by Jessie Wolf
David was the first one to say anything. “You stupid cow! My soldiers shall destroy you and your family. You have no idea of who you’re dealing with!” the fool really should have thought before opening his mouth. The butt stroke from the Jump trooper behind him dammed near took his head off.
“You will show her Ladyship the respect she deserves, dog.” The young man was one of Colonel Fujiyama’s best and most loyal. The twin red ribbons that wrapped around his upper arm marked him as a Timber Wolf. These men and women had a loyalty to my family that went beyond just being bodyguards.
“Corporeal Fugato, please don’t kill the fool before I have a chance to talk to him.”
“Yes, my Lady.” he stepped back from David Longfellow, but not so far as to be out of position to deliver another blow. The message was load and clear. If David shows me any disrespect he would pay for it.
Looking down at the two men, well one man and a boy, I could see the family resemblance. Peter had his father’s eyes, nose, and mouth. They also had the same arrogant expression of superiority about them. Time to take them down a notch or two, by showing them who really is in charge here.
“David Longfellow, I extended you the hand of friendship, and you rejected it. Three times I sent one of my most trusted advisors to speck with you, and three times you treated her as if she was nothing. For that alone I would be more than glad to remove your head. I reached out to you through the ways of the yakuza. I tried to work with you but you wanted nothing more than to terrorize the people of your community. You lack any form of honor and you have passed this trait down to your son. When he tried to attack me and my wife and failed he blamed someone else. He did not have the honor to face his disgrace like a man. So instead of facing you and telling the truth he let you abuse four young girls. All so you could show him the so called power of the Longfellow clan. Now you will face them in front of an Imperial court.” I looked over at Bethany, Susan, Lisa, and Kimberly. “Ladies would you please come up here?”
I wait for them to stand up and come to the front of the room. I could tell that they were scared. I could tell though by the way they were walking that I had the ones responsible for their abuse. These men had used these girls as their personal punching bags, sperm banks, and who knows what else. No matter what else happened this day the Longfellow men will not be leaving here as free men.
Bethany was the first to say anything, as her hand lashed out across Peter’s face. I notice that it was her left hand, the one that was missing the pinky. “You piece of shit! You had your thugs cut off my pinky because you were too afraid to tell daddy you got your ass handed to you by a pair of girls! You let them cover over bodies with tattoos because I refused to let you fuck me! Then you have your men hold me down as you first beat me then forced yourself on me! You let them share me around because I dishonored you! You lying piece of shit!” with each and every sentence her left hand came down across his face. The poor girl had finally snapped. Years of pain and humiliation came pouring out of her as she finally faced those who had been her tormenters. Alice literally has to pull her off of Peter.
Lisa and Kimberly were next only they went after the old man. They may not have caused as much damage as Bethany did to Peter, but I doubt he’ll be getting an erection any time soon. The poor man must have been kicked in the crotch ten times before I could get the guards to pull them away. When I asked them why they did what they did, I almost let them go at him again. The son of a bitch was using them to pleasure his business partners. He had turned them out as whores it was payback their so called debts. Of all the girls Susan was the most restrained. She looked down at the two men and spit in their faces. I could tell that she was shaking with a rage that if she gave into it she would kill them both.
“David Longfellow, Peter Longfellow, you have been tried by your victims. How do you plead?” I had to give them the chance to prove their innocence by law. As much as I hate it I have to give them that or I am no better than they are. I wait for them to say something, anything, but they say nothing. They just look back at me like I am nothing. “Very well, if you have nothing to say I will now pronounce your sentence.”
“You have no right to do this to us! We run this planet! Our soldiers shall destroy you and your family, bitch! We’ll have every yakuza family coming down on you before the night is over. Don’t you get it?! We run this planet!” Peter’s outburst was the only thing he got to say. I had, had enough of him and his arrogance.
“Gag that dog! Now!” the Wolves must have also had enough of these men because they gagged the both of them. It was either that or I had not been specific enough about which one I wanted them to gag. I watched as the two guards shoved rolled up napkins into their mouths, then taped them shut. “You two have used and abused this community for the last time. You will be taken from here to the planetary prison of Cold Field. Where you will be fitted with the High Priest system integration hardware. After which you will spend the rest of your lives in the service of this planet as traffic control network operators.”
Chapter 13
The fear that came to their eyes at hearing their sentences was understandable. The fact that I had just sentenced them to a slow lonely death as nothing more than computer parts was not lost on those present. Until now only one planet in all the Empire used this as a punishment. Freedoms Landing was known for its harsh punishment of certain criminals. While the Emperor was trying to ban the practice as a religious act, he was not going to stop its use as a criminal punishment. In fact he has already put the practice to use in dealing with over half of the traitors who were members of High Families and House of Commons representatives.
The fact that he was using this punishment for those who would misuse their positions of power was not lost on the people of the Empire. For me the perfect way to use this punishment is to place murderers, rapists, and organized criminals to use. I was tired of these men and women bleeding the planets coffers by being clothed, fed, housed, and giving nothing in return. It is time they started to repay their debts to society.
“Get these pigs out of my sight.” I watch as Peter wets his pants as he realizes that there is nothing he can do to escape his fate. A fate that his father shares. Once the guards have removed them from the Hall I return to giving my lesson. “I can see by the looks on more than a few of your faces that you do not understand their punishment. Lady Allison, will you be so kind as to tell our students about the punishment that was just handed down?”
“Of course Lady Maiha.” Stepping in front of our guests she begins to tell them of the fate that waits the Longfellow’s and why. While she is doing that I go over to Bethany and the others to see if they are alright. I can tell that they will need time, but they have started the long road to recovery. I can only imagine the amount of abuse that these girls have been forced to suffer at the hands of the Longfellow clan.
I wave for one of the wait staff to come over. I whisper in the girl’s ear for her to go get the Reverend Mother and Father. I have a feeling that these girls need to stay here at the Temple for a while so that they can heal. Once the girl has taken off to carry out her duty I go over to the Headmaster, Vic and OECH.
“Well gentlemen, do you think that our students will understand the lesson?”
“I believe, Lady Maiha that you drove the lesson home quite thoroughly. I doubt that any of our students failed to grasp the lesson. You showed them both sides of the law here this evening. I know that you did not plan this display, but were only acting as the Head of House for the Nakatoma Family and Planetary Governor.” Doctor Brim had a look of sadness in his eyes, then again they all did. “I am just sorry that they had to see it in this way. I had no idea that Bethany and her friends had suffered such abuse. If I had known then I might have been able to help them sooner.”
“I must agree with my college in this matter. I only wonder how many of our students have been corrupted and abused by that family.” Professor Recco was almost in tears. I can tell
that he is doing everything to control his rage at the abuse of their students and their inability to see the signs.
It was Mr. Lenard who put things in perspective. “Gentlemen, we have a school full of students that need our help. We can no longer stand idly by while our students are in pain. I believe that our first priority should be to sit down with the Heathers and find out the extent to which they have been abused at home. They are the ones the rest of the students look up to no matter how much it galls me. At the same time we need to find out which students they were targeting in their pain. I have a feeling it was the students that are normally the outcasts. The ones who would not go to a teacher because they feel that we will do nothing to help them.”
“It’s more than that sir. For the past six years David Longfellow has had more than a few of them under his thumb. He has used them to target specific students to alienate them. To make them vulnerable to outside influence.” When they hear me tell them this I see a marked change in their attitude from one of sadness to barely controlled rage. “Gentlemen, I believe there are a good many more students that have been forced to do things by the local yakuza clans. I would suggest that when we return to the school we setup individual counselling sections with all of our students. Maybe we can bring an end to this exploitation of our students by going after the abusers.”
Doctor Brim set the tone for the other two. “You have my full support in this, Lady Maiha. I will make sure that the rest of the teachers follow suit.”
“If they don’t they can turn in their resignation to me personally.” Mr. Lenard was more than willing to fire someone at this point.
But it was Professor Recco who brought up the one problem area that they as teachers and staff had on control over, not even the OECH. “What about the security staff? They were all put in place by the old administration. While we can fire them for poor performance we just can’t get rid of them. That would leave the school wide open to some kind of attack.”
“Thankfully, that problem is in the processes of being corrected.” At their blank looks I explained. “At this moment there are fifty Death Dealer MPs converging on the school to sure up its poor security. All of these men have experience in the protection of high value targets. If anything they’ll make anyone pause when it comes to attacking the school. Also they are all experienced investigators. If anyone can help us track down the people exploiting our students they can.”
All three men have their attention drawn back to the front of the Hall by the arrival of the Reverend Mother and Father. I watch as they gather up Bethany, Susan, Lisa and Kimberly; and leave with them. I can already tell what they are going to ask by the looks on their faces. “Gentlemen, I believe that those four girls will be better off if we let them stay here at the Temple for a while. The nuns and monks here are better suited for helping them heal. Trust me, when I say that they have had far too much experience in dealing with this kind of situation. Please let them help those girls.” As I wait for their answer mama joins us.
With a small bow she joins the conversation. “The Reverend Mother has stated that they will be welcome at the Temple for as long as they wish to stay. She believes that all four of them are in need of peace and quiet to find their souls again. Before you ask gentlemen she did not say how long that may take, only that they are welcome. They will not be made to join the Temple, but they will be required to live as initiates until such time as they decide to leave or join the Temple. Please be at peace as this is the normal way that such young girls are handled.”
“Lady Dai Etsu, may I ask just how many young girls have come here to your family Temple under these conditions?” of course Professor Recco is thinking of the girls and all they have gone through.
With a heavy sigh mama answers him. “Far too many for my tastes sir. I will be honest with you, now that the threat is long dead now, that my daughter Fuyuko is one such girl. She had been raped by the soldiers of House Light along with her mother. She suffered and still suffers from PTSD. When the war came to our estate we had a hard time controlling her during the final battle. She exercised a great many demons that day, but she still deals with the nightmares. However it was her time with the sisters of the Temple that started her on her way to recovery. Please allow them to help these four young ladies?”
I was surprised when all three of these rough men bowed to mama and walked away without a word. I watched as they went back to mingling with their students. It seems that dinner has come to an end as they are all up and walking around and talking with one another. Time to get back to being their hostess. Clapping my hands to get their attention I wait for quiet to return to the room. “Ladies, please return to your seats.” Once everyone had found their original seats and I had returned to the head table. “Now, as more than a few of you have noticed there is a place card in the middle of the table with a name. That is the name of the family you will be spending the night with. Unfortunately we do not have the room here in the main house for you all, so these families have offered to put you up for the night. Please show them the respect you would one of your teachers. Now in a few minutes your guides will arrive to show the way to where you’ll be staying. Please, once again remember that these people did not have to do this. You could very well be staying aboard one of the transports.” There was a giggle among my sisters at this threat; they know I would never expose them to something like that. I would have found some place to put them up, even if I had to use the troop barracks to do it.
Within a few seconds there were daughters from the different families within the compound showing up to escort the students to their homes. I hear more than one question being asked of the new comers about what it was like to live here. I almost laughed at some of the answers I heard, but then again I am a little biased. I do love my new home. Then again for me it is more than just a home. It is a dream comes true, a promise fulfilled, my small piece of happiness. I would go to war to protect it. As a matter of fact I did go to war to protect it.
I go over to our three visiting staff members. “Gentlemen, if you would be so kind as to follow the private, he’ll show you were you a can bunk down for the night.” I point out the young man who was a member of the House troops at the back of the Hall. With a bow to me they left with the young man.
Once we were alone my family gathered around me and gave me the hug I so desperately needed. No matter how many times I sat in judgment of someone I still find it hard to do. Sure I can just let the behavioral programing tell me what to do, but that goes against the very core of my being. I just can’t be that cold, detached, uncaring, bitch it makes me without trying to fight it. Just before I start to cry Fuyuko wraps me in one of the tights hugs she has ever given me.
“Sissy, you did the right thing here tonight. I don’t care what anyone else says you are not some unfeeling monster. You care about those that you would rule and are placed into your care. You have a good heart, never forget that.” For some reason Fuyuko is worried about me. I can tell by the sounds of her voice.
Before I can ask her though Alice pulls me into another hug and a kiss. When we part I give her a smile and let her know that I’m ok. “Come on lets go to bed. We have all had a long day and a hectic evening. Also we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. Fuyuko, Nanase, Nanami the three of you will be having a very stressful day tomorrow. The other girls are going to be asking you all kinds of question about Temple life. Please remember that they are not being disrespectful with them. I saw that a lot of them want to learn about what it is like, and you three are the closest thing to being experts in that life style. Nether Alice or I have any clue as what it means to be a novice. If they ask you a question that you can’t answer nor shouldn’t answer refer them to one of the sisters or brothers. Remember they are here to learn.”
“Sissy, you don’t need to worry. We know our duties as novices, after all that was what we were before we met you.” Nanase just had to get a quick dig in on me. I stick my tongue out at her and laugh ri
ght along with the rest of my family. Goddess it is good to be home even if it is just for the night.
Alice and I retire to our rooms like the rest of our family. It was a little on the early side and I wasn’t very tired. Giving Alice a kiss and telling her I need some time to myself I head out to the central courtyard. As I am leaving our room I hear her call out “You going to the shrine?” she knows me too well. I call back “Yes.” And head for the center of the courtyard. Ever since I was first shown it, no matter what is going on in my life I can come here and find a small measure of peace for a while.
I don’t know how long I was there when she showed up. The fact that she was even here is a surprise. “So tell me, child, why have you come to my temple with these young girls? I know you have more than one reason. I have already seen one, now what are the others?”
I stand and bow to her. “Good evening Reverend Mother Katsumi. May I ask how long you have been standing there?”
“Only long enough for a whisper to become an idea.”
There are times when I really hate the Temple staff. “Very well, Reverend Mother, I will answer your question. I had not planned on visiting the Temple with my students. I had only planned for them to stay the night with the families of the compound to show them that not everyone has a life of luxury. Then in the morning I was going to take them through Fiddlers Green and back to the school.”
“If there is one thing I have learned from your mama when it comes to you child of the waves is to never count on things going to plan. When I heard that you had four special students in need of sanctuary I was shocked. How is it that these young girls of privilege have been so badly abused?”
I could tell she was truly worried over Bethany and her friends. “I am afraid Reverend Mother that, that is their tail to tell not mine. As for why I wish for my students to visit the Temple the answer is simple. I want these girls to see what it means to serve something greater then themselves. Every day you and your nuns, along with the Reverend Father and his monks, devote your lives to the service of the Goddess. I want them to see that they don’t have to be what their parents want them to be. That they don’t have to be pawns in the power games their parents and guardians play. That they have choices. Am I rambling or am I making sense?”
