The Mutant World (40 page)

“What do you mean?”
said Lana.

“Centuries ago my ancestors Queen Bellasaris and the High Lady Gorgo discounted one of Cato’s lesser son’s,”
said Miko.
“They too sent him to the frontier to fight brigands, but the real problem was much bigger than simple petty raiders, and they learned too late that he was the most capable and gifted of the princes of our house. He destroyed the enemy and was soon hailed king by the liberated tribes of the region. Today we know that land as The Great Forest Kingdom. I see another exceptional prince here. We cannot let him get away.”

Lana seemed confused.
“Why? What do we care about a…”

“A strong king beyond our sphere of influence is not in the best interest of Bellasaria, that’s why! I would prefer he made a place and name for himself in the empire where he can be controlled,”
said
the princess, opening a small packet and pouring a cup of water.

“Princess…No, I suppose you’re right,”
said Lana.
“Um, is that a suppressant you’re taking? Don’t tell me you’ve gone into heat over that boy.”

The Princess chuckled.

“Silly, I’ve been on suppressants since I was twelve. You know how it is in my family. Our women are immensely strong, but our urges are just as strong. Until I find a suitable partner, I will be popping pills to keep the hunger at bay.”

Lady Lana knew this was true, but she also knew that the princess had taken her meds just a week earlier. She should have been set for at least another month. But yet she was in need again all of a sudden. She wondered, but quickly dismissed the thought. Still, here was a rare opportunity for the princess to relieve her needs the best way without the pills. One male had even offered already according to her. And she was certain that she wasn’t opposed to the idea. Lady Lana would have to approach this carefully.

“Princess, you know that there are at least two males here who are indeed strong enough to serve your needs. Three if you count that brute you defeated tonight. I don’t mean to suggest that you take one as your permanent mate, but…”

“Prince Tidor is a cute boy,”
said Miko,
“but he is too young. Maybe in another two years.”

Lana wasn’t buying it. Tidor looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old. That was plenty old enough as far as men went in Bellasarian culture.
Obviously, Miko’s thighs were wet for someone else.

“And his half-brother, Lord Jawara?”
said Lana.

Miko tossed her head and said,
“No. I’m not interested.”

Lady Lana looked at Princess Miko closely and said,
“But I thought you wanted him as a mate instead of…”

“I’m sorry I gave that impression,”
said Miko quickly.
“I merely want to avoid another male dominated state birthing beyond our control now that we finally have begun to bring this one into the fold. Tidor is the best choice politically, but he’s still too…Well, we’ll see. Actually…now that I think about it, Tidor’s age will make him much easier to mold and control. You are right. I should stop thinking like a common woman with no responsibilities and more like a princess and politician. Yes, I’ll follow Mother’s plan and work to make the boy mine. Besides…he is handsome, and if the bloodline runs true, compatible with me where strength and durability is concerned. There is at least that.”

“Well, if you don’t want Jawara can I have him?”
said Lady Lana, only half joking.

“We are here on important business! Not to indulge ourselves!”
said Princess Miko, not meaning to snap.

“Forgive me, Your Highness,”
said Lady Lana.
“You are right.”

“It’s…It’s alright,”
said the princess, surprised by her reaction to that little joke.
“Let’s get some sleep. Who knows what we’ll have to deal with tomorrow with these barbarians.”

******

Prince Tidor had left the great hall with mixed feelings. He was happy that his older brother had been summoned to the capital to advise him while his royal kin from Illyria was there. However, he also felt that this was proof that his father didn’t quite trust him to deal with such important things alone yet. Or maybe he didn’t trust certain powerful scum in court. Thinking of this made him grin. One such fool had already been put in his place thanks to his brother and the Illyrian Princess. Yes, the big one had to be the Princess Miko, not the smaller female. How stupid he was. He felt no malice however at her deception. She didn’t know what she’d be exposed to in a nation like Barrat and so took the proper precautions. Indeed, he was relieved. Now here was a female he could be proud to call his kin. She was very attractive too, if only she didn’t have those huge tits. Many men liked big breast on women, but Tidor saw very large boobs as excessive. Still, because she was so tall and curvy in general they didn’t seem as out of proportion on her as they might have on a smaller woman. In the morning he would try to make her feel at ease. But for now, he needed some rest.

Tidor entered his chambers, stripped and entered the bathroom to shower. Drying himself off he then climbed into his bed to sleep. He closed his eyes and then smiled and opened them again.

“Come on in,” he said. At this, the door opened and a small human girl entered the room. Her collar marked her clearly as a slave. She paused for a moment, but Tidor then opened the covers and she giggled and climbed in with him snuggling close. “No love-play tonight, Carol,” said Tidor. It’s been a long day and exhausting evening. The human girl made a tiny noise of disappointment, but then smiled and snuggled closer. Soon they were both asleep.

******

As Prince Tidor slept, a small group of lords were gathered in secret discussing the Illyrians and the soon to be changing face of their society. It was by now, very late. They were not happy and the news they would soon receive wouldn’t make them feel any happier. Their personal spy had sent word of what was transpiring at the great summit.

“My lords, there is bad news from Tabon, the king’s present location.”

“
Now
what could it be?” sighed Lord Byne.

“Prince Pantherus and Queen Bal have bonded,” said the man. “It is confirmed.”

One of the men laughed at this. “I find this good news,” said the man. “Every time something like this has occurred the Mavie have always sabotaged it and allowed us to make righteous war on them with no repudiation from anyone.”

“Have you’ve forgotten the price though?” said Lord Byne. “Our princes and kings have died, foully murdered! The last such occurrence happen right at the peace celebration and the king’s mother, Lady Hera, was murdered and the king and his father barely escaped with their lives! We swore that we would never have such a mating between our leaders again and would not rest until every Mavie was dead or in a slave collar!” There was bitter agreement to this.

“I agree,” said a man. “But these were blessings in disguise. Because of their own fanatics and the terrible things they’ve done, not to mention their own foolish sexual practices, they’ve become a shadow of a people on the brink of extinction. The empire won’t help them again for fear of being seen as supporting their way of thinking and policies, thus arousing the wrath of its own men. We are on the verge of total victory, one stupid act on their part and it will be over!”

Immediately there were applauds to this, but the messenger wasn’t done.

“There is more, my lords.” The men became silent. “The empress’s daughter, Princess Bellasaris, has also bonded with the prince. There has been a bit of trouble because of this, but it would seem that the two women have done the only thing that could be done under the circumstances. The king’s hands were tied also. A formal announcement of the engagements is already being spread. The wedding will happen after the humans return to Earth.”

Lord Byne looked around at the assembled men. “My! Young princes and royal females in heat have jumped exponentially all of a sudden. I fear the unforeseen results of the great summit with our leaders and our Earth cousins is that many royal young people have been thrown together with the obvious results. And we are powerless to do anything about it! If they are bonded even
our
people cannot keep them apart. It would be barbaric!”

“But…” said someone.

“You said the Mavie would do something treacherous again?” said Byne. “It’s not going to happen. They’ve longed for peace for a while now. The fanatics who supported the old system are either dead or come to the realization that they have been following the wrong path. If any do exist they know they face terrible death at the hands of their own people for any stupidity they might commit. The link with the empire will assure this now. No one will strike at Prince Pantherus or Queen Bal with the empress’s own daughter now in the mix. And need us not forget our own situation here.”

“My lord?” asked a nobleman.

“A Bellasarian Princess is here right now,” said the old human. “The Crown Prince seems well disposed to her and her people. Also, King Roc’s bastard has arrived from the west. I believe they look upon
him
with great favor. I think we have a situation here as well. The bastard, Princess Sandra and the big female dined together earlier tonight.”

“So,” said one of the men.

Lord Byne sighed and shook his head. The fool still hadn’t figured it out.

“My lords,” said Byne, “I don’t believe the giant female is the princess’s bodyguard. I believe
she
is the princess. If you gentlemen had been looking at her bearing and face rather than her body and huge tits you might have noticed that of the two women
she
most resembled a person of true Catonian descent, not the smaller woman who seemed more concerned about the bodyguard’s safety at every little threat than her own.”

“I disagree,” said a lord, “and you forget yourself, human. Do not presume that because you have achieved some standing among us that you are our equal! Anyway, I have it by reliable sources that the empress is a short, extremely busty and very fair skinned female with much Oriental blood. The High Lord is a very black skinned man. The shorter woman looks to have both parents’ qualities while the giant female is fairer of skin and straight of hair. I see nothing of the High Lord in her.”

Lord Byne would have pointed out that although the shorter woman was darker, she completely lacked the feline green eyes and fiery nature that marked almost all of Cato’s line, both of which the other woman did have, and the High Lord was also a very large man. The giant Asian woman
did
have both parents’ physical qualities if you were looking for the right ones. But this man had offended him, so he would let the
superior
mutants figure it out on their own.

“In any case,” said Byne, “I believe I saw something brewing between her and Lord Jawara. This could…”

“That doesn’t matter!” snarled former Chief Stragg jumping to his feet. “She’s a common bitch and he’s a bastard with no rights to the throne. What worries me is this bonding between the Mavie Queen, the Illyrian Princess and our king’s son! If peace results our entire way of life will change. A woman’s place is inferior. We have proved that! Their proper place is on their knees!”

“I recall that earlier tonight YOU were on your knees before a woman,” said Lord Byne with a sneer, “beaten, bruised and terrified! Desperately seeking a way to win and disgracing us all by pulling a weapon on an unarmed female. ”

Stragg stiffened at this and snickering could be heard among the Barratian noblemen. “Take care, human!” he growled. “That woman wasn’t…”

“If I had not stepped in you would be wearing her collar,” said Lord Byne, “deprived of your power and as helpless as a human yourself. As a matter-of-fact, I thought you were stripped of your rank and privileges. What are you doing here?”

Stragg had now had enough of the old human. He started forward and growled, “Human swine! I’ll…”

“You’ll do nothing if you don’t want to be torn to pieces.” The voice was soft, but cold as stone. Stragg froze and turned around slowly. Standing in the doorway was a tall feral mutant with whitening hair. He had served the Barratian Royal family for the last four or five generations, beginning with Barrat himself. Aside from his hair, the man looked to be in his early thirties, but he was
much
older.”

Stragg turned white. “Lord Terrence, I…I…”

“You should stick to abusing helpless slave girls Stragg,” said Lord Terrence. “Lord Byne is my personal subordinate. Harm him at your own risk. Lord Byne,” said Terrence, now addressing the elderly human, “Chief Stragg has his faults, but yet is he right to be worried. I was born and lived under Mavie domination until my king and friend ‘Barrat’ broke my collar and freed me. I will be dead before I see men enslaved to females again in this land! Remember, ‘Better to hold the leash than wear the collar’!”

******

CHAPTER FIFTEEN
LAST STOP, THE HIGH ELDERS REVEAL THEMSELVES

The Akkadian Republic

F
or the first time since she had left Earth, President Chambers felt truly at home in a somewhat familiar environment. The Akkadian culture was very similar to her own and so was the people’s sense of modesty and morality. The other diplomats and leaders, along with the aides and press were equally pleased. Beverly Chambers had visited both Tabon and The Great Forest Kingdom by now and she’d had her fill of nudity, trees and wild unspoiled vastness’s. While still in Melmoria, the empress had agreed that in order to fully appreciate her land and enjoy themselves, the Earth people would use the teleports sparingly and only to certain points. From there they would use monorail or shuttle and enjoy the sights.

******

Tabon would be the next nation the Earth diplomats went to after Melmoria. The Tabonese were not as well-clothed as the Illyrians, but neither were they as naked as the Melmorians. Older Tabonese women wore skirts, but were also fond of shorts and close fitting pants. They all wore beautifully patterned cloths worn over their upper torsos similar to a Roman toga, but shorter, covering the breast and one side of the upper body, but leaving one arm and shoulder completely bare and their midsections exposed. Younger girls wore tops common in Illyria and other parts of the empire or nothing at all above the waist. The same went for the males except that older men typically wore sashes that went from shoulder to hip, often passing under a belt. As on Earth, shorts and pants were worn by all men and tended to be looser and of different design than those worn by females. Curiously, the Tabonese young people seemed to have a greater affinity to denim than any other Bellasarian people they’d seen outside of the Akkadians.

The Tabonese capital city was as impressive as the other cities and just as populated. Like all Bellasarian cities, it was a certain size and the next major city was miles away with forest and undeveloped land as far as the eyes could see beyond the farmland between. But after Melmoria it was still a pleasant change.

The Tabonese queen was by far more accommodating than her kin in Melmoria and the now dreaded traditional welcoming feast was held with the utmost decorum and restraint this time. The president noticed that several young princes and princesses she was familiar with were now together in a group apart from their parents. Surprisingly, Prince Pantherus, Queen Bal and Princess Bellasaris were sitting together peaceably if not completely contentedly. The youth was sandwiched between the two looking far from comfortable. Many, both human and mutant, Bellasarian and Earthling, found the situation and picture extremely comical to say the least. The queen chuckled and sent forth her mind to the American President.

“This sort of thing is very common among our people. Have no fear, they will come around and become like blood sisters…eventually. Once babies come into the picture this will be of a certainty. But that poor devil is still going to be having his hands full with those two. I hope he is as strong as he looks. That is the price of being of the Great Cato’s bloodline. Our women always have to look hard for strong mates. Usually, it is only males that are of the same bloodline that are strong enough to survive a tumble with the strongest women of our line. Naturally, distant kin like him are fair game and very welcome.”

The president nodded. She had heard it all before and she could easily believe it. Part of her secretly hated the Bellasarian royalty. She hadn’t seen an ugly, scrawny or fat queen yet. They were all walking ‘Man Candy’. And this one was no different.

Queen Josie was a slim woman with skin the color of honey and hair the color of straw with full lips and an aquiline nose. She had green feline eyes and fangs whose tips appeared slightly when she smiled. Many men of both species couldn’t take their eyes off of her. The woman was truly a beauty and in every way. Josie was not as voluptuous and large of breast as many of her kin, but she was sleek like a cat. Curiously, although her paternal ancestor was indeed a son of Cato Curtis, Queen Josie’s bloodline was still counted primarily of the Tyian line. It would seem that centuries ago Queen Bellasaris made a pact with Queen Tyi to insure her support in her war against Queen Melmore of Melmoria. As agreed, Tyi’s twin daughters would have Bellasaris’s son as their mate, but he would become part of Tyi’s family and live in Tabon rather than the other way around. In exchange for this, Tyi and her warriors would march with Bellasaris against Queen Melmore to free the captive Lord Cato whom Melmore had seized for her mate. But despite the emphasis on the maternal bloodline, Cato’s genes associated with any family line was still very important in the eyes of the ruling clans and the Tabonese were counted as part of the imperial house. President Chambers had chuckled to herself, matters of the heart have truly been the cause for much political drama in this land and as she herself was seeing…still was.

The next day it was business as usual. Answering questions, asking questions and negotiating for potential contracts for trade or other endeavors should the empress agree to fully open trade with Earth/The United States, and naturally inducing Queen Josie to favor such an agreement.

Later, the Earthlings would be led to an impressive village on the shores of a lake called ‘Erie’. This was truly a great lake about the same size or larger as its namesake on Earth they were assured. But unlike the Lake Erie on Earth, this lake was quite clean and the fish very edible. However, the lake itself was not the object of the tour, no matter how majestic. The Earth people were directed to a large glass enclosed transport on the edge of the village and once on board, were taken far out onto the water where the transport submerged and continued on its rails beneath the waves to the real town beneath on the floor of the lake. The Earthlings gawked in amazement out the windows of this impressive conveyance. Large aquatic creatures could be seen during this trip. Most were obviously descended from fish and beasts brought from Earth, but were larger evolved native variants. Or, like the washtub sized snapping turtles, simply not stunted by pollution or hunted to near extinction. The underwater town of Erie was the most beautiful sight the visitors had seen yet, and that was saying something. It was surrounded by an impregnable glass dome and the architecture was exceptionally beautiful. Water breathing mutants could be seen swimming and hunting in the water outside the dome, but air breathers were perfectly comfortable and safe in Erie. In their entire lives the Earthlings had never seen or been to a town completely submerged in water. It was like something out of a science fiction novel or movie, but this was undeniably real. Beverly wondered what other surprises waited for her on this beautiful world.

As the trip to Tabon progressed to its conclusion, Beverly shook her head. The diplomats who had forgone any further stay in the empire and had gone straight to Akkadia had insulted their imperial hosts for no reason. There hadn’t been a single lewd moment or fight during their stay in Tabon. However, while preparing to depart for the Great Forest Kingdom, the Earth people noticed that several young Tabonese people were expressing some very sincere and endearing goodbyes to the departing Bellasarians of the other states in their party. The president had observed a young Tabonese human girl kissing and pressing a note into Luther Jeffries hand, leading her to believe that what she had begun to suspect had happened among the Bellasarians (and certain young members of her staff) when she wasn’t looking, had
indeed
happened. It probably was going on after she and the other Earth leaders had retired for the evening. She shook her head and chuckled. That Jeffries kid was one hard working relations man.

The Great Forest Kingdom would be the last Bellasarian domain in the empire the Earthlings would visit before departing to Akkadia and it was…well…There wasn’t anything there. At least that was the first impression. In Illyria, Melmoria and Tabon they had seen mighty cities and cultivated areas that could be seen before they arrived by shuttle or monorail, surrounded by vast unspoiled wildernesses. But here there seemed to be nothing
but
vast unspoiled wildernesses. There were no mighty cities in this land, only small towns populated by non-feral mutants and humans. These villages could be easily missed if one wasn’t looking closely. Cultivated areas were only large enough to feed the needs of a particular village with some surplus.

The capital of the country was a lovely rustic town made of fine wood or wattle houses with thatched roofs. The roads were paved and clean with skillfully placed greenery and grassy areas. This was the only settlement that could be seen from a distance, and even then, only when they were nearly on top of it. The place reminded Beverly of a very large, very fancy village rather than a capital city. Despite its appearance though, it had every modern convenience the visitors could want and more. The president couldn’t understand how these people could, by the vast majority, forgo comfort or trying to build the place up beyond what it was until she saw the giggling Princess Abe grab Prince Tabba’s arm and pull him from the transport upon their arrival. She immediately threw off the little clothing she wore and fully transformed into a large tawny panther. Prince Tabba was hesitant at first, but he too did the same and soon appeared in the form of a giant black panther. The Barratian prince, Pantherus, wasted little time in transforming and stretching. Several of the feral girls looked at the giant cat in great approval. However, neither Princess Bellasaris or Queen Maya were feral, despite having Cato’s blood in their veins, so Pantherus would be obliged to return to human form and stay close to the city. He could only watch in envy as his cousins disappeared into the surrounding forest. Other feral mutants began to transform as well and soon, where once they were surrounded by men and women, the Earth people found themselves surrounded by great beast or half beast, but not for long. Most of these mutants began to leave and disappear into the surrounding trees. It was explained that they would be seen again and in human form later tonight.

One of the Bellasarian aides leaned over to the president and said, “You were wondering why there were no big cities, large farms or any signs of industry at all here, weren’t you?”

The president nodded and said, “Well, yes. With your advance technology you could be using wood much more extensively, concrete or even stone. Iron beams and supports. Why these simple materials with only wooden supports and moldings? This city is little more than a large town. Don’t get me wrong, it’s very quaint, but…”

The Bellasarian woman chuckled and said, “These people are perfectly at home wandering this vast land as great beasts and living in caves, trees or various types of dens. They neither need nor in many cases
want
the modern comforts of a city. Most hate confinement. This is a trait shared by all feral mutants. Indeed, as you have by now noticed, it is primarily only humans and mutants without beast transformation who live in towns and houses here. As for them, you will see that when made correctly, mud or wattle walls are as strong and almost as durable as concrete, and much easier to repair. The thatched roofs keep out the elements and keep the houses cool during the day and conserves heat at night. Also, wood is very susceptible to insects and the elements. Iron beams and supports rust. We do have natural pesticides that we treat the roofs, wooden houses and supports with, but using wood extensively would mean deforesting too much land, thus making our wild friends, mutant and animal, homeless and hungry. Of course, I have heard that on Earth your people don’t have any such considerations for indigenous peoples or wildlife, only for material gain and those living in your modern societies, or am I mistaken?”

Beverly was at a loss for a reply. The answer of course was ‘No’ but it was a hard thing to admit, especially now, but she answered truthfully nonetheless.

“No, traditionally more advanced and powerful peoples on Earth have not given any thought to how our actions to develop our land and build our economies would affect wildlife or those tribal communities who depend on the land the way it is for their simple needs,” said Beverly. “Generally they weigh the monetary gain as the more important of the options. Many third world nations still are more concerned with creating jobs for the majority of their citizens than the rights of their tribal peoples. Animals and the environment almost never even come into the equation and pollution in their cities is even worse than the major first world countries. However, that mentality has been changing for many years and progress
is
being made, but the poor don’t see beyond their need to make money and feed their families. Sadly, deforestation and poaching is common.”