Gate: Thus the Brotherhood of Steel Lyon's Pride Fought in Their Land

Chapter Twelve - Adam

The moment he left Italica Adam felt as if a huge weight had been removed from his shoulders. He'd helped broker peace before. Between the Family and Arefu was the most prominent example. Even then that peace was based upon ensuring that both the Family and Arefu found a middle ground that worked for both of them. He understood that the Brotherhood had maintain a presence in Italica, and he understood that the empire had to understand that they were completely outmatched when it came to technology.

He understood that what they demanded likely was going to be a hard sell for the princess. Her reaction was well more than enough for him to realize just how hard of a sell it was going to be. She had practically paled when he said that they wanted to dedicate troops to helping maintain order in Italica. He didn't think for a moment that Sarah would actually overthrow the town itself. She was proud, determined, and a soldier before anything else, but she wasn't a tyrant.

He couldn't see her turning into one. He was outside of his armor, allowing it to be held in place by the metal rings that acted as main way to suspend it while it was worked on. Thankfully the APC had docking hooks on the left side. It meant that he couldn't sit behind it, but it was well worth it. He'd certainly come to rely on the protection of the power armor, but he'd long since learned how stuffy and stale the air inside of one got. Walking through a humid area was it's own special hell.

"Paladin Jefferson," the intercom inside of the APC came to life, "Sir, we have multiple locals approaching, all are armored, and all appear to be heading toward Italica."

He pressed the button below the speaker, hoping that it would work like it was supposed to, "Okay, I'm going to open the hatch and look. If needed we'll stop and converse."

He climbed up to the hatch, opened it, and looked ahead. There riding toward them were a collection of eight different women. Those women all appeared to be well trained and disciplined. He could see the insignia that was on their flag. Three different roses, and he instantly thought of the Princess. She had the same insignia that was hanging behind her under the flag for Italica.

"Okay, obviously connected," he said as he climbed back down. He walked over to the intercom, "Prepare to stop. I believe that these individuals are connected to the Princess."

The APC lurched for a moment, and walked toward the back. He flipped the switch to open it, and he stepped out. The group of armored women neared them, and he could see a mixture of wonder and determination on their faces. They were prepared to follow whatever orders they had been given. He could respect that, but at the same time he had no illusions about how pearshapped this could get.

He watched as the first one neared him. Her golden hair was in ringlets, and she seemed to study him in a similar way that Susie Mack had done while they were still in school. He had realized that there was an edge to her, and he'd followed her advice of staying away from her since she warned him that it was in his best interest to do so. The look the blond with ringlets was giving him was the exact same.

"Hold," she said, her voice as hard as steel, "We are the order of the roses. Tell us, where do you hail from?"

He swallowed, hoping that they had been in communication with the princess, "We're from Alnus Hill."

Instantly there was a sword out, its blade aimed at him, and several of the others began to surround him.

"ADAM!" came the surprised shout from inside of the APC.

"Hold!" he shouted back, "Knight Woodward, get out of here now! We don't need to undermine what's being created!"

"Sir!"

Within seconds the APC were rolling away, and he was looking at the group of women. He actually longed for the cold indifference of Susie Mack. At least she hadn't threatened him with a sword pointed at his throat. He watched as the others neared him, "Where are they headed, how many were with you, what are your plans?!"

He studied her, "We just finished trading materials at Italica," he said calmly, "We also assisted with the defense of the city."

"Liar!" came a voice from behind him, "You are the enemy!"

He could feel this going bad, "I swear, we were there to trade, we assisted in the defense of the city, there was nothi…" he said before a sharp pain erupted from the back of his head.

He felt darkness, and then slowly he began to come to. He actually longed for the darkness that had claimed him. It hadn't hurt, and this wakeful existence was nothing but pain. He saw a fist and realized that he couldn't do anything to stop it. The gauntlet-covered hand struck him hard. He felt it tear the skin above his eye, and he felt it bleed.

Blood began to get into his vision. He tried to speak only to find that there was something in his mouth. It felt wrong, and he could taste the strange metallic bar that was in his mouth. He was kicked twice in the ribs, and he felt one as it tried to crack. Memories of the things that happened at Evergreen Mills came flooding back. He was lifted, "Come, we need to return to Princess Piña."

Slowly he was lifted and put onto the back of a horse. Although he wasn't placed on there as a rider, but instead it was almost as if he was luggage. No sooner had he been placed onto the horse than a fist struck the back his head, "Look at me in any way other than fear, and I swear I will end you."

His vision swam as the horse began to take off. He could hear the others talking, and he tried to follow along on it, but the sound was muffled at best. In truth this wasn't the worst he'd been before. Sneaking into Germantown Police headquarters had been worse. He'd been shot, hit with a sledge hammer, and somehow he managed to get out of it. Mostly thanks to the ungodly amount of stempaks that he had.

Still, that had been attempting to rescue people, and this was because of some kind of lack of communication. He felt bile building up in his throat, and he could feel it desperate to escape. Without being able to hold it in he puked as the horse continued on its way. Groaning he waited for the hit, and he wasn't disappointed. The same woman had struck him again, cursing him for soiling her horse.

He wasn't sure how to respond. He knew that saying anything would likely only end in more pain. He found that apparently not saying anything ended in the same. He groaned softly as they entered Italica, and finally felt himself being pulled from the back of the horse. His body felt like lead as he was taken to the same room he'd been in before. He was pushed toward the wall where he slid down and fell flat.

He heard the gasp of the Princess, and then he heard her call his name. He couldn't look, see, all because everything was fuzzy. Silently he wondered if Moira needed this information for the updated version of the survival guide. How to survive getting hit multiple times in the head by a woman wearing plate armor. He felt gentle hands on him, and finally he saw Hamilton.

"Paladin Jefferson?" she asked softly, "Please, please be okay."

"Yer pretty," he slurred before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell back against the wall.

Princess Piña Co Lada

Fear gripped her heart tightly. They'd just seen what Paladin Jefferson's people could do. They'd watched them annihilate a fifteen thousand soldier army in minutes. They'd torn through them like tissue paper, and now he was lying prone on the floor. She glared at her subordinate, "Do you know what you've done?!" she screeched, "Do you have any idea of what you've brought down on us?!"

She hurled her cup, catching Bozes in the forehead and causing her to bleed. She stepped back uncertain of her leader's anger, "Princess?" she asked her voice fearful, "What, what have I done?"

Princess Piña glared at her, "His people defended the city of Italica," she hissed, "They defeated a fifteen thousand man army of bandits that were marching on us, and they did it in minutes!"

Bozes stood there, her eyes wide, "I…I didn't know!" she exclaimed, her voice high with emotion, "I.. I just thought that he was an enemy!"

The princess rocked back and forth, "They said to treat the captives humanly, to treat them like people, to not do this! We've violated our treaty in less than an hour!"

She shook, "They could demand the city outright, they could demand to have any of us take the same punishment, they could practically march in and take the empire!"

Bozes fell back, landing hard on her ass, "Princess.. I … Please, I didn't know!"

She glared at Bozes before looking at Hamilton, "Hamilton, get him medical attention, now!" she shouted, "Get him comfortable, put him in the finest room available, and ensure that his needs are met!"

She glared at Bozes again, "You better be ready to pay for this," she seethed, "Whatever he wants, whatever it takes, I need this to be smoothed over. If he wants to take your virtue then you will give it to him, and you will do so with a smile on your face!"

Bozes nodded, her eyes wide in innocent terror, "Oh Emroy, we're done, that's it, we're done!" Princess Piña shouted, "We're just done!"

"Princess," Beefeater said as she neared her, "Surely things haven't gotten that bad, right?"

She didn't even look at her second in command, "We need to fix this now," she said, her voice frantic, "Maybe, just maybe it will be forgiven, I'm sure that we can offer something of value that will keep them from deciding to just destroy the empire."

Bozes stood, "Princess, I…I will offer myself, like you suggest," she said, her head hung low, "I am a noble's daughter, I am considered priceless, and I am sure that they will see that."

She sniffed, "I'm sorry that this has happened."

Princess Piña glared at her, "Go," she said, her voice hard and cold, "Go and find someone that will help you dress the part."

She started to leave, and the princess felt more eyes on her, "Say what you want."

There was silence, "Princess, it's unfair to ask this of her."

She looked up and glared at her, "Unfair?" she asked, her voice high, "It's unfair? Do you realize that they have flying metal monsters? Giant ones! As big as the fire dragon, and they spit strange things from their sides!"

She shook, "They made a sweeping motion over the bandits, and each pass they took out more and more of them. When they were done there was no more. The only ones left alive were the ones that were inside of the city," she said, her voice sounding frail, "They had one requirement, and that was to treat all prisoners as people, to not beat them."

Beefeater looked at her in shock, "They command that kind of power, and we've collectively spat in their faces!"

She looked at her, "What I suggested for Bozes goes for any of us!"

She swallowed, "If needed, if demanded, I will do what needs to be done," she said, her voice wavering, "I will go to his chambers and slate his lusts if it will keep them from coming to destroy us."

"Princess," Beefeater said before she raised her hand, "You can't mean that."

Princess Piña nodded, "To preserve us, to keep us alive, yes," she replied, "We have to fix this."

Even at her own words Princess Piña Co Lada slumped into the throne that sat in the manor of the governess. There was little that she could do now. Everything was going to be in the hands of the Brotherhood of Steel, and she had seen how they dealt with enemies. She would have to hope that they would hold to their promise of treating prisoners well. She didn't want to think about what could be done to them.

"Princess?"

She looked at her second in command, "I will have to prepare in case he wants me to personally pay for the mistakes that Bozes made," she said as she slowly got up, "And of course you will need to prepare as well."

She shook her head, "We had established a treaty, one that would ensure the safety of the empire, and now it seems like it's gone. A mere puff of smoke and it simply doesn't exist anymore."

She moved toward Beefeater, "Let us hope that Bozes will be enough."

She looked toward the room that Hamilton had taken Paladin Jefferson. She watched as multiple maids walked toward it, and she felt relieved that they would be seeing to him. Perhaps there could be something salvaged from all of this. The maids themselves were not unattractive. She wasn't sure what their orders were, but she hoped that they would fulfill any desires in order to protect the empire and the city itself.

Persia

For a moment the young catwoman studied the man that was lying prone on the bed. She could see that the healing magics had already been applied to him. More to the point it appeared that his body was accepting the magics well. Seeing that he was breathing normally she observed the rest of him. Bandages were wrapped around his chest. That meant that the ribs had been dislocated or broken, but the magics had healed him.

At this point the purpose of the bandages were to ensure that the ribs didn't mend incorrectly. His right eye had a small patch over it, and that was likely to ensure that the healed eye wouldn't be overly strained when first healed. She moved near him and touched his head, "Good, no fever meow," she said, her voice soft and sweet, "But he is quite interesting, meow?"

She heard a chuckle, "Interesting or not, our job is to protect him."

She looked toward the one that spoke, "I know that, meow," she replied, "I just felt that it should be stated, meow."

There was a short bark of laughter, "Persia," Kaine said as she neared her, "Give him some room, I believe he's starting to come around."

There was a moment of slight movement, and slowly Persia watched as the young man slowly sat up, "Umm, where am I?"

"Paladin Jefferson," Kaine said, her voice regal and calm, "On behalf of the city of Italica I wish to formally apologize for the horrible treatment of you. Should you decide to burn the city of Italica to the ground I will assist you in doing so. The fact that you had saved our fair city, and the countess, to only be treated as a bandit is inexcusable."

There was a moment of hesitation, "I do ask that you spare the countess however," she replied, "I know that it is a selfish request, but she was appalled as well at hearing what had happened to you."

He breathed out, "I won't be doing anything," he replied, "I'm guessing that it was a simple misunderstanding, and I plan on informing everyone about that as well."

There was a smile that Persia saw on Kaine's face, "you are truly a kind and forgiving individual," she replied, "As such, know that these maids are at your disposal. All of them have been trained well to support and assist. None of them will do anything to harm you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, meow!" Persia replied, "I'm so glad that you're better, meow!"

He studied her for a moment, "Wow, a beast person, just like from Grognak," he replied as he looked at her, "Sorry, sorry, it's just I'm getting used to seeing so many different things here."

There was a light laugh, "It's no problem, Meow!"

"It's good to see that you're doing better," Aurea said as she leaned forward, the red strands of her hair seeming to stretch out to him, "You seem so full of vitality and life."

Persia moved quickly and rapped her on the back of the head, "We do not drain the life of guests, meow!"

"Sorry," Aurea said softly, "I meant no disrespect."

"Forgive Aurea," Kaine said, "She is a medusa, and her kind drain the life force of men using their snake like hair. Please allow me to introduce the others to you. There is Mohmu," she said pointing to a dark haired girl, "And this is Mamina. Mohmu is a human, and Mamina is a vorpal warrior bunny."

They gave slight bows, "Now, how may we serve you?"

He studied them for a moment, "Honestly, I could use some clean water," he replied as he looked at them, "And maybe to let those that were with me know that I'm okay."

A sound caught their attention, and Kaine looked at the girls, "Mamina, Persia, please go greet our guests. I am certain that it is other members of Paladin Jefferson's order that have come to retrieve him. Should it be anyone else that is looking to silence him deal with them."

Persia nodded, "Of course, meow!"

With that the two of them left, and Persia looked through the dark hall. She was thankful for the fact that she could see so easily in the dark, and she began making her way toward the sounds of movement. They weren't hidden, heavy footsteps sounded from further out. The sounds of heavy armor, and that told her much. They were coming to rescue Paladin Jefferson, and they were going to deal with anyone that got in their way.

Persia blended into the shadows. She was silent, her presence would be completely undetectable by the naked eye. For all rights and purposes she simply didn't exist. She noticed that like herself Mamina had done the same. They waited for those that were coming. There they saw the first three. Rory Mercury, the young Sage Lelei, and of course the high elf Tuka. Seeing them they waited for a moment before stepping out, "Are you here to retrieve Paladin Jefferson, meow?"

Persia noticed that Rory was studying her, seeming to pay attention to how she acted. It wasn't any of them that answered, but instead it was someone in a large suit of armor, "Yes, we are," the voice was feminine, but it sounded off, "We've come to take him back, and we would prefer to do so with no blood shed. We do not want to start a needless war, but that does not mean that we will not protect ourselves and our Paladin."

Persia smiled, "No, there is no reason for war, meow," she said softly, "We were asked to wait for you to arrive and then lead you to him, meow."

With that she turned to lead them to the room that he was resting in. She heard them following her, and she felt glad to know that they were prepared to defend him, but that they showed restraint in how to do so. They made it to the room and stepped inside. She watched as the others began to walk inside. The armored one seemed relieved to see Paladin Jefferson, and of course there were others that came in. One of which was looking at all of them, "I have so many questions!"

Bozes Co Palesti

Humiliation awaited her, and she knew it. She was dressed in a flattering bit of lingerie that she had purposefully purchased some time ago. It had been bought when she believed that she would find the one that she would want to have children with. She stood outside of the room of the one that she'd attacked. He was going to take her virginity. He was going to take everything she had, and it was his right.

She swallowed her nerves, "It's only right," she said to herself, "You've caused this mess, you acted harshly without thinking about it."

She looked at the door, and its handle. The handle itself almost seemed like a viper that was waiting for her to reach out and touch it. If she did then she didn't doubt for a moment that it double back and strike her. Beyond that door was the end of part of her life. She would never be desirable to the sort of nobility that she would be required to court at some point. She breathed out, "It's fine, I'm doing this as a knight."

She stood there, "Come on, you're a knight!" she cursed herself, "You're stronger than this. Go in there, disrobe, and present yourself to him. Allow him to… Oh gods, I don't want this!"

She cried as she stood there, "I don't want to go in there!" she wept as she hit the wall, "I have to, but… Please, be merciful, be gentle, please, I know I have no right to ask, but please."

She opened the door and she saw multiple people in the room. The one she had struck was in bed, and there were maids checking on him. Others were in the room, and she noticed that he seemed in good health and spirits. Her fear began to change into righteous anger. She curled her hands into fists, "I put myself through this, I came down here to let you have your way with me, and you sit there and mock me?!"

She didn't let him get a word out before she moved forward and slapped him hard. The strike was more than enough to cause his face to turn. Her teeth were bared, her face showed the righteous anger she felt, and of course that was the moment that Princess Piña Co Lada stepped into the room. The princess saw the action, the strike, and she too was dressed in something revealing. Bozes realized what she had done, and then she looked at Princess Piña Co Lada who looked devastated. Her eyes widened, "Bozes, what have you done?!"

She moved toward her, "Why?!" she shouted as she neared her. She shook and then looked at Paladin Jefferson, "Please, forgive my knight, forgive me, forgive Italica!" she exclaimed, "I've come to.. I've come to seek your favor, and I will take the retribution that you have every right to exercise right now!"

He sat there for a moment, "Ummm, it was a misunderstanding, nothing more," he said, his voice calm, "I'm not sure why, but I've got a feeling that I deserved that one."

Bozes watched as he shook his head, "I'm willing to just forget that this happened, and let's start fresh tomorrow?" he asked as he looked at her, "Would you be willing to do that?"

She nodded vigorously, "Of course," she said, her voice sounding hopeful, "I'll ensure that Bozes is dealt with."

He closed his eyes and shook his head, "No," he said as he shook his head, "We need to come to some understanding. I know that what happened was because there was no communication about the treaty. That's not your fault. They hadn't had a chance to be briefed on what happened. It's not really her fault because she understood that we were still enemies."

He studied her, "I've been told by Knight Woodward that tomorrow I'm supposed to go back to our base, and there I need to report in and explain what's happened."

The princess looked at him, "I… I would like to accompany you," she said, her voice stammering for a moment, "I would like to meet with your leader and apologize on our behalf. I want to make this right, and I want to keep the treaty."

There was a pause, and finally he nodded, "Very well, you and one of your knights can come," he said, "I suggest her,"

He pointed to Bozes who looked surprised, "She's ferociously loyal to you. I can see the extent that she's willing to follow your orders. I think that her coming with you would show your status as a commander."

She nodded, "Very well," she said before she looked at him, "I'm sorry for what has happened, but if you need to vent your frustrations…"

There was a feminine laugh that sounded not quite right, "I'm sure that the Paladin is going to refuse. I doubt that Sentinel Lyons would agree, would she, sir?"

Bozes looked toward her, and then toward him. It occurred to her that he was already claimed, and this had been something that likely wouldn't have worked. Suddenly she felt foolish and embarrassed.