The Gold Feather

Draxel studied each passenger who came through security and into the waiting area for the shuttle. Force of habit from years as undercover security for various highly sensitive projects taught his trained eyes to look carefully for anything unusual. On his first vacation in years, he was headed back to his favorite place in this quadrant of the galaxy. Officially “on vacation” he was still an active agent for the Eegis project and acted as such. He watched fascinated as a tall, and very beautiful redhead strode catlike into the waiting area and flowed into a seat. From the snakelike way she moved he was sure she was a rare, homo sentient from the old earth. He knew about this advanced human sub-species, but had never seen one. Her simple, reddish-amber dress clung to her like a second skin, moving flawlessly just enough to show it was not attached. As she sat, their eyes met and locked for a moment. He was startled by intense mental pleasure as he imagined her sinuous body moving against his. It was more emotion than thought and caught him quite off guard. He was never caught off guard and it really bothered him.

When they called his group to board, she stood and walked toward the gate right in front of him She was very slender, almost fragile His eyes would not leave her body and its fluid movements as she walked down the ramp and into the shuttle. He had never seen anyone whose body moved so smoothly. She almost seemed not to have joints in her limbs.

“This is really my lucky day.” He thought to himself as he realized she was taking the seat next to his. As soon as he was settled in his seat, she turned and looked directly at him while liquid words emanated from the fullest, reddest lips he had ever seen.

“I’m Leura Clauson. Who are you please?”

Her directness and musical voice surprised him even more than her exotic appearance. “Uh Draxel, Draxel Sil. Call me Drax.” He was terribly uncomfortable and completely unnerved. He was sure his words betrayed him..

“Have you been to Stentor Seven before?” her silky voice chanted softly. “ I’ve never even been to the Vegan star system.”

“Been there several times.” He struggled to say. The barely detectable smell of her sweet breath was like warm milk. She wore a perfume that hung on the edge of his awareness. He knew it was there, but as soon as he thought about it, it was gone. Drax had never experienced such a woman. He was in very unfamiliar territory, struggling desperately to find a mental footing. “I’m going on my first vacation in years and this is my favorite place to visit. Are you on vacation?”

“No, I’m a botanist on a research project. I plan to study plants growing in the low gravity and artificially controlled atmosphere.”

The lilt of her speech enthralled him. It wasn’t really an accent, just different and very musical. “A scientist! I’m impressed!” He smiled as he spoke thinking that was the understatement of his life. “How long will you stay? On your project, I mean.”

“At least one earth year. My grant may be renewed for an additional year. It’s my first major assignment. What was that little smile about?”

He was amazed at her perception. “Just a little private joke, on me.”

“A secret?”

“No just a laugh at myself.” Her directness, too, surprised him.

“Tell me.”

He was a tiny bit irritated. “Let’s say it’s just something I’d rather not tell someone I’ve just met.”

Disregarding his irritation, she switched the subject smoothly. “What’s your profession?”

“I’m a gravity propulsion engineer. Do design work on the propulsion systems on craft like this one we’re on.” He said, repeating his usual cover story. “This vacation is long overdue and Stentor Seven is my favorite place to visit.”

“Tell me about it. I’ve seen the digirecords, but those are really quite bland. No beauty or poetry. You said you’ve been there?”

“Yes, and it certainly is beautiful, spectacularly beautiful.”

The shuttle’s engine hum increased and it rose slowly from the pad to start the two-hour trip. The motion was quite noticeable, but would disappear as soon as they cleared the atmosphere and the main drive kicked in.

“How did it come to be? The records were very sketchy about the planet’s origins.”

Drax was beginning to be more comfortable, since he was now on familiar territory. “Originally it was a small, sterile planet about the half the mass of your earth’s moon and just the right distance from the red dwarf star, Stentor. Focused gravity beams were used to tow huge ice planetesimals in from the nearby ring. They melted and became oceans and an atmosphere. Temperatures, pressures and everything else was adjusted for human habitation. Since then, many life forms were introduced and soon flourished. The combination of optimal rotation rate and distance from Stentor, along with lots of work over the years gave us a semi-tropical paradise covering the entire surface.”

“It sounds wonderful.”

“Because of the low gravity, plants grow to immense size and spectacular proportions. That, I trust will be the focus of your research project.”

“You are correct. Please tell me more.”

“In this gravity there are stable mountains rising seventy thousand feet with sheer cliffs and unbelievable waterfalls. The muted sounds of the slow waterfalls and of the unusual rivers are like a chorus of musical mumbles. Waves on the oceans can be huge, yet they seem to roll in slow motion. The surf is spectacular with thirty foot breakers tumbling slowly and gently onto the sand.”

“I can see why it’s such a popular vacation spot.” He was beginning to grow accustomed to her soft, musical speech.

“Buildings are constructed in ways unimaginable on planets with normal gravity. Giant overhangs, huge spans, delightfully fragile overhead structures with plazas, walkways and open spaces.”

“How about the weather?”

“The weather is marvelous. Mostly sunny and warm with fractal-like white clouds moving slowly across a deep blue sky. In order to have adequate surface pressure, the atmosphere is kept many times deeper than on your home planet. Clouds can be hundreds of miles high and the winds are always gentle. Then there’s the rain, the unbelievable warm rain. Because of the low gravity, raindrops fall slowly, congealing into large blobs which grow to near tennis ball size before they are blown apart by the air as they fall through it. It’s a most delightful feeling to be softly pelted by the big blobs of warm water.”

“I heard about the rain. I can hardly wait to experience it. I want to run through it.”

Draxel decided he would like to see that, but wouldn’t mention it. Her next comment drew him vivid, erotic mental pictures.

“If the chance comes up, could we run through the rain together? I’d really like that.”

It was said so innocently, so matter-of-factly, he was speechless. “Uh - yeah - sure, “ he struggled for composure. “That sounds like a great idea.”

After a silent pause to calm his imagination, he continued his description. “If you like water sports, you are in for a spectacular treat. Watercraft of all kinds ride very high in the water, skimming over the surface with little effort. Man powered craft like kayaks can fly over the waves, and sailing, even with a light breeze is a totally new experience. Becoming airborne is the rule in all but the biggest craft. Many a sailor has experienced the thrill of being taken aloft for hundreds of feet by sail alone.”

“I love sailing. My father taught me when I was very young. It’s one physical thing I can do very well.”

Drax made a mental note, then continued. “Scuba diving is another thrilling sport. Dives to a thousand feet or more are easily attainable. Underwater cliffs have abundant sea life with gorgeous colors. There are no man-threatening species in the ocean. There is no danger of the bends under any normal diving conditions no matter how fast one rises to the surface.”

“It sounds like a real paradise. I hope I can spend my leisure time enjoying a few of the adventures you describe. Would you be able to show me some while you’re on vacation? I don’t mean to interfere with your plans, but I know no one else here.”

Drax’s good fortune was beginning to overwhelm him. “Why, yes! I would be delighted. I have no specific plans at all.”

“Wonderful. I won’t have much to do for the first few weeks so you can show me around. I’m certain there are many new things to experience.”

“High on my list of marvelous adventures is rafting down softly running rivers with fantastic fall slopes. Doing that is almost an out-of-body-experience.”

“It all sounds so exciting,” she said just as the main drive took over and the hum and vibrations ceased. They finally cleared the atmosphere and were on their way.

Over the next hour Drax relaxed completely as they talked about their families and friends. She drew pleasant experiences out of his memory and shared her experiences as a child and about growing up. There was an unusual quality to her stories. They were very softly emotional. Drax could almost feel her joys and pains as she described them.

After a rather long pause in their conversation he realized she had fallen asleep. To his pleasure she leaned her head against his shoulder, snuggling down against him several times during the flight. He started examining her closely. Her hair was extremely fine with individual hairs growing unusually close together. It was very red with no hint of a color change near the roots. If it was dyed it was an absolutely perfect job. She turned a bit and put her hand ever so gently on his right arm. Her pale amber skin was baby soft and unflawed. When he touched her hand it felt like satin, almost frictionless. By now Drax decided she was far too perfect to be a normal human. The “scentars” as those rare advanced humans were called by some, were reported to have unusual emotional abilities.

He noticed a gold pin high on her dress, the only adornment she wore of any kind. It appeared to be a feather, about an inch long and quite fragile. It looked like a real feather, but very tiny and reddish gold in color.

A slight bump was followed by vibrations and the hum of the landing drive. Leura sat upright without the slightest hint she had been asleep. “We must be arriving.”

Drax looked almost blankly at her. “You slept the last hour almost without moving. I sure wish I could do that.”

“Just concentrate on pleasant thoughts and close your eyes. You’ll go right to sleep.”

Drax smiled at her easy answer. He was still concentrating on the lovely gold feather pin. “What’s that pin your wearing? It’s quite beautiful.”

“A gift. My mother gave it to me when I completed my studies. It’s the only jewelry I ever wear. It’s supposed to signify fidelity.”

“That’s one I never heard before.”

“Actually it’s a special kind of fidelity. Fidelity to a common, usually treasured experience with someone you love. My mother loved me very much, and I her. It’s about the wonderful life we spent together before I left home. Specifically, it’s commemorating our last day together. That experience will never happen again.”

“That’s really beautiful, sad, but beautiful.” Drax felt undeniably and strangely unhappy as he spoke.

“Yes, I gave her a similar pin. It’s a family custom. We both knew we would never see each other again.”

Drax was shocked. “Why not?”

Her voice had changed almost painfully. “It’s a bit complicated. We just knew our paths would never cross again.”

The sorrow within him became almost overpowering. “How can you be so sure?”

Leura had the tiniest hint of melancholy for just an instant. “Please, I’d rather not talk about it any more.”

Suddenly Drax experienced an intense change to terrible anxiety. It almost overwhelmed him and then, just as suddenly, it was gone and he felt fine. “What was that all about?” he said out loud in reaction, but really to himself.

“What was what all about?” her clear silky voice had returned.

“Sorry. I just had a very strange feeling for an instant and it startled me.”

Once more Leura shifted mental gears without hesitation. “Would you be able to help me to my hotel? This is all so new to me and I’m a bit nervous about going there alone.”

With his luggage scheduled to be delivered, Drax was quite free to go where he wished. “I’d be pleased to.”

“You’re sure it won’t be an inconvenience?”

“Positively. I’d love to see you to your hotel.” Once again he could hardly believe his good fortune.

The air car dropped them at level 196 of the hotel. It landed smoothly on the cantilevered plaza. Leura picked up the one small bag she carried and danced across the plaza right to the edge. To Drax she seemed like a little girl spinning with excitement from one side of the outside walkway to the other as he led her to her room.

“I’ve never been up this high in the hotel. How’d you manage such a room? I thought the upper floors were reserved for foreign dignitaries?”

“And foreign botanists.” She quipped as she flipped her hair and, with a flourish, hand-printed the door which slid soundlessly into the wall and then closed silently behind them after they walked inside.

Drax was dumbfounded. The room was decorated in shades of the exact same colors as Leura’s dress and hair. “This can’t be an accident. How’d you get your room decorated to match - you?”

Her look and demeanor changed and she laughed in that sensuous, lyrical way, no longer the little girl. He decided her voice sounded almost like a flute or muted violin.

“I plan on being here for at least a year so they let me have my choice of decoration. Do you like it?”

“It takes some getting used to, but it certainly is beautiful.” Once more he smiled as an intense feeling of warmth and pleasure flowed through his entire body. “Wow!”

Leura stepped lightly to the entrance and turned on music like Drax had never experienced. In it’s unusual tones and mixed rhythms he sensed more than heard the plaintiff cry of a loon, the rustle of pine trees in the wind and the crashing of waves on a rocky shore. It bordered on being visual and very pleasing. Leura smiled as she switched the glass outside wall from clear to one way. They could see the beauty of Stentor Seven stretched out before them, but no one outside could see in. Once more he became aware of her delicate perfume, just on the edge of his senses as she walked over to him and looked straight into his eyes. The warm milk-like fragrance of her breath also caressed his sense of smell, almost intoxicating him. She reached up and gently placed her wrists on his shoulders. Her hands hung loosely, just touching his back. He hated the shirt that lay between her hands and his skin.

“Now, Mr. Sil, I want us to dance together. Is that all right?”

Drax felt he was now completely out of his league and on the edge of losing any hint of control. What the hell is happening? he wondered to himself as she slipped her silky fingers around his neck, took his hand and moved to the music. As he looked directly into her eyes, he realized they were a dark blue with just a hint of red to the black of her huge pupils.

“Pull the little ring at the back of my collar,” her soft voice commanded.

When he did so her dress changed from the amber-red to an iridescent blue-green. She began moving rhythmically against him to the hypnotic beat and sound of the strange music. The sensation penetrated him as his whole body flushed with warmth.

“Now, dear Drax, I want to show you my appreciation for what you are going to do for me.”

She pulled him gently into the bed where cool, satin sheets caressed his skin. He could hardly tell the difference between those sheets and her silky dress. Something akin to fear, but not really fear, surged through his being. Drax was perceiving everything with intensely heightened senses and enjoying every delicious moment.

“Lay on your stomach. I want to give you a massage,” she urged.

Ecstatic, Drax complied. Her long, slender fingers were soon working up and down his spine, around his shoulder blades and neck and finally down the back of his legs. He had never felt so good in his entire life. Just when he felt his body had turned completely to jelly, she stopped the massage and began dragging her fingers lightly over his bare arms. Suddenly he realized her lips were moving up and down the back of his neck. The stimulation to his skin was ecstatic. Finally, she stopped and lay down on her stomach beside him.

“My turn.”

Drax was flabbergasted. “What do you want me to do?”

“Just do to me what I did to you. Don’t you think that’s fair?”

He remembered a line from the distant past and uttered it under his breath, “Resistance is futile.”

He began in the middle of her back. The fabric of her dress seemed just like a second skin. Unbelievably soft and satiny, it moved smoothly to his touch. She had no taut muscles. After he massaged her for quite a while she rolled over on her back and looked up at him.

“Tickle me please. Slide your fingertips slowly and gently over my skin. Just barely touch me. Just like I did to you. You liked that didn’t you?”

“I prayed you’d never stop.”

“Do it until I can’t stand it any more. Then we can weep together.”

“Weep? What do you mean, weep?”

“Weep for joy. Ultimate joy.”

“I have no idea what you mean, but I’m game. Joy sounds pretty good right now.”

“You’re doing wonderfully. When both of us are completely out of our minds with joy, then we will weep.”

Drax felt like he would explode. Every touch of his fingertips on her drove him to new heights of ecstatic pressure. After what seemed like hours Leura rose slowly, slid over beside him and began brushing his hands and arms with her fingers as he continued touching her. Finally, he could stand it no longer so he stopped moving his hands.

Leura sensed the change and rolled ever so slowly onto her back pulling Drax down with her.

Those dark blue eyes bored into his and her soft voice hummed quietly, “Weep my love. Weep for all time,” - - - Her voice trailed off into silence.

His mind and senses virtually exploded, a long, delicious explosion of complete abandon. Drax lost his sense of gravity as he seemed to float in the midst of the continuing soundless explosion. He had never before felt such intense pleasure. The center of his being separated from his head and floated through his body. He was in his arm, then hand, foot, leg, abdomen and back to his head in rapid succession. Intense feelings ricocheted between joy and melancholy, pleasure and despondency, never remaining for long in any single state.

After what felt like an eternity, Drax heard Leura’s near whisper. “Thanks dear Drax. Thanks for life and love.” He opened his eyes and looked at her for an instant. He was surprised to see a narrow stream of tears running from the corners of her eyes. His eyes again closed and he drifted once more in complete, all-engulfing, feeling-filled silence.

Suddenly he realized things had changed ... drastically. Normal gravity had returned. When he reached for her all his grasping hands found was a slightly damp, rumpled cotton sheet. “What the...” he thought as he opened his eyes to a bright, sunlit window in a beige room. He was alone and in a different bed in a different hotel. Outside, the sun was rising over the unmistakable skyline of Cleveland Ohio. “My God!” he said out loud. He was incredulous! “I never ... almost forgot who I was.” he muttered aloud as reality crept back into his senses.

A flash of reality brought him to check his watch. He saw he had barely enough time to get to his breakfast meeting with the NASA engineer who was working with him on the Eegis project. He dressed quickly, grabbed his suit coat and headed for the dining room. Jack Conrad was waiting as he walked in.

“Right on time. I like people who are punctual.”

“I almost wasn’t. You wouldn’t believe the wild dream I had last night or rather this morning. At least, I think it was a dream. It seemed so unbelievably ... alive.”

“Sometimes dreams can be very real.”

“This one sure was.” Drax shook his head, still bewildered. “Well, let’s get down to business. That’s reality.”

“Certainly.” Jack paused and gazed intently at Drax’s jacket. “What’s that lapel pin you have on? You weren’t wearing it yesterday.”

Drax glanced at his lapel. Firmly attached was a tiny gold feather...


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