WARRIOR PRINCESS ON PLANET OF THE APES
Streaks of orange lightning scraped across a gray sky, signaling anger and
destruction. Ares, god of war expressed his wrath by channeling the bolts repeatedly.
Xena, who stood only a few feet away, just gazed at him in disgust. "Are you through?"
She growled with clenched teeth. Ares strutted towards her, looking her up and down.
He walked around her, she followed him with eyes. Her silver chakra was held firmly in
her hand as if she was ready for combat. "We could be so good together, Xena. Why
continue like this? Join me, be my queen!" Most of Ares' soldiers were strewn about
the beach. Some only pretended to be dead, they had enough of the warrior princess.
Seagulls squawked up in the air and the ocean waves could be heard hitting the shore.
Gabrielle decided to intervene. "Xena and I are on a journey. We have so much
yet to do. You are not part of our plans!" Ares' eyes darted at her in anger. "You are
quite bothersome. I should have been rid of you long ago!" Xena stepped between the
two. "Enough, Ares! I am not joining you! Take a break, leave these villages near the
sea alone or you will endure more of my destruction of your army!" Ares was so angry
he wanted to start shooting lightning bolts again. He was really angry over Xena's
refusal of his affections not what she did to his army. Harming her was not an option,he
was in love with her and wanted her for his mate. Xena didn't share these feelings. He
was humiliated by her constantly defeating his army and he didn't know how to handle
those feelings. Again he started shooting his lightning bolts across the sky, only this
time he projected Xena and Gabrielle far into the future. Let them travel around in a
different world. This would give him time to think.
Xena and Gabrielle found they were blinded briefly by the lightning. They
opened their eyes to see Ares and his soldiers gone. They were no longer near the ocean
but next to a dirt road, obviously well travelled by the wear and tear. Xena knew they
were in a different time and world. The air did not smell of the ocean, she thought she
could smell farms nearby. The feeling she had was different also, she couldn't explain it.
She just knew that Ares put her and Gabrielle somewhere drasticly different from what
they were used to. Gabrielle stood behind Xena, feeling anxious. "This isn't right!
Where are we?" Xena remained calm. "I have no idea. But Ares has done this before to
us. When he calms down, he'll return us to our own time. We might as well start looking
for food and shelter. Sometimes Ares gets over the whim whams soon, other times not
so soon." Fortunately Xena's horse was also sent with the two women. Both of them
got on the horse and started riding down the road.
Galen found himself enjoying this human family. They laughed frequently
and were genuinely interested in his tales of life on the road with the two humans Pete
Burke and Alan Virdon. They were fascinated by the fact that this chimp would choose
to live with two humans and be a fugitive. The children, two boys and a girl listened
intently to Galen describe their previous adventures of being chased by the gorilla army
and seeking shelter with various humans and apes. Burke assisted the wife, a young
woman with shoulder length brown hair, in putting away the dishes. He was too nervous
to sit still. The three fugitives barely escaped a group of gorillas who were determined
to capture them, thinking they would get a reward. Virdon found this odd since he
didn't think Urko offered a reward for them. It was an ape's civic duty to turn them in. He discussed this with the husband, a man about thirty with jet black hair. He couldn't
understand it either but he heard of the apes forming vigilante groups to police humans
and themselves. Often they requested a reward.
Virdon sipped a cup of coffee and hoped the night would be peaceful. The
sound of horses made his heart sink. The gorillas had returned like they said and there
was more of them. It looked like about fifteen gorillas on horseback. Burke peered out
a window while Galen jumped out of his chair. The husband reassured the fugitives.
"Stay inside. I'll handle this." He walked out the front door and up to the leader, an
angry gorilla who got off his horse. He immediately threatened him. "You'll hang for
this, Joshua. Harboring fugitives means death for humans. If you know what is good for
you, turn them over to us. We'll conveniently forget where we found them." One of
Joshua's sons ran out of the house. Joshua grabbed him by the arm and pulled him close
to him. The gorillas on horses all moved closer towards him. Another gorilla spoke.
"We should take his son, then we'll get the fugitives." The leader liked the idea. "Yes,
his son or the fugitives." Virdon, Burke and Galen felt panic overtaking them while the
wife and other two children huddled together.
As the gorillas continued to move closer the yell that penetrated everyone's ears
vibrated through their bodies. Both apes and humans were stunned and thrown into a
state of shock. Galen's eyes grew so wide he had a headache. Eeeeeeeeeeeyaaaaaa
and for only a few seconds a bright, round silver object flew through the air, knocking
all the gorillas on horses to the ground. The leader who was in front of Joshua had a
staff pointed in his face by a young woman with long blonde hair. "Only a coward takes
children!" The leader stepped back only to have Xena kick him in the head. He went off
balance for a few seconds but remained speechless when he saw the six foot female
warrior holding a knife over her head ready to do battle. "You will leave these people
alone or face my wrath!" Gabrielle continued to point her staff at him. Inside the house
Virdon blinked his eyes as if he wasn't sure of what he was seeing. Burke stood with his
mouth open while Galen looked for an exit. Burke grabbed Galen's arm to prevent him
from leaving.
The leader got his bearings and shook his head as if he wasn't sure this was
all real. He was at a loss for words but managed to mutter "Who are you?" "I am Xena,
warrior princess. Ares, god of war and destruction sent me here because I angered him."
Burke mumbled to Galen. "Are you listening to this?" Galen remained silent. Xena
continued speaking. "You will leave these people alone or face me in battle!" The
other gorillas returned to consciousness, panicked and got on their horses and galloped
off. The leader, seeing he was alone, leaped onto his horse, took one last look at Xena
with a face full of unbelief and rode off behind the others.
Xena walked over to Joshua and his son. "Are you harmed?" Joshua gave
Xena a look of gratitude. "We are well. Do come inside for some food and shelter. We
are grateful for your help." Gabrielle walked over to him. "Our journey has been long
and we need to rest. We really appreciate you helping us." The two women followed
Joshua into the house. Everyone in the house hadn't moved. Xena's strong presence
radiated through the room. Burke was the first to speak. "You said Ares, god of war
sent you here?" Xena walked over to him and made eye contact as she spoke. "I
angered him and for revenge he sent my companion Gabrielle and myself far into the
future. He has done this before, although we have never been this far in the future. We
must get back. The centaurs are raising my son and I haven't seen him in quite
sometime." Gabrielle walked over to Galen. "Are you Ezura, god of harmony?"
Galen's eyes grew wide again. "My name is Galen and I am a scholar." Burke
continued talking. "So you are not from this time either. Neither are we. My friend
here and I crashed our spaceship. We are also from the past but not quite as far back as
you two ladies are. Unfortunately most of our ship has been destroyed and humans are
considered a threat to the apes. We have to run and hide constantly." Virdon added to
the conversation. " I have read about the distant past, your time period in particular.
Gods and centaurs are considered to be mythology, not true as I was taught in school."
Xena faced him. "Sounds like you were taught wrong." Galen was finally beginning to
relax. "Why would you think I am some god?" Gabrielle smiled. "The Amazons intro-
duced me to Ezura. He provides harmony in music but has guided me with my story-
telling occasionally. Very pleasant monkey." Galen was stunned but forced his words.
"I am a chimp..chimpanzee, not a monkey." Xena responded. "Ezura must be a
chimp, you look similar to him. My friend here is a bard, Ezura and her will tell stories
all night long if you let them." Joshua was puzzled. "You worship a chimp god?" He
was quickly educated by Gabrielle. "The gods only take certain forms when they appear
to us. Some take human form, others do not. Ezura is special to me because he aids me
with my storytelling." All Burke,Virdon and Galen could think of was how bizarre
things had become.
Xena and Gabrielle were given supper and they chatted with their hosts and
the fugitives well into the night. Gabrielle shared some of her stories with Galen,they
were beginning to form a bond. Galen was amazed that Gabrielle worshipped a chimp
god. He could tell that this young woman from another era was fond of the simian
entity by the affection in her voice for him. Virdon asked Xena if the two women
would like to join them in the morning when they left. Xena stated that they might as
well go with them. She didn't know what to do while they waited for Ares to calm
down and return them to their own time.
The vigilante group of gorillas were so shocked by the warrior princess that
they were hesitant to tell anyone what happened. The leader didn't feel that way. He
announced he was going directly to Urko. Then the rest of the gorillas decided to tell
their families and friends what happened only to be laughed at. It didn't help that they
had been drinking before they returned to Joshua's house. The tale evolved into a myth
about this human female with extraordinary strength who protected humans from apes.
The leader rode through the night to see General Urko. When he arrived at Urko's
office it took much convincing for the guards to let him in. When he finally was
allowed into seeUrko and begin his tale about the warrior princess, Urko had him
removed from his office and threatened to put him in jail if he ever wasted his time
with such nonsense again.
In the morning, Xena, Gabrielle and the fugitives left Joshua's house. They
felt his family would be safer with them gone. Xena rode her horse while the others
walked. Galen and Gabrielle conversed with each other, exchanging stories and
adventures. Gabrielle explained who the centaurs are, half-human, half- horse and how
the Amazons made peace with them. The travelling was leisurely and pleasant. Xena
and Gabrielle would fish when they came upon a lake or pond to supplement the vegetables Joshua gave them for their journey. Burke, Virdon and Galen found
themselves actually having a good time for a change. In the late afternoon, they
approached a village. Xena insisted on entering the village out in the open while
the others preferred to be more cautious and try to hide as they went in. Xena re-
fused. Galen and the others pleaded with her not to. "Warriors do not hide. I pro-
tect the innocent." Xena proceded to ride into the village with Gabrielle following her
on foot. Both apes and humans stood still and stared at the women as they approached
a water fountain. All eyes are on the two women as they drank from the fountain. The
air is thick with tension and the nearby humans fidget nervously, as if they don't know
what to do.
A yell and then a scream radiate from Xena's left. She turned quickly to see
a chimp hitting a young human male around the age of fifteen. The chimp was furious.
"How dare you insult me like that!" He threw a punch in the boy's face and he fell
backwards. As the boy looked up from the ground in a daze, the chimp stood over him,
ready to strike again, when he heard a voice. "I wouldn't do that if I were you!" The
chimp turned around and then looked up. Xena was much taller than him and her fists
were ready for combat. The chimp was surprised but he wasn't going to back down.
"This is none of your business! Get back to your master!" Xena spoke again. "It is
not nice to pick on children!" She then kicked him in the face and he toppled over to
the side. When he got up, she had one hand around his neck and a knife pointed in his
face. The chimp who couldn't believe how strong she was finally relented. "Okay,I'll
leave the boy alone!" Xena let him go and the young human said thank you to her.
The chimp attempted to catch his breath and between gasps he spoke. "Who are you?"
"I am Xena, warrior princess, defender of the innocent. Ares, god of war is angry with
me so he sent my companion Gabrielle and I far into the future. When he calms down,
he'll bring us back." The chimp blinked his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.
"You are the strongest human I've ever encountered." Gabrielle walked over to him.
"We have been travelling for quite sometime and would appreciate some food for us and
our companions." Virdon, Burke and Galen were hiding behind a horse drawn cart and
were shaking their heads as if to say no. But Gabrielle continued. "We mean no harm
and I can tell you a good story if you give us some food." The chimp gave her a sharp
stare. "I do not socialize with humans! Keep going through the village and you should
come across some farms on your way." He pointed behind him. "One of the human
farmhouses can feed you! But beware, apes rule! You will not last long, warrior
princess!" Xena smiled at him. "My destiny is not in this world, so our journey will
be brief." She looked straight into his eyes. "But remember you'll pay for your cruel
treatment of humans in the afterlife." The chimp was shocked at her statement and he
watched the two women walk away in the direction he pointed in. Xena whistled and her
horse joined her. The three fugitives followed the women but tried to remain hidden.
Most apes who were around watched the two women until they were out of sight.
Urko sat at his desk when one of his guards rushed in. He was in a total
panic and talked nervously. "General, you have to listen to this! There's this fe-
male human, she's a giant. She calls herself some sort of warrior." Urko interrupted
him. "IS this that same fable that moron tried to tell me the other day?" "General,
please this is serious. She's strong, she's beating up apes. My cousin just saw her in
his village, she apprehended a chimp and tried to strangle him!" Urko grunted. "A
female human! This is some sort of myth that is being fabricated because everyone
is so bored! That jerk the other day said she defeated an entire gang of gorillas!
Absolutely prepostperous! I'll put her on my criminal list but she is on the bottom.
If some woman is going around beating up apes then we have a lot of apes who need
to get into shape! Now get out of my office before I throw you out!"
Xena and Gabriell walked alongside Xena's horse. "Well, Gabrielle this is
certainly a different world. I'm sure Ares is getting his sweet revenge. Most of these
monkeys don't like humans." Gabrielle laughed. "They are called apes and there are
different kinds of them. Pete described them to me. Most of the soldiers are gorillas
and that was a chimp...like Galen, that you saved the boy from. There is another kind
Orang..Burke cut her off. "Orangutans. The red apes are orangutans. They seem to be
the leaders of ape society." The three fugitives now joined the two women. They were
getting out of the village and it was safer with less apes around. Virdon also felt that
Xena was drawing most of the attention which was kind of nice for a change. He could
relax a little. Virdon started a conversation with Xena. "You don't seem to be bothered
by the apes dominion over humans." "This is not my time or world. I do not change
destiny and my destiny is not here." Galen was curious. "You stated the god of war
will return you to your time period. Is there much war in your world?" Xena picked up
her pace and Galen ran to catch up. "Yes, unfortunately selfish warlords, greedy people,
vicious monsters and angry gods cause much havoc for centaurs, Amazons, giants,
benevolent gods and many other beings we share this world with. Once I had an army
and we attacked innocent villages. I saw the error of my ways and now I protect those
who need it. Those monkeys..ah apes who are cruel to humans will experience the
wrath of the gods and this world eventually will come to an end for those apes in power."
Xena stated all this with confidence. Burke and Virdon were too stunned to speak.
Silence hung in the air and then Gabrielle began talking. "When I started travelling
with Xena, I never thought I would have so many adventures or even time travel so
far into the future. Life has been very interesting and I am glad I am sharing it with
Xena."
Both Xena, Gabrielle and the fugitives stopped suddenly. Galen bumped into
Gabrielle who held his arm. In a field off to their right, about fifteen human males
surrounded a frightened teenage girl. All of them were angry at her and shouting at
her. "You'll pay for this! That was our food, you gave it to the apes! We'll starve!"
They moved closer to her and the men proceeded to grab her by the arms but it was
too late. AaaaaaaaaaEeeeeeeee! Xena's piercing yell stopped them in their tracks.
She somersaulted through the air, landing in the middle of the men. The men all
rushed towards her but by the time she finished kicking and punching, they were
all on the ground unconscious. Gabrielle also attacked several with her staff. Burke
whispered to Galen, "here we go again!" Galen rolled his eyes. Virdon rushed over
to assist Xena but his help wasn't needed. The girl was shaken, she looked up at Xena in
fear but was relieved when a gorilla galloped up on horseback. The gorilla jumped off
his horse and the girl ran into his arms. "Tasha, are you alright? I was so worried about
you!" The gorilla hugged the girl and he seemed to be on the verge of tears. The
fugitives were surprised at this, it was a scene they never witnessed before, especially
the two astronauts. Xena walked over to the gorilla. "These men were going to harm
your girl. I think I may have stopped them." Groans could be heard all around. The
gorilla looked Xena up and down. He was her height. "I am most grateful for your
help. Tasha is like a daughter to me. If anything happened to her...." his voice
trailed off. Gabrielle requested food and water. "Of course. Follow me to my village.
You can dine and spend the night."
The gorilla had gray in his face and he kept one arm around Tasha. He
assisted her up on the horse. The fugitives remained silent but as usual Gabrielle was
talkative. "My name is Gabrielle, this is my friend Xena and our friends here, Galen,
Pete and Alan." "My name is Zeke and this is Tasha." The gorilla was polite but not
overly friendly. He seemed to be still shaken at what might have happened. Burke and
Virdon just kept glancing at each other in disbelief. Galen kept turning around to look at
the unconscious humans. "You'll come dine with us at my boss' house. I am employed
by the prefect of my village. I'm sure she'll be interested in meeting you." Zeke
remained silent for the rest of the journey to the village. Burke whispered to Galen.
"Did he say "she" in reference to the prefect?" "Oh, there are female prefects,but they
are very rare. Usually they replace their husbands or fathers who have passed on.
However, I am not aware of any female prefects in this area, so she is new to me."
The distance to the village was not long, about half an hour of
walking. Zeke motioned for everyone to follow him to the prefect's house which was
in the center of the village. "Wait here until I return for you." Zeke and Tasha went
inside while the others stood with the horses. Burke mumbled something about how
strange things were lately while Xena started a conversation with Virdon. "Your wife
is a lucky lady to have you as a husband." She stood close to him and Virdon took a
step back. He wasn't fully comfortable with her. "I miss my wife and son very much. I
hope to see them again someday. Maybe Ares could send us back also, to our time."
Xena became more serious. "Ares is not someone you want to be involved with. You'll
return to your world somehow, you'll figure out a way. Or maybe your destiny is in this
world." She glanced at Galen. "You have a friend in this world to think about now."
Virdon's eyes focused on Galen. He knew what she was saying was the truth. "Gabrielle
and I are here not by choice. You said you.crashed here in a ship and you chose to
explore the heavens. Your situation is different from ours." Virdon listened intently
to Xena. "When I joined the space program I was well aware of the risks. But what
has happened to Pete and I, is beyond my wildest imagination." Xena smiled. "We
have something in common. I also never imagined a world like this."
Zeke returned. "The prefect requests your presence in her house." The
humans and Galen left the horses and followed Zeke. The inside of the house was
beautiful, flowers and potted plants, paintings on the walls, ceramic figurines on
shelves and golfish in bowls here and there. They followed Zeke into a large dining-
room. A golden retriever greeted them with wagging tail and then returned to a dogbed
in a corner. The prefect, an orangutan stood at the head of the table. Tasha sat to her
right, Zeke took his place to her left, a female chimp sat next to Zeke, a male human
about twenty-five years old sat next to her. Across from him was an elderly orangutan
and another gorilla sat next to Tasha. The prefect smiled and seemed happy to have
visitors. "You three I already know. General Urko came by about four months ago to
warn me about you. Be careful of two humans and a renegade chimp!" Burke and
Virdon were nervous and didn't know whether to run or stay. Virdon spoke to her.
"We mean no harm to anyone, we just hope to return home someday." The orangutan
gave a laugh. "I have no interest in turning you in. In my village, apes and humans
work together. We should be moving forward and progressing with ideas and tech-
nology. I see no reason why apes and humans cannot do this together. Urko and his
kind are backwards. Always living in fear." Xena spoke next. "You sound like a
caring leader. When we return, we shall mention you frequently, as an example of
what a leader should be." Everyone listened attentively, not touching any food. Zeke
looked directly at Xena. "Obviously both of you are not from this time period either."
Xena was quick to respond to him. "The god of war sent my friend and I here because
I angered him." The prefect was amused. "Oh yes, only a female could anger the gods."
She seemed to enjoy the conversation. "Zeke tells me you saved our Tasha. I am forever
grateful to you. Zeke also described your fighting skills, quite impressive. Dine with us
and stay the night. I insist. And by the way, my name is Antonia. Now let's eat every-
one, I'm famished.
The other gorilla gazed over at the fugitives and Xena, put a mouthful of
bread in and began speaking. "Outrunning Urko is not easy. A long time ago I was one
of his soldiers. He is persistant, I am surprised he has not captured you. I doubt he is
aware of the female warriors or he may deny their existance. He can be very prejudiced."
Burke slowly ate a salad. "How come you left his army, may I ask?" The gorilla was un-
fazed by the question. "It wasn't for me. I am more academicly oriented. Here in
Antonia's village I own a bookstore and tutor children with their schoolwork." Virdon
and Burke found this fascinating. It was rare they encountered a gorilla not in the army.
The others ate their food as if they heard all this before. The prefect jumped right in.
"You'll find my village different from others. I love diversity, makes life much more
interesting." Galen became interested in the conversation. "Did you replace your
husband as prefect?" Antonia seemed surprise by the question. "My late husband,
may the lawgiver take care of his soul, was so drunk all the time he rarely got off
our couch. A nice ape, just loved the liquor. Husband number one convinced the
high council to appoint me, he owned most of the land and was quite a successful
farmer." Gabrielle listened intently. "What happened to your first husband?" "He
was much older than me and passed away at the age of eighty-eight. But enough
about me, I want to hear about you, all of you."
The meal went on well into the night. Xena and Gabrielle regaled
everyone with their tales of the ancient world. Gabrielle shared stories of how the
ancient gods took part in their lives. Burke and Virdon described their lives back
in the twentieth century and how they believed that apes and humans could work
and live together in peace. Galen remained silent most of the evening. He enjoyed
listening to his astronaut friends but he knew they were preaching to the converted,
by the company at the table. He had heard rumors of these rare villages were apes and
humans created a community that functioned well but until now he really only thought
they didn't exist. Outward appearances showed the apes in charge for those who wanted
humans kept in slavery. It bothered hime that Xena remarked she would challenge Urko
if he threatened her friends. He actually felt sorry for Urko, he would bet his money on
Xena if he were a betting ape.
Tasha escorted everyone to the guest rooms which were comfortable
with fancy quilts and pitchers of water on the nightstands. Xena, Gabrielle and the three
fugitives had never slept in such comfortable surroundings.
Urko ate celery while reviewing some documents. It was getting late
and he was still in his office. Exhaustion was coming on as he yawned and groaned.
One of his gorilla guards came into his office guiding a human male who was one of
Tasha's attackers. The human was so fearful of Urko he was shaking. "General, you
better listen to this." Urko looked up in anger. "This better be good. I am extremely
tired at this hour." The human cast his eyes downward and tried to compose himself.
His face was severely bruised and his voice reflected his fear. "Thank you for seeing me,
General. With great respect.Urko cut him off. "Don't wast my time human! What is
your point!" "I..I thought you should know about this woman..Urko cut him off
again. He rolled his eyes. "Not that warrior woman from some ancient world." The
human forced himself to talk. "She attacked a big group of us, easily and quickly, by
herself. And then this young blonde girl with a spear joined her and also attacked us."
The guard assisted him with the story. "Several soldiers found the humans lying on the
ground, most of them unconscious and badly beaten." Urko was in no mood for this and
he was getting more annoyed by this ongoing tale of a warrior woman. "I am getting
sick and tired of hearing about this warrior woman and she can beat up all the humans
she wants. I don't really care." The human's eyes met Urko's. "There were two men
and a chimp with her also. They didn't fight, they just watched." Now he had Urko's
full attention. "Two humans and a chimp?" "Yes, one had blonde hair, the other had
dark hair. General, this female is strong and I have never seen her kind of fighting be-
fore. I have been beat up by a few apes in my time and she was stronger than an ape.
She also moves very fast." Urko was shocked. Now the tale of the warrior woman had
another component to it. It was difficult to picture the three fugitives with her. They
attempted to hide but this female human appeared to be a bold individual always out
in the open. He still didn't fully believe this story but he was stuck now. He had to
investigate it, even if it was a hoax. He pointed a finger at the human male. "If
this is a joke, you will not live. If this is true, you did the right thing and I will see
that you are rewarded. Take him and put him in a cell. Where is this gang now?"
The guard was quick to respond. "They were last seen heading for Antonia's
village." Urko rolled his eyes again. "Wonderful, I get to put up with that female
orangutan. This is not good. We get started at sunrise." He grunted and sighed while
getting up from his desk. As tired as he was, sleep would not come easy that night.
Everyone had a restful sleep and got up at different times. The young male
human was the household cook and he prepared omellettes when anyone arrived at the
kitchen. The food was gratefully received and then coffee was served. The fugitives
were enjoying the breakfast, it was a meal they rarely ate on the run. The prefect had
risen before dawn to begin her rounds, checking in on businesses and farms. She would
be occupied most of the morning. Burke, Virdon and Galen wished they could stay at
this village longer but they knew they had to keep going. Urko would catch up with
them. Xena and Gabrielle were adament about hanging around for awhile. The three
fugitives tried to convince them otherwise, with no success.
Xena smiled at Galen. "I don't run, I fight when necessary." Gabrielle joined in. "Besides, we don't feel right just running off after such wonderful
hospitality." Virdon and Burke gave each other a disheartening glance. It was
no use trying to convince the women of the danger they faced. Underneath it all,
Virdon was envious of Xena's courage. She is a soldier and he wished he could stop
running. But he reminded himself of Xena's strength and fighting skills. Hand to
hand combat was her expertise and she demonstrated it well. Even though he didn't
really believe the story about the god of war, he knew the two women would return
eventually to wherever they came from. And he would miss them both.
Urko started out early like he planned. Still disbelieving the female warrior
story, he was grouchier than usual from lack of sleep and he rode at an unusually
fast pace. He only brought six soldiers with him because of his disbelief in the human's
tale, he felt he wouldn't need more. Dealing with the prefect was also something he
hoped to avoid. Catching the three fugitives was the number one priority.
Antonia chatted away with Galen. She explained how her village operated
with several farms, retail businesses, a hospital, and two schools. Urko and his army
usually left her alone. The hospital had a reputation for being the best around and even
Urko had been a patient there on more than one occasion. Outwardly humans appeared
to have the status they did everywhere, either as slaves of lower class citizens. But most
humans lived with apes as if they were part of the family. The existence for humans was
comfortable and pleasant. Galen was offered a teaching position in one of the schools
but he grudgingly turned it down. Being a fugitive he had to keep moving. Antonia
Offered Virdon and Burke a place to stay and work. It was so tempting to not run
anymore. Virdon stated to Antonia that if it was possible to hide here, he would.
Urko just wouldn't give up the chase. Antonia persisted in convincing the fugitives
to stay even if only for a short time. She wanted to show everyone a prosperous
vegetable garden that fed the village year round.
Xena, Gabrielle and Antonia rode out to the garden which was outside of the
village. Burke, Virdon and Galen joined them a short time later because they prefered
to hide behind some trees nearby in some woods. Adjacent to the garden was a field in
which the women and Antonia began chatting away. Off in the distance Urko rode up
with his soldiers but motioned for them to stop when he saw the three females. He
couldn't believe his eyes, it was true. Xena was on her white horse talking to Antonia.
Gabrielle walked around with her staff in her hand. Urko took in the scene, still shocked
from what he saw. He spoke to his lieutenant. "So the tale is true. That female couldn't
be from our world or the astronaut's time. I've never seen a human female in that type
of clothing." The lieutenant was just as surprised as Urko. "She has weapons, she's
obviously a warrior." Urko continued to motion everyone to stay back.
Xena and Gabrielle were laughing. They were telling stories of all the
times the goddess Aphrodite got them into trouble. Antonia got even more hysterical
after Xena told her about the time she was in a beauty contest and a man won. The three
females were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't see the group of human
males surround them. They were the same group who attacked Tasha. The leader spoke.
"You didn't think you would get away with attacking us, did you?" Gabrielle grew
angry. "You were going to kill that girl!" "That is none of your business, Blondie!"
"Her name is Gabrielle and you are on my land!" Antonia was firm. "No disrespect
prefect but that girl..She cut him off. "That girl is a member of my household and
you will leave her alone!" The human bowed his head in shame. "I am sorry, Prefect.
I wasn't aware of that." He motioned for the others to leave and they all walked off.
Urko and his soldiers watched with interest, they couldn't hear what was being said but
Urko knew that Antonia worked like this, diffusing possible violent situations.
The human males had only been gone a few minutes when the vigilante
gorillas arrived and they didn't care if Antonia was prefect or not. They planned on
turning the women in, hoping for a reward. Having bruised egos, they also hoped to
restore their dignity. Many apes laughed at the tale of the group of gorillas being de-
feated by two human females. Payback time. Urko watched in amazement as the two
women rendered half the gorillas unconscious while the other half ran away. Xena
began with a somersault through the air and Gabrielle started attacking the gorillas with
her staff. Antonia kicked one in the face and he was knocked out. Urko had enough and
rode out to the three females. Antonia greeted him enthusiasticly. "General, what a
pleasure! So nice to see you. Let me introduce you to my new friends. Urko, this is
Gabrielle, who is a bard. That is a person who is skilled at storytelling." Gabrielle
smiled at Urko who quickly looked away from her. "This is not a social visit, Antonia!
I wish you would stay out of trouble and stop harboring fugitives!" Antonia was still
smiling. "Oh, Urko stop being so belligerent! There are no fugitives in my village. I
can decree that!" Urko was angry and nervous at the same time. His soldiers were a few
feet behind him. They didn't relish the thought of fighting the two women. Urko also
wanted to avoid a physical confrontation. After seeing what Xena did to the gorillas, he
didn't want to be humiliated, especially in front of Antonia. He knew he would be
thrown out of the army. Momentarily, he forgot about the three fugitives.
Xena rode over to him and looked him straight in the eyes. "So you're the
famous General Urko. I've heard so much about you. A brave warrior I have been
told." Urko listened to her. Right now he didn't know what else to do. He felt
speechless but but after a few seconds he gave a grunt and spoke again. "And
I've heard about you! Quite a female. Battling apes and humans I hear." Xena be-
came stern. "I only protect the innocent. Evil is to be defeated, whether ape or
human." She then softened her demeanor. "And what about you,Urko? Are you a
good leader? Do you defend the innocent?" The gorilla general hated this questioning
from the warrior princess but he didn't want to argue with her either. He had argued
with Antonia enough times in the past to realize it wasn't worth the effort. He decided to
change the subject. "Turn over the two humans and the chimp Galen to me. I'll let you
go." Gabrielle intervened. "No way! They are our friends.!" Antonia watched and
listened. She forced herself not to grin. "Those fugitives are a threat to ape civilization.
They must be stopped!" Urko was becoming impatient. Xena responded to him. "You
live in fear,Urko. And fear will be your downfall. Let Galen, Alan and Pete live in
peace. They mean no harm to you." Urko wanted to hit Xena but he kept himself under
control. He still didn't want to battle Xena. "From what I can see, General, it is the will
of the gods that the time for monkeys...ah apes to rule is now. Use your destiny wisely
and improve your world. Include humans as well as apes. For if you do not, the after-
life will be harsh for you." Urko's eyes widened and one of his soldiers came forward.
The soldier was very interested in what Xena was saying. "What authority do you have
to speak of the after-life?" "I have been there. Paradise is for those who treat others
well. You may rule humans now but with power comes responsiblility. Treat your
charges well and I look forward to meeting you again someday." Now Urko was
really unconfortable. He didn't believe this woman existed until he saw her with
his own eyes and she was warning him about the after-life. His lieutenant shocked him
even more. "I was going to wait to tell you this,General. I quit. Or rather I think I can
retire. It seems like I have been a soldier forever." Urko gave him a sharp look. "This
is not an appropiate time to discuss this!" "Oh, let's discuss this now. You never have
time for anyone. Now is fine. I always knew killing humans was wrong but I never
questioned why. I always followed orders, it was my job. She's right about the after-
life, I am amending any wrong I ever did to anyone, ape or human. Unfortunately, I'll
have to start with my mother-in-law."
Urko fidgeted on his horse trying to figure out how to get out of this
situation. All the discussion allowed him to look Xena over even more. He hated to
admit he found her fascinating. The metal contraption around her clothing, her chakra,
her whole demeanor, intrigued him. It was an uncomfortable thought for him.
Orange lightning flashed across the sky and Ares appeared with a smile
on his face. The gorillas, Antonia, Xena, Gabrielle and the three fugitives who were
hiding all jumped. Shock could been seen on both simian and human faces. "My, my
Xena. Looks like I failed again." He walked over to Xena and the gorillas. "I thought
for sure you and your irritating friend here would be in a cage eating bananas. My offer
still stands,Xena." His voice softened. "Be my queen. Walk at my side. We could do
so much together." Another gorilla soldier spoke. He couldn't help himself. "You want
her for a mate?" All eyes were now on him. Ares was fuming. He raised his arm to
strike the gorilla down but Gabrielle ran in front of him. "No Ares, don't! You're not
being fair. This is not our world. We are very strange to them. They have done nothing
to offend you." Ares still had his arms raised. "The god of war does not take insults
from giant monkeys." Xena intervened. "We'll talk about this in our own time." She
turned and faced Urko. "I'm glad I met you. I hope life treats you well." She rode
over to Antonia. "I will be forever grateful to you for taking care of us. Please tell
our friends good-bye and we'll think of them often." Antonia gave a nod. Xena re-
turned to Ares. "Please send us back. We can discuss this further in our world."
Ares flashed a bolt of yellow lightning and the women and himself were gone. Silence
hung in the air for a minute or two as everyone surveyed the field in disbelief.
Antonia rode over to Urko. "You should have taken the time to get
to know the women, General. They came from the ancient world and their tales are
fascinating. And I think Xena likes you." Urko felt himself relaxing with the women
and Ares gone. Seeing a god in human form baffled him. It was all too much, he just
wanted to leave. "Antonia, any fugitives in your village, hide them well. Maybe I won't
see them." "Certainly, General." Next he faced his soldiers. "We are going back to
headquarters where we will discuss what happened here privately. No one is to speak of
this without my permission. And Lieutenant, that human who gave us the information,
give him some food and let him go." He then faced Antonia. "I'm sure we'll meet
again" he remarked grudgingly. "My pleasure, General. But let's do dinner next time."
Urko and his soldiers rode off.
Antonia began riding back to her house when Burke, Virdon and Galen
ran out from the woods to talk to her. They witnessed everything that took place and
they also heard everything. Burke caught his breath. "Did I hear Urko correctly?"
Antonia grinned. "You certainly did. Urko doesn't know what to make of the warrior
princess. Urko is religious, you know. The after-life is an important subject for him. I
would say for the time being you three are safe in my village. "Urko and I have always
had an unspoken agreement. Due to the countless times I have aided him in the past
with various problems, he doesn't go against me. My hospital has provided medical
care for his army on more than one occasion and I've lost track of how many times I
have provided food and supplies for him. I would say you are safe in my village, for
now. Our working relationship is long and extensive. It is not in his best interest to
capture you here. My village could be your future home. Think about it." The three
fugitives began to talk among themselves. Antonia who had started riding back to her
house heard her name being called. "Prefect!" Virdon was running towards her. "We
need a place to stay and we want to work." Antonia smiled. "Dinner at seven sharp.
We can discuss it then. You can spend the night again at my house. She gave a laugh
and then galloped off. The three fugitives watched her and then walked back to the
village.
Streaks of orange lightning scraped across a gray sky, signaling anger and
destruction. Ares, god of war expressed his wrath by channeling the bolts repeatedly.
Xena, who stood only a few feet away, just gazed at him in disgust. "Are you through?"
She growled with clenched teeth. Ares strutted towards her, looking her up and down.
He walked around her, she followed him with eyes. Her silver chakra was held firmly in
her hand as if she was ready for combat. "We could be so good together, Xena. Why
continue like this? Join me, be my queen!" Most of Ares' soldiers were strewn about
the beach. Some only pretended to be dead, they had enough of the warrior princess.
Seagulls squawked up in the air and the ocean waves could be heard hitting the shore.
Gabrielle decided to intervene. "Xena and I are on a journey. We have so much
yet to do. You are not part of our plans!" Ares' eyes darted at her in anger. "You are
quite bothersome. I should have been rid of you long ago!" Xena stepped between the
two. "Enough, Ares! I am not joining you! Take a break, leave these villages near the
sea alone or you will endure more of my destruction of your army!" Ares was so angry
he wanted to start shooting lightning bolts again. He was really angry over Xena's
refusal of his affections not what she did to his army. Harming her was not an option,he
was in love with her and wanted her for his mate. Xena didn't share these feelings. He
was humiliated by her constantly defeating his army and he didn't know how to handle
those feelings. Again he started shooting his lightning bolts across the sky, only this
time he projected Xena and Gabrielle far into the future. Let them travel around in a
different world. This would give him time to think.
Xena and Gabrielle found they were blinded briefly by the lightning. They
opened their eyes to see Ares and his soldiers gone. They were no longer near the ocean
but next to a dirt road, obviously well travelled by the wear and tear. Xena knew they
were in a different time and world. The air did not smell of the ocean, she thought she
could smell farms nearby. The feeling she had was different also, she couldn't explain it.
She just knew that Ares put her and Gabrielle somewhere drasticly different from what
they were used to. Gabrielle stood behind Xena, feeling anxious. "This isn't right!
Where are we?" Xena remained calm. "I have no idea. But Ares has done this before to
us. When he calms down, he'll return us to our own time. We might as well start looking
for food and shelter. Sometimes Ares gets over the whim whams soon, other times not
so soon." Fortunately Xena's horse was also sent with the two women. Both of them
got on the horse and started riding down the road.
Galen found himself enjoying this human family. They laughed frequently
and were genuinely interested in his tales of life on the road with the two humans Pete
Burke and Alan Virdon. They were fascinated by the fact that this chimp would choose
to live with two humans and be a fugitive. The children, two boys and a girl listened
intently to Galen describe their previous adventures of being chased by the gorilla army
and seeking shelter with various humans and apes. Burke assisted the wife, a young
woman with shoulder length brown hair, in putting away the dishes. He was too nervous
to sit still. The three fugitives barely escaped a group of gorillas who were determined
to capture them, thinking they would get a reward. Virdon found this odd since he
didn't think Urko offered a reward for them. It was an ape's civic duty to turn them in. He discussed this with the husband, a man about thirty with jet black hair. He couldn't
understand it either but he heard of the apes forming vigilante groups to police humans
and themselves. Often they requested a reward.
Virdon sipped a cup of coffee and hoped the night would be peaceful. The
sound of horses made his heart sink. The gorillas had returned like they said and there
was more of them. It looked like about fifteen gorillas on horseback. Burke peered out
a window while Galen jumped out of his chair. The husband reassured the fugitives.
"Stay inside. I'll handle this." He walked out the front door and up to the leader, an
angry gorilla who got off his horse. He immediately threatened him. "You'll hang for
this, Joshua. Harboring fugitives means death for humans. If you know what is good for
you, turn them over to us. We'll conveniently forget where we found them." One of
Joshua's sons ran out of the house. Joshua grabbed him by the arm and pulled him close
to him. The gorillas on horses all moved closer towards him. Another gorilla spoke.
"We should take his son, then we'll get the fugitives." The leader liked the idea. "Yes,
his son or the fugitives." Virdon, Burke and Galen felt panic overtaking them while the
wife and other two children huddled together.
As the gorillas continued to move closer the yell that penetrated everyone's ears
vibrated through their bodies. Both apes and humans were stunned and thrown into a
state of shock. Galen's eyes grew so wide he had a headache. Eeeeeeeeeeeyaaaaaa
and for only a few seconds a bright, round silver object flew through the air, knocking
all the gorillas on horses to the ground. The leader who was in front of Joshua had a
staff pointed in his face by a young woman with long blonde hair. "Only a coward takes
children!" The leader stepped back only to have Xena kick him in the head. He went off
balance for a few seconds but remained speechless when he saw the six foot female
warrior holding a knife over her head ready to do battle. "You will leave these people
alone or face my wrath!" Gabrielle continued to point her staff at him. Inside the house
Virdon blinked his eyes as if he wasn't sure of what he was seeing. Burke stood with his
mouth open while Galen looked for an exit. Burke grabbed Galen's arm to prevent him
from leaving.
The leader got his bearings and shook his head as if he wasn't sure this was
all real. He was at a loss for words but managed to mutter "Who are you?" "I am Xena,
warrior princess. Ares, god of war and destruction sent me here because I angered him."
Burke mumbled to Galen. "Are you listening to this?" Galen remained silent. Xena
continued speaking. "You will leave these people alone or face me in battle!" The
other gorillas returned to consciousness, panicked and got on their horses and galloped
off. The leader, seeing he was alone, leaped onto his horse, took one last look at Xena
with a face full of unbelief and rode off behind the others.
Xena walked over to Joshua and his son. "Are you harmed?" Joshua gave
Xena a look of gratitude. "We are well. Do come inside for some food and shelter. We
are grateful for your help." Gabrielle walked over to him. "Our journey has been long
and we need to rest. We really appreciate you helping us." The two women followed
Joshua into the house. Everyone in the house hadn't moved. Xena's strong presence
radiated through the room. Burke was the first to speak. "You said Ares, god of war
sent you here?" Xena walked over to him and made eye contact as she spoke. "I
angered him and for revenge he sent my companion Gabrielle and myself far into the
future. He has done this before, although we have never been this far in the future. We
must get back. The centaurs are raising my son and I haven't seen him in quite
sometime." Gabrielle walked over to Galen. "Are you Ezura, god of harmony?"
Galen's eyes grew wide again. "My name is Galen and I am a scholar." Burke
continued talking. "So you are not from this time either. Neither are we. My friend
here and I crashed our spaceship. We are also from the past but not quite as far back as
you two ladies are. Unfortunately most of our ship has been destroyed and humans are
considered a threat to the apes. We have to run and hide constantly." Virdon added to
the conversation. " I have read about the distant past, your time period in particular.
Gods and centaurs are considered to be mythology, not true as I was taught in school."
Xena faced him. "Sounds like you were taught wrong." Galen was finally beginning to
relax. "Why would you think I am some god?" Gabrielle smiled. "The Amazons intro-
duced me to Ezura. He provides harmony in music but has guided me with my story-
telling occasionally. Very pleasant monkey." Galen was stunned but forced his words.
"I am a chimp..chimpanzee, not a monkey." Xena responded. "Ezura must be a
chimp, you look similar to him. My friend here is a bard, Ezura and her will tell stories
all night long if you let them." Joshua was puzzled. "You worship a chimp god?" He
was quickly educated by Gabrielle. "The gods only take certain forms when they appear
to us. Some take human form, others do not. Ezura is special to me because he aids me
with my storytelling." All Burke,Virdon and Galen could think of was how bizarre
things had become.
Xena and Gabrielle were given supper and they chatted with their hosts and
the fugitives well into the night. Gabrielle shared some of her stories with Galen,they
were beginning to form a bond. Galen was amazed that Gabrielle worshipped a chimp
god. He could tell that this young woman from another era was fond of the simian
entity by the affection in her voice for him. Virdon asked Xena if the two women
would like to join them in the morning when they left. Xena stated that they might as
well go with them. She didn't know what to do while they waited for Ares to calm
down and return them to their own time.
The vigilante group of gorillas were so shocked by the warrior princess that
they were hesitant to tell anyone what happened. The leader didn't feel that way. He
announced he was going directly to Urko. Then the rest of the gorillas decided to tell
their families and friends what happened only to be laughed at. It didn't help that they
had been drinking before they returned to Joshua's house. The tale evolved into a myth
about this human female with extraordinary strength who protected humans from apes.
The leader rode through the night to see General Urko. When he arrived at Urko's
office it took much convincing for the guards to let him in. When he finally was
allowed into seeUrko and begin his tale about the warrior princess, Urko had him
removed from his office and threatened to put him in jail if he ever wasted his time
with such nonsense again.
In the morning, Xena, Gabrielle and the fugitives left Joshua's house. They
felt his family would be safer with them gone. Xena rode her horse while the others
walked. Galen and Gabrielle conversed with each other, exchanging stories and
adventures. Gabrielle explained who the centaurs are, half-human, half- horse and how
the Amazons made peace with them. The travelling was leisurely and pleasant. Xena
and Gabrielle would fish when they came upon a lake or pond to supplement the vegetables Joshua gave them for their journey. Burke, Virdon and Galen found
themselves actually having a good time for a change. In the late afternoon, they
approached a village. Xena insisted on entering the village out in the open while
the others preferred to be more cautious and try to hide as they went in. Xena re-
fused. Galen and the others pleaded with her not to. "Warriors do not hide. I pro-
tect the innocent." Xena proceded to ride into the village with Gabrielle following her
on foot. Both apes and humans stood still and stared at the women as they approached
a water fountain. All eyes are on the two women as they drank from the fountain. The
air is thick with tension and the nearby humans fidget nervously, as if they don't know
what to do.
A yell and then a scream radiate from Xena's left. She turned quickly to see
a chimp hitting a young human male around the age of fifteen. The chimp was furious.
"How dare you insult me like that!" He threw a punch in the boy's face and he fell
backwards. As the boy looked up from the ground in a daze, the chimp stood over him,
ready to strike again, when he heard a voice. "I wouldn't do that if I were you!" The
chimp turned around and then looked up. Xena was much taller than him and her fists
were ready for combat. The chimp was surprised but he wasn't going to back down.
"This is none of your business! Get back to your master!" Xena spoke again. "It is
not nice to pick on children!" She then kicked him in the face and he toppled over to
the side. When he got up, she had one hand around his neck and a knife pointed in his
face. The chimp who couldn't believe how strong she was finally relented. "Okay,I'll
leave the boy alone!" Xena let him go and the young human said thank you to her.
The chimp attempted to catch his breath and between gasps he spoke. "Who are you?"
"I am Xena, warrior princess, defender of the innocent. Ares, god of war is angry with
me so he sent my companion Gabrielle and I far into the future. When he calms down,
he'll bring us back." The chimp blinked his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.
"You are the strongest human I've ever encountered." Gabrielle walked over to him.
"We have been travelling for quite sometime and would appreciate some food for us and
our companions." Virdon, Burke and Galen were hiding behind a horse drawn cart and
were shaking their heads as if to say no. But Gabrielle continued. "We mean no harm
and I can tell you a good story if you give us some food." The chimp gave her a sharp
stare. "I do not socialize with humans! Keep going through the village and you should
come across some farms on your way." He pointed behind him. "One of the human
farmhouses can feed you! But beware, apes rule! You will not last long, warrior
princess!" Xena smiled at him. "My destiny is not in this world, so our journey will
be brief." She looked straight into his eyes. "But remember you'll pay for your cruel
treatment of humans in the afterlife." The chimp was shocked at her statement and he
watched the two women walk away in the direction he pointed in. Xena whistled and her
horse joined her. The three fugitives followed the women but tried to remain hidden.
Most apes who were around watched the two women until they were out of sight.
Urko sat at his desk when one of his guards rushed in. He was in a total
panic and talked nervously. "General, you have to listen to this! There's this fe-
male human, she's a giant. She calls herself some sort of warrior." Urko interrupted
him. "IS this that same fable that moron tried to tell me the other day?" "General,
please this is serious. She's strong, she's beating up apes. My cousin just saw her in
his village, she apprehended a chimp and tried to strangle him!" Urko grunted. "A
female human! This is some sort of myth that is being fabricated because everyone
is so bored! That jerk the other day said she defeated an entire gang of gorillas!
Absolutely prepostperous! I'll put her on my criminal list but she is on the bottom.
If some woman is going around beating up apes then we have a lot of apes who need
to get into shape! Now get out of my office before I throw you out!"
Xena and Gabriell walked alongside Xena's horse. "Well, Gabrielle this is
certainly a different world. I'm sure Ares is getting his sweet revenge. Most of these
monkeys don't like humans." Gabrielle laughed. "They are called apes and there are
different kinds of them. Pete described them to me. Most of the soldiers are gorillas
and that was a chimp...like Galen, that you saved the boy from. There is another kind
Orang..Burke cut her off. "Orangutans. The red apes are orangutans. They seem to be
the leaders of ape society." The three fugitives now joined the two women. They were
getting out of the village and it was safer with less apes around. Virdon also felt that
Xena was drawing most of the attention which was kind of nice for a change. He could
relax a little. Virdon started a conversation with Xena. "You don't seem to be bothered
by the apes dominion over humans." "This is not my time or world. I do not change
destiny and my destiny is not here." Galen was curious. "You stated the god of war
will return you to your time period. Is there much war in your world?" Xena picked up
her pace and Galen ran to catch up. "Yes, unfortunately selfish warlords, greedy people,
vicious monsters and angry gods cause much havoc for centaurs, Amazons, giants,
benevolent gods and many other beings we share this world with. Once I had an army
and we attacked innocent villages. I saw the error of my ways and now I protect those
who need it. Those monkeys..ah apes who are cruel to humans will experience the
wrath of the gods and this world eventually will come to an end for those apes in power."
Xena stated all this with confidence. Burke and Virdon were too stunned to speak.
Silence hung in the air and then Gabrielle began talking. "When I started travelling
with Xena, I never thought I would have so many adventures or even time travel so
far into the future. Life has been very interesting and I am glad I am sharing it with
Xena."
Both Xena, Gabrielle and the fugitives stopped suddenly. Galen bumped into
Gabrielle who held his arm. In a field off to their right, about fifteen human males
surrounded a frightened teenage girl. All of them were angry at her and shouting at
her. "You'll pay for this! That was our food, you gave it to the apes! We'll starve!"
They moved closer to her and the men proceeded to grab her by the arms but it was
too late. AaaaaaaaaaEeeeeeeee! Xena's piercing yell stopped them in their tracks.
She somersaulted through the air, landing in the middle of the men. The men all
rushed towards her but by the time she finished kicking and punching, they were
all on the ground unconscious. Gabrielle also attacked several with her staff. Burke
whispered to Galen, "here we go again!" Galen rolled his eyes. Virdon rushed over
to assist Xena but his help wasn't needed. The girl was shaken, she looked up at Xena in
fear but was relieved when a gorilla galloped up on horseback. The gorilla jumped off
his horse and the girl ran into his arms. "Tasha, are you alright? I was so worried about
you!" The gorilla hugged the girl and he seemed to be on the verge of tears. The
fugitives were surprised at this, it was a scene they never witnessed before, especially
the two astronauts. Xena walked over to the gorilla. "These men were going to harm
your girl. I think I may have stopped them." Groans could be heard all around. The
gorilla looked Xena up and down. He was her height. "I am most grateful for your
help. Tasha is like a daughter to me. If anything happened to her...." his voice
trailed off. Gabrielle requested food and water. "Of course. Follow me to my village.
You can dine and spend the night."
The gorilla had gray in his face and he kept one arm around Tasha. He
assisted her up on the horse. The fugitives remained silent but as usual Gabrielle was
talkative. "My name is Gabrielle, this is my friend Xena and our friends here, Galen,
Pete and Alan." "My name is Zeke and this is Tasha." The gorilla was polite but not
overly friendly. He seemed to be still shaken at what might have happened. Burke and
Virdon just kept glancing at each other in disbelief. Galen kept turning around to look at
the unconscious humans. "You'll come dine with us at my boss' house. I am employed
by the prefect of my village. I'm sure she'll be interested in meeting you." Zeke
remained silent for the rest of the journey to the village. Burke whispered to Galen.
"Did he say "she" in reference to the prefect?" "Oh, there are female prefects,but they
are very rare. Usually they replace their husbands or fathers who have passed on.
However, I am not aware of any female prefects in this area, so she is new to me."
The distance to the village was not long, about half an hour of
walking. Zeke motioned for everyone to follow him to the prefect's house which was
in the center of the village. "Wait here until I return for you." Zeke and Tasha went
inside while the others stood with the horses. Burke mumbled something about how
strange things were lately while Xena started a conversation with Virdon. "Your wife
is a lucky lady to have you as a husband." She stood close to him and Virdon took a
step back. He wasn't fully comfortable with her. "I miss my wife and son very much. I
hope to see them again someday. Maybe Ares could send us back also, to our time."
Xena became more serious. "Ares is not someone you want to be involved with. You'll
return to your world somehow, you'll figure out a way. Or maybe your destiny is in this
world." She glanced at Galen. "You have a friend in this world to think about now."
Virdon's eyes focused on Galen. He knew what she was saying was the truth. "Gabrielle
and I are here not by choice. You said you.crashed here in a ship and you chose to
explore the heavens. Your situation is different from ours." Virdon listened intently
to Xena. "When I joined the space program I was well aware of the risks. But what
has happened to Pete and I, is beyond my wildest imagination." Xena smiled. "We
have something in common. I also never imagined a world like this."
Zeke returned. "The prefect requests your presence in her house." The
humans and Galen left the horses and followed Zeke. The inside of the house was
beautiful, flowers and potted plants, paintings on the walls, ceramic figurines on
shelves and golfish in bowls here and there. They followed Zeke into a large dining-
room. A golden retriever greeted them with wagging tail and then returned to a dogbed
in a corner. The prefect, an orangutan stood at the head of the table. Tasha sat to her
right, Zeke took his place to her left, a female chimp sat next to Zeke, a male human
about twenty-five years old sat next to her. Across from him was an elderly orangutan
and another gorilla sat next to Tasha. The prefect smiled and seemed happy to have
visitors. "You three I already know. General Urko came by about four months ago to
warn me about you. Be careful of two humans and a renegade chimp!" Burke and
Virdon were nervous and didn't know whether to run or stay. Virdon spoke to her.
"We mean no harm to anyone, we just hope to return home someday." The orangutan
gave a laugh. "I have no interest in turning you in. In my village, apes and humans
work together. We should be moving forward and progressing with ideas and tech-
nology. I see no reason why apes and humans cannot do this together. Urko and his
kind are backwards. Always living in fear." Xena spoke next. "You sound like a
caring leader. When we return, we shall mention you frequently, as an example of
what a leader should be." Everyone listened attentively, not touching any food. Zeke
looked directly at Xena. "Obviously both of you are not from this time period either."
Xena was quick to respond to him. "The god of war sent my friend and I here because
I angered him." The prefect was amused. "Oh yes, only a female could anger the gods."
She seemed to enjoy the conversation. "Zeke tells me you saved our Tasha. I am forever
grateful to you. Zeke also described your fighting skills, quite impressive. Dine with us
and stay the night. I insist. And by the way, my name is Antonia. Now let's eat every-
one, I'm famished.
The other gorilla gazed over at the fugitives and Xena, put a mouthful of
bread in and began speaking. "Outrunning Urko is not easy. A long time ago I was one
of his soldiers. He is persistant, I am surprised he has not captured you. I doubt he is
aware of the female warriors or he may deny their existance. He can be very prejudiced."
Burke slowly ate a salad. "How come you left his army, may I ask?" The gorilla was un-
fazed by the question. "It wasn't for me. I am more academicly oriented. Here in
Antonia's village I own a bookstore and tutor children with their schoolwork." Virdon
and Burke found this fascinating. It was rare they encountered a gorilla not in the army.
The others ate their food as if they heard all this before. The prefect jumped right in.
"You'll find my village different from others. I love diversity, makes life much more
interesting." Galen became interested in the conversation. "Did you replace your
husband as prefect?" Antonia seemed surprise by the question. "My late husband,
may the lawgiver take care of his soul, was so drunk all the time he rarely got off
our couch. A nice ape, just loved the liquor. Husband number one convinced the
high council to appoint me, he owned most of the land and was quite a successful
farmer." Gabrielle listened intently. "What happened to your first husband?" "He
was much older than me and passed away at the age of eighty-eight. But enough
about me, I want to hear about you, all of you."
The meal went on well into the night. Xena and Gabrielle regaled
everyone with their tales of the ancient world. Gabrielle shared stories of how the
ancient gods took part in their lives. Burke and Virdon described their lives back
in the twentieth century and how they believed that apes and humans could work
and live together in peace. Galen remained silent most of the evening. He enjoyed
listening to his astronaut friends but he knew they were preaching to the converted,
by the company at the table. He had heard rumors of these rare villages were apes and
humans created a community that functioned well but until now he really only thought
they didn't exist. Outward appearances showed the apes in charge for those who wanted
humans kept in slavery. It bothered hime that Xena remarked she would challenge Urko
if he threatened her friends. He actually felt sorry for Urko, he would bet his money on
Xena if he were a betting ape.
Tasha escorted everyone to the guest rooms which were comfortable
with fancy quilts and pitchers of water on the nightstands. Xena, Gabrielle and the three
fugitives had never slept in such comfortable surroundings.
Urko ate celery while reviewing some documents. It was getting late
and he was still in his office. Exhaustion was coming on as he yawned and groaned.
One of his gorilla guards came into his office guiding a human male who was one of
Tasha's attackers. The human was so fearful of Urko he was shaking. "General, you
better listen to this." Urko looked up in anger. "This better be good. I am extremely
tired at this hour." The human cast his eyes downward and tried to compose himself.
His face was severely bruised and his voice reflected his fear. "Thank you for seeing me,
General. With great respect.Urko cut him off. "Don't wast my time human! What is
your point!" "I..I thought you should know about this woman..Urko cut him off
again. He rolled his eyes. "Not that warrior woman from some ancient world." The
human forced himself to talk. "She attacked a big group of us, easily and quickly, by
herself. And then this young blonde girl with a spear joined her and also attacked us."
The guard assisted him with the story. "Several soldiers found the humans lying on the
ground, most of them unconscious and badly beaten." Urko was in no mood for this and
he was getting more annoyed by this ongoing tale of a warrior woman. "I am getting
sick and tired of hearing about this warrior woman and she can beat up all the humans
she wants. I don't really care." The human's eyes met Urko's. "There were two men
and a chimp with her also. They didn't fight, they just watched." Now he had Urko's
full attention. "Two humans and a chimp?" "Yes, one had blonde hair, the other had
dark hair. General, this female is strong and I have never seen her kind of fighting be-
fore. I have been beat up by a few apes in my time and she was stronger than an ape.
She also moves very fast." Urko was shocked. Now the tale of the warrior woman had
another component to it. It was difficult to picture the three fugitives with her. They
attempted to hide but this female human appeared to be a bold individual always out
in the open. He still didn't fully believe this story but he was stuck now. He had to
investigate it, even if it was a hoax. He pointed a finger at the human male. "If
this is a joke, you will not live. If this is true, you did the right thing and I will see
that you are rewarded. Take him and put him in a cell. Where is this gang now?"
The guard was quick to respond. "They were last seen heading for Antonia's
village." Urko rolled his eyes again. "Wonderful, I get to put up with that female
orangutan. This is not good. We get started at sunrise." He grunted and sighed while
getting up from his desk. As tired as he was, sleep would not come easy that night.
Everyone had a restful sleep and got up at different times. The young male
human was the household cook and he prepared omellettes when anyone arrived at the
kitchen. The food was gratefully received and then coffee was served. The fugitives
were enjoying the breakfast, it was a meal they rarely ate on the run. The prefect had
risen before dawn to begin her rounds, checking in on businesses and farms. She would
be occupied most of the morning. Burke, Virdon and Galen wished they could stay at
this village longer but they knew they had to keep going. Urko would catch up with
them. Xena and Gabrielle were adament about hanging around for awhile. The three
fugitives tried to convince them otherwise, with no success.
Xena smiled at Galen. "I don't run, I fight when necessary." Gabrielle joined in. "Besides, we don't feel right just running off after such wonderful
hospitality." Virdon and Burke gave each other a disheartening glance. It was
no use trying to convince the women of the danger they faced. Underneath it all,
Virdon was envious of Xena's courage. She is a soldier and he wished he could stop
running. But he reminded himself of Xena's strength and fighting skills. Hand to
hand combat was her expertise and she demonstrated it well. Even though he didn't
really believe the story about the god of war, he knew the two women would return
eventually to wherever they came from. And he would miss them both.
Urko started out early like he planned. Still disbelieving the female warrior
story, he was grouchier than usual from lack of sleep and he rode at an unusually
fast pace. He only brought six soldiers with him because of his disbelief in the human's
tale, he felt he wouldn't need more. Dealing with the prefect was also something he
hoped to avoid. Catching the three fugitives was the number one priority.
Antonia chatted away with Galen. She explained how her village operated
with several farms, retail businesses, a hospital, and two schools. Urko and his army
usually left her alone. The hospital had a reputation for being the best around and even
Urko had been a patient there on more than one occasion. Outwardly humans appeared
to have the status they did everywhere, either as slaves of lower class citizens. But most
humans lived with apes as if they were part of the family. The existence for humans was
comfortable and pleasant. Galen was offered a teaching position in one of the schools
but he grudgingly turned it down. Being a fugitive he had to keep moving. Antonia
Offered Virdon and Burke a place to stay and work. It was so tempting to not run
anymore. Virdon stated to Antonia that if it was possible to hide here, he would.
Urko just wouldn't give up the chase. Antonia persisted in convincing the fugitives
to stay even if only for a short time. She wanted to show everyone a prosperous
vegetable garden that fed the village year round.
Xena, Gabrielle and Antonia rode out to the garden which was outside of the
village. Burke, Virdon and Galen joined them a short time later because they prefered
to hide behind some trees nearby in some woods. Adjacent to the garden was a field in
which the women and Antonia began chatting away. Off in the distance Urko rode up
with his soldiers but motioned for them to stop when he saw the three females. He
couldn't believe his eyes, it was true. Xena was on her white horse talking to Antonia.
Gabrielle walked around with her staff in her hand. Urko took in the scene, still shocked
from what he saw. He spoke to his lieutenant. "So the tale is true. That female couldn't
be from our world or the astronaut's time. I've never seen a human female in that type
of clothing." The lieutenant was just as surprised as Urko. "She has weapons, she's
obviously a warrior." Urko continued to motion everyone to stay back.
Xena and Gabrielle were laughing. They were telling stories of all the
times the goddess Aphrodite got them into trouble. Antonia got even more hysterical
after Xena told her about the time she was in a beauty contest and a man won. The three
females were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't see the group of human
males surround them. They were the same group who attacked Tasha. The leader spoke.
"You didn't think you would get away with attacking us, did you?" Gabrielle grew
angry. "You were going to kill that girl!" "That is none of your business, Blondie!"
"Her name is Gabrielle and you are on my land!" Antonia was firm. "No disrespect
prefect but that girl..She cut him off. "That girl is a member of my household and
you will leave her alone!" The human bowed his head in shame. "I am sorry, Prefect.
I wasn't aware of that." He motioned for the others to leave and they all walked off.
Urko and his soldiers watched with interest, they couldn't hear what was being said but
Urko knew that Antonia worked like this, diffusing possible violent situations.
The human males had only been gone a few minutes when the vigilante
gorillas arrived and they didn't care if Antonia was prefect or not. They planned on
turning the women in, hoping for a reward. Having bruised egos, they also hoped to
restore their dignity. Many apes laughed at the tale of the group of gorillas being de-
feated by two human females. Payback time. Urko watched in amazement as the two
women rendered half the gorillas unconscious while the other half ran away. Xena
began with a somersault through the air and Gabrielle started attacking the gorillas with
her staff. Antonia kicked one in the face and he was knocked out. Urko had enough and
rode out to the three females. Antonia greeted him enthusiasticly. "General, what a
pleasure! So nice to see you. Let me introduce you to my new friends. Urko, this is
Gabrielle, who is a bard. That is a person who is skilled at storytelling." Gabrielle
smiled at Urko who quickly looked away from her. "This is not a social visit, Antonia!
I wish you would stay out of trouble and stop harboring fugitives!" Antonia was still
smiling. "Oh, Urko stop being so belligerent! There are no fugitives in my village. I
can decree that!" Urko was angry and nervous at the same time. His soldiers were a few
feet behind him. They didn't relish the thought of fighting the two women. Urko also
wanted to avoid a physical confrontation. After seeing what Xena did to the gorillas, he
didn't want to be humiliated, especially in front of Antonia. He knew he would be
thrown out of the army. Momentarily, he forgot about the three fugitives.
Xena rode over to him and looked him straight in the eyes. "So you're the
famous General Urko. I've heard so much about you. A brave warrior I have been
told." Urko listened to her. Right now he didn't know what else to do. He felt
speechless but but after a few seconds he gave a grunt and spoke again. "And
I've heard about you! Quite a female. Battling apes and humans I hear." Xena be-
came stern. "I only protect the innocent. Evil is to be defeated, whether ape or
human." She then softened her demeanor. "And what about you,Urko? Are you a
good leader? Do you defend the innocent?" The gorilla general hated this questioning
from the warrior princess but he didn't want to argue with her either. He had argued
with Antonia enough times in the past to realize it wasn't worth the effort. He decided to
change the subject. "Turn over the two humans and the chimp Galen to me. I'll let you
go." Gabrielle intervened. "No way! They are our friends.!" Antonia watched and
listened. She forced herself not to grin. "Those fugitives are a threat to ape civilization.
They must be stopped!" Urko was becoming impatient. Xena responded to him. "You
live in fear,Urko. And fear will be your downfall. Let Galen, Alan and Pete live in
peace. They mean no harm to you." Urko wanted to hit Xena but he kept himself under
control. He still didn't want to battle Xena. "From what I can see, General, it is the will
of the gods that the time for monkeys...ah apes to rule is now. Use your destiny wisely
and improve your world. Include humans as well as apes. For if you do not, the after-
life will be harsh for you." Urko's eyes widened and one of his soldiers came forward.
The soldier was very interested in what Xena was saying. "What authority do you have
to speak of the after-life?" "I have been there. Paradise is for those who treat others
well. You may rule humans now but with power comes responsiblility. Treat your
charges well and I look forward to meeting you again someday." Now Urko was
really unconfortable. He didn't believe this woman existed until he saw her with
his own eyes and she was warning him about the after-life. His lieutenant shocked him
even more. "I was going to wait to tell you this,General. I quit. Or rather I think I can
retire. It seems like I have been a soldier forever." Urko gave him a sharp look. "This
is not an appropiate time to discuss this!" "Oh, let's discuss this now. You never have
time for anyone. Now is fine. I always knew killing humans was wrong but I never
questioned why. I always followed orders, it was my job. She's right about the after-
life, I am amending any wrong I ever did to anyone, ape or human. Unfortunately, I'll
have to start with my mother-in-law."
Urko fidgeted on his horse trying to figure out how to get out of this
situation. All the discussion allowed him to look Xena over even more. He hated to
admit he found her fascinating. The metal contraption around her clothing, her chakra,
her whole demeanor, intrigued him. It was an uncomfortable thought for him.
Orange lightning flashed across the sky and Ares appeared with a smile
on his face. The gorillas, Antonia, Xena, Gabrielle and the three fugitives who were
hiding all jumped. Shock could been seen on both simian and human faces. "My, my
Xena. Looks like I failed again." He walked over to Xena and the gorillas. "I thought
for sure you and your irritating friend here would be in a cage eating bananas. My offer
still stands,Xena." His voice softened. "Be my queen. Walk at my side. We could do
so much together." Another gorilla soldier spoke. He couldn't help himself. "You want
her for a mate?" All eyes were now on him. Ares was fuming. He raised his arm to
strike the gorilla down but Gabrielle ran in front of him. "No Ares, don't! You're not
being fair. This is not our world. We are very strange to them. They have done nothing
to offend you." Ares still had his arms raised. "The god of war does not take insults
from giant monkeys." Xena intervened. "We'll talk about this in our own time." She
turned and faced Urko. "I'm glad I met you. I hope life treats you well." She rode
over to Antonia. "I will be forever grateful to you for taking care of us. Please tell
our friends good-bye and we'll think of them often." Antonia gave a nod. Xena re-
turned to Ares. "Please send us back. We can discuss this further in our world."
Ares flashed a bolt of yellow lightning and the women and himself were gone. Silence
hung in the air for a minute or two as everyone surveyed the field in disbelief.
Antonia rode over to Urko. "You should have taken the time to get
to know the women, General. They came from the ancient world and their tales are
fascinating. And I think Xena likes you." Urko felt himself relaxing with the women
and Ares gone. Seeing a god in human form baffled him. It was all too much, he just
wanted to leave. "Antonia, any fugitives in your village, hide them well. Maybe I won't
see them." "Certainly, General." Next he faced his soldiers. "We are going back to
headquarters where we will discuss what happened here privately. No one is to speak of
this without my permission. And Lieutenant, that human who gave us the information,
give him some food and let him go." He then faced Antonia. "I'm sure we'll meet
again" he remarked grudgingly. "My pleasure, General. But let's do dinner next time."
Urko and his soldiers rode off.
Antonia began riding back to her house when Burke, Virdon and Galen
ran out from the woods to talk to her. They witnessed everything that took place and
they also heard everything. Burke caught his breath. "Did I hear Urko correctly?"
Antonia grinned. "You certainly did. Urko doesn't know what to make of the warrior
princess. Urko is religious, you know. The after-life is an important subject for him. I
would say for the time being you three are safe in my village. "Urko and I have always
had an unspoken agreement. Due to the countless times I have aided him in the past
with various problems, he doesn't go against me. My hospital has provided medical
care for his army on more than one occasion and I've lost track of how many times I
have provided food and supplies for him. I would say you are safe in my village, for
now. Our working relationship is long and extensive. It is not in his best interest to
capture you here. My village could be your future home. Think about it." The three
fugitives began to talk among themselves. Antonia who had started riding back to her
house heard her name being called. "Prefect!" Virdon was running towards her. "We
need a place to stay and we want to work." Antonia smiled. "Dinner at seven sharp.
We can discuss it then. You can spend the night again at my house. She gave a laugh
and then galloped off. The three fugitives watched her and then walked back to the
village.