"2569-49" - читать интересную книгу автора (Jerome Bigge - Warlady 7 - The Dularnian Queen)2569 A.D.! THE DULARNIAN QUEEN AN ADVENTURE IN THE SECOND DARK AGE OF MAN By Jerome B. Bigge Chapter Forty Nine "Consider the `fact' that Maris Marn is said to be the best naval commander of this time," the Empress spoke, her eyes hold- ing those of her captain. "And that the Dularnians have a naval tradition that goes back hundreds of years," Darlanis added then. "Perhaps we should `study' the way they do things," the cap- tain of the Empress' flagship replied, her mistress nodding, well aware that her flagship had not been in as good a shape as they thought. The crew was "competent", but content to do their "du- ties" and little more. Such might have been satisfactory back in the days of triremes, but now, such "standards" no longer served! "We'll make what `repairs' we can when we reach land," Dar- lanis answered. She was somewhat "annoyed" at the woman, who had not proven to be as "competent" as she had hoped. Unfortunately, the "best" captains the Empire had all sailed for Lorraine, and none of them had been "available" when she'd decided to accompany me to Japan. In her eyes there was still no sea officer like Lorraine herself, the Imperial Warlady being another as "good" as I was, she felt. "Find a `means' to replace that foremast too." "I am sorry we `failed' you as we did," the woman answered. "I probably should have taken Sharon's `ASTARTE'," Darlanis smiled back. That ship was a near perfect duplicate of the North Star, it being obvious to Darlanis that I had known something of ship design when I'd designed the "class" for Queen Tulis then. ***************************************************************** "I wonder `what' we will find," my husband mused as I stood there on the quarterdeck, the sun long ago having set to the west over mysterious Asia there beyond the gleaming horizon. Just now ahead of us I saw the gleam of fires, of land as we approached the main northern island of Japan. A land of mystery that no one from the "Americas" had visited now for the last five centuries save perhaps for those of the Priestesses of Lys, who can hardly be considered in the same light as the rest of us here anyway. I supposed that both the Lorr and the Women could be considered in the same category too. The Japanese junk just ahead of us now. The thought going through my mind as it had before that it would have been wise on our part to renew our supplies of food and wa- ter as much as we could have back when we'd first sighted land... "I don't think their `technology' quite matches ours," I mused thoughtfully, remembering what I'd seen aboard the warship. It was obvious that Lorraine Richards and Bob Simmons had altered things considerably, both by their actions here in our own time and the fact that they had both looked upon things "differently". I thought too of Carol, that fantastic "Warlady" I'd once known. A woman who when "push came to shove" could be just as "mean" and as "vicious" as Lorraine herself. A woman whose "tactics" had in a way been "superior" to even those of the Imperial Warlady too! I wondered if she had truly once more stood at my side there for that brief second when I faced the attack of "THE QUEEN OF EVIL"? ***************************************************************** "The ship is sailing to Porlan, your majesty," the captain spoke, her Imperial Empress nodding thoughtfully, a pair of beau- tiful azure eyes for a brief moment holding hers as Darlanis stood there on the quarterdeck tall and golden, like a Grecian goddess. The vessel was Dularnian, from Arsana, a merchantman. They were just in sight of land, Orgon still like a bluish haze. "I will go aboard," Darlanis spoke, her eyes meeting hers. "I will be staying aboard," Prince Serak then explained. ***************************************************************** "We just could be a valuable `prize' to anyone who wants to `advance' their military technology," I spoke as my husband and I relaxed for a moment before retiring for the night. Our steam engine, steam powered weapons gave us a considerable "edge" over any warship not equipped with such things, and I had seen no evi- dence there aboard the Japanese junk that they possessed such... "You said they didn't have our compound bows either," he an- swered, sipping thoughtfully at his wine there beside me, his eyes meeting the azure of mine as I nodded back. We could be a real "prize" for anyone who was ruthless enough to "risk" a war with Dularn, assuming that Dularn ever learned of it, which was rather "doubtful" once you thought of it, it being more "likely" that we'd be considered "lost at sea" and that would be that now. I had no doubt either that back in Arsana there would be those who would be glad to see the "last" of me as the Queen of Dularn. "Remember Lorraine's first book?" I asked, seeing him nod. "Princess Janis considered her a `real prize'," he said. "One that Darlanis `got' instead of us," I answered back. "And Darlanis would have fought a war to keep her," I said. "We're not quite exactly that `valuable' to these people," he pointed out, putting a strong muscular arm over my shoulders. "I am `familiar' with the `technology' we have," I pointed out. I'd knew enough about the Diana for example to build one, and the North Star carried operating manuals for its own stuff... "And anyone with a `fleet' of `North Stars' would be a seri- ous `threat' anywhere on this side of the Earth," he answered me. In battle the Japanese junk would have been no "match" for us, something that I suspected that the Japanese themselves would soon find out regardless of how we tried to conceal our own "ad- vanced technology" from them. Historically they were great "copy cats", and all the world needed now was a new Japanese "Empire"! "Perhaps the Priestesses were `right' when they refused to give their whole hearted blessing to this voyage," I replied now. "They could have known `more' that we thought of," he said. "And look how Lorraine has `changed' things," I added now. "There is a `fog', your majesty," Diane said to me, the mist gleaming in her hair. I could barely see the junk's running lights now, and I suspected the same would be "true" of us now. "Take the wind out of the sails," I spoke, my decision made. I saw the puzzled look on Diane's face, the same "look" on the helmsman, those others within earshot of me. "It is your Queen's order," I added, seeing her nod, Dularnian naval discipline such that there was no way that she could question such an order now! "Aye, aye, your majesty," she spoke, passing on the order. "We are going back home," I spoke, seeing the awe she felt. "It is best for all of us if our two cultures do not meet now," I explained, seeing her nod half in understanding, in puzzlement... "When we can no longer see their lights, extinguish ours, set course due east and hoist all sail, including the top gallants. It will be `short rations' for all of us, but we can make it," I added, well aware too of the status of the supplies that we had. "I could stand to lose five pounds," she smiled back at me. ***************************************************************** "There is a ship, your majesty," Queen Sharon was informed. "I will assume that there is `more'," the young Queen said, her hair the color of light gold, her beauty well known to many. "It carries Darlanis, the Empress," the woman answered... ***************************************************************** "You doubtlessly wonder `why' we are now returning to Dularn after having nearly completed our `mission'," I spoke to the crew of the North Star, their upturned faces leaving no doubt that they were listening to every word. The day was clear, sunny, and warm, the breeze brisk, filling our sails as it drove the North Star due east, a bit of spray from time to time leaping up over the bow to moisten the deck. Over my head flew the flag of Du- larn, and under it also flew my own flag as the Queen of Dularn. "Why after everything we've been through that we are returning to Dularn without partaking of the hospitality of the Japanese..." ***************************************************************** "I was getting worried that I would never see you again," Sharon spoke softly, taking the hands of the Empress in hers as Darlanis' beautiful azure blue eyes glowed into hers in reply. "I feared that my temper might have `cost' me you," Darlanis answered softly, drawing the young Queen with her away from those listening. "And I fear too that we may never see Maris again..." "What do you mean by that?" Sharon, asked, "concerned" now. "Remember how Janis and I `fought' over Lorraine?" the Em- press answered, the warm sun glowing down from a cloud sprinkled sky warming them both. Their tiaras sparkling in the sunlight. "I wonder if the Japanese might `see' Maris in the same `light'." "And you fear that the Japanese might `keep' Maris?" Sharon answered, well aware of what had happened back then in 2565 A.D. "She may represent a `technology' beyond their own," Darla- nis answered, "And the North Star would be a valuable prize too." "She is a brave woman, and intelligent too," Sharon smiled, the smile forced to her painted lips as the thought went through her mind of what a barbarian culture might do to someone like me! ***************************************************************** "We will let the Japanese come to us, let them learn how we live, and now that they know we `exist', I am sure that they will send a ship of their own to North America," I concluded, standing there before them, my hands on the railing of the quarterdeck. I had no doubts now that I had done the "right thing" in this case. Had Darlanis been able to stay with me, perhaps I would have been more willing to take the chance, but without her "support", I had felt it "best" that the Japanese came to us, not vice versa here. 2569 A.D.! THE DULARNIAN QUEEN AN ADVENTURE IN THE SECOND DARK AGE OF MAN By Jerome B. Bigge Chapter Forty Nine "Consider the `fact' that Maris Marn is said to be the best naval commander of this time," the Empress spoke, her eyes hold- ing those of her captain. "And that the Dularnians have a naval tradition that goes back hundreds of years," Darlanis added then. "Perhaps we should `study' the way they do things," the cap- tain of the Empress' flagship replied, her mistress nodding, well aware that her flagship had not been in as good a shape as they thought. The crew was "competent", but content to do their "du- ties" and little more. Such might have been satisfactory back in the days of triremes, but now, such "standards" no longer served! "We'll make what `repairs' we can when we reach land," Dar- lanis answered. She was somewhat "annoyed" at the woman, who had not proven to be as "competent" as she had hoped. Unfortunately, the "best" captains the Empire had all sailed for Lorraine, and none of them had been "available" when she'd decided to accompany me to Japan. In her eyes there was still no sea officer like Lorraine herself, the Imperial Warlady being another as "good" as I was, she felt. "Find a `means' to replace that foremast too." "I am sorry we `failed' you as we did," the woman answered. "I probably should have taken Sharon's `ASTARTE'," Darlanis smiled back. That ship was a near perfect duplicate of the North Star, it being obvious to Darlanis that I had known something of ship design when I'd designed the "class" for Queen Tulis then. ***************************************************************** "I wonder `what' we will find," my husband mused as I stood there on the quarterdeck, the sun long ago having set to the west over mysterious Asia there beyond the gleaming horizon. Just now ahead of us I saw the gleam of fires, of land as we approached the main northern island of Japan. A land of mystery that no one from the "Americas" had visited now for the last five centuries save perhaps for those of the Priestesses of Lys, who can hardly be considered in the same light as the rest of us here anyway. I supposed that both the Lorr and the Women could be considered in the same category too. The Japanese junk just ahead of us now. The thought going through my mind as it had before that it would have been wise on our part to renew our supplies of food and wa- ter as much as we could have back when we'd first sighted land... "I don't think their `technology' quite matches ours," I mused thoughtfully, remembering what I'd seen aboard the warship. It was obvious that Lorraine Richards and Bob Simmons had altered things considerably, both by their actions here in our own time and the fact that they had both looked upon things "differently". I thought too of Carol, that fantastic "Warlady" I'd once known. A woman who when "push came to shove" could be just as "mean" and as "vicious" as Lorraine herself. A woman whose "tactics" had in a way been "superior" to even those of the Imperial Warlady too! I wondered if she had truly once more stood at my side there for that brief second when I faced the attack of "THE QUEEN OF EVIL"? ***************************************************************** "The ship is sailing to Porlan, your majesty," the captain spoke, her Imperial Empress nodding thoughtfully, a pair of beau- tiful azure eyes for a brief moment holding hers as Darlanis stood there on the quarterdeck tall and golden, like a Grecian goddess. The vessel was Dularnian, from Arsana, a merchantman. They were just in sight of land, Orgon still like a bluish haze. "I will go aboard," Darlanis spoke, her eyes meeting hers. "I will be staying aboard," Prince Serak then explained. ***************************************************************** "We just could be a valuable `prize' to anyone who wants to `advance' their military technology," I spoke as my husband and I relaxed for a moment before retiring for the night. Our steam engine, steam powered weapons gave us a considerable "edge" over any warship not equipped with such things, and I had seen no evi- dence there aboard the Japanese junk that they possessed such... "You said they didn't have our compound bows either," he an- swered, sipping thoughtfully at his wine there beside me, his eyes meeting the azure of mine as I nodded back. We could be a real "prize" for anyone who was ruthless enough to "risk" a war with Dularn, assuming that Dularn ever learned of it, which was rather "doubtful" once you thought of it, it being more "likely" that we'd be considered "lost at sea" and that would be that now. I had no doubt either that back in Arsana there would be those who would be glad to see the "last" of me as the Queen of Dularn. "Remember Lorraine's first book?" I asked, seeing him nod. "Princess Janis considered her a `real prize'," he said. "One that Darlanis `got' instead of us," I answered back. "And Darlanis would have fought a war to keep her," I said. "We're not quite exactly that `valuable' to these people," he pointed out, putting a strong muscular arm over my shoulders. "I am `familiar' with the `technology' we have," I pointed out. I'd knew enough about the Diana for example to build one, and the North Star carried operating manuals for its own stuff... "And anyone with a `fleet' of `North Stars' would be a seri- ous `threat' anywhere on this side of the Earth," he answered me. In battle the Japanese junk would have been no "match" for us, something that I suspected that the Japanese themselves would soon find out regardless of how we tried to conceal our own "ad- vanced technology" from them. Historically they were great "copy cats", and all the world needed now was a new Japanese "Empire"! "Perhaps the Priestesses were `right' when they refused to give their whole hearted blessing to this voyage," I replied now. "They could have known `more' that we thought of," he said. "And look how Lorraine has `changed' things," I added now. "There is a `fog', your majesty," Diane said to me, the mist gleaming in her hair. I could barely see the junk's running lights now, and I suspected the same would be "true" of us now. "Take the wind out of the sails," I spoke, my decision made. I saw the puzzled look on Diane's face, the same "look" on the helmsman, those others within earshot of me. "It is your Queen's order," I added, seeing her nod, Dularnian naval discipline such that there was no way that she could question such an order now! "Aye, aye, your majesty," she spoke, passing on the order. "We are going back home," I spoke, seeing the awe she felt. "It is best for all of us if our two cultures do not meet now," I explained, seeing her nod half in understanding, in puzzlement... "When we can no longer see their lights, extinguish ours, set course due east and hoist all sail, including the top gallants. It will be `short rations' for all of us, but we can make it," I added, well aware too of the status of the supplies that we had. "I could stand to lose five pounds," she smiled back at me. ***************************************************************** "There is a ship, your majesty," Queen Sharon was informed. "I will assume that there is `more'," the young Queen said, her hair the color of light gold, her beauty well known to many. "It carries Darlanis, the Empress," the woman answered... ***************************************************************** "You doubtlessly wonder `why' we are now returning to Dularn after having nearly completed our `mission'," I spoke to the crew of the North Star, their upturned faces leaving no doubt that they were listening to every word. The day was clear, sunny, and warm, the breeze brisk, filling our sails as it drove the North Star due east, a bit of spray from time to time leaping up over the bow to moisten the deck. Over my head flew the flag of Du- larn, and under it also flew my own flag as the Queen of Dularn. "Why after everything we've been through that we are returning to Dularn without partaking of the hospitality of the Japanese..." ***************************************************************** "I was getting worried that I would never see you again," Sharon spoke softly, taking the hands of the Empress in hers as Darlanis' beautiful azure blue eyes glowed into hers in reply. "I feared that my temper might have `cost' me you," Darlanis answered softly, drawing the young Queen with her away from those listening. "And I fear too that we may never see Maris again..." "What do you mean by that?" Sharon, asked, "concerned" now. "Remember how Janis and I `fought' over Lorraine?" the Em- press answered, the warm sun glowing down from a cloud sprinkled sky warming them both. Their tiaras sparkling in the sunlight. "I wonder if the Japanese might `see' Maris in the same `light'." "And you fear that the Japanese might `keep' Maris?" Sharon answered, well aware of what had happened back then in 2565 A.D. "She may represent a `technology' beyond their own," Darla- nis answered, "And the North Star would be a valuable prize too." "She is a brave woman, and intelligent too," Sharon smiled, the smile forced to her painted lips as the thought went through her mind of what a barbarian culture might do to someone like me! ***************************************************************** "We will let the Japanese come to us, let them learn how we live, and now that they know we `exist', I am sure that they will send a ship of their own to North America," I concluded, standing there before them, my hands on the railing of the quarterdeck. I had no doubts now that I had done the "right thing" in this case. Had Darlanis been able to stay with me, perhaps I would have been more willing to take the chance, but without her "support", I had felt it "best" that the Japanese came to us, not vice versa here. |
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