"FREE-32" - читать интересную книгу автора (Jerome Bigge - Warlady 9 - The Freedom Fighters Of Trelandar)Freedom Fighters of Trelandar A Tale of Adventure in the Second Dark Age Book Nine of the Warlady Series By Jerome B. Bigge Chapter Thirty Two "What are you planning to `do' now?" Lana asked me as we sat there. I was trained as an attorney at law, and I supposed that I probably should try to reopen my practice, although I'd have to read up first upon "Imperial Law", which would be the "legal sys- tem" under which the people of Trelandar would now have to live. I had enough money to last us for years, but I couldn't see that sort of a "life" for myself. We needed something to keep us both occupied, a legal practice for me, or something "administrative", while Carl by profession was a fighting man, a Warrior by caste. "I don't really know right now," I answered her honestly, worried too if the day would come that Darlanis might decide that it was too dangerous to let me live considering what I been here. If she did so, I considered it likely she'd have me assassinated. On the other hand she'd been quite "benevolent" with Lady Tirana, saying that the old Warlady deserved the honors she'd been given, giving her a small estate just to the north of Lady Lana's here. "I have no intentions of fighting for Darlanis," Carl said. "I need someone to run things for me," Lana said to me then. "Someone to take charge of my security forces," she added here to Carl as he nodded back in reply... Lady Lana actually having a small military force of her own, one of around a dozen men here. She also was over the commander of the "occupation" forces, but they were not really a part of her own forces here as such now. "People who are my friends," she smiled, seeing us both nodding. "Sounds good to me," Carl said, "How about you, Sanda?" "I think it's just what we need," I smiled back then. "What do you think of the estate?" Lady Lana Daris smiled as we ate dinner, a slave girl waiting to one side to be of service. I had to admit that her cook could do a lot better than I could! Carl doing ample justice to a meal better than I could have made! We had roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, carrots in butter sauce, the sort of a dinner that I remembered that my own mother used to fix, although she did have a slave girl to help... Jerry already stuffed, playing with his food, sneaking bits down to Mischief, who was already learning how to "beg" as dogs so do. "Impressive," I smiled, recalling all that I'd seen here. I had judged from the map that she controlled an area of about nine hundred square miles, with the estate itself on the northern half on the territory, a "chunk" being taken out for the land on which the Warrioress Academy laid here to the south east. Her husband, Lord Jan Daris, now living in Sarn, a member of the Imperial Sen- ate, being one of the high Lords of the Empire. From the com- ments that Lana had let slip I suspected that their marriage was more in "name" only, such often happening in cases such as this. He had married Lana for her "looks", for her skill with a sword, for her caste, but she was just a "showpiece" to be "flaunted"... Left back on the estate while he "sported" with his slave girls. "You have a lot of heavy forest to the south," Carl said. "Outlaws haven't been a problem `yet'..." Lana replied. "No central government," Carl answered, regarding her. "I can hire more men at arms," Mrs. Daris answered. "I'll take care of that for you," Carl smiled back. "There hasn't been a problem yet, has there?" I asked. "There will be pretty soon now," my husband warned then. "Darlanis is recruiting everyone she can get," Lana said. "Her weapon laws are the `problem'," Carl pointed out now. "I don't understand," Lana asked, sipping here at her wine. "During the war both sides took anyone willing to fight," he explained, "And some of those we took into our armed forces were those who were one jump ahead of the law when we recruited them." The Empire had done the "same", especially with its "second line" troops, many of whom were no doubt drawn from the criminal class. "During the war I trained people in `guerrilla warfare', and some of those I trained may be willing to apply what they learned not against Imperial troops, but against estates such as this..." I added now, well aware that I had considered making such raids. And it was likely too that such people would not be handing over the weapons they had to the Imperial occupying forces either now. "For all practical purposes laws are only `enforceable' when the majority of the people consider them right and proper," I added. This was not the case here, as I felt Lady Lana knew quite well. Darlanis was ruling a people who hated her guts, her occupation. People who needed only a "leader" to start a resistance movement. The "situation" here was quite "unstable", and Darlanis knew it. "We have `sowed the wind', and we may `reap the whirlwind'," Lana answered, the words seeming to bring back old memories now. "And any who is skillful will not be long without a weapon here," she now mused thoughtfully, no doubt aware as a Warrioress of how "easy" it was to make weapons, use those weapons to take a better weapon from a dead enemy. Such having been a part of our train- ing. As our instructors at the Academy told us, we were "danger- ous" not because of our weapons, or our skill in their use, but because of the way that we thought, the way that we saw things... This was not clearly understood until the time of Janet Rogers, who was the first to realize that "knowledge" can be "dangerous". That someone trained or knowledgeable in the arts of war even if they are disarmed by law will not be without weapons for long...* * The best "example" I know of this is the action of Lorraine in disarming two police officers in the 21st Century by taking them by surprise using advanced Warrioress tactics that they were to- tally and completely unfamiliar with. Neither of them knowing of course just "what" they were actually facing here now... (Sanda) "Darlanis will `need' those forces she is now using to occu- py Trelandar when she attacks Talon next spring," I pointed out. Lana nodding thoughtfully, "aware" of I think here the first time just how "unsafe" things could get for a high born Imperial Lady. Right now she had a force of a full battalion to back up her own personal military with, but she wouldn't have that for very long. Not when Darlanis started "needing" those men for her own uses... "You ever seen `combat' yourself?" Carl ventured to Lana. I should mention here that this was something I'd never asked her. I supposed she had a military "rank", but that didn't mean much. "Only the aftermath," Lana answered, not "comfortable" now. "No `field experience' then?" my husband quickly asked her. "My husband is a good friend of Darlanis..." Lana answered. "We're not trying to `imply' anything here," I said to her. "I'm not really a `fighter' like you two," Lana answered, obviously quite uncomfortable with this line of questioning here. The fact that she was a Princess of Swords did not imply that she was truly a "fighting woman" in the same way that another might. There is a considerable difference between skill and "mindset". "You seemed brave enough the time I captured you," I said. "I have my `pride'," Lana replied, her hazel eyes holding my own darker orbs as I nodded back. Understanding much about her. She was of the Warrioress caste, but really no more a Warrioress here than I was. "I'm a major in the Imperial military, but that is just a `rank' that I was given as a part of being Mrs. Daris." In the fifteen years that I knew Lady Lana Daris before her death in battle aboard the Ronda, the "opinion" that I formed of her then was that she was a very nice, sweet person, but not what one would call a "fighter" as such. Her husband treated her as a "possession", a lovely piece of property, almost like some slave. She was skilled with arms, but not "warlike" in her personality. She was a Warrioress by caste, but lacked the "mindset" of one... While Lorraine relates that she reminded her a great deal of Carol Simmons, I didn't see that the two were actually all that much alike save in height, eye and hair color. Carol was harder featured than Lana, had a somewhat fuller and more muscular body. Bob's wife also had an earthy "sensuality" about her Lana didn't. In Lorraine's writings it is remarked by the Warlady that she had "feelings" for Lana, but she never allowed these feelings full rein for fear of what Princess Janis might had said had she found out. While I do not know of any lesbian relationship that Lorraine ever had, there being nothing in her diaries to indicate such, it is true that she saw other women sometimes in a sexual way, as is obvious when you more closely read what she wrote now. On the other hand she felt that such relationships were "wrong", even if she did feel something of a sexual attraction at times... A final note here: The diaries indicate that Lorraine did plan to someday have them translated and published, but I suspect that she simply never got around to carrying out her plans here. After the "death" of Darlanis and the earlier deaths of Amethysta and Lady Tirana, both of whom died of simple old age as such, she seemed to lose "interest" in things, in further "adventures" of the sort that she'd carried out when younger. In the last few years of her life Lorraine seemed to me to have lost much of the awesome vitality that had made her the legend that she'd become. She was "old", and she once said to me that she'd lived out her life and it was time that she "made room" for a new generation... Freedom Fighters of Trelandar A Tale of Adventure in the Second Dark Age Book Nine of the Warlady Series By Jerome B. Bigge Chapter Thirty Two "What are you planning to `do' now?" Lana asked me as we sat there. I was trained as an attorney at law, and I supposed that I probably should try to reopen my practice, although I'd have to read up first upon "Imperial Law", which would be the "legal sys- tem" under which the people of Trelandar would now have to live. I had enough money to last us for years, but I couldn't see that sort of a "life" for myself. We needed something to keep us both occupied, a legal practice for me, or something "administrative", while Carl by profession was a fighting man, a Warrior by caste. "I don't really know right now," I answered her honestly, worried too if the day would come that Darlanis might decide that it was too dangerous to let me live considering what I been here. If she did so, I considered it likely she'd have me assassinated. On the other hand she'd been quite "benevolent" with Lady Tirana, saying that the old Warlady deserved the honors she'd been given, giving her a small estate just to the north of Lady Lana's here. "I have no intentions of fighting for Darlanis," Carl said. "I need someone to run things for me," Lana said to me then. "Someone to take charge of my security forces," she added here to Carl as he nodded back in reply... Lady Lana actually having a small military force of her own, one of around a dozen men here. She also was over the commander of the "occupation" forces, but they were not really a part of her own forces here as such now. "People who are my friends," she smiled, seeing us both nodding. "Sounds good to me," Carl said, "How about you, Sanda?" "I think it's just what we need," I smiled back then. "What do you think of the estate?" Lady Lana Daris smiled as we ate dinner, a slave girl waiting to one side to be of service. I had to admit that her cook could do a lot better than I could! Carl doing ample justice to a meal better than I could have made! We had roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, carrots in butter sauce, the sort of a dinner that I remembered that my own mother used to fix, although she did have a slave girl to help... Jerry already stuffed, playing with his food, sneaking bits down to Mischief, who was already learning how to "beg" as dogs so do. "Impressive," I smiled, recalling all that I'd seen here. I had judged from the map that she controlled an area of about nine hundred square miles, with the estate itself on the northern half on the territory, a "chunk" being taken out for the land on which the Warrioress Academy laid here to the south east. Her husband, Lord Jan Daris, now living in Sarn, a member of the Imperial Sen- ate, being one of the high Lords of the Empire. From the com- ments that Lana had let slip I suspected that their marriage was more in "name" only, such often happening in cases such as this. He had married Lana for her "looks", for her skill with a sword, for her caste, but she was just a "showpiece" to be "flaunted"... Left back on the estate while he "sported" with his slave girls. "You have a lot of heavy forest to the south," Carl said. "Outlaws haven't been a problem `yet'..." Lana replied. "No central government," Carl answered, regarding her. "I can hire more men at arms," Mrs. Daris answered. "I'll take care of that for you," Carl smiled back. "There hasn't been a problem yet, has there?" I asked. "There will be pretty soon now," my husband warned then. "Darlanis is recruiting everyone she can get," Lana said. "Her weapon laws are the `problem'," Carl pointed out now. "I don't understand," Lana asked, sipping here at her wine. "During the war both sides took anyone willing to fight," he explained, "And some of those we took into our armed forces were those who were one jump ahead of the law when we recruited them." The Empire had done the "same", especially with its "second line" troops, many of whom were no doubt drawn from the criminal class. "During the war I trained people in `guerrilla warfare', and some of those I trained may be willing to apply what they learned not against Imperial troops, but against estates such as this..." I added now, well aware that I had considered making such raids. And it was likely too that such people would not be handing over the weapons they had to the Imperial occupying forces either now. "For all practical purposes laws are only `enforceable' when the majority of the people consider them right and proper," I added. This was not the case here, as I felt Lady Lana knew quite well. Darlanis was ruling a people who hated her guts, her occupation. People who needed only a "leader" to start a resistance movement. The "situation" here was quite "unstable", and Darlanis knew it. "We have `sowed the wind', and we may `reap the whirlwind'," Lana answered, the words seeming to bring back old memories now. "And any who is skillful will not be long without a weapon here," she now mused thoughtfully, no doubt aware as a Warrioress of how "easy" it was to make weapons, use those weapons to take a better weapon from a dead enemy. Such having been a part of our train- ing. As our instructors at the Academy told us, we were "danger- ous" not because of our weapons, or our skill in their use, but because of the way that we thought, the way that we saw things... This was not clearly understood until the time of Janet Rogers, who was the first to realize that "knowledge" can be "dangerous". That someone trained or knowledgeable in the arts of war even if they are disarmed by law will not be without weapons for long...* * The best "example" I know of this is the action of Lorraine in disarming two police officers in the 21st Century by taking them by surprise using advanced Warrioress tactics that they were to- tally and completely unfamiliar with. Neither of them knowing of course just "what" they were actually facing here now... (Sanda) "Darlanis will `need' those forces she is now using to occu- py Trelandar when she attacks Talon next spring," I pointed out. Lana nodding thoughtfully, "aware" of I think here the first time just how "unsafe" things could get for a high born Imperial Lady. Right now she had a force of a full battalion to back up her own personal military with, but she wouldn't have that for very long. Not when Darlanis started "needing" those men for her own uses... "You ever seen `combat' yourself?" Carl ventured to Lana. I should mention here that this was something I'd never asked her. I supposed she had a military "rank", but that didn't mean much. "Only the aftermath," Lana answered, not "comfortable" now. "No `field experience' then?" my husband quickly asked her. "My husband is a good friend of Darlanis..." Lana answered. "We're not trying to `imply' anything here," I said to her. "I'm not really a `fighter' like you two," Lana answered, obviously quite uncomfortable with this line of questioning here. The fact that she was a Princess of Swords did not imply that she was truly a "fighting woman" in the same way that another might. There is a considerable difference between skill and "mindset". "You seemed brave enough the time I captured you," I said. "I have my `pride'," Lana replied, her hazel eyes holding my own darker orbs as I nodded back. Understanding much about her. She was of the Warrioress caste, but really no more a Warrioress here than I was. "I'm a major in the Imperial military, but that is just a `rank' that I was given as a part of being Mrs. Daris." In the fifteen years that I knew Lady Lana Daris before her death in battle aboard the Ronda, the "opinion" that I formed of her then was that she was a very nice, sweet person, but not what one would call a "fighter" as such. Her husband treated her as a "possession", a lovely piece of property, almost like some slave. She was skilled with arms, but not "warlike" in her personality. She was a Warrioress by caste, but lacked the "mindset" of one... While Lorraine relates that she reminded her a great deal of Carol Simmons, I didn't see that the two were actually all that much alike save in height, eye and hair color. Carol was harder featured than Lana, had a somewhat fuller and more muscular body. Bob's wife also had an earthy "sensuality" about her Lana didn't. In Lorraine's writings it is remarked by the Warlady that she had "feelings" for Lana, but she never allowed these feelings full rein for fear of what Princess Janis might had said had she found out. While I do not know of any lesbian relationship that Lorraine ever had, there being nothing in her diaries to indicate such, it is true that she saw other women sometimes in a sexual way, as is obvious when you more closely read what she wrote now. On the other hand she felt that such relationships were "wrong", even if she did feel something of a sexual attraction at times... A final note here: The diaries indicate that Lorraine did plan to someday have them translated and published, but I suspect that she simply never got around to carrying out her plans here. After the "death" of Darlanis and the earlier deaths of Amethysta and Lady Tirana, both of whom died of simple old age as such, she seemed to lose "interest" in things, in further "adventures" of the sort that she'd carried out when younger. In the last few years of her life Lorraine seemed to me to have lost much of the awesome vitality that had made her the legend that she'd become. She was "old", and she once said to me that she'd lived out her life and it was time that she "made room" for a new generation... |
|
|