Fantasy Starship Gods

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The Gods Khalid, Ahmed, and Chaka​

It was all meant to be. Khalid was convinced of it, and it didn't take much effort to convince Ahmed and Chaka of the same.

Brother Khalid Anjahar was an instructor of religious philosophy at the University of Al-Sa-Naa on Ramada. It was a prestigious post, and his lectures on strict adherence to Laquintaism drew rave reviews. But it wasn't what he craved. He wanted a position of power, either in the religious establishment, or in the Emirate. But such positions were very competitive, and while Khalid had the skill, and the piety, he didn't have the connections. He always felt like he was destined for more, as if Laquinta had greater plans for him, but he had led a life of quiet frustration.

Until now. Until they had arrived at this planet, with this glorious opportunity simply handed to them on a golden platter.

Khalid addressed his younger brothers. "We have come to a planet where the religious practices are very similar to those of Laquinta, the Great God of Blood. Can it be an accident that we were brought to a place where people practice a corrupt form of worship so close to our own? Can it be an accident that we are being thrust into a position of authority to turn these corrupt believers into true ones?"

"Brother Khalid, what are you saying?" said Chaka.

Chaka was always the dumb brother. "I am saying that the Great God of Blood himself, Laquinta, meant for us to come here and convert these savages to the one true faith."

"But we promised the Captain-"

"A promise to an Infidel! It has no binding or relevance!" Khalid snapped. "We will turn these people to the one true faith. And then, when are ready, we will turn this entire planet into devout followers of Laquinta."

"And what of those who will not follow?" Chaka asked.

"Their blood will pave the way for the future," said Khalid, his eyes shining.

The three of them were standing in a plaza in Heraklion now, where people were gathering. Naomi Weinberg was kneeling respectfully behind them, as was proper for a concubine of her status. Being a simplistic Earth whore, she had been trained quite easily. But Naomi Weinberg would only be the first of many.

The Asgard, lead by the very helpful Infidel Michael Taylor, had just taken off. Its arrival and departure was attracting the crowd it had meant to. They had had very limited information about the six cities of this planet. Khalid had chosen Heraklion on a whim, figuring its cold, northern climate would breed more formidable warriors. Khalid smiled in the wintery morning sun as a crowd gathered. They would be the first of his followers. And for some of them, the first of his slaves.

A group of older old men made their way through the crowd. One was dressed in the robes of a Tollah; another looked like some kind of government official.

"We are the Gods of Sparticus!" said Khalid boomed. "We have come in the fiery chariot, as has been foretold. We have come to tell you that you have lost your way! We have come to set you back on the path to righteousness!"

Two older men came forward.

"Welcome," said one of the men, bowing his head. He waved his hand in a circular pattern that seemed to show deference. "I give you many greetings. I am Ailborne, first Councilor of Heraklion. And besides me I have the great honor of introducing Sanath, our Loving High Tollah."

"Your Loving High Tollah?" said Khalid, taking an immediate dislike to the name.

"I have that honor, sir," said Sanath, giving a gentle smile. And then he actually bowed to them.

"Well Sanath, o Loving High Tollah, the Gods have new commands for you," said Khalid.

"Speak, Mighty One, so we might obey."

That sounded promising.

"We wish to talk to you about your practices of executing heretics, and welcoming 12 year olds into the world, and slaughtering your third children."

"But my Lord-" said Sanath. Khalid glared at him for interrupting, but let him continue. "We do not do these things you speak of."

"You don't?" Now Khalid was the confused one.

"We know the Book speaks of these things, but over the years our Loving High Tollahs have opted for a more... gentler interpretation of the book."

"More gentle?" said Khalid, not sure if he was liking what he was hearing.

"Yes. We enforce the Book symbolically. When a third child is born, he or she is beaten with a feather, to indicate his third status."

"You beat them with a feather?" Khalid asked. He and Ahmed exchanged astonished looks. It sounded so incredible that he had to wonder if the Loving Tollah was making fun of him. But his face looked deadly serious.

"Yes, Lord. As for welcoming 12 year old girls into adulthood, they are welcomed. With a party. And a cake. And ice cream."

"Ice cream," said Khalid woodenly.

"And as for heretics, they are severely punished. They are made to wear the Flower of Shame on their clothes, clearly visible for all to see, for a week."

The Flower of Shame. Just what kind of people were these? Suddenly, Khalid got the very worried feeling that he had selected the wrong city to rule. Khalid had thought that the cold weather would mean the population was tougher, and more aggressive. It seems that the population they had been given was actually the opposite in temperament. They had landed among the very least devout people on the entire planet!

Khalid exchanged glances with Ahmed. He was realizing this too. Was it too late to switch cities with one of the other gods? They would have to call Taylor back here with the spaceship and find someone else who would agree to switch, and then go to the new city and explain that the Gods they just met weren't really their Gods but now they were, and then... no, it was too much to ask, too complicated, and too involved. They would have to do the best they could with these... sheep.

"Well, this is very interesting to learn," said Khalid, trying to salvage something from the situation. "But there is much that must be learned, and unlearned. First of all, your true God's name is Laquinta."

"Lacheeta?" said Ailborne.

Khalid resisted the urge to kill the man where he stood. "Laquinta. The Great God of Blood."

"The Great God of Blood. That sounds a bit... intense," said the Loving Tollah.

"It is a sound you will come to admire and love without a second thought. Blood is good, blood paves the way. Blood is everything," said Brother Khalid.

"And what of the other Gods?" the Loving Tollah asked.

"There are no other gods," said Khalid. He saw the immediate look of confusion on their faces and quickly amended it. "There are no other gods... as important as Laquinta."

"Why is this... Laquinta never mentioned in the Book of Sparticus?"

"He is mentioned all over the Book, whenever the Gods are spoken of. He is just never mentioned by name, because in the time of Sparticus, it was not yet time to name him openly."

"And now it is?" Ailborne asked.

"Most definitely," Khalid assured him.

"And you... you say you are the Gods as well?" The Loving Tollah asked.

This was another difficult question. There was only one god, of course, which was Laquinta, but if Khalid and his brothers were not gods, what exactly were they, and why should anyone pay attention to them? "We are... messengers of the Great God of Blood. Think of us as deputies to him."

"Deputy Gods," said the Loving Tollah.

Khalid shrugged. "If you like." It was not true, of course, but once the belief in Laquinta was firmly established, they would drop the pretense.

"And that young lady, kneeling behind you, is she a deputy God too?"

"She is a concubine, nothing more," said Khalid dismissively. "Surely you have those here?"

"No," said Ailborne, shaking his head.

"Then we shall have to introduce them to you," said Khalid, smiling broadly. "You have much to learn. But let us start with some of the basic rules. I am glad to hear you do not kill your third children. But if any third children are unwanted, they are to be handed to us." There must be a thriving black market in babies somewhere on this backwards planet. They could be sold to raise funds for the Caliphate.

"What will be done with them?"

"Laquinta will care for them at his side," said Khalid sweetly. He could see their uncertainty in their faces, but he continued. "Now, as for the punishment for heretics. All heretics must be beheaded, with a single stroke to the neck, unless their offense is aggravated, in which case they are to be tortured first."

"Tortured?" said the Loving Tollah, as if he had never heard the word before.

"Lesser offenses should be dealt with by whipping," Khalid continued, ignoring the interruption.

"Whipping?" said Ailborne.

"In expert hands, a horse whip can be an excellent tool for instruction," said Khalid.

Now they were looking at him in true terror.

"And lastly, let us talk of the rule about having sex with girls when they turn 12."

"As I told your Lordship, we don't practice that," said the Loving Tollah.

"And I am glad to hear it," said Khalid. "Sex with a 12 year old is an abomination. It goes against everything the Great God of Blood stands for."

"I am so relieved to hear it," said Ailborne.

"The proper age for a father to introduce his daughter into womanhood is 14. At the age of 14, all girls must be introduced into womanhood by their fathers."

"What?" said the Loving Tollah. "No God of Sparticus would ever require that!"

In one swift move Khalid drew his blaster and fired. A large hole appeared in the Loving Tollah's head, so large you could see through it. Without making a sound, the Loving Tollah of Heraklion fell lifelessly to the ground.

"There are no Gods of Sparticus here! There is only Laquinta!" said Khalid, speaking to the stunned audience. He raised his smoking blaster into the air. "You will all obey, or meet the same fate! Who do you worship?"

"Laquinta!" yelled the fearful crowd.

"Who?"

"Laquinta!" yelled the crowd.

"We have made a beginning," said Brother Khalid, smiling broadly. He spoke to the other Tollahs. "Have his body chopped up and fed to the dogs."

The other Tollahs looked stunned.

"Surely you're joking," said Ailborne.

"Do I look like I am joking?" Khalid asked, rubbing his oily goatee. He looked at the Tollahs, frozen in place. "Carry out my orders! Unless you would care to join him!"

Immediately, four Tollahs sprang forward and went to lift the body.

"Chaka, go with them and make sure the orders of the God of Blood are obeyed in every particular."

Chaka, smiling, nodded.

Brother Khalid turned to Ailborne, whose face was as grave as stone. "We have made a good beginning here. But we have much work to do."​