Blood Sabers

by Burbaugh, MF;

  “The Koteck went to old Earth, they became gods, and the Egyptian deities were the last of them. They sported the blue women in various combats and legend called them Amazons. They were deadly with bow and ax. The Koteck were yet again forced away by some group called Christians, the last ship to leave had some slaves and a few Koteck, and the Christians brought it down. All the Koteck were put on their own crosses. The blacks escaped and were pretty much forgotten.

  “The Koteck tried to destroy that planet and were defeated by a few Firsts and the Amazons. The wise ones, Rodel among them, finally took a stand against the others.” She studied my expression to ensure I was still following her.

  “Best guess that Rodel can figure, they returned here, we all came with them as slaves and all was okay among them for a while, but ruler disputes erupted again. At the outbreak of fighting the blacks and blues ran—enough got away to become nations, the rest you know.

  “I forget anything, Rodel?” she asked.

  “Only that somewhere in all that we Firsts that stood against them were shredded, and the cute little robot sits there waving his sword even now. At least when he plays the bagpipes no one complains! He is also radioactive—can’t bring anything back either.”

  “My General, I forget anything?” she asked again.

  “Just the obvious, we are sex-crazed, soul linked Amazons, we controlled the men in the past and it has not changed. Now you know what we said was truth. We were skilled beyond belief with the bow, and good with spear and ax. They weeded out and destroyed us and bred us until what you see now is inbred in the genes. Our men eventually became immune to our sex craze; they blocked our ability to do the waves, and could actually live. Now, you or Linda brought the waves back and it is only the females who can feel it. It was pretty much the same with the blacks. They are more spear than bow, except a few special talents. A few have mixed here and there over the generations and they have seers as well, just fewer of them. Those of the rare speed talent, Queastra is one, are unique to them; we have none.”

  “Two damn lifetimes to learn the truth…jeez,” I said. They both broke out in laughter. “I command you both to give me a kiss and accept my thanks.”

  “I have more than thanks,” she said, rubbing her belly and smiling and kissed me tenderly.

  “I don’t,” the four star said, pouted, and jumped in my arms and planted a big one.

  I felt better. “Rodel, tell my wives that I return. All will train with wooden swords. All I defeat will be forced to have sex this night!”

  For five hours, I relearned old skills and moves. Slowly I defeated all; it took forever with Linda. I was gasping.

  The General watched and he and various combos of the girls sparred. I loved watching them work out. He defeated all but Linda; again it was a battle of legend, but they did not break swords, they stopped at two hours.

  He came by me on the way out. “You know they all let you win?”

  “Of course, they gave me a good work out and now they wish their rewards. Good night, General.” I winked.

  He smiled. “Good night Sire, no sleep this night I see,” he slapped my back and left.

  “I want all in the bed this night. Queastra, you are the worst with the sword, you shall be punished first. We will have and use bows but we will kill or be killed with our swords.

  “We space in two days,” I told them.

  Aawasa said, “We need another along as a sixth.”

  I saw them all look at each other, but say nothing.

  Queastra said, “You leaving my saddle empty all night while you talk?”

  I filled my husbandry duties.

  Aawasa said, “I have a candidate, acceptable as a sixth, yes another troubled soul, I am afraid. Though now that you know all the truths, any female of Camelot is really acceptable, however this one is of the twelve. I will talk to the others. Let’s ride a few waves, then we leave.”

  Four large ones and a perfect final one to ride in together and she collapsed and we were sated and I was denied the right to move. All three of the others lay against us, poor Aawasa, the others with their heads against me.

  Linda said, “You know it will be bloody and long, don’t you?” to no one in particular.

  Queastra said, “If we live we will have babies, all. I have been denied so far.”

  Katawasa said, “If we die our husband has provided that which is needed for the tribe and we will die content.”

  Queastra said, “Speak for yourself, I want a screaming little brat sucking my tits. My husband’s sucking is great, but it’s not the same.”

  All laughed.

  “Nothing from you, Aawasa?” I asked.

  “No, my husband, I have been punished and am quite content.”

  Queastra said, “You bitches have two days to teach me this sword. I missed a lifetime already.”

  I don’t remember falling asleep, but I was tired.

  Close to noon I woke. We were all still in bed. Queastra was finger wrestling with Katawasa over who was going to play with the three or four hairs on my chest.

  They were all awake. Just relaxing and enjoying each other’s company. When they saw I was awake, they all got up. We showered and I combed hair. We drank tea and ate. Camelot had cereal and milk and fast food now, but it didn’t fit us. We preferred dried fish, black bread, and sometimes stew. We did all enjoy a few glasses of very fine white wine with or after dinner, but since it affected sword use, very little.

  We all spent the day at the shipyard. Latwasa saw me, rubbed her belly, and laughed. Her husband had allowed her.

  She took us inside. It was a lot bigger than it looked from the outside. The cabin part was three sections. The crew quarters in the rear had a bed for four, with two additional fold-downs along the sides. There were two soundproof doors, which separated that section from the center. It was an additional four person bed that could be folded down with more doors forward of it. There was a small door that went on each side and led to small passages around the center section.

  The front was as large as the other two areas combined. Part was a small shower/toilet/sink walk-in, two people in comfort, four were a tight fit. Everything aboard went through recyclers. Air, water, waste. Recon units provided food; we tasted it, a lot different than the crap we use to have, it had flavor and texture. She had this one set for tea, black bread, stew, fish and coffee as the main products. A full visual center had music, vids, fractal generators, almost anything Rodel could call up. Fold down seats formed additional beds in the front if needed and the center section’s bed could also be used for relaxed viewing to the front screen with the doors opened. The manual pilot and co-pilot console and chairs used for the rare times Rodel wasn’t controlling the ship folded into the ceiling and out of the way.

  She explained the door sets were more than sound proof. If activated through emergency programs, they sealed the ship into three separate airtight compartments.

  “Self-sealing hull too,” she said.

  “You have four of the new wave-riders, not two. The additional mass isn’t all that great and you get a 40% reduction in time to maximum. Maximum is still only a little faster than their fastest known, at about quarter light, but you can get their so fast you can pull ahead and poof and back before they know what hit them. All experimental of course.” She was excited as always.

  “Um, oh, two independent F/Fs, one top and one bottom, smallest reactors yet. Vector vents have been hardened and replacements are designed to attach on the hull to any motor that still turns, no front scoop. I took it out. Emergency mass for the converters can be provided by internal lasers that can trim the hull metal rails a bit at a time for two years before a danger of any breach.” She paused to think.

  “Weapons!” She took us to the front and pulled down the chairs and consoles. “Three modes. Full auto with computer control, full manual with all slaved, and individual weapon controls. Through the bottom center of the ship are four nuke Seekers. The front has t
wo new auto reloading hull metal cylinder clusters with twenty tubes in each. They hold heavy mass, big boomer arrows. They fly straight in space so point and shoot. They have a 400-yard arming range and small forward mass detectors, limited self-seeking. Feathers are replaced with small attitude jets, which are crude, limited control, but worked well in our field tests. If it is in front they find it. Both clusters are Gimbals mounted rails. Three reloads for each pod.”

  “You have four 40MM grenade launchers, one on top and on the bottom, front and rear with 100 rounds to each. Routing the round trays to keep them in the gravity well was a bitch. I don’t like them, but until we come up with something better, it’s what you have.”

  Two low power lasers. They are pulse and can be used only if you have a stationary point. No laser weapon works well in space without massive power. Their ships are big enough to possibly carry some that might be effective, so be cautious.

  “The hull metal will take hits from massive power lasers and even small nukes near it, but not over a long term. Rodel can produce a version of Linda’s power bubble as needed, now that we can do a limited tap of the universal flow. I think you call it dark energy. It creates a very strong force field. The last item is a one shot big discharge of the main CAP which will fry pretty much anything it aims at or touches, especially electronics. You will then be dead in the water a long time, a last stand type thing.

  “When you get back we’ll know what works, what doesn’t. Damn, forgot, Rodel clones make up all the computer controls—sorry bagpipes and all were added.”

  Rodel said, “Sire, jumper just in, four Seekers went off in New Earth’s space area, will give further information when we know anything. I got a jumper on the way.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “You started to say you added jumpers?” I asked.

  “Why yes, but anyway, there are four aboard. Rodel sends them far enough ahead to jump through the T/S fold and get a quick look and back for pickup.” She was happy; it solved so many T/S problems.

  “Prevents jumping into another fold just on the other side and can scan for, um, hostiles. Fully independent use is possible too, but it is primarily a pre-looker for safe jumps. No deterioration noted after repeated jumps in tests. Um, that is about it, Sire.”

  Queastra’s question was from a non-space technology point of view, “Why clones, why not just direct links to Rodel?”

  Signals can’t travel through the T/S folds. After the first jump you’d have nothing. Even at light speed you start getting lag and the faster you move away the more you lag,” Latwasa said.

  “Sorry, didn’t know,” Queastra said.

  “Only stupid question in science is the one not asked,” Latwasa said.

  “Theory is one-half light as a max speed, maybe faster, but still takes too long. Rodel thinks he may soon have a radically different wave-rider design, but he said that almost 150 years go. The math is complicated.” Latwasa looked absent-mindedly around. “I am sure I forgot a hundred things, but Rodel has all the info and you need to set the destruct code once space-born—no games, very big BOOM! Rodel will automatically erase it upon entrance into atmosphere. We will not try to destroy any planet using our ships. Orders or no.

  “We will have the newly reworked visual recognition systems for the Seekers in a month or so. Some bugs yet. None of the ones we have deployed now will touch this ship, and even if you ram one it will not go off. Make sure the HH never capture it!”

  Rodel interrupted, “Happy note, Mary is pregnant and married down south someplace, sends regards and her mission was a total success.” He started laughing.

  We all snickered.

  “Have the royal yacht give them a grand vacation/honeymoon as I promised,” I told Rodel.

  “Yes, Sire.”

  Latwasa said, “One last thing, Sire. Please do not bet your life on any of these systems until we get some valid data. I want my baby to know its daddy!” She cried and we all kissed her.

  “This war’s going to be far worse. I feel it,” she said.

  “We all do, dear, we all do,” Aawasa said.

  “Matters need tending before we can leave,” I said.

  “Aawasa, Linda, get everything we might want or need aboard for both fighting and diplomatic missions to New Earth and Old Earth, and maybe a few others.”

  “Queastra, please get all of us our bows, my crossbow, and lots of ammo. Umm, all types of arrows including big and medium boomers.”

  As the others left, I asked, “Katawasa, you know the sixth yet?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is she good with bow and sword?”

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Get all her things loaded too, get the dresses and necklaces for functions, and get whoever she is a dress as well.” I waited, she stood. “Well? Go, go, go!”

  I knew she was waiting for me to ask who she was, but I trusted Aawasa. She also made it clear I had little say in the matter.

  We finalized all our affairs. The old king, with Chief’s permission, would rule in our stead until we returned or died.

  We trained and slept until we were finally ready to leave. Chief requested to see me one last time.

  I found her sitting in the castle kitchen drinking coffee. “Jake, sit please?”

  I took a cup and got some coffee as well, and sat across from her. “We will be leaving today,” I told her.

  “I know. The generals told me what they told you. Jake, there is one thing neither thought of, or just refused to mention.” She drank some of her coffee. “I read the great book, I talked to Rodel of course, and studied what he found in the ruins. When you think about it, ask Rodel. He isn’t sure, but suspects the Firsts never made just one planet with one type of human on it. We Amazons could have had five or six or more planets throughout the universe just like us. Rodel said in order to test a viability of life form concept it required enough planets to eliminate random chance. That means there may be more of us and it also means there may be more of Queastra’s people out there someplace as well.”

  “Well, sounds logical in theory. It would be nice to know there are more, then my wives wouldn’t have to keep having us make so damn many kids.”

  Chief laughed. “Remember, you still don’t understand us. Sex is a fun means to an end for us. Love is not sex, sex is not love. You sexed the entire planet’s women without knowing it, so now you should understand that concept, even if you don’t agree with it.

  “Jake, that is not why I asked you here. Listen, if Rodel says they always made more than one planet of each, would not she have done the same with the Koteck?”

  I almost choked as it dawned on me what she said. I started to say something but she stopped me.

  “No, don’t say, don’t ask, just be aware it might be, or might not. I found that after you came the first time, what I saw as the future often changed thanks to you and your wives and the generals. It was why I gave you the control. Until I realized that, I only saw the baby and girl freezing in the field as the tribe’s final outcome. So what I see can’t be relied on now. I just know you need to be careful. Now go.”

  I finished my coffee with much food for thought and I found Katawasa and the rest.

  I asked if I knew the sixth and was told no, she was already aboard and waiting.

  Aawasa said, “Five training arrows have been added for each of the bows and the crossbow. We wouldn’t want to blow up other people’s targets if we were to do any demonstrations. Some old friends were also added, the com link earbuds.”

  We spent the whole morning saying goodbyes. Anticipated time gone would be four to six months, depending on how things went.

  Latwasa said four new ship hulls were laid out and should be ready to test inside a year, the next four ships after that should take sixty days or so. The General would start deployment of them, along with seeker groups. They would serve as guard posts near any jumps in our area as they became available.

  Worlds to Conquer

  “Time
to go, people,” Rodel said. “Latwasa has added the sword set requested. All items are aboard, Queen Aawasa.”

  “Thank you, Rodel. We are ready then,” she said.

  We went to the port, like Earth, the lift to space consisted of liquid fuel boosters, big ones. About 6.7Gs the full ride. They fell back for reuse.

  Most of the massive booster was in a concrete pit recently finished, with a wide slit for exhaust from the bottom to the top. We still had to go up four stories to enter the portal hatch.

  A temporary ladder was in the floor and we climbed in and went down. Aawasa and I had pilot and XO chairs, all the rest were suited in the back. When all were strapped in Linda slapped her armor up, I did mine and Aawasa put her space helmet on. We took our positions and were ready to start. Aawasa assured me the passenger was strapped in and ready as well.

  I tested comms and the shipboard Rodel brought the hull in the front to life, giving a 360-degree impression of sitting on a roman candle ready to explode. Aawasa and I ran through the preflight checks and were ready to launch.

  This is Camelot Space Center, I thought, “What are we, Rodel?”

  “Camelot Knights of the Roundtable, Royal Destroyer #1. C KotRt RD1 for short,” he said, and laughed.

  “No, Round Table is two words. It would be RT,” I said. “Have one of the robots fix it.” Then to comm, “Royal Destroyer One, ready to boost, all green and nominal,” I said.

  “Sire, leave it Rt for now, we can fix it later. Start sequence in twenty, all commands from me, acknowledge at separation,” Rodel, the ground controller, said.

  “10…5,4, ignition, 2, 1, liftoff.”