Chapter 5: It's War!

For the record I have been kept in the dark and fed bravo sierra in mass quantities. There was an operational reason for that—one for which I lacked the need to know. The thought that humans could torture secrets out of me was almost funny. Almost—torture is no laughing matter. Georgia promised me that I was "too valuable to ship out," but I kept getting those three aye-em phone calls to save the world...

While running a full-time school, I did several quick clandestine ops dirt-side. I even had a moment to spare to pick up patterns—and trinkets. Had to keep my base happy. They keep me happy. It's only fair. Though some of my family members were non-human, they enjoyed gifts, too. Mr. Cat was waiting for me. I pulled out a small stuffed cat and gave it to him.

"For you, Mr. Cat," I said. The cat vocalized acknowledgment and then snatched the stuffed animal in his teeth. I was mobbed by six dependents and two concubines—all quite naked. Mr. Cat trotted off. I didn't know I had visitors until Colonel Mubarak spoke.

"I fear that you have scandalized Brother Solomon," the colonel chuckled. "He's not used to naked women. Fortunately he wasn't here to see you do that with the cat."

"What do you mean, Papa?" Jasmine said.

"Your husband has a way with animals," Mubarak explained.

"I know that, Papa," Jasmine pouted. "I like the horses. They're nice."

Fortunately they had already held their reunion. Colonel Mubarak was now General Mubarak—he had been promoted. The promotion came because Dar al-Salam had fragmented into war. Per agreement, the students would have to be informed. Solomon would tell them.

"Where is Fatima?" I asked.

"Dawn took Fatima and her father to see the cats," Zara said.

"Yes," General Mubarak remarked. "I understand that he is in for a surprise. Who is Big Mama?"

"A grizzly bear," I said. "She sort of adopted me."

"Yes," Mubarak shook his head. "Like the sheik's tiger."

At that moment Achmed and Osama walked in with their assigned houris and with Georgia. The six houris were nude—unusual. Georgia wore a black Navy uniform. Achmed had a goofy expression on his face. Osama just looked sleepy. Breakfast was first—as a family.

"That suit looks good on you," Georgia commented. Small talk. Networking. A few minutes later Solomon and Fatima returned with an albino lion we called Kimba.

Breakfast was a formal affair with just the men and Georgia at the table. The initial table talk was how helpful the houris had been to all of the students. Achmed and Osama had been swapping houris. I wondered when the men would tell me. The houris kept me informed because I needed to know how the students were holding up—and because I didn't want my women hurt, I kept tabs on their health. It wasn't all fun and games. Some of those men were into rough sex. One of these days I'll have to have it explained to me; why do men express contempt for the people that bring them pleasure? I know it has something to do with dominance—but I don't get how someone can treat another with contempt. Don't talk physical abuse to me! The houris did suffer minor injuries from rough sex, at first. Even the low-CAP women on the program refused to leave. Georgia brought up the minor abuse and that the abuse was tapering off.

"Tom would never hurt his wives," Georgia stated. "I was worried when I found out that three of his wives are still dependent status. How about it, girls. Do you feel neglected or abused?"

"I have a lion!" Fatima bragged. "Kimba will protect me."

"The animals here love us, Papa," Jasmine said. "I ride horses almost every day. Lilly Belle is my favorite."

"I wish I was old enough to have my husband's children," Zara said. "I will wait because that is what Tom wants. I trust him. It's hard waiting, sometimes, but it's what Tom wants."

"Tom is a comedian sometimes," Georgia commented. "He instructed the students to not have sex in the corridors and scare the horses."

"But the horses like to watch!" Zara insisted. "Well, they do!"

Georgia laughed. Kimba gave his baby lion roar. The rest of the females in the room giggled at Kimba's roar.

"I love you, Kimba," Fatima said as she hugged the lion.

Goddess Lilith, the governor of our little colony ship, and the ship's captain, Colonel Mary Popov entered with Dawn and her jaguar Spots in tow. A pair of the marines wearing the Egyptian-motif costumes with short golden sword and shield followed. Colonel Popov was in her duty uniform. The governor wore only headdress and jewelry. Dawn, of course, was nude.

"Just coffee," Mary said as she took a place at the table.

Lilith wanted juice.

"You may wonder, gentlemen, why I chose to remain naked," Lilith addressed the representatives of Dar al Salam, the Islamic empire that the rest of the world called the Steel Veil. "It is what we goddesses do. We're already perfection. Why hide it? I just wear a few baubles to gild the lily. Young Dawn here wears nothing because her animal friends like it that way. Clothes send messages to the animals that we humans are better than they are."

"But we are," Solomon protested. "The animals were created to serve us."

"Tess is getting the dog and pony show ready," Mary sipped her coffee. "That's American military slang for any kind of military demonstration. You are going to ask the men to complete their training here."

"That's correct," General Mubarak said. "My son-in-law was to train a training team so that we could put our space defense system in place. Some will want to go home and protect their families—but they're in a safe place right now. You carefully explained to me that you cannot teach anybody unwilling. I accept that."

"We have a plan for defectors," Lilith said. "If they want to defect, they'll have to agree to becoming eunuchs."

"No," Solomon objected. "I won't allow that."

"Defection," Mary repeated. "They can finish their schooling. They can go back to Earth today. If they feel like defecting the disincentive is that they will be gelded and live the rest of their lives as slaves. Do you agree that option is unacceptable?"

"Yes!" Solomon and Mubarak chorused.

"Why are you silent?" Solomon asked Osama.

"Because I don't believe T. E. Lawrence would inflict such permanent misery on a fellow human being," Osama said. "I was reluctant to spend time with all those dangerous beasts. When Tom enters the horse exercise area, the entire herd runs to greet him. They do love him—it's more than simple master and stupid beasts. The dogs don't like most of us students. That white lion lives with the dogs and his foster mother is a timber wolf. Yes, my brothers, that is unnatural. Tom commands the animals as if they were members of his family."

"But they are like children," Fatima insisted as she stroked Kimba's back. "If anybody wants to see how my husband will treat slaves, look at the animals. Look at us children. Look at the sponsors that are his other wives. Look at the concubines—real slaves."

Complicating matters were Dawn and a few others—I was not permitted to know if they were sponsors or concubines. Ricardo, the AI for the Arab Dagger project, refused to tell me, as did the Ares Colony AI, the ship's AI, the Targeted Extraction Group AI and about four or five others. I lost count! Some AI aboard ship had multiple identities and I wasn't permitted to know every AI. Remember—I was "need to know" only. I might be dispatched on another mission. Someone might be a sponsor undercover as a concubine—but why that measure would be necessary in the gold fish bowl environment of the Confederacy is a mystery to me. Six of the houris were sponsors working undercover.

"I don't do the animals alone," I said. "I have a lot of help. First, all of the animals were selected for their compatibility with me. The medical department put limits on these animals so that they won't hurt a human. Many humans here are better with specific animals than I am. I'd like to introduce our stable staff and Candi—the woman who trains our dogs."

"You do realize that the Christians would execute you for witchcraft," Solomon declared. "Man and animal are supposed to be separated, the Christians say."

"He knows," Lilith said. "I'd like to see them try! When my warrior king has finished his training, the rocks and trees will obey his commands. No need to blush, Tom. It's true."

My ears did feel hot.

"I can verify that," General Mubarak stated. He told a tale of how I had taken on a company of Chinese commandos—but I wasn't quite single-handed. There was a dog involved, and were you aware of the Asian lion? "The lioness is old now, but the village still cares for her. That village never has trouble with bandits."

My ears were burning.

"I met that lion," Solomon said. "I had to see for myself. The village elder insisted that I touch the lion, that a holy man had charged the village to take care of her and had charged the lion to take care of the village. Yes, I feared the beast. An old woman took care of the lion, lived in the lion's house."

Lions, both African and Asian, live in groups called 'prides.' I didn't correct either gentleman about the village lions—there was a whole pride there when I left. It had started with the lioness deathly ill, and her cubs hungry. A Special Forces medic let himself be talked into giving the lioness life-saving drugs and feeding the starving creature. The village headman told me repeatedly that I was crazy—and went along with my adoption of the lioness and her two cubs. When she was well, we'd take the dog handler and dog along and go hunting. Sometimes we'd hunt humans. Eventually the village elder took over care of the healthy lioness and her babies. It's amazing what sort of alliances can be formed between humans and other species.

One problem with American policy was lack of permanence. We'd fly in, wreck things, kill people, and leave the place worse off than before. Sometimes I managed to leave the place in better shape than I found it—not always.