The Galinean Saga: Ch. 01

The common area of Lallanna's home was completely open. There were walls that framed a few rooms on either side. The wall at the end was curved with the shape of the dome and was entirely glass, giving a full view of her garden, a swimming area, and the city beyond. The skyline looked incredible as the spires and domes of the city gleamed under a blazing pink sunset.

The furniture in her home was luxurious and had a plush, satiny feel. Many works of extraordinary art adorned her walls and the place was filled with exotic plants and flowers. Being the 17^th most powerful individual in the city must definitely have its perks.

Blake was most interested in a huge aquarium in her home. It had large, puffy fish in it. They looked like something out of prehistoric times. The aquatic animals had thick, rotating fins, but they also had legs, which resembled that of a frog. They would use their legs for better mobility when they swam to the bottom. Strange coral moved and twirled around the aquarium with life and purpose.

Blake was studying the aquatic life when a visitor arrived. The woman walked into Lallanna's home without even knocking. She carried a vase with an exotic flower arrangement. The stems of the arrangement waved back and forth on their own accord causing the flowers to appear to perform a swaying dance. The woman was gorgeous with blonde hair piled in an elegant style above her head. Twirling locks of hair dangled past her ears, almost reaching her breasts. She wore a similar tunic, except it was almost to the ankle as opposed to the very short style Lallanna wore. There was an enticing slit all the way up the front of one leg.

"Lallanna, my dear," the visitor said in an excited voice. "I heard the news that you have a new havenite. I brought you a gift to celebrate the occasion!"

Lallanna gave her new visitor a hug and they kissed each other on the cheek. She took the vase with the dancing flowers and put them on the center of her dining table.

"My new havenite is Blake-Ransom. Blake-Ransom, this is Lavenia, a member of our high council, the Twenty. She's number twelve."

With Lallanna being the youngest on the council at 35, this woman couldn't be much older. Blake guessed maybe late thirties or very striking in her early forties. He wasn't sure of the proper way to greet her, so he tilted his head and said, "A pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine," she replied as she gave his arm a gentle caress. Blake came to the realization that the women of this world were very touchy-feely.

"So, Lallana," she continued, "have you chosen a guild for this strapping young man?"

"I've given it some thought..."

"You know, he would be splendid in the pleasure gardens..."

"Pleasure gardens?" Blake enquired. He was also getting a little annoyed that she was talking about him in third person while he was standing there.

Lavenia gave him a confused look. "Why, yes. You know...as a pleasure slave..."

"Slave?!" Blake blurted. "What do you mean by pleasure slave?"

Lallanna jumped in. "My havenite is suffering from amnesia. I've been trying to acclimate him back to society in hopes that he will regain his memories."

"Oh, you poor dear." She turned back to Lallanna with an edge of excitement in her voice. "So, will he be a pleasure slave?"

"No. That would be a waste of his talents."

"But a pleasure slave has many talents. Some of the best! My intuition tells me that he would be quite good."

"He'll be a Valiant," Lallanna answered.

"A Valiant!" Lavenia studied him for a moment. "Hmm, that might even be better! There is definitely a certain glory and majesty to being a Valiant. I can see that in him. I bet he'll look ravishing in a coxilk," she added with a naughty smile.

Blake had no idea what a coxilk was and wasn't sure he wanted to know. She pronounced it as 'cock-silk', so he could only imagine.

"What's this slave business about?" Blake pressed.

"It's been a long day, Blake-Ransom," Lallana replied. "More will come to light in the days to come."

Lavenia took her leave and Lallanna made dinner for her new havenite. When she put the exotic dish in front of him, it was filled with a pink, leafy vegetable; a strange, purple grain; and some unidentifiable meat that closely resembled steak. He looked up and felt a bit disconcerted by the vase with flowers that were waving in front of his face.

"Could...those be moved?" Blake asked politely.

"Why? Do you not find them beautiful?"

"They're just a bit...distracting."

She moved the vase as he dubiously picked at this strange food. He awkwardly tried to use the eating utensil, which was completely foreign to him. It resembled a flat fork, but there was a spring action that caused a section to separate and become more like a tong for grabbing food.

"You don't even remember how to use a vian-snatch?" Lallanna asked with concern.

"Apparently not," he said with an edge of sarcasm. Since I've never seen one...

"Here, let me show you." She demonstrated by holding the utensil very elegantly between her thumb and first two fingers. She then activated a lever with her bottom two fingers to release the tong section. She controlled the tong action with her ring finger.

She stepped behind Blake and reached her arms around him to place the utensil correctly in his hand. She then helped guide his fingers to activate the utensil. Her nearness was intoxicating to him. He felt an undeniable rush of desire flow through him as her breast was against his shoulder.

He cautiously put the pink, leafy substance in his mouth and was pleasantly surprised. It closely resembled a raspberry-flavored spinach. He moved on to the purple grain. The closest resemblance he could think of was Israeli couscous, but each individual grain burst a buttery flavor into his mouth. He then tried the meat, which was so tender he could easily cut it with the side of his vian-snatch. The first bite was heavenly. There was an underlying flavor that somewhat resembled bourbon, but more of a smoky taste, which traveled up his nasal passages.

"This is absolutely amazing!" as he savored each bite.

She smiled with pleasure, "I'm glad you like it, Blake-Ransom. That's callak." When the name didn't register with him, she pulled a book off one of her shelves and thumbed to a picture. Callak resembled a cow, but had very long hair nearly touching the ground. Its twirling horns resembled corkscrews.

The final treat to the most amazing meal he'd ever had was an exotic desert. It was a cake-like tower, which was hollowed out and perpetually overflowed with a liquid cream. The breaded tower would somehow reabsorb the cream and continually pump it out the top like a volcano.

"How does it do that?" Blake asked, completely fascinated by it.

She found his sense of wonder endearing, but knew he would want a scientific explanation. "It's called fallan - a favorite desert among Vividians. It stays in a container until ready to serve. When exposed to oxidation, the chemical relationship between the cream and breading is activated causing the perpetual flow. The effect only lasts for several minutes, so eat it now. It is best while it is still flowing."

The closest thing that Blake could compare to this succulent desert would be a doughnut covered in cream cheese, but that paled in comparison to this delicacy.

Blake was given a room, which was just as luxurious as the rest of the place. There were no doors to the rooms in her home, however. Privacy seemed to be an alien concept on Galenia. There was a bath in the corner of his room, which resembled a hotub carved into the marble floor. He played with some knobs, which resulted in globes at the bottom of the tub lighting up with a blue glow. The water started bubbling and steaming immediately. Blake stripped off his clothes and got in. The stress from the day's ordeal quickly subsided. In his relaxed state, he found himself thinking of Lallanna and that feeling he had when she was leaning over him. He wondered if she sensed his reaction to her nearness. She had to with her low level telepathy. He felt his cock stiffen as he thought about her luscious legs. He looked through the wide, open doorway of his room, hoping Lallanna might walk in and join him. He was a little disappointed when she didn't. What the hell are you doing, Blake? You don't even belong on this world, and here you are thinking about fucking some alien woman from a different reality.

The next morning, Lallanna continued tutoring Blake in the more detailed aspects of their language. He soon perfected the intricate rolls of the tongue, which he had been sloppy with the day before. She then moved on to tutoring him more on Galinean culture. He was fascinated by everything he learned, but by mid-afternoon, he found himself thinking of earth and zoning out on her teachings.

"Do you mind if I ask you something?" he enquired while she was showing him a book of Galinian animal life.

"Certainly, Blake-Ransom."

"You are my patroness and have my best interests at heart, right?"

"Of course."

"With that in mind, you are an elite scientist in your community and I need your help."

"Okay...," she replied hesitantly.

"There must be some logical explanation on how I ended up here. There are some fringe theories about alternate realities, which aren't taken very seriously on my world. Maybe there's actually some truth to it. There was an energy behind those symbols in the cave network I was exploring. That energy must have created some kind of rift in reality that sent me here. If there's a way here then there must be a way back. I need you to help me find it."

Lallanna closed her eyes and sighed deeply while he was talking. When he finished she shut the book in front of her rather firmly and folded her arms.

"Okay, let's say this world of yours truly exists. Now it's your turn. Tell me all about this world you claim to be from."

Blake spent the next two hours telling her about life on earth. Shortly into the discussion, she started asking questions. They were difficult questions that led him to have to answer about many of the shortcomings about living on earth. After a long series of inquiries, she changed her line of questioning.

"So, do you have family or loved ones on this world?"

Blake paused a moment. "Not really. My parents died many years ago in a... vehicle accident. I have no siblings. Just distant relatives whom I haven't seen in a while."

"Any lovers?"

"Ha. Lovers as in plural?"

"Or singular."

"No, not in a while...nothing serious."

"Close friends?"

"I am fond of my fellow faculty members, my students, and my research."

"I see," she said thoughtfully. "So in summary, this world of yours is rife with war and your people have built such mass weaponry that it could potentially threaten all life. There is disease, hunger, poverty, and crime in your own cities. People...kill themselves in despair because they are alone and feel unloved. That, by the way, is a concept that is completely foreign to me. I've never even imagined anyone doing that or the concept of suicide."

"Well, there is good as well on my world. We don't always just focus on the negative..."

"Disease does not exist in this city," she continued. "Vividia has never been at war in its nearly 300 year existence. Our people do not go hungry. Crime is virtually unheard of. Our people are happy and care for each other.

"You also say that you've spent your entire life searching for some ancient, wondrous city," she continued. "If your world truly exists then you've already found something greater than your Atlantis. So taking all this into consideration, why in the world would you want to go back to such a place?"

Blake really didn't have an answer and had to admit that she made a compelling argument.

Lallanna's mood suddenly brightened and she put her hands on his shoulders. "I have an excellent idea, Blake-Ransom! I'm going to show you the city tonight, and its many wonders! Wait here a moment."

Lillanna returned with an outfit for Blake to wear. He looked at it dubiously. "Do you have anything less...revealing?"

"Nonsense, Blake-Ransom. All men in their prime wear similar outfits for a night in the city. If you think this is revealing, wait till you receive your Valiant uniform," she added with a playful gleam in her eye.

Lallanna went to her room to change and Blake did the same. His outfit consisted of form-fitting leather shorts with a gleaming belt and buckle. The length was significantly above mid-thigh. The rest consisted of a matching leather vest with no shirt, and boots. The color of the leather had a coppery sheen to it. In Blake's mind, it resembled some kind of kinky biker outfit. 'When in Rome', he thought wryly to himself.

Blake was stunned when he saw Lallanna. She wore a satiny lavender skirt, which was belted like the one she usually wears. The material had just a hint of transparency to where Blake could see a faint outline of what appeared to be a thong. The hem was high on her leg, in her typical style, but this outfit included a two-inch wide, slit on each side all the way up to the hip. The shape of her nipples was clearly visible through the thin fabric. The ensemble revealed just enough to tease Blake into wanting to see more.

"You look...amazing," Blake fumbled to try to find the appropriate words to convey his appreciation without seeming like he was leering. He tried to push his feelings of lust to the back of his mind to prevent her low-level telepathy from honing in on them. He was probably failing miserably on that score. He was somewhat reassured that he also sensed her appreciation for his appearance.

"And you look absolutely splendid, Blake-Ransom!"

Blake continued to marvel at the amazing architecture. A majority of the homes and guildhalls circled the outer portion of the city near its high walls. This left a very large, common area in the center, which had many elaborate fountains and sculptures. Gaily covered market tents lined the perimeter of the commons where citizens traded their wares. It would take a whole night to do a complete tour of the commons. Blake was excited to see the large pyramid in the distance. There were laser-point beams of light that appeared to shoot from the top of the pyramid.

Lallanna noticed his sense of wonder. "I'll tell you all about the pyramid when we get there."

As they continued down a street towards the commons, Blake heard a hollow sound approaching from behind. When he turned, he saw what appeared to be motorcycle, but much different. It was shaped like a metallic bullet with coils of piping towards the bottom. It actually floated on what appeared to be a beam of blue light. Blue light and a faint mist emitted from two pipes out the back as the speedster and its rider zoomed by. Blake played piano as a hobby, and he recognized that the hollow sound the speedster made was a harmonic interval of a third, resembling a reed organ. When it turned a corner, the harmony was a perfect fourth and then resolved back to a third when it straightened out.

"That's a fusion-rider," Lallanna explained. "It's our primary mode of transportation through the city."

"Fascinating," Blake marveled. "How is it powered?"

"You'll see when we reach the pyramid. The pyramid explains much of everything."

When they entered the commons section of the city, it spanned for miles and was bustling with activity. Market stands, food vendors, and entertainers spanned the distance. Lallanna stopped at a food stand to buy them something to eat. She paid for it with Vividallions, which were the currency of Vividia. Vividallions were silver coins with a bluish tint. Lallanna handed her purchase to Blake, which he stared at dubiously. It looked like a sea tentacle of sorts, but it was squirming at the end of the stick.

"It's a surfsnapper. Go ahead. Eat it," she urged. She saw his look of apprehension. "Don't worry, it's not alive."

"Then how is it moving like that?"

"It's just a chemical reaction to the air. It's considered a delicacy."

Blake cautiously put the squirming tentacle in his mouth. He couldn't deny that it was delicious. It tasted like a cross between lobster and a clam. He was still a little uncomfortable with the squirming in his mouth, but the tentacle quickly melted into a burst of flavor.

Blake no longer felt self-conscious about the attire Lallanna had picked out for him. Most of the young men wore similar leather shorts and vests of varying colors. Older Vividians opted for the standard tunic that went just above the knee.

Blake was impressed with the health and vitality of the citizens of this great city. He learned that most women maintained their beauty and allure well into their 50s, with only the slightest wrinkle showing on their faces. Some women were considered desirable even into their 60s. Blake realized that Lallana, at 35, had many years of comeliness left in her.

It was obviously a body-conscious society. Vividians took great pride in their appearance and the condition of their bodies. Even the elderly of society walked upright with excellent posture and a sense of vibrancy. They didn't have that stooped form and lethargic gait that was common in the elderly on earth.

The young women of Vividia, 40s and below, dressed in enticing and revealing attire. Most had bare midriffs with tantalizing silky tops, which were just enough to cover their breasts. There was variation in what women chose to wear below the waist. Some wore long flowing skirts with a slit all the way up the leg, others opted for very short silky skirts, and most wore sandals with leather crisscrossing up to the knee. Lallanna's outfit looked conservative in comparison to most of the women.

One thing of interest that Blake noticed was that relationships in Vividia weren't always strictly monogamous. He saw a man holding the hands of two women as they walked by. He later saw a young woman sitting on a park bench making out with two men. One was kissing her on the lips while the other kissed her neck and rubbed a hand up her thigh. Members of this society were free to pursue love in the fashion that suited them.

Lallanna and Blake stopped to watch an entertainer as a group of people gathered. The entertainer was a female synthesist, dressed in the equivalent of a satin bikini. She wore bangles around her ankles and wrists, and had a flowing silk scarf tied around her neck. She dazzled the crowd with blue fire conjured from her hands, and performed amazing acrobatics and cartwheels as she danced around the blue flames that she created.

They continued on through the commons and stopped to watch a musical quartet. The instruments they played were nothing like musical instruments of earth. They were coiled pipes similar to the coils that were beneath the fusion-rider Blake saw earlier. The musicians pressed keys similar to a keyboard to emit beams of light energy that made a haunting reedy sound. They didn't play their music in major or minor keys that were common on earth. Their melody was in a Dorian mode with a somber chord progression of D minor, G major, A minor, and back to D minor.

As they continued on through the commons, Blake noticed a man passing by with a very scantily clad young woman dutifully following. She wore a flimsy, loose, and nearly transparent top, which left the underside of her breasts visible. She had a thin chain around her hips with nothing but a small strip of silk dangling from the front and back, just enough to cover her most intimate regions. Her minimal attire stood out even amongst the revealing outfits that many Vividians wore. She was barefoot and the only other part to her outfit was a metal collar, which signified that she belonged to this man. Blake's newfound low-level telepathy clued him in that this was indeed a slave and master relationship.