Chapter 33

Upon arrival I called for an immediate meeting with my trio of unwelcomed guests from the other Earth. With my mates and friends in attendance, I pulled up a chair in the great hall and made myself comfortable. While guards hurried off to fetch the trio, I sat and sipped wine and thought about what I wanted to say to them. To my surprise the trio looked a sorry sight. I'd left them behind in Oak Hall when we'd sailed for Blue Harbour and they'd been kept in the dungeon for the whole time that I had been away. It had been only a couple of days but it hadn't done them any good. The trio were all pale in appearance and dirty looking and they all appeared to be tired. The fatigue in their features was clearly stress related. The tall blonde looked the worst of the bunch. Her makeup was gone for the most part and what was there was smeared all over the place or streaked. As for her hair, it was a complete and utter mess. When they were brought before me, they all came forward with their heads bowed in submission, looking like frightened rabbits. It was pitiful to gaze upon, but I forced myself to do it for the good of my mission.

"Well now," I stated in a malicious manner with a broad grin upon my face and a wine cup dangling from my fingers, "if it isn't my new slaves."

My words caused a low chuckle to slip from the lips of my mates. They were all seated on either side of me and while they were there only to watch, it was obvious to them the irony of the situation that was unfolding before them and it was clear to me and to the trio that none of them felt the slightest bit of real compassion for them.

"I'm amazed," I told them bluntly, as I continued addressing them, "at how callous and cold hearted your society is. If you had been my employee or a friend or someone I loved I'd have stormed this keep long ago and I would have rescued you. Yet not one person from your world has made the slightest effort to free you. It is shocking that no one there cares about you at all. All your bosses want out of this situation is a contract with me and they'll do anything to get it including sacrificing you three and as far as your fellow citizens care, you're just part of the programming now. It's such a pity."

"It's not fair," the blonde whimpered softly. "It's just not fair."

"Do you have a union that protects your rights?" I asked her coldly, a smirk forming on my lips as I did.

"No," the woman squeaked in reply, starting to cry once more.

"Then I guess you have no one to complain to except for me," I commented dismissively, sighing as I did, "and unfortunately for you, it is not why I've called you here today. You see I want more information from your employers. As you told me a few days ago, this planet is covered with vehicles of all kinds that were teleported here and then left abandoned. They're out there and many are ripe for the picking. I want a map of every vehicle regardless of the type that is within a five hundred mile radius of this city. I want to know the type of vehicle and the condition that it is in and if it is a cargo vehicle, like an eighteen wheeler, I want to know what kind of cargo it is carrying. In exchange for this information, I will give your networks a once only exclusive performance. My newest mate has yet to be welcomed into my relationship with my other mates. I plan to do that tonight. It should be spectacular. If your networks want this, then they'll pay the price and if they don't ... well you three can go back down into the dungeon and stay there for the rest of your pathetic lives. All they need to do to signify their agreement is to take Ms. Kent back to your world and then send her back with the information I've requested. So what do you think? Will the networks agree or... ?"

I never got to finish my question. As I spoke Ms. Kent disappeared in a flash of light. I smiled at that.

"I guess your networks agreed with my proposal," I chuckled softly. "So now I must decide what to do with you two until your friend returns. I think a bath and some food is in order. I will hand you over to the chamberlain of the keep. He will tend to you and find you a mat to sleep upon and work to do when I have no need for your services. Remember this, you are slaves now and will remain so for as long as I say. If your employers cooperate, I will be kind to you within reason. If they don't cooperate, then you should start counting the seconds until I kill you. I don't like you and neither does anyone in this keep. Obey the people who tell you to do something and you'll survive. Argue and you die. Now get out of my sight."

The guards escorted the two away without any fuss. We sat in silence and watched them go. It was cruel what I was doing to them but I didn't care and what I had told them was true. Nobody cared about them. Hopefully, in time, they would learn from this experience, although I seriously doubted it. We could only hope. In the meantime, I had other matters to concern myself with, starting with my mates.

"So that is why you kept us from your bed these last few nights, my mate," Kola asked when we were alone again. "You had a scheme and you knew that they would jump at it."

"I did my precious," I said reaching over and taking Kola's hand in mine. Swiftly I brought it to my lips and kissed it tenderly. Kola and my other mates smiled at that and I basked in their happiness for a moment. Then I continued on. "I hope I haven't hurt anyone's feelings in this matter. I need that information and I knew these people would jump at what I was offering them. Of course, regardless of their response we will welcome Asana into our family. However, if an entire world intends to watch us do it, we should get something for it. Agreed?"

They all agreed, including Asana. By now Asana was conversant with what we were talking about. I had explained to her the facts of life on Game World before we'd consummated our marriage. As the daughter of an outworlder she was, by the idiotic logic of the other Earth, a possession of the network that had originally dropped her father on Game World. The young woman had been stunned by the news at first and then she'd become enraged. She had lived a very sheltered and pampered life as the daughter of a lord and to be told that her life belonged to someone else infuriated her. It took time and patience to help her come to terms with it. My mates had helped me with this matter. They'd lived with the knowledge for a longer time and they had adapted to some degree. In the end we had convinced her that we could exploit the situation to our own benefit and she was onboard with everyone else for whatever I suggested if it meant that we would gain an upper hand over the bastards running Game World. That I promised her would happen.

I left my mates with the promise of seeing them later. I needed to speak to Elsa Mueller and I went to find her. She wasn't in the keep that morning and I ended up having to ride up to the promontory to talk to her. I took a mount from Lord Barnabas' stables now that I no longer had my big grey. Absentmindedly, I knew that I would have to do something about that in the near future, especially when my mates and I started travelling again.

Elsa Mueller was on the promontory chatting with one of her lieutenants. They were going over a scale model that someone had created as a plan for their new home. It showed everything as it would be when all the construction was done. The village would include shops and craft-houses, a couple of taverns, a stable, a smith, and a small keep in addition to homes for everyone who wanted to live there. From my talks with Elsa, three-quarters of her people wanted to live in the village while the rest were going to turn their hand to farming. Fortunately, about half the people I had rescued from Minos were also interested in farming while another quarter of them were going to remain fishermen. Hopefully, we'd have enough food production to support the new community and the old. The last addition to the model and the eventual village was a stone wall. Eventually, the village would be able to not only defend itself but it would help defend the whole of Oak Hall.

"Well good morning to you," Elsa Mueller said in greeting as I rode up to her command post on the hill, "and what brings you here today."

"Work," I said with a chuckle.

"Damn," the woman cursed openly, though with a smile on her lips, "I was hoping that it was to offer me an invitation to your party tonight. What a pity."

"You've heard about that," I asked, a little surprised by the news.

"Gossip travels fast my friend," Elsa replied, "and I have spies everywhere now that I am Lord Barnabas' right hand woman. Now don't look too surprised Charles. Nimue told me last night while we were still in Blue Harbour. She said you had a plan for this evening that promised to be fun and that she was looking forward to it. I'll admit that I'm envious of your mates. One day I hope that you will invite me to join you."

"One day Elsa I will," I said to her with sincerity, "but not anytime soon. If I ever take you to my bed it will be for life and as such, I'd expect you to come with me as I went adventuring and for now Lord Barnabas needs you and Oak Hall needs you and in truth I need you here. I hope you understand."

"I do," Elsa replied, coming over and giving me a peck on the cheek, "but I'll hold you to your promise in a year's time. By then I think I will be ready to go adventuring with you. In the meantime, as I asked originally, what brings you up here to see me?"

"And like I told you, work," I answered, smiling warmly at her. "Let's take a walk and we can chat without having to listen to all the hammering and yelling. I've got a few things that I need to go over with you before I head back to Izmir and the Minoan invasion fleet."

I left my horse tethered by Elsa's command post and then took off with her. We headed south along the expanse of the promontory until we reached the very end of it. From that point we could see the port and the sea beyond it and the distant shores to the south across the calm waters. We could also see the Windrunner and the Swordfish. They were both at sea as were a couple of fishing boats. The fishing boats were acting as tugs, towing targets behind them so that the ballistae crews on the two larger vessels could practice their marksmanship. I'd given that job to Tagus and Nimue to oversee, so that we'd have trained crews for the two new craft that were being refitted in Izmir. I figured training was worth the effort and nobody disagreed. They all saw the value of the effort.

"So what do you want to talk about?" Elsa asked after we'd paused for a few seconds to watch the ships beating back and forth on the sea below us.

"Several things actually," I said turning to look at her, "although some are more important than others. My first issue is our commitment under the treaty with Izmir and Blue Harbour. I realize that for the moment, we'll be tied up with the Minoan invasion fleet but eventually we'll need to make good our promise to clean up the pirate issue here in the inland sea. Personally, I'd like to resolve it with the least amount of effort. Besides the last enclave on the big island, you've told me that there are half a dozen small bands situated on the south-eastern shore that turn to piracy from time to time. I think those six could be dealt with easily with a visit in force. Technically they fall under Lord Tailem's rule, but for now, until his power base has been strengthened, he won't be able to deal with them. If we can get the message across to them that they should reconsider their source of livelihood, then we can leave them alone. If they persist, I'd recommend eliminating them completely. The men can be sold into slavery and the women if there are any and they're agreeable to the plan, could be offered as wives to men here in Oak Hall who need one."

"That leaves the last group on the big island," Elsa pointed out.

"It does," I acknowledged with a nod. "Are you familiar with the leadership of that enclave?"

"Yeah," Elsa admitted, gazing out in the direction of the big island as she replied, her expression turned thoughtful. "The man running things is an Afrikaner by the name of Rolf Steinman. He was a major in the South African army on his world. He's a big man, red headed, and he enjoys killing. He rules things through intimidation and physical force. We never got along. He's also a sexist pig."

"So what you're telling me is that I can't deal with this man," I stated bluntly.

"Correct," Elsa said with a sigh. "He might negotiate with you, but I wouldn't trust him or his immediate lieutenants. If you're proposing what I think you're proposing, then forget it. If Rolf came over to Oak Hall and joined us, it would be for one reason and one reason only, and that would be to take over and run things himself. It's just the way he is."

"Pity," I responded sighing heavily, "but it's to be expected. The bastards running Game World have a habit of grabbing dickheads from other Earths to spice things up. Well we can solve that issue once we're done in Izmir. I'd suggest sending in the six guys I used raiding the crusaders' camp and offing their leadership. They could do the same with Rolf and his lieutenants once they'd been identified and then we could come in and offer the surviving pirates a deal. Personally, I'd like to move them a few miles west along the north shore. They could start a new village there and serve as a coastal lookout for Oak Hall. What do you think?"

"I think it's a good idea," Elsa said with a smile. "So what else do you want to speak about?"

"Vehicles," I told her bluntly. Then I told her about what I'd asked for from the networks. Elsa grinned in response to that.

"You're kidding, right?" she asked just shaking her head. "And they're going to provide this information. Wow, that is going to be great. What do you want to do with it once we have it?"

"Well," I told her, returning her smile, "I want you to review it and prioritize which vehicles we should go for first. I also want you to assemble a technical team while I'm away fighting the Minoans. We'll need your electrician and any mechanics that you can round up to go with the search party that I'll be sending out. Depending on how far away the first vehicle is we'll be needing pack animals and supplies and a work force. Personally, I'd love to drive a vehicle back here but I don't think it will be possible. There are no roads and the terrain is too broken and covered with trees to move a wheeled vehicle far. Even so, we might need carts or sleds that we can use to drag anything heavy back with us. I'm hoping to get on to this once I'm back from the war."

"I wouldn't mind coming along if it was possible," Elsa said giving me a look that suggested I should really consider it. I just smiled and chuckled in response.