Shashak

Sha was crying about Bergus Naysa, her former lover, because he was extremely angry about Sha and me seeing each other. She looked at me with tears streaming down her face.

She said between sobs, “Jim, Bergus threatened to stop you from seeing me. I believe he is capable of about anything. He has loved me for 10 years, and he is planning to renew our contract for another 10 years.” She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and then took my hands in hers, gripping them tightly. She was beautiful even when crying. I didn’t know what to say, but I tried to reassure her.

“Sha, I’m sure I can reason with Bergus and get him to understand that we are still trying to determine what our feelings for each other are. He can’t believe that you would want him again after the way he has treated you these past several years.”

She shook her head, “You don’t know him like I do. He has a terrible temper and has become violent at times.”

I forced a smile, “Doesn’t your government give you legal rights that offer us some protection from him?”

“Yes, but what’s to prevent him from killing you, Jim? He is capable of it! Our citizen protection people can only do so much to protect you. They enforce our laws, but they can’t give you constant protection.”

I didn’t have any more to say to calm her fears.  I knew I should be on guard and find a way to protect myself and Sha.

* * *

I was looking forward to traveling to the planet Dembar.  It was the opportunity of a lifetime as a feature writer for Interstellar News Media. I had my slate computer packed along with my cameras to shoot pictures of the world of Dembar and its people. I was extremely curious about their world, the people and their cultures. 

Our space exploration efforts had discovered Dembar three years ago. Their planet was the first one we discovered with intelligent life. We found the people humanoid, peaceful and interested in mutual trade and sharing technologies unique to each of our worlds. They had technologies that we had only dreamed about and we had a few they seemed to find interesting. They quickly eliminated any fears of being hostile toward our world.  And we assured them that we interested in a peaceful relationship.

A team of diplomats, scientists, sociologists, anthropologists, and trade representatives were selected to travel to Dembar and establish our relationship to their society. I was fortunate to be among a handful of news reporters to help our world learn more about the Dembarians. They too had a contingency of teams visiting earth to study our world at the same time. Little did I know then that this trip would change my life forever.

When we arrived on Dembar, we were greeted with enthusiasm from the teams assigned to facilitate our work. That’s when I first met Shashak. I was introduced to her as my guide throughout my visit to Dembar. Each of us had a full-time guide to assist us in learning about their world.

She was an exotic creature that appeared to be nearly human and tall for a female … almost two meters. She had smooth ivory skin that glistened in the sunlight.  Her silky hair was pale as straw. It flowed around her head and over her shoulders. Her face was punctuated with large green eyes. Her pupils were vertical slits that opened wider whenever she smiled and looked at me. 

Her beauty was striking with a face that beamed luminescent. I was enthralled with her immediately.  Her body was sleek as a ballet dancer. She wore a tan body suit that clung to her every curve.  My eyes scanned her long slender legs up to an extremely narrow waist. She had small round breasts and a long sensuous neck.  My eyes lingered on her intense green eyes and then her lips that were pale pink and smiled widely inviting a return smile.  Her face was like a porcelain doll with high cheek bones and an angular jaw that complimented her narrow face.

She smiled even more broadly and introduced herself. “I’m Shashak Gussanx, your guide while you are here on Dembar.”  Her voice was almost musical as she spoke perfect English. “You can call me Sha, how you say it? Nickname?”

I gapped at her with an open mouth astounded. I mumbled, “I’m … pleased to meet you; my name is Jim Kane and I am looking forward to learning about your world and society. As you probably know, I am a news writer and photographer. I’m surprised that you speak English so well.”

She smiled that broad smile again, “I have had much time to learn from your computer programs and videos of your first exploration team. Welcome to Dembar. I hope your visit is a rewarding one.”

I was smitten from the start. How would such a creature fill me with rapture so quickly? I recovered enough to ask her what her job was.

She smiled and said, “I am a writer for our government public information office. We share a common talent.”

“That’s great!” I replied enthusiastically.

A male Dembarian appeared at her side. She looked perturbed, but introduced him as Bergus Naysa, a friend, who was construction engineer. He had some of the same characteristics as Shashak. He was pale with light hair and a slender build, but more muscular and at least two meters tall.

He spoke gruffly, “Hello, earthman, I hope your visit is satisfactory.” He looked down at Shashak and frowned.

* * *

When I looked up at Sha sitting in a beach chair on the shore of the Western Ocean of Dembar, I recalled our first meeting six months ago.  Little did I know that I was going to fall in love with her, but I should have guessed after the impact she made with me during our first meeting. Our love for each other has been growing very serious for the last several months. 

She looked down at me with those brilliant green eyes and wide smile, “Jim, what is that saying you have?  A coin for your thoughts?”

“No, dear, it is an old expression, a penny for your thoughts, which was just a way of asking someone to share their thoughts.” I had been thinking about my last encounter with Bergus Naysa. He told me to leave Sha alone because he was going to contract to live with her for another 10 years because their last contract expired almost a year ago.  I had learned that unless a contracted couple had children, the law required a waiting time of one year before they could renew their contract.

I stood up, leaned over and kissed her briefly, but I wanted to linger for more. “Sha, I love you so much and I don’t want to spoil our time together.”

She frowned, wrinkles spreading in waves across her forehead. “Jim, it is Bergus isn’t it? You shouldn’t be worrying about him today.”

“I know, sweetheart, but he was quite upset when I saw him the other day. He threatened to keep us apart.”

She shook her head, “He can’t do anything about us. My contract with him has expired. Let’s not allow this to spoil our day.  You wanted to take pictures of our beaches and families.” She pointed down the beach and said, “Look over there. A family is playing in the surf.”

I smiled at the scene and grabbed my camera bag. “Come on, let’s go take some great family pictures.  The children are having fun with their parents and it will make an excellent addition to my story.  The light is perfect.”

Later Sha and I went to our favorite park.  We sat across from each other at a picnic table and talked about the differences between our cultures and watched the Dembarians as they enjoyed the park.  I was feeling uncertain about our future and decided we needed to talk about it.

I took her hands in mine and held them lightly resting on the table. “Sha, what’s going to happen to us? We have a situation that neither of us planned, but I feel we need to iron out so many things.”

She looked pensive and said, “What is it that you want to discuss, Jim?”

I frowned trying to think of how to say what I wanted to say without upsetting her. “Sha, your average life span is nearly 250 Earth years, which are close enough to Dembarian years to not make much difference.  My expected life span is only 125 years.  You are now 50 years old, but you look about 25. I’m 32 years old and I will be an old man in another 70 or so years.  You won’t start to show much aging until you are 200 years old.  That leaves me an old man while you’re still a young female. I think that would be difficult for me to handle.”

She looked at me for a few moments then said, “Jim, I assume you are thinking of spending the rest of you life here with me. I love you too, but our cultures are different. Few Dembarian couples stay together for more than one or two contracts.  Usually when children are born to a couple, they renew their contracts until the children are adults, educated and able to live on their own. But that is the exception. Because of our long life spans, we control our population very carefully to avoid overpopulating our world.  The family we saw at the beach is very rare because of this.”

“But, Sha, I don’t need children, I need you.  And it is likely that our DNA is so different that we couldn’t have children even if we wanted. In my culture about 50 percent of our partnerships last until one or the other dies. Yes, the other 50 percent end dissolved by divorce. Our marriage vows are till death do us part. Are you saying that you love me, but we wouldn’t likely stay together for more than a 10-year contract?”

Sha had a pained look on her face and pulled her hands from mine. “I don’t know what I would do in the future, Jim. Couples often find they grow tired of each other after a decade or two, and then find new partners. It doesn’t always happen, but most do.”

I struggled to think of what to say. “All I know now, Sha, is that I love you and I would like to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Neither of us spoke for several minutes. Each of us lost in our own thoughts. I thought about the Dembarians and their physiology.  While our DNA was different, there were minor differences between our species, but the anatomy of our bodies was similar.  The first time I made love to Sha it became obvious that we shared more similarities than differences.  I remember that night I had been more nervous with her than with any other woman. I was afraid that we wouldn’t be compatible.  And we both trembled with fear and excitement. It was wonderful for both of us and relieved our reservations about the kind of romance we could have.

But Sha’s life span raised a conflict in me. I was amazed at the science that Dembarians had developed in genetic research.  They had eliminated diseases and used genetic engineering to remove or replace defective genes.  They had slowed the decay of their body cells so that the effects of old age didn’t appear until they were nearly 200 years old. If they can share that knowledge with Earth scientists, our world would change also.

I was desperate to convince Sha to stay with me. I took her hands again and asked her hopefully, “If I were to stay here with you, would you contract with me multiple times?”

Her eyes began to tear up and she looked down for a moment. “Yes, I might find that I loved you enough for several contracts, but how would you feel if I didn’t?”

I considered her question, but didn’t like the possible answer. “Sha, on Earth when we marry, we promise to love each other for the rest of our lives, but many couples divorce after they find they no longer love each other. I don’t think that having partner contracts would be any different.  Perhaps we wouldn’t want to renew a contract, but I don’t see that as any different than a divorce on Earth.”

“Okay,” she said. “But what happens to you if we do stay together for several decades and then you find my youth painful for you to live with? And I might find it painful to see you age as I remain young.  I don’t know how I would feel.”

“All I know, Sha, is that I love you and you could make me a happy man for many, many years.  Life on earth is also full of uncertainties. Why would this be any different? And I could certainly continue to write about your world and photograph it, which would keep me employed as a correspondent with my company.”

Sha smiled wanly. “Jim, let’s give it more time. We don’t have to make any final decisions soon. In the meantime let’s make the most of our time together.”

I smiled and leaned over and kissed her again for several moments. She closed her eyes and returned my kiss enthusiastically. When she sat up she looked concerned as she peered over my shoulder. “Bergus is here!” She said as her expression changed to disgust.

I turned around just as he walked up to our table. His face was twisted in anger and his fists were clenched. I waited tensely to see what he would do.

“Earthman,” he shouted, “you need to leave!” He always called me Earthman and never by my name. He stood over me trembling with rage. I expected him to strike me with his fists, but he continued to loom over me in a threatening posture. I momentarily had a strange thought; why did he learn to speak English?

I slowly stood up trying not to show a confrontational posture. “Bergus, I’m sorry you feel that way, but Sha and I are not going to be intimidated by your manner or threats.”

He glared at me with hatred in his eyes. “You have no idea of what I can do to you and I can make it appear to be an accident.”

“Are you threatening to kill me?” Incredible I thought. “How can you expect Sha to love you if you were to do that?”

Sha stood up crying and looked directly into Bergus’ face. “You must leave us now, Bergus, or I will call for help!”

His rage became even stronger and he stepped toward her and slapped her face hard knocking her to the ground. Then he turned to me with fists clenched and a snarl on his face. But before he could swing at me, I struck out in anger after seeing him hit Sha. My right fist connected with his face and I followed up with another blow to his head with my left fist. He staggered back momentarily and then charged at me ramming his head into my chest. The wind was knocked out of me and I fell to the ground. He started kicking me in the ribs. The pain was excruciating. Each kick jolted my body. I cried out in agony as the pain intensified. I soon lost consciousness.

* * *

I slowly awoke to find myself in a hospital bed with a transparent oxygen hood over my head.  My chest ached, but I was surprised to be alive.  I looked around, but no one was in the room with me. The bed had a monitor, which beeped occasionally as it recorded my vital signs. Where was Sha? Was she okay? I tried to get out of bed but I couldn’t move. I was held to the bed by a sheet apparently fastened to the bed to keep me from moving. I weakly called out, “Someone please help me!”

In a few minutes a Dembarian woman came into the room. Apparently, she was a nurse. She talked to me but I could only understand a few words of what she was saying. Something about I will be healed and she would get someone to see me. She patted me lightly on the shoulder and smiled and said something else and left. Several minutes later a Dembarian male came into the room.

He slowly and halting spoke English with some effort. “Mr. Kane …I am … what you call … a doctor … on your planet.  You … been damaged … seriously. We … repaired your … chest bones … they were … damaged … broken. Your lung …was damaged. Our … treatment …will … take … two days … complete repair.” He smiled. “You understand, Mr. Kane?”

Apparently their genetic engineering helped heal wounds quickly. I nodded and spoke slowly so that he could follow my English, “Yes, thank you, doctor. When can I get up? What happened to Shashak? Is she okay?”

He paused apparently thinking. “I do not … know Shashak …with you?”

“Yes, she is my friend. I was with her in the park. A male Dembarian was there and he injured me and perhaps her.” I waited hoping to hear some news.

The doctor looked serious and said, “I will …contact our …citizen protection. Protection will … come see you.” He looked at me and smiled, “Protection will … help you. Okay?”

* * *

An hour or so later two uniformed Dembarian males came to my room.  They must be the equivalent of our police. One of the officers asked, “Are you Mr. Kane? We had a report that you were here.” Apparently they had been through English training because the officer appeared to be fluent in English.

“Yes sir. I am a writer for one of our news agencies and I have been guided around your world by Shashak Gussanx these past six months. She and I were attacked by a male Dembarian named Bergus Naysa. I don’t know if she is injured or where she is. Can you help me find her?”

“We did talk to some witnesses to the incident and they said that a male and female left you in the park about 9 hours ago. Someone called for medical assistance and they brought you here for treatment. I’m sorry, Mr. Kane, for your injuries.  We don’t have many violent crimes, but we have had complaints about Bergus Naysa when he was under contract with Shashak Gussanx. She had complained that he was abusive with her and she did not renew her contract with him.”

“Sir,” I pleaded, “I love Shashak and I must find her and see that she is all right. As soon as I can get out of here I will try to find her.”

In an apparent attempt to lighten the tension, the officer smiled slightly and said, “Mr. Kane your involvement in this situation is not permitted. The citizen protection organization will find her and Bergus Naysa. You wouldn’t want to create a potentially serious problem between the political and social interactions of our worlds. It could have detrimental impact on our mutual goals. And anyway you will not be healthy enough to leave our medical facility for a few days.”

“If you find her where she is, would you allow me to accompany you? I would appreciate being there as soon as possible.”

He shook his head no, “We can’t allow your involvement in citizen protection actions. I’m sorry Mr. Kane, but we have no choice nor do you.”

* * *

The next morning the officer came back to my room. He looked very serious and did not attempt to smile. He said, “Mr. Kane, we found Shashak Gussanx with Bergus Naysa. She was severely beaten and is in critical condition.  The medical staff doctors are not sure she will survive. Bergus Naysa is being held in a security facility and charged with serious crimes against Gussanx and yourself.”

My heart pounded. Sha was hurt and I could do nothing. “Is she here? Can I see her?”

“That’s for the doctors to decide. You are not well enough to be moving about. I’ll ask the chief medical doctor to talk to you. It will be up to him whether you are allowed to see Gussanx.

“Thank you, officer, for finding her and your help. I appreciate what you have done.”

“Mr. Kane, I can’t apologize for Naysa’s actions, but on behalf of the citizens of Dembar, we are truly sorry for this unfortunate incident.” 

I nodded in acknowledgement and the officer left my room. Several minutes later a doctor came to my room. This was a different doctor than the first one. He introduced himself in the same halting English, “Mr. Kane, I understand …you want … to see Shashak Gussanx. She is in … critical condition … severe head and body injuries. She is … conscious …for moments …we are working … very much … to save her life. She has … said your name … she is … concerned about you.”

“Doctor,” I pleaded, “I’m very much in love with Shashak and I must see her if at all possible. Can you arrange it?”

“You are … persistent man, Mr. Kane. We will try … get you … see her for little time. You will … difficulty moving … need to be … moved …in a … gravity chair.”

“Thank you, Doctor, for your understanding and help. When can I see her?”

“Our medical …staff will … bring chair soon.”  He smiled and said, “You will … not allowed … much time with her.”

Four nurses brought in a reclining chair that floated just above the floor. Slowly they removed the sheet that kept me from moving. They lifted me using the sheet under me and gently placed me in the chair. Even though the pain killer they gave me was effective, I could barley tolerate the pain as I was moved. But I didn’t want them to know how much it hurt because they might not take me to Sha.

As I was moved into her room, I was appalled at how she looked. They apparently didn’t use conventional bandages, but used some form of transparent covering so that they could see where the damage was and apply treatment to her injuries. The broken skin was held together with an invisible adhesive, but I could see where the skin was torn. The bruising and swelling showed blatantly over her face and head and her upper body was exposed showing more of the same kind of injuries. She was barely recognizable. I couldn’t image that she was still alive!

She was breathing shallowly with the same kind of transparent oxygen hood over her head. The tears streamed down my face as I looked at her. The nurses moved my chair closer to Sha’s bed, but out of the way of the medical staff working on her. She was unconscious. A doctor and a nurse fussed about her with instruments that buzzed and chimed as they moved them over her wounds.

I called her name softly, “Sha, Sha, I am right here with you. I love you so much and need you with me.”

She moaned slightly and opened her eyes briefly. As she scanned the room she recognized me and tried to talk, but was unable.

I called her name again, “Sha, I love you and I’ll be waiting here for you.” She tried to talk, but her lips only quivered. Then her eyes closed again. I could see her breathing was still very shallow and her chest barely moved.

I asked the doctor, “Is she was going to recover?” The doctor looked grim and replied, “We … know more tomorrow.”

Then they took me back to my room and I was alone. I prayed to God for the first time in a long time. I asked Him to help her heal quickly. I said she is a good person. I said that I love her and I want her to live a long and healthy life.

* * *

I had difficulty sleeping, but apparently finally fell asleep some time during the night. I woke up the next day and thought of Sha and hoped she was much better. As I was lying in bed I thought back to another time when Sha and I talked about Bergus and she was crying and said that she thought he was capable of killing me. She was almost right. But I thought the Dembarians were a more peaceful species and didn’t resort to violence. Apparently it was rare, but it happened occasionally.

I couldn’t wait any longer. I used the auto intercom to call for a nurse to give me information on Sha.

A nurse soon came in and spoke Dembarian slowly so that I could understand her.  “Mr. Kane, doctors treating Shashak Gussanx … her condition has improved … she is still critical … will need more treatment … time to heal.  The doctor … optimistic … she … recover if she survive … next few days.”

I attempted to speak Dembarian, but poorly. “Can … see her soon?”

The nurse replied in Dembarian, “Doctor decide. You talk doctor. Will ask … talk to you.”  She left, apparently, to call the doctor.

The officer I talked to the day before entered the room. “Mr. Kane, you will be requested to testify about Bergus Naysa’s actions against you.  Are you willing to do that?”

“Of course, officer, just tell me when and where I need to do that.”

“Actually,” he said, “you can give a video testimony to me now and unless it is challenged, it will stand as legal.” He proceeded to ask me several questions and held a video camera pointed at me. “That should do it, Mr. Kane. We have a confession from Bergus Naysa about beating Shashak Gussanx and that will likely be all we need for a conviction.”

“What will happen to him,” I asked.

“He will receive significant behavior modification to eliminate his mental disposition for violence. He will not be allowed to contract with Shashak Gussanx again.”

“Thank God for that,” I said.

“Who is God?” He asked

“He is a spirit that many of our people worship in various religions as the creator of the universe and father of all intelligent beings.”

“We no of no such God,” he said in surprise.

“You have much more to learn about us, officer.” He nodded and left me waiting for the doctor to tell me about Sha.

The doctor arrived shortly after the officer left. “Mr. Kane, you may see Shashak Gussanx … a short time visit. Will need … evaluate her … until she can … visitor for long time. Take days … extend visit time. You see her … 10 your minutes … no more today.”

“Do you know whether she will recover soon?” I asked hopefully.

“Yes, some weeks … she healed … normal same.” He smiled and left the room.

I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly.  She was going to be okay! I couldn’t wait to see her. “Nurse,” I called. “I want to visit Shashak Gussanx as soon as I can!” I prayed silently. Thank you, dear Lord, for watching over my Sha.

*  * *

Only a week had passed since Sha was released from the hospital. We had seen each other every day, but we still had to decide what we were going to do. We sat at her breakfast table eating and drinking a tea that she had picked out for me. She had that healthy glow to her skin and I was happy.

She looked at me with those beautiful intense green eyes and said, “A penny for you thoughts, Jim,” She smiled and waited for my answer.

“I was just thinking that we should make that contract together that we talked about. I love you and it would make me a happy man. And if you don’t mind, I would like to include words to my God in the agreement. I prayed to him while you were injured. And if it isn’t too much to ask, I would like to include my own vows to you.” I looked at her eyes and held my breath as I waited for her answer.

She appeared thoughtful and looked at me for several moments. “Jim, I love you. But it is still too soon to make a decision as serious as that.  I want to get to know you better. I don’t want to make a mistake that we both may regret. I made a mistake with Bergus.” She saw my pained look of despair. “No, Jim, I’m not comparing him to you.” She looked at me nervously and forced a smile.

I was disappointed and asked with apprehension, “Can we continue to see each other and let time help us decide?”

She stood up and walked around the table as I stood up to face her. She smiled that beautiful smile and said just before she kissed me, “Of course, Jim. I love you too much to not give us that chance.” 

-end-