Blood Sabers

by Burbaugh, MF;

  I whispered, wanting to identify the one star after.

  “I remember her,” Aawasa said.

  We finished the round and returned to the throne room. Soon we all sat, Queen Linda’s throne added to the right of Queastra’s.

  After we were seated, Chief said, “Due to the sorry shape of the women of our realm from unknown causes we–” Several rather loud walls of laughter went by, “we will dispense with all further festivities and tell all to rest. A Normal court will be held tomorrow starting at 10AM, all but required guards may leave.”

  “All may retire and rest, we require no guards at this time,” I said.

  After ten minutes of troops marching off a single one star general was at the base of the dais waiting with head bowed.

  I finally said to her, “Is that the way I told you to present your head for removal?”

  She squatted down, legs crossed and ankles almost to the breaking point. Her knees spread so wide it seemed almost impossible. When she bent at the waist her entire body and head was a mere inch or two from the floor.

  The General was still there, and said, “Again, I require no blooding; you may rise,” and he helped her up.

  All the men, unaffected, stayed.

  “For those present who missed it, this young lady, a private, I believe.”

  “Yes, Sire,” she said.

  “Helped Big Guy present The General with a gift from the troops, the katana, he holds. Then, scared beyond belief, she was told by me to offer The General her head to blood the sword. Her courage got her captain and I told her to stick around and become the third Brigade Commander.” I waited.

  “Yes, Sire,” she said, looking around.

  “She then disobeyed me and days after the great slaughter I found her body on top of a pile of dead Koteck, her sword stuck clean through two of them, and she was impaled on a spear which held her up like a flag that I may see her refusal to obey. I wish you could have survived to see the sacrifices given to the gods of war that day.” I just stood there, remembering.

  “Sire, we saw, we all saw, we were dead and though we could, not a soul left the field. We were, even in death, struck with awe, not of our king who did well, but at our queens and two generals. One with arrows sticking in him and looking like a target dummy. We all saw a young woman who pulled a ragtag group of survivors together to form two and one half phalanxes. No, Sire, we saw it all until that silly little Robot waving a sword came and played that racket and chased us away. We were, and are proud of everyone that day.” She teared up.

  Aawasa said, “Then you did not see when he found you?”

  “No, my Queen.”

  “He found you, he carefully laid out your body, and he cried, and cried, and cried, for you and all the rest. We were there, we saw and felt,” she said.

  “We rejoiced, Sire, we had proved you correct. We had saved the tribe, and we were content. We were also dead,” she laughed, but she was crying.

  I motioned her up, hugged her, and kissed her tears. “Do not disobey me again,” I said.

  “No, Sire,” she said.

  “I assume you also were affected by the unknown?” I asked.

  “You bet I was, I loved it too.” She knew, they all knew.

  “Be gone, rest well. There shall be no more unknowns, at least for a while. A shame, it’s my wedding night too.” I smiled; she giggled.

  The General came forward. “Sire, your queens, though tough, are also most distressed. I suggest we all go home?”

  “Wise as always. Go home all, which is an order!”

  “Rodel, pass the word, until tomorrow everything is shut down. Then kill all TV and radio. Peace on this planet is an order.”

  We all got up and retired to the main bedroom.

  “That went well, I think,” Queastra said.

  They all laughed, stripped, and hung all the dresses along with everything else, and we piled into bed.

  I hugged and kissed them all and Aawasa snuggled in my arms and the rest to each other. It was not crowded, it was right. Soon we slept the sleep of the dead.

  We slept all the rest of that day, all that night, and close to eight the next morning. All were lined up as I took care of Aawasa’s hair, and she did Katawasa’s, and so it went. We ate, drank tea, and got ready for our first court in over 160 years.

  Aawasa had her battledress and red obi on, with her katana; Katawasa her Royal Blue; Queastra her pure white; Linda her pale blue. I wore my blue boxers with my pistol belt, pistol on the right and my sword on the left, and the sash with its two medals. We discussed medals. Only those won in the current life would be worn. I was stuck. We were at the thrones and seated one minute before 10AM.

  Our caller was there. “Hear ye, hear ye, let all who have business before the throne of Camelot present themselves at this time.”

  A long line went from the caller, around the room and out the door. I said to Linda, “You took all the power back?”

  “I’m not perfect! Well maybe I am, but I forgot.” She smiled.

  “Rodel!” I shouted.

  “I hear just fine, Jake, thank you!” he shouted back, well amplified. Point made. “Before I get The Chief to redistribute the power again, I wish to present my own grievance to the Throne.”

  “Noted.” I then hollered, “I call the Royal Court of Camelot to order to hear grievance, strife, or compliment from its citizens. The Court recognizes Rodel, First Knight of the Royal Order who now has the floor. Present your grievance.”

  “It was erroneously stated for the record that my beautiful rescue music caused the dead souls to run in fear instead of gather in delight and awe. I wish it corrected,” he said, sounding so sincere.

  I held it for at least three seconds but when Katawasa fell off her throne screeching with laughter I blew snot almost to the caller.

  A roar of laughter from the line was heard, Rodel had put his request on the speakers.

  After a few minutes, we were back under control.

  “I, being fair minded and all,” I heard a few giggles, “shall leave it up to one who was not there to be the judge on the fairness of your claim. Her ruling is final.

  “Queastra, you were not at the great slaughter. Rodel will play the final sequences where he claims he rescued us. Decide if his tune would call souls together or not.

  “Rodel, put it on all screens, that our entire planet may also judge the fairness of her judgment.”

  We had just joined with Big Guy for our final fight to our death.

  You could hear the bagpipes and see this little robot waving a sword, and troops behind all dragging brush so the Koteck thought we were so many more.

  He got close and the bagpipes wailed. I wailed and told him to cut.

  “Queastra, your ruling?” I asked.

  She looked at me then the rest. “There is no doubt he saved you all! Those bagpipe things scared the piss out of the Koteck and they ran away, and if I didn’t have to stay here and listen to it by Royal Order I would have run too! That is my judgment. That is truly some evil torture device, no?”

  “Sorry, Rodel, your grievance is denied,” I said.

  He said, “Sniff, sniff, yes, Sire,” in a dejected manner.

  He whispered to us all, “That went well, no?” and he squeaked and squealed and we all cracked up.

  “Good to be home,” I said.

  The line started moving. We were listening to a small dispute over some fishing areas of the ocean.

  Rodel said, “Chief says, ‘only for the sake of the tribe, she will adjust the demands placed upon the Royal Court’.” Snicker.

  “Thank you, Chief!” I said.

  I split the fishing area in dispute in half and was done. Many were just well-wishers and those saying welcome back.

  A woman petitioned for exclusive right to make a cloth pattern, but she copied it from an old southern tribe painting of long ago. It was denied.

  Around noon, we broke for lunch.

  We ate the ste
w, fish and bread, and some beef. I found we were all hungry.

  At 1:30PM we were back as the line moved again and I had the caller cut any more additions to the already long line.

  By three that afternoon, we cleared it all and Latwasa, The General, and various industry people gave production reports. Queastra’s father provided a dire report on the state of affairs in his Southern Tribe. The strength of the tribe’s DNA was below minimal for sustaining collective integrity, and I asked him to stand by until later.

  Latwasa said, “Sire, so wonderful, so much to do! The first eight-man ship is being tested as we speak. If all goes well an official christening can take place tomorrow. Nothing left but installing a Rodel computer and a few test fold jumps.”

  The General said, “So far only a few families of four or more have not filed to join the space force. We are looking into those and most seemed due to age or sickness.”

  He said, “We have deployed 112 of the modified Seekers around New Earth. Richard will return in a few days. His report to Rodel shows he was not exactly welcomed with open arms but he got the job done.”

  With some discussion it was agreed to keep our system as quiet as possible for now.

  The caller announced that the Royal Yacht had docked with our honeymoon couple. They would soon be here by chopper. I put all the rest on hold when I heard it land. At first sight I sensed something was wrong. Mary’s smile was forced, we knew her too well.

  Aawasa looked at me with concern.

  “Welcome back you love birds! How went the trip?” I asked.

  Bill stared at us all; he recognized the voice, not the person. He said nothing.

  Aawasa said, “Mary, you simply must tell us all about it!”

  She heard Sylvia’s voice but no Sylvia.

  We went down. I shook Bill’s hand and hugged Mary. I gave her a kiss and noticed the makeup hiding an ugly bruise. I was starting to see red; I said nothing. I turned and started back to the throne. Aawasa had seen it and squeezed my hand and released. I stopped on the first step.

  I asked Bill, “How come Mary has a bruised face, Bill?” I still had my back to them.

  “None of your f’ing business, whoever you are,” he said.

  “I was your captain, I am now your king and I ask but once more, how did Mary get a bruised face, Bill?”

  Everyone waited, many knew I couldn’t see, I could just feel my hand start to shake a little.

  “If you must know, she started messing around on me and wouldn’t tel–,” he almost finished.

  He was dead. He wasn’t sure yet, though. Two 44 cal rounds had entered his heart, the second just wanted to play tag with the first.

  I couldn’t see anything, but I was gaining a little control. “Shouldn’t have done that, Bill.”

  I heard Mary scream and I was on the steps crying. “No, Bill, not allowed, sorry.”

  The world cleared and all just looked at me. “Better control I think. Few more times I may not even go past seeing nothing but red.” An old law had been reinforced, this time on Worldwide TV.

  Linda went to Mary and held, and hugged her. She was just scared, not knowing what happened.

  Linda came up and whispered in my ear, “She’s a couple days pregnant.”

  I didn’t know why, it was against everything I stood for, but I said, “Rotten seed, abort it.” I had never done that before.

  Linda stared at me. This was something we never did, and she knew it.

  I nodded my head.

  Mary was sitting on the floor. Linda said, “Let me help you up,” and held her and had her hands around her waist.

  I saw a second of knowing, and then it was gone.

  I had Mary tell us strangers what happened as Bill’s body was dragged off, a guard on each leg, with no respect to it at all.

  Mary said nothing, but she spit on Bill’s body as it went by. Finally she said, “It was glorious! We saw so much beauty; this is a wonderful, pristine planet. He was as loving and kind as could be. Then he got drunk one night and slapped me because I didn’t give him oral sex. He was sorry the next day, so I blew it off as stress and drink. It happened a few more times, drunk, something wrong with something. Then I got the waves, all the females did. Then he accused me of having sex with one of the crew. The captain saw and since we made the deliveries, she headed back here. She said Rodel told her we were off worlders and he promised the king would handle it personally. Bill warned he’d kill me if I said anything, now he is dead.” Mary just stared at us. “I’d never been around him where he really got drunk before.”

  I glanced at Aawasa and she nodded. I said, “No. Katawasa my love, why don’t you take Mary in back, clean her up, and re-present her to us as a citizen of Camelot. A Camelotian. God that sounds terrible, like some over ripe melon! Aawasa, go to her, explain who you and I are and see if she will stay here.”

  After they had departed I asked all the rest if they knew any kind souls that would take Mary to wife and treat her with the tenderness she needs.

  None could think of any, then Queastra’s father said he had a young buck, tall, handsome and, he thought, even a virgin. He was one of his guards.

  “I thought you all were still prejudiced?” I asked.

  “Na, we do that to keep to ourselves. Hell, if everyone married outside the tribe there would be no tribe left. Shall I present him?”

  “Please?” I asked.

  I heard him call someone using the old tongue.

  A young man came and bowed. We chatted a bit. He was smart and very nice. Linda checked him out. “Healthy as an ox and well endowed too,” she said with a smile.

  “Sorry, not trying to treat you like a piece of meat, honest. You know what just happened?” I asked.

  “Yes, Sire, awful man.”

  I looked at him, to The Chief, and Queastra who was smiling.

  “Ah, Chief, you lying to your king through some omission?” I asked.

  “Ahhhh, totally slipped my mind. This is my youngest son, Queastra’s brother. That the little oversight you mean?” He smiled. “Didn’t want any undue influence of course.”

  “Of course, understood. I ask, not order. Would you be willing to date and entertain the possibility of marriage to our friend, Mary? To help heal her soul?” I asked the young man.

  “I cannot say. I find her looks not the least unpleasant, though her choice of mate questionable. If she does not balk at me, a humble blacksmith, giving her attentions, I am agreeable to try.”

  “Can ask no more of you. I thank you, please wait outside.”

  Mary came back in, wearing her battledress and her golden panties. She kept trying to cover her boobs. She had become self-conscious again.

  “My dear Mary, I am sorry to have had to annul your marriage on such short notice.

  “Please, you have beautiful breasts, thrust them out and be proud of them,” I said.

  She shyly put her hands down.

  Linda went beside her, “Like this!” and she arched her back, and thrust two goddess breasts in perfect unison.

  Mary laughed and tried it. She failed, but smiled.

  “I am the king, ruler of this planet when Aawasa and The Chief allow it. I ask you to stay and help us build, help us destroy the HH, please?”

  Mary pointed to Aawasa. “I already told her I would. I don’t think I could go back, after…so beautiful…” She cried a little. “If I can help, I am yours to command.”

  “Then command I shall! Are you color sensitive?”

  She looked around. “You mean the blue people, and black ones? Of course not! Jeez.” She was offended.

  “Good, then I have an urgent mission for you. I have a young man who requires special attention, his soul aches. Seems he is one of the few virgin males we have. I think he feels himself ugly. He has no wives or courtesans and he is already seventeen!” I saw Queastra’s hard hold on her face.

  “Do you think, if you find him the least pleasant, you could help him with his, err, p
roblems? He is my Queen Queastra’s brother, by the way, so you would want for nothing, and if you fix his problem and decide to get married, I will provide you another yacht trip befitting a queen, I promise.”

  “So, you want me, an old grieving two-time widow to whore a young stud and get him so hooked on my body and sex he would want to marry me?” I wasn’t sure if it was a questioning smile or a smirk.

  All my wives said, “Yes!” and Linda said, “Exactly what he needs, his soul, you know.”

  “I sense I am being set up or something, but let me see what I get stuck with, some 300 lb. kid with buck teeth and acne I bet.”

  “Probably,” I laughed, remembering how I originally saw my other two wives in my mind.

  “Could someone tell that helpless young man it is slaughtering time, to present his head for removal?” I asked.

  “He came around the corner; actually seemed shy.”

  “Mary, he is of whom we speak, wretch that he his.” His broad muscled chest rippled, barely under control.

  Mary came up and whispered, “He needs a lot of help, I see that. I accept the humble mission, I hope I can save him.” I head a hubba hubba in there somewhere and Queastra excused herself and ran behind the dais to the little room and was laughing profusely.

  Mary took his hand, introduced herself, and said she was officially called the ‘love doctor’ by Sylvia and Captain John. Off they went.

  Queastra’s father said, “Not sure but I think my son is in trouble.” He laughed, all laughed.

  Queastra came out with tears still streaming. “So bogus my husband, so totally bogus! You ought to be glad no one called truth!” She cracked up again.

  They were gone forty-one minutes and Rodel said, “Mary wishes to send a progress report, Sire. He is no longer a virgin and she thinks she can save him!”

  My God, would the laughter never end? Even the caller, normally as cold as The General, was cracking up.

  “We can be fast workers when there is need, Sire,” Aawasa said.

  “Really? I remember a lot of ice baths and no one worked fast!” I reminded her.