It didn't take very long for the two Betas to make themselves useful to their Talisi hosts. Useful in more ways than as merely two additional sword arms, that is.
Tillek's organizational skills helped Gharrez set up improved defense plans to help Panture avoid the fate that had befallen Ranture. He was a natural manager --- as long as he didn't have to manage young female Primes.
Velder put his mechanical skills to good use, helping the native craftsmen. Obviously the available technology --- or lack thereof --- put limits on what could be done. He also had to stay with incremental improvement, in order to avoid drawing the attention of any Velorians that might be on Talis. Which probably was just as well, for he and Tillek certainly weren't about to introduce electricity to the Talisi.
That left Leysen with nothing to contribute to her new friends and neighbors.
Being a Prime --- and one who hadn't finished her military schooling at that --- there just wasn't much that she could contribute to the Talisi. Females not only could not be warriors, but they simply were not expected to make heavy use of their muscles. She couldn't even go hunting for game with the warriors.
Unarmed, she had killed a santha. But now, she wasn't even allowed to accompany the men as they hunted for small game in the forests around the village.
It might have been a different story if she had been male, but there simply was no call for her best characteristics on Talis. Especially since those characteristics were exactly the kind that would draw the attention of any Velorian Protector --- if indeed there was one --- on Talis. Though she was fully prepared to use them if necessary in order to defend herself and her new home.
Not that farming and the other female occupations were easy.
Nor was Leysen exactly idle. She was kept busy enough in the kitchen.
Not only was she learning how to prepare the food --- in addition to serving it --- she was also delivering the food to those people who couldn't come in to eat. Nearly every morning she would have to go to the kitchen and bring the morning meal back for Tillek and Velder. Quite often she would have to bring them their midday meals as well, except when they were out working on another of Velder's construction projects.
A Prime bringing food to Betas. Her world truly had been turned upside down.
Before the explosion of the Empress Jiltan'th she never had imagined herself doing such a thing. Not even once, let alone every day. And usually several times a day.
And not only was she delivering the food to the Betas, but occasionally also to some of their neighbors as well. Though there was one delivery that she discovered wasn't unpleasant at all.
The village smithy was only two buildings down from the house that she shared with the two Betas, at the very edge of the village. That was where Chaddik spent his days.
Forden tried to suppress a smile as he watched the young man step gingerly into the water. Velder might be a great warrior, after only Gharrez and Tillek, but not even his mighty sword arm could defend him against the icy water of the holding tank. However his amusement was short-lived, as he followed Velder into the cold water. Damn! The water really was cold --- it was all he could do to stifle a gasp.
Crossing the water, he sloshed up onto the bank of the millrace and looked down at the new waterwheel. Truly, it did look odd. He had never seen a waterwheel driven by water that fell from above, instead of turning submerged paddles. He could immediately see several advantages. Chief among them was that it required far less water. That meant that it could work longer during the dry season. Alternatively, the same amount of water could turn more wheels, if they ever had any need to build more of them.
He studied the wheel itself. The construction was familiar, just like every other waterwheel he had ever seen in his life. Which was not too surprising, since he had helped to build it.
"You see, Forden, it is no harder to build it this way, only different. And it works better, even when there is less water flowing in the stream, as in the dry season."
"You were right, Velder. It does work. And much better than I had thought." He smiled at the younger man. "Almost as well as you said it would."
"Once we get used to building them this way, they will work even better. The women will not have to spend as much time milling the grain."
He smiled again and clapped Velder on the shoulder. "That leaves them more time for other things, eh? So that's why you did this."
"Yes." Velder smiled back, but Forden could see the faraway look in his eyes. Forden was sure that the younger man was thinking about the one woman who never worked at milling. Just as all of the young warriors dreamed about the strange young woman who shared the house with Tillek and Velder, but apparently didn't share their beds.
Just as he himself dreamed about young Ley.
Leysen had gotten in the habit of spending what little free time she had at the smithy, after delivering the noon meal. She enjoyed watching Chaddik --- the young and handsome apprentice --- work, and she'd even helped out some, though of course she was careful not to show him too much of her Arion strength as she helped him move the ores and the charcoal for the furnace.
Today she was just sitting and watching while Chaddik made a new sword for a warrior who had broken his during the last hunt.
As she watched, she thought back to her Chemistry classes. There was some way to improve the quality of the iron. She rubbed the bridge of her nose as she tried to remember just what it was. Ah, yes, that was it.
"I think that would work better with some..." she tried to think of the Talisi word for carbon, and couldn't come up with it, "...charcoal in there."
"Charcoal?" Chaddik looked up from the iron that he was smelting for a sword blade. "That ruins the iron. I'm trying to get this as pure as possible." He sounded as if he was lecturing an apprentice, instead of being the apprentice himself.
"A little bit --- just a little bit --- of charcoal would make the iron harder. We call it steel." She had to use the Arion word since there was no word for the substance in Talisi. "Here, try it." She stood up, picked up a charcoal briquette, and walked toward him.
"No, don't!" He moved in front of her and tried to stop her.
She gently but firmly pushed him away and threw the briquette into the molten iron. She was about to put her arm in to stir the mixture when she caught herself. That was one of the ways that she'd learned --- an expedient, if somewhat messy way --- but it would be totally inappropriate here. Grabbing a stirrer from the table and plunging that in, she stirred.
The finished blade did turn out to be harder than the usual iron blades.
It was also very brittle, as they discovered when Chaddik struck the side of the blade with a hammer. "This is no good. It doesn't matter how hard it is if a good blow will shatter the sword."
She helped him sweep up the pieces and put them in with the other scrap to be melted down. "Too much charcoal, I think. And it needs to be cooled just right. Let's try again."
"I don't have time to be messing around like this." He moved to put himself between her and the forge.
"But you saw how much harder it was. All we have to do is to use a little less charcoal."
"All I have to do is to make a new sword. All you have to do is to sit and watch me." He pushed her toward her seat.
She held her ground for a second before allowing him to push her down. After all he was working here, she was just watching.
"Where are you going now?"
Leysen had already dropped off the midday meal for the two Betas before delivering the midday meal to the smithy. She normally did not return to their house until after the evening meal.
She looked up from the blanket she was rolling up. "Chaddik's going to show me around. And I want to show him my bow." She pulled back a corner of the blanket to show him the bow.
"What else are you going to show him, girl?"
"No more than I've shown you!"
"I think you're seeing too much of him. I think it's better if you didn't go."
This was all too familiar. Her father had said almost the same exact words when he first found out about Mellek, that he didn't come from an 'acceptable' family. So what if neither of his parents were officers? That didn't change who he was.
Her father had slowly come around to accept --- though not happily --- the fact that she was continuing to see him.
Now a Beta was trying to tell her not to see a young man. She rounded on him, her clenched fists at her sides. "I'll see him if I want to! He's not going to do anything to me that I don't let him!"
"And what are you going to let him?"
That was too much like her father. "You're not my father!"
Seeing the Prime's clenched fists, he took a step back. "I know I'm not, girl."
"So stop acting like it!" She snatched up her blanket and walked out.
Coming over the rise, she saw the pool below, where the stream widened out. "Let's go swimming!" Letting go of his hand, she ran ahead toward the water, leaving him behind. Stripping off her clothes as she ran, she dived in. A couple of powerful strokes quickly took her to the other side of the pool.
Standing up in the waist-deep water she turned around just as Chaddik reached the edge the water. "Come on in," she waved to him.
He bent over and reached a hand into the water. He quickly snatched it back. "It's cold!"
"It's not that cold." She dived under and swam back toward him. She raised her head from the water, standing at his feet. With her right hand she slapped the water.
He jumped back, but not quite quickly enough to avoid being splashed.
The water wasn't cold by her standards, of course, but for him it would be different. She remembered the reactions of the Betas to the water when the lifeboat had crashed into the ocean, and they probably had better tolerance to the cold than did the Talisi.
Well, that was his lack. She hadn't had a good swim since she'd been on Talis, unless one counted that first one after the lifeboat crash, and she didn't. Pushing off from the bank, she set out for the other side of the pool.
The pool really wasn't big enough for her to get in a good swim however, as she quickly reached the other side. Turning around, she headed back, using only her legs this time.
Chaddik stood on the bank watching her. He'd never seen anybody swim the way that she did. So fast, and so effortlessly. Almost as if she was a fish.
And in such cold water. It would be at least another pass of the moons before the water would be warm enough for him to go in for anything more than a quick dip.
"Let me show you." Pulling herself up onto the bank, she shook herself dry and walked over to their gear. Unwrapping the blanket that she had brought, she picked up her bow and an arrow.
"No, Ley!" He quickly ran to her side. "What are you doing with that? Females aren't allowed to use weapons." He tried to take the bow and arrow from her.
She turned and pushed him away. He found himself sitting down five feet away from her. "How far can you shoot?" she asked. "Can you reach that tree up there?" She pointed with the arrow.
He looked up the hillside, at a tree growing by itself. He knew that there was no way that he could shoot an arrow that far. Perhaps if he was where the tree was, he might be able to shoot down to where they now were. But up the hill? "Nobody can shoot that far, Ley."
"Just watch." She nocked the arrow and raised the bow.
He watched in amazement as she effortlessly drew the bow, pulling the string all the way back to her ear.
"I'm not too good at this," she said over her shoulder. She then turned back and took aim. There was a TWANG as she let fly.
He was even more amazed to see the arrow sail high into the sky, landing beyond the tree and a little to the right.
"Pulls a little to the right," she said, bending down and retrieving another arrow. Nocking it, she quickly drew back and let fly again with another TWANG. Again the arrow sailed into the sky, this time to disappear into the leaves of the tree.
"How... how...?" he managed to stammer out as he got back up to his feet.
She lowered the bow and turned to him. "I told you I wasn't very good at this," she said with a smile. "I missed the trunk by a good two feet."
"Not very good? I've never seen anybody shoot that well at that range. I... I've never seen anybody shoot that far at all."
She offered him the bow. "You want to try it?"
He took the bow from her. He was surprised at how heavy it was. When he took hold of the bowstring, he discovered that it was unlike any that he had ever seen before. Raising the bow, he drew back the bowstring.
Or rather, he tried to draw back the bowstring --- it came back less than a finger's width.
Adjusting his grip he tried again. Yet even using all of his strength he could not draw the bow more than that. "How...?"
She took the bow back from him. Again, he could see no signs of effort as she drew back the bowstring. She then put the bow down. "I've always practiced with a heavier bow. I can't get as much range with this one as I'd like."
"Heavier?"
"I might have to see if Velder can help me make one."
"But... but females aren't allowed to use weapons."
"Oh, it's not really a weapon. Where I come from it, we use bows just for sport. Arrows just aren't lethal enough to be effective weapons."
"What... what do you use as weapons? Swords?"
"Sometimes. But there's something even better."
"What?" He couldn't think of a better weapon. Bows and arrows were fine for some things --- as were spears --- but there was nothing better than swords for single combat.
Leysen had clenched her fist and was just about to strike the boulder next to her when she realized that this probably was not the best time to show him that much of her Prime strength. She opened her hand. "I'll have to show you sometime. But not now."
She saw him staring at her with his mouth wide open. Gradually, she realized that not all of his amazement was at the strength that she had just shown him with the bow. His eyes kept darting lower, until she realized that she was still naked from her little swim.
Bending down, she set her bow down and snatched up the blanket. She turned away from him while wrapping it around her body.
Chaddik had known that there was something different about Ley. But this? How could she be strong enough to draw a bow that he couldn't? What else was there about her that he didn't know?
He had known that Ley was a very beautiful young female, but he had never seen her like this --- not with her clothes off. He only realized that he had been staring at her nakedness when she quickly snatched up the blanket and draped it around herself.
Leysen spread the blanket out on the ground and set out the food.
Some kind of spidery insects skimmed across the water. Occasionally an aquatic denizen broke the surface into ripples as it snagged a water runner. Sleepy avian and nocturnal bug noises punctuated the evening air, but somehow the insects left the two of them alone.
They ate the meal sitting on the bank of the pool. Then they just sat side-by-side and watched the sun set. Soon their arms were around each other as they leaned together. She remembered to be careful and kept her arm very loose around his waist even as she felt him holding her tighter and tighter. They continued to watch in silence as first one and then the other moon rose over the mountains, throwing glittering reflections on the water. Soon she felt his hand moving up her side, approaching her breast.
She thought back to that Beta midshipman aboard the Empress Jiltan'th and how she had nearly hurt him with just a little simple hug. She didn't want a repeat of that incident, especially with Chaddik, whose Talisi body was even more fragile than was that of a Beta.
"Will you let me try making steel?" she asked, trying to take his mind --- and hers --- off of the subject.
She had struck the one subject that could take his mind off the beautiful girl next to him. "That steel," he struggled with the unfamiliar word, "is harder than anything I've seen. But it's too brittle for weapons."
"I used too much charcoal."
"But how can something as soft as charcoal make iron harder?"
She knew that she didn't have the Talisi words to try to explain the process. "Will you let me try it again? To see if I can do it right?"
"Do you know how much to use?"
"I'm not sure." She wondered whether one of the memory crystals in the hypno-teacher that she'd carried over the mountains might help. But to even find out, she'd have to convince Tillek to let her power the thing up with one of their hoarded power cells --- which she'd also carried over the mountains.
The utensils and the remains of the evening meal had already been taken back to the kitchen. It took only a matter of minutes to push the tables back and clear one end of the hall, creating an impromptu stage. Of course it was the females that did the work, while the warriors stood around and drank their kifra.
The musicians set up to one side. A hush fell over he audience as most of the torches were put out, plunging the hall into semi-darkness. The drums started up a slow steady beat, drowning out the rain outside. A horn blared, sounding as if it was a long distance away.
As another horn --- sounding closer than the first one --- answered the first one a dancer suddenly appeared. He was a handsome youth, his face combining the delicacy of a girl with the lithe strength of a young and joyous man. He was nearly naked --- clad only in his warrior's harness --- and his short curling hair was a crown of pale light. Exultation, sensuality, passion glittered upon his delicate face.
The music fell into a soft and insidious murmur, which stirred the blood and quickened the pulse. The dancer moved softly about the stage, swaying dreamily, his hands negligently upon narrow hips. A pale violet light fell upon him --- so that he seemed to move in amethystine mists of illusion --- and simultaneously the remaining torches were dimmed.
Softer and more sensuous sounded the music as the dancer swayed through the violet light like a statue drifting through sun-touched water. A profound silence fell upon the viewers, and no sound --- save the music, the murmur of the sea, and the soughing of the trees --- disturbed the deep night.
The music --- heretofore languid --- now began to take on a quicker note, and then --- like a flame --- a young female appeared upon the stage, naked except for the long duskiness of her shining hair. Her body was slim, white, airy and delicate, and with her appearance the light changed to a deep rose.
The youth --- as though stricken immobile with admiration at her appearance --- stood in the center of the stage in an attitude of reverence. The female floated about him, like a white rose petal drifting before a scented wind. Her hair flowed about her hips, half concealing and half revealing her enticing beauty. Joy, innocence, mirth, provocative childishness glimmered on her small and lovely face. She seemed a child, innocently dancing in the light of the dying sun to the tune of her own inner harmony.
The music became quicker, and then --- like a statue leaping to life ---- the young man stirred, and with movements of extraordinary grace began an eager pursuit of the retreating female.
The dance became wilder, gayer, madder. Colors flowed into each other --- the dancers were drowned in blue light like the shadow of the moons, which then flowed into scarlet, into gold, into green like shimmering water, and then scarlet again. So deep were the colors that the dancers were barely seen as flashing white limbs, and then --- as though weary and desirous of surrender ---- the female fell into her pursuer's arms. Immediately the hall was plunged into darkness, the music ceased.
There were cheers and yells from the audience. These did not cease when the torches were re-lit. Even Tillek and Velder seemed to be taken with the performance.
Leysen was not impressed.
It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the efforts of the dancers --- or of the musicians. The dancers weren't all that bad, even if they couldn't even jump their own height.
It was the subject matter. Like everything else on Talis, it was designed to cater to the men. The male dancer pursuing --- and catching --- the female.
The hall quickly cleared out. The warriors left with the females of their choice. Only a few females --- mostly the elderly ones --- were left to clean up the mess. When that was finally done, Leysen headed back to the house that she shared with the two Betas.
From behind another building Bander fingered the scar on his cheek and watched as Leysen left the main house to return to the one that she shared with the other two newcomers. It was unheard of for a female to live in a house with a man unless he had mated with her. It was clear that she was not the mate of either of the two men, since they took other females to their beds.
Even as he watched, she looked up at the sky, and then turned and headed for the forest. Moving silently, he followed.
Leysen wasn't sure whether she really wanted to go home just yet, to put up with the sounds that she knew would be coming from the men's rooms. Without resorting to her tachyon vision she knew that neither man would be spending the night alone. She would be one of the few people in the village to be alone that night.
It had been drizzling and raining all day, but it had stopped by the time she left the hall. Stepping outside, she looked up at the overcast sky. As if the dance had actually chased away the spring rains --- instead of bringing more as it was supposed to do to help water the crops that had just been planted --- the clouds had parted to allow one of the moons to peek through the rift.
As she continued to watch, the rift widened, allowing a few stars to shine through. Looking at the stars, she wondered where her father was tonight. Surely he was still searching for her. It was only a matter of time before he found her --- before he would come to take her home.
Or was he still searching for her? According to both Tillek and Velder, even if a search team found the remains of the Empress Jiltan'th, there would be nothing to indicate that a lifeboat had made it away, let alone to where.
But her father would never give up hope, would he?
And Mellek? Was Mellek alone tonight?
Of course he would be. He would be waiting for her to return. Hadn't he professed his undying love for her?
The dance had affected her, whether she would admit it or not. No matter how hard she tried to bring up his face in her memory, she couldn't. The only face that would come up was that of Chaddik. Thinking about that, she left the village and walked into the forest.
What was it that made the men pursue the women, whether Arion or Talisi?
What would if feel like, to actually let a man catch her? To be with somebody like Chaddik?
She knew that he was interested in her. Most of the men in Panture seemed to be interested in her. So far Tillek and Velder had managed to make it clear to them that she was not interested in any of them.
That wasn't completely true. Some of the men were very handsome, and all of the warriors had impressive physiques, their muscles finely toned from the rigors of their way of life.
Still, as impressive as they looked, she knew that their muscles couldn't compare with hers in strength. They didn't have anywhere near the strength of a Beta, let alone that of a Prime like her. She had more strength in her little finger than any of the warriors had in his finely muscled body.
She was so lost in her thoughts that she was unaware of anybody's presence until a hand grabbed her arm and pulled.
The young woman sat up on her knees and looked at the three men lying before her. Their even breathing told her that they had fallen into exhausted slumber.
They always did that. They were fun while they lasted, but that was the problem. They never lasted long enough, not even with the three of them working together. She wanted more, but they just couldn't give it to her. After all, as usual the men had been heavily outnumbered tonight --- there was one of her and only three of them.
And that was with her being careful to be gentle with their fragile bodies.
She had tried it while wearing some of her gold. That made it a little easier on the men, but reduced her pleasure so much that it just wasn't worth it. It wasn't as if there weren't enough men around so that they could have enough time to recover from their bruises.
She stood up silently. Even in the dim light she had no trouble finding her clothes and putting them on. Checking to make sure that the men were still asleep, she left the room. As soon as she was outside, Tani'a Veloor leaped up into the night sky, heading toward the ocean, exulting in the sheer joy of flight.
She landed on the other side of the bay. Putting her right foot up on a rock and resting her hand on her knee, she looked across the water. Some lights were visible in the town --- the closest thing to a city on this planet --- even at this hour. The two moons shone brightly over the mountains.
She sighed softly to herself. It was such a beautiful world. Primitive, but beautiful. As the Protector, she was sworn to protect it, even at the cost of her life. So far she hadn't had to fight for it --- the Arions seemed to be avoiding it.
She could understand that --- a little. The planet was of no strategic importance. It wasn't rich in mineral resources. It was well off the usual trade routes. The natives posed no threat to the Arion Empire.
It was just a beautiful world. And what did the Arions care about beauty?
Such a beautiful world. And such handsome men. Pathetically weak, but still handsome.
Too bad not one of them had as much strength in his entire body as she did in her little finger. Even a single Arion Warrior Prime would be able to pleasure her more than all of the men of Simpore together could. Her hand moved up her leg, her fingers trailing lightly along her thigh, stroking herself a hundred times harder than any Talisi could possibly do.
With another soft sigh she turned and looked to the north, toward Turea. Maybe the Turean men were different. Maybe they could satisfy her.
No, why should they be any different? They were of the same race --- of the same basic genetic stock --- as were the Poreans. The two groups maintained their squabbling almost as a matter of tradition, over some probably trivial cause that nobody could remember any more. They'd been fighting long before she got here, and they'll still be fighting long after she turned the planet over to a new Protector.
She had heard that some Poreans had started raiding far into Turea, much farther than they ever had before, even as far as a village called Ranture. And not just a raid either, they had razed it, actually burning the village to the ground. She had flown over it one day --- staying high enough to be invisible to Talisi eyes --- and seen the destruction with her own eyes. Only the Talisi could be proud of causing that much destruction. The Talisi and the Arions.
If this kept up, the entire continent could erupt into a full-scale war. Then what was she to do? Would she have to step in and put a stop to it?
It was not for her to interfere in their internal affairs. As the Protector of Talis, her duties did not extend to Protecting the Talisi from themselves --- as long as they didn't threaten to exterminate themselves completely --- but only from outside sources like the Arions.
They certainly weren't about to exterminate themselves. They had enough trouble exterminating single opponents with their crude iron weapons. These primitives didn't even know how to make steel.
She cupped a breast and fondled herself. She pinched her nipple with more than enough force to crush the hardest weapons that the Talisi knew how to build. The hands of an Arion Warrior Prime would be able to hold her that tight. And as for the rest of him...
It was enough --- almost --- to make her wish that some Arions would come, if only so that she could amuse herself with them before she killed them. If only the Arions hadn't bypassed Talis, then she might be able to get her hands on one of them.
Or maybe she could leave Talis and go look for them.
That was a ridiculous thought. Velorians did not go seeking Arions. She shook her head and sighed again, her golden hair forming a halo around her head.
Despite all of her training as a Protector she'd never even met an Arion, and she'd be perfectly happy to go through the rest of her life without meeting one. If she ever did meet one, she certainly wouldn't be thinking about that. She sighed again.
Gathering her long legs under her, she leaped out over the water. There was barely a ripple as she knifed into the water more than fifty feet away. She stayed under for a couple of minutes, swimming two complete laps across the width of bay much faster than anything that lived in the oceans of Talis could possibly do.
Emerging from the water and shaking herself dry, she again stood and looked at the town across the water. It truly was a beautiful world. She could think of worse places to be, even if there were no real men here.
Still, there were times when she wished that there were some real men here. A man whom she could put her arms around without worrying about crushing his ribcage. A man who could hold her tight in his arms.
She sighed yet again.
She would just have to do with the men that she had, as frustrating as that was. Leaping into the air she returned to her temple, to wake up tonight's trio of warriors and have them resume worshiping their goddess.
In the morning, she might have to pay a call on the Council of Warriors of Simpore and some of the neighboring villages, to discuss curtailing their incursions into Turea.
She knew from her training that one of the favorite Arion tactics was to incite the various groups of natives against one another, sowing discord and chaos. She didn't think that an Arion invasion was imminent, but it wouldn't hurt to have a united Talis to oppose them if the Arions did come.
And it wouldn't hurt to have some new warriors for future worship services. Though naturally, she would never tell anybody that this was a concern of hers.
