SurrendersMischief (9 page)

“From this day forward, wife, not husband, will rule the
home and the land. If currently a leman, she may chose a husband from any
single man she pleases. A man is not allowed to serve two mistresses, but a
woman may have a husband and as many slaves as she wishes. The current laws and
punishments will hold sway, only modified to reflect the change of status.”
Riana looked up, acknowledging for the first time the vidscreens that connected
the rest of the country-state to the Great Hall. “No man is too lowborn nor too
highborn to be exempt from this decree.

“Now clear this Hall. Go home and prepare to greet your new
mistress in a manner that befits her station. Before you leave, turn over your
Badge of Rank to your wife or mistress. Unclaimed men give your Badge to Bryta,
my first-in-command.” Riana turned toward Darias. “Go wait in my chambers until
I send for you.”

A muscle jumped in his jaw as he spun about on heel and
stalked with the grace of a hunting
panthra
to the stairs.

In a surprisingly short amount of time, the Great Hall was
cleared of men, and Riana sat, ensconced, in Darias’ chair, at the head of the
Council table. She stroked the aged, gleaming wood of the arms. The chair felt
good, almost as good as her chair on the
Midnight Mischief
.

She’d done it. She’d really done it. She now ruled Darias
instead of the other way around. She allowed herself a moment to savor that
fact. A babble of feminine voices assaulted her ears as the women in the room
tried to get her attention at same time.

Unfortunately, that meant she also ruled Nexar.

A plan. She needed a plan. Biting her lip to keep the
incipient panic from erupting into full-blown, I-want-to-leave-the-planet-now
panic, Riana decided to tackle the situation the same way she would when
planning an extended trade mission.

One step at a time.

The first step was to learn as much as possible about the
running of Nexar. She flashed the women a reassuring smile and prayed they
couldn’t see her pulse tripping at light speed. “Now, first and foremost, we
need to familiarize ourselves with the rules governing Nexar.” She tapped at
the keyboard embedded in the table. Large letters flashed across the recessed
screen.
ACCESS DENIED. PASSWORD REQUIRED.

“Does anyone know the access code for the computer?” A frown
tugged at her brow as a kernel of knowledge tried to work its way to the
forefront of her mind. Almost as if she were missing something key. She gave a
mental shrug when it continued to hover just out of reach. Whatever it was
would come to her sooner or later.

Bryta, on Riana’s right, cleared her throat. “No.” She
glanced at the other women, encouraged by their silent support. “The Supreme
Chief, I mean, Darias, was the only one with full access.”

Of course he was. The man was a flipping control freak.
Chagrined at having to ask for his help this early in the game, she motioned to
a tall statuesque woman. “You, there, by the door. Escort Darias to me.” Riana
was furious with herself. Where were her brains? She should have realized he
would never leave a system as important as the government’s computer
unprotected. She should have gotten the password before dismissing him. Sharri
would laugh herself silly at her predicament. She’d often chided Riana for
being too detail oriented.

Boot heels rang out against the stone, loud in a room filled
with slipper-clad women, as Darias strode into the huge room. He bowed his head
as he came to a halt. The gesture stopped just short of insolent.

“You sent for me, my lady?” Even his question, on the
surface proper, spoke of his controlled rage.

“What is the access code for Nexar’s main computer?”

“I am a slave, my lady, and unworthy of such knowledge.”

“Until an hour ago, you were Supreme Chief and the only one
with the knowledge.” Riana began drumming her fingers on the chair arm.

His eyes focused on the betraying gesture.

She stopped immediately.

“An hour ago I was not a slave.”

“You gave me your word as Supreme Chief and warrior to
obey.”

“As slave, I have no knowledge of the information you
request. As warrior, it is my duty to deny you that information.”

“Was your duty,” she reminded him. “You are no longer a
warrior, but a slave. My slave.”

Several men drifted in from the hallway, no longer trying to
remain unobtrusive. The anticipation from both the women and men around her
simmered on the air. The women, aware that his actions were a deliberate
affront to her authority, were waiting to see if she had the nerve to punish
him as he deserved. The men, on the other hand, silently smug at Darias’ use of
his new slave status to thwart her, were anticipating her failure in this, her
first real challenge as Supreme Chief. Well, they would just have to wait.
Despite the men of Nexar’s beliefs that women were weak, she was more than up
to this game of wills.

“Wait for me in the garden,” Riana continued with deceptive
gentleness. She glanced at the two strapping women standing on either side of
Darias. “Escort him to my garden and stand guard.” She had the pleasure of
seeing pure rage spring to life in his gold eyes before he could control it.
She watched him leave, admiring his arrogance even as she vowed to crush it out
of him.

“Does that mean we can’t get in the computer system unless
he gives us the password?” one woman asked.

“No.” She thumped her clenched fist on the arm of the chair.
“I should have foreseen this.” She took a deep breath. “We’ll get into the
computer system. It’ll just take us a little time.” Conscious of the eyes
filled with trust looking to her to solve this dilemma, Riana felt a little
sick, but she gave them a bold smile. The first tenet of a good captain was to
project confidence, even when she didn’t know the freaking hell what to do.
Although handy with computers, she didn’t have a clue what code the system was
based upon and without that knowledge or the proper tools… “Of course! My
ship.”

“Riana?”

“I’ll use my ship’s computer to interface with this one.
Come with me.” Excitement raced through her veins. Now, if only the
Midnight
Mischief
wasn’t too badly damaged. Riana mentally crossed her fingers.

* * * * *

Her hopes rose as she surveyed her vessel. It was even
better than she’d dared dream. Apart from some minor hull damage, her ship
appeared in remarkable condition. The fierce ion storm had not seriously
impaired the outer structure.

Riana placed her palm next to the hatch. A prickle of energy
washed over her, the automated intruder defense—designed to activate the minute
she physically left the ship—checking her bio-signs against those in its memory
banks. That tingle would knock an unauthorized person unconscious. The door
slid open with a mechanized hiss.

The new members of the Council crowded around outside the
door, not able to muster the nerve to enter. Riana hoped their timidness soon
dissipated or the men would walk all over them, Darias’ decree notwithstanding.

Inside, items were strewn everywhere, including her precious
bound books. Tenderly retrieving her favorite,
The Damsel and the Dragon
,
she held it against her chest as she gathered clothes, holobook crystals and
whatever else she thought she might need and crossed to the helm. Her arms
full, she surveyed the array of equipment for external damage and found none.
Here went nothing.

“Computer, status.”

“Memory wipe to historical database 0115, files damaged in
geological database 7114. Anti-grav system unstable due to partial loss of
programming,” came the masculine voice of her computer, Barney.

Damn. It had taken her two weeks and fifteen thousand
credits to wheedle the historical data on the Kalipse star system. Difficult,
secretive and paranoid, the Kalisids were masters at creating several of the
unique items her customers craved. But one had to approach them properly. One
misstep in the complicated, two-day greeting ceremony and you were toast.

“What about the rest of the systems?”

“Nominal.”

Oh well, once she shook the dust of this planet from her
feet, she could hunt down the good lieutenant and again prevail on him to use
his sources to obtain the information she needed on the Kalipse system. Dumping
the armload of clothes, holobooks and assorted other clutter on the chair,
Riana paused only long enough to send a message to Sharri that she was okay and
would contact her soon. Spotting her palm computer still in its docking
station, she disconnected it and added it to her growing pile of belongings.
Then, her stuff in one arm, and the ancient book tucked securely under the
other, she exited the ship.

“All right, ladies. Now we see just what secrets the men
have kept from you.” She held up the small computer in a sign of victory then
led the small procession back inside the massive stone structure.

Less than an eye blink after connecting the computer to the
terminal in the Great Hall, she had full access. Page after page of rules,
punishments and exceptions appeared on her screen. It was amazing the amount of
detail that went into governing the behavior of women. More than went into
governing the entire country-state, that was for certain. One section in
particular caught her eye.

“Why that sorry bastard,” she muttered, staring in disbelief
at the screen. “He made me believe he was unaffected by the punishment.” She
looked up. “Did any of you realize that the men take a potion before
punishment?”

All the women looked puzzled.

“A potion to make them immune to sexual stimulation during
punishment,” she clarified. They shook their heads. “It is the reason they are
able to remain detached.” Riana watched as anger replaced puzzlement in the
women’s eyes. She could almost see the fire shoot from them. “So I guess that
means you didn’t know they coat their hands with a stimulant, either? One that
forces a woman to respond whether she wants to or not?” No wonder she hadn’t
been able to restrain her reactions to Darias’ touch from the first moment
she’d met him. The sorry bastard had left nothing to chance.

“No. But it explains how I can be so angry and hurt and
still not be able to separate my mind and body from what Jaric is doing to me.”
It was the woman who’d escorted Darias to her, a tall statuesque brunette with
snapping brown eyes.

Riana ducked her head to hide a grin. She had a feeling she
need not worry any longer about the men walking all over the women. Maybe she
ought to be more concerned about the men. She had a sneaking suspicion they
were in for a pretty rough time. She snorted. Served them right.

The women looked from one to the other.

“Where do we get this potion?” Bryta asked the question
Riana could see on all their faces. Her friend, it seemed, had been reluctantly
elected spokeswoman for the group.

Riana allowed a slow, feral smile to spread across her face.
“We already have it.” She took pity of their confusion. “The badges contain
both the suppressant and the stimulant. No wonder they were so reluctant to
hand them over. Probably scared to death we’d discover their secret.” A chuckle
started down low and worked its way up as the irony of the situation hit Riana.
The symbol of the women’s new power also held their most powerful weapon. “Can
you just imagine the thoughts that must be zipping through their skulls? How
uneasy they must be, knowing we are attempting to break through the computer’s
guards?”

“I’ll make Timoth more than uneasy,” one woman muttered
before a slow smile of anticipation curved her full lips.

“I just bet you will.” And she wouldn’t be alone, not if the
expressions on the faces of the other women were any indication.

* * * * *

Well into late afternoon, Riana put a hand on her lower back
and stretched. Massaging the sharp pain in her back from sitting too long, she
stared at the computer screen.

Well, well, well. No wonder Darias had been so adamant about
not approaching the Far Islands. She tapped one finger on the console and
considered the implications of what she’d found. She’d stumbled across a
hidden, triple-protected folder. Intrigued by the care he’d taken to protect
and hide the folder, she’d spent over an hour unlocking his security. And
discovered his very interesting personal journal.

“Bryta, have you heard of a leader called Saria?” She kept
her voice low, not wanting the other women to know just yet what she’d
discovered.

Bryta looked up from her own computer terminal, a frown of
intense concentration on her face. “Hmm? Saria? No, I haven’t. That doesn’t
sound like a Nexarian name.” She pushed a key and minimized the ledger she’d
been studying, devoting her full attention to Riana.

“It isn’t. It’s the name of the Supreme Chief of the Far
Islands.”

Her face cleared. “That explains it. No man here would have
such a feminine-sounding name.”

“Saria is a female.”

“But that can’t be. You said Saria was Supreme Chief.”

Riana tapped the computer stylus against her bottom lip. “I
did, didn’t I?”

“But that means…”

“Yep. The Far Islands’ leader is a woman.” She made a note
on her palm computer to contact Saria about commerce between their two
country-states.

“Men own women. It’s impossible.”

“Evidently, not all women. Not for a long time, perhaps a
century or more, if the journal is accurate.”

“And Gaith knew this?” Sharp hurt darkened Bryta’s fine
eyes.

“Maybe. I don’t know. It is entirely possible he didn’t. The
men of Nexar believe women incapable of running a household, much less an
entire country-state. To discover that the Far Islands, a land with more
natural resources than Nexar, is governed by a woman would run contrary to
every belief they hold dear.” Her hand slowly closed into a fist. “Darias,
however, did know. I’m willing to bet the entire cargo in my ship’s hold that
it is the reason he refused to consider trade with the Far Islands. He couldn’t
trade with a woman on equal basis and keep the respect of his warriors.” Her
knuckles shone white as she clenched her fist tighter. “And, more than that, he
dare not let word spread that the women of the Far Islands are free.”