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Subject: {ASSM} John Carter III 13 (mf mmf ffm ff mm sci-fi)
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 22:10:12 -0500
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<1st attachment, "Crossroad13.txt" begin>

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. If you are offended by 
sexually explicit material or are under the age of 18, stop reading 
now. This material cannot be reproduced for commercial purposes 
without the consent of the author.


John Carter
By
Lazlo Zalezak
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezak, 2003


Part 3: Robes of Acumen
Chapter 13

A large crowd was gathered in the meeting hall talking to each 
other and generally having a good time. A month ago, the same 
gathering would have been split in their opinions about John 
Carter. Today, they were much more united. The council of elders 
had come up with a gift that was much more acceptable to 
everyone. Almost everyone in the tribe had contributed to it in 
some fashion.

Linda Redman stood in a corner looking around nervously, 
thinking that this was the big public ceremony; the one in which 
she would be given to John Carter. She couldn't help but worry that 
she had made a mistake in choosing this course of action. The past 
month had been spent with her grandmother learning the old ways 
of the tribe and she hadn't had much time to think about this day. 
Now that it was here, she was scared.

The Carter Clan entered the meeting room as a group. John went 
around the room meeting people and introducing his family. He 
was careful to keep the relations correct among the Native 
Americans. Grandparents, parents, and children formed significant 
links among the people. His family felt the same as John; it was 
important to respect that which other people valued. 

When the gathering was finally called to order, they had met 
everyone present. As William Redman made his way to the 
podium, a silence fell over the room. He stated, "Several years ago, 
my grandson said there was a white man that I should meet. He 
told me this white man traveled with a wild cougar. This man 
treated all people with respect. I told him that no white man such 
as that existed."

"A moon later, my grandson came back to me. Again, he told me 
that this white man was someone that I should meet. I said okay 
that I would meet this white man. I waited to hear back from my 
grandson. My grandson told me that the white man would meet 
with me when the time was right. I had expected this man to make 
an appointment with me in the manner of white men. He did no 
such thing."

"Many moons later, my grandson tells me that this white man had 
gone for a walk and that he might be coming to meet me. I went to 
a ceremony to walk with the spirits. As I waited, this white man 
comes walking out of the desert in the company of a cougar. He 
greets me in the old way; waiting patiently for me to notice him 
and meet with him on my terms. He brought tobacco."

"He joined me in a spirit walk, but went his own way to meet with 
his Gods and Goddesses. Even in the spirit walk, he showed proper 
respect. He paid for the walk with a great price, loosing his cougar 
companion. He did not complain. He only said, great magic 
requires a great price. Having walked with the spirits many times, I 
know the truth of that statement."

"He told me that he wanted to help my people regain their culture. 
I distrusted this man, expecting him to suggest that we build a 
cultural center. He told me that our culture is not to be taught in a 
building, but must be done in the desert. He did not tell me how to 
solve our problem. He asked me to identify a solution and he 
would help finance it."

"I met with others from the council of elders and we came up with 
a radical solution that would help the young of our tribe in dealing 
with the world outside the reservation and yet instill a strong 
cultural understanding. We chose to do this for all tribes and not 
just our own."

"I did not expect this white man to fund such a major undertaking. 
He funded it without question and added more money so that all 
Native Americans could attend free. I asked him what price we 
would have to pay. He said that a strengthening of the earth spirit 
was all he asked."

"I respect this white man. His word and his deed are one. The 
Native American College was opened without any interference or 
influence by him. We graduated our first class of students this 
year. Many of them have returned to their tribes to continue with 
the old traditions and to help us deal with outside forces."

"There are many Native Americans that want to get a different 
education than our college could provide. This white man gave us 
a fund that we can use as we wish. A council of tribal 
representatives met and chose to fund our students to continue their 
education. Now our children and grandchildren can become 
lawyers and doctors."

"He learned of a rift within the tribe in which he played a major 
role. He came to the council of elders to ask for our wisdom on 
how best to heal this wound. He did as all our people should do 
when they have a problem; he came to the elders and asked for 
their advice. He listened to our words and saw the wisdom in them. 
He did as we suggested."

"His actions and treatment of the tribe has earned our respect. 
Today we honor him although he has not asked for any honors. Oh 
behalf of the tribe as a whole, we present him with this work of 
tribal handcraft." A young man unveiled a beautiful hand-woven 
picture decorated with handmade trinkets in various locations and 
styles. It was gorgeous and John's mouth dropped open.

Linda Redman was taken completely by surprise. She had just 
worked up her nerve to present herself to John.  When they 
unveiled the gift, she was shocked and dismayed. As time went by, 
she was angered that they had not taken her offer to be the gift to 
John. Her plan had been ruined.

John went to the podium and turned to face the people gathered. 
He stood silently for a minute and then stated, "I am greatly 
honored by this gift. I see that many people have contributed to its 
creation with considerable love and care. This is the greatest gift 
that a people can give to a man. I thank you for this great honor."

John looked off to the horizon as a trance-like state fell over him. 
To those well versed in the ancient ways, John began to glow. His 
voice came strong and echoed through the great hall. "I speak to all 
those who serve the earth. Druid and Native American walk 
separate paths to the same destination. It does not matter how the 
earth is served, only that it is served. Let us recognize and respect 
the contributions that each make."

"There is an entire planet to heal. There are waters to clean, air to 
purify, and plants to grow. The healing has begun, but the earth 
spirit is weak. The Druids shall clean the water, purify the air, and 
grow plants. The Native Americans shall strengthen the earth 
spirit."

"The paths we walk are long and the journey shall take time. Our 
warriors must be strong and diligent. We can not be discouraged 
by slow progress. Spring comes but once a year and it shall take 
many springs for the earth to recover."

"A new college, the Druid College, shall open in two years. It shall 
be free to all those that chose to walk the Druid path. It shall look 
to the Native American College for guidance like a child looks to 
its older brother. It shall not challenge the Native American 
College; it shall compliment it."

John's voice reverberated through the hall with an unnatural power. 
"I speak as Grand Druid giving voice to the words of the Gods and 
Goddesses. As I have said, so shall it be!"

John returned to himself and smiled. He stepped away from the 
podium as the people watched in a state of awe. William Redman 
had seen John surrounded by sacred animal spirits and had also 
seen shadow figures standing behind him. Others had seen the 
animal spirits.

John joined his family as the Chief of the tribe rose to the podium. 
Having talked from that position many times in the past, the Chief 
was seldom unable to rise to the occasion. Now, he stood there for 
several minutes seeking the proper words. Finally, he stated, "As 
he has stated, so shall it be!"

The people applauded. He added, "Let's eat!"

The assembly broke up into small groups that moved to the tables 
piled with food. The most common subject of conversation was the 
second speech given by John. Those who had seen more than just 
John standing at the podium described what they had seen to those 
who had seen only a man. The consensus was that his Gods and 
Goddesses had chosen to speak to their people.

One young lady of the tribe had watched the speech with eyes that 
saw only the man. Her plans had been ruined while her desire for 
John had grown. Approaching John was the hardest thing she had 
done, now she had to do it again. She came to him and stated, "I 
want to talk to you."

Smiling at her, John stated, "We will talk, but now is not the right 
time."

Walking away, he left a very frustrated young lady behind. She 
stood there staring at him in shock. Ling and Kelly came to her and 
led her away, stating, "John knows what he is doing."

Plates loaded to over flowing, John and Ed settled down at a table. 
A middle age couple sat down at the table with them. For several 
minutes, nothing was said while the people at the table ate their 
food. Finally, the woman broke the silence, "It is a nice thing you 
are doing for Linda. She knows her heart, but is afraid to follow 
it."

The husband stated, "I was against her doing that. It was not right."

John looked at the husband and stated, "I plan to ask William if I 
may date her."

"That would be okay. It leaves you both with choices. She can 
choose to follow her heart. You can choose to follow yours," 
grunted the husband. 

A sly smile came over Ed as he said, "Yet, it bothers you that he is 
a white man."

The man looked at Ed for a moment. He started to say something, 
then reconsidered. He stated, "You want the truth."

"Yes."

"It bothers me," stated the man. Then he added, "I'm not sure that 
John Carter is a white man."

Waiting for the man to finish his statement, Ed watched the 
thought processes flit across his face. The man finally added, "I'm 
not sure that you are a white man. There is something different 
about you both."

John stated, "we are just men."

"Perhaps that is it."

The meal was great, good solid food served in quantities intended 
to fill one's stomach. John finished his meal and then looked across 
the room at William Redman. He waited until William had 
finished his meal. He stood and walked over to William. He waited 
until William asked him, "John Carter, you wish to speak to me?"

John removed a carton of cigarettes from a pocket and handed it to 
the old man. The action drew attention from many in the room. 
John stated, "William Redman, I come to you as John Carter the 
man. I talk to you as Grandfather of a family."

Across the room, Kelly nudged Linda and asked, "What is John 
doing?"

With considerable surprise, Linda watched the exchange between 
John and her grandfather. Her mouth opened as she watched John 
follow the old ways.

Smiling, William Redman asked, "What can this grandfather do for 
John Carter, the man?"

"I wish to date your granddaughter, Linda Redman."

William Redman frowned and then stated, "It is customary to bring 
a gift for the family."

"I have brought a truck and five Fusion Batteries."

Linda watched the exchange in shock. John had brought her 
grandfather a truck just to date her! After her month with her 
grandmother, she had come to understand a lot more of her culture. 
She understood that John had just paid a high personal price just to 
date her. 

William Redman looked thoughtful and then stated, "You have 
brought much"

"She is worth it," replied John. 

Smiling at John, William looked over at Linda. He stated, "You 
have my permission to ask her for a date."

"Thank you, grandfather," answered John using the common 
honorific. 

Linda turned to Kelly and asked, "Did you know?"

Ling smiled kindly at the other woman. "Of course we knew. 
We've worked all week planning this."

Putting a hand on Linda's hand, Kelly stated, "He isn't dating you 
to determine if you will be his wife. We are all dating you to 
determine if you will be our wife."

Linda looked at Ling and Kelly in a new light. She had not thought 
of being with John as being with them as well. They were a 
mystery to her. She never had a chance to talk to them before. She 
wondered if she could love them as she did John. 

John came over to where Linda was seated. Ed joined him there. 
His medallion was warm. John faced Linda and asked in a loud 
enough voice to be heard throughout the room. "Would you be 
kind enough to come for dinner at our house tomorrow night?"

Linda was aware of the large number of eyes watching her. It was 
not just the Carter Clan, but half the tribe was watching as well. 
She knew she wanted to answer yes, but she feared that she was 
not brave enough to answer as her heart directed. She took a deep 
breath and started to answer, but stopped before any words came 
from her mouth. A subtle sound reached her ears. She listened 
carefully, not quiet believing her ears. Tribal members were 
whispering, "say yes."

She blurted out, "Yes."

A wave of relief spread through the room. The Carter Clan smiled. 
John stated, "I will be by to pick you up at seven. We shall put you 
up in our guest room until you decide that you want to leave."

Demurely, she answered, "I'll be ready."

While the women discussed the mechanics of the date with Linda, 
John left the table to examine the gift. It was a lovely piece of 
work and he decided that he would hang it in the formal living 
room where all guests could appreciate it. William Redman came 
to John and watched as John examined every aspect of the gift. 
John turned to William stating, "This shall occupy a place of honor 
in my home."

"It has captured the feelings of the tribe."

John stated, "Come with me and let me show you the truck."

The men went outside to the parking lot. There, a brand new red 
pickup truck was parked. John proudly presented William with the 
key. William walked around the truck and examined the bed. There 
were five boxes containing Fusion Batteries. These large batteries 
were capable of powering an entire house. William stated, "These 
are quite magnificent. They will provide power to many of our 
public buildings."

Looking over Williams head, John asked, "And how many of these 
would I have to give you before you actually used one for 
yourself?"

Laughing, William replied, "More of them than even you can 
afford."

"So be it. I will say this, you can tap off the Fusion Battery in the 
truck to power many things around the house."

Shaking his head, William said, "you are a tricky one."

Parking his jeep in the garage, John went around the car and 
opened Linda's door. Taking her hand, he led her into the house. 
They were met by Cathy, "Allow me to get her settled into her 
guest room. Bob is getting her luggage and will bring it up shortly. 
Until then, why don't you get the rest of the family together."

Linda looked at John, who smiled and nodded. She was led away 
by Cathy who would program the lock to her door. John went to 
the back of the house searching for the rest of the family. He found 
them all and Leroy gathered in the informal living room. He stated, 
"Linda is here."

Ed said, "Before we go to the dining room, there is something that 
you need to know. Kelly informed me of it right after you left and 
we have been discussing ever since."

"What?"

"She's a virgin," stated Kelly. She and Ling had taken Linda 
shopping for some outfits for the next few days. The only clothes 
that Linda had were blue jeans and the women had wanted to make 
sure that she would have a dress. In the process of shopping, 
Linda's entire history of dating, or rather her lack of a history came 
out. She went on, "She has never even had a date, so be very gentle 
with her."

"Oh," replied a stunned John. No wonder she had gone about this 
like a schoolgirl. She had no idea what she was doing. He had 
never slept with a virgin before and the prospect scared him. He 
asked, "What about the size of my equipment? I'll tear her up 
inside."

Ling stated, "She probably lost her hymen riding horses, so that 
might not be a problem."

"I'll be sure to take it easy," replied John wondering how he should 
proceed. 

The entire group went into the dining room to wait for Linda. John 
sat pensively wondering how to deal with Linda. He finally 
decided that he would do as he always did; wait to ask politely 
when the mood seemed right. If the mood never seemed right, he 
would never ask.

Cathy arrived and told them that Linda was changing her clothes 
and would be down in a few minutes. The men laughed aloud at 
the news and relaxed considerably. When Kelly gave John a look 
as if to ask what he had found so funny, John stated, "We'll be here 
a half an hour."

Ling stated, "It is not easy to look gorgeous!"

Turning his head to look directly at her, John stated, "Really? I 
have never seen you look anything other than gorgeous. That 
includes when you are clothed, naked, with and without makeup."

Kelly snorted, "Men are so easy to please. We don't dress for you. 
We dress to impress other women."

Nodding her head, Ling stated, "If we dressed for men, we'd only 
wear half bras, garter belts, stockings, and very high heels."

Winking at her, Leroy stated, "I don't know. I get hard every time 
Kelly comes home from work in her nurses uniform."

Everyone at the table laughed at that. The teasing went around the 
table. It was interrupted when Cathy came in the room and leaned 
down to talk to Ling. After a quick whispered conversation, Cathy 
left. Ling stood up announcing, "Our guest is having a few 
difficulties. I'll be right back."

The men looked at Kelly as if she could tell them what the problem 
might be. Kelly shrugged her shoulders signaling her lack of an 
educated guess. The conversation turned to everyone's plans for 
the next few days. John was taking Leroy to the school to sign up 
for classes the next day. Ed was heading out to San Francisco to 
examine some stolen gems that had been recovered. They were 
hoping that he would be able to tell where the stones had 
originated so that they could be returned to the proper diamond 
exchange. Kelly was finishing her last day at the hospital 
tomorrow and would start fixing up a clinic in town the day after 
that.

With a look of pity on her face, Ling returned to the table. She 
sighed, "The poor girl will be out in a minute."

Kelly asked, "What was the problem?"

"She's never put on stockings. She ruined every pair we bought 
her."

All eyes turned to the stairs as Linda came down them and entered 
the dining room. She wore a turquoise blue dress that came down 
to just above her knees. The dress had a deep cut neckline that 
promised views of her small breasts, but didn't deliver on that 
promise. She wore real silk stockings, compliments of Ling. 
Wobbling slightly on heels, she tried to move gracefully to the 
table. The men all stood up. John moved around the table to help 
her to her chair. He broke the silence, "You look gorgeous."

A deep blush, darkening her reddish hue, spread over her face and 
chest. She shot a thankful look to Ling and Kelly while murmuring 
a soft, "Thank you."

After she had taken her seat, John stated, "Linda, I would like to 
introduce you to Leroy. He's a guest staying here until he can get 
his situation straightened out. Leroy, this is Linda. She's my date 
for the evening."

Leroy nodded to her. "It is a pleasure to meet you at last."

"Thank you. It's nice to meet you too."

Marguerite came out of the kitchen wearing a maid's costume 
much to the surprise of everyone at the table. She stated, "Tonight's 
theme is seafood. We shall start with boiled shrimp and crab claws 
served with a delicate cocktail sauce. A small garden salad will be 
served to help cleanse the palette for the next course. This shall be 
a collection of fried shrimps, fish, clams, oysters, and chicken. 
Baked and fried potatoes shall be served as a side with a nice 
garden medley of steamed garden vegetables. The next course shall 
be crab cakes and lobster crepes. The desert tonight shall be 
Cherries Jubilee with homemade ice cream."

Smiling, Ed asked, "What's with the French Maid costume?"

"Uh..." Marguerite blushed. "I made a deal with Bob that if he 
cranked the ice cream maker, that I would wear this outfit tonight. 
I started a little early to motivate him to crank harder. Now I need 
to go back and motivate him a little more while I'm cooking."

 For some reason, this caused a giggling fit in Linda. She found it 
extremely funny that the cook would motivate someone to work 
that way. She tried to imagine it in the café that she worked in and 
the idea of the male cook wearing an outfit like that to motivate 
anyone to work was too funny. She couldn't contain it and burst 
out laughing. Kelly asked, "What's so funny?"

Hardly able to contain her mirth, Linda answered, "I was just 
imagining the cook where I work dressing like that. He has a big 
stomach that hangs over his belt and usually has a three-day beard. 
He looks a lot like one of those over weight wrestlers on 
television."

Everyone at the table laughed at the image that it conjured up in 
their minds. Sarah came out of the kitchen delivering huge plates 
of shrimp and crab claws. The shrimp were still in the shell, so this 
was going to get messy very quickly. The value of such a start was 
that it was hard to remain inhibited when everyone around you are 
peeling shrimp and cracking claws. The juices will fly and shells 
will fall where they may. 

As they started on the meal, the conversation resumed. Ling 
surprised everyone when she announced that she was going to start 
working at the police office starting in two days. The conversation 
centered on the expected changes in the town. Kelly with Dr. 
Hayes was going to open a free clinic in town. John talked about 
opening a library in town. Linda asked, "I thought that you were 
rich. Why are you working?"

"I'm a scientist. I enjoy doing that," replied John. He added, 
"Everything else that I do is unpaid, but serves a greater purpose."

"I'm a security specialist, but I haven't had a chance to contract out 
my services.  I miss working in that field, so I'm going back to 
work," answered Ling.

"I'm a nurse. My greatest satisfaction in life comes from helping 
someone that is in pain."

Ed stated, "I like rocks. The fact that I get paid for it is just an 
added benefit."

Leroy whistled, "You are the busiest people that I've ever met. I 
don't see how you could possibly ever be bored."

Linda looked around the room and wondered how she ever thought 
that she could possibly fit into John's life. She looked off into the 
distance wondering if she would be going home after dinner. She 
sighed at the comparison between her and them.

The melancholy that had settled over Linda was noticed by Kelly. 
She asked, "Linda, suppose that you had no worries about bills or 
anything else. What would you do with your time?"

Linda sighed, "I really don't know."

Ed laughed, "This reminds me of a conversation that I had when I 
was still a cowboy. John asked me what I would do if I had a day 
with no responsibilities. After a lot of questioning, I admitted that I 
would spend the day looking for rocks. Guess what I do now? I 
look at rocks for a living. Amazing isn't it?"

Linda looked at Ed in surprise, "I didn't know you were a cowboy."

"Oh, yes. I was also a mean low down bully that terrified half the 
town and fought the other half."

As the meal progressed, Linda relaxed more and told more about 
herself. It was soon time for desert. The creation of the Cherries 
Jubilee was an exciting treat, particularly when the brandy was lit. 
It was while eating that the big question arose. Leroy asked, "So 
how does your marriage work?"

John stated, "Well, if we choose to include someone into the 
family we allow them to buy shares. For this decision, it has to be 
unanimous.  All other family decisions are made based on a vote 
by shares. We have limits on how many shares a person can buy 
based on share purchases by others."

Kelly stated, "We only offer shares to someone that demonstrates a 
willingness to live by the rules of the family."

Linda asked, "How is that demonstrated?"

Ling stated, "You live here and follow the rules of the house."

Ed added, "You also make love to every member of the family."

"I guess that would mean that I would have to sleep with John and 
Ed if I wanted to join the family," asserted Leroy.

John smiled, "That's right, but I would state it as making love 
rather than sleeping."

"I would have to make love to Ling and Kelly and Ed?" asked 
Linda.

"Yes."

Ling addressed the real concern, "If you loved the whole family, 
then it wouldn't be difficult. If you truly loved me, then you would 
want to make love to me. If you only liked me, you could possibly 
have sex with me. However, if you didn't care about me at all, you 
wouldn't do anything with me. Marriage is about love. In a group 
marriage, it is about loving the whole group."

Looking at Leroy, Ed asked, "You've lived here for more than a 
week. What are your feelings towards us?"

"I'm beginning to develop deep feelings towards all of you, but I'm 
very hesitant about having sex with a man. I don't think that I 
would pass that test."

Kelly laughed, "John and Ed danced around the issue for more 
than a year. So don't worry that after only a week of thinking about 
it that you aren't sure."
<1st attachment end>


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