2565 A.D.!
A TALE OF ADVENTURE IN THE SECOND DARK AGE OF MAN
By Jerome B. Bigge
Book One
Chapter Eighteen


     
Sharon stood silently at my side as we watched Sarnian Lady
closing the distance between us. The trireme now no more than a
quarter of a mile from us as we laid helplessly becalmed before
it. The black painted eyes on its bow glaring at us malevolent-
ly. Janis telling me that we were now coming into range of her
ballistae and heavy crossbows, the ram having been readied along
with the catapults. The figures of people now easily visible
upon her forecastle as the long rows of oars brought her relent-
lessly towards us. The Ronda's great lateen sails now flapping
uselessly in the calm that had suddenly struck us. Dooming us to
our fates, whatever they might be. Janis had left the Dularnian
flag flying. A helpless "mouse" giving this "cat" "the finger"!
     
As I have mentioned earlier, the design of 26th Century gal-
leys is different from galley design during the time they were
used before the development of cannon and square rigged warships
finally made them obsolete. The triangular lateen sails are used
mainly to sail the vessel from point to point. The oars being
used when in engagement against other galleys. The low masts and
flammable sails being taken down before the galley enters into
battle, fire arrows sometimes being used in battle although the
use of fire at sea is discouraged by the "Codes". Sarnian Lady
had taken down her masts and sails, leaving only the low hull now
rolling in the swell, her decks bristling with men and armament.
She looked irresistible, unstoppable. The "Imperial Tarl" flying
over her high ornate sterncastle, a smaller flag beneath it. Ja-
nis telling me that it was the personal flag of Darlanis herself.
A field of stars circling a stylized golden crown on dark blue.
     
Sarnian Lady mounted eighteen ballistae to our four, the
weapons also being heavier and more powerful than ours. She also
carried half a dozen catapults, the weapons running the length of
the ship on a spine over and above the rowers, who sit below the
main deck where they are protected from enemy missiles in battle.
I could see men gathered at each weapon now, a group of women,
Warrioresses by their attire, gathered on the forecastle around a
tall golden haired woman towering over all of them wearing golden
mesh whom I immediately recognized once again as being none other
than Empress Darlanis Marden herself! The glitter of her golden
halter and brief miniskirt catching the sun's rays and reflecting
them back into my eyes! The precious jewels encrusting her trap-
pings giving her a barbaric look like something out of a novel!
     
"Sharon, I want you to stay with Lana regardless of what
happens," I told her as she clung to me. Her lovely azure eyes
wet with tears, knowing the fate that awaited me at the hands of
the Californians. I knew that whatever happened to me she would
be safe with Lady Lana. I was not that hopeful about my own fu-
ture despite what Lana had said. I was in possession of the Ron-
da, guilty of slaying nine of its crew, (True, Sharon had killed
two, but that was a secret I hoped to keep to myself!) including
its captain, and seizing its valuable cargo for my own. They
could, I supposed, also charge me with the deaths of Lana's three
Foresters as well as holding the Lady Lana Daris herself by force
if they wanted to get really "nasty" about it all as they might!
     
"Drop the sails and lower our flag before some `trigger-
happy idiot' over there takes a shot at us," Janis yelled to
Shirl as Sarnian Lady swung broadside to us. Her eighteen bal-
listae and six catapults aimed squarely at us. I thought of what
old-time sailors must have thought when they faced a row of grin-
ning black muzzles back in the time of the old square-riggers.
Sarnian Lady's armament looked just as deadly if more primitive.
     
"What will happen to them?" I asked Janis in low tones as
the former slave girls gathered at the rail to stand and look at
Sarnian Lady. The women silent as they regarded the end to their
hopes of freedom now floating a hundred yards off. They too had
lost much. Some wept bitterly as they stared at the blue-green
battleship there broadside to them. Others shook their fists in
futile hatred. "Freedom" had been so close for all of us! A
boat being lowered, no doubt to send a "prize crew" to take com-
mand of the Ronda. The Imperials standing there waving at us!
     
"The `collar', no doubt when we reach Sarn," Janis answered.
Starting a bit as we both saw Darlanis climbing down carefully
into the boat there beside Sarnian Lady. Leaping down into the
arms of a young officer ready to catch her should she slip and
fall. Janis clutching at my arm as if she could not believe her
eyes. The two having been separated for six years by the warfare
between their two countries. The bright sun glittering off her
attire as Darlanis seated herself beside the young officer, the
thought going through my mind that she had more courage than I
would under similar circumstances! Darlanis being just too easy
a target for any crossbowman willing to die for his or rather
"her" freedom! And the Ronda was filled with desperate women!

     
"Where's Sharon?" I hissed as Lana joined Janis and I on the
deck to greet the ruler of California. I had to admit that there
was certainly nothing wrong with the Empress' courage considering
the situation and the "risk" that she was taking that someone
might just be willing to give their life if only they could take
Darlanis' first! "The bitch has BALLS!" I muttered to myself,
now utterly fascinated by Darlanis and her incredible courage to
come like this to us when one shot from a crossbow could have put
a swift end to her entire life and career as the Empress of Cali-
fornia! This being my first "glimpse" of the "DARLANIS LEGEND"!
     
"I don't know," Lana answered in a low voice as the boat
hooked on and I heard a woman's voice snap something in tones too
low to be understood on deck over the creaking of the Ronda's
hull in the swell. The voice doubtlessly that of Darlanis her-
self as she was the only woman there in the craft! The assembled
feminine "crew" of the Ronda silent behind us as many now showed
their displeasure at the turn of events with teary eyes. Shirl
had done her best to restore order. We would greet Darlanis as a
free people, as proud freedom loving Dularnians greeting a enemy.

     
Then suddenly SHE was there before us! Stepping up onto our
deck! Tall, standing well over six feet in her boots, her hair
of the most lovely light gold, her eyes a beautiful azure sky-
blue that seemed to glow like precious jewels. A halter of pure
gold mesh covered her high firm breasts, a matching short gold
mesh mini glittering there in the sunlight around the flare of
her hips. High golden leather boots on her feet. The precious
jewels covering her trappings sparkled with hundreds of brilliant
points of light. She seemed to tower over us all, almost like
she was something "alien", not human. A "goddess" that could
blast us all with a thunderbolt! So beautiful that she took
your breath away, although by 20th Century standards she would
have been too tall, a bit too muscular. The dagger, the long
slim sword at her hip marked her as being of the Warrioresses. I
saw the muscles moving there beneath that flawless lightly tanned
skin as she swayed with the roll of the ship, saw the flatness of
that perfect belly, the strength of her thighs, the swell of the
biceps in her arms and knew that she had physical strength even
beyond my own. She was so incredibly beautiful that I felt that
I was in the presence of something not completely totally human,
not something truly ever born of Woman. It is, I believe, a ma-
jor part of her power over the hearts and minds of others, al-
though I should mention here that she is highly intelligent, very
well educated by 26th Century terms, and on good relations with
the Lorr, which is unusual given the usual sort of relations be-
tween Mankind and the ant-like inhabitants of Mars. There is of
course a very good reason for all this as you will see later on.
     
I felt Janis tremble with emotion beside me as Darlanis
lifted her arms, her eyes seeming to suddenly glow as she perhaps
for the first time recognized her sister, the red lips moving,
but only a soft whisper escaping as I saw how this beautiful god-
dess of a woman could feel human emotions. Lana suddenly trem-
bling at my side, although whether from excitement or something
else I didn't know as she jerked at me, her eyes wide with horror
as I saw it too! A gasp going up from the assembled women as
they too now saw what stood on the Ronda's quarterdeck, a cocked
and loaded crossbow in her young trembling hands! SHARON!!!!!!!!
     
"DARLANIS!" I heard Sharon sob, "I WON'T LET YOU HANG LOR-
RAINE AS A PIRATE WHEN WE WERE ONLY DEFENDING OURSELVES!" I HAD
NO DOUBT THAT SHARON FULLY INTENDED TO KILL DARLANIS RIGHT WHERE
SHE STOOD! The crossbow one of the Dularnian types that would
hurl an steel shafted bolt over three hundred yards. Darlanis
had made a fatal miscalculation in coming aboard as she had. The
power of her beauty, of her provocative attire which had served
to almost "stupefy" the rest of us, had absolutely no effect on
Sharon! I could hear the yells from Sarnian Lady, see men at the
ballistae, turning, aiming them, all of Sarnian Lady's armament
now aimed directly at Sharon. The Warrioresses having fitted ar-
rows to their bows, crossbowmen had taken their positions, but
none of it would do the least good as no missile could strike
Sharon before she pulled the trigger and fired a two ounce steel
bolt RIGHT THROUGH DARLANIS' HEART! And Sharon was an excellent
shot too with the weapon, I recalled, leaping forward to save
Darlanis' life as the golden Empress stood there looking into the
face of Death. Standing there calmly as if nothing had happened!
     
"SHARON! BY MY COMMAND! FREEZE!" I cried, throwing myself
in front of Darlanis, praying that the post hypnotic suggestion I
had placed in her mind so long ago still worked. Janet Rogers
and I having been working in the field with a curious Sharon as
our test subject months ago! Sharon wavering there before me,
fighting the post hypnotic suggestion, unable to kill Darlanis
without first killing me, the thought going through my mind that
she might just kill us both with the same bolt should she happen
to fire by accident. "LOWER THE CROSSBOW!" I snapped, aware of
Darlanis' azure eyes, of her height, the glitter of her golden
attire. Seeing Shirl sneaking up behind Sharon, suddenly grab-
bing her, the bolt shooting off harmlessly into the sky as Sharon
then collapsed sobbing into the strong arms of Shirl. She was a
good first officer. I hoped that Darlanis understood that.
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