"2566-38" - читать интересную книгу автора (Jerome Bigge - Warlady 4 - 2566 Ad)2566 A.D.! A TALE OF ADVENTURE IN THE SECOND DARK AGE OF MAN By Jerome B. Bigge Chapter Thirty Eight "The lookout has spotted a light ahead," the man spoke, Ma- ris tossing aside the blanket, slipping down on to the deck, her brief night shift slipping high, revealing much of her thighs. I saw Sela raise her head, her eyes darkness in the pale shadow of her face. The slave girl La-ra stirring, watching silently as I watched Maris throw her clothing on and follow the man out on to the deck. I wondered if we had found the squadron or just some innocent merchantman now sailing along the coastline of Dularn? "What happens if they don't believe our signals?" Sela asked, slipping out of bed, padding over to where I laid on my cot. That had been a question I had been musing over myself now. The North Star was no match for any of my first rates, which were a bit "faster" too than the North Star, if not quite as "handy". "Let's face that problem if and when it comes," I answered. ***************************************************************** "Princess," the man said, bowing a bit to Princess Lara as the Seahawk followed the other ships, the Huntress in the lead. The starlit sky lovely, a bit of a chill however in the night air that made the Princess of Baja thankful now for her warm cloak. "Yes?" Lara answered, turning, the throaty purr of her voice like a sensual caress. She was a woman many men had lusted for. But only one had ever won her heart. Earning the undying enmity of Tara Bisan, the former Princess of Baja, now a prisoner of the Nevadas somewhere in the ruins of what once had been Los Vegas. "The lookout on Arrow believes there is a ship behind us," he said. The Arrow a few miles astern of the larger first rate keeping a close watch astern, although she personally considered such almost a "waste of time" considering their own "force" now. "I'll inform my husband," the Princess of Baja answered. "And don't signal the Arrow," the Princess added, well aware that such signal lights could also be seen by the ship somewhere be- hind Arrow. While Arrow would be hard pressed to deal with any Dularnian raider, especially those of the "North" class, the Sea- hawk would easily best such a craft, especially with Jers in com- mand. Only Maris Marn, the Queen of Dularn herself his "equal"!! ***************************************************************** "Have me brought up on deck," I said to the golden Queen. "Your majesty," the midshipman interrupted, all excited! "What is it?" Maris snapped, not all that "pleasantly"! "The ship ahead is turning about," he squeaked back. "My people are `competent'," I smiled at Maris Marn. ***************************************************************** "You have signaled the other ships?" Prince Jers asked. The officer nodding, Lara in her short skirt an erotic delight. The very sort of a woman that any red blooded man might dream about!! "There is little doubt we are being followed by a raider," Lara spoke, her eyes then meeting those of her royal husband. "Arrow has decided to investigate," she added with a smile then. The captain of the Arrow was eager for "glory", she understood. Especially after the accomplishments of the Huntress' captain. "No Dularnian is a `match' for the Seahawk," the officer pointed out, eying Lara, who without her cloak wore little more than a slave girl might. Her well filled halter and the short- ness of her leather skirt leaving no doubts as to her femaleness. The Arrow would be no match for a "North", even although Huntress had done well against the North Star with Lorraine in command... "Come about, set all sail, go to battle stations," Jers an- swered, glancing at his provocative sensual brownette Princess. "I'm tired of burning innocent fishing villages," he added then. ***************************************************************** "Could be an Imperial third rate, your majesty," the first officer said to his golden haired Queen as he came sliding down the rigging to the quarterdeck. I wondered if it might be the Huntress. I knew Janice would not hesitate to attack the North Star even at the cost of her own command. She would charge in, driven by hatred, use fire, and thinking of nothing but revenge!! "Come into the wind, drop your sails, have your people stand away from the armament," I spoke to Maris in level tones then. I saw her nod, her eyes "flashing" for a moment as she stood there. Such an "action" is commonly regarded as being one of surrender! The North Star was well lit, something I'd warned Maris to "do". "Do it!" Maris snapped, seeing the "questioning" look on her officer's face there in the soft glow from the binnacle's light. I watched the sails of the other ship like pale dim ghosts there in the starlight, the Moon having set an hour or so ago. I mused over the fact that a ship with a black painted hull and black sails would be nearly invisible at night. Such might have certain "advantages" I mused, especially for those carrying out "raiding operations" against a foe with a "vulnerable" coastline. "It is not your `Huntress'," Maris said to me. She was a "younger" woman than me, and must have had nearly perfect vision! "Perhaps it is just as well," I smiled up at the Queen then. "Now signal them and `inform' them that Queen Lorraine sends her `greetings' to those who have faithfully served her," I "added". "I trust you know `who' I am," I smiled up at the second of- ficer of the Arrow as he bowed to me. I wore my golden tiara. I had Maris at my side, with Sela Dai propping me up just a bit... Signals from the second ship now approaching indicated that it was the Seahawk. And in the distance behind it the other ships. The rest of the squadron I had once commanded before all this... "They `said' you were dead," he breathed, regarding me as if he'd just seen a "ghost". I had come close to dying, but I had no doubts now that I'd see Trelandar again. See again those dear to me. Embrace an Empress tall and golden, perhaps even once again someday walk the arid sands of a world only a point of light in the Earth's night sky. Kneel before the ruler of an al- ien world, take her antennae in my hands as sign of deep trust... "I'm a `tough old bitch'," I smiled back. I suppose I am. "There is a term," I said to Captain Janice Hill, who nod- ded, "One unfamiliar to this era, but yet known in mine of `going off half cocked'." She had indeed done so, perhaps with cause... "I do believe it," she smiled, regarding me with affection. "It is `time', I believe," I said to those all crowded into the stern cabin of the North Star, "To `bury the hatchet'." What "another" might make of all this was no longer my "concern" now. I was growing rather "tired" of fighting Darlanis' wars for her! "There will be those among my people who will `demand' re- venge for what has been done," Queen Maris said to me in reply. "That is `your problem'," Princess Sela said to Maris. "You should `adopt' her," Maris smiled at me in reply. "I already `have' three or four children," I smiled. "I would not care to make war on Talon," Maris said. "And I would prefer to die of old age," I spoke up then. "I would have thought with a sword in your hand," she said. "The `legend' and the `reality' are not the same," I pointed out. In the 20th Century I had looked upon such a life as I lead now as being a lovely fantasy. Now I was getting tired of being "in harms way", of fighting battles, risking my life for another! "Yet you are `said' to be the greatest `warrioress' of all time," Maris said, regarding me as I laid there on the stretcher. "I happen to be rather `skilled' with the sword," I smiled. "The woman has yet to be born who can face her," Sela said. She seemed to have a puzzling "hostility" to Maris, I noticed... "Which causes certain people to believe that I enjoy mortal combat, the shedding of blood," I spoke, regarding them all then. The gentle roll of the North Star was soothing, making me sleepy. "You are of the Warrioresses," Valerie Dunn pointed out, a glass of Dularnian wine in her hand. Such vintages are a rather "exotic blend", being "produced" from fruits other than grapes. "Perhaps some of my `fantasies' rubbed off on Janet Rogers," I suggested with a smile. I had "shared" much with the Earth's first Leaderess. Perhaps more than I should have done consider- ing what eventually happened. Or did "others" have a hand in it? "In a way we of this time are the `result' of your ideas," I heard Jers say, his arm around his provocative and sensual wife. A woman who in many ways reminded me of "another" I'd once known. 2566 A.D.! A TALE OF ADVENTURE IN THE SECOND DARK AGE OF MAN By Jerome B. Bigge Chapter Thirty Eight "The lookout has spotted a light ahead," the man spoke, Ma- ris tossing aside the blanket, slipping down on to the deck, her brief night shift slipping high, revealing much of her thighs. I saw Sela raise her head, her eyes darkness in the pale shadow of her face. The slave girl La-ra stirring, watching silently as I watched Maris throw her clothing on and follow the man out on to the deck. I wondered if we had found the squadron or just some innocent merchantman now sailing along the coastline of Dularn? "What happens if they don't believe our signals?" Sela asked, slipping out of bed, padding over to where I laid on my cot. That had been a question I had been musing over myself now. The North Star was no match for any of my first rates, which were a bit "faster" too than the North Star, if not quite as "handy". "Let's face that problem if and when it comes," I answered. ***************************************************************** "Princess," the man said, bowing a bit to Princess Lara as the Seahawk followed the other ships, the Huntress in the lead. The starlit sky lovely, a bit of a chill however in the night air that made the Princess of Baja thankful now for her warm cloak. "Yes?" Lara answered, turning, the throaty purr of her voice like a sensual caress. She was a woman many men had lusted for. But only one had ever won her heart. Earning the undying enmity of Tara Bisan, the former Princess of Baja, now a prisoner of the Nevadas somewhere in the ruins of what once had been Los Vegas. "The lookout on Arrow believes there is a ship behind us," he said. The Arrow a few miles astern of the larger first rate keeping a close watch astern, although she personally considered such almost a "waste of time" considering their own "force" now. "I'll inform my husband," the Princess of Baja answered. "And don't signal the Arrow," the Princess added, well aware that such signal lights could also be seen by the ship somewhere be- hind Arrow. While Arrow would be hard pressed to deal with any Dularnian raider, especially those of the "North" class, the Sea- hawk would easily best such a craft, especially with Jers in com- mand. Only Maris Marn, the Queen of Dularn herself his "equal"!! ***************************************************************** "Have me brought up on deck," I said to the golden Queen. "Your majesty," the midshipman interrupted, all excited! "What is it?" Maris snapped, not all that "pleasantly"! "The ship ahead is turning about," he squeaked back. "My people are `competent'," I smiled at Maris Marn. ***************************************************************** "You have signaled the other ships?" Prince Jers asked. The officer nodding, Lara in her short skirt an erotic delight. The very sort of a woman that any red blooded man might dream about!! "There is little doubt we are being followed by a raider," Lara spoke, her eyes then meeting those of her royal husband. "Arrow has decided to investigate," she added with a smile then. The captain of the Arrow was eager for "glory", she understood. Especially after the accomplishments of the Huntress' captain. "No Dularnian is a `match' for the Seahawk," the officer pointed out, eying Lara, who without her cloak wore little more than a slave girl might. Her well filled halter and the short- ness of her leather skirt leaving no doubts as to her femaleness. The Arrow would be no match for a "North", even although Huntress had done well against the North Star with Lorraine in command... "Come about, set all sail, go to battle stations," Jers an- swered, glancing at his provocative sensual brownette Princess. "I'm tired of burning innocent fishing villages," he added then. ***************************************************************** "Could be an Imperial third rate, your majesty," the first officer said to his golden haired Queen as he came sliding down the rigging to the quarterdeck. I wondered if it might be the Huntress. I knew Janice would not hesitate to attack the North Star even at the cost of her own command. She would charge in, driven by hatred, use fire, and thinking of nothing but revenge!! "Come into the wind, drop your sails, have your people stand away from the armament," I spoke to Maris in level tones then. I saw her nod, her eyes "flashing" for a moment as she stood there. Such an "action" is commonly regarded as being one of surrender! The North Star was well lit, something I'd warned Maris to "do". "Do it!" Maris snapped, seeing the "questioning" look on her officer's face there in the soft glow from the binnacle's light. I watched the sails of the other ship like pale dim ghosts there in the starlight, the Moon having set an hour or so ago. I mused over the fact that a ship with a black painted hull and black sails would be nearly invisible at night. Such might have certain "advantages" I mused, especially for those carrying out "raiding operations" against a foe with a "vulnerable" coastline. "It is not your `Huntress'," Maris said to me. She was a "younger" woman than me, and must have had nearly perfect vision! "Perhaps it is just as well," I smiled up at the Queen then. "Now signal them and `inform' them that Queen Lorraine sends her `greetings' to those who have faithfully served her," I "added". "I trust you know `who' I am," I smiled up at the second of- ficer of the Arrow as he bowed to me. I wore my golden tiara. I had Maris at my side, with Sela Dai propping me up just a bit... Signals from the second ship now approaching indicated that it was the Seahawk. And in the distance behind it the other ships. The rest of the squadron I had once commanded before all this... "They `said' you were dead," he breathed, regarding me as if he'd just seen a "ghost". I had come close to dying, but I had no doubts now that I'd see Trelandar again. See again those dear to me. Embrace an Empress tall and golden, perhaps even once again someday walk the arid sands of a world only a point of light in the Earth's night sky. Kneel before the ruler of an al- ien world, take her antennae in my hands as sign of deep trust... "I'm a `tough old bitch'," I smiled back. I suppose I am. "There is a term," I said to Captain Janice Hill, who nod- ded, "One unfamiliar to this era, but yet known in mine of `going off half cocked'." She had indeed done so, perhaps with cause... "I do believe it," she smiled, regarding me with affection. "It is `time', I believe," I said to those all crowded into the stern cabin of the North Star, "To `bury the hatchet'." What "another" might make of all this was no longer my "concern" now. I was growing rather "tired" of fighting Darlanis' wars for her! "There will be those among my people who will `demand' re- venge for what has been done," Queen Maris said to me in reply. "That is `your problem'," Princess Sela said to Maris. "You should `adopt' her," Maris smiled at me in reply. "I already `have' three or four children," I smiled. "I would not care to make war on Talon," Maris said. "And I would prefer to die of old age," I spoke up then. "I would have thought with a sword in your hand," she said. "The `legend' and the `reality' are not the same," I pointed out. In the 20th Century I had looked upon such a life as I lead now as being a lovely fantasy. Now I was getting tired of being "in harms way", of fighting battles, risking my life for another! "Yet you are `said' to be the greatest `warrioress' of all time," Maris said, regarding me as I laid there on the stretcher. "I happen to be rather `skilled' with the sword," I smiled. "The woman has yet to be born who can face her," Sela said. She seemed to have a puzzling "hostility" to Maris, I noticed... "Which causes certain people to believe that I enjoy mortal combat, the shedding of blood," I spoke, regarding them all then. The gentle roll of the North Star was soothing, making me sleepy. "You are of the Warrioresses," Valerie Dunn pointed out, a glass of Dularnian wine in her hand. Such vintages are a rather "exotic blend", being "produced" from fruits other than grapes. "Perhaps some of my `fantasies' rubbed off on Janet Rogers," I suggested with a smile. I had "shared" much with the Earth's first Leaderess. Perhaps more than I should have done consider- ing what eventually happened. Or did "others" have a hand in it? "In a way we of this time are the `result' of your ideas," I heard Jers say, his arm around his provocative and sensual wife. A woman who in many ways reminded me of "another" I'd once known. |
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