Sonata in Orionis (Earth Song Cycle Book 2) Read online

  “Maybe, yeah.”

  “Fine, you can give up your spot, and he can continue the Trials.” Aaron looked taken aback, confusion flashing across his face. Minu took a half step toward her friend, prepared to offer a warning, but a quick look from the Chosen stopped her in her tracks. “Well, young one, what do you say? Are you willing to give up your spot for that poor lad?”

  “No,” Aaron admitted and looked down, ashamed of himself. After a second, he looked back up, defiance in his eyes. “I don’t trust you. If I say yes, you’ll give me a damned red envelope, and both of us will be on our way home.”

  Kenneth scowled, a look of anger crossing his face. “You doubt my word?”

  “After that amusement park ride?” Aaron asked, cocking a thumb toward the quietly resting flier. “You’re goddamn right I do.”

  Kenneth laughed and clapped Aaron on the shoulder. “You’ve got promise, kid,” he said and turned to walk toward the ramp leading down from the landing pad. “Maybe you’ll all learn a lesson from that boy, and the only one of you who managed to stay in her seat. A girl at that!” Minu felt her cheeks turning red. “Everyone grab your shit and follow me, this is going to be the longest week of your lives.”

  They had ten minutes to drop their bags in the barracks, hit the restrooms, and run to the assembly hall 500 meters away. For many, that also included cleaning the vomit and blood from their clothes. Minu rushed through the door in five minutes; the last boy made it with seconds to spare. She knew in her heart he wouldn’t be there in a week. No sooner had he entered than the doors closed, and a booming, masculine voice spun them all around.

  “Most of you won’t be here at the end of the week!” Minu almost laughed, just managing to catch herself. A few didn’t have her self-control, and she noted the speaker’s sharp eyes taking note of the weak-willed candidates. “I am Second Among the Chosen, Jacob, and I will be your worst enemy for the next week. I wish to dissuade you of any false beliefs you will one day be Chosen. Some of you might make it through the Trials, but you will never become Chosen. Our Concordian masters ultimately decide who becomes Chosen, and they take this matter seriously.”

  He took a long moment to look over the crowd of kids, more than a thousand strong. Minu wasn’t aware such a large group was already in the room; her group had been the last to arrive.

  “Why are you here? What do you want from the Chosen? Think you are going to get something from this service? Forget it, just fucking forget it. We’re only here for one reason.”

  “Serve the Tog!” roared a dozen voices. The candidates looked around in shock, realizing that men wearing black jumpsuits and standing at attention ringed the assembly hall. “Repay our debt!” they yelled in chorus.

  “To serve is your duty to humanity and your fellow Chosen, as representatives of our masters and your species. We work to repay the debt owed to our masters, so others need not.”

  The Chosen fell silent, and Jacob gave the candidates a moment to think before continuing. “We’re not here to ‘get something’ from being a Chosen. Being Chosen isn’t about getting a leg up on life or strutting around in a fancy black jumpsuit that really isn’t all that comfortable.” The crowd chuckled, and he smiled a little. Minu was more worried about the smile than anything he’d said. “We’re here because the survival of our species demands it.

  “Five hundred years ago, we were saved from extinction. Our benefactors and saviors, now our masters, decided we were worth saving, plucked us from the doorstep of oblivion, and gave us this world as a nursery. The universe is not a safe place. Thousands of species live, strive, succeed, and fight in our backyard. In repayment for this rescue, the Chosen serve the Tog. Through our service, our descendants will gain citizenship and, someday, the freedom to join the community of species that make up the Empire of the Concordia.

  “We are not slaves, but there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch. In school, they teach us what happens to species who don’t repay their masters. Some incur debt, like we did, by nearly perishing during infancy. Others foolishly consume goods offered by greedy species, who then make them debtors in their climb to becoming full members of the Concordia. It’s not fair, but what in life is? So, we serve. And, as a consequence, we might die on a world a thousand light years away. Such is our lot in life.

  “Your service will not be without benefit. As a Chosen, you will have access to technology undreamed of by the average human. You’ll go places and see things your family and friends could scarcely imagine. You’ll lessen the debt for your children. And people will remember you forever. It’s not an easy life, but it’s the life we have chosen. Those among you who’ll take up that challenge, raise your right hand and repeat the creed with us.”

  “Serve the Tog!” Minu screamed at the top of her voice, “Repay our debt!” She was only dimly aware of the few quietly escorted out of the room as the chant continued, over and over.

  Finally, Jacob quieted them down. “Your Trials began the moment you arrived at Steven’s Pass. Every moment of the next week, you will be under a microscope. Each move you make, every time you eat, whenever you shit, we’ll be making notes about you. Being Chosen is not only brains and balls; it’s also character. The brightest, strongest, and bravest among you may not make suitable Chosen if they don’t fit the mold. We invited only one in five who took the written tests. More than a dozen didn’t make it to this hall after they arrived. Five more left a few minutes ago. We will be whittling away at your number, every moment of every day, until one hundred of you remain. From that group, the Tog will select those they want. In past years, they’ve picked as many as ninety-four and, in other years, as few as one. We don’t understand why, and it is not our place to inquire. We serve our masters.

  “Now,” he said and turned to nod to a Chosen on his right, “let us begin.”

  The other Chosen hopped up lightly onto the platform next to Jacob. He was a huge black man with no hair and more muscles than Minu had ever seen. He had a jaw seemingly made of dualloy and intense green eyes that reminded her of her own. He spoke in a booming baritone voice. “I am Chosen Trainer Dram, and I’m your worst nightmare. From now on, you’re not candidates, you’re not kids, you’re not even human. You’re all bugs. When I ask you your name, you will reply with ‘bug,’ then your name. You, what is your name?!” he demanded of a boy up front.

  “Bug Bishop, sir.”

  “Very good. We have a quick-thinking group here. My ten assistants and I are going to tear into you like Kloth into cows. We are going to push, prod, shove, screw, fold, spindle, and mutilate you until you either die, quit, or excel.

  “If you expected a neat series of tests, you’re about to be sorely disappointed. There will be tests, but there is no schedule. You’ll have no time to prepare, and there are only two grades, pass or fail. For every test you fail, every time you make a mistake, every time you piss one of us off, you’ll earn a drag.” He held up what looked like a white fabric arm band. From the way it moved, it appeared heavy. The ten Chosen assistants began moving through the crowd, picking out kids, and clamping drags on their ankles. “Those earning their first drags are the ones who laughed at Second Jacob at the beginning of his speech. These are to remind you that we’re not kidding.

  “If you remove the drag, you’re out. If you lose the drag, you’re out. We won’t fail you in these Trials. From this point forward, you’ll only fail yourselves. Now, time to get into your uniforms. Everyone strip!” No one moved, and Minu felt a sudden jolt of fear shoot up her spine. Was he serious? She hadn’t spotted any other girls in the crowded hall. An instant later, the ten trainers pounced on the candidates closest to them and began slapping drags on their ankles. In moments, the room was full of kids tossing their clothes aside as they struggled to strip as quickly as possible. She hesitated a second, until a Chosen turned and looked at her. Her fingers began working of their own accord. He took a menacing step toward her, and she moved faster. He passed her and approache
d a boy who hadn’t started undressing.

  A range of emotions moved through her as she unbuttoned her shirt and let it fall from her shoulders. She unlatched her pants and slid them over her hips, dropping them to the floor on top of her shirt. She felt embarrassed, then angry, at submitting to this humiliation. Pure, cold fear overtook her as she stood in her panties and bra. She was quickly becoming surrounded by naked boys. She did her best not to look but failed miserably. The boy to her right turned slightly toward her, his manhood clearly and lewdly hanging there. She coughed, turned the other way, and saw another boy hopping on one foot as he tried to remove his sock. Everything in and around his hairy crotch was bouncing. She felt a new emotion: disgust.

  “Take it all off!” Dram yelled. Minu gasped and realized her bra and panties would have to go. Her indignation was incomplete; she had one more step to take. Then she saw her.

  About twenty feet away, she spotted another girl through a gap in the naked boys. She was as dark-skinned as Dram, and she was as naked as the day she was born. She stood, staring off into space, a look of bored indifference on her face, arms folded under her breasts. She made no attempt to cover her crotch. A moment later, Minu was just as naked and doing her best to appear unperturbed.

  There were a few squabbles going on over the forced nakedness. Instead of looking at the boys’ disturbing parts, she looked around at the feet of those near her. A few of the others wore single drags, one wore two, and another three. What sort of sense did that make? Was the embarrassment supposed to keep them in line? A nearby mumbled conversation made her turn and look. A boy was unabashedly staring at her breasts. She felt the heat rise in her face and neck. When she looked down she saw, for the first time, that boys could ‘change.’ What had originally been limp and hanging was now taut and standing. The sight completely mortified her.

  “Learn to control yourself,” a Chosen growled at the boy as everyone around him laughed and pointed. He’d earned himself the nickname Boner and a pair of drags, which the Chosen placed on him from behind, for obvious reasons. Minu felt a little better.

  Time seemed to slow down as they stood there naked. One kid tried to sit on the floor and received a drag; after that, they all stood. Finally, she realized the boys around her had seen enough of her body and were just trying to stay awake. She wasn’t interested in looking at naked boys; she wished she could join the girl she’d seen. The other girl seemed so self-assured, despite being naked in front of everyone.

  She was hungry and bored. After half an hour, she could see many of the other candidates struggling to stay awake.

  “What are you waiting for?” Dram’s voice suddenly boomed out. A couple of candidates squeaked in surprise, and one screamed. The tension level grew steadily. “Four of you are going to quit, I know it. I can fucking taste it! We’re not leaving until at least one of you does.”

  “I have to go to the bathroom,” someone said. To Minu’s surprise, there were no repercussions. When nothing happened to the one who’d spoken up, others mumbled agreement, and a few complained. What was the purpose of having them all stand around naked?

  “What am I supposed to do about it?” Dram asked. Someone moved toward a door and a Chosen instantly intercepted him. Another drag was handed out. The complaints got louder. “I already said no one’s leaving until someone quits.”

  “Then how are we supposed to go to the bathroom?” a boy next to Minu asked.

  “You can’t leave,” Dram reiterated. “If you must piss, your options are limited. What’s the problem?” he growled dangerously as the complaints began again, then quickly quieted. “You want to be Chosen? How many human-equipped bathrooms do you think there are in the universe? It’ll be challenging finding a urinal on Herdhome. Most of the species I’ve met consider the elimination of waste a function below notice. We humans are rather fussy about the whole process. Our shyness concerning our basic biological functions amuses the Tog. Once you’ve seen a couple of Beezer doing it on the sidewalk, you’ll have to learn to adjust your sensibilities.” A couple of people laughed; he paid them no mind. “You’re going to have to learn to adapt, and that means reevaluating your barriers. At the very least, it means learning to hold it until an opportunity presents itself.”

  He finished his lecture and crossed his arms. Minu thought about her full bladder and thanked the fates she’d skipped that extra soda on the dirigible. She’d bet there were others cursing those same fates. After another half hour, she could hear moans from around the room. After fifteen more minutes, several were sobbing. Someone begged a Chosen but got no sympathy. Finally, a boy a few feet away cried out in dismay, and Minu turned to see him urinating uncontrollably on the floor. He burst into tears, covered himself with both hands, and ran for the door, urine pouring everywhere.

  “We have a winner,” Dram said in his deep voice. “Who’s next?”

  * * *

  The Chosen were true to their word. Another hour passed before they allowed the candidates to leave the room. During that time, two boys quit, which seemed to please Dram, who dismissed them and had them escorted back to their barracks.

  A Chosen was assigned to take charge of each group of ‘bugs.’ They led the candidates down the tiled hall on frozen feet. Minu was a little surprised by how easily she got used to being naked; she completely forgot her clothes were still in the assembly hall until they entered their barracks. Part of one wall was polished dualloy, and she caught sight of herself walking naked with the rest of her class. She reached the bunk where she’d left her bag and found that it was gone. That figures, she said to herself. Someone yelled in anger, and she shook her head. “Should have expected that,” she said, and sat down on the mattress, quickly crossing her legs to cover her nakedness. A second later, a pair of long shapely black legs walked over and Minu glanced up to see the girl who’d been her earlier inspiration.

  “Need a bunk mate?” she asked Minu.

  “Do I ever!” Minu answered and jumped up to shake her hand. The girl shook her hand and pulled her into a hug. Their breasts pressed together, stunning Minu with another sensory experience. Several boys whistled and hooted, so Minu quickly pushed the girl away. “I’m Minu,” she said, feeling a little hot and confused.

  “Cherise Macubale,” the girl said and smiled before looking at the top bunk. “You mind if I’m on top?”

  “That sounds like fun,” a nearby boy said, drawing a chorus of laughter.

  Cherise turned and looked straight at the boy’s face then slowly looked down at his crotch. “Oh, I don’t think you’d be up to it.” The laughter turned to wild applause, and the others pummeled the embarrassed boy with pillows and blankets. Cherise would never have to worry about harassment again, at least not to her face.

  Cherise grabbed the blanket off her bunk and wrapped it around her body. It barely covered her from breasts to waist, she was that tall. Minu thought it somehow made Cherise look sexier, so she did the same. Her blanket looked like a rather short dress. Most of the boys elected to lie around naked on their beds until something happened. Minu sat on the lower bunk next to Cherise and tried not to watch a nearby boy lewdly scratching his testicles.

  Cherise saw what she was looking at and chuckled. “Boys are wired differently,” she said. “I have six brothers. Their ages don’t matter, they are just ‘different.’ Mothers help make them a little less crazy. My mother spent half her time trying to keep the littlest boys’ clothes on. Once they learned not to poop wherever they were standing, she gave up and let them run around naked.” Cherise looked at the line waiting for the bathroom. “Glad I didn’t have another drink on the dirigible.”

  Minu smiled. “You’re from the Desert Tribe, aren’t you?”

  “Is it that obvious?” Minu would have sworn the girl was blushing. “I’m the first one from my family to make it to the Trials, boy or girl. Only twenty Chosen have been from the Desert Tribe.”

  “Wow, that few?”

  “We’re a simple p
eople; most of us learn from our parents and don’t attend school, so it’s hard for us to be advanced enough by this age to pass the written exams.”

  “Then, how did you?”

  “My father is a very successful miner. He owns many acres of land covered in salt and borax deposits, so he has access to computers. On my fifth birthday, I surprised him and asked for a computer instead of a doll. He then surprised my mother and gave it to me. The rest, as they say, is history. Where are you from?” They spent an enjoyable half hour getting to know each other until their Chosen tramped nosily into the barracks.

  “On your feet, bugs, and come get your clothes!” Minu noted he wore a utility belt with many drags attached to it. She got up and followed Cherise to the Chosen. On the way, she caught sight of Aaron and waved, happy that another of her friends was in her group. She was also glad to see he’d wrapped a blanket around his middle, showing that he had some modesty. He almost seemed disappointed to see her. Then she realized he’d been stealing looks at her now-covered body. Her cheeks flamed again.

  “Pip and Gregg are here too,” he said. She smiled, happy they were all together. As they drew closer to the Chosen, she was able to introduce Cherise. The two shook hands and shared some quick details about themselves before they reached the head of the line.

  “Brown suit?” asked a boy just in front of them. “Why not black?”

  “Brown is the color of shit,” the Chosen said, shoving a jumpsuit into the boy’s chest hard enough to topple him onto his butt, “which is exactly what you are until the Trials are over. Now get the fuck out of my sight, bug.”

  Each candidate received a fabric-wrapped parcel tied with hand-spun cordage. Minu and her friends collected theirs without comment. The Chosen took note of their impromptu clothing and grinned before turning to the next kid in line.