Playing Their Parts

“Really?” Cassie asked, surprised. “What kind of pornography?”

“All kinds of pornography,” Stone growled.

“They supply most of the galaxy with various types of pornographic materials,” Sylvan told her. “From Andorian ear-stuffing porn to Zoltor toenail painting porn—you name the species and the fetish and Xempi Gozeriam—Gozer—produces some kind of salacious material associated with it.”

“Ear-stuffing? Toenail painting?” Cassie shook her head. “That sounds so weird.”

“Only until you consider that different species had different body types and physiology,” Sylvan pointed out.

“The Andorians have extremely large, sensitive ears, which they consider an erogenous zone,” Stone told her. “And Zoltorians have seventeen feet apiece. The first sixteen are just for walking but the seventeenth is, well…”

“They call it their ‘sex foot’,” Sylvan supplied. “Painting all fourteen toenails of the seventeenth foot, each in a different color, is considered a highly erotic activity. At least the Zoltarians think so.” He shrugged.

“A sex foot? But…then how do they actually have sex?” Cassie asked, fascinated.

“I believe they, er, stomp on each other. Or rather, the male stomps on the female’s sex foot with his own until his genetic material is released all over her toes.” Sylvan cleared his throat. “Of course, if the toenails are painted, the genetic material—the sperm—cannot seep in and find the female’s eggs.”

“Oh, I get it—so painting the toenails is like birth control!” Cassie exclaimed. “So they can, uh, stomp all they want without getting pregnant!”

“Essentially, yes.” Sylvan nodded. “A female Zoltorian with painted toenails is considered to be, er, offering herself to whichever male wants to stomp with her.”

“So painted toenails means she’s up for casual sex. Casual stomping.” Cassie nodded.

It all sounded ridiculously weird but it made sense that different people with different anatomy would find different things sexy. Hell, there were people on Earth who got off on foot porn—and probably some who had an ear fetish as well—so who was she to judge?

“So how does this all tie together?” Stone asked. “Are you saying that The Beast is working for this Gozer? Making pornography for him on Earth that includes murder?”

“It’s called a ‘snuff film.’” Cassie said flatly. “A film that starts with sex and ends in a murder, I mean,” she added, seeing Stone’s confused expression. She looked at Sylvan. “But why would this, uh, Gozer, want to send someone to impersonate a Kindred and make a snuff film for him?”

“Possibly for revenge.” Sylvan frowned. “He approached me some time ago with a proposition. He wanted some of our Bonding Fruit to make aphrodisiacs with and, in return, he was going to give us some ‘special Kindred porn’ as he called it, produced just for us.”

“You refused, of course,” Stone said. It wasn’t a question.

“Of course I did.” Sylvan frowned. “I explained that our Bonding Fruit is sacred—used only to ease the way for matings sanctioned by the Goddess herself. We do not sell it or trade it or give it away for the purpose of mere titillation. I also let Gozeriam know that we had no interest in his pornography. What little we Kindred have, we prefer to produce ourselves.”

“I’m sure he loved being turned down like that,” Cassie said flatly. Xempi Gozeriam sounded like an alien version of Frank Yarrow to her—a slimy predator who made profit from the pain of others.

“It went about as well as you’d expect,” Sylvan said dryly. “With Gozeriam vowing revenge for the ‘insult’ I had offered him.” He shook his head. “But I had no idea he would send an agent to Earth to make a, what did you call it, Detective Steel?” He looked at Cassie.

“A snuff film,” Cassie supplied. She frowned. “I wonder what he’s going to do with it?”

“Possibly use it to discredit the Kindred.” Sylvan frowned unhappily. “We are known throughout the galaxy to all other sentient species as a race of males who revere and treasure females. Having this reputation enables us to make genetic trades with other humanoid species much more easily. But if other peoples thought we were capable of murdering females…” He shook his head.

“We need to get that holo of the murder that The Beast filmed and destroy it before he can release it!” Stone exclaimed.

“I’m also concerned about the Pain Fruit,” Sylvan said seriously. “Bonding Fruit, or any derivative of it, is a powerful aphrodisiac—it should not be in the hands of someone like Xempi Gozeriam.”

“Well, it sounds like you need to send someone to go undercover on this, uh, Bachanalius planet,” Cassie remarked. “To get back the film and destroy the mutated Bonding Fruit.”

“You’re absolutely right.” Sylvan nodded. “How about the two of you?”

“Us?” Cassie was caught completely off guard. “You want Stone and me to go undercover at a porn planet?”

“Not as performers, of course,” Sylvan said hastily. “But I do have a contact on Bachanalius who can get you into Gozeriam’s orbit in other capacities. I know that he has a laboratory where he grows and develops aphrodisiacs. It’s my guess that the Pain Fruit would be located there.”