“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“As with all things, Kael,” Lao Ma replied gently, brushing their joined hands against her own cheek, “understanding will come to you when you are ready for it.” Then she smiled again. “But, it seems as if you’ve taken at least one of my lessons to heart.”

An eyebrow rose over one impossibly blue eye. “And which one was that?”

“When I pulled away, you did not attempt to follow. For that one brief moment, you did not try to bend something to your will. This is a good thing.”

For the American, standing in a puddle of her own raging hormones, it didn’t feel like a very good thing at all.

As if reading her mind, Lao Ma threw back her head and laughed gaily, enjoying the perplexed look on the beautiful woman’s face. “Come, my friend. Let us sit and talk awhile. I think we could both use some cooling off.”

Totally dumbfounded, Kael followed meekly behind her teacher, absently wondering where the real Kael Androstos had gone off to and if she was planning on coming back anytime soon.

To Be Continued…

DESERT STORM

Part 8

by: SwordnQuill

SwordnQuil@aol.com

Disclaimers: The characters of Xena, Gabrielle, Lao Ma, Alti, Borias, and everyone else who sounds familiar belong to Pac Ren and Universal Studios. I am not making money off of this story.

Genre Disclaimer: Ok. Bear with me, please, because this is kinda tough to explain. Sometime last year, I read a story on the internet that moved me so much, I was inspired to write a sort of companion piece to it. That story was “Lost Soul Walking” by DJWP. In her words, “This is NOT UberXena fiction. It just starts out like it is.” The same can be said for this piece. While not directly related to “Lost Soul Walking”, “Desert Storm” can be considered a sort of prequel to it. It is a story, if you will, about the lifetime before the one depicted in that fabulous, outstanding story. (Can you tell I loved it?) In addition, this is somewhat of an ambitious piece of fiction, in that I am attempting (don’t know if I’ve succeeded, but I’ve attempted) to take the entire X:WP universe and modernize it. We start, in updated terms, with my version of Xena’s betrayal by Caesar (seen in “Destiny”), and continue up through the X:WP episode known as “Remember Nothing”. The plot will be very recognizable to you. It’s meant to be that way.

Special note: Because of this, Gabrielle does not appear, except in offhand mention, in a great deal of the first half of this story. Do not look for her, because you won’t find her. After all, she was not a part of ‘evil Xena’s’ life. If she were, things might have turned out differently, but because this is based on the premise of “Lost Soul Walking” it cannot happen differently. Gabrielle will, however, make her presence known, and that quite strongly, in the second half of the story. If you can hang on till then, I believe that you will not be disappointed.

Sexuality and Violence Disclaimers: We’re dealing with an updated dark Xena through much of the first half, and an updated redeemed Xena through the second. There’s gonna be violence. There are gonna be naughty words. There are also descriptions of sexual activity in this work. There are allusions to heterosexual sex, but nothing graphic. There are some graphic (though I hope tasteful) scenes of sexual expression between women as well. That is how I see the relationship between Xena and Gabrielle, and that is how I will continue to write it.

And, finally, thanks: To, as always, the incomparable Mike. A better beta and a better friend one could never hope for. Thank you also, as always, to Mary D, who rescued this story from the refuse heap and begged me to keep going on it. If you hate it, blame her. <w> Grateful and heartfelt appreciation goes out to DJWP, for continuing to write stories that grab me somewhere above the liver and giving her kind permission to mention her story in these disclaimers. If you haven’t read her stories, please, do yourself a favor and do so. Finally, this story is dedicated to a group of people without whom I would most probably be living on the streets. Elizabeth, Rachel, Sulli, and the rest of the “Get Sue to Atlanta” crew, this one’s for you!

Feedback: As always is gratefully appreciated. If you wrote to me regarding “Redemption” during the month of September to early October and I haven’t responded, please allow me the honor of apologizing in public. It was then that I was at my lowest point and making ready to move to my new home. Your words of praise and encouragement for my writing kept me firmly out of the pit of depression I was falling into and I shall be forever grateful to each and every one of you who took the time out to feed this bard. And for those of you patiently (or not so patiently) waiting for Redemption’s sequel, fear not, for with the conclusion of this piece, that piece will be started. Any and all who wish to may write me at SwordnQuil@aol.com . I’ll continue to do my best to answer each and every email. An exploding mailbox is a good thing to have. Thanks again!

DESERT STORM

by: Sword’n’Quill (Susanne Beck)

Lao Ma led the taller woman over to one of the chairs and eased her down into it. She pulled a second chair up close, and sat so that their knees were just brushing against one another. She smiled at the somewhat dazed expression of her companion, waiting for the sharp intelligence, accompanied by wary reserve, to shadow those remarkable features once again.

She wasn’t disappointed.

When Kael’s eyes sharpened and lasered into hers, Lao Ma smiled.

“For the last three weeks, you have been very patient with me. You have listened as I have talked on and on about subjects which I am sure held very little interest to you. For that, I thank you.” The small woman bowed her head briefly in appreciation, continuing to smile. “It occurs to me that you have not felt the need to ask very many questions of me. Do you have anything you would wish to ask?”

Kael was silent for several moments, pondering. She fingered her lower lip as she thought. Then she looked back up at Lao Ma, a slight, almost challenging, smile of her own on her face. “You seem to know, or presume you do, a good deal about me. Yet I find myself knowing very little about you.”

“What is it that you would like to know?” the Asian asked, shifting slightly on her chair to make herself more comfortable.

Lifting one long arm, Kael swept it the length and breadth of the room, encompassing everything. “It seems to me that a woman of your …special …talents is somewhat out of place in this type of venue.” Crossing her arms, she slouched back in her chair, eyeing Lao Ma with a look of cocky confidence. “So tell me, Lao Ma. What’s a woman like you doing in a place like this, hmmm?”

“That answer is a simple one. I belong to Ming Dao.”

Kael was out of her chair before she realized her feet had hit the floor, her motion nearly toppling Lao Ma from her own chair. The smaller woman made no attempt to defend herself, even as Kael grabbed the front of her robes and pulled Lao Ma up until just a breath of air separated their faces. Kael’s eyes were wild with feral intensity. Anger radiated from her in waves of dark energy. Lao Ma remained calm and serene, showing no fear whatsoever. The contrast between the two woman was intense.

“Bitch!” Kael snarled, shaking the smaller woman. “You betrayed me! You set me up! Pulling me in here and teaching me all that garbage about peace and serenity and freeing yourself of desire. You wanted me weak! You wanted me helpless so that your Master could take me without a fight. Well, you failed.”

Growling, the American pushed Lao Ma back into her chair. “You failed big time. If you think I’m gonna let myself get cornered like a rat in a maze, you and your Master have another thing coming.”

Spinning quickly, Kael stalked to the long window, peering out onto the sun-dappled grounds, her hand shading her eyes. A spy hid in every shadowed nook. Every moving branch from the surrounding trees was the barrel of an assassin’s rifle.

Taking several deep breaths, she calmed herself. Trees and shadows became harmless once again. Whirling from the window, she paced the length of the room, shooting glares at Lao Ma as she passed.

The other woman remained as imperturbable as ever.

Kael’s thoughts were a jumble of violent emotions and she struggled to get a fix on them as she paced.

Her body was on such a hair-trigger that she nearly sent Lao Ma through the wall when the later laid a gentle hand on Kael’s shoulder. “Kael,” Lao Ma said softly, “listen to me.”

Flinging the hand from her shoulder, the American spun quickly, pinning Lao Ma’s arms to her sides. “I’ve listened quite enough, thank you. In fact, that’s all I’ve been doing for the past twenty one days. Listening. Going soft while my enemies sat right under my nose. Laughing!” Releasing the smaller woman, she again spun away. “There’s gonna be laughter alright. But you won’t be the ones laughing when I get through with you.”

When the touch came again, it was anything but soft. Lao Ma used her implacable strength to grab Kael’s arm and hold on, not letting the struggling woman free. “If I wanted you dead,” she began, in that same calm voice, “I would have let Ming Dao and his dogs finish the job they’d started. I would have let you die on the street. I would never have brought you into my home, endangering the lives of the women who share it with me. If you believe nothing else, I ask that you believe this. I do not want you dead nor in the hands of Ming Dao and his thugs. Just because he owns my body does not mean he owns my spirit. Please allow me to explain this to you so that you may understand.”

Kael ceased her struggles, but her anger was still in high gear. “Start talkin’.”

“My father was addicted to heroin. Every bit of money he ever had went to Ming Dao’s brown powder. Soon, he had amassed quite a debt to the man. When I was thirteen, I was sold into indentured servitude for thirty years as partial payment for that debt. I had no choice in the matter. It was just the way of things.”

Kael said nothing, but Lao Ma could feel the American’s muscles begin to soften beneath her grip. She felt slightly encouraged, and so continued her tale, never loosening her grip.

“Six years ago, I became pregnant by Ming Dao. Nine months later, I gave birth to a son, who was named Ming Lao.”

The American stiffened again. “Ming Lao is your son? They said his mother was killed.”

“And, to all intents and purposes she was.”

“So, someone is lying. Cause you’re not dead.”

The other woman remained as imperturbable as ever.

Kael’s thoughts were a jumble of violent emotions and she struggled to get a fix on them as she paced.

Her body was on such a hair-trigger that she nearly sent Lao Ma through the wall when the later laid a gentle hand on Kael’s shoulder. “Kael,” Lao Ma said softly, “listen to me.”

Flinging the hand from her shoulder, the American spun quickly, pinning Lao Ma’s arms to her sides. “I’ve listened quite enough, thank you. In fact, that’s all I’ve been doing for the past twenty one days. Listening. Going soft while my enemies sat right under my nose. Laughing!” Releasing the smaller woman, she again spun away. “There’s gonna be laughter alright. But you won’t be the ones laughing when I get through with you.”

When the touch came again, it was anything but soft. Lao Ma used her implacable strength to grab Kael’s arm and hold on, not letting the struggling woman free. “If I wanted you dead,” she began, in that same calm voice, “I would have let Ming Dao and his dogs finish the job they’d started. I would have let you die on the street. I would never have brought you into my home, endangering the lives of the women who share it with me. If you believe nothing else, I ask that you believe this. I do not want you dead nor in the hands of Ming Dao and his thugs. Just because he owns my body does not mean he owns my spirit. Please allow me to explain this to you so that you may understand.”

Kael ceased her struggles, but her anger was still in high gear. “Start talkin’.”

“My father was addicted to heroin. Every bit of money he ever had went to Ming Dao’s brown powder. Soon, he had amassed quite a debt to the man. When I was thirteen, I was sold into indentured servitude for thirty years as partial payment for that debt. I had no choice in the matter. It was just the way of things.”

Kael said nothing, but Lao Ma could feel the American’s muscles begin to soften beneath her hand. She felt slightly encouraged, and so continued her tale, never loosening her grip.