Castaway Cuckold
- 2 years ago
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“Of course, I used my skills to manipulate and improve my co-father’s genetics. One of my tasks was to make sure that Solon genetic material was the generator rather than the product of social change. What I am interested in are outcomes.” — Audio from the first contact team with Webster (Declassified Imperial Intelligence Brief)
Mission Log:
File H01560 labeled Community represents my growth model of a town’s development. Project Community is the structural constraints particular to Solon’s homestead. This model’s system is a function of human interactions with technology, organization and values. In general, technology refers to tools used for accomplishing work. Much of the relevant technology used in Juniper Hills is both hardware and the advanced techniques used to achieve right behaviors and successful outcomes. An example of Solon’s application of technology is hand pumps on wagons to fight fires with hoses rather than water buckets. When deciding what technology to apply, my co-father takes the safety of our family seriously, but he attempts to avoid technical advances that might shock his society. Organization is another connecting point to the growth model that refers to concepts, like division of labor, processes, and administration. The Value node represents sets of beliefs in social ethics, divine myths, attitudes, goals and the paradoxes of human discourse. After a long period of reflection and calculation, I concluded variables surrounding the Value node are the most difficult to quantify. Human variability of physical and mental characteristics, combined with their duplicity and paradoxical behaviors, create large deviations in critical inputs to my model. This exercise taught me frustration.
The tower door opened. A young maiden walked in, sniffing tubular purple flowers. A pleasant, strong aroma filled my nose. Her brown garb, that of a healing trainee, swished to a stop when she saw me in the doorway. She threw off her hood, and we could see it was Brook, the fifteen-year-old version of my wife Hazel, her second-oldest daughter after Celine. Her brown eyes squinted and darted around, tallying up who was in her way. Since she saw her lord with one of his ladies, she bowed.
“Enough of that,” Laudus commanded. “Bring the lavender stalks upstairs and hang them in the wardrobe with Mistress Aberdeen’s clothes. They will help with repelling moths.”
Hazel’s daughter broke from her dazed state and ran for the stairs. She had a demure innocence that always attracted my eyes. Fortunately, Brook seemed happiest in the company of her girlfriends and hadn’t chased me around like her sister had at her age. Not that the girl didn’t flirt with me like other teenaged girls her age; indeed she did, but she acted more formally and respectfully, like her mentor Laudus. For whatever reason, Brook modeled herself after Laudus and listened to Palus more than her mother. Nevertheless, Brook was acting more skittish around me of late.
Laudus stepped off the stairs and walked over to us saying, “Palus is fine. She has the jeweler with her and a small crowd of onlookers.”
I turned my head to look where Laudus was looking. Palus and a black, thirty-something woman were arm-in-arm, approaching our residence; my wife walked with a natural grace, which turned more provocative when she saw me. In fact, Palus walked with the confidence of a conqueror showing off a captive. Her brown hair bounced around her shoulders as she looked around. In contrast, the broad-shouldered black woman looked reluctant, as if she was about to enter a dark and dreary dungeon. Her energy seemed to be dwindling with each step, fear and resignation weighing on her features. The woman’s skin was a shade darker than I was accustomed to seeing; it was an interesting issue to consider at another time. The dark woman was neither athletic nor fat, and her dress encumbered her, marking her as city folk as much as her overly-long raven hair did.
She was no assassin, but a highborn merchant. I drew a long breath, and then expelled it with relief. My lover was safe. The dark-skinned lady couldn’t be classified as attractive; her nose had been broken in the past and an earlobe had a big cyst. However, a smattering of freckles across her check added a cuteness factor.
Palus brighten her smile as she entered the room. Indeed, her beetle-black eyes shone triumphantly at me. They stopped immediately in front of us. At first, her companion looked weak-kneed. The woman tucked her head into Palus’s neck, overcome with feelings as her body shook. Palus wrapped her arms around the older woman and looked at me. I tried to come to grips with what we were seeing.
“Ahahah,” the woman moaned.
“She belongs with Von,” Laudus declared. “It’s clear as a cloudless day. She is clenching with pleasure and has a weak aura like a recently claimed concubine.”
“Seems Usha has been a long, long time without a man,” Palus chirped. “Von, meet Usha Herteen, the jeweler.”
Swarta’s long fingers drummed restlessly on her thigh. She watched the drama, and then turned to me. “Some things happen for a reason and we can’t immediately see why. For now, Laudus take Usha to the concubine barracks and talk to her.”
Palus looked surprised at the instruction. The woman clutched her, gulping air while keeping her face buried from view. Palus was a problem solver. She loved the challenge of healing people and finding ways to make their lives better. However, Palus wasn’t interested in personally steering all the issues facing our household, so she almost always deferred such decision to Swarta.
“It’s best someone else talk with her. You’re too close to her,” Swarta explained. “There is no reason you can’t follow up with Usha after we have a little chat and you take a few minutes to check on your children.”
I broke my silence. “Yes, I’d like to hear how this situation developed.”
Palus looked at me while patting the jeweler’s back. Her mouth twitched upwards with amusement as she collected her thoughts. After a moment, Palus gently pushed the woman away from her neck and body. “Usha, please go with Laudus, who is a noble woman. You can speak to her plainly about how you are feeling and why you are in Juniper Hills. She has counseled many women and talked them through these new feelings.”
Usha managed to say, “This is so humiliating.” Tears welled up and overflowed down her cheeks.
She has sharp creases around her mouth and a furrowed forehead, I thought abstractly.
As tears continued to fall, Laudus put her arm around the woman and marched her out the door. A wide-eyed tower guard closed the door after them.
In a gesture of conciliation, Palus announced, “Sit down. I’ll get a wine bottle and glasses.”
Swarta restrained her expression but I sensed her displeasure, as we found a couch.
“I’ve never seen that woman before, so it was rather disconcerting to see her orgasm just because she walked so close to me.”
Swarta held her peace until Palus returned and sat across from us in a plain wood chair. “You told me the story this morning. Now tell our husband.”
Palus poured three wine goblets and we each picked up our glass. She made every effort to act meek and demure. “As you know the lower town healers call me when they have a difficult case. Two weeks ago, we quarantined a house used for newly arrived single women. The occupants, three women and two babies, had high fevers and weren’t able to keep their food down. Among other things, we administered poultices to the two widows and Usha. The mothers weren’t able to feed their babies, so I fed them.”
I lifted an eye, leaping to a conclusion. Swarta sighed, which seemed to confirm that I was right. Palus was busy staring off into the distance, picturing her tale.
“The women had high fevers and took little water. The babies quickly turned a corner and their fevers broke after a few feedings. I left the healers in charge and slept a fitful night. The next day, I was happy to see the fevers had broken for the mothers. Usha wasn’t any better and was weakening. None of my tricks were working with her. I went to Merritt and explained the frustrating case. Although sympathetic, Merritt didn’t want to get involved other than giving advice. Merritt is knowledgeable with medicine but said, ‘I am holding to my rule of no involvement with people outside our family.’”
“Our wizardry has limits and she is a medical tech, not a doctor,” I answered. “She works with ... enchanted equipment.”
“I am not casting fault, only sharing my frustration about my patient,” Palus defended, taking an unladylike swig of her wine. “In walking back to Usha’s bed, I determined that it was obvious I had not tried everything. So, as Merritt had suggested, I hydrated my patient. It had worked for the babies and it worked for Usha too; after a few breast feedings, the fever broke. With a week of further feeding she regained most of her strength.”
“That long?” I questioned.
“She was close to the grave when I started providing her with my milk.”
“You’re still feeding her?” I continued.
“I’ve been trying to ween her. But there were complications.”
Swarta raised her brows, obviously knowing the story and wanting Palus to get on with it.
“Usha can’t be reasoned with when she is denied for more than two days. She showed a high level of anxiety that makes her vomit,” Palus explained.
“She is a woman of extremes. The spasms of her release were quite remarkable,” Swarta responded.
“More like convulsions,” I joked, on the heels of Swarta’s comments.
In the middle of a swallow, Palus choked a little on her wine and chided, “Don’t do that!”
Swarta shrugged and I laughed. The tension between us broke and smiles followed.
“Am I the only one that didn’t know about this problem?” I asked.
“Only the healing trainee and the council of women know. We have declared it a clan secret. Too much harm can come from this discovery,” Swarta declared.
“I can see people trying to heal ill family members by kidnapping our women,” I reasoned. “The trouble is the nanomites are in the milk,” I thought.
“I could see your lovers addicting young women to capture them for your bed,” Swarta added.
“Oh, I hadn’t thought of that. One or two samples did not do anything, but seven days hooked Usha.”
“Von, Von, women are as determined as men and they are devious. Your lovers like the idea of more Solon babies. They like the idea of expanding your territory--very much--and we know about all the benefits. You only have to look at Hannah and Key to find true believers for Moon Mother’s body magic,” Swarta warned. “You gave sight to the blind.”
“Merritt calls it a sweet compulsion,” Palus added, “Worse than a chocolate craving.”
I waved my hands about. “We all know about that. We don’t have to rehash it. What I want to know is what cautions you throw up at your meeting?”
“Milk stays within the family,” Swarta announced.
“I can’t say I wouldn’t heal another, such as Usha, if the person was gravely ill,” Palus reasoned tightly.
“A man?” I asked.
“Of course not, Von. These aren’t for other men.” Palus grabbed her breasts and lifted them up to me.
“Good enough for me,” I answered.
“It’s settled. Usha gets her milk until Von solves the problem,” Swarta said while looking at our wife.
“Cheer up Von. She wasn’t married,” Palus said as she stood. “Now, I think I will go see my children.”
“That is a good idea; we will all go,” I added. The nursery was a place a touch of tenderness that was a source of pride to me.
It was noon by the time we left the nursery, and I waited a little longer than that for the handmaidens to clear the older children’s play area. I took those few minutes to step into the hall and send a text on my PDA. It didn’t take long, and no one paid me any attention since it was something I did all the time--a note here, a message there. Tharin’s wife was the first woman out of the room, laughing at something Swarta said.
Aberdeen had joined us to play with my children. In the time we spent there I lost my reservations about her needing a child. The intensity of her love for babies flowed from her being. It made sense to keep my promise to Tharin. In fact, observing Aberdeen for a couple of hours chastised me for my delay in helping the couple. Yes, impregnating her would be awkward; nevertheless, they had done everything but beg me to become their body-father.
To be honest, I was attracted to the distinctive look of the ebony woman’s high cheekbones and narrow face and her unusually narrow lips. She hadn’t been especially attentive to me, before or after her marriage to Tharin. However, she glowed with happiness at Tharin’s affections. As a matter of fact, Tharin’s co-wife, Luna, was much the same; she loved Tharin. I still remember with affection my first meeting with Luna, when she told me, “Lady Aberdeen has been like a mother to me since I lost my family in Convey to the Raiders. I was sent by Lady Derwen, your wife, to find Lady Aberdeen. They are friends, you know, from her time trading with the old Galit.” Perhaps fifteen years old, she was innocent and untouched by any man.
Both of Tharin’s ladies were a big departure from his normal choice of female flesh. An older, confident woman and a young, innocent looking bride couldn’t be more different.
In an attempt to avoid any potential conversation about the matter with a bevy of women, I asked Aberdeen, “Take a walk with me?”
Someone let out an exaggerated sigh of relief, and the hallway filled with smiles.
“Of course, Lord Solon,” Aberdeen faltered, clearly surprised. By offering Tharin’s wife my arm, she regained her normal composure. Taking up the opportunity with grace, she took my arm and we walked out of the tower. I didn’t have to look to hear all my wives at the window of the tower talking in whispers. They often forgot my keen hearing. For her part, Aberdeen walked with her head held high, centering her eyes forward as I guided her to the path that followed the stream. She pressed close to me rather possessively, pleased to show off my attentions. From the looks of various people we passed, Aberdeen’s affections weren’t a surprise. It seemed everyone in the upper town knew of my promise to the couple. If anything there was approval in the women’s eyes and indifference radiating off the men’s posture. No looks of disapproval were cast on either of us.
I fished out some nuts from a survival packet in my pocket. “Want a snack?”
“No, thank you,” Aberdeen answered. “Merritt shared them with me once. I got one stuck in my teeth, besides not liking the odd taste.”
“That’s fine, more for me. Prepackaged food is an acquired taste.” I commented and threw her a cheeky smile. She returned a warm smile, which broke my uncomfortable feelings about having a married woman on my arm.
We relaxed more as we walked down the hill, falling into a rhythm of small talk. It was one of the busiest flagstone paths in the town. Children were constantly dodging around us as they ran up or down the hill. Any adult would step aside and defer to us as we passed them. The women respectfully nodded their heads while the men would place a fist over their hearts. They were all upper-town residents, so they knew I didn’t want them to fuss over me too much.
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Palus helped me get dressed. She clearly realized my youthful discomfort of being naked with her, and she refrained from any teasing, quietly chatting about tendering the other wounded. Over the next three days I let my body rest and recover. I enjoyed spending time with Tharin and worked on his strained feelings. He would talk about the progress of the cabins and the success of the hunters and fishermen. It seemed that our small clan was happy with easy access to food, wood and the...
As the end of the day approached, we were almost back at the stone warehouse and dock, when we were caught in a sudden warm rain shower. My two women were standing at the bow of the boat, looking out for familiar faces on the dockside. A sea of faces around the dock and Lady Derwen's merchant ship formed a large welcoming committee. They had plenty of time to gather, as it's not as if a mule-guided barge is fast, especially as the crew poled to avoid grounding in shallow water. At the stern...
The morning song of seagulls and the splash of a fish jumping added to the shouts of men working on the dock. The sun's glow filled the cabin, the tiny oil lamp exhausted. Swarta was gone, my side cold where her warmth had been last night. I took in the room and realized dawn had long passed and the sun fully filled the small room. After using the slosh bucket to release my water, I lazily dressed in my black station clothes, ignoring my armor and escape pod gear. The natural hunger of an...
Before we left the ship Tharin brought a wash bucket into my cabin. I washed my upper body and Swarta chatted excitedly about what she could see. Amazing carts carrying loads of flour sacks, a fishmonger wagon, a corner shop with glazed windows. Tharin was just as excited and had his face to the open window too. A knock to the door and Hajin and Grimm strode into the room. "We have trouble and Lady Derwen is delaying it," Hajin commented neutrally and Tharin drew his sword. Swarta...
I woke up with my body trembling all over, muscle spasms in my feet lifting my legs off a bed. My eyes opened to find Swarta squirming nicely against my naked body. I was in a well-appointed bedroom with landscape paintings on the wall and drapes open to a nice view of the blue sky. My body sank into the depth of the most comfortable mattress in the world. The silk sheet sliding against my dry skin felt wonderful. As I turned to look at Swarta again she said, "You enter the world again. We...
After breakfast Swarta, Tharin and I found Derwen addressing a few housemaids on the back staircase. The servant women left to go about their business, and the four of us moved to a table to enjoy the song birds and breezy air. Dark clouds rolled off the sea and a storm was certain for this afternoon. I'd had time to think about Katsu and Derwen's comments at the temple. "So the former lord of this house was Katsu's father, your half-sister by the High Priestess. How many half-brothers...
Hollow female voices with high pitched tones danced in and out of my awareness. "No one wakes up from a death sleep after seven days," an older woman said. A younger woman's low voice responded, next to my ear, "Nor have I ever seen sword wounds close and heal before my very eyes like an unseen hand sewing a shirt. You were not here but I swear it is truly what happened the morning after the attack." A different woman with a raspy voice, said, "We saw the blood, the wounds and the...
The next day I surprised my wives with the special four wheel carriage I had made for the estate. The carriage was equipped with the wolf cart's design features but with larger wheels and a set of retractable canvas covers to protect against the weather. Two horses with improved harnesses could pull the light wagon with six passengers easily on the rut covered country road. The improved leaf spring suspension and larger wheels smoothed the roughness to an almost comfortable outing. Hajin on...
My link with Derwen had grown stronger over the last week and I could feel her emotions from longer ranges now. I sensed a layer of pleasure from her, perhaps being surrounded with other women, her discussion with friends portended a more favorable afternoon after the bloodshed of this morning. Hajin decided to intrude on my thoughts, "Von I have to step off the ship and arrange for the rest of the Juniper water to be sent to the estate. Lady Derwen's brother, the innkeeper in Lone Tree,...
Derwen handed me the ladle and I tasted the soup. The owner's bedroom was dark with just a low lamp, which swayed gently with the sea swell, hung above our dinner table, In the dim light, her eyes were truly dark as sea coal. Her soul was bright in my mind. Our link was warm and tender, a flowing friendship with mutual curiosities. The seafood soup was warm but not to my taste. "I will stick with the bread and beans tonight," I said. All Derwen wore was a fox wrap and boots to keep her...
Webster Mission Log: Summary The medical updates from my sub-routines report improved health from my ward since the introduction of nanomites to his female pod. Level 1 experiment conclusions logged for future recommendations on the design improvements for the implant. The effectiveness of the nanomites fluid exchange program is frustrated due to a lack of data from his females. My game theory sub-routine is constantly requesting more data on the practical target number for per annum...
"Look out, Von!" shouted Coven. With a fluid motion I pushed forward and swung my staff above my head in a threatening spin, causing the two remaining marines to pull up short rather than collide with the swirling wood. The marine on the ground started to back away and get up slowly, picking up his staff to join his partners. "Hold," I shouted. All the men stepped back, lowering their staffs. "That is how you can hold off multiple opponents for a few moments. However, I'd have to kill...
The boats cut through the shallow coastal water, while sea gulls, unhappy at our appearance, marked our progress with angry calls. The marines provided mocking compliments at the pump boats swift nature, since they were accustomed to the slow and heavy dugouts. Last night's weather dream continued to indicate clear skies for the next three days but with slightly lower temperatures. No ships were anywhere near our destination either, so our plan to attack the slavers was not going to be...
Mission Log: Summary My ward's recent attack on an enemy tribe was successful, but the frequency of armed conflict is a concern when my current resources provide little, if any, support to him. Logic dictates a series of small things brought in motion with a larger plan can create a meaningful solution, whilst still honoring the Alpha-Omega protocol. I have substantially increased the number of available repair bots on this ship to execute an extra vehicular building program on a large...
Breakfast was in the women's center and many of the new women sipped their soup and ate the biscuits with me, whilst my wives were having a counseling session with Celine in private back in the tower. Laudus and her sisters were noticeably missing but Grimm kept me company. I explained how she was to run the mule teams and train the new women in safety around the animals. She took in my words but something was clearly on her mind. Finally, Grimm said in a low voice, "The social circles...
I schooled my expression when we finished the first sailing boat, wanting to look the part of a confident leader rather than the playful school-boy I felt today. The lateen sail design was the first to be seen in the world and Celine had painted ferocious looking eyes on the bow. The overall improved features of the boat shocked our sea wives moving them to tears of joy. They had successfully put the smaller prototype to good use and the village fish's catch increases was their doing, so I...
Mission Log: Summary Phase I of the Cornerstone project has been completed. Phase II is projected for completion in one solar day. Materials for Phase III are already collected and my new repair bots are processing the gun design for manufacturing. The initial kinetic rounds are also completed. The improved data collection due to message authentication code algorithms from female return fluid exchange with my ward have flagged an issue. I identified two new black females with similar DNA...
Mission Log: Summary The elevated stress levels in Cadet Solon since the introduction of the improved pheromone adjustments warrants a change in the nanomites programming. His constant discomfort and above average blood pressure readings point to mental anguish over this adjustment. The observation of large clusters of females around him during our sample measurements confirm my current strategy is at fault. Version 3 pheromone coding is deleted from the download task list. My game theory...
Once again, my bird's eye view widens for me to see the area. A color path projection overlays the warships with time-to-land estimates for various courses. All time projections were after sunrise with the highest probability they would sweep along our shore rather than swing out to sea again. Orange targeting rings surround the ships marking them hostile. A legend left of the view identifies Orange as standby mode, red as offline, green as engage. The view changes to the normal weather map...
After a simple cold breakfast of stale bread and leftover bits of meat Sorcha and I stepped onto the deck. The cargo hold was already open and a growing number of barrels of water were accumulating on the dock; the crew seemed pretty proficient with this process after months of practice. My dream indicated a set of storms building out to sea with a high probability one would hit the island in a few days, but we would be at the estate long before the bad weather. The cloud cover was almost...
Over breakfast with Derwen and Mercedes, I discussed my planned estate improvements to help enrich the lives of the villagers. Because I had learned the topography of the estate on my last visit, I was able to identify the best placements for the two water wheels to maximize the technological improvements. Additionally, I wanted to build another clay furnace to create springs for more wolf carts, primarily to be used in conjunction with the upcoming build sites. Derwen had stock-piled sea...
The next cycle with Derwen and Mercedes brought numerous changes into our lives. Derwen's normal smirk and Mercedes' equally endearing grin made me laugh as they had me measure their growing bellies with my hands. The two women examining me for any sign of disapproval of their figure. I surveyed them from top to bottom and said, "You are both so beautiful. Nothing makes me more excited than looking at our shared love." They rushed me for hugs and Mercedes said, "You are just proud of...
Mission Log: Summary Cornerstone is complete. With the defensive asteroid platform fully operational, my game theory sub-routine's next priority project is building chaff grenade dispensers. Their purpose is to confuse and divert missiles from their targets as the fragile nature of the spy platform is a concern. It is my best resource for timely data from the planet, therefore a defensive mechanism to protect the array from space borne attack is necessary. Of course, a chaff defense is...
“Tharin and Coven can enter, but that’s it for now,” Swarta instructed the tower guards. “Add Sparrow and his father, Tassim. We don’t want to leave out the town crier nor the royal huntsman,” I corrected. “As you command,” the tower guard answered in a formal tone, before moving next to the other guard blocking the open door. I deposited my staff, backpack and gravity board in the corner of the room. The chattering of the servant women were a combination of high-pitch squeals and the fast...