Acorus nodded “I see your thinking on that. If I don’t put somebody forward he is more likely to ask for my thoughts on the matter”.
“Yes, you know you would not like to be told who to put in charge of the army of Scerior, and I expect your son will feel the same”. Jo smiled at him.
“You know me so well” he laughed.
Jo smiled to herself, she had been managing him for years and he still didn’t know it.
“Yes, I’ll write to him after breakfast”.
“What will you do about your two roles?” Jo wanted to push him gently to a decision.
“I have been thinking that the obvious person for Lord General is Belain; he did a superb job while I was on Earth. As yet Iccorus is too inexperienced and he needs to be sent on some diplomatic missions if he is to make a good king”.
“Belain has matured into a calm forward thinking officer” Jo said while remembering the horrific sight of Belain in his frightening armour, picking up the screaming girl and breaking her neck. It had been a terrifying introduction to the Sceriae for Jo and the rest of the abducted girls on their way to Scerior. Shaking her head she wished after all this time that she could forget the terrible fear she had felt.
“He has matured and become more thoughtful since he has been with Julie and had many daughters,” Acorus commented.
“Yes it’s strange how the most unlikely couples are good for each other”.
“So, what do you think? Belain for Lord General and shall I send Iccorus on a diplomatic mission to the Sceriatii?
Surprised Jo said “Oh, I hadn’t thought that you’d risk Iccorus on such a dangerous mission. After all, you do not know the wormhole to that galaxy and we only have Kalen’s word that they are well disposed towards us”.
“Firstly it is the Sceriae way to risk our sons. It was what my father did to me. Ok I wasn’t heir to the throne then but was of the royal family and I was sent to explore many galaxies. It made me into the officer I am today. Allorus has fought many battles and that has made him into the ideal choice as Master of Earth; also don’t forget Iccorus will not automatically be king he will have to prove himself to the council. One of my other sons may prove to be the better choice” Acorus pointed out.
“Will you send a large force with him?”
“Not too large, probably only five starships. I would not leave Scerior or Earth poorly defended”.
“What if the Sceriatii are dangerous” Jo asked.
“The Escorii interrogators have questioned Kalen closely and say he is honest and not aggressive. We would not have found Earth and the females who have saved our species if we had been afraid to take risks”.
“True” agreed Jo “Now I must get ready as I have a meeting with the females on the council”.
“Only the females?” Acorus was surprised.
“Yes, it is a preliminary meeting to discuss making it a rule that the half breeds can only take a mate after the age of sixteen”.
“You don’t think they are mature enough until then? The first half breeds mated at fourteen and fifteen, Kylie and Julie are grandmothers already “ Acorus frowned.
“No I don’t think they are mature enough at that age. Having a baby takes a lot out of a girl, more so a Sceriae baby, that grows at twice the rate of a human baby. Every girl deserves to have a carefree time in her teens, half breed or not. The Sceriae race will be saved, a couple more years of freedom for our girls will bring more benefits in the long run”. Jo was forceful in her argument. The girls on Scerior would be given the opportunity to be the women they wanted to be, not just broodmares.
Acorus shook his head “The gods help any who disagree with you!”
“Which is why we females are meeting, we do actually all agree, but we need to formulate our argument to win the Sceriae males over”.
Acorus stood up “My love, this is one Sceriae male you have won over already”. Kissing her quickly he went on “We must go about our duties, I’ll see you late”.
***
Jo’s council meeting went well, all the female members agreeing on the matter of the young females not being allowed to choose a mate until they were over sixteen.
Kylie returned to her private sitting room with Jo, to have a chat and catch up, and they kicked off their shoes and curled up on a sofa.
“Things have changed so much since we came to Scerior “Kylie said “I’d never have dreamed that I’d be in charge of the nursery and on the council when I was that terrified sixteen year old. That first night that Acorus took me to his bed I thought I would die of fear”.
“Me too, when he marched through those giant doors on the starship, with Belain by his side, I daren’t even look at him. And when Belain killed the girl who was fighting the Escorii I was certain that I would die of fear. Now I don’t even notice their armour,” Jo mused.
“Well, you have your own set now” Kylie laughed.
“Yes and I do forget how horrific I must look in it!”
“Not as scary as the Sceriae, all those muscles and things outlined in armour! Yours even has a little skirt”.
“Thank god it does, or I’d look obscene” Jo giggled.
“I’ll never forget how much you hated Acorus to start with. And then you saved his life. How mixed up were you?”
“I hated the way in which my life had been `ruined` as I thought. But Acorus, well, I couldn’t believe how he made me feel that first night, and then I swore at him and said no, he raped me and I hated him so much. Then he sent Ileya to explain why the Sceriae had kidnapped human girls and I began to understand the terrible situation they had found themselves in. Then he took us out for the day and I realised I actually liked the `man` under the Lord General armour. I reacted automatically when I saw that Cholmanay attack him”.
Kylie laughed “And then you became pregnant and he still wanted to fuck you!”
Jo bit her lip. She had been so determined to be Acorus’ only human mate that she had taken him away from Kylie who adored him. Ok, because of the way she had been abused by men, since she was little more than a child, she had hated and been terrified of sex, but Acorus had been so kind and gentle with her that she had grown to love him. In fact they’d had twelve children together before Jo came along and she was carrying their thirteenth daughter then, but terrible complications at the birth has rendered her unable to have any more. Jo marvelled at how Kylie held no ill feelings towards her when Acorus actually fell in love with her. Kylie had moved out of his villa, when Jo and Acorus had travelled to Earth together to kidnap more girls, moving into the nursery to be with her daughters, and was now its head.
“You seem to be getting on well with that human officer at the banquet” Jo smiled.
“Oh, yes, um, he’s very nice”.
“Just nice?”
“I said very nice” Kylie pointed out. “Actually we’ve seen each other a couple of times since”.
“Oh, what’s his name?”
“Alan”.
“Where’ve you been with him?”
“We went to lunch with Alexis and Jaick once and he took me to the Courtyard for lunch. He’s such good company I feel as if I’ve known him for years”.
“I’m pleased for you, Kylie, you deserve to be happy again, I wish...”.
Kylie held up her hand “Don’t. It’s not your fault Acorus didn’t love me”.
“Oh Kylie he did love you!”
“I know, he still does but as a friend and mother of his daughters, not as a soul mate and lover. I’ve always known right from the beginning I wasn’t that, but I enjoyed him being kind to me and the cuddles. Not the sex”. She shuddered. Even being gentle he was too much for me”.
Jo giggled “He’s a bit too much for me too sometimes”.
Kylie sighed “You know, Jo, so
metimes I wonder what it would have been like to find a man I loved enough to, you know, enjoy that with him”.
Jo looked at her friend sadly “I wish you could find complete love, Kylie. I too sometimes wonder what it would have been like to fall in love with a man and lead a normal life. I love Acorus to bits, but there have been times in our life together when I feared him. Even now when I know him so well he is sometimes, alien”.
“I know what you mean. We are both secure, in positions of authority, but still, in the back of my mind is that terrified girl, who had no choice, other than death, but to succumb to an alien’s lust”. Kylie surprised Jo as she spoke what she had often thought.
“We survived and we have made a difference; especially when I persuaded Acorus to only take girls who were in the hands of evil men. We practically abolished the white slave trade on Earth and in the end because we chose life we saved the human race!”
“You’re right Jo, it’s no good asking `what if`. This is our life and it’s a good one”.
Jo looked at her friend “You know you could still have a life with a man. Encourage Alan, he is obviously smitten by you and who knows where it may lead”.
“With a man it generally leads only in one direction”. Kylie sighed again.
“If he loves you and you love him you will find that will not be a problem. I recall you telling me that you had become used to Acorus’ attention and actually missed it. If Alan is the one for you it will come naturally”. Jo so wanted her friend to be happy.
“I enjoy his company and feel easy with him so I’ll see where it leads”.
“Yes that’s the best thing to do” Jo agreed.
She ordered coffee and they continued to chat about what had happened on Scerior while she had been on Earth, and how Allorus was so perfect as Master of Earth. Kylie commented that Rebecca seemed to be a nice girl and Jo enthused about her and how well she managed Allorus.
“He seems to be a calmer, gentler man than his father” Kylie grinned.
“Oh he is. Rebecca seems to have him wound around her little finger already. Even after all these years I could never claim that of Acorus!”
“Would you want him to be?”
“Mmm, I don’t think so. With my temper and bossy nature, I think I’d become bored with a man I could control”.
“Yes, you’d be a nightmare!” Kylie agreed.
“Well! Thank you for that”.
“Jo, you know what I mean. You like the slightly dangerous edge to your relationship with Acorus. I think you like it sometimes when he dominates you”.
Jo laughed then giggled “It certainly makes life more interesting”.
Kylie laughed too and they were still laughing uncontrollably when the door opened and Acorus entered. He stood inside the door looking at the two friends quizzically “This takes me back many years, coming home to find my two females having fun together, I suspect at my expense. May I join in”.
Kylies suddenly looked uncomfortable “If I may point out Lord Acorus, I am no longer yours,” and she got up off the sofa. “Anyhow I must go, I’ve neglected my duties at the nursery for long enough. Goodbye Jo, Acorus, I’ll see you soon”. And with that she swept out of the room.
Acorus watched her go open mouthed “What did I do?”
Jo sighed “You chose me”.
“Oh! But she didn’t want me anyhow, she hated being mated with,” he said perplexed.
“No, not at the end she didn’t. She loved you to bits and when she couldn’t give you any more children it broke her heart”.
“But she seemed happy to have Anna with her always and she moved to the nursery. I didn’t ask her to go”.
“She was happy to have baby Anna with her when it was thought that she might be brain damaged but she moved to the nursery because she couldn’t bear to know you were making love to me even though I was pregnant. You know you only went near her and Julie to get them with child”. Jo bit her lip.
“And for the sex!” he grinned.
“But never once they were pregnant, that’s why Julie left you for Belain, he just wanted her even though she was pregnant with your twins”.
“It was out way then. Our females had decreed that we only mated with our humans to get them pregnant” he objected.
“But many males ignored that, once they discovered the pleasure of sex, whenever they wanted”. Jo said acerbically.
“It is so long ago, does it matter?”
“No, but that is why you can’t call Kylie your female. Anyway she is dating a human officer called Alan. I suppose she is his girl now!”
“Dating an officer, who is he. He’d better treat her with respect” Acorus growled.
“It’s nothing to do with you”.
“Yes it is, Kylies is still the mother of my daughters and she was the first human female I agreed to take, I still feel responsible for her. She was such a sweet frightened little thing”.
Humph,” Jo muttered “didn’t stop you from fucking her!”
“Jo! You know I was only doing my duty to Scerior. I was ordered to take a human as mate”.
“Mmm, Lord General Acorus was so scared of the female council!”
Acorus grabbed her and pulled her up into his arms “Me? Afraid of females!” then he chuckled “there’s only one female I’ve ever feared” and he kissed her hard ready to stride to the door and take her to their bedroom.
Fortunately for Jo there was a knock on the door and he deposited her back on the sofa before he called “come in”.
It was an Escori to say that Lord Belain was waiting the King’s pleasure in his office. Once the Escori had gone Acorus said “Damn, I had forgotten that I’d asked him to attend us. I came to ask you to come with me to tell him what I have decided about the army. He’ll want to know you approve Too”.
“Why? I have no say in the army”. Jo was puzzled.
“Ah, but Belain is another who fears your anger, so if you wish him well it will please him”.
“Oh alright, I’ll come with you. I expect Julie will be pleased, she always was ambitious”.
“You think so? I didn’t think she was, after all she left me for Belain”.
“Maybe that had less to do with your position of power and more with your lack of desire for her!”
“Oh!” Acorus bristled but kept quiet, he’d learned not to exchange verbal barbs with Jo.
When they got to Acorus’ office, Belain was striding up and down, in the reception area, looking irritated.
“Belain, come in” Acorus ushered him into his inner sanctum. “I apologise for keeping you waiting, brother, but I was delayed”.
Belain looked at Jo and humphed “I won’t ask by what!”
“No no, brother, we were discussing the nursery with Kylie. Please sit down”.
Belain sat in front of the desk and Jo sat to one side. As Acorus sat in his chair he went on “I have been giving a lot of thought to my two roles, as King and head of the army, and have decided to concentrate on solely being king; so I have decided that you should be appointed Lord General and take over the running of the army”.
“What? But surely the council must decide?” Belain said stunned.
“It must be passed by them, but I have spoken to all the males on the council and they agree with me. It is a foregone conclusion, the day after tomorrow you will join the council and be made Lord General. You deserve it brother, after the way you guarded Scerior while I was away and the way you came up behind the Xenorri and helped wipe them out”.
“I’m honoured and surprised, you love being a soldier”.
“I do, but I cannot do justice to both roles. I will do one job well and you will do the other well. We will be a formidable team”. Acorus got up and slapped Belain on the shoulder, then to both th
eir surprise they hugged, not a thing Sceriae males were used to doing.
Jo got up and went to Belain holding out her hands “Congratulations Lord General Belain. I know you will do a great job”.
“Thank you, my queen” he said kissing her hands.
Jo smiled “A courtier already Lord General”
“Let us drink to a strong and secure Scerior”. Acorus said.
“And a rebuilt and secure Earth” Jo added.
Acorus poured good Earth wine into goblets and they touched them together and drank to the future of both their races, brought together through dire necessity.
Chapter 29
Allorus and Rebecca were standing together watching the last remaining wall being put in place on their new villa. It had taken a few months for the position of the Master of Earth’s headquarters to be decided. Although Allorus didn’t mind where it was the premiers of the world did and he had bowed to their decision. Rebecca had wanted it to be where the old Washington had been, in America, but she had listened to the arguments for and against and had finally agreed that it be built on the site of the old London.
There were many reasons for this, the main one being the ease of travel between it and the rest of Europe. Although the Sceriae ships were fast and only took a couple of hours from, say Russia, to America it took minutes to London.
A large army base was set up in Essex, which had been decimated by the Xenorrii, and the world’s administration headquarters were being built close to the Thames. The King of Great Britain and his family were being built a villa, the same size as Allorus and Rebecca’s, and the prime minister’s residence was also being built in the same vicinity. The three villas formed a triangle around what would become a large park and slowly spreading out from there a new London would grow up.
The ease of building in the Sceriae way had made it possible for new towns to spring up all around the globe, and even the poorest nations now had comfortable secure homes for all their people. People who were, on the whole, just grateful to have survived the fate of so many.
Scerior Part II Page 24