Aablar the Neanderthal Ch. 08

It is the middle of the last Ice Age, about 50,000 years ago. The Neanderthals roam the Earth, but co-exist with a recently arrived tribe of technologically advanced aliens known as the Zon. The Zon hunt Neanderthal men for their wild semen. Aablar has captured a Zon huntress and her acolyte. The ruthless Diana Tragina, known to the Neanderthals as Lady Death, is hot on his trail. Meanwhile the incident has led to political turmoil in the Zon establishment.

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1. Just a few hours after the meeting of the Council of Principals, Deirdre rode a few hundred yards from her palace to the Chateau Reine, the Queen's official residence, on her magnificent chestnut stallion. Her personal handmaiden and her military aide from the Pentheselia Legion, both mounted, escorted her. The Chateau Reine was at the crest of the Acropolis, adjacent to the huge cathedral housing the shrine of Artemis. Deirdre could have walked, but this was a very formal occasion and tradition demanded that she arrive on horseback. She wore the white gold tiara of the Royal House of d'Orr and flowing red diaphanous robes over a red bustier, a short red skirt and knee length lace-up red boots. Around her narrow waist was a slender silver chain on which hung a short ceremonial sword in a jeweled silver scabbard.

Seignora Stacia Dragova, the Queen's second handmaiden stood at the bottom of the wide steps leading up the entrance hall with a squad of Palace Guardians, all in formal uniforms of bustier and short skirt with short ankle boots. They wore ceremonial short swords in their belts. Their titanium chokers and wrist bracers were polished to high gloss. Stacia came forward and took Deirdre's horse and two others did the same for her escorts. All three swung down from their saddles. The squad formed up and stood to attention and saluted. Deirdre returned their salute and proceeded up the steps, followed by her escorts, with the squad of Guardians bringing up the rear. The Queen was in the main reception hall, standing by the throne. Andromache and her handmaiden and aide had already arrived.

The Queen wore her ceremonial robes of semi-diaphanous silver clasped at her small waist with a slim white gold cummerbund. The outlines of her finely sculpted body were clearly visible to all, as was traditional at this very formal meeting. She wore the ancient Zon jewel-encrusted crown, made over a thousand years ago on Atlantis and the royal scepter was in her hand. She wore very high stiletto heeled thong sandals on her feet with the laces criss-crossing up her calves almost to her knees.

Andromache wore the white leotard and semi-diaphanous robes of her position as High Priestess of the Temple of Artemis. However, she now wore the gold tiara of the Royal House of Spalding and a small ceremonial sword similar to Deirdre's hung at her waist.

Deirdre approached the Queen and they rubbed nipples. Stepping back, she bowed and announced in a clear voice: 'Your majesty, I seek your approval to run in the upcoming election for the throne. I seek your blessing.'

Hildegard replied with equal formality. 'Princess Deirdre, the sisterhood is fortunate to have the benefit of your loyal service. We are all honored that you seek the burden of this office. You have my blessing and encouragement.'

'You are too kind, my Queen,' said Deirdre.

The Queen invited the two princesses into her inner reception chamber. The handmaidens, aides and Guardians remained outside.

'High Priestesses Heliodora and Calliope have decided not to run,' Hildegard said as soon as they were alone. 'It is only fair that I inform you that High Priestess Calliope has expressed the intention of publicly supporting the candidacy of Princess Andromache. Princess Selene will similarly declare support for Princess Deirdre. High Priestess Heliodora has not committed her support to either of you.'

If Andromache wins, Calliope will become High Priestess of the Temple of Artemis, Deirdre thought. But by not declaring, Heliodora is backing me. This is the split in the priestess vote that I was hoping for!

Andromache felt her heart sink. Heliodora was very energetic and outgoing. She was better liked than Calliope, who had a reputation for being rather sour and a stickler for rules. Heliodora would campaign hard, though behind the scenes, for Deirdre. This was going to be a hard election to win anyway. Without Heliodora's support, it would be much harder.

They accepted clove wine that Hildegard poured herself. 'Please join me on the balcony, royal ladies,' she said. 'I would like to give you some parting advice – for one of you will be Queen and you must deal with the throne as well as with each other.'

They stood out on the balcony and admired the setting sun, while Hildegard spoke to them of supporting each other and uniting the sisterhood. It was a beautiful sunset, with some low clouds lighting up with a bright russet color. Ever since the meeting of the Council of Principals, a plan had been taking shape in Deirdre's mind. She had been hesitating. But now she put aside her doubts and set it in motion.

'Your majesty, Princess Andromache, I have reached a decision. My beloved daughter, Lady Caitlin is taken from us. With a mother's heart, I fervently hope that we recover her safely. But the fate of the Royal Tiara of d'Orr cannot be allowed to rest on this hope. I have therefore decided to place my body in the service of the sisterhood and apply for an impregnation ceremony immediately. Princess Andromache, I beg you to officiate at the ceremony.'

Both Hildegard and Andromache were thunderstruck. Even in a society where penetrative sex was taboo, Deirdre's fear and loathing of penetration was legendary. Pregnancy would be a huge electoral advantage for her. It would be show her making a personal sacrifice to propagate the sisterhood. It would allow her to display a mothering, softer side to the priestesses. In short, she would appear to be a perfect combination of all Zon ideals. And in asking Andromache to officiate at such an important impregnation – a signal honor – she was displaying magnanimity that would find favor with the electorate.

Andromache could hardly refuse the honor – it would be quickly broadcast and make her seem churlish. With a great effort, she smiled winningly at Deirdre and said:

'My dear Princess Deirdre, I am awed by your spirit of sacrifice in this time of trouble. Yes, I will be honored to officiate.'

Hildegard added her congratulations. 'When will you begin to ovulate?' she added courteously.

'I am peaking today,' replied Deirdre sweetly, seeing looks of concern jump into the eyes of the other two. Propagation of their race was the highest priority of the Zon and instruments to test bodily fluid excretions were installed in every home. 'I wish to schedule the ceremony for this evening. Will that be convenient, Princess Andromache?'

'Of course,' said Andromache, faintly.

'I am forever in your debt, Princess Andromache,' said Deirdre gravely, maintaining impeccable decorum. 'I will proceed to Repro immediately to select sperm and get prepped. May I request you to ensure that all clearances are in order?'

'I will personally direct Repro to issue all clearances, Princess Deirdre,' said the Queen. 'I wish you a healthy birthing and a joyous after-birth.'

Deirdre formally took her leave. As demanded by protocol, she first rubbed nipples with the Queen and then with the High Priestess. Holding Andromache tightly in her arms, she kissed her on the lips, unmindful of the Queen's presence. Andromache was shocked, but aroused by Deirdre's forwardness. She acquiesced and allowed her rival's tongue to quickly dart into her mouth and seek her own.

Stepping back, Deirdre said to the Queen, 'You see, Highness, there is only love in my heart for Princess Andromache. If I am queen, she will be my prized right arm as she is yours. I can only hope that if she is queen, she will not exile me to a remote citadel in the icy wastes of the North.'

In fact, it was quite common for Zon queens to send their defeated rivals to remote outposts far away from Atlantic City. As she left the balcony, Deirdre saw her shaft hit home, for Andromache flushed deep red. She curtsied as she left the two royals – one by birth and one by election – united in their opposition to her.

There was a heavy silence after Deirdre left. Andromache sighed heavily.

'Deirdre seems to have figured out all the angles, Hildegard,' she said sadly.

'Well, we can never measure a mother's love by the numbers, but you do have two other daughters, Andromache, while Deirdre has none. Her wish could be understandable.'

'I wish I could believe that,' said Andromache. 'She is young and very fertile. If she were only concerned about the d'Orr line and the sisterhood, she could have been impregnated any time. Why now?'

The Queen grew impatient.

'Come, Andromache, fight! There is only so much Heliodora can do while she is officially neutral. You have a loyal following and are far more popular with the priestesses than her anyway.'

Andromache looked at Hildegard for a long time. The setting sun made her skin looked smooth and taut. Her unsupported breasts rode firm and high under the thin robes and her nipples, still puckered from rubbing with Deirdre, stuck out proudly. Andromache had to look very carefully to see the faint crow's feet around her eyes and the faint lines on her forehead. Her ash blonde hair fell thickly about her face in a mass of natural ringlets and had a fine sheen that concealed her gray and white strands. Her gray-blue eyes were clear and bright. The crown sat well on her head – she looked every inch a queen.

'I look at your Highness and I see nothing but Zon beauty. You are only ninety-four. Everyone loves you. You could have ruled for five, maybe even ten more years! Deirdre and I and even Heliodora are still very young! Why retire now and leave us?'

Hildegard did not reply, but continued to stare out into the sunset. The sun glinted off her face and only after a while did Andromache realize that she was weeping silently. She came forward with concern and took the Queen in her arms.

'What have I said, Majesty, to cause such grief? Forgive me, forgive me …'

'It is nothing you said, my dearest Andromache,' said Hildegard, wiping her eyes. 'I know what must happen soon. I must go before I hear of it. I have borne such grief as I would not wish on my direst enemy and I could not bear any more. I will shed my tears and display my weakness in Ostracis where it will bring no shame on our throne. Come, sit with me on the swing and I will tell you why I must leave for Ostracis in such haste. It all began 34 years ago, when I wore your robes as High Priestess of Artemis. You may know that as a young priestess I specialized in the sociology of the savages … '

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FLASHBACK

2. Hildegard Holtzema was born a commoner, but by her teen years she established herself as a uniquely powerful intellect and quickly advanced into the Upper Temple. As a young priestess, she studied the clan structure of the savages. Established Zon theory held that the savages were akin to wild beasts, procreating through rutting and rape with the strong terrorizing the weak and brutalizing them into submission. Hildegard believed this theory to be seriously flawed. Her own theory was that the savages had a close-knit family structure with cooperation and compassion the norm. But how could she confirm it? All her field data came from observations made by huntresses who were pre-disposed to attribute beastly attributes to the savages. In addition, she had her own observations on captured male savages. But with these proud, strong and virile young males, subjected as they were to confinement and daily sperm extraction, all she observed was rage and struggle. These observations further supported the established Zon theory both about the savages as well as about the inherent weaknesses and inferiority of males.

Her theory became known as 'Hildegard's folly' and it became impossible for her to obtain support for this line of research. She reluctantly abandoned it, but continued working in secret, accumulating data and analysis in her spare time. She proceeded to develop an alternative research stream studying the effect of prolonged field operations on the psychological state of huntress cavalry squads. This research led to the publication of manuals setting standard field deployment periods for cavalry units to minimize psychological stress. This work made her reputation and ensured her rapid advancement through the priestess hierarchy. While she was still a young woman in her late fifties, the office of the Pontifex Magna Maxima (as the High Priestess of the Temple of Artemis was officially known) fell vacant. Even though she had no administrative experience, the huntress legions liked her work and threw their weight behind her. To her surprise, she was selected by the Council of Principals over candidates many years her senior, including the Arch Priestess of the Upper Temple and the High Priestesses of the Middle and Lower Temples.

As High Priestess of the Temple of Artemis, she cautiously advanced her theory again, but received no encouragement from her colleagues. So she decided to proceed on her own – she needed to gather field data! Resources were now no longer a problem, since she now controlled the scientific budget of the Zon government. But how could she absent herself for long periods from Atlantic City and her official responsibilities? She decided to use her mother as a decoy.

Hildegard's mother, Margrethe Holtzema had lived out her life as a commoner and had gone into retirement a few years before her daughter entered the Council of Principals. It was well known that Hildegard was close to her and missed her terribly. She appointed her Arch Priestess to officiate in her absence and took a three-month leave to spend in Ostracis. Once there, Hildegard spent a week with her mother, confiding everything and swearing her to secrecy. Using her voluminous data that analyzed literally decades of huntress raids, she drew a route that would enable her, she hoped, to set up an observation post to gather data that would provide decisive support for her theory.

She equipped herself with a horse and provisions for two weeks. She dressed as a huntress in leotard, thigh boots, wrist bracers and helmet – the outfit had been optimally developed over the years for fieldwork in the wilderness. However, but her leotard was sand colored to blend in with the sandy and rocky wastes of the icy cold desert that surrounded the Ostracis Citadel. She was unarmed, but this was no handicap as her weapons skills were virtually non-existent. The worst of it was the helmet. Hildegard had not worn one in almost thirty years and she found it cramped and heavy.

She set out under a setting sun and traveled by night, setting her temperature shield. She made good progress and reached her goal before dawn, a high ridge overlooking a small stream-fed lake. She made her camp under some scrub bushes and settled down to wait. It was late summer, so the temperature was just above freezing. Her records indicated that the Clan of the Bear, one of the prime savage clans, frequented this lake at this time of the year. She hoped to observe grouping of this clan over a period of several days, perhaps more than a week.

She did not have long to wait. She had just finished her midday meal and snapped her telescopic visor down when she picked up a group of savages in the distance. They were undoubtedly making for the lake. She quickly opened a comm. channel to her private voice vault. She began quickly describing the group, a mixture of men and women, young and old, able and feeble. She noted the feeble and crippled being helped and supported by young and strong males, children carried on their fathers' shoulders, family groups chattering amongst themselves. There was some laughter at the antics of a small boy. Her theory was true! She had been right all along! Her voice shook with excitement as she dictated into her open comm. channel with increasing fervor.

Suddenly, she felt as though she had been hit by a ground-speeder! She was knocked to the ground and her helmet rang with blows. She quickly lost consciousness. When she slowly felt consciousness returning, she felt the pain in her side where she had been hit and her head ached. She was bound hand and foot. Two savages stood before her. One was simply huge – savages tended to be much shorter than the Zon average height of five foot eight, but this one was well over six feet tall. He was powerfully built with a heavy musculature. He had a sloping facial structure that was typical of savages, but his was less pronounced than most that she had seen in captivity. He was quite young, and stamped about to show his importance. The other savage was much smaller and obviously subservient to him.

'What is your name, huntress?' asked the large one roughly.

'Oh, I am not a huntress,' Hildegard said eagerly. 'I am a priestess. I am studying your people. I wish to prove to my sisters that we can work with you.'

'You are trying to trick us! I have never seen a Zon who was not a huntress! We have hidden our group for you must have called one of your flying baskets to slaughter and enslave us!' With this, he drove his spear into the chest of her horse, a tall sixteen-hand stallion. The horse staggered back a step and sank down on its haunches, neighing gutturally in his death-throes.

'I should kill you thus, huntress!'

'Let us fuck this huntress, Jondolar and then kill her,' said the smaller savage viciously. 'You go first and open her up with your big cock and then we can fuck her together. You can give her to the chief and I am sure he will give you much honor and let you have the privilege of cutting off her head.'

Hildegard felt her blood run cold. She realized that she still had her helmet on. She could easily open a comm. channel to one of the patrolling airships. Even from Atlantic City, an airship could be overhead within hours, and there was probably one nearer than that. She knew what would happen if she did that. Maybe they would be too late to save her, but the huntresses would slaughter this group. She hesitated, seeing the antics of the small savage boy in her mind's eye.

Then Jondolar responded to his kinsman by cuffing him viciously.

'You will not touch this Zon,' he gritted out. 'She is my prize and I will do with her as I choose.'

'I am Jondolar, son of Bradogun the Strong,' he continued addressing Hildegard. 'And this is my kinsman, Katog, son of Letehar. Who are you, Zon?'

'I am Hildegard Holtzema, a Zon priestess,' she said courteously. Her command of the savage tongue was good and her singsong Zon accent was quite faint. 'You have only encountered our huntresses, but in truth, they are a very small proportion of our society. Most Zon are peaceful. We know many things that we could teach you …'

'Shut up, bitch! I asked for your name, not a lecture!'

He reached down and effortlessly picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. With his bloody spear in the other hand, he trotted down the hillside with Katog trailing him like an obedient dog. They entered a small cave in at the foot of the ridge. It was narrow and dark. Jondolar dumped Hildegard, still bound, on the rocky floor and both savages squatted on their haunches. They waited. Hours passed. The vines tying her wrists and ankles chafed her, but each time she tried to speak to Jondolar, he responded by kicking her side and putting his finger on his lips, commanding silence.

They think that my presence indicates huntresses are nigh, Hildegard thought. They are hiding from airships. Only one of our airships is equipped with bio-scanners, so hiding in caves is a very rational response. So this is what it feels like to be hunted! Darkness fell. Jondolar ventured outside several times and returned. Finally, he said