A Load of ...

Leaving the Main Fires I was slightly assured that this would not .. could not really ... get any worse. I need to learn not to challenge the Sky like that. So far all standing on that hilltop with my copper lance is getting me .. is zotted and lit up like a fat man's pyre.

I love it.

When I found Asria she was telling a story and I waited for her to finish before I escorted her to the Main Fires .. intending to chain her myself. At this point I did not trust Sef as far as I could throw him ... let alone trust the madman with my pregnant ward. If there was any thought to cheer me up .. it was that I was chaining a pregnant woman to Ayguili's wagon. There was some redeeming quality there at least .. to the entire day of boskshit. A guy has to find the little things to cheer him up .. a rainbow in the dark stormy clouds.

Unfortunately Ayguili said ..that under no circumstances was Asria going to be chained to his wagon.

huh

That would be great but .. did that mean I was going to have to chain her to mine?

figures.

Ayguili was taking my rainbow and shoving it back up my ass. But really .. what are Ubars for? Where was my friend Ayguili? Friends do not let other friends drive wagons with pregnant women chained to their wheels. Just because I would do it to him .. does not mean it works the other way ... somehow it had lost all its humor.

At this point I was feeling rather regretful that I had made my report to him before this .. would have been much better to have taken him off guard. He was much too prepared. However .. let it be said that Fonce can learn from experience.

Now Asria had not been told anything .. while I walked her to the Ubar's wagon. Ayguili spoke .. about the charges ... about the lack of evidence and that he would not chain her until someone presented something solid against her. He told her the accusations were serious ... she asked him ... probably because I kept telling her to shut up .... what those accusations were. He told her she was accused of being inside the wagon of a single warrior which was inappropriate. He told her that Sef had accused her and commanded her to be chained .. that Yamka also stood in accusation ... but that until he got to the bottom of it ... Asria was safe.

Asria was starting to get mad. She had every right to be. She said it was impossible .. taking into consideration my sleen. She also said .. this must be some mistake because Yamka was her friend.

I wondered if Yamka realized what kind of friend she had in Asria. Faced with all this .. in the middle of it ... she was defending Yamka. That took some fierce pride and belief in the other woman. I hoped Yamka deserved it. Anyone should value that kind of faith .. that kind of friendship. Yamka was incredibly lucky to have someone like Asria count her as friend.

There were a lot of people there at this point. A lot of people listening and learning. Having opinions on what was going on. I was irritated with how public this was .. and yet it was not my doing. Sef and sent all this out on the drums and commanded that Asria be chained publicly to the very public Ubar's wagon. Sef had started it publicly .. I was going to see it ended ... publicly.

Cana asked to speak to the Ubar .. at this point I wanted to know something from Asria and aside I asked her where Lei was. I was pleased to find out she was off playing with Also. It would have to be dealt with .. but at least she was not present for this.

Cana .. had this glint in her eyes and a lift to her chin and I knew this was going to go all bad. I just .. knew it. I knew it like a man .. not a Spex ... in ever cell that was connected to the senses that are instilled in every man meant to warn him of impending .. female ... danger.

Sure enough .. she told Ayguili that if he was going to start chaining women for being around my wagons ... he could start with her.

great

Ah but .. that was only the beginning. Tarra stepped up and said to include her. I was mentally waving red flags at Ayguili warning him of the impending danger. Ayguili was all logical .. trying to explain no one was getting chained at that moment ... Good Sky man .. this was not the time to be assuring them it was just "not yet" .. we were about to have a full out rebellion here and all our free women chaining themselves to his wagon in protest. Sure enough .. Mezoo was next.

Ayguili said enough .. this was serious. Ayguili was not getting the flagged signals. The women let him know in no uncertain terms ... they were also serious. I finally had to use my voice .. warning Ayguili that we were about to have a bunch of women madder than wet hornets...at his wagon. That this was one of the holes in the trail I was here to warn him about. He told me he assumed I would warn him before he stepped in it ... I reminded him they were not there ... yet.

Tarra asked me if she could give Asria a cup of what I think was tea. I told her of course ... Cana asked if she could bring Asria to sit down .. all this standing was not good. This also was an .. of course. At this point Sef had arrived and I took a lean on one of the wagon wheels.

Sef has very little respect for the Ubar. I do not understand that. Scars are about respect .. respect for our ways ... respect for courage and honor and the obedience of our commanders .... the Ubar. But this was mostly between Sef and the Ubar at this point. Though I had a few things to say here and there because it was still about me and those I was responsible for.

I will say Ayguili handled Sef as well as possible. Sef tried to talk around each issue with him nearly as bad as he did with me. Ayguili addressed sending things out on the drums .. Sef told him he used Commander Code. Right on .. I was going to have to learn that one. Wait .. I had understood the message so perhaps I all ready did know Commander Code and I just was unaware.

He told Ayguili he had seen her coming and going from my wagon himself. I had to snort since I had all ready been through this with him. Ayguili asked if Sef had seen her go in and out of the flaps .. he said no but it was not about actions it was about appearance.

Appearance be damned .. I spoke up and said Asria had every right to go to and from my wagons. I was her guardian. Where else was she supposed to look for me .. wait for me?

Sef said something about .. not being the first time prospects came up pregnant.. not sure where he was going with that one but Ayguili jumped all over it and asked if he was questioning the parentage of Asria's unborn child. Sef had been .. up until then ... unaware she was pregnant. I wondered briefly if we could clear this up better if we waited until Sef was sober. But having it started .. it seemed like a good idea to finish it. Sef asked how far along she was. I jumped in and told him it was none of his business.

He said it was all part of the accusations. I told him so far there were no accusations. No question at all in fact .. no one had seen anything.

And by the Sky I will be damned if I start discussing Asria's personal business .. Trayu's personal business ... with idiots whose complete and only motivation was to discredit her honor and freedom. With no evidence .. I might add. I told Sef that if he could come up with a real question to her credibility I would discuss her gestation.

Ayguili started asking about names .. this was something I wanted to hear. The names Sef gave were himself .. Yamka .. and Kaeli and one other woman who he could not remember. But he said three was enough and if they were full of boskshit he would deal with it. I asked quietly .. since he himself had been a bad witness ... what would be done about .... him?

He was more concerned with asking Kaeli how old her children were. Ten moons .. do we divide that by three? Anyway for some reason that seemed to mean to Sef that there was indeed some reason to question the parentage of Asria's unborn child. Not sure what Kaeli and her children had to do with when Trayu fucked Asria. Seemed more was being accused here than just that. Perhaps Jai and Asria? Kaeli and Asria? Wait .. that would not result in childbirth. Unless there was something about Kaeli none of us knew. Interesting. At least that provided me with some rather fascinating mental images that relieved some of the annoyance of the entire lengthy and obnoxious event. A guy has to find the little things to cheer him up.

Then Sef went off about Asria's mate having died in an attack before Jai and Kaeli were mated. What the fuck? I was not there when Jai and Kaeli were mated .. I was there when Trayu died ... what in the hell had Sef ingested that was eating his brain from the inside out?

I interrupted all this telling everyone I would give evidence of Asria's unborn child's father as soon as the rest of it was settled and if I saw the need to do so. But at that moment I really would like to hear Kaeli's evidence.

Kaeli did not have any evidence.

Interesting .. either Sef was a complete madman and an idiot or all the people that had sent him off on this little vendetta were bailing on him. I wondered what Yamka would have to say .. or if it would mirror Kaeli's words. I was willing to wager that Yamka was going to make sure her story matched ... and matched well.

Which of course brought it all back to Sef. I was starting to feel sorry for Sef .. someone had fed him a lot of boskshit and he had taken it as sworn truth and been willing to risk his honor and command on the gossiping wagering tongues of some very spiteful women. Women who seemed to have it out for Asria. Either that or had it out for the Ubar and Asria was just a pawn. Not a very convenient pawn though .. she had not done anything wrong. Damn it Asria .. that is not the way to play along in a conspiracy. Hopefully they would pick a better playmate next time.

Then Sef threw Yamka under the moving wagon and said it had all started with her. All of it .. that Sef was just doing his duty. Except for the part where he acted rashly and without any thought or information ... that is. Not that any of that was important at all. Sef.. so he said ... had based his entire case on Yamka's word against Asria. Yamka .. who had just recently got her ears trimmed for being a liar.

huh .. figures

Ayguili stripped Sef of his command and all the stuff about Sorrel started to come out and by this time I was losing interest in the entire proceeding. Well except for one thing .. that Sef stated he could kill a prospect any time he felt like it.

I had to do a quick check with Ayguili .. it had been a law that no Tuchuk could kill or harm a prospect or another Tuchuk without the word of the Ubar. I was just wondering if that had changed since I returned ... rather pertinent information I thought. There were some Tuchuks and prospects I was thinking about taking care of myself. But no ... damn it ... the law had not changed ... I lost interest again.

There was a lot more blah blah blah and yadda yaddas ... a lot more weirdness and a lot more insanity. A lot more patience on Ayguili's part and a lot more irritation on mine. It all ended up hinging on Yamka's statement .. which would be heard .... Sky knew when.

I was very tired. At this point it was time for me to speak to Asria herself .. I took her off in the direction of ....

my wagon.