Chapter 31

Mission Log: Summary

My primary server's medical health routine concluded an observational study of my ward. His behaviors correlate well with the medical data on human males. Cadet Solon's visual-spatial ability and interest in moving things correspond to female mate movements. A component section of the study associates his preference for mammary glands and the laterally projecting prominence of the female pelvis. A corollary question is whether my ward has a skin pigmentation preference. The limited diversity of color of human skin on Von's Haven is a curiosity that I can affect with his children.

The nano-sperm already provide genetic coding to override the natural genetic sequences. The color of human skin and hair is largely determined by the amount and type of melanin pigment production. In the next nanomites software update I will adjust the G-protein coupled receptor and other genomics programming on the nano-sperm for a few select females. This diversity gesture will be interesting to observe in my ward's mainland clan. I will not adjust his island pod's genetic heritage any further. The cadet's small community is isolated and he is clearly in control, so this skin surface structure change seems less disruptive. With the right genetics and the biochemical signaling properties of the encoded receptor my co-father will produce red-hair fair skin pigmentation phenotype.

The sailing master caught me before leaving the deck, we discussed the weather and what I knew of Caldavian raider positions. Last night's weather dream showed another cold front heading this way but no immediate storm troubles. The two raiders last seen around the horn of Conquest Point made port there so he had a clear run home. By the time we finished our conversation Nami and Winter took the deck in their guard attire. The ship wasn't due to leave until it was loaded at noon so they disembarked with me this time. My happy mood shifted to unease as I saw the Galit and a party of men and women making their way to us. The headman's counsel was often a problem for me, more so when I was in his territory. I observed some final heated discourse between the Galit and his son. This was a bad sign; this son was responsible for the warehouse area and blockhouses. I liked this son and found him much more level headed than his egoistical father. Four familiar women trailed the men with one of the Galit's mercenary bodyguards. The red-brown women looked unhappy, worn down and pregnant.

The Galit was clearly worked up, a mean intent in his eyes, "You! How dare you send me your problems and then disappear to Convey."

Wise and sober words began to fade from my thoughts as he got under my calm feelings.

"These women are your responsibility. Not mine!" he shouted at me.

Looking over these women carefully it came to me; they were the former slaves we saved and had left for their marsh families. I had enough sense to remain quiet while the older man wound down from his one-sided tirade. My eyes didn't grace the headman's face; rather I watched his son, who dropped his shoulders and looked completely embarrassed.

"Look at me, you mongrel," he shouted. Both Winter and Nami drew their swords feeling the threat in his tone. The mercenary drew his sword, which caused me to draw my clan knife.

The Galit's son shouted, "Hold your tongue, Father, if you want to keep your head." You had to give credit to the man. He moved in front of his father and bowed to me. The slave women stepped back a number of paces.

The headman was swallowed up by events and the mercenary moved to his side, cautiously holding his sword at his side, unhappy at facing three armed opponents. The Galit judged my red face and burning ears for the anger singing in my veins. He put a hand on the mercenary's sword arm, waving him off, aware of the muck he just stepped in. I sheathed my nanoblade and waved my guards back.

"You have this mongrel's complete and unforgiving attention," I said, blazing my blue eyes into the headman. The entire dock went silent at the confrontation.

The Galit's son said, "These women came to the marsh looking for family but found none. They appealed to my father's mercy and protection."

He looked for words, which seemed hard for him to express.

The moment passed and he continued, "They took my father's aid but didn't like the price. Two of the women killed themselves which inflamed the village and my mother won't speak to him."

The Galit interrupted, "I took my lord's right. Surely you understand by now the rights and obligations of a headman. My protection is not free. I took payment for their care."

It was clear looking at the small bellies of these troubled women what he did. My anger flared and the Galit stepped back meekly to his guard.

I could see myself killing the Galit with no regret. My rage would have to extend to the mercenary and his son Regenn if I drew my sword again.

So after taking a deep breath, I commanded, "Ladies, come here now."

They didn't hesitate a moment; these women were conditioned to obey. All four women had lived a life of abuse and knew what unheeded angry men could do. They stood before me shaking, each one with bowed head, not daring to look at me in the eyes. Their plight crushed my heart. I felt we had failed them, not cushioning their way back into civilization. Not that I could claim the Galit's village was civilized.

I knelt before these poor women, saying, "Forgive me for not protecting you as a gentleman should. My honor is stained and I ask for your help in cleaning up my mess. Will you allow me to send you with these honorable women behind me to the safety of a temple which serves the needs of women?"

They had to lift their faces to look over my female guards, women with weapons not being a common sight for them.

One of the battered women said, "I will go, Lord Solon."

Shortly afterwards, the other women agreed too. A tear on my cheek, I hugged the women and told them they were safe now. My female guards led them to the ship and a new life in Convey. I didn't address the Galit but I pulled his son aside and told him there better be a new headman soon or his father might not make it another cycle. Regenn considered my meaning a moment and nodded affirmatively.

Life returned to the dock, people started to go about their business and men started to load the ship again. I strode to the barge, determined to build a safe haven for people in Juniper Hills.

We parted soon after, the mule teams pulled the heavy barge along the shoreline as dozens of men pushed us with poles. My anger dissipated as I filled my time speaking to the shipbuilders in detail about constructing the multi-hull sea going ship. This was their first time hearing what we were going to make, so I held their complete attention describing the vessel and the construction methods to be used. They learned that the absence of heeling means that the sails do not spill wind, so the ship's acceleration was fantastic and their shallow draft offered access to places no keel could enter.

The new ship design was light weight and had superior handling, but would not replace ships that carried bulky loads of cargo. The trimarans would be known as a Dragon, a ship for moving light loads quickly. This ship would make the world a lot smaller, I told them, bringing faster communication and shrinking response times to changing markets for merchants. These men were going to make a fortune if they stayed with us. I used the chalk and slates we packed to go over the design and we began organizing work teams and covered the steps of building a simple boat house to building our prototype.

The building site would be on the shore with a couple of wooden rails which would guide the ship into the water at high tide when completed. The boathouse would be more or less an open-air building which was more frame and roof than anything. The boathouse and rail system would not take much time to put in place with so many tradesmen. We discussed the existing sail boats we used as fishing ships; and, when they saw the first few sails on the horizon my slate drawings took shape before their eyes. The sleek ships passed us on a strong breeze, sailing towards the Galit's village.

Not wasting any time on the journey we continued to discuss my mathematical knowledge and the rules of navigation that would apply to these new ships. I wanted them to have competent knowledge of how the ship would make course corrections and the special handling that was needed in stormy weather. My biggest fear was a foolish crew applying mono-hull ship handling strategies to a ship with no keel and two floats in heavy weather. If caught out their best strategy was to drastically shorten sail or risk flipping the ship on the bow making it near impossible to right, dooming the ship and its company. As their new patron and master, the men continued to give me their attention until we arrived at Juniper Hills.

A bell rang out from a tower I'd never seen before but had instructed it should be built. The tower was similar to my home, two stories tall with an open turret at the top. The structure sat upon the crest of an open hill that looked out to sea. On the west side, at the bottom of the hill was the wooden tavern. Nearby was a blacksmith shop and we could hear the steady hammering across the water. A dozen fishing nets hung on wooden hangers drying in the breeze near the barge's normal landing spot. I suspected that sailboats done for the day were nestled just behind the first sand dune.

A new observation platform with sturdy wood walls, was just on the rise above the nets, with a lookout and large wolf ship crossbow. A number of porters, men I did not know, stood ready to help unload the full barge. I pointed at the tavern and told the shipbuilders to go there until we organized their sleeping arrangements. Our village was simple and plain compared to anything where they had lived. I hoped they were up to the adventure; we needed happy workers not reluctant tradesmen.

Sparrow was the first person I recognized as the new men and I crested the first dune. The men stopped to look upon the sailboats they had heard about from me. Sparrow smiled, running up the small dune to me with his staff in hand. I relished talking with the young man. He had grown much taller since my departure, perhaps as much as a head. Sparrow laughed and we hugged.

"I missed you, Sparrow." His face brightened.

"Lord Solon, we missed you too. Any new adventures to tell me?" My nose noticed an overpowering odor of decaying fish.

"Let's move to Coven's tower and the tavern. I want to see them before we press on to my home," I said, eager to skirt around the offending smell.

"Yes sir," the young boy responded.

We entered the tower and a few women I recognized bowed at my entrance.

"Welcome home, Lord Solon," one of the ladies said.

"Thank you. Is Coven home?" The women shook their heads.

The other woman said, "He was going to work in the boat building today."

Smiling at them, we ducked out and walked down to the tavern. The new men scampered out of my way as Sparrow and I entered the two-story building. They'd built it much bigger than I'd anticipated. Inside two of the older widows were cleaning tables when they saw me they ran over and captured a kiss without saying hello. They savored the kiss and then greeted me with a typical marsh woman head bow.

"We have a few dozen shipbuilders outside needing a meal and a drink. Would it take long to help them?" I asked.

The two ladies looked at each other, then said, "We have the drink alright but a meal won't be ready for some time for so many, Lord Solon."

Their answer wasn't surprising given all these new men just arrived on their doorstep without advance notice.

"Tell Sparrow what you need and who you need to assist you. Then let the men in for drinks." It was a tall task but the new men deserved a meal. "Sparrow, we part here. Making these new men feel welcome is an important assignment and you will know how to get the right people here." I said and exiting the building.

A well-worn path from the tavern wound around juniper bushes and through the towering pine trees on the top of the steep hill. The subtle aroma of the pine released a torrent of pleasant memories, which were filled with images of Swarta and Palus. As the path opened out into the settlement, the realization of how much I missed the protection of the dense canopy of this primeval forest hit me. A few concubines with leather pouches full of wild vegetables picking their way down the tight path stopped when they saw me. The lead woman, plump and full of life, developed a crooked little smile and ran the rest of the short distance to me. After taking but one more step closer to them, the plump concubine hugged me and took a deep passionate kiss from my mouth. Another woman stepped forward and took my hand waiting for her kiss.

The third woman shouted, "River, give him a breath and let us greet our lord."

A small commotion ensued as each woman treated me to a homecoming kiss. River came back for a seconds; a slight tremor in her arms revealed how unsteady she was on her feet.

River's eyes were like dark stones washed with tears. "Slow down, ladies. I missed you too." I said. We hugged and chatted briefly. Then I sent them to the tavern to help with the new guests.

A couple of men who were unfamiliar to me passed by me without saying a word, intent on some duty. "How quickly our village has grown," I thought. Every few turns I came across more people working their way down to the beach, most likely to help with the barge. People I knew stopped briefly and greeted me before continuing on with their task.

Arriving at the woodworkers shop I was surprised―it had doubled in size. Outside were two finished sailing boats in the drying process. Inside, Coven was full of dust, his hands working with two helpers to bend a piece of wood into place on the bow of a boat. Coven staggered slightly when the gluing was done, surprised to see me at the door. A moment later and we clasped forearms, our faces bright with joy at finally seeing a loved one.

We laughed together, "We didn't know you would be on this barge trip!" His normally calm, brown eyes full of excitement.

"My reputation for grand entrances is in tatters," I laughed in response.

Coven groped for words as he told me about all the completed buildings and rapid construction on the sailboats. Tharin's tower and the extended wall were done and the welcome addition of the retired marines helped finish the project quickly. The spreading facets of new projects were laid out for me. Coven authorized a number of other barracks-like structures to handle future unexpected population growth needs and Tharin had suggested another extension on the west wall so the barracks building would sit against it.

The building was designed to allow men to climb a ladder out of the barracks to man a platform section of the wall. A clever defensive use of the combined structures. The main path to the beach had been paved with flagstones to make it easier to move small carts that now hauled the water barrels. Coven handed me a wineskin he always kept at hand and together we drank and walked towards the heart of the village. I told him about all the shipbuilders that had arrived with me and as I entered my tower he left to deal with the situation.

Swarta was rocking back and forth on her heels as I entered the tower. "Von!" she exclaimed and we ran into each other, her bowed legs waddled, carrying an enlarged tummy―my children. She rubbed my face in disbelief, tears of joy streaming down her face. "You're home at last," she said.

Our touches were gentle but full of need. We slowly turned in our embrace, light nibbles on our lips rather than passionate kisses, my words lost to the completeness I felt with her in my arms. Swarta's breasts and belly were heavy and I saw a brief twinge of discomfort in her face, so I walked her to a bench by the stairs and we sat together.

Swarta placed her head in the crook of my neck as we talked. "Palus and the other ladies are napping upstairs," she said. Under the loose brown dress her stomach moved under my hand. Without thinking I lifted up her dress, revealing the stretched skin underneath. I watched with amazement as the bump moved, and I tentatively touched it.

"Your father is here little ones," I said, tears of joy welling up in my eyes.

"Look how big they are getting," Swarta responded.

I pushed my hand up higher and under the fabric, cupping her breast, saying, "You are beautiful in every way. I am so happy to be with you again." The warm pressure of my tears pressed against my eyeballs, a tight chest mading it hard to breathe. "You are my everything," I said, the tears finally breaking free and trickling down my cheeks.

Our touches became more urgent and it took a lot of effort to break off and make our way to the master bedroom. Thankfully, opening the door didn't wake Palus, who was nesting in a ball under a blanket. The window shutter was closed and a yellow drape covered it, dulling the light in the room. Our fetching healer didn't move a muscle as we crawled into bed with her. Seeing Palus stirred strong emotions in me; she had grace and ease with people. I loved her soft personality.

The sleeping woman shifted slightly against my body as I slowly slid in behind her, spooning up to her warmth. Swarta moved against my back, a set of thin fingers stroking my hair and neck. Feeling my women against me made my body feel restless, but I resisted moving, afraid to wake my lover. I resolved to watch over her and draw in her walnut-brown hair's clean smell. My hidden broad smile almost hurt by the time Palus swiveled to face me, a droopy eye finally opened. Unfocused at first, Palus's eyes widened and her lips sucked my breath away as my lover and I savored each other.

Despite the fogginess in Palus's brain she guided my hand to her belly, saying, "We all missed you, Von. Your children must kick me a dozen times a day. I think they are looking for you."

My feisty Swarta lifted my shirt off and then lifted her own dress off, pushing her naked belly into my back. Little kicks ringed along my spine for a moment.

"Feel them, Von?" Swarta asked.

"Yes lover. I feel our child."

Not to be outdone, Palus pulled her dress off and pushed her stomach into me too. The moment caused my emotions to well up, my pride, contentment and happiness to be in our bed again. We were all content to just share our time quietly together, whispering words of love.