The Mutant World (41 page)

The Bellasarian woman nodded and motioned the president and her staff to follow her and then left the disembarking platform and entered the city proper. Like all Bellasarian cities, Panther’s Claw was scrupulously clean. The Earth people noticed early that very high technology
was
available, but compared to the other cities they’d been to the natives here used it very sparingly and were not nearly as dependent on it as some people.

The Earthlings found their visit in this land disappointing in some ways, but enjoyable in others. The food was good, but simple. The humans and non-ferals had perfected smoking, grilling and roasting meat to a science along with marinades. However, most of the mutants there took their meat “Unspoiled” as in raw. Indeed, much to the discomfort of the Earthlings and Akkadians during their first night there, many preferred to kill and devour their own food on the spot. Queen Tana, remembering that this offended the Earth people and even some of the Bellasarians, gave orders that this practice should be abstained from in their presence during further meals.

As for the people, they were friendly and outgoing, but nudity was everywhere. People in towns wore
some
clothes, primarily the humans, but in general, folks who can transform into great beasts and spend most of their time roaming the wilderness generally don’t
need
clothes. This said; bark cloth and furs were worn to some degree. But much to the irritation of many of the Earthlings, particularly the women, these garments often accentuated certain aspects of the female form, drawing even more male attention than if the women were completely naked, which of course, was the sole point of wearing them for many females there in the first place.

Most of the Earth leaders and ambassadors couldn’t believe the untapped potential of this land just sitting unexploited by these people. There should have been impressive cities here. The natives should be making a fortune just in the abundant lumber here. Instead they just chose to live like animals or use only the bare minimum of this land for their use. It didn’t seem like they had any notion of how much profit there was to be made in lumber, mining or extensive farming for trade. Of all the Bellasarians they’d encountered, the people of this so-called kingdom most despised money and needed technology the least. Sadly, the forest people had little use for anything the people of Earth might have to offer in exchange for their resources.

The truth was the mutants of the forest didn’t need or want many of the benefits that even their own Bellasarian neighbors had to offer and they were determined that there would be no development of their land beyond the people’s simple domestic needs. Queen Tana had mentioned casually that her people were numerous, but scattered throughout the vast wilderness of her domain in villages and roving feral packs. Indeed, feral mutants recognized no borders and wandered or followed game into other lands at will. But at alarming speed she could raise an army of tens of thousands. It was not for nothing that her people were respected throughout the empire. The queen’s meaning was not lost on the Americans and other Earth representatives. Their stay in the forest kingdom was pleasant, but unsuccessful in terms of inducing the leaders there to support them in trade negotiations.

******

However, now the Earth people were in a nation that had many similarities to home where values and priorities were concerned and very few of the more embarrassing aspects of Bellasarian culture. They even saw and enjoyed food that was totally familiar, like hot dogs, cheese burgers and even roasted peanuts from street vendors. These foods were found to some degree in the empire of course, but not as easily or abundantly. Fast food in the empire was generally grilled meat on sticks, fruit or bread. Curiously, the visitors couldn’t help but to agree that the meat in the burgers here actually tasted better than the burgers back home. It was speculated correctly that this was because of the purity of the food the livestock ate and the lack of freeze-drying, fillers and steroids.

Earth style clothing was everywhere too, and nobody was naked. Even women nursing babies in public was illegal here, much to the confusion, amusement and disgust of other Bellasarian peoples. Indeed, this nation was full of the unexpected, like the huge Roman Catholic Church they passed on the way to the presidential palace.

The Earthlings suddenly realized that this was something that had not been seen anywhere else in Bellasaria. They hadn’t seen any Catholic churches, priests and nuns in the empire because there were none. Not a single Catholic church could be found in any nation of Bellasaria outside of Akkadia that they’d been to. The reason was explained by an Akkadian aide.

“A religion that demands celibacy of its clergy,” she said, “and has such strong ideals of sexual morality, whether they’re actually practiced or not, will never have any kind of following among Bellasarians of the old blood. Also, devotion to a supreme religious leader, even if he
is
in another realm, goes well against Bellasarian sensibilities. The fact that this position can only be held by a man is the final nail in the coffin for any hope of Catholicism gaining ground beyond our lands.”

The president had to smile to herself. Asking Bellasarians to give up sex was like asking Americans to give up baseball. And Bellasarians are honorable. They couldn’t keep a vow of celibacy even if they wanted to, so they simply don’t bother. Bitterly, Beverly, thinking of the church scandals of her own world in this area, agreed with this mindset. It would seem that Akkadia was the only foothold of Catholicism on the known planet. Well, at least they existed here. Other faiths could not boast the same. The other Christian denominations were everywhere too of course, along with Islam and Judaism, but other faiths that had been seen or at least heard of in the empire everywhere to some degree were not to be seen. When the president asked about this she was told some of these faiths were not recognized as religions in Akkadia. When asked about Nana, the state religion of the empire, the aide sighed and replied that Nana was not acknowledged in Akkadia as a real religion, but it was practiced everywhere and the government was powerless to stop it. The president couldn’t help but reach the conclusion that any suppression of Nana’s worshipers in Akkadia would result in an immediate response from the empire…and she was right.

Most of the Earth people liked the Akkadian Republic. The people as a whole seemed genuinely excited and pleased to have them in their country. The people of the empire had expressed excitement and curiosity upon seeing their estranged kin from Earth, but very little
real
pleasure. The Americans were more at home in Akkadia than the other Earth delegates for obvious reasons. However, the Akkadian people did show elements from other Earth societies besides America, and their English had some minor differences from what the English speaking Earthlings were speaking. But for the most part, it was easily understood.

However, not all similarities between the Akkadians and the Earth people were a source of pride. In the empire, the very wealthy looked after their less fortunate countrymen. Poverty didn’t exist, at least not the way Earth people might recognize it. It is not acceptable there for wealthy people to flaunt their wealth and live and eat well while their neighbors went hungry and homeless. This was not the case with the Akkadians.

Unlike other Bellasarians, the Akkadians placed great value on making money and not nearly enough on sharing the wealth. Food, labor, housing, transportation and even education had to be paid for to a degree and there were clear distinctions between the rich, middle class and poor. There was no royal family or nobility in Akkadia per say, but there certainly were families of standing and wealth who definitely had great privilege and influence. The Earth people saw two things in Akkadia that they had never seen in any imperial city, (at least not abundantly) poverty and crime. In Akkadia, hungry people were turned away from restaurants and food stands if they didn’t have money, even children. In the empire, the Earthlings had
never
seen a hungry or homeless person. The Akkadian Republic had other all too familiar issues as well, but much of this would be learned primarily by watching their news. President Chambers couldn’t help wondering if it was worth it for these people to have held onto
all
of their ancestor’s values so dearly.

******

The dining hall of the presidential palace was very large and the architecture obviously inspired by another presidential building. One destroyed in the first mutant war on Earth two millennia ago, by Bellasarian time. The American president found it at once nostalgic and flattering. She was even a little sad. The people who came here obviously had deep attachments to their homeland. It was because of human intolerance that they finally abandoned it. Even the Akkadian flag was very similar to the American flag, except that it had twenty two stars representing, not states, but the original mutant military and transports ships that came with General Bishop’s invasion fleet. Also, the stars were shaped in a “V” formation representing their outwitting the deceitful general and successfully founding their nation. Bishop, who was not
entirely
stupid, had wisely planned to use mutants to fight mutants. The Akkadian’s ancestors had apparently promised to help Bishop fight the Bellasarians and receive land in exchange once he was firmly entrenched on Bellasarian soil. However, they knew that Bishop hated all mutants and had every intention of betraying them. They turned on Bishop and abandoned him as soon as they arrived on Bellasaria without shedding a drop of mutant blood. However, they instead destroyed several of Bishops troop ships and colonial transports as they fled crippling his forces. This naturally put them in good with Queen Bellasaris who allowed them to settle on Bellasaria unmolested.

The dinner was being held in true Earth style. Formal dress and proper decorum well beyond Bellasarian formal dinners were mandatory. Ironically, President Chambers found it a little stuffy and boring after Illyria and Melmoria. The Bellasarians obviously felt the same. In the forest kingdom especially, people were not expected to dress to impress (if at all) and certain folks could kickback and drink beer and socialize.

Empress Beral III and her consort, High Lord Talos, were seated at the table of honor next to President Kaminski. The other queens, kings and chiefs of the empire were seated at and around the great table as well according to their status. It was the same with the Earth leaders. President Chambers was seated at the great table on the opposite side of President Kaminski and his wife. The other Earth leaders and ambassadors were seated after her with their aides seated accordingly.

President Chambers looked at the empress. Beral III was wearing an attractive Earth style dress that had all the men (and some women) drooling, but which
she
obviously found most uncomfortable. President Chambers knew why. For such a voluptuous well-endowed woman used to flowing robes, or, when in less formal gatherings, very little to no clothing at all, stuffing herself in such confining clothes was irritating to say the least. The president shook her head in sympathy. She could have picked out something just as nice, but certainly more comfortable for the poor woman, or perhaps not. Her vassal queens and their mates were also similarly attired. None of them looked comfortable, although the president couldn’t help admiring the men in their suits. In her opinion, a Bellasarian man certainly could fill out a suit. But then again, the Earthmen were thinking the same about the Bellasarian women.

President Chambers looked at Queen Tabitha of Melmoria and chuckled. Seeing that woman, now forced to comply with
these
people’s dress codes and sense of decency, and hating the restricting foreign clothes she was now obliged to wear, made it worth coming to Akkadia all by itself. President Chambers looked at the Bellasarian women’s husbands and sons again and snickered. They were all wearing veils, every last one of them. The jealous bitches were making them cover their faces even though they were wearing concealing Earth style suits and not even in the empire. Ironically, many of these men had been unveiled in every meeting in the empire where overheated females could and
did
shamelessly make advances on them or beg their wives permission to borrow them for a little fun. But here, in a country where the women were much less aggressive and the people much more prudish, they cover their faces. Why? She leaned over to the Akkadian President and asked. He responded telepathically.

“Not all Akkadians are of the original strain of mutants from Earth, President Chambers. Some of us are of the Bainian strain or have ancestors of that origin. They settled here because of religious reasons, family ties, politics, etc. The reasons vary, but the important thing to remember is that they intermarried with us. That means, like all the mutants descended from the slaves of Bain, many of our people carry the same genetic strengths and weaknesses that were bred into them by their former human masters. Aside from other emotional issues, females go into heat at puberty and can become…Well, you’ve been in the empire long enough to know what that means. Medication and discipline keeps these urges in check, but ‘The Bonding’ can override all that man has made.”

“In the empire I understand this isn’t much of an issue,”
said President Chambers.
“Drugs seem to be used rather sparingly. The only exceptions I’ve heard of are Bellasarian noblewomen. And this seems to have more to do with finding a man they won’t kill in the sack rather than anything else.”