The Preacher Man

Just then the bedroom video link beeped, signaling an incoming call, absolute highest priority from the pitch of the chirp. "So soon?!" I thought, as my wives scrambled away to let me answer the call. I sat down and punched "accept" and an instant later had the enigmatic holographic face of Abdul Quddus before me. I bowed my head and threw out my arms in supplication before him.

"Rest easy, my charge," he said. "Rest easy with informality."

"Your charge is grateful, Most Faithful Servant of the Holy," I replied, giving the correct response.

Abdul Quddus nodded thoughtfully. "Complete informality Ilias, just call me sir."

"Yes sir, thank you."

"I assume you're alone?"

"Just my four females are here sir."

"Ah, females. Probably near their purge time too."

"Yes sir, very near."

"They are of no matter. Don't bother to dismiss them." He looked at me and smiled. "You've married quickly Ilias, what, four females in four years?"

"Yes sir."

"I looked at your records Ilias. You never send them out for discipline."

I smiled. "No, I never had to sir. I prefer to do my own discipline training anyway."

The Cunif Califar smiled back. "A commendable attitude. I wish I had time for such things. I used to be quite good at it, back in the 7900's, when I had just a handful of wives."

I nodded politely.

"And what do you use for discipline Ilias? The staff? The whip?"

"I have both of course. But I leave them hanging on the wall. Their presence is all that is necessary. My females are very well trained."

"Excellent Ilias, excellent. What would life be without well-trained females?"

"Indeed sir."

Abdul Quddus sat up straight in his chair. "I want unofficially to welcome you to the Supreme Council Ilias. The formal declaration probably won't occur for another few hours."

I bowed my head in respect. "Thank you sir."

"And off the record, the Utility faction has also done well tonight. Imaad has advanced to CL-29." He suddenly looked distressed, as if he were having trouble burping. "We'll talk again soon Ilias." And on that note, he waved his hand and broke the connection, before I could give the proper response to my dismissal.

I thought for a moment of the new council make-up. Health still had their single CL-30, Utility would have three CL-29 and two CL-28, and with me High Tech would have three CL-28. With the second CL-30 slot still vacant, Abdul Quddus would hold 27 out of the 50 Council votes. He could still rule by personal decree.

My wives were waiting for me quietly on my bed. I was about to go back to them when my video chirped again. Jibran! I punched the accept key.

He smiled at me. "I take it Abdul Quddus told you?"

"Yes Grand Mufeto."

"Shaitan Ilias! You'll be officially on the Council in a few hours. Drop the titles, all of them."

"Okay. Abdul Quddus told me about Imaad too. How's the rest of Judgment coming?"

"Frantic would be the best word to describe it. You'll see for yourself a year from now. So many petitions on the promotions Ilias! And I'm not talking about the children. You would think that the Ruling Royalty issues would have already been decided. But it's not pure politics. There are penalties to be paid as you push against the test scores. And the Council is the Supreme arbiter. Right now the place reminds me of a bazaar!"

"Were people dickering over me?"

"Surprisingly, no. Health came out in full support of you, and I don't know why."

"That is surprising!" I laughed, "Well, I did take out their Wing Chun competitors."

Jibran laughed. "Yes! I managed to watch a little of that on the tapes! Excellent form Ilias! But seriously, Health came out in full support of you, and I don't know why. And I don't like council actions that I don't understand."

I thought for a moment. "That is a puzzle."

"Abdul Quddus was overjoyed of course. He loves consensus. Yours was probably the first uncontested appointment to the council in..." He paused for a moment. "The Holy Ilias! I wonder if it has ever happened before?!"

"Yeah... Something to look up." I clicked my fingers and then snapped my wrist at an off-video monitor. "I've just sent Abigail to do it."

"Ah, your wife that's good with history. Interesting choice Ilias. I might try it myself some year. Well, I have to return to the circus. Make plans to come here tomorrow. I'll send my ramjet for you if you want."

Council members have their personal, custom-designed ramjets, and I would soon be getting my own. The Cunif Califar has a small fleet of them for his personal use. I nodded at Jibran's kind offer. "Thanks Jibran, but Dakar's Guild already has one of their own jets fueled for me."

Jibran nodded. "I'm glad you've made it Ilias, for personal reasons as well as the politics. Bandar Arenas can be a very lonely place for a council member."

I risked making a joke. "With five million people?"

Jibran didn't laugh though. He just shrugged his shoulders. "Even among the Glorious Mufeto, there's a certain amount of camaraderie. But at the very top of the pyramid, everything is politics. Everything. I've gotten so lonely I even talk to my wives sometime."

"Good for you! I do it all the time, and often find it quite enjoyable."

Jibran nodded thoughtfully. We said some quick good-byes and then disconnected. I went back to cuddling with my wives. All of us were tired. We wound up falling asleep hours before I became an official Grand Mufeto.

Chapter 32. Homeward Bound

Thirty-eight days later...

Time: February 5, 8239 6:03 AM

I finished a short Prayer of Ascension to the two pilots in the flight cabin. They gave an appropriate Prayer of Humility back. I commended them for their very smooth flight so far and then clicked off the intercom.

Michal was sitting next to me and gave me a timid look. She had come out of her purge cycle less than two hours ago and knew nothing of the undamaged states of her sister-wives. And everything she knew of me now, she learned from her marriage book.

I smiled at her and signaled with my hand that she could return to gazing out her window if she wished. I was rewarded with a beaming smile of gratitude before she returned to gaping at the landscape far below. The South American scenery at dawn was very beautiful, and we'd soon be angling out over the coastline to the sparkling blue waters of the Pacific.

My personal ramjet had lifted from Bandar Arenas an hour after dawn, at 5:29 AM this morning. We were scheduled to land at Dakar at 8:55 AM, an hour before dawn there. So during this trip we would have the unique experience of watching the sun "set" in the east, as our ramjet slowly overtakes the boundary between day and night. I was looking forward to it, and Michal was mesmerized.

Somewhat by coincidence, sunset today at Dakar will be exactly the same time as sunset at Bandar Arenas was yesterday, 8:02 PM. So I was up against the interesting experience of half a jet lag, almost a five and a half hour difference in sunrise with no difference at all in sunset. I found myself looking forward to the relaxing darkness of Dakar. Bandar Arenas, and Karbala and Jizari too for that matter, are cities full of light this time of year. It would be a nice change to have some nights of decent length.

At the end of last year as Judgment approached, I had a long conversation with all four of my wives. If I did make it to the Supreme Council, typical behavior would be to take just one or at most two wives with me to the capital. After a lot of thoughtful discussion, we agreed I would take Michal, and then Michal insisted I not tell her of all our subterfuge while we were at the capital. It made sense. She would act her part perfectly because it would be no act.

The Council! What a labyrinth of twisting politics and agendas! The whole world must think Abdul Quddus has the plushest job on Earth, and in some ways they're right. But in other ways I don't understand how the man keeps himself from going insane. The depth and layers of the political alliances and feuds are mind boggling.

For many thousands of years, the Utility faction has held about sixty Guilds, High Tech about forty, and Health about twenty. But regardless of the Guild counts and Council votes, each faction currently holds about equal power. I could see now why Jibran was desperate for some friendship. The place is enough to drive anyone crazy.

In mid January, the Health faction shocked everyone by proposing that each Grand Mufeto be the Domine of three townships, one from each faction. Since Health has the fewest townships and only one Grand Mufeto on the Council now, it was truly a remarkable proposal for them to make. Of course High Tech and Utility jumped on the idea as the best thing to come along since quantum computing. Abdul Quddus was in one of his rare smiling moods when he memorialized the new law to the standing ovation of the Council. Jibran and I gave each other thoughtful looks during the ceremony. Just what does the Health faction think it's doing?

And what does this mean for me? I'll remain the Domine of Dakar, which suits me fine. After some intense discussions with Utility, I'll also become the Domine of Qataban. Utility is thrilled with the idea. All three cities around the Xerxes spaceport, Qataban, Kedar, and Zoser, haven't had a Domine in centuries. The altitude in the ancient Bolivian heartland is just too extreme. The Ruling Royals don't see the townships as attractive home bases.

But it's a perfect fit for me. My old ties of loyalty to the Utility faction have been affirmed, and I have my own reasons for wanting to spend time at Qataban. I can't wait to get Abigail's reaction when she hears about this. Perhaps we can go and see the street where we first met. I'm sure the site must be repaired by now.

All three townships around Xerxes are in the Utility faction. Qataban as a mining town is obvious, but even Kedar (ballistics) and Zoser (rocketry) are production oriented towns, not research oriented towns. That's the key difference between Utility and High Tech. An example of a fence-sitter town is my hometown Anqara. It's officially in the Utility faction for its prime focus on specialty metal fabrication. But Anqara is also the world's leading authority on refractory metallurgy research, and they get a lot of respect from High Tech for that.

And where will my Health Domine be? The Health faction asked me to fly to their faction headquarters Giza sometime this month to discuss the matter, a month before they want to talk to any of the other Grand Mufeto. Both High Tech and Utility have had separate talks with me, asking what was going on. I told them the truth. I don't know.

Michal was on my right staring out the window. I was next to her sitting in an aisle seat. On the advice of Abdul Quddus, I had picked an oversized ramjet, the newest model, with room for nine passengers in a 3 x 3 seating arrangement. Michal looked surprised but happy when I sat down right next to her before liftoff.

By global convention, northward bound flights travel at odd-number altitudes. A half hour after liftoff, we were 800 kilometers from the capital and cruising at 21,000 meters at Mach 3.8, just over 4,000 kph. I pulled out some Council notes to read, but my mind was on Michal.

Men talk about discipline-training their wives, which of course with the eternity drugs is a complete oxymoron. Or is it? Michal is a bit timid with me, but underneath her shyness is a huge reservoir of genuine desire to please me. During several after-Prayers social gatherings at the captial, a number of Grand Mufeto commented how little she fears me, and how genuinely happy Michal is when she pleases me. They asked me how I did it.

I could say little more than comment that I never let a wife awaken with a body full of pain from a previous day's whipping. A minor thing to say perhaps, but every journey begins with a first step. The idea of not whipping a wife seemed like a completely new concept to some of the Council members.

Michal was captivated as she gazed out the window. The Pacific shoreline of South America was falling away slowly to the east. Unconsciously she left her arm on our common armrest, palm open and raised and offering to hold hands with me. I reached over and held her warm hand as I read. She gave me affectionate squeezes back. And our flight continued. The cabin was remarkably free of vibration and noise as we thundered north to home.

One hour later...

The overhead display at the front of the passenger cabin told us we had just crossed the equator at 7:22 AM, at longitude 20 o 44' W. The northernmost tip of the island chain of Nubia (the Ocean Conservancy Guild, at the ancient site of the Galapagos) was below us to our east. Down below it was perhaps a dozen minutes before sunrise, but at our height of twenty-one kilometers the sun was clearly visible.

We continued flying northward. I was reading and holding hands with Michal. Eventually she sighed and pulled back from the scene of the darkening Pacific. After a few more minutes she started caressing my hand with hers, gently brushing her fingertips across the palm of my hand. A little more time passed, and my fingers began to play with hers. We were caressing the pads of each other's fingertips.

I finally turned and smiled and kissed her, closing my folder and pulling it aside. She kissed me back. I lift the armrest between us. In another moment we were cuddling closely with each other.

More kisses followed. I felt the tip of her tongue on my lips. I know Michal very well. This was her typical way to offer to be sexy. Our tongues danced playfully with each other, Michal doing most of the work and caressing my lips with her tongue. It was very arousing, and I responded by probing her mouth deeply with my own tongue as Michal lapped my soft and sensitive underside with hers. I shivered at the ticklish sensation, and my hand came up and cupped and petted her soft breasts. Ah, so lovely, so full of promise. Michal cooed and rested her head against my chest, breathing in deep sighs as I stroked her beautiful feminine shape.

Her gaze drifted down, directly at my groin. As I continued to stroke her very shapely tits, she noticed our foreplay was causing the beginning of an erection on me. She needed no further encouragement. Her right hand came across and began lightly to trace the outline of my penis through my clothes.

Her fingers were a feather's touch at my groin. It was very pleasurable. I rested my head back and sighed, relaxing in the sensations. It was all gentleness and caring at first, nothing too sexy, but then Michal's head dropped to join her hand and she started to drive me.

I could feel her lips and teeth probing my penis, feel my penis stiffen under the attention it was getting. Michal locked my penis firmly with her teeth, and then very adeptly loosened my clothes with her hands. A moment later there was a gentle tug at my sides, and I lifted my hips in response. Michal slid my clothes down and popped my erection into the open.

I kept my eyes closed. Everything was pure enjoyment. Through her sexual needs and desires, I could also sense Michal's shyness, an awkwardness mixing in with her eagerness. Soft fingers were holding me for the first time, probing me for the first time, penis and thighs, sac and anus. Her nose smelled my groin for the first time. I could feel Michal's hesitate and wait for me to thrust my hips for her, to give her some signal to continue. Her shyness, so incredibly precious. In her mind, this was her very first time not just with me, but with any man's body. I thrust my hips forward and begged her to continue.

A tongue, soft and warm as a kitten began to taste my penis head. Michal could feel me shudder with the pleasure. Encouraged by my response, my cock was soon in her mouth, held with just her lips at first, but then more deeply. She was pressing and working the penis between her tongue and the roof of her mouth. And her fingers! They began to explore my sac and anus. And it felt so good...

I drifted in the memories. A little bit with my other wives, but mostly with Michal, making love to her in a tent with Abby for the first time, making love to Michal at Karbala, at Dakar, how beautiful she is, how delightful in her sexuality, how much I love her. She slowed worked my penis into a throbbing erection, and then started a unique suckle and pump action that is the trademark of the girl's monastery at Al Maqwa. Michal soon had me breathing in gasps and my hips rocking back and forth in an overpowering need to release. She was leading me to orgasm.

My cock was buried deep inside her mouth, my penis head pulsing against the far back of her throat. My shaft was warm and moist and slick from her saliva, and her fingers were everywhere. Two were prying my ass cheeks open while a third was gently stroking across the sensitive skin all around my anus. With her other hand she had her thumb and forefinger circled tightly around the base of my cock, squeezing my erection into a painful hardness. And all the while her other three fingers danced and caressed the soft underside of my scrotum, probing inside to lift and fondle my testes.

The desire to ejaculate became overpowering. Michal felt my testes shift in my sac and rise high and tight against the scrotal roof as my body prepared to orgasm. She loosened her death grip on the base of my cock, allowing my ejaculation ducts to go into action. Her hand released my nut sac and slid up my slick pole, ready to squeeze and pump me with the rhythm of my spurts.

And her mouth, her exquisite mouth! She lifted her mouth and locked her lips just behind the ridge of my knob, and then started slathering her wet tongue all over and around my penis head. It was super intense stimulation on my most sensitive skin, wildly erotic, and a shock delivery of over-stimulation just as I slid into orgasm. I felt my body jerk as if hit with an electric charge, and I began to erupt inside her mouth.

I groaned and cried as I released myself inside her, spurt after spurt, her hand pumping me fiercely, a long strong pulling squeeze and then a brief respite when I would pull back my hips and then re-thrust and fire my next load of seed into her devouring mouth. I was dimly aware that Michal was moaning with me, overcome with emotion that her husband was anointing her inside her mouth. I pumped into her and she pumped me, again and again, thrust after thrust in the desperate urge to release myself. The intensity of the stimulation was so great it was almost unbearable, but it served Michal's purpose. She was draining me of every drop of my seed.

I lay spent and drifting after the end. I was dimly aware of my softening penis being covering with hundreds of small kisses. Michal was smelling me, running her nose playfully along my shaft. She was also licking me and cleaning me. I was completely relaxed, awash in the warmth and slipperiness of her affections.

Eventually I felt another tug near my hips, in the opposite direction this time. I lifted up without opening my eyes and Michal re-clothed me. She then rested her head on my chest and nuzzled into me, cooing and pressing her ear against my breast. I held her head close to me and caressed her cheek. Michal sighed and kissed my fingers. Her lips her dry and clean, as was her cheek. She had swallowed very drop of my seed.

And the time passed. We cuddled for a long while, gently petting each other's body. I was stroking Michal's breasts through her clothes. Her head was still against my chest. My hand slipped under her outer clothes, still over her halter but loving the sensuous feel of her breasts through the last layer of clothing. When I would squeeze one of her fat nipples, Michal would turn her head and playfully bite my nipple in response