Chapter VI

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Cenerea, 3rd planet from the star Letria. Regalius, The Homeland, Central Region, Outside Of The Capitol City, The Arcturan Estate,

Five and One Half Cenerean Years Ago

Wendy did not look forward to meeting Mother Arcturis. Nevertheless, it became increasingly apparent it was necessary. One, it would seem very suspicious if 'Elle' kept avoiding her clan and two, if Wendy wanted to become the head of the Arcturis family and the most powerful woman in the Homeland, she was going to have to begin to play the part. She and Jay each had their own very dangerous roles to perform to reach the proper elevations of Homeland society. From these positions, they could then begin affecting real change in the Regions and eventually destroy the Homeland's grip on society.

Wendy instructed Geneticus to pull the history of the Arcturis Empire. She spent the next two weeks attempting to prepare for the visit with her body's biological mother. She knew it was going to be a very nerve-wracking event, so Wendy prepared for it by practicing with Jay. She also drew on her limited experience with Elle, both the momentary flashes of memory while in her body and the external encounter with her at the Spawn Point. Jay, however, encouraged her to tone down the 'whore'. Wendy believed her performance had been pretty convincing up to this point. He disagreed. Evidently, there was more to the red-headed Elle than sex.

Jay informed the surprised scientist that Elle was only slutty and manipulative when she wanted something. The rest of the time she was rather straight laced and focused, albeit, with varying degrees of smarminess thrown in for good measure. He also mentioned that she did occasionally have a softer side, although this was exceptional. Any meeting with Mother Arcturis was one of the occasions that a softened image of Elle would be present. The woman's mother was the only other person beyond Jay that Elle ever truly cared for, even loved. Thankfully, the former Scientist General could do soft and caring.

Wendy poured over the data Geneticus provided her and she found the Arcturis Family history to be quite intriguing as well as disturbing. It looked as though for any Arcturan woman to have any chance at the Motherhood, she had to master a strange ritual called The Twelve and Elle might possibly have been the first potential Mother Arcturis to never actually complete all of them, if any. This was due to her out-of-character jealousy and possessive nature when it came to Jay and quite possibly, the situation the couple faced regarding the Homeland's plans for them both. Whatever those intentions happened to be for Elle, now Wendy, still remained a mystery. Regardless of the reasons, her mother had apparently been bending the rules a bit when it came to her favorite daughter.

Wendy found the origin of The Twelve to be the most interesting of Arcturan history, if not the most telling. It was the story of the first Arcturan Queen, Queen Beherit Arcturis I. She came to power by marrying and then murdering twelve husbands over the course of her 80-year long reign. Each of these husbands was the landowner or lord over the various parcels comprising all of the lands ruled by the Arcturan Monarchy.

The story began with Queen Beherit and her life as the very innocent and pretty daughter of a poor farmer. One day when she was a very young maiden, her small village was raided and her family killed by a nomadic group of warriors called the Arcturis Clan. She and several other women from the town were taken as slaves.

Beherit, because of her youthful beauty, became one more of several wives possessed by the king of the warrior clan, King Roxus Arcturis III. The warlord would summon a different wife each night for his pleasure, sometimes two. One particular evening, Beherit was called to perform in her husband's bed. As the girl made the trek to his chambers, she overheard her royal escorts discussing the king's odd penchant for rough sex. One mentioned to the other how their leader wished for a woman that would not just lie like a corpse in bed. He had longed for a wife that would aggressively give him a 'challenge' if not a good flogging. Beherit happily granted him his wish and quickly became his favorite wife. This was the beginning of the Arcturan practice of using sex as a weapon for control. Soon Beherit was the only woman sitting by the king's side eventually becoming his equal. He still maintained his harem, but they were now primarily the queen's handmaidens. She kept them well taken care of and protected.

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