Post Human Ch. 02

Author's Notes: Here is the second part to the Post Human series. If you haven't read the first one yet I recommend doing so, otherwise this will probably make little sense. The main driver for this story is still world building. It is supposed to set the stage for future events, expand the fictional world and reveal more about the different human societies inhabiting it; including their sexual habits of course.

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Chapter 2

It is a common human fault that we only learn to appreciate something once it is taken away. I learned the truth of that when I prepared to leave my tribe for the Primus academy. After years of dreaming about getting away from my childhood home, the last few days before my departure hit me with an unexpected flash of sentimentality and nostalgia.

The more I learned about the complex life of the city-dwellers, the tough requirements of the academy and all the challenges awaiting me in the weeks and month to come the more I saw the appeal of a simple village life. Many of the things I usually despised about it didn't bother me all that much now that an end to them was in sight. Trying to make the best out of the time I had left I talked to people I hadn't seen in a while, visited places I hadn't been to in years and did all the things I generally didn't do because there had never been any rush to it. The situation opened up a new perspective on things I had known all of my life.

I spent a lot of time with Kovo. We talked more in a day than we had usually talked in an average month. Usually I found his simple, straight-forward way of thinking and his constantly cheerful nature tiring after some time but now it felt like I could be around him for weeks without being bothered by it at all. He never admitted it but there was no doubt that he was trying to sway me into staying. Subtlety was not one of his talents. Still I couldn't deny that his efforts were not without effect.

There was also the matter of Kira. After our encounter at the Wrangling I found it surprisingly hard to get her out of my mind. I kept telling myself that it had been a one-time occasion, that she wouldn't want anything else from me and that the feeling was mutual; and yet I caught myself drifting off into thoughts of meeting her again. Hormone-fueled fantasies played out scenes ranging from the shamelessly indecent to the kitschy romantic. Unsurprisingly the common denominator to all of them was that we ended up having sex again. Surrounding this main theme there were various circumstances; from simple scenarios where we spent one last night together to ridiculous ideas of a monogamous relationship and her coming with me to Berlin. I was fully aware that these thoughts were born from being horny and lonely and that the Kira in my fantasy was a nonexistent, idealized version of the real woman; that hardly helped keeping the vivid ideas from haunting my brain though.

For better or worse the actual Kira had kept her distance. I didn't see her even once in the days after the Wrangling. Given that the village was not that large and that I spent a lot more time wandering around than usual, the suspicion of her avoiding me on purpose was not completely absurd. It might also have been pure coincidence. In time I developed a real fear of not seeing her again before I left. Nevertheless I refrained from seeking her out at home.

Despite all that my determination to go through with my plan was unbroken. Berlin was still the target and nothing could keep me from going there. The arrival of Wilfried's former student, who would be my guide to the academy, pushed the reality of the upcoming departure even further to the center of my mind. He was an Eloquens in his early thirties by the name of Niklas. Shortly after he came to Zusammenkunft we met at Wilfried's house. My first impression of Niklas was that of an average Eloquens: Green eyes, thin stature, a height befitting the second smallest subspecies after the Callidus and a round face which was likable but unmemorable. Also characteristic was his friendly and talkative nature. Immediately after our introduction he started bombarding me with questions; casual inquiries about my life, childhood, education and the tribe at first but he soon went a lot deeper, digging into the realms of history, philosophy, anthropology, technology, natural sciences and others. He was clearly trying to find out how smart and educated I really was.

During his interrogation he regarded me with an increasingly noticeable fascination. His reaction was not really that of finding someone of similar intellect, more like seeing a dog doing impressive tricks. It was degrading and flattering at the same time. From the first moment it was obvious that the fact that I was a Fortis significantly shaped his mental image of my person. I was used to that but it was still disheartening to know that the prejudice would not just be left behind. I desperately longed for someone to acknowledge me as an equal. Even Wilfried, who was truly indifferent to my origin, had a somewhat patronizing demeanor towards me. Our relation was mostly that of a teacher and student, in some parts maybe even close to something parental, but far from equal.

Regardless of how Niklas viewed me, in the end he seemed satisfied with the result of his evaluation and that was the important part.

"Not bad at all," he finally said, more to Wilfried than to me. "Looks like you didn't exaggerate with the praise of your young protege here."

Wilfried just showed a smug grin, taking a sip from the cup of tea in front of him.

"We might actually have a chance to make this work," Niklas pondered aloud. "Though it will not be easy; you should not get your hopes up too much. Being smart doesn't suffice for the academy. Only those of an extraordinary mind are taken into those elite ranks."

"We are both aware of the magnitude of the challenge," Wilfried replied.

"Good," Niklas concluded. Then he asked me directly: "Will you be ready to depart by tomorrow morning?"

"I will," I ensured him.

"Perfect. Come here tomorrow as soon as you are done with your preparations."

I nodded. With Niklas directing his attention back to Wilfried I felt like being dismissed so I took my leave and headed back to the Fortis Village. On the way I was literally trembling with excitement and nervousness. With a myriad of thoughts, questions, worries and imaginary future scenarios coursing through my mind I could already be sure that sleep wouldn't find me easily in the night to come.

Arriving at the crude shack which was my home for one more night, the cacophony of erratic thoughts stopped for a moment when I noticed that the door was open. I had definitely closed it when I left; I always did. Privacy was not something of particularly high value in the tribe but entering someone's home without permission was still considered very rude.

Inside I found Kira lying on my bed; naked and playing casually with her own body parts.

"Hi," she greeted with a wicked grin.

I was stunned; and instantly hard. "W-What are you doing here?"

"I heard you will leave tomorrow. It was fun with you last time. I thought we could do it again. But you weren't here so I had to start without you." She spread her legs provocatively and rubbed her fingers over her very exposed vulva. The scenario strongly resembled one of my fantasies; almost frighteningly so.

Despite dreaming of this very moment for days I found myself standing there uncertain what to do, babbling the first words which came to my mind.

"You mean I was actually doing well at the Wrangling?"

"You were great," she moaned while she kept pleasuring herself idly. "I want more."

I knew that this claim was probably meant as an invitation to join her on the bed. I really wanted to but something kept me standing still. Nervousness was certainly part of it. The exhilarated, drunk version of me on the night of proving day had certainly been a lot more bold and confident than my current self. That was not the only reason though. The whole situation was just too good to be true. Also I found the claim that I was supposed to be a capable lover rather unlikely. During our last encounter I had simply vented my primal urges on her in a drunken frenzy. There had been nothing skillful about it and I had paid no mind about her desires. She could have that from any other guy in the tribe. Knowing that I was definitely not her first, she must have been aware of that.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"I-I am not sure..." I stammered.

"Need some more convincing?" she asked. She rolled her athletic body off the bed and walked up to me. Without hesitation she pulled down my pants and gripped my erect manhood.

"Looks like you want this very much" she observed with a lewd smile.

"I do but..." I answered reluctantly.

"But?" she asked and started stroking me.

"But why are you doing this?"

"Because I want to." She went down to her knees and licked over the underside of my phallus from balls to head.

Now I knew for a fact that something was wrong. While it was absolutely normal for Fortis to engage in casual sex just for fun, it was normally always a game for power and dominance. To take up a submissive, compliant attitude as Kira did, was highly unusual, unless the person acknowledged the partner to be of vastly higher status. That seemed highly unlikely in my case. Moreover it was significantly out of character. I didn't know Kira all that well, but I had seen enough of her to know that this was very atypical.

"What is really going on here?" I asked.

"I don't know what you mean," she claimed and kept caressing my manhood. She was a horrible liar.

My patience at an end I grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet. A harsh treatment was the only thing she would answer to.

"Tell me why you are here!" I demanded.

"I-I just wanted to fuck." Her words sounded less convincing than ever.

I pushed her against the wall, getting up close and trying to sound as menacing as I could manage. "Why are you here?"

"Okay fine, Kovo sent me," she finally conceded.

"What?"

"He wanted me to seduce you."

"Why?"

She shrugged. "Ask him."

"What did he give you in exchange?" I wanted to know.

"He promised to help me increase my rank in the tribe. Kovo has much influence. Being friends with him could help me a lot."

That was really disheartening. I knew that Kovo probably meant well, but being aware that Kira was only going to sleep with me to gain the favor of someone much more desirable had a devastating effect on my self-esteem.

"So I guess I was not that great."

She shrugged "It was okay, I guess."

I sighed. This evening had taken a very unfortunate turn. The question was what to do now. Unsurprisingly my base instincts told me to take Kira regardless of the circumstances. Having her nude in my home, pinned to the wall and my erection pressed against her belly it was the most natural reaction to just get on with it. It was what any other Fortis would have done without a second thought. Not me though. The idea that I was only good enough to settle for, in exchange for a reward, severely hurt my pride. Also the exchange had completely shattered my imaginary picture of Kira as a person, taking away a lot of the attraction I had felt for her mere minutes ago. It reduced her to just another Fortis female; a relatively attractive female which happened to be naked right in front of me. It was not an easy decision.

After a moment of silent contemplation I backed off. "Grab your cloth and get out," I commanded.

She huffed unhappily and shot me a sinister look but complied without a further word.

Once she was gone I let myself fall to the bed, my head spinning. The positive side about this whole mess was that it had taken my mind off the concerns about the future. Also it had cured me from my irrational fantasies about Kira; which didn't prevent me from thinking of her naked body while I quickly finished what she had started.

As expected it took a while until I fell asleep that night. Once I did, it was a delightfully deep slumber though. I woke well rested and feeling ready for what was to come.

I hastily finished packing my things, a task unexpectedly postponed due to last night's agitation. There wasn't much to do; my worldly possessions were scant. The money Wilfried had given me, a few sets of cloth, some books and trinkets of mainly nostalgic value were all I intended to take with me. The rest I would place in Wilfried's care, give to Kovo or just leave behind for whoever claimed it. Soon enough I was ready.

The hardest part was yet to come: The goodbyes. Surprisingly many tribe members showed up to say farewell. I suspected that Kovo had been involved in rounding up many of them, but it was touching nonetheless. Fortis were not known to be very sentimental or chatty so the whole event didn't take very long. In the end only Kovo remained to talk for a while. We spoke of good old times, events of the past and familiar things, both of us carefully avoiding the subject of the impalpable future.

At some point I had to bring up the subject of the previous night: "Why did you tell Kira to seduce me?"

He was momentarily surprised by the sudden change of topic and the fact that I knew of his involvement. His expression quickly relaxed into a grin.

"You talked a lot about her the last days; seemed you really liked her. So I asked her to visit you."

I was a bit shocked that my temporary obsession with the girl had been so obvious. Sure Kovo and I had talked about her and about the Wrangling a few times, but only now I realized how explicit I had been about it.

"And you offered her a favor in exchange for doing it," I added.

"True," he admitted. "I asked her if she would like to be with you again. Maybe she did, but she also saw the chance to get something for it. Thought it would be a nice gift for you."

"And you hoped it might convince me to stay here?" I proposed.

"Maybe a little," he admitted sheepishly "So how was it?"

Hearing the excited curiosity in his voice I couldn't bring myself to tell him that I had rejected his gift. To me it was a weird and inappropriate gesture but knowing how Kovo's mind worked I was absolutely certain that his intention had been in my best interest and that meant a lot to me.

"It was great," I lied. "Really great. Thank you."

Kovo's worries were vanquished immediately and a broad smile appeared on his face. "Good to hear."

Now that this was out of the way, I quickly steered the conversation into a different direction while I started walking slowly towards Zusammenkunft. He accompanied me until we reached the other side of the bridge. There he gave me a final crushing hug before we parted ways.

I hurried through town towards Wilfried's home. It was already much later than I had intended to arrive there. The two scholars didn't mind the delay it seemed. They were waiting patiently in the living room, entangled in what sounded like gossip about the academy staff. Seeing Wilfried reminded me that I would also have to leave him behind. Niklas had offered to take him with us but the old man had declined, claiming that travelling at his age was just tedious.

The realization that I would have to get by without the old man's wisdom, council and companionship made it a very tough goodbye. It seemed to be hardly easier for him. I had to promise that I would visit every once in a while, before he let me go. Afterwards it was finally time to depart.

Berlin was a few hundred kilometers away. We started our journey going southwest, following the Mersa river downstream along the valley, which actually brought us farther away from our destination. The reason for this was obvious to anyone who knew how travelling long distances worked in our time. The fastest route was usually the one leading to the closest Hypertrain station. The Hypertrains were a remnant of the infrastructure the Sikatis had built up throughout their dominion on earth, one of the many pieces of technology they had left behind. They could reach speeds beyond 1000 kilometers per hour and connected all the major cities of the former planet-wide colony, going through deserts, crossing seas and running underneath mountains.

All our means for moving at high speed depended on vehicles created by the Sikatis. The problem was that we had hardly any idea how they worked. During their servitude, human workers had been trained for operating the high-tech devices and for doing basic maintenance work on a superficial level, but the aliens had never entrusted any regular human with the education necessary to understand their inner workings. All these things consisted of many tiny and complex components, the purpose of which was mostly beyond our grasp.

It was obvious that the Sikatis had deliberately built their stuff in a way which made it incredibly hard to understand. The whole system was designed to be used without requiring deeper skills. Automated repair units and replacement modules built in huge autonomous factories were intended to keep the trains and stations working. The question was: For how much longer? After one and a half centuries of being deprived of the highly sophisticated Sikatis engineers, who had all fled the planet or been killed during the revolution, the infrastructure had begun to crumble. Some trains were already broken beyond what our species was capable to repair and not all tracks could be operated anymore. Unless we made some significant technological advances until then, the network would probably collapse within the next century.

The same destiny had already befallen all the Sikatis vehicles which did not rely on fixed tracks a while ago. Shortly after humanities victory, there had been plenty of very advanced driving, flying or swimming vessels, moving freely through their intended terrains. That hadn't lasted for long. The problem was not the machines themselves but the fuel they consumed. Humanity wasn't capable of producing this propellant, didn't even really know what it was. Once it was gone, the vehicles became pretty much useless.

It was known that old humanity had used simple combustion engines for moving things. We might have been able to replicate such an engine. The problem was that we had no idea what substance they burned. It must have been some liquid, available in large quantities. If they produced it themselves, the procedure to do so had been lost, if it occurred naturally, it was probably just gone, either used up or destroyed by the Sikatis.

With neither the technology of our ancestors nor that of the aliens at our disposal we had to rely on what was left from the past. This meant that we were not able to fly through the air or venture to the stars as humanity used to do. Any place not close to a Hypertrain station was tedious to reach and required some much more primitive mode of transportation.

In our case, Niklas and I started on foot, but were soon lucky enough to hitch a ride on one of the horse-carriages some traders used to transport goods between towns. The re-domestication of horses and other useful animals had been an important step in humanity's rediscovery of the rural life. There had been little use for them during the Sikatis rule, but enough had survived and flourished on their own in the wilderness. We squeezed into the wagon filled with various farming yields, ready for a less than comfortable ride.

The nearest Hypertrain station to Zusammenkunft and therefore the target of our journey was in Bruckmer, a small city at the end of the valley, where the Mers merged with another river and the mountainous terrain slowly subsided into flatter, more open country. I had been there a few times before. It was the closest thing to a real city I had seen so far. Bruckmer had been created by the Sikatis from the remnants of a city dating back to old humanity. It had served as an industry outpost containing multiple factories, storage facilities and a power plant. Accommodations for the workers and the train station for transporting raw materials, wares and people, had also been added. Some of the factories were still operational, producing various different products, mainly metal tools and appliances. Therefore Bruckmer still had some significance and a considerable population for an otherwise rather rural area.