Matawasa left and Katawasa said, “I hope you know what you are doing, she is so young, and yes, pretty. But hell we’re all that.”
“I hope I didn’t overestimate her skills or desire to win,” I said.
“Until Queastra can use her gift in speed with a sword, Matawasa is the best of us all with a katana,” she said. “Still, these are the very people that made Samurai and its Bushido code.”
“Let us hope I am correct then.”
“Aawasa and I are the only two available, my love,” Katawasa said.
“Aawasa!” I yelled. She joined us.
“I hold the two most beautiful women in the universe in my arms, no, Linda doesn’t count.” I said. They kissed me.
Rodel said, “Sire, the fighting was quite fierce, but you won, and NASA agrees, the entire Huston Superdome and surrounding land is the Camelot Embassy until we desire to change it, or leave. Full immunity to all Earth laws, regulations, and restrictions. Congrats on your victory against that oversexed woman devil they sent for their side. You will still pay a hefty rental fee.” He snickered.
As of old, I kept wanting to call it the Huston Astrodome, which was destroyed hundreds of years ago, but everyone kept calling its replacements the same name. Even today some call it Astrodome instead of Superdome, but the Astrodome originally held around 65,000 people for football. The Superdome held closer to 150,000 seated and another 25,000 standing. Even more if you moved some onto the field area. It was quite large.
“You having any problem with platinum production?” I asked
“No, Sire, it is but rearranging a few atomic particles. If they ever knew, poof to the world’s economy,” he said.
“Try to include as much gold as possible. The lead is easier to find and make,” I said.
“As soon as someone moves my backup main board to the new shell, I am ready to go. I don’t trust the maintenance robots to do it,” he said.
Aawasa said, “I will take care of his board.” She sighed and got up.
“She is burdened,” Katawasa said.
“Why?”
“She has knowingly deceived you a couple of times and she spoke of it. She remembers the ice baths, the rubs in the cave, the total devotion you gave her, even over us. Oh, we know and love you the more for it. You, in 220 years, as either Jake or John have never deceived any of us except to surprise. It does burden her lovely heart deeply, and I worry.”
“Take me surfing, just little ripples while I see if I can think of something, please?” I asked.
She smiled and we soon rode the surf, holding hands, and I thought.
She pointed and we rode a fair size curl in.
Three hours. The others felt, but enjoyed rather than pained. Katawasa had the best control of them all.
I got all but Aawasa together and talked, then called a Family Meeting.
I went to each of my wives, professed my love and devotion, as all but the latest two already knew.
I got to Aawasa. I took both her hands and stared into her eyes. I took out her heart and she was totally shocked, it took four of the others in deep concentration to help me, but I did it.
I held it and said, “it is darkened, my love, burdened. This troubles me deeply.” I slowly caressed it, lightly. “I found my beauty swimming in a lake. I wound up devoting my life, my love, and my soul to her. I asked for nothing. I did what I thought would please her. I married and sexed others, we had many children, but still it was always only for her. She was, and still is, my only desire, not my only love. I love you all, but my only desire, as Linda’s is for me. We know, we understand.” I kissed her heart as she had done so many times for me. “I now ask her to forgive my not seeing the burden my beliefs placed on her soul. Things, which she did not wish to do, but had to in order to get around my stubborn ways, things that have placed these black spots on such a pure heart, so full of love for so many. Can you, my dearest of dear, forgive my selfishness?” I kissed it and put it back and released.
She was in total shock. She knew I had help, she knew they had to help, she knew it meant they all loved her as much as I did or it couldn’t have worked. She knew, and she collapsed, and lay in a contented heap.
“She will be fine. To be able to do that is one thing, to have actually done is a true shock,” Linda said.
“Yes, that was another thing you all forgot to tell me about, by the way.”
I picked Aawasa up and placed her on the bed and I lay next to her. The others left. I hugged her as I had the night she was freezing. Slowly turning her.
She opened her eyes, saw me, smiled and cried. I just held her and said and did nothing. The tears would wash away her perceived sins, and all would be well.
Finally, she said, “I love you, your soul, not your body; never your body. You can, and always could have sex with any female in the universe, as much and as often as you wished, as long as you brought your soul back to me I would not care. You never seemed able to get around the sex is one with love, which has always forced me to do things I didn’t want to do. I promise to keep your soul happy. Ask the others, none care, we get far too much, we are happy to get a break. I do not jest, I beg. One five day trip alone is enough for us for six months!”
“Well then, I just wait, and we do it every six months.”
“The penning of desire is even more painful, my love. You still don’t see. You are a soul linked to a sex goddess, you are, until she becomes human again, a sex god! Linda ensures only the ones we choose conceive…please understand.”
“I can but promise to try,” I said.
“We have never asked for more from you, my husband,” she said.
They were all there as Rodel announced, “One hour to departure, one hour.”
“Rodel, that way is acceptable,” I said.
He giggled.
“You know, Sire, if NASA wants to give it another try, they can snipe you, and under your rules, walk away free,” Rodel said.
“I am counting on it. That is why I have your eyes and ears along, Sir. They will try to kill Brigit as well, accidentally in the line of fire, ties up their loose ends. They will have done so with deep regret of course.”
“Can you catch a bullet in flight fast enough to bubble? Or we bubble from the start?” I asked Linda.
“I assume you’re talking 50 cal at 3000 FPS, like Katawasa’s? I can catch it from the barrel onwards as long as I am looking for it. Then I kill the guy,” she said.
“Um, no, then we make him talk and the world sees a totally corrupt government at work, it makes it easier for us over time to prove they, not us, are the true barbarians. That is our ultimate goal.”
We finished everything we needed to. I slapped up my armor as we went to the hatch and cycled out. Linda bubbled the rest with all the gear, a robot, and our newest wife, who got her first peek at her insane family as a huge lion, and a sabertooth tiger appeared. Katawasa got a straddle on the tether knot.
We went to Huston. I told Rodel I wanted max scramble and he said our encryption wouldn’t be cracked.
We spotted the Superdome as we descended. Rodel sent in a few fly-on-the-wall bugs. We went through the roof opening. As we cleared the roof, Rodel said, “Two human snipers in the rafters on the west side, one remote bot on the other side.”
Linda said, “Got them, no problem.”
I told them, “It will happen after the ribbon cutting, as soon as it is officially our soil. Katawasa and Aawasa rear guard, Brigit and Matawasa stand by me to the left and right and one step to the rear. Linda and Rodel front left and right. Queastra float with your bow. Linda, your call when, or if to bubble. I prefer not to give away our advantages more than necessary.” This is where what my wives really are, shines clear.
I got rogers all around. “Linda and I will up armor so the audience that Rodel will ensure is there, sees the helpless barbarians are not as helpless as thought, and they get a pretty picture of our shields and motto. You may be scared shitless, but do us
proud and show nothing, no fear or remorse or caring,” I said, more for Brigit and Matawasa.
“We land in ten,” Rodel said--he meant seconds.
As we touched, I told Katawasa, “We should have brought your 50 cal, given some shooting lessons.” Those of us that knew snickered.
“Four pistols on the men by the ribbon,” came from Rodel, as he scanned the area with his various, and vast store of, detectors.
Queastra said, “I can take them, no sweat.” I told her if they get close, the swords would; she was to remain loose. Linda’s help had taught Queastra that she did not have to slow down to shoot, just redirect her mental focus.
As soon as we touched ground we dismissed the mounts and Linda and I removed our armor. As we walked the twenty yards to the center of the field, the robot Rodel let loose a couple more fly-on-the-wall type spy probes. All of the wives had casually pulled station; the pros among the four gunmen saw and took concern, but clearly not worry. A few half-naked women with swords and an old 44 cal Sturnum were not any major threat to their orders. Rodel headed for our skybox to get a better vantage point.
I went forward, some reporter asked why only skimpy battle-dresses, but heavy fur boots?
I said, “My first queen, Aawasa, is in charge of their fashions.” A few snickers were heard.
“If you have not been there, space is cold! That’s why the boots, of course,” and she laughed as all removed the boots. They were ready for action.
I stood on the 50-yard line. Rodel was in the skybox, Linda to my front right for a clear shot at the snipers.
Aawasa to my left rear, Katawasa to my right rear. Brigit to my right, one-step back, and Matawasa to my left, also one-step back.
The four-armed men split, two came down the right and two the left; they wanted to get behind my pistol so I had to turn one way or other to shoot. They disregarded my queens.
“The President sends his regrets, matters of state overseas has prevented his return in time,” the Vice President said. Introductions went around. We were introduced to the Vice President of NASA and two high, but I knew not highest, generals as one of them spoke up and we were told the four men were a normal Secret Service security detail for the VP. Rodel said two more snipers were in a booth to our right and one in the second booth on the left. I informed Queastra who said those suckers were hers. Small boomers were devastating in enclosed areas.
There were a mass of media and we adjusted our approach to try to keep them out of the line of fire.
The cowardly President was in hiding and watching a monitor somewhere, I just felt it.
“Attack helo spotted, south, 1600 yards, looks like it has two 5.56mm mini guns if things go south.”
“Well, damn, play for keeps with them. Fuel leak, kaboom, regrets. Time it right and it can distract the others for a second.”
“Yes, Sire.” The robot maneuvered for a clear shot. His hypervelocity nailers had to be dead on; he only had sixteen of the hullmetal slivers. I was originally going to use him on the robot sniper.
“Linda, you’ll have to get both sniper groups.”
The Vice President made a flowery speech for the media. Foreign dignitaries from space, diplomatic relations, a bunch of crap.
The Vice President held my hands on the big scissors to help joint cut the ceremonial ribbon. He was going to try to hold my hands so his gunners could get a good shot, not knowing I wasn’t even going to be involved. Cameras flashed, vids were running.
“In the name…”
“Get ready,” I sub’d,
“Of NASA, the planet Earth and NATO I declare this Camelot Embassy now Open.”
The cameras clearly showed the sequence of events. He hit the n in open and squeezed the scissors, the sniper in the rafters fired, the remote robot fired, the three ground floor snipers started to squeeze up on their triggers, four guards went for their guns, a helicopter exploded nearby, two gunmen flinched, a sniper flinched. Linda fired her sword; a blue bolt shot and two snipers disappeared in a puff of blue smoke. Their rifles’ deadly rounds were heading to their targets, but melted. The blue arch picked up a robot sniper and turned it into slag, but its bullet just got free. I armored up.
Two girls with swords in one step each either removed a head or a hand holding a gun, from the four guards who were clearly surprised by their speed.
They think a black girl ran five yards to the right, fired two arrows and ran twelve yards to the left and fired three more--they do know there were a series of explosions in three spots and somewhere a hidden President smiled at his good fortune to have been away at the time.
By then the ribbon had just touched the ground and I fell, a bullet through the shoulder. His hand had actually stopped me from getting my armor up in time. In but a few seconds it was all over.
The Vice President was already begging for his life, just following the Presidents orders, protecting the EMM and its people, blah, blah.
Linda checked the wound and went to put her hand on it, but I said, “No, later.”
“A little slow, my husband, too much sex, not enough training,” Katawasa said, as she wiped the blood off her sword. It was loud enough for the Earth TV microphones to pick it up.
I stood up and went to the Vice president. I was bleeding and I saw red, but I was under control.
“This is Camelot soil, you have given me offense, but I will not punish you. My wives shall. By your deed they lose valuable time with me, especially my poor fifteen and a half year old who needs the most attention. Matawasa, please come here.” I sub’d to her, “Nothing fancy. No secrets.”
She said, “Roger.”
“This cretin has violated our laws, do you find offense with his action?” I asked.
“My King, I find much offense, for now I may miss your delights,” she said.
“Don’t overdo it, please?” I sub’d.
She smiled, flicked three times, off went his head and that of two generals, this part was over.
One guard remained alive; he claimed they were paid assassins for the President of NASA, not military. These claims were without an arm that had once held a pistol, and to a TV reporter. My wife Aawasa said she had also been offended. Flick, the guard was no more.
She turned and looked to the TV, covered in blood. “Now you know why we wear few clothes, blood stains are so hard to remove!” She glared; they cut the video feed after panning the carnage and more than a few getting sick.
“Wait, our show needs a closing segment. Linda dearest, did you kill the snipers in the rafters?” I asked.
“No, my husband, we tried to avoid killing but, as was clearly shown, they drew first blood. The snipers are in that fishpond or fountain out there in the parking area. You wish to see them?”
“Please, my dearest, that would be nice,” I said.
She popped up her lion and took off.
“Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, look up in the sky. Never mind,” I said to the TV crews. “I am sure you have better things going on, but a few minutes more?” Like they were going anywhere.
She was back in a minute. One guy across her saddle the other in the lion’s mouth.
She threw one off, the lion dropped the other. She dismissed the lion and stood with hands on hips and legs slightly spread for maximum effect.
She took one in each hand and stood them in front of me.
They looked around, saw all the dead bodies, and knew they were in trouble, big trouble.
“Who do you work for?” I asked.
The Lieutenant spotter said, we are NATO troops, Sir, and under the Geneva Convention–”
I stopped him. “You are on Camelot soil, that convention has no application here. I ask only once more, if there is any lie in the answer, my wives have already taken offense, as you see.” I pointed around to the various bodies.
“I cannot promise the outcome for truth, but I guarantee the outcome for lies. Who ordered the hit?”
“My commander said
it was from the highest sources in NATO, I swear it is the truth.”
“Are you regular Army?” I asked
“Yes, Sir.”
I looked at the shooter, a Staff Sergeant.
“You also, Sergeant?”
“Yes, Sir,” he said, scared but still proud.
I sub’d, “Check, see if it is true. Let them live, turn them back over to me.”
“I happen to have my sniper with me this day, I will pass your lives to her judgment.”
“Katawasa, my darling queen? Will you stand judge on these two?”
“Yes, my husband,” she said, and stepped forward holding each of their hands a second.
She asked about the weapon, range, sights and if they, like her, could hit a nickel at 2000 yards and hit a moving target with a bow at 200 yards with five bulls in four seconds?” They gawked but had seen Queastra move--sort of--and admitted they could not.
“Sire, I find they are nothing but what they say, warriors doing a job they thought was for their country. I say let them live, since they injured no one.” She bowed to me, and them, and backed to position.
On Live TV the world over, I said, “I am King Jake of Camelot, I have been offended by a group called NATO most grievously this day. I came here under a banner of diplomatic friendship. I declare these two men to be retired from NATO with full pay and benefits and are now under the full protection of my planet.” I tried to look stern.
“I place a bounty upon the head of this President person of ten million dollars in Platinum, not because of what he did, but because he was too cowardly to come here himself, and watches from a monitor while in hiding. If you cannot kill that cretin, contact any of my wives, they will do it for you and you will still be paid. All this is done, I need tending.” I shook my head. “So stupid.”
We went to the owner’s box and Linda made my wound go away.
“That went well, I think,” Queastra said, and cracked up, the tension eased as ground crews cleaned up the carnage. “Huston, my doves have landed,” I said. I don’t know when we stopped giggling.
It was still only two in the afternoon. They had met our negotiated requests. A full kitchen, two large beds in the same room, two smaller rooms with a bed, the showers were almost done.
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