Shalia's Diary #3 Read online

  SHALIA’S DIARY

  Book 3

  A Clans of Kalquor Story

  By

  Tracy St. John

  © copyright March 2014, Tracy St. John

  Cover art by Erin Dameron-Hill, © copyright May 2014

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and places are of the author’s

  imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or

  events is merely coincidence.

  Kindle Edition

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  PLEASE NOTE:

  Shalia’s Diary is an ongoing serial story. This is Book 3 of that tale, picking up where Book 2 left off at the November 30 entry. It is highly advised that you read Books 1 and 2 in their entirety before reading this third part. You may also read previous entries for free starting with the August 17 entry at http://shaliasdiary.blogspot.com/2012_09_01_archive.html.

  December 1

  I’ve been settling in the last couple of days, trying to get my bearings on this big transport. It’s huge, about the size of one of our old Earth battlecruisers, though it’s not armed to the teeth.

  There’s not much to tell since we boarded the transport, which belongs to the Kalquorian fleet. Life has consisted of me unpacking the few things I have, crying from missing my friends back at the Academy, and sitting with Candy as we alternate between laughing and bawling over any little thing. We’re a mess.

  I’ll explain a little about this transport, which is kind of like a space-going city. Okay, so maybe it’s not quite as big as a city, but it ain’t small.

  First of all, there is the Earther Matara quarters. This part of the ship is where all us girls looking for clan love will live for the next nine months as we make our way to Kalquor. We’ve got our own dining room in this section where they serve everything from my ronka and pilchok obsession to surf and turf. I wonder if they’ve laid in a supply of butchered beef or actually put live cattle on this ship. I also have to wonder about the seafood. Did they install aquariums in order to transport our aquatic life?

  There is also an ‘amusement room’. It looks like a seriously upgraded rec room. The Kalquorians filled it with activities, vid entertainments like concerts and performances (some are even old Earth recordings), hobbies, and games. I’ve already loaded some book collections onto my dear old handheld here. Nine months is a long time to fill, don’t you know?

  There is even a little shopping area in our section. Apparently, the Kalquorians were busy thinking about us back on Earth. They gathered goods that weren’t looted after Armageddon. There are clothes, little decorative things to personalize our quarters with, computers, handhelds, even jewelry and makeup. The craziest part is that none of it costs anything. No one is spending her Kalquorian government-issued allowance on any of this stuff. It is rationed out so that everyone gets a chance to pick nice things out for themselves, however. Once the goodies run out, we will have to pay for similar items picked up on other planets, space stations, and colonies. It sounds as if by the time we make our first stop, we’ll all have accumulated some pretty decent funds to buy some of the more exotic stuff. Candy and I are already discussing our splurges. She wants to get what passes for a dress on Plasius (a couple of scraps of fabric do not constitute clothing, in my humble opinion) and some jewelry on Joshada. I’m up for the Joshadan jewelry, which is supposed to be the nicest on all known planets. I’m also going to get a bottle of leshella, which they say makes our finest champagne taste like toilet water. Maybe I’ll get Mom something too, a kind of ‘getting out of stasis’ present. What the heck, it’s not like I have to pay for room and board anytime soon.

  I understand there is a common area that Earthers and Kalquorians can both visit, somewhere near the center of the ship. I haven’t ventured out that way yet. Curiosity has not overcome the sense of depressed apathy that I’m currently experiencing. I guess once I finally accept that I have really, really left Earth and am not returning, I’ll start getting my act back together.

  Anyway, here’s what I know about the common area. Apparently, that’s where there are more dining options, goods for sale, a hall for performances, and even a couple of clubs for entertainment. I have no idea what constitutes a Kalquorian club, though I suspect lemathev music is probably involved. Of course, that makes me think of Dusa, Esak, and Weln.

  Speaking of them, I have commed them and Dad twice since I left Earth. It makes me incredibly sad to see them now, so much so that I wonder if I should stop contacting them so much. Yeah, right. Like that is going to happen. I’m still clinging like a vine even though we left Earth’s orbit yesterday. There is no big news to report from their end yet. Weln still hasn’t left the Academy to join Dusa and Esak. He’s waiting for a shuttle to come from Atlanta. Meanwhile, there is still talk of shutting down the Academy site. I wonder where Nang would end up in that case. The bottom of the ocean is my vote.

  Anyway, I was talking about this transport. Past the common area is Kalquorian crew quarters, and then the ship’s engineering and bridge sections. We’re not really encouraged to visit the crew’s living space. The operating areas of the transport, like engineering and the bridge, are off limits entirely.

  We’re supposed to get more information on the whys and wherefores of our long ride in this tub at an orientation tomorrow. Pretty much the only other thing I know about it is that we have two destroyers escorting the transport to Kalquor. The fact we need them is a little concerning, but there really isn’t much of a protected route that extends from Earth to Kalquor. The Empire is working on setting it up, but that’s taking time and resources. I’m hoping the Tragooms leave us alone, along with the sometimes opportunistic Dantovonians and Bi’isils. Sure, the Galactic Council insisted Earthers couldn’t be taken as outright slaves, only indentured servants. Bi’is swears up and down it doesn’t do that, nor do they perform experiments on other sentients. I don’t believe it for a second. There have been waaaay too many stories of such things, even long before the war.

  I suppose that’s all for now. It will be interesting to see what tomorrow’s orientation brings up. Candy is hoping for cute Kalquorians, of course. Personally, I’ve had my fill of men for now. I already left three sweethearts, an asshole, and a dad behind. I don’t want to be bothered with any other guys for any reason. I’ll need my strength for the lottery on Kalquor in nine months.

  December 2

  It is interesting to note that when it comes to time-wasting meetings, Kalquor is about on par with Earth. The orientation was just a rehash of the welcome message the computer played when I first got into my quarters a few days ago. Well, mostly. A few interesting things came up. And when it comes to wasting time, what else is there to do on a long ride?

  We newbies were assigned a liaison. This is a Kalquorian who we can contact with questions and concerns at any time. Every liaison has ten of us to keep an eye on. Mine and Candy’s is Imdiko Betra. Like the other Imdikos I’ve met, he’s got a sweet, open face that just begs you to trust him. Candy of course went totally dreamy-eyed over him in an instant. Her crushes come and go with amazing rapidity, so she’ll probably be over him by this time tomorrow.

  He’s a cutie, older than Weln. He looks like the Boy Next Door type with the biggest biceps I think I’ve ever seen on a man. Yes, I checked him out. No, I have no intention of doi
ng anything more than that. I am done with playing with these guys.

  I did find out Betra is unclanned, which was kind of a surprise. I thought the Imdikos all got clanned pretty fast, and Betra is a little older than me. I guess he’s holding out for something particularly special. Smart guy.

  The other interesting person I met was Katrina Dawson. I was startled to see an older woman among us, one who was obviously over childbearing age. She’s gotten permission from Kalquor to come live there in order to counsel the young women at the living complex. She’s a lean lady, extremely fit looking. Her gray hair was brushed back and held with a hair clip. She told me it was in that awful in-between growing out stage.

  “A lot of the Kalquorians like longer hair on a woman,” she said with a sly smile. “Who am I to disappoint them?”

  Candy blinked at her. “You, um, you like – Kalquorians?” She was all flustered, which clued Katrina in on what she was really asking.

  “You mean having sex? Honey, I adore teaching those boys what a woman needs!”

  I was almost as stunned as Candy. I mean, despite her impressive build, Katrina looks like a schoolteacher nearing retirement. Yet here she was, grinning at us with happy debauchery.

  I said, “You teach them?”

  Katrina trilled happy laughter. “Damned straight I do. I was married three times for a total of thirty-five years. I should hope I know a thing or two about good sex. That’s the kind of counseling I’ll do for you gals on Kalquor. It’s not really the awful, terrible act you were told to expect by the Church. I’ll take the fear and confusion out of the whole thing.”

  Candy looked dazed. “You said you were teaching boys.”

  Katrina snorted. “At my age, any man younger than forty is a boy. However, I do prefer the ones in their twenties. It’s good to catch these Kalquorians while they’re still young. For one thing, they’re grateful to be with a woman and ready to do anything she wants. For another, they don’t think they know everything, so they’re willing to let a woman with experience show them what works. I think of myself as their training Matara.”

  I thought Candy would fall over in a dead faint. “Holy shit, you look like you could be my mom,” she whispered. “No offense, but I can’t imagine someone like you doing ... you know. That.”

  Katrina didn’t take offense. Instead, her grin got only broader. “Well, you know your mom had to have done ‘that’ for you to be born. She might have even enjoyed it.”

  Candy turned green.

  I envy Katrina. It must be nice to simply have sex without needing an emotional investment. It seems like there would be a lot less heartache attached than what I’ve been doing with the guys I get involved with. Maybe I’d make fewer bad decisions.

  December 3

  Damn, I’m lonely without my guys. I spoke with Dusa, Esak, and Weln via vid earlier today. We even had sex ... well, sort of. I guess it’s more accurate to say I had sex with myself while they watched.

  Weln has finally made it to Atlanta. It was good to see the gang all together again. They looked happy, which gave me a pang of jealousy. No, I do not want them pining for want of me. I want them to be happy. But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit it kind of hurts to know their lives will go on perfectly fine without me. I know, I’m an awful person. I just feel so terribly alone without them.

  They did say over and over how much they missed me. Dusa looked me over, sighing unhappily. “It hurts to look at you and not be able to touch,” he told me. “Here you are, right in front of me, and yet you’re too far away.”

  “Tell me about it,” I grouched, my eyes wandering over the three delicious bodies that looked for all the world like they stood right here in my quarters. Dusa and Esak were in their uniform formsuits, which clung so very nicely to their bodies despite the armor inside the fabric. Weln’s trousers were fitted, and he wasn’t wearing a shirt. It was all I could do to not reach for them.

  “Feel free to get naked and remind me of what I’m missing,” I said with half-hearted lasciviousness. “Maybe I’ll have nice dreams tonight.”

  Dusa’s grin was a naughty thing. “I think I’d rather you got naked, Shalia.” His voice deepened with command. “Go ahead. Take your clothes off.”

  I couldn’t stop myself from jerking in response. It was the dominant voice he’d always used with me when it came to sex, and I responded just as automatically as Pavlov’s dog. I was wet and aroused in an instant, especially when I saw how all three pairs of eyes darkened.

  Not really thinking about what I was doing, my blouse went over my head and flying away through the air. My pants went next, followed by underclothes. I was soon standing in front of them, bare and eager.

  This is ridiculous, I told myself. We can’t do anything!

  The guys disagreed with me. “Lie down on your sleeping mat,” Esak said. He’d pitched a hell of a tent in his pants.

  I had to back up a few steps to obey. The com connection, complying with a barked command from Dusa, zoomed them closer so that it seemed like they stood at the edge of the bed, looming over me.

  “Spread your legs. Touch yourself,” Weln whispered. “Put your hands on your breasts and pussy.”

  Dusa added, “Make yourself excited for us.”

  I did as I was told, moaning a little as I rubbed one nipple and rubbed the soaked petals of my sex. It wasn’t my touch that was setting me on fire, though it certainly added to the excitement. No, it was their eyes on me and insistent demands that had me writhing in pleasure.

  “Pinch your nipple for me,” Esak growled. “Pinch it hard like I would, making you accept my mastery.”

  My finger and thumb were pincers, sending heady stings to make me shudder. When Esak told me to do the same to the other nipple, I obeyed without hesitation. Then Dusa and Weln chimed in. Orders came at me, one after the other, orders I was to comply with as soon as I received them.

  “Open your pussy so I can see inside. Show me everything.”

  “Rub the side of your clit. Only the sides. No direct contact.”

  “Two fingers inside. Fuck yourself with them. That’s it.”

  “Slower. You may not come without permission. Mind me, Shalia.”

  “Rub your clit now. Make it feel good.”

  “You still may not come.”

  “Put another finger inside.”

  “Faster now. Fuck yourself a little faster.”

  “Rub your clit harder. But don’t come yet.”

  It went on like that for several minutes. I lay there, pleasuring and torturing myself at their say-so, sobbing with need, as helpless to defy them as if they’d been standing there ready to punish me for any offense. All three leaned in, watching with rapt attention. They made me work my grasping pussy harder and faster until my arm ached. My lower body coiled tight, on the verge of orgasm though I fought to keep climax from happening. I know how insane this all sounds, but I was simultaneously trying to make myself come and keep myself from coming. All at the behest of my wonderful, cruel Kalquorians.

  I was finally reduced to screaming at them. “Please, Dusa! Please!”

  He groaned and grabbed Esak’s shoulder, as if to keep from falling to the ground. His voice strained, Dusa said, “Come, Shalia.”

  A final pinch to my engorged, desperate clit, and I tumbled into ecstasy. I jerked and writhed all over that sleeping mat, wailing in time with every pulse that clenched my guts. It was what I’d wanted so much, and yet it was empty without those strong arms around me.

  When I calmed, I noted I wasn’t the only one who’d found at least physical satisfaction. “Time to send out the laundry,” Weln observed, his eyes half-lidded with completion.

  Dusa had ended up on the floor after all. He sat there, his head down as he caught his breath. When he finally looked up at me, his smile was bittersweet, as if he’d found the encounter as barren as I had. Still, his eyes were soft and loving. “Thank you, Shalia,” he said.

  “Damn it, I miss you,” I blu
rted.

  That got me three dark heads nodding in agreement. Esak couldn’t speak until our com session ended a few minutes later. None of us wanted a conversation after that. It was just too painful to continue. The four of us muttered ‘I love you’ and ‘take care of yourselves’ and clicked off.

  Nope. I’m not going to get emotionally invested in anymore Kalquorians until I choose a clan. I promise, cross my heart, and hope to die. Whoever was the one who said, “It’s better to have love and lost then to never have loved at all” deserves to have his teeth kicked in.

  December 6

  I hate to say it, but boredom is already setting in. I have nine months to go. Nine months of this stupid ship. Fuck.

  The only thing of note that has happened in the last few days is my one-on-one meeting with the liaison. The entirely too cute Imdiko Betra commed me yesterday to ask if I had time to sit down with him for a few minutes. I almost told him no, I was booked solid for the next two years and would he like to make a reservation? Thou art a smartass, Shalia.