Gliese Chronicles - Sakcore Explored Ch. 02

They used the showers, talking and laughing the whole time, feeling a little like college women again. It was refreshing to be together and when they finished in the shower and dried off they headed to the dressing room.

Kira had just finished putting nail polish on Cela's toenails when she giggled, "Jason would be beside himself to see all of us almost naked doing this."

She laughed, "Maybe he would, and maybe he wouldn't."

Hianne, who was doing her fingernails looked over at them. "Cela, why would you say that? I mean, I wouldn't expect you to say something like that."

Cela pulled her hair behind her head and held it in place. "Don't you think we should at least acknowledge to each other we have all...well...been naked with him. He has seen all of us naked, and more. You knew him before we were married, it seems...well...kind of silly not to be mature about it. We are all women with needs and he is a man. As biologists and women we know what that means."

Hianne looked at her thoughtfully. "Okay, that makes sense. But Cela, I thought that was something you didn't feel comfortable acknowledging. You had Robb on this mission to provide for the both of us so it wouldn't be an issue for you."

Cela swallowed hard, knowing she had brought the subject up earlier, now it seemed perhaps in ignorance. Kira put the nail polish down on the table and looked at her.

"We spend all this time together on this small ship, we all know the customs that come with these missions. Each of us made a decision that affects all of us, it's simply the way it works. You're married to him and I respect that. Personally, I like having you as a friend, and Hianne too, but I still have feelings, needs, desires that neither of you can provide for, but Jason can."

Cela was surprised at Kira's honesty.

"I agree with Kira," Hianne said quietly.

The ball was clearly in her court. What was she going to say now? They were right, she realized that more than ever now. She had good intentions regarding them, but good intentions don't always work the way you want them to.

"I know, I didn't mean for this to happen. We're all friends and I wouldn't want it any other way. The last few days have shown how much Jason loves me, but it has also shown how much, how far, he's willing to go to protect the two of you. He loves you too, only he won't admit it to any of us, maybe not even to himself. The question is, what do we do about it?"

"Are you sure he loves all of us?" Kira asked.

"Think about it Kira," Hianne said quietly, "How often did he come to comfort you after the attack, how often has he come to each of us to see how we're feeling, to comfort us, give us affection, tell us we're going to be fine. Cela knows he has done that for her and she knows he cares deeply for all of us. We should acknowledge it—it's a fact and we all know it."

It was quiet for a minute as they sat with their own thoughts. Then Kira spoke up, biting her lower lip. "What are you comfortable with Cela? Do we stick with custom and play the game as if none of us know what's going on. Or, do we come out into the open where we don't need to feel guilty about how all of us feel and what we want? It would get rid of the stress of feeling we have to be secret about it."

"There's only one problem none of us can solve," Cela said, looking at both of them feeling relieved their feelings were out in the open.

"What's that?" Hianne asked with a puzzled expression.

"We can't speak for Jason. I can't speak for him as his wife, and I can't tell him to do something he doesn't want to do even if the three of us agree."

It was silent, all of them looking at their newly polished finger and toenails.

Finally, Kira spoke, "'Why is something so basic, so fundamental to human behavior have to be so difficult? Is it because we seek to satisfy ourselves to the exclusion of others? Or, do we simply erect barriers where none need exist because we haven't thought of other alternatives? Alternatives other societies, even other species have employed, when circumstances suggest it's best."

"You're suggesting I share him with you?" Cela replied calmly knowing the answer.

"Yes, based upon the fact you're married to him and we aren't. What I'm really suggesting lies beyond the legal basis of your relationship—I suggest we all agree to share him."

"Look, the first thing we have to establish, beyond admitting we want to have sex with him is this—can you, as his wife share him? If you can't, the reason why you can't or won't doesn't matter, the question is moot," Hianne offered.

It was a hard question, and Cela admitted she had already considered it when she told Jason he was free to do what he thought best in regards to the both of them. She had felt comfortable with her decision then and still did now. At this point, she didn't know if there had been occasion for him to make such a decision, and frankly it didn't matter now as they were on new, unexplored ground.

"No, the question is moot unless Jason is also wiling to enter into this arrangement. Some form of Polyamory only works well if all of the participants agree. The three of us can't agree and him not," she said earnestly.

The room went quiet again as they looked at one another, as if their faces could tell them the answer—an answer that could come from only one source. Women can influence a man in ways another man never could. But women can influence one another too, often for the common good and a shared goal. The goal, at least in her mind was they wanted to be happy and provide for a stable environment for their children. After further discussion all of them agreed children were important to each of them and being able to provide them with a loving family with brothers and sisters was something they each desired.

Another question came into Kira's mind. "If he says yes to all of us being his wives, who would have a child for him? We're allowed a child to replace each of us under our laws. Does Jason decide which of us bears his child?"

"Oh, my god! Are you suggesting that after the mission is over this is the way it's going to be?" Hianne gasped.

"Aren't you?" Kira asked knowing that was what she herself wanted.

Cela looked at both of them. "I don't know, but unless we think about the long-term ramifications things could get ugly, and I don't want that to happen to any of us. I would rather be the terrible woman and tell you he's my husband and to keep your hands off of him than to have that happen."

Kira smiled. "Perhaps we have enough to think about for a while before we make a final decision. I'm for going with our customs for the time being and making a final decision in say another week or two."

"Okay, so we don't say anything about this to Jason until we make a decision, agreed?"

Hianne looked at them, "What if an opportunity comes up to broach the subject to Jason, shouldn't we kind of ease into it?"

There were nods all around. It took a few minutes, then the mood lightened and they went about doing their hair together before getting dressed. The maintenance droid started to clean up as soon as they left the dressing room. She was surprised at how she felt. It felt as if they had moved forward in a positive direction and it felt good. She had been willing to share her husband with them in a secret way, but not openly. That had now changed. Jason was the only one not to know what they were contemplating—or more accurately, what they had pretty much decided.

Then another thought came into her mind—maybe she wasn't a good wife if she was willing to share him. It made her shudder—this may not be a good way to go. She was getting cold feet as they all walked into the lounge together as Jason looked up from his tablet.

"Wow! All of you look fantastic!" as his eyes went over each of them in turn.

There were broad smiles all around as they sat down.

"We didn't think you'd notice," Kira smiled.

"Oh, come on. All of you know better, you knew I would. So, I want all of you to know I appreciate how nice you look. I know how hard we've been working and it's good you took some time for yourselves in a way you enjoy."

The smiles grew larger, especially Cela's as he reached over to look at her newly polished nails, then held her hand as his finger caressed the top of her hand. Hianne pulled the deck of cards out of the drawer in the table.

"Okay, Kira and I against the two of you in euchre."

"You're on," Cela said with joy knowing all of them enjoyed the old Earth game. It had been weeks since the last time they had taken the time to play a few hands. It didn't take long before the cards were flying onto the table and they were laughing together. They played a total of three games, with Kira and Hianne winning two of them. Afterward they sat down with drinks and began to talk while fully relaxed.

Kira looked at Jason and Cela. "What are you going to do after this mission is over? Are you going to sell the ship and stay planet bound for a while?"

Jason looked at Cela then to Hianne and Kira, "We're not sure yet, if we stayed here for another three months there's enough money left in the contract to pay our salaries with enough profit to pay off the remainder of the debt on Glory Girl. This is the second mission since we've been married and our original thought was to slow down a little after this."

Kira looked at Jason, "I'm willing to stay longer. I like it here so far, I mean there's a lot yet to discover. I feel like it's one of the best places we've ever been to."

Kira watched as Jason showed an expression of surprise.

Then Hianne joined in. "I'm in. I like it here, another three months doesn't make a difference. I'm single and unattached, so it's not like I'm missing much."

"Jason, I have so much money saved I can do whatever I want. That's one thing about going on these missions, you don't have anywhere to spend your money. I'm in no hurry to go back. I got a message from my parents yesterday and all I need to do is tell them when I'm coming home. I was going to reply to them tomorrow, so if we decide to stay longer it would be a good time to decide," Kira offered.

"Really, all of you are willing to stay. I thought you'd want to get back so you can have a real social life."

There was silence, then Hianne spoke up, "After yesterday, after the Green-eyed Gawker appeared, I made up my mind—I like being here with just the four of us and Robb."

"Me too," Kira said, "It's like we're a family unit. I'm not sure I want to break it up right away."

Cela patted Jason's hand and laughed knowing it was an opportunity, "Could you handle having three wives?"

The expression on his face was priceless. "No! I could can handle the three of you okay. But it's different with wives."

"You think so huh!" Cela smiled. "Explain to me how it's different. How is it you can deal with the three of us like this and not with three wives?"

Jason sat silent, then slowly replied while looking at all of them. "It just seems like it would be different. With wives you worry about them all of the time. You want to make sure they're comfortable, safe, happy, and...well...taken care of in a married sort of way."

"A married sort of way, what is that?" Kira asked innocently.

"Aaahh. You know, married," came the uncertain reply.

"Do you mean like checking on her to make sure she's feeling well, holding her when she needs to be held, that sort of thing?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

Then Hianne spoke up, "You mean, like caring when she needs some really, close personal attention, you know to keep her happy, keep her around, the kind of concern you might expect from someone who loves you and wants you near?"

"Yes, I guess so. I think all of you know what I mean when I say married," he said cautiously.

Cela watched as the three of them sat with smiles on their faces. Let Jason think on that for a few more seconds she thought—then she leaned towards him. "I think we do. The only one who doesn't seem to know he's almost married to three women already is you."

She leaned back seeing the stunned expression on his face—it was as if he'd been struck by lightning. She stood up and motioned to Kira and Hianne, "Come, I want to show you what else I found out about the APs yesterday. I think you'll find it very interesting."

She turned to look at Jason—he still looked dumbfounded. "Jason, we'll be back in a few minutes. We don't want to keep you from finishing your story before the end of the day."

Jason mumbled something they couldn't hear, his expression showed a small frown as if he were troubled and in deep thought. Good, she thought, he had a lot to think about as a man and as her husband. She couldn't explain why she felt so good after that exchange between them. Perhaps it was because it was plain to see the three of them were on the same plane in terms of their understanding of themselves, where they were at, and where they were heading.

The women had brought Jason to a place where he might know it too. The conversation Cela knew was coming between the two of them was going to be interesting. At least, that's the word she chose to use—interesting. Cela felt as empowered as a woman as she had ever felt—and it felt damn good.

Cela would never feel comfortable being the wife of more than one man, but she was willing to consider being one wife of three to a man she loved if it were honest and open. Life had shown her that the fear of death offered lessons one would never expect to encounter in a more sedate, safe setting. The fear of death had offered another perspective on life that would have been unthinkable and alien just a week ago.

Jason was bewildered after their conversation. He knew he cared for all of them, but he was married to Cela and had tried hard to maintain a respectable distance from Kira and Hianne based upon his understanding of Cela's wishes, and quite frankly his own at the time. Now, since the incident with Kira and the dragon, Cela's attitude had changed and now he realized perhaps his had too. But Kira had been undergoing a change too.

Kira left Hianne and Cela and walked back to her quarters not quite believing what the day had wrought. It had been so hard not to have Jason tend to her real needs on this mission. Only her injury had prevented her from acting upon it last week—the need and desire was there, only the fear of physical pain had stopped her from asking. There was no reason to inflict more damage and pain upon herself after what the dragon had rendered. Now, Cela had in effect told her she could encourage Jason openly if she chose to without doing harm to their relationship. She couldn't help but wonder what had happened to change her attitude. There was no doubt in her mind Cela loved him—that was plain enough to see.

But Cela had given her a lot to think about. What would she do after this mission was over? She had to admit she really hadn't thought it about it much. Now, there was another option to explore, one that would give her access to a man she dearly liked for so many reasons—probably the same reasons as Hianne and Cela herself. But, would she be willing to be 'one' of his wives, bear his child? The thought both thrilled her and chilled her at the same time—but here she was, giving it consideration, thinking about it.

It wasn't like she had to make a decision right away, but then, maybe she really didn't have to. Jason would have something to say about this and his decision would in effect override those of Hianne, Cela, and herself. Cela had a lot to lose as opposed to herself. Her relationship was already sealed—not that it couldn't be undone, but she didn't want to be the reason if it were.

Each of them had a history with him, each of them had been fortunate enough to know him intimately; to be one with him. If he were to have asked her to marry him would she have accepted? The answer she knew was in the affirmative, she would have. But circumstances, her life and his, had sent them in different directions while life had brought him and Cela together. Life wasn't a matter of mere circumstance, but it played a part.

But when an opportunity presents itself dressed up as something else do you ignore it as if it weren't there? As if it didn't accomplish the same thing? She could be a wife and a mother of a child, as one of three, rather than just herself. Yes, life could be cruel and wonderful at the same time. The choice was hers to make as to which it would be if he were strong enough to accept what they offered as women who loved him. There it was, the word love, the word she had sought to replace with—affection, caring, and sex.

It had been almost twenty minutes since Cela had returned to her quarters. She had observed the others as they finished the day and felt optimistic in a way she hadn't expected. Her friendship with Kira and Hianne seemed more secure and honest than before and Jason, well...he was devoted to her above the others, but he was devoted to them as well. Jason's feelings were plain to see—he didn't make an effort to hide his affection for all them when they were together. Even in his confusion, it was an honest expression of his feelings for them.

Having bade Hianne and Kira goodnight, she undressed and waited for Jason to join her in bed. He had been quiet for most of the evening. It wasn't hard to see he was in deep introspection, obviously contemplating all that he had heard. He slipped into bed, his arms coming to take her in immediately as the lights dimmed. She snuggled into him as usual after they shared a goodnight kiss. She still thrilled at this time of the day with him as it sometimes led to more physical activity, not always intercourse, but simple affection in the form of touching and kisses. It always ended with her falling asleep knowing she was loved and well-cared for.

"I love you," he whispered after a minute.

"I know you do. Just as I love you," she replied into his hairy chest.

He was quiet for another few minutes and she was just about to doze off.

"Are you really willing to share me?"

Cela turned over and looked at his face in the dim light of the room. "Yes, but only if you're willing. Honey, I already share you with them. I don't see it changing much of anything except we acknowledge it openly so it doesn't drive us apart. I will be perfectly content if you chose to remain only with me. The others understand you have to accept the proposition or it won't work for any of us."

"I'm not sure I can do it. I mean. I'm not sure I can make and keep all of you happy. That's what a good husband does."

"Look at it this way, we could continue doing what is custom as I've already told you I'm comfortable with as long as I didn't know about it. But Jason, I realized after the attack on Kira how unpredictable and fragile life is. It made me realize I was placing a burden upon you and the others. I was asking all of you to deceive me and hide emotions and feelings that were honest and genuine. I was placing a burden of guilt on all of you. I love you enough to know I don't want that for you, but I know they need affection and love just as I do. Let's be honest and admit it. To me it's healthier for all of us."

"Do you think they care for me that much, in that way?"

"I can't answer that question, only you and they can. That's why it has to be your decision as to whether you want to treat us as equal wives. If we're honest about our needs and expectations with you, I think it will work. You already know both those things about me. We know this is a hard decision for you to make and we aren't expecting you to make it without due consideration. To be honest, it took a lot of discussion to get to this point between the three of us to even broach the possibility to you. So, to be fair, we feel you should take all the time you need."