---

Along with continuing thank yous and blessings to Drea and her extraordinarily talented staff, I wish to express my deepest thanks to Khadijah for reviewing this part and making very constructive and informative comments to add to the theme of this tale. May one thousand blessing be hers and may she know only peace. This part of my tale is dedicated to her.

---

“…a veiled threat…”

”She’s staring at me.”

“She’s sitting opposite of you. You’re right in front of her.”

“But why is she staring at me?”

“Why don’t you ask her?”

“Why are you staring at me?”

“I like your…” Na made a motion across her face with her hand. “…thing.”

“It’s called a veil.” Eve smiled at Na who had a puzzled look on her face. “It is worn as a sign of modesty by women of her faith.”

“Modesty?”

“Yes…when there were men.”

“Oh.” Na turned from Eve to stare at Khadijah again. “It’s very…interesting.”

---

The morning had been quite an interesting one for Na. She needed to wake La from a very deep sleep. When La did finally awaken enough to lift her head, she groaned and put it back down in pain. She had never felt such a pain before or such sickness in her stomach. Na brought her goblet after goblet of water. La was so thirsty and it took four goblets to slake her thirst.

When she was finally able to sit up on their bedding platform, she told Na about the goings on the day before from the meeting with Mother Andrea. Na was quite interested to hear about Lilith’s departure from the commander’s residence as well as the several goblets of the wonderful liquid that left such a noxious after effect. After Na was assured that her Beta would be fine, they kissed and Na was off for her first meeting of the day with Eve. La didn’t mention Lilith’s communing with her.

To start the day, she and Eve had a meeting with Commander Sue-Chou, who appeared to be very tired and a bit out of sorts. Na contained herself as she eyed the Commander’s less than rested appearance. Sue’s day seemed to worsen by the moment as she was briefed on the rough plan for the planetary defense.

Sue was first informed of the pre-emptive invasion of the men’s planet and of the ground level defense of their own world.

“I don’t have the women do to both.” Sue exclaimed in a vigorous voice.

“I have the warriors for the invasion.” Na smiled as she revealed this falsehood to the shocked commander. “Right now there are twelve thousand Gen-7s in cryo-stasis who can be revived in one week.” Eve, unaware that Na was going to tell this lie kept a straight face and simply nodded as if in agreement.

“But shouldn’t my people protect the lower levels where the technology centers are? Isn’t that of utmost importance?” She was almost pleading to have her women in the least effective defensive position.

This came as no surprise to either Eve or Na. Indeed they expected an even more vigorous display from her. Eve had to chuckle to herself as she thought of how bad a morning the commander was having. First to find her Beta gone and now to find her apparent allies threatened.

“Your people will defend the outer perimeters around each city from attack. We have other plans for inner city defenses.” Na gazed directly into the Commander’s eyes. She was looking for Sue to become even more distraught.

“But who will defend the interior areas?” Sue indeed was becoming more distraught. “Who else is left? If they get past my women, the cities are theirs!”

“I am in the process of organizing another force within the cities that will be quite able and willing to stand fast against any threat.” Na smiled her half smile. She was enjoying this little drama being played out at the Commander’s expense.

‘Oh dear Goddess! She’s gone too far!’ Eve kept her composure but just barely. She was only nominally aware of what her Gen-7 had in mind but it was nothing like this!

When Sue asked for a plan and tentative time schedule, Na assured her that it was in the making and the time frame would be forth coming. The redness of Sue’s eyes was indicative of little sleep the previous night and certainly there would be little sleep in the nights to come.

Finally Eve got up from her seat indicating that the meeting was over. The moment Sue left the room, Eve turned to Na.

“What has gotten into you? The invasion was story enough but did you need to add to it? How are we going to…explain this with any shred of reality?”

Na laughed and shook her head whilst eyeing Eve.

“If we need to explain anything, then we will tell her the Sisters of Salvation will constitute our in city defense force. Anyway…” Na spoke as she looked down at the image her plexicon relayed to her. “…none of this need happen at all.”

Now Eve was even more stunned. ‘None of this need happen’? She stared at Na with her mouth agape.

“It is obvious to me what they want. They need women; fresh blood. That we don’t dispute. The question really is why.”

Eve continued to stare at her Gen-7 in wonder. ‘Why indeed’ she thought.

***

Khadijah shifted her glance between Eve and Na. Though her facial features were hidden behind the veil she wore, one could see that she was far from happy. She looked at Eve.

“How could you create such a creature as this…this…this…” She gestured with her palms up and fingers pointed toward Na.

“Woman?” Eve offered the word hoping to get to the point of the meeting.

“…woman. Thank you.” Turning her gaze toward Na, Khadijah continued. “She had only one purpose; to kill! Isn’t that why you put her in the wilderness? Because you feared what she could do here? And now you’ve brought this…woman into the very heart of our people. What are you thinking Eve!”

Eve turned to Na.

“This is the third vote against us. Khadijah came and told me of her vote…” Eve turned to Khadijah. “…and I thought it only fair that she be heard. Her voice is not of logic or sense. Her voice is of emotion. Her emotion is of love…and of peace.”

Na looked back at Khadijah. Her hand slowly reached out toward Khadijah’s face. Fearing the worst, she began to back her chair away from the table separating them. Eve reached over and placed her hand on Khadijah’s. Eve smiled and nodded letting her know she was safe. Na arose and leaned across the table and, with her finger tips, touched the fabric of the veil. She frowned in disappointment and turned to look at Eve.

“I can’t feel it. It looks so…soft.”

“Oh for God’s sake!” Khadijah rolled her eyes and exhaled abruptly. She took off her head piece to which the veil was attached and handed it to Na. As she did so Na quickly grasped her wrist firmly, but gently. Na then leaned forward again and inhaled the scent of Khadijah’s skin. “She’s not hungry yet, is she?” There was an edge of nervousness in her voice. Eve laughed and her eyes sparkled with delight.

“We all have our ways of getting to know one another and this simply is one of Na’s.” Eve turned to Na who was now rubbing the veil against her face. “Well dear child, what do you think?”

“I like the way it feels but I still don’t understand why she hides her beauty. And her skin is so…wonderful. It looks like…chocolate; the dark kind?”

Eve chuckled at Na’s almost child like observations. “Does that sound like a threat to you? I think she may even like you.”

“Humph! Well she would be one of the few! And she does lie so convincingly.” Khadijah smiled.

“Don’t be silly. We wouldn’t be having this little meeting if I didn’t think your opinion was important.”

“My opinion? Or my vote.”

“Both…I would rather have both. But since nobody can influence your vote…your opinion will do.”

“You have a strange name…Khadijah.”

“It was the name of one of the wives of the Prophet of Allah…”

“Subhanna Wa La Ta Allah!” Eve and Na stared at Khadijah, who had her hands clasped and lifted her head upward.

“…She was known for her charity and her modesty.”

“Allah?” Na turned to Eve.

“Subhanna Wa La Ta Allah!” Khadijah repeated her mantra.

“Will you do that each time we mention Allah?” Na was merely curious.

“Subhanna Wa La Ta Allah! Yes! When the name of our deity is spoken, we must honor it. What I said is ‘He’ is glorious and exalted’.”

Eve took a moment to think of the simplest way to explain this to a woman designed and groomed to destroy men and anything relating to them.

“A man named Mohammed lived thousands of years ago. He had a revelation from…a divine being and began to spread this faith amongst the people of his land.”

Na was enraptured by Eve’s relating this story to her. She even attempted to put on the head piece and the veil as Eve spoke.

“It’s too small for you.”

“Yes…so many things are.” There was an edge of sadness in her voice as she spoke to Khadijah. Na looked at Eve. “This faith…it is not your faith.”

“No. I have chosen another way to exhibit my faith.”

“She is not a Sister of Salvation, or the Savior? After all…her deity is a man?”

There was a tense moment between Khadijah and Eve as Na asked her simple question.
It was Khadijah who chose to answer.

“In my faith there are many prophets, or saviors. I consider the sacrifice of our Sister Josie to be an ultimate one. The very reason I can be free to choose my faith is because of her sacrifice. I choose to join hands with all my sisters…including Eve…” Eve chuckled as she smiled openly at Khadijah and Na. “…though my faith is a bit different. Do you understand?”

Na nodded as she took off the headpiece and handed it back to Khadijah. Na then interlaced her fingers and leaned forward in her chair to intently stare into Khadijah’s golden brown eyes.

“So what do you want of me?”

Khadijah did not expect such directness from Na. Eve laughed because she knew that Khadijah was about to meet another side of her Gen-7; the side with merely a ‘pinch’ of Eve’s proteins. She leaned forward as well and mimicked Na’s posture; sans the headpiece and its veil. Staring right back into Na’s eyes, Khadijah spoke.

“There can be no blood here. None at all. None in the cities and none on the surface. We have had too much of a history filled with blood, mostly ours.”

“It will be a difficult thing to do, especially if they are looking for our blood.”

“Yes…I am so conflicted about all of this. I mean do we defend ourselves and shed their blood or do we go for the martyrdom and die heroes?”

Eve decided to add a few thoughts.

“We are all conflicted over this thing Khadijah. And if not this, something else. We are a mass of conflicts. That’s what makes us so…interesting and wonderful.”

“Eve…you of all people should be the most set against this violence. Why are you even considering it?”

“Because…” Eve leaned in toward Khadijah and took her hand as a tear welled up in her eye. “…some man once said that the price of freedom is blood and our freedom is the most important thing. Our freedom is truly our faith. What happens to Khadijah if they come and win? Does Khadijah remain free to believe as she wants? Does she remain free to speak her mind? I know this is difficult and as much as I need someone like you to do just that, I need someone like Na to do what she does.”

Khadijah picked up Eve’s hand and kissed it. She patted it lightly.

“You know I do love you Eve.”
Eve smiled and nodded. “And I love you too.”

“So Gen-7…”

“Gen-7.9 to be exact dear.” Khadijah smiled and bowed her head at Eve.

“Excuse me…Gen-7.9, what do you have to say? Can we win a great victory without shedding any blood?”

“Win a victory… Hmmm… Nobody wins a war. We can only plan not to lose one. If there is any chance of not losing without shedding blood, then that is the path we will take. And there is always a chance that path may be open to us.” Na smiled innocently and extended her hand across the table toward Khadijah.

Khadijah got up from her seat and walked around behind Eve to where Na sat. She embraced Na who was quite taken by surprise. She arose from her chair and returned the embrace. Eve sat and smiled.

---

“She is a most interesting woman.”

“Yes.” Eve said as they walked out of the meeting room. “She drives me to distraction but her intentions are always good though her motives are sometimes clouded.”

“So when can I see the cat?”

Eve stopped dead in her footsteps. Her expression soured as though she had tasted something a bit rum. She looked up at Na who was smiling her half smile; that mischievous grin of being one up on someone.

“So you’ve heard.” Eve said in a defeated tone. Na simply smiled and said nothing. “That…cat as you put it…cost the lives of three Gen-7s. I didn’t have it taken so that you could kill it.”

“I only want to see it. That is all. I have no desire to kill something someone else has already taken.”

They continued walking toward the transport point, Na slightly behind Eve. Though Eve believed Na and always took her at her word, there was something a bit wild and unpredictable about her. Something that Eve was directly responsible for and could not ever fail to forget. Looking up at her Gen-7 and smiling, Eve though to herself; ‘She may be trained, but she is definitely not tamed.’

“Yes…of course. How about now?”

“The Ice Tiger”

Their shuttle had risen up past the top level of the city. The iced walls of the crevasse glistened like liquid diamonds as the sun’s bright light struck them. When they had risen nearly one hundred and fifty feet from the surface, the shuttle put into a docking bay cut into the wall.

While the surface temperature never seemed to rise above negative sixty degrees Celsius, the interior registered negative ten degrees once through the pressure doors. Eve and Na walked swiftly to the door that led to the heated control room where three Gen-5.7s monitored the animal and its contained environment.

“I don’t see it.” Eve pressed her nose to the plexicon shield that separated the control room from the tiger’s environment room.

“I do.” Na seemed to stare out at the icy room with mounds rising from the surface and huge icicles hangs from the ceiling. “Can I get in there?”

The attending observers looked to Eve who in turn was staring in surprise at Na.

“Why do you want to go closer? We’re comfortable in here.”

Na shrugged her shoulders.

“I don’t know…I need to…get closer.”

“You remember your promise.”

“I don’t want to kill him…”

“How do you know it’s a male?” Eve was genuinely surprised. Na looked directly into Eve’s eyes.

“I can smell him.” Na smiled but there was no warmth in her eyes. She looked…hungry.

“You’ll need an environment suit. Also mind the red line along the floor. The animal can reach through the bars to that extent.”

“I won’t need the suit. Also, I need something to feed him. He’s quite hungry.”

“How do you know that?” Eve actually sounded a bit annoyed that she couldn’t even see the beast yet Na knew more than Eve’s attendants, who looked at Na quite curiously. “Get her some food.”

Na moved to the other side of the control room as one of the attendants produced two buckets of food from out of a temperature controlled locker. Na was told that it was parts of a lamb that had died in the meadows one thousand feet below them. Eve decided at the last moment to follow Na out. She donned the environment suit and ear guards.

“The beast can be quite loud.” She smiled at Na.

“The noise won’t bother me.” Na said as she opened the first of three doors that separated the animal’s cage from the control room.

She stepped out into the frigid enclosure and was followed by Eve. Na walked up to the red line and placed the buckets down. As Eve followed Na made sure to keep her behind and to the side nearly a half a meter back from the line.

“He sees us. He’s moving very slowly toward us.”

Eve couldn’t see anything in the brightness of the icy cave. But she was quite confident that her Gen-7 could not only see the creature, but could sense what he would do next.

“He’s getting ready to come at us.” Na grinned as she watched him contract his body into a tensed spring ready to explode out with the force of twenty five hundred kilograms of mass.

When the animal finally did leap out at them, Eve screamed with fright. His roar was fierce some and only slightly damped by the ear guards. The bars bent outward when the tiger hit them.

“Ouch! That must have smarted a bit.” She chucked as she spoke to the tiger. The beast continued to attempt to get at the two women as he swept his claws back and forth through the bars.

“Hostile little kitten don’t you think? Na said as she motioned for Eve to remain still and then moved away along the red line. The tiger watched Na move but didn’t stray from its position oppose Eve. “It seems he likes you more than me.”

Eve nodded her head as she stayed frozen in place. Eve was half scared and half transfixed at the beauty of the enormous beast. His white coloring and black stripes proved a most effective camouflage in his icy world. However Na was able to spot him so quickly helped Eve to understand her success at tracking and killing the beasts.

The animal continued to relentlessly attempt to claw Eve as if he wasn’t ready to accede his inability to strike. Na knew that the animal was venting his rage at being contained and she understood how he must have felt. She also knew that the beast was hungry and what she held in the bucket barely amounted to a snack.

“Is my baby hungry?” Na giggled. “Would you like a little something?”

She reached into the bucket and pulled out an entire hind quarter. Na crossed the red line and dangled the hind quarter inside the enclosure. The tiger crouched against the bars and still pawing at Eve, turned his huge head toward Na’s arm and the treat she was holding. He quickly got up and slowly walked toward the outstretched arm and the hind quarter it held.

“Do be careful dear. I do cherish you more than that animal.”

‘That’s nice to know’ thought Na as she called to the giant cat. When the tiger got within two meters of her, Na tossed the meat at his fore paws. The tiger lowered his head and sniffed at it. ‘Yeah…I know…it’s not like fresh kill but we’ll see if we can change that.”

“What did you say?”

“Shhh… Not so loud.”

The tiger lifted the meat slowly and carefully after first licking it. Na reached into the bucket for another sizable piece and held it out to the animal. Once again the tiger cautiously approached Na’s arm, this time sniffing the air around Na more than the meat itself. Their eyes met. The tiger looked intensely at Na. He walked even closer and, without taking his eyes off of Na, grabbed the meat out of her hand.

“This is amazing! Nobody…” Eve started to walk toward Na.

“Stay where you are! And please be still. We don’t want him to become confused right now.” Na giggled at the thought of what that might mean; perhaps a lost limb? He is a big one. Almost two meters at the shoulder? Maybe five and one half long to the hind?”

As the cat chewed on the meat, Na reached in and touched the thick collar of fur around the tiger’s neck. She then scratched him behind his ears which brought his head tight against the bars.

“Ah…yes! You do like that, don’t you?”

Na threw the rest of the bucket’s contents down in front of the tiger and he crouched down to devour the bits. She ran her hand along the powerful shoulders of the beast as Eve stood wide eyed. None of her people had been able to even approach him.

“You like me to touch you, don’t you.” Na smiled as she rubbed her face against the side of the tiger’s head. The tiger rubbed back and even lapped her face with his huge tongue. Na giggled. “Thank the Goddess my La isn’t so well equipped.”

After spending some more time with the animal, Na finally got up and walked toward Eve. The tiger began to pace keeping his eyes on Na and emitting a very low growl.

“How long will you keep him?”

Eve stepped back a bit from Na. “Dear Goddess! You smell just like that creature!”

“He rubbed against me. He wants to mark me with his scent. He must have some sort of gland in his neck. How long will you keep him?”

“Let’s go inside. I am beginning to chill.” The two women headed the few meters into the control room. “I hadn’t really thought about it. We haven’t had one before that we could observe and take readings and measurements from. I thought of perhaps putting him on display for the people to see.”

“He will die first; three or four weeks at the most.”

“What makes you say that?” Eve was genuinely surprised.

“It’s too warm in there to begin with. You must feed him live animals, not those that have died. Maybe sea dog or a wild boar or two every two days. If you feed him smaller animals, like the sheep, then feed him every day. I will set him free in two weeks.”

“Why would you do that? You’ll only wind up killing him, or the others will, when this thing is over.”

Na turned to Eve and smiled. “It’s a better death then in a cage.” Eve smiled and nodded.

---

“Eve? Is that you?”

“Yes Andrea.” Eve closed the doors behind her and, throwing her cape and bag on a chair, walked toward the sound of Andrea’s voice.

Eve found Andrea in the kitchen sitting at the counter and eating a bit of fruit. Eve came up behind her and embraced her, Andrea’s hands coming on top of Eve’s. Eve gently bit Andrea’s ear lobe as she craned her head forward to accept a piece of fruit.

“We need to discuss the Sue issue.”

Eve looked at Andrea as she took another piece of fruit.

“Where’s your partner in crime anyway? Isn’t she usually in about this time?” Eve said as she removed her arms from Andrea’s waist and leaned against the counter.

“Tracey is off tending to an evening celebration at the Temple. We really need to discuss the Sue issue.”

Andrea’s stare was strong and fixed. Eve knew that this conversation was unavoidable. Licking the remnants of fruit off her finger tips, she turned her body to face Andrea.

“Alright…the Sue issue. What is it?” Eve smiled.

“She’s struck Lilith on several occasions. It also seems that our Commander might have a bit of a drinking problem. And of course they must be unbound as soon as possible.”

Eve’s lips became white as her facial muscles tightened at this news. Her head turned to gaze at various points around her but her gaze was distant as her mind rapidly processed what Andrea had just told her. Finally, after her moments in enforced solitude ended, she spoke.

“Of course they must be unbound as soon as possible. Where is Lilith now?”

“Under our sanctuary at the temple; Mary is keeping her safe.”

“Well…” Eve shrugged her shoulders and looked at Andrea. “…we cannot exile Sue at the moment. There are other considerations to be taken into account.”

“But the law is quite specific and…”

“I do know the law dear soul.” Eve chuckled. “But I also know that we play the Commander at the moment. You must have some trust in me Mother Superior.”

Andrea nodded her head and bowed it slightly remembering that Eve was the supreme leader of the faith; Savior Josie’s voice in the world. Eve reached out to gently stroke Andrea’s cheek.

“The Commander will have her judgment I assure you. She may even desire exile over the alternatives that are offered; but all in good time. Meanwhile, we must arrange the unbinding ass swiftly as we can and have it be public. If Sue wishes to participate, that is fine. If not, we must find another who might be amenable, and impervious to the possible wraith of our Commander.”

“And the drinking? This does put her services at risk.”

“Let her drink. It is a weakness that might very well play into our hands.”

“I think La-Gen might act as a second in the unbinding. Of course any of the Sisters would agree as well.”

Eve thought for a moment before answering.

“Having La-Gen would be deliciously wicked…but no. We cannot be too overt in our treatment of this matter. Ask Mary. That would be more in the way of things. Mary guards her so Mary will substitute for the Commander.”

“By the way…DeeCee told me that La-Gen was quite tipsy by the time they arrived to the dock.” Andrea giggled remembering how the clueless Beta had downed the goblets of brandy.

“NO!!!” Eve’s eyebrows shot upward and her eyes widened. “You didn’t! You wicked woman.” Eve giggled. “And what else did she reveal to you?”

Eve rested her chin in her palm she leaned on the counter top. Andrea smiled coyly into Eve’s eyes and giggled.

“The privilege of confession my dear.”

“Oh you are so wicked.” Eve laughed.

More Ice Tiger soon...