To Save Lucifer
CHAPTER 8
LET THE GAMES BEGIN

     Just as Lasiter promised, our escorts were punctual and we were more than ready to go. I could not stop giggling neither could Catlain. "I guess we had a little too much of the old blue stuff", I told our escort by way of explanation. The gentlemen smiled at us and said not to feel badly, that was exactly what it was there for. "Are you saying it was planned that we would over indulge, I quickly asked? "Oh no maam," he responded just as quickly, as if he had inadvertently said the wrong thing. "Come on now, I was only teasing you, No need to be so serious you know�" I felt in my secret pocket, wait, I seemed to have left my identification grid card in the unit, being so excited and all. As I looked over at Catlain, I could tell by the look on her face that she had forgotten hers also. I pleaded with the escort to allow us to return to unit so we could retrieve them. "On one condition," he said. "No drinking any more of that funny stuff while you're there." "How do we get in our place without our cards," I pouted? "Now you have a problem young lady," he said sternly. Great, there's nothing like drawing attention to us right off the bat, I thought. "Ha, ha,"  he giggled, "my turn, I'm teasing you this time. We have access to your units. After all, we helped to set them up. Do you like them? Don't they look great?"

     As we rushed in quickly to retrieve our cards, I noticed a peculiar little beam of light coming from a decoration on the wall.  I whispered to Catlain as we were leaving the unit, "I have to tell you something later and I'm sure you'll find it rather interesting, to say the least." I turned to our escorts and said, "Ok fellows, we're all dressed up with everywhere to go, I hope you know who you're dealing with as far as partying goes. We are the hardiest party people in the land." It was good to know that at least some of the men had a sense of humor. Conversation always flowed more freely when people could joke and cut up, especially with the young ones. They were seldom if ever, a challenge worth bothering with though. Catlain however, was unable to resist a practice session.  "Oh stop flirting Catlain," I said under my breath. "We've got much bigger boys to contend with."

     There were guards posted at each entrance and every exit within the compound. We stepped into an elevator quite like the one we came down to our units in. Only, we went up much further than the surface. At this point it was easy to tell we were hundreds of feet into the tower of Central Systems Command Control Center. It was such an awesome structure that it could be seen from almost anywhere within the inhabitable perimeters of the surface. There was much of the planet beyond the huge ominous mountain ranges that had been deemed uninhabitable, inhospitable, and uninviting to any one other than an occasional miner or two. This was definitely not my idea of a fun way to earn a living. I couldn't imagine anyone willing to do such work without being forced to. Almost all prisoners were made to work in the mines. It was easy to keep them separated from the public, being that far out into the fringes. There were no means of climate control that far out either. I thought about how very lonely of an existence it must be for them. Escape from such a place would be impossible because of the mountains. One could only hope to hijack a transport vessel, which only entered the area to drop off new prisoners or supplies.

     When we finally reached our destination, the banquet hall where the evening's ceremonies were to be held, we found we were among the first few to arrive.  "I'm sure Lasiter won't be here for a while, do you think," I questioned my escort? "Not for a little while, he's getting the corps prepared for some kind of program. We're never told the entire details about any thing that happens around here. How would you girls like something to drink?"  "Why not, we might as well liven the place up a little, by the way, where are we supposed to be sitting?" "Since you gals are the guests of honor you're supposed to be at the Commanders table right over there in the middle. There are name cards in your designated places so go ahead, find your spots and we'll bring your drinks to you. After that, I'm sorry to say we're going to have to leave you gals so we can retrieve a couple more of your classmates." There was no use in anyone denying the fact that we were absolutely ravishing to look at. I couldn't recall ever feeling that I looked as well as what I did this evening. Not only that, but as I studied Catlain carefully, she seemed to actually radiate. The place, the music, the atmosphere had an all too perfect feel to it. Oh great, I almost forgot to tell of my discovery.

     Taking Catlain by the arm, I squeezed tightly up against her and she immediately tilted her head toward mine, as I whispered into her ear. "When I went back into the unit to get our grid cards, I happened to catch a beam of light coming from something that was hanging on the wall. I waited until now to share this with you. It looks as if our rooms are apparently being monitored; can you believe the nerve? Do ya get it woman; we are being watched in our most private of places doing our most private of things. More than likely, they are listening in on our every word too."  "If this is true Lyluth, we need to offer them an exemplary exhibition. On the other hand, we should be extremely careful in our actions and future conversations. Speaking of which, it would probably be a good idea to let the others in on this little unfolding. Guess now is as good a time as any." We quickly devised a plan. Our strategy was that each time one of the girls walked in, we would quietly tell them of our finding. They would politely smile, give us a hug and go find their places. Before long, both the girls and the host families had arrived. We spotted Aster and Jaroe quite effortlessly and strolled over to where they were loitering. They reached out to hug us as if we were long lost relatives, exchanging all the normal pleasantries. Common stuff like, how much they were going to miss us, how things won't be quite the same without us. This must be genetically encoded into everyone. The truth was that Aster totally relished the idea of having someone else around to cook for. Perpetually prepared to show off her one and only talent, she sure knew her stuff. There probably was no one in existence that could out do her in the kitchen. Other than the amount of personal attention that comes along with being part of a family atmosphere, I couldn't think of anything that we were going to miss about our host dwellings. The units we were provided with were spectacular and the illusion of freedom at present was acceptable. From all appearances, things just couldn't be better.

     We stood chattering amongst ourselves as elegant music began wafting through the auditorium, or whatever you might call it. I noticed one of the escorts discreetly motioning for us to find our seats. Offering Aster a light kiss on the cheek, I excused the two of us, explaining that we were to be seated at the main table. Catlain and I managed to take our places just as the lights were lowered, almost as if we had choreographed the maneuver. Beginning our entertainment were a delightful display of tiny twinkle lights twinkling all about us like stars. The simulated atmosphere that they had created was dramatically stunning. I found myself being transported into space, a place where I often felt the sensation of peace and belonging. The Cosmos seemed to be calling to me as if it knew me personally. The music began to pick up momentum somewhat until it had a striking steady beat, at which time a strong voice bellowed over the speakers, "I am honored to introduce the mighty force behind Lucifer's Central Command, the fearsome men of the Command Control Corps." In marched the baddest dudes in the land. They appeared so powerful in their full dress uniforms. The Command Control Corps always wore red and black along with the Luciferian insignia, which was a stark contrast in white. This insignia consisted of two triangles, one upright, the other inverted. In the middle where the two overlapped was the all Seeing Eye of the Command. Within each of the six pyramidal shapes surrounding the eye were designs representative of a spinning vortex. A wealth of symbology that was never shared with the population was heavily ingrained into the insignia. Legend was that no thought or deed ever went unseen by the all-powerful C.C.C.

     We were about to test that theory, I thought to myself. Boy did these guys look sharp. They executed some kind of military maneuver in perfect synchronicity and mechanical precision. The performance was a visual drill designed to be an impressive show for our benefit. The men stood eight on each side of the Commander. Lasiter's place was in the middle of the room atop of an elevated podium. Everyone was asked to stand and pledge their allegiance to the Luciferian laws and those who were devoted to enforcing them. Impotent words without meaning to the other girls and myself. I found that I was mouthing the words but never heard them come forth past my lips. Not a single one of us would admit to carrying them in our hearts. Talk is very cheap indeed. You can make a person say anything, but you can't make them feel that which they refuse to feel. At least up until this point, which could quickly change without notice at any time.

     Swiftly, everyone was seated and Lasiter welcomed one and all to the graduation ceremony, explaining why this particular class was so important to the Corps. He continued with, how we would be helping to make Lucifer a smoother more pleasant place to live. In whose opinion, I wanted to yell out. It seemed so much more difficult to distrust this man while looking into his totally believable eyes. He said he wanted to call us forward individually to receive our certificates of graduation at this time. One by one each of us were called. When it was my turn, I was so nervous I could hardly bring myself to my feet. Trying to be graceful as I walked to the podium, I could feel everyone's eyes focused directly on me. A feeling that I would have to learn to live with if I was going to be around these parts for long. I looked straight into Lasiter's penetrating eyes as he handed me my certificate, smiling at him in as seductive of a manner as I could possibly manage.  He lifted my hand to kiss it. "I congratulate you Lyluth, keep up the good work." "Thank you sir, I certainly will," was my response as I slowly turned and walked back to the table.

     When everyone had received their papers Lasiter announced that we would be served a wonderful feast. After which, we were encouraged to enjoy the music, entertain ourselves and certainly, by all means, dance. The room filled with the sound of applause as the men swiftly made their way to our table. It made us feel more than special to have these cuties plastered right in front of us. I caught myself staring at the Commander all through dinner. Certainly, he had to be aware of it. Catlain did well at not paying him any attention whatsoever. She was intently focused on her wild Llewellyn. His appearance alone was testimony that he was a tough fellow indeed, rugged but exceptional. Of course, dinner was as spectacular as the rest of the evening had been. Lasiter was going around the table handing each girl a small object. A personal gift from him specifically suited to our individual personality. When he handed mine to me, I touched his hand gently squeezing it as I looked deep into his face once again. "It would mean so much if you would do the honors of pinning this on me so I can start admiring it immediately."  He responded as though he had been taken by surprise, but he agreed to pin it on and I stood up to allow him. He was mighty nervous for such a fearsome man, so much so that I thought he might stick me. His hands were trembling slightly as he tried so diligently to be smooth. Of course, his fingers were just too large to accomplish the task without inadvertently piercing me with the thing. "Ouch," I flinched.  Immediately apparent was how uncomfortable this small maneuver had become for him. Gently, I reached up touching his hand, then slowly raised my eyes to meet his.  With a soft sexy voice, "Here Commander, let me help you with that. I believe this is actually supposed to be executed as a two person venture, don't you?" I smiled at him rather seductively and he smiled back. Wonder if my smile had quite as powerful an effect on him as his was having on me. Every part of my body was stimulated. I sat contemplating my next move, hmm, What should I do now? The trick would be to plan this out without making a fool of myself.

     The state of my heightened arousal must have been obvious to anyone paying just the slightest bit of attention to this little mini drama I found myself acting in. "You know, Commander, I really do love to dance. As a matter of fact, with the proper partner I can really light up the floor. This might seem a little forward to you but you never know if you don't ask. Missed opportunities are such a drag, especially pleasurable ones. What I'm really trying to do is ask, would you care to dance with me when you're finished presenting your gifts to the others�"  What a geek, I probably sounded like a blubbering idiot or something. Such a nervous wreck, I couldn't even hear the words as they fell out my mouth. Amazing how the fear of rejection can be so overwhelming. It seemed like an eternity before he responded to my request. A bad case of gross exaggeration on my part but I had been holding my breath while waiting. If it would have taken any longer I might have passed out. Finally, he smiled at me and said he would be more than happy to dance with such an attractively charming partner as me.  He kissed my hand once more, a ritual that was fast becoming a habit. "You, my dear are promised the first dance of the evening and I must say, I admire your forwardness and honesty. You unquestionably sound like a lady who knows what she wants and knows how to get it too. I like that a lot in someone's personality." He winked at me as he let go of my hand.

     Slowly sliding back into my chair, a feeling of relief flooded over me. Whew, that was tough territory I just managed to muddle my way through. "Well, how did it turn out," questioned Catlain? "So far so good I guess, at least I was able to remain standing though my legs felt like jell and my heart felt like it was going to jump right out of my chest. So far, I have persuaded him to commit himself to the first dance with me. What about you, have you been able to inveigle Llewellyn yet?" Was that a stupid question or what? "Why certainly dear, whatever would cause your lil mind to think otherwise? You're not the only one around here with talent you know? This man is readily mine."  At that particular instant I noticed Llewellyn, standing up from his chair. Not once did he transfer his fixed gaze from upon his intended pursuit. He walked arrogantly around the table and destined himself directly toward our vicinity. "I really think he's stalking you friend, at least that's the way it looks from here," I declared. "I knew it," giggled Catlain. "I just knew he was about to ask me to dance." Bent down between the both of us, he introduced himself in a sultry tone of voice. Continuing with his pursuit, he proclaimed that he couldn't stand the thought of a beautiful creature such as Catlain sitting alone while no one was noticing her radiance. "Certainly, you should be placed in the center of the room, as the focus of everyone's fascination," he graciously stated.  "That's a trip Catlain, he's real good at this stuff don't you think?" It was easy for me to see a snow job being perpetrated since I was usually the one dishing it out. She smiled and quickly retorted, "well then, what took you so long to get here?"  I couldn't help but chuckle to myself. These two were just too much. They were absolutely made for each other. From the look of the dance floor, many of the girls were heavily involved in generating a few connections of their own.

     Commander Lasiter finished his duties, which was a cue for me to pull my act together. He was fast approaching my territory. I swiftly stood to my feet so I could greet him at eye level. That was a serious miscalculation on my part. I felt like a child in the midst of such presence. Leading me graciously into the nucleus of the dance area, he spoke softly into my ear. "You know, Lyluth is such a unique name. Somehow, I get the impression that it is appropriate for you though. Oddly enough, I once knew another beautiful woman whose name was very similar to yours. She called herself Lilluth."  "Oh, is that so," I questioned him in my most inquisitive inflection. "Please, do relate to me Commander, what ever became of your Lilluth?"  "Well, I guess, perhaps you might say, we were too much alike. This woman was one that no one dared to cross. She was both, feared and worshiped by many of her race. Some revered her as a female deity of absolute evil. Others were so stricken by her beauty that they bequeathed to her, every desire or whim she could imagine. Soon she became bored with her power. It was much too easy for her and she complained ceaseless, that her life was without challenge."  "I don't understand how you could say that you were so much alike. From what I have seen up until now, I fail to notice the similarities at all. You appear to be utterly charming and mysterious to me sir." "I would much rather talk about you right now young lady. If that's all right, what do you say? Tell me about yourself."

     The thought raced through my mind, what little bit of truth about myself could I offer to a man who probably knew more about me than anyone else did?  Lasiter requested that I explain to him where my high level of intelligence came from. It was none too common that someone of my background or genetic make up be so blessed with such a powerful mind. "From my perspective Commander, I would have to say that my intellect is a direct result of my insatiable desire to know more than everyone else. I have always felt the need to know more than what I was being told, more than what I could see, hear, feel, taste or touch. I want to know everything. I want to do it all. I want to put as much into life that I possibly can and I want to get out of it as much as I can also. I have found that I am able to create for myself the experiences that I would like to participate in. I pay much more attention to what is going on than most. Being aware, alert and involved. I don't know of any other explanation that I might offer you."  "That makes perfect sense to me," he whispered into my ear. "Your turn," I said. "What is it that you would like to know about me Lyluth," he queried?

At this particular moment, the man had a non-threatening quality about him. Like an innocent young man playing a little game or something. I thought about him allowing himself to be seen this way, unguarded and vulnerable. Were these the true emotions that Lasiter was experiencing? Perhaps I was being set up to feel more at ease with him and less guarded myself. It would not be very difficult for me to feel comfortable around him. This is an observation that was becoming more evident with each passing moment. However, I too am extremely good at this game. "I do have a question for you Commander, if you don't mind?. My question is, are you a married man, or are you currently involved in some heavy relationship or something of the kind?" "This generation of women never cease to amaze me," he laughed. "Firstly, would you please stop calling me Commander? I hear it constantly. We are in a leisure environment and you can be completely relaxed now. The men will always address me as Commander but as for beautiful women... Call me Lasiter, please."  He picked up my hand and looked straight into my eyes as he proceeded to tell me about his personal life.  "I have had little or no time so to speak of that I could have embarked on any so called meaningful relationships for quite some time. I call these journeys of pleasure myself. Fortunately, with all of you ladies to take over the TRACS operation, I will be afforded some extra time for personal use. Are you slightly interested in the vacant position," he questioned? "Oh, no sir,"  I exclaimed in a forceful manner. "I am not slightly interested in anything. Like I just said, I like being aware and totally involved in everything that I care to undertake. That would mean that I am very much interested in that vacancy. Tell me Lasiter, what exactly are the requirements to such a position?" "I must say Lyluth, I admire your passionate strength and confidence. I believe that I was on the mark when I stated that you looked to be a woman who not only knew what she wanted, but  who also knows how to get it. There is something about you that I find both appealing and intriguing. I guess I could say that you spark my curiosity a bit more than most. I'm sure that it would be much to my benefit to get to know you a little better. I believe that I might be able to find some spare time in the near future so that I could show you around. Maybe we will both learn a thing or two." I couldn't believe my ears.  "Are you serious?," I questioned? "I am always serious, don't you know," he replied.

     We talked and danced into the evening. Occasionally we would return to the table for a short rest or refill. It was as if everything had fallen into place all too uncomplicated. Lasiter was a fantastic conversationalist and utterly charming. I felt more at ease with him as time passed by. Very much the gentleman in every way imaginable, he just had to be too good to be true. I figured that as long as I didn't upset or provoke him, I wouldn't suffer his bad side. There were areas of our conversation that I felt were saturated in double meaning. Surely his curiosity with me was much deeper than he was letting on. There was also the possibility that he considered my strength and conviction adversarial to his own. The evening passed by quickly and it had become rather late. Llewellyn and Catlain had left together, hours before.  Extremely tired and in an altered state from the beverages, it was difficult for me to stay awake much less alert. Graciously, I excused myself with a comment on how nice it would be if we could continue where we left off.  "By all means," he replied. I will have you escorted back to your unit Lyluth. I have enjoyed your company immensely. You will be hearing from me in the very near future." He motioned one of the men to assist me, and then he leaned towards me and gently kissed me good evening. While walking back to the unit, a million thoughts were racing through my mind. Sure hope that I'll be able to pull this off successfully. I stood at the entrance of our unit fumbling with my grid card and thanking the escort for his time. I was going inside immediately to throw myself down; thoroughly exhausted by the endless amount of events I had endured. After all, the entire day had been packed full of changes and new beginnings.

     Dragging my tired body quietly through the hallway, I made the startling discovery that Catlain's room was empty. It hadn't been touched since we left together, earlier. Well well, I guess that Catlain was busy winning Mr. Llewellyn's body as well as his heart. Once again I drug myself through the rooms taking off my clothes as I went. Much too tired to worry about who might be peeking in on me but I couldn't resist offering up a sensuous show, sure to please whomever just might be observing. Quite proud of my talented strip tease, I quickly climbed into the bed. That was all it took for me to fall fast asleep, the touch of my head to the pillow.  Catlain must have crept in some time later on. An irritating noise intruded on my dreaming, some kind of beeping noise coming from the large screen monitor located in the entertainment area. So irritating in fact that it woke me from a wonderfully peaceful sleep. Stumbling to the console where a red light was flashing in sync with the obnoxious noise wafting throughout, I pressed the visual button. Instantly appearing on the screen in front of me was a soft-spoken, friendly faced woman, explaining that she was an automatic wake up service. She went on to say that Catlain and I was expected in the TRACS unit in exactly one hour. Time to get moving if either of us were to make that appearance on schedule. As my attention drifted from the screen, I heard movement in the back bedroom. You know me; nosey being that I am had best check things out. There lay Catlain all spread out across the entire width of her bed.
 
     "So, how was your evening you naughty wench," I asked. "Such a wasted question Lyluth, I'm sure you could probably answer that one yourself if you thought about it for just one slight moment. Take a look at me, my condition, and the glorious smile plastered across my face and you tell me what you would feel like? How do you think my night was dear? It was absolutely wonderful! You could say that Mr. Llewellyn is well on his way to being a captive audience." Who was fast becoming the captive, him or her? Where did she come from anyway and what time did she manage to stagger in? Was it last night, or this morning? I couldn't ever remember a time that I had felt jealous of Catlain before. The feeling seemed rather peculiar to me. What was compelling me to be so protective of her, obsessed with her every move? Somehow I did not enjoy my behavior but at the same time, I felt powerless to stop. Perhaps she wouldn't understand my barrage of questioning any more than I had. Immediately I became overwhelmed with guilt, what was my problem? "What's your problem grumpy, didn't you see me, I came in right behind you. I saw you and your escort from the other end of the corridor when you were getting ready to open the door. I didn't come in right away because Llewellyn couldn't seem to pull himself away from me. Did it not go well with you and the Commander?"

      "First of all dear friend, I am no longer to call him Commander. He has requested that I dispense of the formalities and call him Lasiter from now on. Not to mention, he finds me rather intriguing, you know. He said he would look forward to getting together again some time soon so that he can show me around, the right way. Secondly, I wanted to apologize for the way I grilled you before. I honestly don't know what came over me." Up until now everything seemed too good to be true, all surprisingly easy. Whatever we desired appeared to magically happen with little to no effort. If only there were more time to dwell upon these issues maybe we could do something to prevent problems before they were able to escalate. As it was, there were just too many things to divert our attention from what was truly important. It had in fact begun on such small levels, let to go unnoticed by each individual until no one cared to pay attention to the details. There simply was no time to think about anything but the basic issues of survival without getting run over or cut down in the process. As long as one made it through the day, it mattered little of what was actually accomplished. A thought that was in direct opposition to what the Luciferian Command Control Corps had spent aeons perpetuating.

    Productivity was the only measure of ones worth to the powers that be. Unfortunately, productivity is seriously handicapped when one cannot express individual creativity in their work. There is no spark of inner truth to motivate. Soon, motivation becomes complacency and no longer creates but merely repeats. Did we really believe that our governing body cared to cultivate the idea of individual freedom of expression? There would be no way to initiate managed control if everyone were allowed to live without restrictions or laws. The system itself creates corruption by its premise that beings need to be manipulated to do what they perceive to be right. The system's idea of what it needs versus the individuals ideas of what it needs are only separated by the thin veil of perspective. An individual perspective will always be unlike another's. This readily creates opposition.

  Throughout history opposition has and continues to be viewed as negative. It has always been perceived as an attack against the individual ego instead of a new or different approach. The individual desire to be right, better, stronger, possess more, control more etc. has been the entire motivation behind virtually every act perpetrated against ourselves. This type of behavior would never have gained a stronghold on the majority of systems involved if the focus had been towards unity in differences instead of separation. Opposition is needed in order to create a choice. It is how these choices are then perceived or judged that dictates what is later created from them. Tell me, who has time to think about what they do before doing it anymore? I think that everyone pretty much operates on autopilot. Tension had become so fierce that an eruption would soon be inevitable. How could it all be stopped when there was not enough time to do anything but produce? Apparently, I had indulged myself in the luxury of deep thought to the point that it could and would interfere with more pressing matters such as being ready to report to the TRACS unit in less than an hour. We could not afford to be caught goofing up already.

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