on in amazement and starts frigging herself to an orgasm of her own.
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