“Well, we are here,” she announced.
Still they remained in the dromon.
“What is that?” asked Tamara, resting the back of her hand over her nose.
“That is the aroma of the Kashan tree. Its extract is used in the preparation of food, drink, and even smoked. It has great medicinal properties that promote healthy development, and in some visitors even acts as an aphrodisiac.”
Xenophon, in his dark grey uniform of the Legion, stepped out of the dromon and onto the pad. Already the pungent taste was starting to filter through his body, and he was starting to forget it was even there anymore. From his position on the pad, he had a much better view of the people below. None appeared to be in much of a hurry, and he could see no signs of police or security personnel.
“Don’t they realise that Khorram has just changed hands? Any moment now our troops could land and strip this place of all it’s worth. They act as though nothing has changed, why?”
Artemas pointed to the tall spire.
“That is the Pleasure House of Anahita, named for the ancient goddess of love and fertility. There are over a thousand givers that work there, and some of our citizens spend over a year’s salary to spend one night with any one of them. The Anahita, as they are known, are men and women who work for five years for the Empire. Five years of their lives will pay them what they could only earn in an entire lifetime in any other way.”
All of them were now out of the dromon and stood near the edge of the landing platform to gaze upon the exquisite from of the great spire.
“Prostitutes?” asked Glaucon, instantly spoiling the mood.
Artemas sighed.
“To some, yes, but the Anahita are much more than that. They train for a year before coming to Kashan to fulfil their contract. On some Imperial worlds, only one candidate is sent here each year. The competition is that fierce. Many of those here will be highborn princes, princesses or even the daughters of great warriors. To have served as Anahita is a mark of distinction; much like military service is to your own people.”
A small platform arrived at the end of the landing area, and three women appeared. They wore exotic dresses that ran from their shoulders down to their feet. The fit was tight and showed off their beautiful figures. All three stepped off the platform and approached. They stopped in front of Artemas, bowing down so that their foreheads touched the ground. They waited for several seconds before standing.
“Lady Artemas, we were notified by Lord Cyrus of your arrival. I have prepared a selection for your approval.”
She lifted her hand as if to send her away, shaking her head gently.
“No, that will not be necessary. I am not here for that, not today. We have more pressing concerns than simple pleasures of the flesh.”
“Really, my lady? We have the finest...”
Artemas cut her off bluntly.
“No, I am here with my friends for relaxation and meditation. I assume the spire of wisdom is still functioning?”
The three exquisite women looked to each other and then to Lady Artemas. Xenophon’s ears picked up a few of the quickly spoken words, and the idea of an area dedicated to the wisdom of the Medes interested him greatly.
“Yes, my Lady, but it is rarely used now. I will contact them and arrange for a delegation to meet you. Is there anything in particular you would like to examine?”
She shook her head politely to the three of them.
“Thank you. I assume we have quarters?”
“Of course. Lord Cyrus has arranged for the Imperial Apartments to be made available to you and your harem at the Pleasure House of Anahita.”
“What?” Glaucon growled.
Lady Artemas did her best to hide her amusement at the comments from Xenophon’s close friend. Even so, it was evident to the three women that they had done something wrong.
“I apologise. We rarely use the common tongue of the Terrans. I meant your entourage. If you are ready, I will escort you to your place of rest and relaxation.”
With a simple nod, the group moved to the side of the platform that functioned as a near silent elevator though totally exposed to the elements. Xenophon pondered this on the way, before remembering that they were inside a massive dome, and there were no external elements other than those created for the enjoyment of those inside. The elevator functioned much like those on spacecraft to move fighters and bombers from internal hangars to the main flight decks or launch platforms. It took almost a full minute for them to reach the ground. There were no roads of any kind, just a narrow path along which a series of silent, powered glass carriages carried groups of people from place to place. One stopped at their approach, and the door opened without a slight murmur of sound.
“Please, step inside,” said the leader of the three women.
Artemas stepped in first, closely followed by Xenophon and the rest of their entourage. It was spacious inside, and easily large enough for a group of a dozen people. Once seated in the ivory coloured seats, the woman spoke in the Medes tongue. The carriage shook slightly and moved off along one of the many gentle paths and away from the landing platform.
“Where are we going?” asked Tamara.
Lady Artemas pointed upwards to the higher levels of the massive structure ahead of them. They all strained to see the top, but it was impossible from this angle. The branches of a bright brown tree blocked the upper levels.
“We’re going to the Imperial apartments on the high levels of the Pleasure House of Anahita. The building is the most desirable and expensive location in this sector. Why do you think our nobles come here? As for us, we will head to the top and the most luxurious and exquisite of all the apartments on this entire planet, perhaps even the next hundred nearest worlds.”
Xenophon looked at the spire and back to Artemas. Even from this angle, she looked stunning. He was sure she’d chosen this particular wardrobe to keep the attention of any Terran within a hundred metres. She turned and saw him looking at her.
“Don’t worry, Xenophon. You will have more than enough time to gaze upon my magnificence once we arrive at the apartments.”
With that, she turned and walked away to leave the gobsmacked Glaucon looked directly at him. He tried as hard as he could, but in the end burst out laughing at the expression on his friend’s face. He reached out and slapped him on the shoulder.
“Come on, my friend. Let’s see what this place is all about.”
CHAPTER THREE
Pleasure House of Anahita, Khorram Shipyards
The entrance to the great spire was unlike anything Xenophon or the others had ever seen. The structure was sheathed in glimmering stone, and a myriad of multi-colour glass windows covered its surface like a kaleidoscope. There were great arches around the base that served as entrances but no doors of any kind. In the centre of the massive building was a hexagonal column that reached up as far as the eye could see. Along each side of the column were large and beautifully decorated elevators. Each one allowed wondrous views of the interior of the spire, as well as the expanse of trees, grass and flowers around it.
“Impressive, very impressive,” said Xenophon as they stepped inside.
Tamara said nothing. She just rushed in and headed for the first elevator she could find. The doors opened as soon as she approached, and a young woman, completely naked, waited patiently for her to step inside.
“Aren’t you cold?” asked Tamara.
The Medes woman smiled back and shook her head but said nothing. It was only then that Tamara noticed the naked man stood at the other side of the elevator. She was about to speak, but Xenophon and the others had already arrived and were moving into the elevator. The three women that had escorted them also stepped inside and waited until the doors shut before speaking.
“Each of these elevators is white-noise shielded to prevent your conversations from being heard or recorded. Even the assistants are mutes and as well as deaf. They are completely incapable of hearing you speak or able
to repeat what you say. You will notice that once you speak, they will turn away until we arrive. They are chosen from the most trustworthy families in the Empire.”
Xenophon nodded politely, but deep down he had little faith in either the security of the building or the ability of these people to keep secrets. One thing that was common knowledge about the Medes was their political savvy and cunning. Gossip, rumour and intelligence were major parts of state policy, just as much were the art of war. Glaucon, on the other hand, seemed interested only in looking at the naked woman who stood silently and facing outwards, away from them all. He reached out to touch her shoulder to get her attention, but Lady Artemas grabbed his arm and pushed it aside.
“No, they are officials of the Imperial Bureaucracy. They are not to be touched, interfered with or harmed in any way. It is Imperial law that touching one is punishable in the old ways.”
“Old ways?” asked Roxana, who until now had been silent. In many ways, she was the most mature of those present, and the wonders of this world never ceased to amaze her.
Lady Artemas smiled.
“Oh, yes. As in, ‘you touch a hand maiden, and you will lose your hand’- very old and very permanent. It is harsh but rarely carried out.”
Glaucon snorted in derision.
“This is why these people are so soft. They are slaves, subservient to a small Medes master class that rules with violence and cruelty.”
The elevator started to slow and came to a gentle halt. The door opened, and the two naked assistants beckoned for them to leave. As they exited the spotless compartment, Lady Artemas waited for Glaucon to come nearer.
“Your home world of Attica, the great democratic hope for the Terrans. How fair, safe and well run is it when answering to the mob? Is a people’s democracy any better than the rule of the public mob? Do they operate as individuals or work in groups on the advice and say so of powerful figures in public office and the media?”
She laughed gently.
“Don’t be so proud of your little democratic state. You’ve started more wars, killed more Terrans and butchered more of your own people than any other Terran world in the last three hundred years.”
She then turned and walked into an open floor area rich with water features, plants and sculptures. It looked more like a great garden than an apartment. She pointed into the distance where a waterfall cascaded down a marble archway and into a great green pool.
“That is the entrance to the apartment complex, and this is the meditation area.”
She walked ahead of their small group and made directly for the arched entrance. Her four guards were overwhelmed by the beauty and extravagance of the meditation area. There were no people about, not even cleaners or workers, and the only sounds to be heard were the falling water.
“This is weird,” Glaucon said, to the surprise of the rest.
They continued walking, but Xenophon slowed slightly to move alongside his friend. Glaucon pointed to the water features and the trees.
“This looks like a park, it even smells like one, but what can you hear? Water. There are no birds, no animals and no people. This place would drive me mad!”
Xenophon nodded, but he quite liked the idea of the peace and serenity offered by such a place of calm. Though they had grown up together and shared a love of martial training, and even political argument, there was no doubt that Xenophon was the traditional academic. He had a fond love of the arts and of great literature. Glaucon was far more the liberal, and when not spouting his belief for social change and democratic idealism, he could be found drinking himself to a stupor at one of his many parties back on Attica.
They continued a short distance further until reaching the entrance. They all stopped, gazing at the array of marble columns that led inside. Lady Artemas was the only one not to stand and looked on in awe. Instead, she marched forward and between the first two columns. The others chased after her and walked down the short colonnade. It eventually led into a communal area filled with lavish recliners and seating, as well as space for all manner of activities that any of them could think of. Xenophon stopped and looked up at a marble gallery that ran around the entire interior of this part of the apartments. Anyone in those raised areas would have a perfect view of the ground below, including the seating areas and the empty circular region in the middle. He pointed directly at it.
“What is that for?”
Lady Artemas stopped and glanced at the spot, beckoning them to follow her through thick glass door at the far end. There were similar doors spaced out every twenty to thirty metres around the outer rim, presumably leading to each of three apartments.
“The space is for any physical activity deemed to be of interested to the visiting dignity.”
“Huh?” said Glaucon in a confused tone.
Artemas stopped and sighed, waving her hand at the open area.
“Some use it for dancing, others for theatre or poetry recitals. There have even been occasions where martial displays have been run here.”
“What about you?” Xenophon asked.
Lady Artemas looked at him and tilted her head ever so slightly. She stared directly into his eyes.
“Well, I prefer to have people in that space doing something I find amusing.”
“Such as?” he continued, now eager to understand what she was talking about. But she turned and stepped up to the glass doors. They opened automatically, revealing an opulent interior filled with marble walls, columns, gleaming tables and scores of great art works. Xenophon spotted a particular painting and rushed inside to just a few metres away.
“This is the painting of the Battle of Marathon. I heard it had been lost centuries ago. Now it hangs as just one of many paintings in a random apartment?”
Lady Artemas approached a beautifully carved wooden throne and settled down.
“No, this is no random room. This is the accommodation reserved for use by royalty in the Empire. This is where the greatest and most powerful of our people come to relax and enjoy the pleasures of this place, usually when the fleet is preparing for manoeuvres. It is actually rarely used. The Emperor, after all, has over a hundred similar spires and those in the Core Worlds make this one look, well, primitive.”
“What? How is this primitive?”
Lady Artemas pointed back to the door.
“Most of the people you have seen here have come from worlds that are scattered through the Empire. You will find few Medes women offering their services here. They can command ten times the rewards in the other Core Worlds and service the more privileged of our society. Working in these industrial or military areas tend to favour a more, well, primitive sort of clientele.”
She looked at Glaucon, and he could easily tell it was a jibe at his expense. She then walked up to the painting and turned to Xenophon.
If you like the art here, then try to imagine what you would find on worlds like Babylon Prime.”
Xenophon was still enamoured with the lost painting on the wall. He’d heard about it so many times that he could barely conceal his pleasure at seeing it with his own eyes. On Attica, there were no known copies in existence.
“This painting was featured with three others inside the ancient Painted Arch, what we call the Stoa Poikile, back home in the capital. Panaenus, brother of Pheidias, produced it. At its height, it held many great paintings, most concerned with military victories. I don’t suppose you have those relating to the victories of the Terrans over the Medes?”
Lady Artemas shook her head. She knew that all those works of art had been burned in a public ceremony just a few years ago. There would be little benefit in telling them about their destruction.
That is for another day and another place, she thought to herself.
Roxana approached the painting and examined it for a moment.
“Yes, I’ve heard of him. Isn’t this the painting with the dog?”
Artemas looked confused at her comment, but only Tamara seemed to share her confusion
at the mention of the dog.
“A dog? As in a small four-legged animal?”
Xenophon pointed at the centre of the battle where the warriors from Attica were engaged in bloody hand-to-hand combat at the spaceport of Marathon. Some of the Median warriors fought, but most were retreating in rout to their ships to escape the ferocity of the Terrans. In the middle of the fight was a Terran soldier who faced off against three separate enemy warriors. They were much bigger than the others.
“They are the Taochi, the foul conquered tribes of the destroyed Taochi Empire. The Empire has used them as shock troops for centuries. Now, look here.”
He pointed to the foot of the Terran soldier. It showed a medium sized dog with his jaw around one of the warrior’s arms, pulling his weapon from the soldier.
“This dog had travelled with the Terran soldier to the camp. He rushed out and fought the Medes army alongside his master and saved him from a spear strike in the middle of the great rout. He is one of the most celebrated animals in Attica.”
“A dog?” laughed Lady Artemas.
Glaucon, Xenophon and Roxana all cast her a look that told her it was not a subject to make jokes over. Instead, she reclined back into the great throne and tapped a button. A small hatch opened to reveal a glowing metal orb. She placed it on the arm of the chair, tapping it three times. A blue haze burst forth like an energy shield and filled the room.
“This is a suppression screen. It will ensure we have utmost privacy while activated.”
Glaucon looked to Xenophon with a raised eyebrow. The others might be unsure as to what he was thinking, but Xenophon new too well that Glaucon probably thought it was time to tear off his clothes and find the nearest of the ‘givers’ as they were called.
“What? You thought we were here for amorous activities? No, we are here on the business of my uncle, Lord Cyrus.”
This immediately grabbed the attention of Xenophon. He turned from the painting and approached the regal looking figure of Lady Artemas.
Black Legion: 03 - Warlords of Cunaxa Page 4
