Blood Sabers

by Burbaugh, MF;

The ship shook and vibrated as tons of liquid fuel went flaming down and out the slit from the huge boosters; nothing but red, and we started to move.

  “We have go on all primaries…+1, +10, 1000 and climbing,” Ground Control said.

  “+30, 4 angles

  “+60, 28 angles

  “+75, 60 angles,” his voice echoing in my ear.

  “Camelot, we have stage one separation,” I said.

  “All green and nominal,” Aawasa said.

  “Roger, Camelot Royal Destroyer One, good luck and the Father speed and protect. The stars are yours, you have manual control of stage two.”

  I fired stage two and we were once again slammed against the seats. Finally, it dropped off and we were in free fall.

  We settled in as the F/Fs were brought on line and our new riders came to life. Gravity established, Rodel had the con, and after one single tight slingshot around Camelot we were off and looking for folds.

  Linda and I dismissed our suits and the rest started stripping off theirs’.

  Aawasa was sweating; the G forces were above the 6.7--it seemed Rodel controlled the main thrusters according to telemetry from the passengers.

  I helped her and Katawasa out of their suits, Linda assisted Queastra.

  “Okay, Aawasa, let’s meet the hired help,” I finally said.

  She took me to the back. A girl was there also getting out of a suit. Very pretty, but young. She secured her suit in its locker.

  “May I present Matawasa, Linda’s youngest sister,” Aawasa said.

  They all waited for my reaction.

  “Shouldn’t you be in school?” I asked.

  She clearly took offense.

  “Shouldn’t you crawl back into your mother?”

  She glared at me. “You weren’t ignorant there,” she quipped.

  “She graduated high school at 11, College at 15. She is 15 and a half and has been a specialty courtesan for the last six months. Oral sex,” Aawasa said.

  “Ten rubies in advance.” She smiled, holding out her hand.

  “I took Aawasa to the front and closed the doors. “Fifteen and a half? A kid?”

  “My husband, you tell me, she has performed her specialty more than all the rest of us put together. She has been treated rough, she killed a guy that tried to pop her; she is still a virgin. She is afraid, as was another, of certain male parts going in certain female places, and yes she also is fixed for one year. Linda wants you to try to save her--she is in bad shape. Regardless of what you think, her mental age is mature, and she is brilliant with both sword and bow. She can do the Musashi, beat The General with it, caught him off guard. She was ten then.”

  “Damn you and your soul saving, Aawasa!” I frowned. “And Linda’s sister to boot.”

  “Adopted, her parents were both killed when she was young and she was taken into Linda’s family. Oh, for your information, the rumor went around that you personally got all those women pregnant, and we did nothing to dispel the myth. Our husband’s legend grows to truly epic proportions!” She dropped her head, turned those long lashes toward me and started batting away. She finally cracked up.

  “One year Courtesan contract, mutual agreement turns it to a life one,” she said.

  “What did you get me into?” I asked her. “Give me all you know on her.”

  It wasn’t all that much, and what little there was wasn’t pretty. She was a true rebel. Most courtesans were, still, fifteen?

  “Okay, establish authority, I guess.” This really wasn’t something I wanted to do; Freud would turn in his grave. I opened the door, they were all there. I asked them all to move up front except Aawasa, and close the doors.

  Once we were alone with Matawasa, I told her, “I am your king, your lord and master from this day forward, young lady,” I said.

  “The f’n hell you are,” she said.

  I think I surprised her; she was across my knee and was spanked.

  She stared in disbelief. “You mother f–” She never finished as she was being spanked again.

  “I also do not tolerate foul mouths from any but your sister,” I said, as I spanked her again while she swore at me.

  She thought I would get tired first; her butt would be black from the spankings. I knew my hand was starting to hurt. She is most stubborn. She screamed, cried and cussed, and finally figured out this bastard would never quit. She shut up and cried silently, not from the pain--she was a tough one—I really think her tears were from defeat.

  “Are we finally agreed, swearing is not lady like?”

  She glowered but nodded her head.

  “Good, now, apologize to the First Queen of Camelot for embarrassing her nation by acting like some filthy slut from a tavern in the builder’s town. Then curtsy. Not bow.”

  “Um, Queen, I am sorry I acted like a jerk. Most guys like the dirty talk, I um, forgot my manners and…what is a damn curtsy?”

  She did it after Aawasa showed her.

  “Now, if you think you can maintain civility, you may join us in a celebration of our safe arrival in space.”

  “If I don’t?” she asked, still glowering at me.

  “A few good reinforcement spankings are not unheard of. Do I make myself clear?” I asked.

  “Yes, Sire.” She said it almost with civility.

  “Aawasa, my dear, remove all her clothing. I find that gaudy pink offensive—dispose of it all in the recyclers, and she shall wear only brown until she has earned the right to wear a royal color befitting her stifled beauty.”

  “At once, Sire.” She did too, all of it, poof. Her color was green; I saw her swords when Latwasa brought them by. They matched her fierce and unrepentant eyes.

  We went forward and all the others had a good-sized glass of wine, and waited. All knew her butt would probably be black, but said nothing. I had forgotten they were all soul linked and also felt the spanking.

  Finally, we toasted to our safe arrival in space.

  For the next four days, I never spoke to her or said anything about her. I took a bokken and gave it to her, and she and Aawasa sparred--she was as good as they claimed.

  She wound up taking on Katawasa and Aawasa at the same time, pretty much a draw. She was as good as The General.

  The fifth night I still had not said a word to her.

  I moved all except her to the rear bed and closed the door.

  “I hate doing this, she is really tough. Linda, I assume you had a lot to do with that.”

  “Afraid so, we fought hard and pulled no hits. You could break her arm and she would kick your head in. The swearing is my fault too.”

  “I know, I can get that under control. Why is she scared of men?” I asked.

  “She isn’t afraid of men, it is a phobia, a fear of the penis entering her. There are several names, not sure which applies, ask Rodel. Ithyphallophobia is one, it was what Latwasa had. I asked her, she never would say, maybe no reason at all.”

  “Will she feel it if we sex?” I asked.

  “Oh yes, I know she will, just like we felt her spankings.”

  “Okay, I know it hurts you all too, but I need you to stay with her. I don’t want anyone to die, but Queastra’s request to try for six days is granted. Stop us if it really becomes critical, we won’t know unless you tell us.”

  Linda said, “Oh shit.”

  “Tell her how wonderful, etcetera, etcetera. I want her curious if nothing else. When it really gets bad Aawasa can—read her, find out what we need to know, and if it is what I think.”

  “Can we stand it?” Linda asked.

  “What, my beautiful, sexy wives are afraid of a little toss in the sack?” I laughed.

  “All to the front. I’ll call Queastra rearward in a bit,” I said. I kissed them all.

  After a while I went forward. “Whose turn is it?”

  Queastra weakly raised her hand. “Okay, let’s make the world smile.”

  I turned as I heard her say, “Just my luck.”

  She c
ame in, closed the doors quietly, and smiled, “I don’t think I could survive six days.”

  “Doubt I could either; don’t push it, seriously, you have the helm, captain.”

  She smiled and soon we started riding waves, good size ones, but no monsters; wave after wave, she held my hand, I was standing alongside, we talked a long time as she chose the waves, she kept it evenly spaced and we crested each one, steady. Aawasa smacked my butt hard. I kept riding but I could talk. “Yes, my dearest?”

  “Got the info, as you thought,” she said.

  “How bad on you guys?” I asked her.

  “She has much need and was robbed last life,” pointing to Queastra. “Keep it there as long as she can hang, go much higher, and I’ll be back.”

  “Love you,” I said.

  We were circling, I was back and we were riding again. I told her we had the info, it was all her ride now.

  They got intense for a minute or so, and she backed off, then she pulled me to one monstrous wave and we climbed aboard and crashed well inland.

  Four days was all.

  “That went well,” Queastra said with a smile.

  “Four days. Not bad at all--you okay?” I asked.

  “I’ll survive,” she said.

  Linda and Aawasa came back and Linda said, “To say you have her curiosity is an understatement.”

  Aawasa filled me in. “She was forced into oral sex at the age of six, an uncle’s friend or something. At seven, he tried to force her; she ran. He swore he would kill her and her family if she said anything. She didn’t even know she was talking, she was in orgasmic pain, or happiness, with the rest of us.”

  “Okay, get Rodel. If this bastard is alive I want him tried, executed, and recorded. We do no folds till this is done. If he’s dead, have Rodel make a vid as we did for the pirate sword for Chief; same result either way. The General takes off his head.

  “God, Aawasa, I love you, but you complicate my life so much,” I said with a frown.

  “You love it, you know you do,” she said.

  Later, as Queastra and I ate some food, my thoughts were interrupted.

  “My husband, you need to see this, it is about our Matawasa,” Katawasa said, sitting at the pilot’s station.

  “Punch it up on the big screen.”

  A guy I never saw before was there, a seer asking him questions under ‘truth’.

  Charges stood against him for child abuse, sexual abuse, and a few others. He admitted a little oral sex with several young girls; he didn’t mean anything, just some harmless fun.

  Guilty, The General took his head in a quick flick, as he said, “Just a little fun,” and sheathed his sword.

  “Was that you he was talking about?” I asked.

  She just stared as they cleaned up the blood.

  I touched her shoulder.

  She jumped and looked at me.

  “Was that you he was talking about? One of those girls was you?” I asked.

  She nodded.

  “Is that where you got the oral sex training?” I asked.

  “Um, guess, only thing I was ever good at,” she said.

  I picked her up and hugged her. She was shocked. She was patting my head and cried the first real cry of her life.

  I just said, “He will never hurt anyone again, he is also not most men.”

  She finally said, “All the men that paid me were just like him. All men are just like him.”

  “Listen to them, say nothing; we will speak in a few minutes.”

  I went down the line of my wives--all said the same, if they felt like it.

  “I tell you the same as I have told each of them,” I said when the line was complete, “you need never do it or anything else. Those things are always your call. Truth evoked, do you fear losing your virginity, or is it just spite?”

  “Mostly spite, not wanting to give them what they really want,” she said.

  “As you know, I have four, not three wives, I do not need a fifth. They say they do, to share the pain of the joy or some bull. They claim I am oversexed. Regardless, we always need another sword master. Shall you spend a year or more with the waves you can’t ride or do you wish to participate in the process?” I asked her.

  “I have a choice?” She stared at me, almost in shock.

  “I force nothing on my wives they do not wish. Ask them anything you want, they will tell you the truth,” I said.

  “Aawasa, is he different than the lust-driven men I have known, truth?” she asked.

  Aawasa thought a few seconds. “If you mean does he want sex? Yes, oh yes, he wants it, but let me tell you something from long ago, and you tell me.”

  She told of nine days, lying helpless while a man named Jake lusted for her, but instead, he fed her, he cleaned her, combed her hair, made her clothes and took lots of ice cold baths rather than violate that girl. Even when the girl was well, he did not touch her until a captain named Rodel married them proper, even knowing she was barren.

  “Rodel, confirm please?” Aawasa asked.

  “I was that captain, little one, that man is the one who took lots of cold baths.”

  Matawasa started crying. “He sounds like the kind of man you only dream about.”

  Linda said, “He is legend for a reason.”

  She took my hand. “Show me what all this fuss has been back there then, please?”

  Linda said, “Be brave sister, ride a few big ones.”

  I took her to a small storm and led her by hand. I told her we would ride to her tune and her desire as we rode some crests, then she brought the storm up and we rode waves.

  We were in a hurricane, we rode monsters, and she was laughing and happy.

  I told her she picked when and how we ride to shore.

  Tsunami, and we crashed quickly as I rode her to rest.

  She was breathing hard and stared at me. “You aren’t real are you? Human I mean.”

  I asked her, “Think. Who controlled? Who set the waves, the storms, the ending? Me? I don’t think so. I am, and have been at the total mercy of the Amazon goddesses and a demi-goddess of Camelot.”

  She got a shock when she saw the condition of the others, the blood shot eyes, drooling mouths and pained expressions; we had been gone five days exactly.

  “We survived, my husband, barely,” Aawasa said with a weak smile.

  That evening I talked to the others. I had Matawasa, meaning love rain, to remain in the rear.

  “I have seen her sword play and she is good there. Is she acceptable enough to all to be called queen?” I asked.

  Queastra said, “You wish to take a fifth?”

  “Wish? No. It was permitted during mating for a man to take up to six mates, one succeeded all the time at five, and if you ask Katawasa of her father, I bet today he has three wives and two courtesans.”

  She smiled slyly. “Full stable always, three and three.”

  “It is Aawasa’s idea already, except for Doc she does not usually tolerate my having a courtesan.”

  Aawasa sashayed over, head down, single finger to lips (I groaned). She tilted her head and batted her eyelashes, and said, “You like Aawasa pick, no?”

  I cracked up and through tears I kissed her.

  Queastra said, “Ha, I withdraw my question.”

  I got with Rodel who informed us of a jump to New Earth in ten hours. We were to have a shipboard wedding following the amendment of the laws to allow five queens.

  Aawasa and Katawasa brought out a royal green dress and panties, a single gold dove on a chain with a diamond chip for an eye, and a beautiful green katana, wakizashi, and tanto set.

  The sword had a bright red dragon on the scabbard, with a diamond eye; the tsuba was two dragons, one on each side, with their tongues meeting at the top. The Japanese characters down its side made it more beautiful. I think they were called kanji. Latwasa had made it of course. She had privately identified each of our swords; I just hadn’t been able to read it.

  “
We ready?” I asked. We had all donned our finery. “I’ll have to give her the spare Ruby necklace. I didn’t bring anything; as usual someone forgot to tell me things.”

  They all laughed.

  “It will be fine, my husband,” Katawasa said.

  “Well, shall we see if she is silly enough to join our little army?” I asked, and they all groaned.

  I called Matawasa back. She stood there, her young body hiding a life far too wise for her years.

  I bowed. “This is a poor setting, a trellised rose garden would be better.” I saw a lighting change and the entire inside of the ship was a rose garden. Soft beautiful music played in the background. “I cannot have a beautiful young trollop whoring with me behind my poor unsuspecting wives’ backs. I ask in front of all, will you, Matawasa, accept me as your husband, now and forever more? A simple yes or no is required. We abide by your answer.”

  I remained bowed while she stammered, “If Linda found out I was whoring her husband she’d kill me, so to keep family peace, I will.”

  I stood, Rodel said, like the caller, “Wedding in ten minutes, wedding in ten minutes please,” he said, and emitted some squeaks and squeals which he passed off for laughter.

  I gave her the green panties and dress. “Your royal color, if agreeable? Green means nature, life, and balance.”

  She bounced up and down and nodding her head yes. Almost a perfect match to her eyes.

  We got her dress on and Aawasa gave her the ruby necklace. I presented her with the katana. She stared, and stared. I told her to unsheathe it, my finger hadn’t been bled in a while.

  She pulled it out and it gleamed, its folded edge line, called the hamon, rippled with the light. It had no covers, it was freshly made.

  “Wedding five minutes, wedding, five minutes please,” Rodel popped.

  “Can you read it?” I asked, she said no.

  “It says, To Samurai Matawasa of Camelot, made by Brigid of Kildara,” I said. Latwasa had been teaching me the Japanese kanji she used.

  I nicked my finger and trickled blood down its side and she sheathed it. Linda slipped it in her obi. “More later, we have a wedding.”

  We barely got alongside each other.

  “We are gathered here today to marry King Jake and Matawasa. Who stands for this woman?” Rodel asked.

  The back panel lit up and her father, still looking like the tailor, stood there beaming.