Felicity Ch. 68

The delegation of former warriors and enemies looked very much like what they were. They did not trust each other and thought the trip to Earth was a waste of time.

Each had five wives walking behind them dressed in the colors of the clan of which they were members. The males were no longer allowed to wear clan colors but the treaty did not include their women so they now signified their allegiance.

They came to Earth because they had not arrived at an agreement on who should lead their planet. The Federation required that to join them the entire planet needed to be unified and theirs was not. They came to Earth to speak to the only Mur they knew would be impartial, the only male member of his clan, eGr.

When the clans first saw the problem of electing a planetary leader loom they had asked eGr. He had turned them down.

All the clans had breathed a sigh of relief when he did so at that time but for the next five years they had searched for a solution and had not come up with one. Their planet remained fragmented and so was the recovery effort on their war torn planet.

They knew their bickering was hurting their chances to be admitted to the Federation so they asked eGr a second time.

He had declined to come back as Leader a second time so the four clan leaders were forced to take the trip to Earth and try again in person.

It took a long while for them to get permission to travel off their planet but it was granted. Mur had never set foot on another planet until then. That planet was Earth.

Their meeting was to take place on the deck of a restaurant in Felicity and the Chieftains almost ruined their chances when none at the restaurant paid any attention to them and none of the women stood.

Old habits are hard to ignore but they had been instructed on the mores of Earth and knew they would be ignored, but it had never happened until that day.

The Federation had made sure they understood that tolerance of others was the tenet of the Federation and any arrogance they displayed could set them back for many years so they swallowed their pride and waited to be guided to their table.

They did see five alien races scattered through the restaurant enjoying themselves and laughing. They could hear Kindred sing but could not see them. Eventually they were spotted, the Kindred were sitting around a bar in the water.

The Chieftains just managed not to shudder.

The Lord of the Land came to them and led them to a round table on the corner of the deck. Lord Jim had chosen a spot close enough to the edge to make them a bit nervous about the water but far enough away to be able to function.

He said, "I regret there will be a short delay, two of the beasts have challenged each other and eGr has gone over to end it. He will calm both down and load the older one on a transport and be taken to a zoo in Clara. The younger challenger will become the prime male of the herd.

It should be over soon in fact I see him with the older one now."

The Chieftains were astounded to see an enormous beast follow eGr to a dock and both get on a barge. They saw eGr talk to the beast and caress its side.

"That is Pete, a giraffe. He and eGr have been friends for years, this is a sad day for both.

Oh, your first wives are bringing us something to eat. This is called paella and was made by eBs, eGr's wife."

The Chieftains had not noticed their wives had not been behind them until then. They had not noticed the Sprite and her camera either. She had a camera trained on them as soon as they exited the ship.

They barely noticed when their wives left again when the aroma of the food reached their very beings. All were very disappointed when they found their plates were suddenly empty. They had eaten their meal a fast as they could.

Two pitchers of beer were brought to their table but drinking was postponed when the barge with eGr and the giraffe sailed by. eGr bowed to them and the Chieftains stood and bowed to him.

They had to admit that he had more courage than they did, the beast and the water were more than they could have handled individually much less together.

"They are going to the mainland and Pete will be transported to Clara from there. eGr will join us when Pete is on his way. Have you been to Clara yet?" Lord Jim asked as he poured a mug of beer for each guest.

The Chieftains were stunned that the Lord of the land would serve them, that was what wives were for. They again noticed their wives were not around.

Eventually one of them answered that Clara was not on their agenda.

"Really? I though our Queen had a seminar for you about how to set up a government. Our set up would suit your planet well. She is expecting you."

He had trapped them, they now felt they had to pay their respects to the Queen.

A few moments of silence later one asked, "Where are our wives?'

"In the banquet room, Azulians are singing for them as they eat paella. If you wish I could ask eBs to teach them how to make it."

He got an enthusiastic yes to that from all four.

eGr joined them as the Chieftains finished their second beer. They stood and bowed to him. Lord Jim saw no reservations about him from the chieftains. What he saw was their admiration.

What followed were desperate attempts to convince him to accept the Leaders post of their planet, which eGr declined.

Lord Jim then said, "What if you become leader but for just five years? Then you could hold an election for a new leader for the next five years but set it up like we do here and in Kindred and prohibit the leader from holding the post twice in succession. You could set up a council to choose the candidates for the next election."

eGr seemed to be considering that so the Chieftains immediately agreed to the proposal.

eGr said, "I'm not sure about this, my wife and I love it here."

"You could both come back and resume your jobs after the next leader is inaugurated." Lord Jim said.

The chieftains were very happy to realize the Lord of the Land had stepped to their side.

"Let me talk to eBs and see if she would do that," eGr said and left the table.

Lord Jim waited for a beat then explained, "On Earth and all Federation planets marriage is a partnership, both work to keep the other happy. If she says no then you have no chance. If she says yes you would have to treat her with the respect you treat him.

Please remember that our next Empress is a female as is our Queen. The Kindred planet Leader is a woman that is not even Kindred, she is a Devl.

I know all of this is difficult for you to accept but you already know it has to happen for admission to the Federation.

The Queen and the Empress both have to agree to allow eGr to take on the post. He had never accepted your request so that formality had never been approached. I am sure both would require assurances that a Federation officer would be treated as such.

Here they come."

eGr was in his ranger uniform and had looked like an officer of the Federation to the Chieftains. They had realized as he floated by with the beast that he outranked them in their new universe.

Lord Jim stood so the Chieftains did too.

eBs said, "I have agreed to go but if am not happy there I will leave. He said he would follow me back even if it has not been five years."

She was wearing an uniform too. The Chieftains were beaten, they accepted the terms.

eGr said, "We both need to get our replacements set, that will take about ten days. We all need to return to Mur together and present a unified front so you will need to wait for us.

You will need to visit the Queen and request I be permitted to take on the post then she needs to contact the Emperor and do the same, that should not take more than ten days total.

You have a new Leader," eGr said and shook each chieftains hand.

They were extremely pleased. They had not expected him to consent at all.

Lord Jim led the Chieftains and their favorite wife to Clara while the others stayed for cooking classes.

At the end of the day the remaining wives were taken to Bed and Breakfast habitations and were paired with the age opposite number wives regardless of clan, each pair in a different B&B. Even though all were stunned and nervous none voiced any objections.

That evening at home eBs said, "It went exactly as Lord Jim said it would. Did you see their faces as the barge with you and Pete sailed by? It was pure hero worship. How is Pete?"

"I think he enjoyed the ride around the island. He probably thinks he may have landed on a different island and those are new females for him. Sasha will set him straight. Did you notice that the Chieftains chose wife number one to accompany them to Clara?"

"Yes I did and so did the other wives and it made them nervous. I told them not to worry that I was going to teach them to make bait," she said with a giggle.

"Well your dish got their attention. Teach the wives how to make empanadillas and hamburgers too."

"Those are next. Ten days of school should be enough for them. They should go home with at least twenty dishes they can prepare. They were in a lesbian orgy with the Azulians when I came out to say my lines. I had never thought I would ever speak to Chieftains as if I was their equal."

"You are not their equal, you are their superior. Before we leave they will be comfortable with that."

"I am so proud of you. The Chieftains were already grateful you had gained Protectorship for our planet but they now see you as the one to lead them to the next step."

"With you. All will see how intelligent, self assured, sexy you are and the women will emulate you. Speaking of sexy....."

The following morning the Chieftains were granted an audience with the King and Queen and were flabbergasted to see the King defer to the Queen.

Jordan played that up a little too much until Jim signaled for him to tone it down a bit. Carlos was trying not to laugh.

The Chieftains were then led to a classroom and for the next seven days they learned how to set up a government. By the fifth day they no longer noticed if the instructor was male or female, human or non-human.

They visited each city, wildlife reservation, and many manufacturers of products that would succeed in Mur. For the first time since their war the had a plan to carry out together.

Their younger wives went to culinary school each day and eBs taught them every dish eGr loved. They braved the hot tubs, then loved the hot tubs, then enjoyed the company of others in the hot tubs.

All had become reluctant to return to Mur but eBs reminded them that they would be the intermediate step between her and the rest of the women on Mur. They were very much needed.

The Chieftains entire visit was beamed to all planets including Mur. The eGr's sail past them on the barge became a sensation on Mur, he was hailed as a hero when he arrived. All saw his only wife walk by his side as they held hands.

Five years later Mur was a new planet just as Earth had become one. There was no longer a warrior class so multiple wives became a rarity. Most kept the wives they had but allowed them to be something other than wives.

Emulating the new Leader the four Chieftains released all but their first wives. Those wives had been given lessons on lovemaking while in Clara.

The other wives soon had very popular restaurants. Just three of the sixteen remarried. All of their staffs were widows. All learned about lesbian love.

Even though she was now Consort to the Leader eBs still gave culinary classes in the Leaders new compound throughout the five years in office. Those students also opened restaurants that became the rage. Before any one noticed women soon controlled a large portion of the planets wealth.

No one had noticed that hot tubs had been imported to Mur at times.

But men were very happy too. Taking war out of their future allowed them to relax and have fun. They liked the self assured women better.

Laughter became common everywhere. Men challenged each other to walk through shallow water and sail on boats.

Women learned to swim.

When the Mur had elected his replacement eGr's return to Earth had many in tears. In his farewell speech eGr said he had to go home, Pete missed him. Everyone laughed, a first for Mur. All knew who Pete was.

He was now Mur's first Ambassador to Earth although he returned to his wildlife island and his wife returned to her restaurant.

There were some small setbacks the worst of which brought eGr back for a year and a half.

Five years after the emergency return he had been elected for a second term as Leader even though he had not run for office.

Their oldest daughter could not accompany them as she had been elected to the Royal Council in Cel. Their youngest daughter did and spent her teenage years there. In fact she married and stayed in Mur when her parents returned to Earth.

In just eighty years Mur was invited to join the Federation. eGr and eBs went back to Mur unannounced.

Everyone that saw him as he walked through the Mur Spaceport immediately hugged him then called their spouse then called the media.

They were adored icons on Mur. Many had tears running past their smiles as they bowed to them.

Hero worship soon pretty much trapped them by an adoring crowd before they could leave the Spaceport. He climbed up a set of stairs and waved. eBs held his hand. When most of the media surrounded him he looked at the cameras and announced, "We have been invited to join the Federation. I say we vote yes."

The joy, the pandemonium had the Mur crying. All rushed to their communicators to vote and the old couple could at last be greeted by their granddaughter, the newly elected Leader of Mur and the reason they had won the invitation. Few noticed the affection a woman showed the Leader, her sister. She was now the Federation's ambassador to Mur.

The family cried its way to a planet wide party. It was not until the cameras at the Leader's compound caught sight of them that everyone saw The Emperor, The King and Queen of Earth and the Leader of Kindred and his human wife, were on Mur too.

It seemed that all in Mur were shedding tears of happiness. Perhaps they all were. They were now a part of the people.

After two weeks eGr and eBs decided to stay home. Their family was there.

Twelve years later eGr died. The only obelisk ever erected on Mur was in his name and honor. It was in the middle of the main plaza in Capitol City. The cities name was changed to eGr as soon as they could, he had always declined the honor.

All Federation planets sent an envoy to take part on the ceremony. The Queen of Earth, First Friend, and the Empress of the Federation were all there. They all deferred to eBs.

She told the multitudes, "Do not to mourn him, celebrate him. Without him there never would have been a planet of all the Mur. Without him we would not be as proud of being Mur. Please give him one more cheer."

It began slowly but soon every voice on the planet was cheering him with tears on her eyes.

There may have been further ceremonies planned but all simply kissed the obelisk and walked away.

Three weeks later eBs died. She had been for decades the most loved woman of Mur.

A public ceremony had not been planned at her request. But within minutes of her death a statue of her and eGr suddenly appeared in front of the obelisk. They were holding hands as they smiled to everyone as they had when he announced Mur had been invited to join the Federation.

The plaque at the base of the statue read," eGr and eBs. Parents of the New Planet Mur."

Within a week all on Mur had kissed both.