Rebel's Revenge Chapter 18

Chapter 18



General Zanik had posted Chris as a guard about a hundred yards down in the ravine after they had collected enough firewood, to keep an eye out for both Monday's scouting party and any uninvited guests. He'd heard nothing, but sensing a presence near, he slowly turned around to his right. He was shocked. Monday sat not ten feet away grinning mischievously at him.

"Come on down and give us a hand with the dinner Chris," Monday stated, a wide grin still on his face. "I need a free hand to wipe away our trail."

"You scared the shit outta me Uncle," Chris blurted, standing and nervously heading down the trail.

"Excellent fire," Monday remarked as they entered the cave, "I could see no signs of smoke from the valley below." General Zanik visibly perked up at the compliment.

The female warriors were still talking in earnest with Henri, but they looked up with interest as he deposited their bows and numerous quivers full of arrows on the ground next to them.

"Returns the mighty hunter," Henri remarked, seeing the heavy burdens of meat being carried by the other three boys. "What may I ask have you chosen to tantalize our palate with this fine evening?"

Monday glanced at the females then said. "Bird. Very big bird if you get my meaning."

Henry chuckled.

"You have cooking duty tonight Chris," Monday continued, looking at the two hundred pound half breasts and gigantic leg of the bird they'd butchered. "Slice off pieces about an inch thick and they'll cook faster. We can spit the rest of it at our leisure during the evening hours. Sorry gang, whoever it was that hit us took all the bread and cheese and half the birds for their own supper."

"No need to worry about the females," Henri said, "I think a large part of their diet consists of the young chicks of these birds they call the Gahn, only the male chicks though. They may flinch from having to eat one of their war mounts, like any good cavalryman, but I get the impression they are very practical people despite their odd social outlook towards the male species."

"Well, they have a lot to worry about," Monday stated, sitting down next to Henri and stretching his long legs out. "I found what appeared to be several sets of tank tracks heading off in a northeasterly direction and other signs indicating a large force of ground support troops with them. Of course the tracks could have been personnel carriers, mobile platforms for their anti-aircraft guns, or any number of other vehicles, but none the less we have run into a highly advanced civilization heading in the direction of their capitol and we are cut-off behind their lines."

Henri took the time to explain Monday's observations to the women.

"That means we're also cut off from rescue,” Janeea remarked, "there's no way a squadron could fly through the horror we encountered. It's unthinkable."

"Maybe Lord Monday has an answer to our problem," Aileea stated, looking at the tired face of the handsome male. She repeated her remark again to Henri.

"I understood that," Monday stated. "First of all, I am no damn Lord, Henri, explain that to them."

"I have. They can't correlate your leadership role among your people and the power you have without using the term Lord. Nothing else comparable exists in their vocabulary or society. To tell them a lowly Ensign outranks you, at least in theory, would cause total confusion."

"Second," Monday continued, "we all need rest and sleep more than anything else. Tonight we'll rest until early in the morning. We'll use part of the time to get to know each other’s culture. A few hours before dawn I will depart with General Zanik and we will take a prisoner for questioning. We'll go south since most of their advanced units are heading northeast. We should be lucky enough to hit their rear support area where they won't be expecting anything like a commando raid."

"Ensign Aileea and her Senior Sergeant insist they be allowed to accompany you," Henri stated, all the time translating what Monday was saying for the benefit of the females.

"Out of the question," Monday firmly stated in Norse.

"Why," Aileea demanded, also in Norse.

"Grady and I at least look like the bastards," Monday said in English to Henri. "They are not only beautiful women, whom I have never had to depend on in close combat, but they're also the wrong color. They'd be spotted a mile off by any sentry with one eye missing and half blind in the other."

"He's right," Aileea remarked to her warriors, "we're a burden to them because of our coloring."

"We can't change our color," Taileea stated, "but I don't like depending on men so much, it scares me."

"We've all heard the story of Lord Monday and his people and Commander Henri and his Germans," Janeea, stated. "They live by totally different rules than we do. Among them male and female are equal in everything and everyone works according to his or her abilities. They have no slaves or low classes. I trust Henri and if the American system is true, I would rather live in his society than be dominated by the harsh Nobility."

"I think Janeea has a crush on Henri," Taileea said, smiling at her friend. "Maybe more than a crush."

Janeea blushed at her remark.

"I agree with Janeea," Senior Sergeant Tobeia said with a very sober face. "Under their laws we are guaranteed life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and a man," she winked as she continued. "I may have to share one with a couple other females, but hell, all I have to look forward to now is retirement in ten or fifteen years and a cold bed the rest of my life."

"You're both speaking treason," Aileea blurted. "Of all people I wouldn't expect such from my best friend and the Sergeant whom I trust and respect."

"Treason. Owl shit," Taileea stated, looking at the blustered expression of her good friend. "You were selected by the Admiral for a command performance in her bed and a piss-ant guard posting, is that what you prefer?"

Everyone, including the young female cavalry warriors was looking at the exchange in worry. They agreed with Senior Sergeant Tobeia. To give up an opportunity to have your on male was inconceivable.

"But to throw away your own civilization, your own people, family, friends, customs, to go and live with complete strangers?" Aileea replied.

"We're not throwing anything away," Tobeia cut in. "What chance do you think the Empire has against these new strangers and their awesome weapons? In a few months there won't be an Empire. At least with Lord Monday and his people we'll have a chance to fight these strangers on behalf of the Empire. Afterwards, there will be changes, I agree, but if what Henri tells us is true I sure as hell welcome those changes."

"Looks as if we have a difference of opinion," Monday said to Henri, watching as the females continued their back and forth shouting and compromising.

"From what I learned they live in a male starved society," Henri replied. "That's why they've been raiding the Northlanders for so long. Something to do with their own men becoming incapable of procreation. They have what they term an empire and their social classes are divided into the Nobility, the Patricians, the middle class or Plebes, and slaves. Slaves make up two thirds of the population and there's no way of crossing the class structure unless you happen to be a Patrician with a human father, which kind of gives you a free ticket to the Nobility. The rest of the population hardly ever see a male much less touch one."

"They appear to be pretty militaristic."

"If I understand correctly, even on their own world the women were warriors because the men for some unexplainable reason were not acceptable to the war birds they call Gahns. Of course the men made up the more powerful combat arm, the infantry, much larger and more organized than the air cavalry of the women."

"You told them of our society and how our laws work?"

"I have a feeling that's what caused this sudden heated debate. Everyone but the young Ensign you see seems to want to join us, even their crusty old Sergeant who's probably no more than thirty in our years, still a young and vibrant thirty."

"Crusty my ass," General Zanik remarked, sitting down next to them. "I wouldn't kick her outta bed."

"What do you have there Grady," Monday asked, reaching for a delicious smelling chunk of roasted meat on a spit General Zanik was holding.

"Hands off and none of you damn business," Grady answered, offering the juicy sizzling meat to Senior Sergeant Tobeia.

The women looked in shock as General Zanik passed the meat to Tobeia with an urging smile on his face. Quite unexpectedly, Chris gave the young warrior Nyleea a sizzling chunk and Throwar offered one to the other young awe struck warrior Karleea. Seeing the puzzled shock on their faces, Henri explained.

"It's common among the Americans for a young man to provide for a female he likes," Henri said, "even Lord Monday does the same. "Give the Ensign a piece of meat Top," he continued in English, "maybe that'll shut her up."

Monday reached behind him and took a large bubbling piece of juicy white meat from Gary, then turned and offered it to Aileea. "For you," he said in poor Norse, "a friend and future comrade."

Henri looked at him sideways, well aware that he had misused his poor grasp of the Viking tongue. Unknowingly Monday had said, "For you, a wanted one and future lover." At the look on the young Ensign's face he decided not to advise Monday yet of his blunder.

"I think I've died and gone to heaven," Senior Sergeant Tobeia stated, accepting the large chunk of meat from General Zanik. Her eyes were bright and her mouth wide open. She removed her side pouch and gave him a bag of salt as a counter offer. "Kill me if you must Ensign, but from this day forth I belong to this gorgeous hunk of male flesh."

Aileea gaped with her mouth wide as both the young cavalry warriors were given food by two of the young male warriors. When the handsome warrior leader with the startling gray eyes offered her a piece of meat she could do nothing but stare at with wide eyes. When she heard the words "wanted" and "future lover," from the mouth of this incredible male she almost fainted.

"What's the matter with her?" Monday asked, still holding out the meat.

"Well, you just told her you love her and will protect her," Henri giggled, "and the meat will probably bind you to her," he giggled some more, then went to the fire to get his own meat and give it to the fiery eyed young Ensign called Janeea. "Grab the one called Taileea setting to the left of the one I was talking with Gary," he said, before they're all gone. I mean give her a piece of meat. Looks like we're all paring off tonight."

Realizing his language mistake, Monday grinned at the young warrior and offered her the meat. To take it away would be an insult which she could never live with. She finally reached over and took the stick with the meat on it constantly looking him in the eyes. When Henri returned to the circle of people Monday glared at him.

"Set me up didn't you," he whispered, "you damn Nazi."

"You set yourself up Top," Henri smiled back; "I merely topped it off. And, if being a Nazi is putting a lovely young girl and crusty over the hill man together is wrong, I guess I'm a dirty old Nazi at that."

"I'm old enough to be her father," Monday whispered loudly back, "and you know damn well I have two, no, three other women I have to worry about."

"And you know damn well age has nothing to do with it," Henri replied. "I'm not exactly young. These women would probably take on a tottering old great grandpa if given the chance, but that's not the point. We will need these women on our side, oh mighty leader, when and if we ever make it to their Empire, and what better way than to pair them off with each of us. If you failed to notice Commandant, there are six of them and six of us."

"Pretty shady way of tricking them into helping us," Monday retorted. "Playing on their sex starved natures."

"Nothing shady at all my dear Top," Henri smiled, "I don't see any of them crying or saying, "get away from me wicked man," and you better pay attention to their leader or we will lose all chances of obtaining their willing help."

Monday looked closely at the young girl in front of him. She was indeed very beautiful, an odd and alluring green color, but still very beautiful. But he could also see the hidden beauty in her that he saw in Tanitha and Karen. A beauty of the spirit, a spark which defied the physical realm. She possessed that something other, something else, something which could not be described which pointed her out and said, "see this one, she's unique." It was not physical, but something of the spirit, the thing a young man knows when the Great Spirit has given him a special vision.

Aileea looked steadily into the eyes of the handsome one. Sure he was handsome. Awesome, tall, powerfully built, domineering, a true leader, much older than her, but she saw something else. A spark of difference, something unique even among men, a vision of the future and the past combined. She suddenly felt herself wanting to be thoroughly possessed and dominated by this man among men, both physically and in her spirit. Her companions had become mere blurs to her right and left, they were insignificant, unimportant bystanders in a pageantry of strange splendor which she could not fully understand.

She pulled off a piece of the cooling meat and handed it to the man. He accepted it and smiled back at her and said something in his soft strange language. She looked into his startling gray eyes and saw a universe of happiness, of security, of pleasures beyond mention, her thoughts begin to drift.

"By the gods," Aileea said, suddenly glancing around at her companions, "I feel strange. Have they placed a magical spell upon us or taken away our spirit?" She hadn't even realized she was hungrily devouring the meat the male had given her. Her companions were all engrossed in the males who had chosen to serve them.

"Let's place more food on the spits," Monday said in poor Norse, looking at Henri who nodded his approval of the comment. He took the hand of the young warrior and they returned to the slowly dying fire. As they left, the others stirred and looked at the slowly darkening sky beyond the cave opening. It would soon be dark. A look at the pile of wood told him it would not last the night through.

"Throwar, Chris, Henri," Monday said in passable Norse then English, "After dinner you have wood gathering detail."

"You may be good at leading people," Henri turned and blurted, "but you sure have one hell of a bad sense of timing Top. I and my lady love were just getting acquainted."

"She can carry wood Henri," Monday coldly replied, "take her with you."

"What a party buster," Chris stated. "Uncle Monday, don't you ever think of anything but mission accomplishment, damn the torpedoes, or take the damn hill?"

Monday grinned at the remark, mulling over of what he was thinking of a mere few minutes before.

"Yes Chris, I do. And while we're all cuddled up here in this nice cozy cave, next to our warm loving females, thinking of chocolate and swimming pools and tobacco, and other things, a bunch of dirty scum bags will walk in and very politely cut our throats. Do I ring a bell, anyone?"

"That's the damn problem," General Zanik stated, as he slowly stood up from the cave floor, "you ring too damn many bells and they're all right."

"Gotta love me," Monday stated with a grin, as the men and women stirred back to life. Suddenly five or six pieces of meat flew at him from the darkness accompanied by the same number of curses.

The women were looking at them with puzzled and suddenly worried expressions, unaware that Americans had a nasty habit of bashing their commanders.

Henri quickly explained what had transpired to the best of his ability, watching as Monday wiped a piece of meat off his neck and started to eat it.

"This man is more powerful than our own Empress yet he frolics with commoners," Aileea remarked. "I believe the words of Henri now, how else could it be?"

"I want to learn their language as quickly as I can," Jaimeea said, "Henri has promised to teach all of us if we wish." All of her companions were happy at this statement.

Aileea noticed that her companions had addressed her with a different sense of wording and the two young warriors looked at her as if she was more than a mere Ensign. She was perplexed by the difference but not sure if she had actually seen it or merely somehow felt it.

Later that evening, after hours of talking back and forth, the males and females had again gravitated towards each other. Without realizing it they had paired off and all were very content. Monday had set the watches and had included the female warriors in the watch, yet each guard was reluctant to depart the comfort of their mates and the warm fire, and often left being accompanied by their selected mate to the guard post.

Much later, Monday looked up from the burning coals and suddenly realized there was no one around the fire except him and the young female. He had either been dozing or in a mental stupor from staring at the bewitching coals in the fire. She was watching him with a look of curiosity combined with fatigue and anticipation.

She wants me as much as I want her, Monday thought, looking across the fire at the alluring young girl. She's undoubtedly a virgin, based on her culture, lifestyle, and lack of male availability. "My god, My God," he thought to himself," Why do you torment me so?" He stood and walked around the fire, and stood facing the beautiful young woman. He looked down into her moist sparkling eyes and saw himself. Sweeping her from her feet in one fluid motion he carried her back to the dark recesses of the cave and lay her gently down on the soft yielding earth because there was on other bedding. It was incredible how light she felt in his arms. She did not appear to notice the discomfort until their union was consummated and she whimpered in both pain and pleasure. It was not long before she sought him again, and in his male obstinacy he eagerly sought her.