The Mutant World (32 page)

Beverly Chambers looked at the woman who had spoken. She had referred to Melmoria as
“Her”
land. This undeniably
was
a former queen, and from the way all the other Bellasarians practically groveled before her, even Queen Tabitha, she wasn’t just
any
queen at that.

“Please, honored elder,” said President Chambers quickly, using the most proper language for a Bellasarian elder. “This woman does not speak for all of us. Also, it takes time to become used to the ways of others. Of course, you were also right about …this material. However, there are deviants, both mutant and human in Bellasarian society as well, right? Queen Tabitha,” said Chambers looking at the queen, “please accept my apologies on behalf of any who have offended you and let’s put this incident behind us.” Melmore and Tabitha looked at each other, but before they could speak, a man stood up to addressed them.

“Honored ladies, my queen, I would say that we bear much of the blame here as well. A good host should try to make his or her guest comfortable. But instead, we exposed these people to aspects of our culture right away that was certain to make many of them uncomfortable. This was not right.” Beverly and indeed all the other Earth delegates were shocked, not just by the words of the Melmorian, but at his
appearance
. He was fully clothed! The man was tall and wore flowing robes. On his head was a round cap. His beard was neat and trimmed. Like most Bellasarians, he was very handsome and well-made. His eyes were reptilian and his complexion dark.

“Prince Muhammad,” said Queen Tabitha. “We are Melmorians. We do not, nor will we
ever
, bow to the sensibilities of aliens! Be they human or mutant! The humans were made well aware of our pride and of our culture before they came here! You are one of those who have chosen to follow the path of the outsiders, but you do not look down on us or try to force your…
values
on the rest of us. The last time your people tried such a thing it did not go so well for you, yes?” The prince swallowed. “Usually, you do not choose to come to such parties at all. Indeed, I am surprised to see you here.”

“My Queen, do you think I would miss such an event? Please be gracious. Let those who wish to remain and enjoy themselves stay. If any should wish to leave, allow me to entertain them at my residence.” Queen Tabitha looked at Melmore who reluctantly nodded. “Excellent. It will be but a small task to have my people prepare a proper meal and entertainment. That is, if they don’t mind alcohol not being severed.”

“I…I assure you, that will not be a problem at all,” said the woman who had spoken out before. One of the Arab ambassadors approached and greeted the Melmorian prince.

“Assalam alaikum,”
he said.

“Wa alayk s-salamu wah rahmat l-lahi wa barakatuh,”
replied the prince, and the two men embraced. In but moments several, indeed most of the Earth delegates and their aides were leaving with the prince. However, much to Queen Tabitha’s amusement, some stayed. No one was surprised that Luther was among them, but some were genuinely surprised that President Chambers and the First Man stayed as well, despite the fact that others of her staff had left. The President of France and his staff also was among the ones who remained. The Akkadian President and his wife did not remain, nor did most of their staff, this surprised no one. Two Akkadians
did
remain, and as soon as their masters had left they quickly relaxed and began to behave like other Bellasarian mutants. Although many of the Earth delegates and their staff who left were surprised and even disappointed in those who remained, the wisdom of this act of strange diplomacy would be seen later. This show of adaptability and the desire to at least
try
to conform to the natives rather than the other way around would earn those who stayed much respect and friends among the Melmorians. As for the Bellasarians, things were getting interesting. The Illyrian Princess had her eye on the big Barratian Prince for some time now, but the Mavie Queen had become ignited by the boy and bonded with him. It was expected that a battle for his affections was inevitable. To be honest, it didn’t look hopeful for Queen Bal, everything was stacked against her. She was half human, disfigured and her people were the boy’s mortal enemies. Princess Bellasaris, or ‘Bella” on the other hand was of impeccable lineage and had the favor of the prince’s father, something Queen Bal definitely did not have. Yet, from the looks of it now, Bal was ahead. Indeed, the two were snuggled in a corner of the dining hall. Already one round of love-play was done and a huge ceerius joint devoured. Bal had very white skin and she stood out sharply against Pantherus’s olive complexion. She began to gently nudge and tug at the Barratian youth who was now conversing with a young Melmorian nobleman lying nearby with his companion. Queen Tabitha and Lord Clave watched the two with amusement as Bal became more and more insistent on his attention.

“So it’s true what they say,” said Clave, as Bal began to motivate Pantherus.

“Apparently so,” replied Tabitha. “I have always heard that once ignited by a male, Mavie females were the most insatiable and sensitive of all Bellasarian women.”

“This does not surprise me,” said Melmore, joining the conversation. “They fight their true natures their whole lives, aside from those who truly do prefer women. They may take female lovers, but it’s not the same. So, when they do find their true mate…well, you see the results.”

“I sure do. Goddess! I don’t think she’ll step aside easily. The empress’s daughter might just have to look elsewhere.”

“It is seldom that easy, child,” laughed Melmore. “I wanted your ancestor, Cato, and I would have him! I didn’t care that Bellasaris and the others were mated to him already. I didn’t care if it meant war…twice! I would, and in the end,
did
have my way. Oh no, Bella isn’t going to look elsewhere.”

Queen Tabitha was looking at Queen Bal and Prince Pantherus, who was now giving her his undivided attention. Clave suddenly felt her hand. “My…My lord…Please…”

Clave chuckled. “So, they have aroused you. Heh! You’re as bad as those humans and their…their
porno
movie disc.”

“It’s not the same! Please, husband?” Clave looked at Melmore.

“Go ahead and enjoy yourselves!” said Melmore with a laugh. “My mate is not here and I’m not interested in the touch of another male. I’ll watch over things for a while.”

******

CHAPTER ELEVEN
PRINCE MUHAMMAD, THE PEOPLE OF THE BOOKS, NANA

“W
elcome to my estate, friends,” said Prince Muhammad smiling. “These people are also my guest tonight, they are most eager to meet people from the homeworld.” The Earthlings and Akkadians smiled and nodded in greetings. These Melmorians were also decently attired, but it was soon evident that not all of them were Muslims. The Prince explained. “Here in Melmoria, people of the books are fewer than anywhere else on Bellasaria. Indeed, they are the majority only in Akkadia. Since in Melmoria buildings for the express purpose of the worship of a god are
still
forbidden, my home serves as a mosque/synagogue/ church. By the law originally made by Bellasaris the Great, buildings for the purpose of worshiping a god are forbidden, but people may fellowship in private homes, natural shelters or any structure that can be put up and put down within an hour…preferably tents. Being a private residence, albeit a large one, I am allowed to let people gather to worship here.” The prince led the group into the large feasting hall where food was already prepared along with nonalcoholic beverages. Much to the relief of many, nothing was still alive or raw. The prince warned his Muslim and Jewish guest not to indulge in any meat from a certain table in the hall if they should decide to get up and serve themselves. The prince smiled and said, “Perhaps I should not have had so much food prepared. No doubt, you’ve already eaten much at the queen’s palace.”

“No, actually many of us were not very much in the mood for eating there,” said one woman dryly. “If it wasn’t the naked people all around us it would have been the live animals being eaten and the…Well, never mind. I do believe many folks here are hungry and now in the mood for food, and I must say it smells delicious!”

The prince chuckled. “I…had a feeling that would be the case. I apologize for not arriving sooner before the party progressed to the usual stage in Bellasarian diplomatic gatherings, but I had to make sure all was appropriate and right here.” Then Muhammad laughed again and clapped his hands and the guests were shown to their places. The night progress well and there was music and entertainment that no one (aside from overly conservative types) would complain about.

President Kaminski’s wife leaned over to him and grinning said, “If we ever have to come to Melmoria again, I know where I’m staying.”

A little later, much to the surprise of many, Queen Tana of the Great Forest Kingdom arrived with her consort. At the queen’s palace they had been as naked as the Melmorians, but when they showed up at Prince Muhammad’s estate via teleport they were wearing clothes. In fact, they were
very
clothed. One of the dignitaries gave the prince a questioning look as they approached and he smiled.

“My kin may go naked and often on all fours in their own land and elsewhere where it is accepted, but they are still Christians, fellow people of the books. Of course they would pay their respects and dress accordingly as not to offend me and the others.” The prince then rose and greeted the queen. “Welcome, Queen Tana, Lord Mark. How goes the feast at the queen’s palace?”

Queen Tana smiled and replied, “Very well, once those who didn’t wish to be there were no longer there. And your wife says she will be arriving later.”

After a little more pleasantries, the queen and her consort left and one of the Arab leaders quickly addressed the prince.

“Prince Muhammad, did she say your wife was at that…that shameless feast?”

“Yes,” said the prince with a sigh. “My wife is not Muslim. She practices the native religion, Nana, like Queen Tana’s daughter, Princess Abe.”

“But…You’re not worried what might happen in such a place? I mean no disrespect, but…”

Prince Muhammad chuckled. “Brother, my wife has bonded with me. If she had not, she would not have married me, seeing how I practice an alien faith. Do you know what ‘Bonding’ means?” The other men looked at each other. “It means,” laughed the prince, “that she will never seek the touch of another man while I live. Unless, that is, I do something very stupid like trying to force my will on her and rule over her, causing her to hate me, thus breaking the bonding. Believe it or not, Bellasarian mutant women make the perfect wives when they bond…and even when they don’t. They really try to please their mates…in many ways. But women rule here and they are proud and potentially dangerous when they perceive their freedom is in danger. We have had to make many changes to our thinking and ways in order to survive here. But they are not unreasonable. She will not appear before my guest immodestly or behave in any way that would offend me or you.”

“But no doubt she is as beautiful and well-formed as the rest of the women of this realm,” said a woman dryly, “what if someone tries to…”

“Not likely,” said Muhammad. “Male mutants normally would not behave in such a way. You forget, unlike your people, a beautiful and well-endowed naked woman would not affect a man of our land to such a degree unless she went out of her way to do so. We see them all the time. It’s nothing here. Besides…my wife is incredibly powerful and ferocious when provoked. She is capable of tearing most mutants apart with her bare hands. A human wouldn’t stand a chance. Nor would one
dare
to approach a mutant woman in such a way here in Melmoria.” The other men swallowed and left it at that.

******

It was now late and many of the Earth people and Akkadians were departing back to the queen’s palace via teleport. However, many of the leaders from the Islamic World and others of a religious mindset chose to remain a little longer. They were full of questions and here was also a possible ally and benefactor on Bellasaria.

“Prince,” asked a Saudi diplomat, “what is it like to be a Muslim here on Bellasaria, much less in Melmoria?”

“Well, surprisingly not that difficult,” said Prince Muhammad. “In the beginning there were difficulties of course. Example, the five pillars of faith. Naturally, only three can be practiced here.”

“Oh?” asked a man. “Why?”

“With the exception of Akkadia, which is independent of the empire, it is not allowed by law for any religion or religious leaders to accept, ask for, demand or in any way collect money from their followers. Naturally, ‘Zakat’ falls into that category. It also wouldn’t go over well with people if Muslims collected money to help impoverished Muslims
only
and not everyone else. That is the sort of thing that makes people not like you. In any case, zakat really isn’t necessary here. As
you have probably already noticed, Bellasarians take good care of their people. No one goes homeless or hungry here.” The Earth people looked at each other. This was true.

“‘Haj’, continued Prince Muhammad, “is the other pillar that is, or
was
, impossible to keep. Once Queen Bellasaris recalled the Island of Bain and closed the two realms, pilgrimage was impossible. However, now that the two realms have reopened relations, we are hopeful.”

“What about prayer?” asked a man. “How do you know where to pray?”

“Obviously we can’t have a Qibla,” said Prince Muhammad. “Mecca does not exist in this realm. But, we are confident that Allah understands and as the book says, ‘He is most gracious, most merciful’.” The people looked at each other and nodded.

“Prince, how can you abide these ‘Kuffars’?” said one man. “They are most immodest and immoral!”

The prince looked at the man and frowned. “Brother, we do not refer to non-Muslims as ‘Kuffars’ here. Not any longer. It is forbidden! Nor do Christians and Jews use terms like, Heathens, Infidels, Goyams or Pagans. We do not use terms here to differentiate ourselves from our fellow Bellasarians based on religion. We have learned that this helps to breed feelings of superiority which in turn leads to religious fanaticism. It was a hard and costly lesson to learn, but we learned. The proper terms are ‘Non-Muslims’ or ‘Those who do not follow the books’. But in truth, we try not to use even these phrases too often.” The men and women looked at each other.

“Prince Muhammad,” said a diplomat, “I have heard this term, ‘People of the Books’ many times now. In Islam, this generally refers to Jews and Christians. But you use it to describe Muslims as well…why?”

“The people of Bellasaria see Muslims, Jews, and Christians as but sects of the same faith, with many sub-sects or denominations within the sects. I tend to agree,” said Prince Muhammad. “On Earth we were once separate, often warring entities, but here we are brothers. We didn’t always see it this way, but we have been forced to look at ourselves in a new light or face annihilation. Religious fanaticism is not tolerated on Bellasaria, and we are vastly outnumbered. ‘Nana’ is the religion most Bellasarians follow.”

“You say annihilation?” said someone.

“Yes. You of course are familiar with the events on Bain just before we separated ourselves from the Earth Realm? You know of the now infamous Reverend Green and his follower’s attempted revolt to take over and establish a new order on Bain? It was two thousand years ago for us, but merely fifteen or twenty for you, no?” The others nodded. “Well, Green had supporters from the Muslim and Jewish faiths as well. The crazy idea of establishing religious states of their own on Bain and eventually Bellasaria was their motivation. Bah! Well, you know how THAT ended. The heads of Green and his accomplices were on spikes decorating Queen Bellasaris’s palace walls and every Muslim, Jew, and Christian on Bain came within a hair of being slaughtered down to the last man woman and child. Fortunately, that didn’t happen. However, Bellasaris had finally had enough. She forbade all temples of any kind to be built in her empire and the other queens quickly followed. She forbade any collections of monies in the name of a god or religion, and any found doing so would find his or her head removed from their body. If any religious violence occurred, even among ourselves, Bellasaris swore not to differentiate or listen to who started what, but would put down the trouble brutally and finally showing no mercy to either side. Bellasaris then attacked every source of corruption and violence where it had been known to grow in the past concerning religion. She attacked the biggest one first. Religious leaders were forbidden from acquiring wealth or seeking political power.
‘Materialism and earthly power are not for holy men, nor should they desire them!’
she said. Religions or religious organizations cannot demand or beg money from their followers. The punishment for doing so is dire.

She forbade evangelizing. Yes, it is also forbidden for us to try to convert others. They may come to us, but we cannot go forth and try to bring them into our faiths. We need even be careful of what we say. Terms like ‘Jihad’ and ‘Crusade’ can get you killed here if used in the
wrong
context. Better,
safer
, not to use them at all.
We
ourselves banned all terms deemed derogatory to people of other faiths.”

“No one tried to fight this?” asked a man.

The prince looked at the man closely. “Yes, during the reign of Queen Beral II, also known as ‘The Iron Panther’. For many years there had been peace…concerning religion that is. The People of the Books gradually began to earn the trust of the Bellasarian people. We did good things for goodness’s sake, and not just for people of own faiths, but for everyone. We could not preach, but we managed to gain some converts nonetheless by our good examples. We obeyed the laws and our religious leaders denounced money and materialism. We even stopped focusing on our differences and began focusing on what we had in common. Indeed, many agreed that in some ways, Bellasaris did us a favor! We raised tents for our worship or gathered in caves or homes in bad weather or congregated in open parks and fields when weather was good. We began to realize that we really didn’t
need
money to function or
permanent
structures requiring upkeep and money to serve God. In time, the rulers of the Bellasarians began to feel that they had nothing to fear from us any longer, that we had finally learned from our violent past. The common people were at ease with us and even liked us. Queen Shoko I finally lifted the ban on buildings of worship providing they were maintained without collecting money from their people, and soon church bells, horns and muezzins could be heard in most cities in Bellasaria once more. I know, the people didn’t
need
temples, churches and mosques’ but they still
wanted
them. Things were going well for everyone.”

“But…” said someone warily.

The prince’s eyes became hard. “In time, with the freedom to become assholes again, people became assholes again!” The guests were shocked at this sudden profanity from the prince, who until now had been the picture of correctness in both speech and manner. “Forgive me friends,” apologized the prince. “In the beginning all was well, then little bit by little bit people began to test the waters. Once houses of worship were built, people of different faiths, who once mingled freely and even worshiped together, began to gravitate to their own again. Then religious leaders began to acquire power within their congregations and as our temples and numbers grew, so did their egos and audacity. Queen Shoko was unprepared for trouble of a religious nature. She had read about the worst aspects of it in history, but she didn’t see the growing seeds until the tree had grown and was bearing fruit! Attempts to convert the queen and win favor for any faith, did not go well. It didn’t help that religious leaders of both Christianity and Islam began to openly tell the world of their intentions to convert the Illyrian Empire and eventually the world. Can you imagine?” One or two of the Earthlings looked at each other. “Islam and Christianity increasingly became less appealing to Bellasarians and many of our converts started to rethink their choices and began to return to ‘Nana’ which had the same core belief in one all-powerful deity as ours, but few of the rules and
none
of the emphasis on bowing down and blind obedience. The Christians took such loses bitterly, but peacefully. However, this was not the case with many Muslims. One loony Imam declared all those who abandoned Islam were apostates and began preaching violence. At least one person was killed. She was a woman…a pregnant
mutant
woman.”