Authors: Darryl T. Mallard
As Beral III and Lord Talos entered their chamber they both suddenly stopped in their tracks at the sight of the people waiting for them inside.
“Well, that was interesting,” said the regal, honey skinned beauty standing in the middle of the room. Beside her was a seven feet tall curvaceous beauty with olive skin and a bust size almost as large as Beral’s own. Both women had snow white hair that fell well past their waists bespeaking great age although, in all other ways, they appeared to be young women in their twenties. Immediately, Beral and Talos dropped to their knees heads to the floor before the two. The honey skinned woman looked at Talos and grinned. “For certain, he’s one of yours!” she said to the big darker complexioned woman. “No doubt about it!” The giant beauty grinned and her formidable teeth came into view. “Stand up, child,” said the smaller woman to the empress, who trembling did so, along with her husband. The smaller woman examined the empress closely. Beral III had the same shaped full luscious lips as her, but little else. She looked at her Oriental features closely and smiled. “Your grandsire was that boy from the, Kang Clan, wasn’t he?”
“Y…Yes, Great Ancestor,” stammered Beral.
“Your father was from my sister’s, Lady Tina’s line, though. A boy sired by an earth mutant named ‘Akihito’ if I read the lineage right, no?” Again Beral nodded. Then the woman smiled and walked around guessing Beral’s shape even through her robes and gave the empress a playful slap on the behind. “But you got
that
from mine and my lord Cato’s genes,” she laughed, “along with those beautiful feline eyes.” She looked at the black giant and grinned. “You have those same eyes boy, which is the most insistent gene of ‘The Great Cat.’ But your size gives your other lineage away.”
The big darker woman examined Lord Talos closely. “Uncover your face,” she said, and the man quickly complied. The woman looked at his features and smiled. “Oh yes, you’re one of mine alright. And you have the look of my mate, too.” Then she laughed and embraced the man fondly. The other woman did the same with, Beral. “Um, how closely related are you two…again?” asked the big woman a little nervously after a moment.
“Quite distantly, Great Mother Gorgo,” said Beral quickly. “We are both of our great ancestor, Cato’s lineage and of your great ancestor, Cassandra’s, but as you can see…”
“Yes, yes,” said Bellasaris with a chuckle, “quite right. In any case, that is not what I came here to see you about. The Prime Minister, Landau,
did
inform you about our little talk not long ago, yes?” The empress swallowed and nodded. “I just need to know…
why
are you getting us involved with those Earth people again? They have nothing we really need and have always proven more trouble than they’re worth. Humph! Even the mutants have proven to be
annoying
at times, so…why?”
“I have great concern for the mutants that we left behind on Earth, Great Mother,” said Beral sadly. “I have read my great ancestor, Titus’s, biography many times, along with other Earthborn metahumans and I have been horrified. Our own early history is not pretty either where the humans are concerned. I…I just can’t help feeling that we abandoned those poor people.”
Bellasaris embraced the young woman (by her standards at least) again and kissed her on the cheek fondly. “We brought as many as we could back with us, honey,” she said, “but we needed to get our own house in order. The humans would have been a serious impediment if we tried to maintain any sort of contact with them on Earth.”
“But it was always said that we would come back for our kin once we were solidly on our feet, Great Ancestor,” replied Beral. “Now is the time. The American President is even a woman now. That is most auspicious, no?”
“No,” growled Gorgo. “If she were a ‘Mutant’ president
that
would be auspicious! But, woman or no, she is
still
a human! Never trust a human!”
“We don’t, Great Ancestor,” said Talos in a deep voice, “but we may get what we want now by giving the monkeys harmless toys to play with.”
Bellasaris laughed. “There is no such thing as harmless toys where humans are concerned, my son! Whatever you give them in exchange for, I assume…
mutants?
They will immediately try to find ways to use them in military applications. Their own history has proved this time and again. The airplane had barely been used once before some fool in a uniform had figure out how to mount a machinegun on it and soon it was being used to drop bombs on people and eventually…cities. They
haven’t
changed.” Bellasaris watched as Beral and Talos thought this over. “My lord Talos,” smiled Bellasaris, “have you studied human mythology from Earth?”
“Why yes, Great One,” replied the, High Lord.
“Are you familiar with, Norse Mythology?” said Bellasaris.
“Not as well as the Greek I’m afraid,” smiled Talos. Bellasaris chuckled. The boy’s very name came from Greek Myth. “Talos: The Man of Bronze”.
“You are familiar with, Odin, the Norse King of the gods, yes?” Talos nodded. “Well, Odin was known to disguise himself and travel the nine worlds in search of knowledge. Often he appeared as an old one eyed man in a broad hat or hood, carrying a cane. Sometimes his son, Thor, and the god of mischief or fire, Loki, would accompany him, but as often as not, he was alone. Well, on one of his travels, he entered a land where all the thralls worked with dull tools. Evidently, no one had ever seen a whetstone before in this country, so the work was very hard. Odin was moved to pity and determined to make their lives easier. Using his own whetstone he sharpened the thrall’s tools to serviceable conditions with the foreseen results. Naturally, the thralls all had to have the whetstone, which Odin playfully kept out of their reach. However, in the commotion, the frenzied slaves, unused to sharp tools, killed one another trying to get the whetstone and the well-meaning, but now remorseful Odin, learned a valuable lesson.” The moral of this tale was becoming clear to Beral and her husband. “I will watch you closely to see what unfolds, since you’ve already started this thing, but remember this; the humans must
never
get the teleportation technology or
any
military weaponry. We, both Humans and Metahumans, are an aggressive species born of the same common ancestry, even though many do not openly admit to this. We mutants of Bellasaria have embraced our need to fight, but have foresworn weapons of slaughter, and have chosen to fight in ways that limit the loss of life…they have not. The Earthlings will destroy themselves if you give them what they want, my children, both mutant and human, and, if given the chance…us as well.”
“Yes, Great Ancestor,” replied Beral.
Bellasaris nodded, satisfied that her descendant understood the danger and turned to leave, but then stopped and turned again. “Oh, by the way, are you going to invite the Akkadians and the Earth people to the feast tonight?”
“No,” replied Beral, “a formal dinner will be held for them and all of us tomorrow. I will feast and wine our own people tonight…and in our ways.”
“No, invite them too,” said Bellasaris.
Beral sighed. “Yes, Great Ancestor. I was hoping that I wouldn’t have to wear these cumbersome robes again tonight, but… I will inform the other queens, kings and their kin to dress and behave as not to offend the…”
“No, you will do no such thing,” said Bellasaris. “They will be comfortable and free to enjoy themselves.”
“But, Great Bellasaris,” stammered the empress, “if…well, you know how the Akkadians are. And the Earth humans are just as stuffy and prudish. In fact, more so! They will become offended if the people let themselves go and enjoy themselves the way we customarily do.”
Bellasaris looked at Beral and shook her head. “Do you and yours obey
their
ways and follow their customs in their lands?” Beral nodded. “Then the Akkadians and Earthlings can kiss my ass!! They cherish their customs and concepts of morality so much? Then they can
keep
them…in their OWN land!!”
“Y…Yes, Great Bellasaris!” said Beral. “Well, even if I must dress not to offend their standards, that shouldn’t…”
“What are you talking about
now
, child?!” said Bellasaris in irritation. “I said you need not try to please these aliens and tight-asses!”
“No, Great One!” said Beral quickly. “It is for the honor of our family! You and the others have bodies that…well…It would not do our house justice in the eyes of the Earthlings if they saw my fat…”
“Take off those ridiculous clothes,” snapped Bellasaris, and the self-conscious Beral reluctantly did so. She stepped out of her robes and stood naked before her two elder kinswomen. Gorgo let out a whistle. Bellasarian women are not easily impressed, but the girl’s body
was
remarkable. “I don’t know who put the idea in your silly head that there was anything wrong with your body, but she, and it could
only
have been a woman, was lying through her jealous teeth. Do you have a problem with your wife’s body?” asked Bellasaris, of Talos.
Talos’s mouth opened in a wide grin and said, “No.”
“You will not wear those things!” snapped Bellasaris, pointing at the discarded robes. “You will wear what you
like
and remind these fools why the women of our clan are desired by men from here to the silver sea…even to the realm of Earth! Do you understand?”
“Y…Yes, honored ancestor!” said Beral III quickly.
Bellasaris then smiled and put her hand to Beral’s face. “And have fun yourself…
Empress
.” After a little further telepathic instructions that excluded Gorgo and Talos, Bellasaris turned again, leaving the empress and her husband both perplexed, but for different reasons.
Using a hand held dimensional device, Bellasaris and Gorgo opened a portal and departed back through to what Prime Minister Landau described as ‘The Hidden City of The Elders’. Gorgo looked at Bellasaris and grinned. “You know, you were once a little too accommodating to the monkeys and the mutant prudes of Earth too once. Don’t be too hard on the girl.”
“Yes, that is true,” said Bellasaris. “But on Earth I had to placate the humans and our potential allies for our own survival. Beral is not so bound. The humans of Earth can eat shit for all I care and the Akkadians too. Where is Cato? I’m going to that party,
and
I’ll want to, how do those Earth people say, ‘Get-My-Groove-On’ before the night is over. (Heh!) And I won’t be the only one. Did you see the way that little girl from the Forest Kingdom was looking at Prince Tabba?”
“You know she’s my son Harold’s descendant,” said Gorgo.
Bellasaris chuckled. “And
he
is descended from your son, Marius, and my daughter, Beral I, as well. But there has been plenty of new blood in between. They are
very
distant cousins. Yes, it will be alright for them to mate.”
“If the boy is
willing
,” said Gorgo. “He didn’t seem interested to me. And she seemed very angry with him for ignoring her.”
Bellasaris looked at Gorgo and shook her head. That she, a feral mutant herself, hadn’t picked up what had occurred was quite amusing. “Dear sister, didn’t you notice the girl’s reaction when the boy growled at her? I mean her
first
reaction…just for a few seconds. I saw it! Oh, he turned her on! Is she pissed that he was indifferent to her…seemingly? Yes. But that one is a pisser! She’ll have
her
way. And I’ll see to it! I’ve already given Beral III mental instructions to see to it that her son not only continues to wear his face covering, but his formal clothes as well at the party tonight.”
Gorgo made a face, “Why?!”
“You’ll see,” said Bellasaris with a giggle. “The empress was a little taken aback as well, especially after what I had told
her
. But she agreed to trust me on this one. That little girl will be dying to know what his face looks like and what’s under all those ridiculous clothes. I predict she’ll be tearing those things off of him before the night is out. Hah! And if the boy is as attractive of face and form as his father, and I assure you he is, it won’t stop there.” Bellasaris grinned evilly. She knew the prudish humans and Akkadians would be absolutely speechless, horrified. In fact, incensed! “With a little luck, they’ll bond and formal marriage negotiations will begin as soon as the great summit is concluded.”
“Why are you so bent on those two becoming mates?” asked Gorgo. She knew her sister well; there was more than just whim to all of this.
“From the time when your son Harold first destroyed that bastard, Tarrack, and freed the region from his iron fisted rule, that nation has been ruled by men…until now. For now, a queen sits in power, but a bonding between a prince of the main house to that little fireball could insure a continued
female
succession during the marriage negotiations that will follow. Princess Abe has several siblings, but she is the one that is most outstanding among her sisters.”
“She has three older brothers,” said Gorgo with a sigh.
Bellasaris made a face and said, “Her brothers
are
capable, but I like
her
. I can’t help it. Male ruled nations make me nervous. And that nation founded a few hundred years ago in the western wilderness hasn’t helped. We were almost too late with that one. It’s STILL a problem to this day. What a nightmare!”