Chapter 8: Our roles defined

Four days later I was able to walk unaided if my shuffling along like an aged woman could be considered walking, and the nurse told me that I would be released that afternoon. "I wanted to keep you here longer but Major Entembe insists that it is time for you to take up your duties; your journalistic duties and your womanly ones. He rightly pointed out that your accommodation and the food in Government House is far superior to here and you can no doubt guess it will make it more convenient for him pop in to fuck you. I've pressured him into agreeing not to make you lie on your back when he does so and has agreed to use other ways until such time as you are healed sufficiently. The ruling will apply to any male that is allowed to fuck you and I suspect that after tomorrow when the Major has filled you with his sperm again, that will apply to any male." I started to ask questions but she bade me wait until she had finished. "He will explain all the necessary rules. I am to visit you each morning to check on your condition. That's perhaps the good news. The down side is that, while Roger is not going to be linked to you for the time being, he is to stay by your side at all times just as though he is again physically connected. He will go to the toilet with you, stay by your bed when a man is fucking you and be totally subservient to you at all times. If he doesn't behave, you may use the strap to punish him. If that is insufficient incentive, he can always be sent back to the flogging master who might try other methods of keeping him awake. The Major wanted to chain you like you were before but I managed to get the concession on the grounds that any serious pull on your arms could easily open up your wounds on your back again. I also thought that you might prefer it that way."

"Are you sure you don't know why I'm being taken to the Major's office with you Ellie?" Sumala asked as the three of us stumbled along the uneven path to Government House. "Am I in trouble?"

"I have no more knowledge than you Suma. The Major's not mentioned you much in his visits and you've been listening through the bars anyway. I haven't seen him for two days but it seems he visited Muniba more recently. I told you what she told me before we left. I had no idea you were coming. I even said good-bye. It wasn't until the guards came and collected you as well as us that I knew."

"She wants you on hand to..." Roger started but stopped when I turned and glared at him. He didn't need a verbal reminder of his position.

Roger and I were still naked but after a week without wearing clothes, that had ceased to worry me. None of the Tumalians we met were overly concerned about it and didn't even make rude comments. All seemed concerned at the state of my back though. Sumala wore his shorts for the first time. For my part, I was dreading the day when I would have material chafing the welts, welts that were now scabbing over and no longer open but I knew I would need them when I was fit enough to go outside.

Inside the building we were quickly shown into Shelumba's office. "Sorry." She apologised, "You'll have to wait for a little while, the Major has a visitor. He said you might need this." Shelumba handed me a soft pillow. She, like all those we'd passed in the building looked horrified at the state of my back and they even commented on Sumala's too. "I'm sorry, no one thought your punishment would be as severe as it was. We'll do all we can to help you in the next few weeks." I asked about Sumala but she said it would be the Major's task to explain. We chatted for a few more minutes and then she said, "Perhaps I ought to warn you, when the Major's visitor comes out, stand up straight and bow your head until he has gone. You don't need to get into any more trouble because of your ignorance of our etiquette."

By the end of ten minutes, even with the pillow, the chair was becoming uncomfortably hard and several times I had to lift myself up. Fortunately the office door opened and when Shelumba stood the others and I copied her, albeit at a much slower pace. I caught a glimpse of the man's face and recognised it from photographs on the web; Colonel Nubaro.

Unexpectedly he stopped and looked at our group. "So you're Ted Sullivan's reporters. Look at me please." I lifted my head and saw that he was smiling. I wanted to ask about the immunity document but I knew this was not the right time and questioning him now could land us in a worse situation. "I hear you managed for fall foul of our laws already. That was unfortunate but it will give you something to write about. Turn around please, Miss Eves." I did so. "It was never our intention to have her punished like this Major. What happened?"

"An over zealous flogging master Sir."

"Have him flogged in a similar way."

"The matter is already in hand Sir.

"And the boy?"

"Passed out at every stroke Sir."

"Unusual. Still we only accepted him as a makeweight but it might be interesting to put him in the Mummy Boy camp and see what happens. I see you've put her in charge now. They'll have to stay until her stripes have faded but at least Ted will get his money's worth out of her. I think we should send Ted pictures of her stripes. That will help sell the magazine and increase interest in our country and it will raise the profile of our negotiations with the British government."

"We already have pictures of her Sir, and pictures of her in the customs hall at the airport and a number of her at the whipping post. The Chapoti Post has also printed pictures and run a story on them. Ted will probably sell them to the TV companies in England."

"I was utterly shocked at the news and found myself becoming feint from standing in the one position and hearing the conversation. A moment later I found myself held in Sumala's arms. The Major was showing his visitor out. A glass of water revived me and I had a few moments to go over some of the Colonel's remarks.

'It was never our intention to have her punished like this.' They'd planned our punishment in advance. Why? Sounded as if Ted knew about it too so it must have been worked out even before we left England. Now they wanted the magazine readers and indeed the whole world when it was put on the web and TV, to gloat over my misfortune; our misfortune. I would be shown naked and being beaten. How would I ever live it down? Could I ever return to work in England again? And then Nubaro said, 'We only accepted him as a makeweight.' Did Ted suspect Roger would be useless in this situation? Or was it that I would never have come on my own? I wonder what Roger thought of that? It won't have helped his self esteem at all. Nor will the bit about being sent to the Mummy Boy camp. By then the Major had returned and I'd finished the water. Shelumba ushered us into his office and even brought the pillow for me to sit on.

There were only two chairs and my pillow was placed on one and after the Major indicated we should sit, I ordered Roger to kneel on the floor beside me. I was rewarded with a smile from the Major and a scowl from Roger.

At first the Major reiterated what Nurse Muniba had told me but he went on, "For the rest of today and all tomorrow, I am keeping you for my exclusive use. After that, others will be free to fuck you outside working hours and outside the restricted areas like the cafeteria. No one, not even me, is allowed to enter your bedroom without your express invitation. If a man asks to come to your room, you are within your rights to say no. If he asks to fuck you in a recreational area, then you must allow it. Is that clear Elaine? Shelumba has a typed list of all this and will give it to you afterwards."

"Yes Sir."

"Roger, as I said earlier, you must keep close to Elaine just as though you were physically connected. You may only fuck her if she requests it and you may only fuck other ladies, if Elaine permits it. During the day you will help her with the journalistic work you came here to do. At those times you can advise, suggest and debate the best way to write the articles but at all other times and in all other matters, you will be under her strict control. Your pathetic behaviour in the last few days almost caused me to send you on your own directly to the Mummy Boy camp where they would certainly have used you like a woman." I looked down at Roger kneeling at my side and noticed his prick was hardening. The Major must have seen it too but he didn't comment. "However, I see from your file that in the office the pair of you bounced ideas off each other and produced excellent articles under a dual by-line. If that doesn't work here, then for the rest of your time in this country, your arse can serve the needs of the queer pricks that are not allowed to produce babies. Do you think he will be able to handle a situation like that Elaine?"