The Preacher Man

Dodi had given me a formally correct bow when I had given her permission to remove her burqa veil during the flight, and after removing it a brief smile of genuine gratitude. She knew she was married to me, knew because we went through a brief registration ceremony just after my conference adjourned earlier this morning. She had felt my hand on her throat and pubis after pleading her bondage to me. But other than the ceremony, I was a complete stranger to her.

The conference was a complete success. I thought I had earned the human geneticists' grudging admiration, and a part of me was impatient for April to arrive and my stay at Dalma to begin. Qataban though, there was still so much I wanted to do there, so many wild hunches I wanted to explore. And I had great hope Abigail would be an invaluable asset in my investigations.

I took another glance at the back of Dodi's head and inwardly smiled, carefully keeping any outward sign of affection from my face. I had invited seven members of my guard and senior deputies to hitch a ride back with me to Qataban, and showing affection to Dodi in their company would be considered very abnormal behavior. After one last peek at my new bride, I went back to reading some papers.

My new wife! We had stayed up to almost 1 AM last night. Dodi had opened her heart to me, letting me see her innermost fears and desires. She knew how fragile the moment was, despaired that there was no way for her to save what we were building. As 1 AM neared, she finally accepted my growing concerns for her not to fight her drifting mind. She rested peacefully as I petted her, falling deeply asleep minutes after giving up the struggle.

I went for my morning exercise with my guard at 4 AM after logging my marriage selection with Giza cathedral's head Nikahaldi. I then joined the negotiation teams for a buffet breakfast which quickly turned into a working meeting right there in the dining hall. By the time 6 AM morning Prayers started in the main sanctuary, we were deep into resolving the last of our small differences. We completed our work less than two hours later.

The woman besides me now had no measure of my character, had no idea how thoroughly she had bared her soul to me last night. I sighed as I read my papers. I had had the same frustrations with Michal, in our first few months of marriage. We would build some beautiful during the day, touch each other's hearts, and then I would see it all disappear at day's end. It was profoundly frustrating and sad.

And then, after about three months of marriage, something miraculous happened. Michal's love and trust for me began to jump across the purges of the eternity cycle. When we would sleep together, I could see a joy in her eyes when she woke and saw me, even though she had no conscious memory of who I was. I think it bewildered her even more than me at first, but we are both comfortable with the miracle now. Both our souls have learned to accept the gift.

Dare I ask my Holy for the same gift for me and Dodi? I decided yes. My Holy is a Holy of abundance, gracious and loving in His care. It is right for me to ask.

There was a warning chime, and shortly thereafter an audible change in the pitch of the engines as the pilots began to cut power. Our supersonic bow wave quickly began to brake the plane. Our return to Earth and Qataban had begun.

One hour later...

Dodi let out a frightened shriek of dismay. I had just introduced her to my prone wives who were kneeling before me at my Qataban home. Seeing the shields raised and the woman next to me as their new sister-wife, three of them had gotten up to hug both me and Dodi. A few seconds later, a mildly confused Michal joined them.

Such easy displays of affection are considered blasphemous in our society, a direct and unforgivable affront to the pillar of hierarchical obedience. My new bride looked at me askance over the shoulder of Abigail who was hugging her. Dodi's eyes were bright with fear. She was probably expecting me to reach for the leather whip hanging on the wall... or the bamboo cane... Women have also been executed for such outrages, impaled under the hammer of the righteous.

I had a wonderfully warm and affectionate Shephatiah in my arms, with Chanah and Michal nearby. I gave Dodi a smile as peaceful as I could make it. She finally managed to give me a small and hesitant smile back a second before I got lost in a very playful kiss from Sheffie. "Come, all of you!" I called out. "We have so much to discuss! Abigail! Where's the best place for us to conference?"

She thought for a second. "If you don't mind being informal, perhaps the master bedroom." The room she was suggesting was designed for a Royal to have sex with twenty wives or more at the same time, a huge expanse of bed spreading across the room. We changed into some very informal house clothing and were soon relaxing there. "The Holy!" I thought. "My wives are so beautiful!"

I was dying to know of the months of progress with the crystal data, but all our concern for Dodi came first, for Michal too for that matter. We spent the next half hour describing our heresy and our great quest. There was peaceful acceptance from Michal and one shocked look after another from Dodi. She started to shiver and kept glancing around the bedroom, looking for video monitors. It was a good reminder to all of us how dangerous our quest was. Occasionally even I would check the status of the Heisenberg shields. All was well.

My curiosity finally overwhelmed me. "Abigail! The crystals! What have you found?!"

She nodded and was still for a moment, collecting her thoughts. It was time to report on all their months of hard work.

"It's a dilemma Ilias," she said at last. "There is no easy model in history for what we want our society to be. In many ways, our species and our planet are much better off now than they've ever been before. Not as individuals, but as a species, we and the Earth have never had it so good."

I felt like a punctured balloon and let out a deep sigh. "This is not exactly what I was hoping to hear."

"Oh, I know it!" wailed Abigail softly. "I'm not saying our quest is hopeless Ilias, but the history of humanity before Bel'dar is a horror, in many ways just as hateful as we are now and much, much more destructive."

"They had bigotry," said Shephatiah. "Gender domination too, maybe not as much as now, but lots and lots of bigotry."

"Bigotry?" I asked perplexed. "Bigotry of what?"

"Pure stupidity," replied Chanah. "It's unbelievable how stupid they were. Totally meaningless bigotry, bigotry based on skin tones, eye shape, body hair patterns. We all thought it was a joke at first. But it was no joke, and then the geneticists got their power and made the differences real."

I stared at Chanah and my other wives. "Explain."

"Everyone hated everyone for the weirdest reasons," Shephatiah said. "People would hate you if you were born in a different place than they were."

I blinked and tried to keep from laughing. "Well, at least in this I know you're joking."

Abigail shook her head. "No, it's true Ilias. The countries that existed before the war, it was common for people to be biased against people not born in their country."

I realized with a shock that all my wives were deadly serious, and thought about our current world. By design, no one knows the township they were born in. You do know your childhood monastery, and very likely you begin your adult life in a different city, especially for the boys. So the concept Abigail was speaking of had no foundation for existence now. I guessed what she said might be possible. But still, it seemed so hard to believe.

"I know, I know Ilias!" Abigail lamented. "Why would people ever push so much emotion into such trivia? But they did! The evidence from the crystals is overwhelming."

"You're sure? Not just fiction?"

"No way! And the biases against skin color or facial features aren't fiction either. They had this whacky perspective of dividing people into something called races, and then the different races would form biases against each other. Sometimes they were smart enough to call it racial bigotry, had the science to see how ridiculous it all was, but they were still not smart enough to stop it. It was all so objectively stupid, and then the geneticists opened the floodgates with their newfound power. Suddenly trivial differences became real as the human genome began to bifurcate. The geneticists dug a new pit of genetic bigotry, and the world fell right in.

I was quiet for a moment, the horror that Abigail was describing slowly becoming real. "When did it happen?" I whispered.

"The year 1568 on the old lunar calendar," answered Shephatiah, "which is the year 2143 on the old solar calendar. That was the year humanity fully developed the ability to write DNA at the complexity of the human genome. Suddenly human evolution jumped from geological to generational timescales, and the world just couldn't handle the power. The War of the Burning Metals broke out thirty years later."

"The last hundred years before the war was an awful time for humanity," said Abigail, "and for the planet. In the early 2100's, the population rushed passed twenty billion twice and then collapsed. The wild swings were hammer blows against the Earth's ecology. The planet just doesn't have the capacity to sustain that many people long term. And then the geneticists worked their magic, and the population exceeded thirty billion. The oceans were under tremendous strain, collapsing. It's a miracle the planet's ecosystem survived."

I grimaced. "And these were the people I was hoping to model for a new society?!"

"It wasn't all bad Ilias," said Chanah. "We think we've isolated a key difference that will help us break the lock on woman slavery. It's just that we don't know how to choose only the good and leave the rubbish behind."

"Ah..." At last my wives had said something that gave me a glimmer of hope. "So, what's the key?"

Chanah burst out, "Children! The monastery system for raising children! That was Bel'dar's key, his stroke of mad genius. He broke the parental bond that united man and woman into the goal of raising children. Without that responsibility, it became possible to separate the sexes, for men to enslave the women."

Michal turned and stared at Chanah and nodded thoughtfully. Dodi had been silent the whole time, occasionally giving silent gasps of amazement at how we were talking. I tried to give her a friendly smile to calm her fears, and only partially succeeded. I patted the bed next to me. Dodi came immediately and sat close to my side. I held her close and kissed her, holding her on her hip through her thin cotton shift. She finally leaned against me and sighed, trying to relax.

I looked at my other wives. Abby, Sheffie, and Michal were giving me beaming smiles. Chanah just looked thoughtful. I tried to think about Chanah's last comment, and give her a reply. "Parents raising their own children? It sounds like animals."

"Um Hmm," Shephatiah nodded and murmured in agreement. "It does, doesn't it? This is exactly how many animals raise their children." She laughed. "No other species but us has set up a monastery system."

I returned Sheffie's smile. "Well, okay, I get your point. What we're doing is unnatural. So you're implying we should steer society back to parental rearing?" I frowned. "But won't that bring back all the craziness of the prewar times? Parents would favor their children and move us away from a meritocracy. All the insane bigotry, won't it all come back>"

Abigail nodded slowly. "Yes. We've been debating this very point for months. We think you're right. And that's not the worst of it. We're worried that parental rearing will bring back population growth. Fortunately we have a buffer now. The planet could easily support more than twenty-five million people, especially with the modern technology. Still..."

"Yeah, still. The only long-term solution is a stable population, not a growing one. Without a firm check, we'll re-ignite the lust for war. And all the modern technology will turn against us." I sighed and thought of my recent tours of the research facilities in the Caribbean. "I've seen the power. It's awesome! Do you know each person's anti-aging injection is individually tailored to their unique DNA? Do you know how easy it would be to weaponize such genetic capabilities, create bio-weapons to destroy specific groups of people?"

"Somewhat," replied Abigail. "That's how Bel'dar conquered the post-war planet. The Falklands Free Assembly was destroyed by a series of highly deadly plagues in the year 36. They had a few months to write about it. The bio-weapons shut down their immune systems and then made their bodies explode with cancers. There was nothing they could do."

I frowned. "So what's the solution? We now have a birth ratio of three females to one male, and a breeding window of three hundred years if both men and women are on full anti-aging drugs. Without the monastery system and the culling, the potential to explode the population is enormous."

Abigail returned my frown. "There might not be a solution Ilias, nothing we have control over. We can't fix everything! Perhaps if we can end the monastery system, break the slavery and the eternity cycle, that'll be enough. It'll be up to our children to solve the population issue."

"The Holy! These are such deep issues!" I turned my head to check a display.

Michal saw me glancing at the time. "Tight schedule?"

"Uh, somewhat. Both High Tech and Utility are expecting reports on this latest round of negotiations, and I'm scheduled to lead this evening's Prayer service."

Michal gave me a small hesitant nod. It suddenly occurred to me she had no opportunity to know what negotiations I was talking about. At that moment I accepted the truth of Abigail's insight. We would end the monastery system, end the female slavery and mind mutilation, no matter what the cost. Justice for what had been done to Michal demanded no less.

"Abigail, before I go, I want to ask you something. How comprehensive a study can you make of the history of Qataban?"

"With your authority, there are no restrictions at all."

"Good. I want you to investigate something, but without giving the appearance of investigating it."

"Let me check something." Abigail got up off the bed and typed on a nearby console for a moment. "No problem at all. We'll just bulk-download data from the township's primary servers into your personal library here."

"Excellent."

Abigail smiled at the challenge. "Qataban is a truly ancient city, perhaps one of the very few that was never completely abandoned after the war. What millennium are you interested in? First?"

"Oh no, something much more recent. I want you to investigate Qataban's girl monastery fire of 8224."

Chapter 42. Allies!

Time: January 5, 8240 10:17 PM

I got back to my private quarters shortly after evening Prayers. It had been a very nice service. I hadn't seen Qataban's sanctuary in many years, and was quite touched by how the local people had decorated it in honor of my presence. The vast cavernous space seemed hauntingly familiar to me. I started to think of it as a high-altitude version of Karbala's.

I got home and had a very light snack of vegetables with my wives. And then I stretched my tired body and asked Chanah to sleep with me. She looked surprised, glancing at Abby and Sheffie who both gave her "I told you so" smiles. My wives! I do sometimes fantasize about eavesdropping on them. I'd love to hear what they say about me when they're alone. Err, at least I think I do. I would never violate their privacy for real of course.

Chanah showed up at my bedroom in a very thin sleep gown, the shape of her lovely body easily visible in the dim light. We were cuddling under the covers a moment later. Except for my strange and brief intercourse with Abigail a few nights ago, I hadn't had sex with my wives for ten months. Chanah could feel my eagerness pressing into her thigh as we held each other, but she seemed a little hesitant. More than hesitant actually, tense. Somehow I wasn't surprised. I forced myself to calm down and just petted her for a while.

I kissed her temple. "Have a difficult day?"

Chanah blinked and tilted her head to make eye contact with me. "Not as big as yours, I'm sure. You must be exhausted."

"Oh, I'm okay." I yawned. "A little sleepy maybe. It's nice to hold you again."

Chanah nodded and sighed, and then rested her head against my chest. "I love you," she whispered.

I held her head to my chest with my hand, softly petting the back of her neck. Her tongue began to lick my nipple, and then her lips joined to suckle me. "I love you too." I whispered. More quiet moments drifted by. "Everything okay with you?"

"Hmmm?" A cold foot came and caressed my lower leg. I curled and trapped the foot between my own two feet and tried to warm it. Chanah sighed and pushed her open mouth against me, giving my nipple a brief nip with her teeth. "I suppose. Anything in particular you're thinking of?"

We kissed for a while. After we came up for air, I asked, "Well, how do you like Dodi?"

"Oh, she's very nice," Chanah said idly. "Polite, I think she'll be a hard worker... very intelligent too..." We kissed again for a while. Chanah shrugged her shoulders. "She subordinated herself to me..."

"Hmm?" More kisses. "Huh?"

"Dodi, I mean." There was a short pause. "She is the newest wife. Normally it would be her place to be on the bottom. And she knows my mind is undamaged. She took the time to tell me clearly that she will obey me. She even made a note of it in her marriage book. Not the part about my mind being undamaged of course."

"Ah... Did she do the same with Abby and Sheffie?"

"Uh... not that I noticed... I don't know..."

More kisses. The time passed very quietly. Chanah's hand came down and she began to pump my penis into an erection. I became aroused again. Chanah turned and mounted me. We were lying face to face, our noses touching. Chanah kicked out her knees wide and lowered herself, positioning her labia to press against my stiff cock. One clean thrust and I would be deep inside her, but I held back. More kisses. My hand reached between her legs from below to caress her vulva. She was dry.

"Chanah," I whispered. "What's wrong?"

She lifted her head up, her eyes puzzled. "Wrong? What do you mean?"

"Oh, I don't know... Maybe I mean Dodi. Chanah, how do you feel about me taking a new wife?"

"What?" She blinked and I felt a shiver run through her body. "How do I feel? It's not my place"

"Hey! Don't do that!" I hissed.

Chanah gulped and nodded. "Yeah, okay. I guess I feel... I guess I feel..." She started to cry. "I guess I feel ridiculous!" She gave a soft gasp and collapsed upon me. I held her close, holding her by her hips. I felt her tears falling on my chest, and then heard the faintest of whispers. "Forgive me?"

"It's okay Chanah," I muttered as she wept.

"No it's not!" she sobbed. "How can you say that?!"

"Sure it is. You had no warning, no choice, and no time to adjust. Chanah, I'm not blaming you for anything."

She continued to cry. "It's my stupid daydreams! I have so many fantasies; dreams where I have you all to myself! I love my sister-wives, I really do!" She wailed, "But I want you all to myself!"

I let my hands wander under her nightgown and petted the soft skin on her rump. She felt my desire press into her pubis from below, sliding and growing in her short, silky hair. "I love you," I whispered.

"Oh, I'm being so ridiculous Ilias! I will get over this, I promise!"

"There, there... I think it's kind of sweet, how you desire to possess me."

"You do? It's very inappropriate!"