Enterprise: The Measure of a Man

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Enterprise: The Measure of a Man
Chapter 9


“Mmmm.” Venda purred with enjoyment, arching her back up from the platform she was lying on. Her bare skin, warmed by the late-afternoon sunlight streaming through the window, pressed against Sejenus’ kneading fingers. “I’ve told you before, Sejenus, you have the hands of a sorcerer.”

“And I have previously explained to you, Mistress, that there is nothing paranormal about the techniques I employ. For centuries, my people have studied the intricacies of the Vulcan nervous system. Adapting such proven techniques to begins of another physiology is simply a matter of study and practice.”

“Well, you’ll never convince me that you are anything less than a miracle. My mother used to say so, too.”

“That was long ago,” Sejenus murmured noncommittally. Venda held up a hand, and he released her and stepped back obediently.

Murmuring again, Venda flipped onto her stomach and gestured for the massage to continue. Bowing his head, Sejenus resumed kneading her shoulders and neck. Slowly, he worked his way down her spine.

“I have long believed that the best thing about our world is that we are able to import the best of so many different cultures,” she said.

“It can certainly be an advantage, Mistress.”

“Of course, it means we subject ourselves to their less beneficial qualities as well.” Venda closed her eyes as Sejenus’ fingers passed the middle of her back and approached more intimate areas. His caresses ventured no further than decorum allowed; but the pressure of his fingertips on her delicate nerve endings was, as always, more deeply arousing and thoroughly satisfying than anything more invasive would have been. “Tell me freely, Sejenus: what do you think of Archer?”

His hands stiffened for a moment, then continued their kneading motions. “My knowledge of Terrans is limited, Mistress. However, he—along with the others who came with him—would appear to exemplify every negative trait I have heard attributed to them.”

“I agree. That’s what makes him interesting, I think. My mother used to tell me about the first moment she ever saw you—when you came onto the auction block all those years ago. You were proud, defiant, even in circumstances that should have commanded a very different reaction. Her advisors warned her that you would be a poor choice for the palace. We both know how erroneous their predictions were.”

“The role you anticipate for Archer is quite different from the one your mother intended for me, Mistress,” he observed dryly.

“True—still, I think he may come to see the wisdom, even the pleasure, in serving me. And I can’t help but think that the reaction I had to him was the same one my mother had to you.”

“Based on what you know of him…will he submit to me?”

“I cannot say, Mistress. His species is, by its very nature, unpredictable. If one course of action seems advisable, they will often purposely do the opposite.”

As he spoke, his thumbs pressed down on her thighs, moving steadily inward. She murmured and motioned him away.

“Enough. I will save the rest for Archer. Go and bring him to me here.”

“Of course.”

He was turning to go when Lysara entered the room. Her face was flushed and she spoke rapidly.

“Mistress, we have just welcomed two travelers to the courtyard. They are from the mountains. None of us have ever met women like these. It is most exciting.”

Venda sat up, her forehead creasing slightly. “I will be there directly. Sejenus, forget Archer for now. Bring my robe instead.”

Bowing, he did as she asked. She took no notice of his troubled expression as he helped her dress again.

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Hoshi and T’Pol were still struggling to keep their eyes from bulging as a contingent of toga-clad young women led them through a thriving village to a magnificent villa. Hoshi looked down at the glistening stone floor as they walked through an open reception area.

“The end product of the forced labor we came across earlier,” she whispered to T’Pol.

T’Pol bristled. “Considering the end result of that discovery, perhaps the less said, the better.”

“Well, I don’t regret what I did. I agree that we should drop it, though.”

One of their escorts turned and gestured toward several large floor pillows that lay beside a potted fruit tree.

“If you would wait here, our Mistress will greet you momentarily.”

“At least we’re going right to the top,” Hoshi said as they sank down onto the two nearest cushions. One of the younger women remained in the room with them, maintaining a discreet enough distance that they could speak without being overheard. The woman watched them with blatant curiosity. “If they are here, hopefully she’ll be able to tell us where.”

“Whether or not she is willing might be another matter entirely,” T’Pol said. “I have also not discounted the possibility that we will be captured or enslaved ourselves.”

“I’d like to see them try it,” Hoshi grumbled. When T’Pol shot her a warning glance, she forced herself to adopt a neutral expression. “Don’t worry. I’ll be as diplomatic as possible. I know we can’t help them if we make enemies of these women.”

“It is also not our place to interfere in their society, however much we might disapprove of their practices. I trust you will keep that in mind, Ensign.”

“I’ll do my best to keep my thoughts to myself,” Hoshi snapped. “For the captain’s sake.”

Before T’Pol could answer, another group of women suddenly swept into the room. Among them was a tall, imposing figure wrapped in finely spun, brightly colored garments. Knowing immediately that this was the leader they had been told about, T’Pol and Hoshi got to their feet.

“I am Venda, Mistress of this community,” the woman announced, looking her guests up and down with a critical eye. “I understand you’ve come from the mountains and wish to see a different way of life.”

T’Pol exchanged a tense glance with Hoshi, then stepped forward. “That is correct.”

“Admittedly, we are not a nomadic people, but neither are we unobservant. Why is it that we have never heard of this distant settlement before?”

“I could not say for certain, Mistress, though none of us has ever ventured so far from our own village before. The two of us have traveled for more than a month, fueled only by our own desire to find others of our own kind. Not many share our determination.”

Venda, along with the members of her entourage, stared at them for a long, hard moment. Her clear eyes narrowed, then suddenly softened.

“We have heard stories of sister civilizations just beyond the edge of our known territories. Until now, we supposed they were only legends. You are very welcome in our city. Will you come and dine with us now, and tell us of your home? In turn, we will be happy to share with you all the pleasures our own can offer.”

“That sounds most acceptable.”

Standing just behind T’Pol, Hoshi couldn’t help but smile. She heard the relief behind the clipped Vulcan diction. Their story, suggested by the intelligence agents from the security conference, had been accepted…at least for the moment.

Forcing herself to return the smiles and the welcoming embraces of the women, Hoshi followed T’Pol and Venda through a curtained doorway into the next room. There, a feast consisting of numerous vegetarian dishes had been laid out on a long table.

Fortunately, there were no underdressed men standing around to serve them. This duty was assumed instead by the same teenaged girls who had accompanied them into the villa.

“I hope you are not offended at being served by our own kind,” Venda said, apparently noticing Hoshi’s stare. “I do find males so unappetizing at mealtime, don’t you? Trust me, though—we will bring them out later, when we are ready to receive their favors.”

“That should be something to look forward to,” Hoshi agreed.