Page 25 of Kidnapped from the Paradise Resort

“Oh, all the food is made fromjuluum,”Gaela told her. “It’s a kind of all-purpose protein/carbohydrate paste that the Thought-cooker forms into whatever shape and consistency you tell it to.”

“Paste?” Kara looked down at her steak and potato uncertainly.

“Yes, but it takes on the exact flavor and texture of whatever you imagine. Let’s try it and you’ll see!” Gaela turned to Brother Nono. “Bring us some utensils,” she ordered. “Oh, and more wine.”

“At once, My Lady.” He bowed and went to rummage in one of the drawers. A moment later he came back with two, three-tined instruments with their points set in a triangular shape and a knife that was serrated on both edges.

“Now, try your dish and see if it tastes how it should,” Gaela instructed. She seemed to have gotten over the idea of Kara eating a “living being” and was eagerly watching to see what she thought.

Kara used the knife and triangle-fork to cut off a small piece of the steak. It looked pink inside and oozed juices just like a real steak would have, she noted. She put it in her mouth and chewed experimentally. It was juice, fatty, salty, and altogether delicious.

“Mmm!” She nodded approvingly at Gaela. “Yes, it’s really good,” she said when she swallowed. “Just like a real steak!”

“Oh, good!” Her new friend smiled. “Can I try a bite then?”

“Even though the real thing comes from a cow?” Kara asked, raising her eyebrows.

“Yes but this is actually just reformedjuluum,so it’s all right. I’ll let you try some of mine too,” Gaela told her.

They exchanged bites. Gaela didn’t much care for the steak but shelovedthe fluffy baked potato. Kara smiled to see the expression of pure bliss on the other woman’s face as she tried a bite.

“Oh my—salty and creamy and just a little sour from that white stuff,” she said, pointing at the sour cream. “That’s delicious!”

“I’m glad you like it. And that’s a potato—it’s a plant that grows in the ground,” Kara told her.

“Oh good—I’m so glad you eat plants as well as animals,” Gaela said. “I was beginning to fear you came from a planet of barbarians!”

She gave Kara a bite from her own plate and Kara thought it tasted a little like lasagna if it was made with sausage and peppers. There was also a hint of dark chocolate in the aftertaste which should have been awful but was somehow delicious instead.

After they finished their meals and drank several more glasses of wine, Gaela had Brother Nono wash the dishes and suggested watching a show.

“There’s some exciting programming on the Action Channel,” she told Kara. “Or if you’d rather watch something else?—”

“The Action Channel is fine,” Kara told her. Despite the other woman’s exhibitionist tendencies, she found she was enjoying spending time with Gaela. It had been ages since she’d had a girl’s night because most of her friends still lived back on Earth and it was hard to coordinate their schedules. Plus the dark blue wine was making her feel warm and cozy and slightly light-headed—she was happy to sit on the couch and watch a mindless action movie.

They settled on the large, plush couch—Gaela’s was black instead of white—and watched a show about a group of men and women who were trying to get to the top of a mountain for some reason. To her surprise, Kara was instantly engaged with it. There were lots of near misses as the Paradisian mountaineers lost their handholds or footholds and some of them nearly fell, keeping Kara on the edge of her seat.

There was also a lot of tension within the group—half of them wanted to go around the mountain and try a different route and the other half wanted to stick to the side of the mountain they already knew. There was infighting and even romantic intrigue as a man from the first group tried to seduce a man from the second group. Kara really enjoyed it, despite not understanding some of the Paradisian phrases the characters used. Apparently, her Translation Bacteria had limits.

As the first show ended with all but one of the characters reaching the summit of the mountain, Kara was just thinking this was the most relaxing and enjoyable evening she’d had in a long time.

“Well, that was exciting, wasn’t it?” Gaela, who was sitting on the other end of the couch, remarked. “Let’s see what else we can find. But first I want to get more comfortable”

Then she called for Brother Nono and things got weird.

15

KARA

“Do you know what this is?” Galea asked, holding up a tiny silver object to show Brother Nono.

He shook his head.

“No, My Lady.”

“It’s the key to your cage,” she told him. “Can you be averygood boy if I unlock you for a little while? And will you promisenotto come?”

Her attendant swallowed hard, the Adam’s apple in his golden throat bobbing.

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