"2567-48" - читать интересную книгу автора (Jerome Bigge - Warlady 5 - The Warlady Of Dularn)"THE WARLADY OF DULARN" 2567 A.D.! By Jerome Bigge Chapter Forty Eight "Scared?" I asked Carol, now putting my arm around her as the North Star entered the great harbor of Dularn's capital the next morning. The ruined North Wind on its tow there listing be- hind us, only vigorous work at the pumps having kept her afloat this long. Maris had said that the ship would probably never sail again, the vessel doubtlessly to be broken up for her mate- rials. Swiftstar already gliding to anchor just ahead of us, Lars there on the quarterdeck with his lovely Sandi at his side. We had won a great victory, but the price had also been "great". Anis and San-sha were dead, along with about sixty others, both men and women who had given their lives for the cause of freedom. Maris there on her cot beside me, weak, pale from loss of blood. Thousands of people gathered there on shore, in small boats, all cheering us at the top of their lungs. It was a good homecoming! "Not any more," Carol smiled back, briefly kissing me then. She was no longer the same woman I had known back in our own era. "Nice looking place," I said, studying the city from what I could see of it from the quarter deck. It was smaller than Trel- la, Maris having told me that the population was about thirty thousand or so. A "comfortable" sized city, I thought to myself. It was walled, the walls on three sides about fifty feet high. The "style" is somewhat similar to that of a Medieval metropolis, the highest buildings about four stories high. Construction is mostly stone and brick, I might mention here, arranged in hundred yard square "blocks" with interior garden areas. There is run- ning water, sewers, although "waste" is often kept for gardens... "Drop the anchor now," Maris said, interrupting my thoughts. I barked the necessary orders, the North Star now finally back home as the sails slid down the masts and the anchor splashed into the rippling waters of the harbor. We had finally arrived. "Off load the wounded first," Maris ordered, her voice level as men now came aboard from the lighters. She was truly a Queen, I thought to myself just then, even if a good number of the Du- larnian Senate apparently wanted another now in her place. "I will remain here until everyone else has left the ship," Maris said, "OLD GLORY" still yet flying over her head. I wondered how many here in this land, in this city, understood the "meaning" of that flag. I knew she had been "betrayed" decades before Janet Rogers replaced her with the "Phoenix" of the World Federation. "There will be some who will object to that," I said, mo- tioning with my thumb. Dularn's own flag is the "maple leaf" of Canada. I thought the old "Stars and Stripes" was more "fitting" in a way as Canada had not ever been the "free" nation Washington and Jefferson had sought for their country, only to have it later "betrayed" by those who sought only their own gain and advantage. America's "downfall" is considered by historians of this era to have begun with the "BROWN VERSUS BOARD OF EDUCATION" decision by the United States Supreme Court in 1954. It being held by most Dularnian historians that such a decision "weakened" the white race which was responsible for the maintenance of modern advanced society. The "problem" is more likely due to "multiculturism", not "race" as such. There is very little actual racial prejudice as such in most 26th Century societies, but caste prejudice is quite common, and results in somewhat the same social effect I might note. Apparently every society must have its "niggers"...* * I should mention here that Keri Colter of Trelandar has done considerable research in collecting what literature is available from the era 2047 A.D. to 2100 A.D. What written material exists indicates that there were more black survivors of The War than are generally assumed by most historians; but that most of the men and the less attractive women were killed off by the rural survivors of that time, leaving the present racial status of the human race we see today both in California and in Dularn. (R.S.) "I would have been a Scribe if my father hadn't wanted his oldest daughter to be a Warrioress," Maris now smiled back at me. The Caste of Scribes includes historians, teachers, and lawyers. Maris was a well read woman, quite intelligent, I'd found too... She had a "step-mother", but I'd learned "little" about her yet. "You understand our own history then," I said to Maris Marn. "As well as that of our own era," the Queen of Dularn spoke. "You once said that you understood why female slavery ex- ists," Carol interjected then. "That the causes went far back." "Women got `greedy' back in your era," Maris Marn smiled. "Your society became `weak', and didn't `require' as ours does that you `prove' yourself before you are accepted as an `equal'." I recalled our history. We had extended citizenship, the right to vote, eventually to almost everyone living in the country de- spite the fact that the founders of our country had understood that rightly only "tax-payers" should ever be allowed to "vote". "And in an era where `muscle' was important, women soon be- came the slaves of strong men," I added for Maris, seeing Carol nod. There were of course those women who never were enslaved, but the tradition must have gotten started sometime in that era. "Which is `why' the free woman of today wears a sword," my wife smiled, standing there on the quarterdeck of the North Star. "`Weapons and freedom are two sides of the same coin'," Ma- ris answered. Such is a "saying" often voiced by the Warrioress. A truth that has been "understood" for a thousand years, I feel. The "gun control" laws of the 20th and 21st Centuries were only a way that the politicians of those eras tried to establish their rule. Free men and women bear arms, slaves do not. This is un- derstood by anyone of the 26th Century almost anywhere now. Had it been understood back in the 20th Century, would our own histo- ry have been the same as it was? One wonders about such things. (Maris Marn's Speech to the Senate) "There are those," Maris said, seated there before the Sen- ate, her crutches propped beside her, "Who believe that I am `un- fit' to be the Queen of Dularn. That any Queen who ever takes a `stand' in behalf of her own sex is unfit to rule our fair land." I stood to one side with Carol, well aware that there were those among the Senators who wished to depose Maris, "replace" her not with another Dularnian, but with Darlanis of California herself!! "In the recent battle between our ships and those of the Imperi- als many brave women gave their lives for the cause of freedom. Yet there are men in this very room who wish to make even more of my sex into mere `playthings' with no more rights than the dogs in our streets, the unicorns that we ride. And solely because we are thought `sexually desirable' and our culture allows for the enslavement of women from other nations. The very `war' that we now fight with the Empire of California is caused in part because some men, both Dularnian and Californian, see women only in terms of whips and slave collars. Not as `equals', not as intelligent beings with thoughts, feelings and emotions of our own, but as mere `playthings' to `decorate' their houses, warm their beds at night, and serve them their meals as collared rightless wenches who may be bought and sold as men so wish it." Maris now pausing for breath, the rapid rise and fall of her bosom telling of the strong emotions she felt. She was beautiful in her silken gown, the crown of the Queen of Dularn there in her soft golden hair... "I do not say," Maris continued, "That those women who commit a crime should not be `enslaved' for their misdeeds, but I do say that to enslave a woman, any woman, just because she is a `woman' is wrong. To carry out raids against another country for the sake of capturing young women to enslave is wrong. What is done by the Imperials is their concern, but this Queen of Dularn will not allow those of her country to continue on making these raids. If it is your desire to give this country to Darlanis as some of you now wish to do, do so, but first kill me so that I do not see what you have done to my fair land in the name of your `greed'!" "Made a bit of a `fuss' there, didn't I?" Maris smiled later as we helped her up into the carriage. The "uproar" had been al- most unbelievable. I had almost thought to expect to see sword duels to the death. The Senate had been completely sexually "po- larized", the women Senators furious that any "man" might ever consider turning their country over to Darlanis because their be- loved Queen wished to put a halt to the enslavement of "alien" women. Maris had "packed" the assembly in such a way that every married Senator there had his wife listening in the gallery. She is, as someone once has noted, a rather "crafty" wench at times. "You've changed history," Carol said. I thought so too as we climbed into the carriage with her. She had been magnificent. "Never underestimate the `power' of a woman," Maris smiled. I watched Kathi walking through the home that would be ours. She would be of course responsible for keeping it clean, for all the "housewifery" services that a slave girl is expected to do. The sensual exciting curves of her body concealed but little by the brief leather of her clothing. Legally she was still a slave girl, but neither Carol or I thought of her that way anymore now. "It will take a while before it is `our home'," Carol said to me. We would no longer enjoy the "privacy" we had enjoyed back in the 20th Century. While Carol could still "sun" herself on the roof top patio, it would not be the "same" as it once had been. On the other hand we had neighbors now, married couples of our same social status, the aristocrats of this society to meet. I could see children playing in the great open area in the center of the block, such being a common design of Dularnian urban life. "No TV, no soap operas," I smiled, looking about. None of the technology that we'd gotten used to back in the 20th Century. Kathi now leaning on the window sill, looking out at the city. I took Carol in my arms, held her to me. Felt the wetness of her tears against my shoulder as I gently stroked her walnut hair... (A week later) "I know you've both earned a good rest after everything," Maris said, her emerald eyes glowing into ours as she sat there on her throne, "But this war must be settled before it drags on and on and Lorraine dreams up new `tricks' to pull on us next year." A good deal of Darlanis' "stubbornness" was due to Lor- raine, Maris suspected, Lorraine being Darlanis' "pit bull" to "sic" on us. I was now a naval captain in the Dularnian navy, and Carol was officially the "Warlady" of Dularn, having been "confirmed" by the Senate the day before. A number of Senators having "resigned" their positions and sought political refuge in the Empire. I felt we were far better off without "traitors" in our midst. Without the sort who had wished to betray us to Dar- lanis. On the other hand there had been those who pointed out that the former slave girls we had brought here to Dularn had been mostly criminals "sentenced" to slavery for their crimes in California. Such women had no means of "support" in our society except either by prostitution (this "disturbed" the Prostitute Guild) or by finding some sort of employment, which might be dif- ficult for many of them due to the differences in culture, lan- guage, education and so forth. Maris' "solution" to this was in- genious. Each woman was required to find a "sponsor", someone who would assume "responsibility" for her until the time she be- came a self supporting citizeness of Dularn. Most of these "sponsors" turned out to be single men as you might expect! In any case the "problem" was now solved to everyone's satisfaction! "You're leading up to something," Carol said, standing there beside me. Her full dress uniform as "Warlady" was impressive. I knew the North Star and the Swiftstar had been refitted, and were now being stocked with food, water, supplies of all sorts. Volunteers being mustered in from the men and women of the city. I understood that Maris planned to send the ships out to fight... "The Empire will believe that we are no longer a `problem' now that most of our ships have been either taken or destroyed," the Queen answered, the jewels in her crown glittering in the light of the lamps. The rich sensual curves of her body well displayed by the clinging blue silk of her carefully fitted gown. "Doesn't look like you're going to get your house furnished for a while yet," I smiled, seeing Carol nod. The implications of Maris' words leaving no doubt as to "what" she wanted from us! "At least we'll have a bit more `space' this time," Carol smiled. Without Maris the stern cabin would be "ours" this time! "THE WARLADY OF DULARN" 2567 A.D.! By Jerome Bigge Chapter Forty Eight "Scared?" I asked Carol, now putting my arm around her as the North Star entered the great harbor of Dularn's capital the next morning. The ruined North Wind on its tow there listing be- hind us, only vigorous work at the pumps having kept her afloat this long. Maris had said that the ship would probably never sail again, the vessel doubtlessly to be broken up for her mate- rials. Swiftstar already gliding to anchor just ahead of us, Lars there on the quarterdeck with his lovely Sandi at his side. We had won a great victory, but the price had also been "great". Anis and San-sha were dead, along with about sixty others, both men and women who had given their lives for the cause of freedom. Maris there on her cot beside me, weak, pale from loss of blood. Thousands of people gathered there on shore, in small boats, all cheering us at the top of their lungs. It was a good homecoming! "Not any more," Carol smiled back, briefly kissing me then. She was no longer the same woman I had known back in our own era. "Nice looking place," I said, studying the city from what I could see of it from the quarter deck. It was smaller than Trel- la, Maris having told me that the population was about thirty thousand or so. A "comfortable" sized city, I thought to myself. It was walled, the walls on three sides about fifty feet high. The "style" is somewhat similar to that of a Medieval metropolis, the highest buildings about four stories high. Construction is mostly stone and brick, I might mention here, arranged in hundred yard square "blocks" with interior garden areas. There is run- ning water, sewers, although "waste" is often kept for gardens... "Drop the anchor now," Maris said, interrupting my thoughts. I barked the necessary orders, the North Star now finally back home as the sails slid down the masts and the anchor splashed into the rippling waters of the harbor. We had finally arrived. "Off load the wounded first," Maris ordered, her voice level as men now came aboard from the lighters. She was truly a Queen, I thought to myself just then, even if a good number of the Du- larnian Senate apparently wanted another now in her place. "I will remain here until everyone else has left the ship," Maris said, "OLD GLORY" still yet flying over her head. I wondered how many here in this land, in this city, understood the "meaning" of that flag. I knew she had been "betrayed" decades before Janet Rogers replaced her with the "Phoenix" of the World Federation. "There will be some who will object to that," I said, mo- tioning with my thumb. Dularn's own flag is the "maple leaf" of Canada. I thought the old "Stars and Stripes" was more "fitting" in a way as Canada had not ever been the "free" nation Washington and Jefferson had sought for their country, only to have it later "betrayed" by those who sought only their own gain and advantage. America's "downfall" is considered by historians of this era to have begun with the "BROWN VERSUS BOARD OF EDUCATION" decision by the United States Supreme Court in 1954. It being held by most Dularnian historians that such a decision "weakened" the white race which was responsible for the maintenance of modern advanced society. The "problem" is more likely due to "multiculturism", not "race" as such. There is very little actual racial prejudice as such in most 26th Century societies, but caste prejudice is quite common, and results in somewhat the same social effect I might note. Apparently every society must have its "niggers"...* * I should mention here that Keri Colter of Trelandar has done considerable research in collecting what literature is available from the era 2047 A.D. to 2100 A.D. What written material exists indicates that there were more black survivors of The War than are generally assumed by most historians; but that most of the men and the less attractive women were killed off by the rural survivors of that time, leaving the present racial status of the human race we see today both in California and in Dularn. (R.S.) "I would have been a Scribe if my father hadn't wanted his oldest daughter to be a Warrioress," Maris now smiled back at me. The Caste of Scribes includes historians, teachers, and lawyers. Maris was a well read woman, quite intelligent, I'd found too... She had a "step-mother", but I'd learned "little" about her yet. "You understand our own history then," I said to Maris Marn. "As well as that of our own era," the Queen of Dularn spoke. "You once said that you understood why female slavery ex- ists," Carol interjected then. "That the causes went far back." "Women got `greedy' back in your era," Maris Marn smiled. "Your society became `weak', and didn't `require' as ours does that you `prove' yourself before you are accepted as an `equal'." I recalled our history. We had extended citizenship, the right to vote, eventually to almost everyone living in the country de- spite the fact that the founders of our country had understood that rightly only "tax-payers" should ever be allowed to "vote". "And in an era where `muscle' was important, women soon be- came the slaves of strong men," I added for Maris, seeing Carol nod. There were of course those women who never were enslaved, but the tradition must have gotten started sometime in that era. "Which is `why' the free woman of today wears a sword," my wife smiled, standing there on the quarterdeck of the North Star. "`Weapons and freedom are two sides of the same coin'," Ma- ris answered. Such is a "saying" often voiced by the Warrioress. A truth that has been "understood" for a thousand years, I feel. The "gun control" laws of the 20th and 21st Centuries were only a way that the politicians of those eras tried to establish their rule. Free men and women bear arms, slaves do not. This is un- derstood by anyone of the 26th Century almost anywhere now. Had it been understood back in the 20th Century, would our own histo- ry have been the same as it was? One wonders about such things. (Maris Marn's Speech to the Senate) "There are those," Maris said, seated there before the Sen- ate, her crutches propped beside her, "Who believe that I am `un- fit' to be the Queen of Dularn. That any Queen who ever takes a `stand' in behalf of her own sex is unfit to rule our fair land." I stood to one side with Carol, well aware that there were those among the Senators who wished to depose Maris, "replace" her not with another Dularnian, but with Darlanis of California herself!! "In the recent battle between our ships and those of the Imperi- als many brave women gave their lives for the cause of freedom. Yet there are men in this very room who wish to make even more of my sex into mere `playthings' with no more rights than the dogs in our streets, the unicorns that we ride. And solely because we are thought `sexually desirable' and our culture allows for the enslavement of women from other nations. The very `war' that we now fight with the Empire of California is caused in part because some men, both Dularnian and Californian, see women only in terms of whips and slave collars. Not as `equals', not as intelligent beings with thoughts, feelings and emotions of our own, but as mere `playthings' to `decorate' their houses, warm their beds at night, and serve them their meals as collared rightless wenches who may be bought and sold as men so wish it." Maris now pausing for breath, the rapid rise and fall of her bosom telling of the strong emotions she felt. She was beautiful in her silken gown, the crown of the Queen of Dularn there in her soft golden hair... "I do not say," Maris continued, "That those women who commit a crime should not be `enslaved' for their misdeeds, but I do say that to enslave a woman, any woman, just because she is a `woman' is wrong. To carry out raids against another country for the sake of capturing young women to enslave is wrong. What is done by the Imperials is their concern, but this Queen of Dularn will not allow those of her country to continue on making these raids. If it is your desire to give this country to Darlanis as some of you now wish to do, do so, but first kill me so that I do not see what you have done to my fair land in the name of your `greed'!" "Made a bit of a `fuss' there, didn't I?" Maris smiled later as we helped her up into the carriage. The "uproar" had been al- most unbelievable. I had almost thought to expect to see sword duels to the death. The Senate had been completely sexually "po- larized", the women Senators furious that any "man" might ever consider turning their country over to Darlanis because their be- loved Queen wished to put a halt to the enslavement of "alien" women. Maris had "packed" the assembly in such a way that every married Senator there had his wife listening in the gallery. She is, as someone once has noted, a rather "crafty" wench at times. "You've changed history," Carol said. I thought so too as we climbed into the carriage with her. She had been magnificent. "Never underestimate the `power' of a woman," Maris smiled. I watched Kathi walking through the home that would be ours. She would be of course responsible for keeping it clean, for all the "housewifery" services that a slave girl is expected to do. The sensual exciting curves of her body concealed but little by the brief leather of her clothing. Legally she was still a slave girl, but neither Carol or I thought of her that way anymore now. "It will take a while before it is `our home'," Carol said to me. We would no longer enjoy the "privacy" we had enjoyed back in the 20th Century. While Carol could still "sun" herself on the roof top patio, it would not be the "same" as it once had been. On the other hand we had neighbors now, married couples of our same social status, the aristocrats of this society to meet. I could see children playing in the great open area in the center of the block, such being a common design of Dularnian urban life. "No TV, no soap operas," I smiled, looking about. None of the technology that we'd gotten used to back in the 20th Century. Kathi now leaning on the window sill, looking out at the city. I took Carol in my arms, held her to me. Felt the wetness of her tears against my shoulder as I gently stroked her walnut hair... (A week later) "I know you've both earned a good rest after everything," Maris said, her emerald eyes glowing into ours as she sat there on her throne, "But this war must be settled before it drags on and on and Lorraine dreams up new `tricks' to pull on us next year." A good deal of Darlanis' "stubbornness" was due to Lor- raine, Maris suspected, Lorraine being Darlanis' "pit bull" to "sic" on us. I was now a naval captain in the Dularnian navy, and Carol was officially the "Warlady" of Dularn, having been "confirmed" by the Senate the day before. A number of Senators having "resigned" their positions and sought political refuge in the Empire. I felt we were far better off without "traitors" in our midst. Without the sort who had wished to betray us to Dar- lanis. On the other hand there had been those who pointed out that the former slave girls we had brought here to Dularn had been mostly criminals "sentenced" to slavery for their crimes in California. Such women had no means of "support" in our society except either by prostitution (this "disturbed" the Prostitute Guild) or by finding some sort of employment, which might be dif- ficult for many of them due to the differences in culture, lan- guage, education and so forth. Maris' "solution" to this was in- genious. Each woman was required to find a "sponsor", someone who would assume "responsibility" for her until the time she be- came a self supporting citizeness of Dularn. Most of these "sponsors" turned out to be single men as you might expect! In any case the "problem" was now solved to everyone's satisfaction! "You're leading up to something," Carol said, standing there beside me. Her full dress uniform as "Warlady" was impressive. I knew the North Star and the Swiftstar had been refitted, and were now being stocked with food, water, supplies of all sorts. Volunteers being mustered in from the men and women of the city. I understood that Maris planned to send the ships out to fight... "The Empire will believe that we are no longer a `problem' now that most of our ships have been either taken or destroyed," the Queen answered, the jewels in her crown glittering in the light of the lamps. The rich sensual curves of her body well displayed by the clinging blue silk of her carefully fitted gown. "Doesn't look like you're going to get your house furnished for a while yet," I smiled, seeing Carol nod. The implications of Maris' words leaving no doubt as to "what" she wanted from us! "At least we'll have a bit more `space' this time," Carol smiled. Without Maris the stern cabin would be "ours" this time! |
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