A Very Schticky Thing To Do - 9. Chapter 9

“Thabbt-zo-hhzt-ggriZzt, you have a visitor.”

Thabbt looked at the speaker on the wall of his cell. He’d been here only three nights and four days and Zzppd had come every day to see him. Since he had entered his fourth month of pregnancy, it was difficult for the Zzt to get around these days. Plus, he was so obviously pregnant that he had to wear a frock to cover the immense belly, something Bazt saw as obscene; and, he was still plagued with a few green splotches. At least there weren’t any visible when he wore the frock.

Thabbt stood and went to the door. It slid open and he went out into the hall and waited. Two guards, their faces masked to prevent him from identifying them later if he should be freed mentally unscathed, appeared and secured his arms with tight restraints, loose ones were put on his ankles so he could walk.

He hated the coverall he had to wear. It was a tradition at the interrogation facility. In the olden days, political prisoners were often tortured for information or, sometimes, for the sexual pleasure of the guards. The coverall hid injured body parts, such as Thabbt’s buttocks where small burn scars were starting to appear in the morning. He had seven fresh ones this morning and there was no mistaking the pain he felt.

There were only two of them last night. Maybe that was because they figured he’d already been “broken in” and wasn’t going to be as big of a problem was he was the first two nights. They liked to fuck him when he was being burned and screaming. The more he screamed, the harder they fucked. After each of them had their three goes at his ass, they burned him once again just to hear him scream.

When they reached the door to the visiting room, one of the guards came up and rubbed Thabbt’s buttock that had the fresh burns. He tried as best he could to stifle the scream and it came out as a loud whimper.

“Remember, do not say anything inflammatory about your care here,” the other guard said. “You know it can be much worse. Be a good Bazt and maybe you won’t have visitors tonight.”

They’d said that yesterday, but they lied.

Unexpectedly, Ssthi was with Zzppd today. Thabbt sat down on the prisoner’s chair and a guard secured him with metal straps across his chest and thighs. He couldn’t move anything except his arms. His ass hurt from the burns. He didn’t want to be here.

“Good day, son,” Ssthi said.

“Good day to you, sir,” Thabbt said. “And, good day to you, Zzppd. You are well?”

“Yes, Ssthi has good news,” Zzppd said.

“I have spoken with the Judicial Review Committee and, although you have not been thoroughly interrogated, they have agreed to assign a prosecutor to your case,” Ssthi said. “He is a fine man. I have known his father for many years. Are you being treated decently?”

“Yes, I have no complaints,” Thabbt said.

“He said those exact words yesterday and the day before,” Zzppd said.

“Are you being abused?” Ssthi asked.

“No, I am being treated decently,” Thabbt said.

“I see,” Ssthi said. “Come Zzppd, it is time for us to leave.”

“But we just got here,” Zzppd said looking around at the other visitor modules. Theirs was the only one with guards.

“Come, we’re leaving,” Ssthi said. “You have a good day, son.”

“Thank you, Father,” Thabbt said. “It was good to see you Zzppd.”

After they left, a guard released Thabbt and he was escorted back to his cell. When he entered the guards followed and grabbed his arms holding him firmly between them. A man with a black hood over his head came in and sat down on the bed.

“Who was that older man who visited you today?” the interrogator asked.

“My father,” Thabbt said.

“I see,” the interrogator said. “He will not be permitted to see you again. The Zzt is pregnant. Is the oothobdonoi yours?”

“No, it is my father’s,” Thabbt said.

“I see. The Zzt is your betrothed.”

“Yes.”

“He will not be permitted to see you again as you are not married. What is your father’s profession?”

“He is a member of the Royal House. He is currently the First Chair of the Three.”

“I see. Thirty lashes on the bare back. Fasten the prisoner to the wall.”

The guards pushed Thabbt against the wall and put his wrists in restraints above his head. Then they fastened his ankles to restraints on the wall at the floor. Finally, one of them tore the coverall from his body. He heard someone enter the room and immediately felt the first lash of the whip across his back. He knew what they were doing to him was against all Bazt laws, but he, also, knew that as a political prisoner, he had no rights under the Law of Bazt.

At what point Thabbt lost consciousness he didn’t know.

* * * * * * *

“Why did we leave so soon?” Zzppd asked as he stepped up into the car.

“Not now,” Ssthi said following the Zzt. After he sat down, he said, “Royal Residence Three, moderate speed.”

“Arrival in one hour seventy-five seconds,” the speaker in the passenger comparent announced.

“I believe Thabbt is being tortured,” Ssthi said, “but I couldn’t say anything in there or he might have been seriously harmed. I need to consult with Thabbt’s prosecutor.”

“Will he be alright?” Zzppd asked worriedly.

“I believe he will be punished because of my visit,” Ssthi said. He put a hand on Zzppd’s thigh. “I think you should not visit anymore, unless he sends a request.”

“Why? Because I’m a Zzt?” Zzppd asked.

“Because you are pregnant and the oothobdonoso is mine, not Thabbt’s,” Ssthi said. “In the eyes of the law, you are not related to Thabbt until you marry. Technically, you are my ward until the engagement to Thabbt is formally announced after the birth and suckling of the oothobdonoso. I’m sorry, but it has to be this way. We have to protect him from those who would punish him just because he is my son.”

“What do I do?” Zzppd asked.

“You will go home and in your time you will deliver a healthy daughter and she will grow up to be a great woman, a leader of Bazt.”

“But, what about Thabbt?”

“He chose his fate when he chose to be with Aambi and not you. As much as I do not want him harmed, and I will see that he is not incapacitated or disabled in any way, he must accept and recognize he made the wrong choice in this affair.”

* * * * * * *

Pain.

That was all there was. Pain.

Not just from the whipping, either. Pain from muscles that weren’t used to keeping him vertical for extended periods. Pain from the wrist bands from which he was now hanging. Pain from his neck because he couldn’t turn his head. Pain from something attached to his foreskin. Pain from fresh burns on his ass.

Pain was the sum total of his awareness.

He slept.

He woke again.

“Good, you are awake,” said a voice behind him. “You passed out after fourteen strokes of the lash. You owe us sixteen more, plus ten for soiling our floor, plus ten for passing out. Try to stay awake this time.”

Pain! Immediate, sharp, burning pain shot through and across his back when the lash struck again. And, again. And, again. And, again. And, again.

Concentrate, Thabbt told himself; concentrate on something other than the lash being applied to his back. Think of something, something must be there. Zzppd? Yes! Zzppd and his beautiful cock you were too scared of having up your ass. You willingly, happily, took Aambi’s, but not Zzppd’s; no, not Zzppd’s huge, long cock. It would’ve gone far into your gut, as far as Aambi’s arm once did when Aambi fisted you clear to the elbow. Zzppd’s hard cock was nothing compared to Aambi’s arm and hand.

Zzppd was going to carry our oothobdonoso or oothobdonoi. Yes, he was going to suckle our children. They would all suckle at his breasts. Thabbt wanted some of Zzppd’s milk now. How refreshing it was straight from the breast. What was that position? No, it was two different positions where he could fuck Zzppd and suckle at a breast at the same time. That squirt of milk when Zzppd orgasmed. That was so special. To have his mouth at one of Zzppd’s nipples when it squirted nearly a mouthful; that was what he wanted. That was what was going to keep him alive.

Yes, Zzppd would be his savior.

Not Aambi. No, not Aambi. Ssthi did save his life, but what kind of life could Aambi have? He was publicly emasculated; sure the surgeons repaired the damage from the blade, but Aambi’s beautiful cock was gone. They sterilized him; and, then, he paid the ultimate price. He was addled. He would never be more than a simpleton, a drudge in some factory, mine, or agricultural facility. And, Aambi would die young. He had, maybe, ten years to live before they would humanely euthanize him. They said it was just a shot in the arm, a simple injection of a poison that stopped the heart. That might have been his fate if Ssthi hadn’t tried so hard to save his life.

“Thabbt-zo-hhzt-ggriZzt, you have paid your debt to the government,” said a voice behind him. “You are being moved to the medical interrogation facility where your thoughts and memories will be monitored and read.”

Thabbt thought for a moment trying to remember what he had been thinking about. It must have been something important or he would’ve passed out, again. Ten lashes for passing out and ten lashes for emptying his bladder and bowels. He would remember the pain.

Yes, he would remember the pain. And, he would remember that because of his love for Aambi he suffered this pain. If, was it really only an if, he was released from this horror, he promised himself to remain faithful to Zzppd to the end of their time.

* * * * * * *

“Thabbt-zo-hhzt-ggriZzt, you have been found guilty of associating with known conspirators against the Bazt Ideal,” the head of his judicial review panel announced to all in the courtroom.

Thabbt was strapped to the prisoner post, a two and a half meter trunk of a coastal pine from Bazt. He was facing it with his arms above his head and wrapped around the post. His legs were spread and his ankles secured to the post with shackles. It was uncomfortable and painful as it was meant to be.

His guilt had been determined during the mind probe. Yes, he was Aambi’s lover. Yes, Aambi talked about the conspiracy. No, he hadn’t reported the activity to the proper authorities. Yes, he accepted Ssthi, Aabi, and Zzppd would die. No, he hadn’t done anything to save them. Yes, he was guilty of gross negligence, but, probably because of Ssthi’s efforts, he was found guilty of associating with known conspirators, and fully expected a much less harsh sentence than being addled or emasculated, either of which, depending on extenuating circumstances, were punishments for the higher crime.

“Thabbt-zo-hhzt-ggriZzt, it is the ruling of this panel that you shall be taken from this court and placed in the Square of the Martyrs where you shall remain until all Bazt, who so desire, apply their allotted three lashes with the whip of justice. Do you accept this punishment as being just and righteous?”

“Yes,” Thabbt said. “Thank you for being just and righteous with the Bazt Ideal.”

“Guards, remove the convicted and secure him in the Square of the Martyrs.”

“What’s going to happen, Ssthi?” a very, very pregnant Zzppd asked. They were in Zzppd’s rooms watching the proceedings on the vid. It was a public broadcast.

“Thabbt will be taken to the Square of the Martyrs and secured to the Post of Justice where he will remain until no one comes to whip him.”

“How many times will he be whipped?”

“Each Bazt and Baztli is allowed three strikes of the whip. Many will come, many will apply the lash. Thabbt will suffer greatly as he has suffered already. They will not let him die. They will keep him alive until no one desires to apply the lash.”

“What happens after? Will we still be able to be married?”

“Yes, Zzppd, Thabbt will marry you when the time comes. His punishment is to be whipped, not to be publicly disgraced. After all the whippings, he will be taken to a medical facility where all the scars of his incarceration and sentence will be removed. He will lead a normal life, but he will not be permitted to perform any function associated with the government. He has a monthly stipend and both of you will be expected to live on that. Now, we must go to the Square and apply the lash to the convicted.”

“Do I have to go?”

“Yes, dear, dear, Zzppd, you must whip Thabbt, as I and Aabi must whip him. We will be the first. In fact, because you are betrothed to Thabbt, you are expected to go first. Has he ever talked about oothob with you?”

“Well, there was that time when all of you were joking about me having three or four because of the number of nipples I have.”

“You are allowed to apply the lash for each of your unborn children, including Doopo, especially Doopo. Let’s see that’s three for you, three for Doopo, and nine for your unborn children, plus three for Thabbt because he cannot whip himself.”

“You expect me to whip him fifteen times?”

“Yes, and don’t pull your swing. You must apply the lash like you mean it. Thabbt must be punished and you will apply the lash to his back fifteen times. Only then will I and then Aabi apply our three. If he is still conscious, then the whip will be passed to whoever desires to apply their three lashes.”

“What if I refuse?”

“Then I will apply your fifteen and you will not be permitted to marry Thabbt. You will go back to your Zzt apartment and your Zzt job. And, you will never become Baztli.”

* * * * * * *

The Square of the Martyrs was actually a circular space in the middle of the city. Tall buildings surrounded it making the larger space square, but inside that square was a round depression with tiers of stone benches where many Bazt could watch the proceedings down in the center of the amphitheater where a raised dais stood. On the dais were four posts similar to the prisoner’s post in the courtroom. However, these were the posts of the Martyrs, where many centuries in the past victims of a reign of terror where tied and killed in many ways abhorrent to the Bazt. Today, convicted prisoners were brought here for execution of sentences requiring either physical punishment, such as Thabbt’s, or some sort of dismemberment such as a hand, foot, arm, leg, or in extreme cases, such as Aambi’s, emasculation for males or mastectomy for females.

Thabbt was already tied to the third post when Zzppd, Ssthi, and Aabi arrived. All the seats on all the tiers up to the very top were full of Bazt and Baztli adults and quite a few children. It was a somber scene as everyone was totally silent. To Zzppd, it seemed very dark and foreboding, even though all the sun lights on the cavern roof were shining bright.

A man with a black hood over his head stood beside Thabbt. He was holding the whip. Zzppd noticed there were no holes for his eyes, nose, ears, or mouth. According to Bazt tradition, he was the anonymous witness. Whatever might happen in the minutes, hours, days, weeks, and, possibly, months to come, he, or one of his associates, would witness the punishment of Thabbt to ensure it was just and righteous. That he could not see represented all of the Bazt whose eyes were put out at this place during those terrible years.

“Who is here to avenge the Bazt Ideal?” the witness asked. The question echoed throughout the amphitheater from speakers set in the tiers. No one was going to miss a word spoken on the stage, nor would they not hear Thabbt when he screamed when the lash was applied to his back.

“Zzppd-do-Zzt-doop,” Zzppd said, following the coaching he received from Ssthi in the car. “I am betrothed to the convicted.”

“It is with honor I hand you the whip,” the witness said. “How many times will you strike the convicted?”

“Three for myself, three for the oothobdonoso in my womb, nine for our unborn children, and three for Thabbt-zo-hhzt-ggriZzt, who put himself above the Bazt Ideal and deserves to die, but will not because there are still Bazt and Baztli who love him,” Zzppd said as he took the whip.

“The betrothed is granted fifty-four lashes to redeem the honor of Thabbt-zo-hhzt-ggriZzt,” the witness announced. There was an audible gasp from the audience.

Zzppd looked at the witness and then at Ssthi, who said, “Bazt tradition states that the first shall redeem the honor of the convicted.”

“Apply the lash,” the witness said.

“I’m sorry Thabbt,” Zzppd whispered.

Thabbt did not say a word, but groaned quite loudly when the whip struck his back. Fifty-four sins against the Bazt Ideal, his family, and Zzppd. Pain coursed through his young body as Zzppd did not hold back the swing of his arm, fully applying the lash to the Bazt’s tender skin, already scarred from the first whippings. Thabbt began to weep as the whip struck him again and again. He had to stay awake. He couldn’t show weakness or this might go on for a long time.

Thabbt wondered if Ssthi or Aabi told Zzppd that the fifty-four lashes he was now applying might be the only ones applied. Bazt tradition did not demand punishment to the edge of death, only enough that the convicted knew the punishment was just and righteous. Fifty-four were more than usual, but not for someone who wronged a Baztli.

Thabbt wondered what the count was. He hadn’t been keeping track. He knew he stopped screaming awhile ago when the pain became so overwhelming across his whole back he no longer felt the individual strikes. It was almost as if the pain was cyclical now. After a number of strikes there would be a sharp, burning sensation that seemed to cancel out a number of blows afterward. Then the cycle began again, increasing in intensity until he suddenly couldn’t feel the next few.

Then he realized he hadn’t stopped screaming. He wasn’t screaming all the time, only when the intensity of the pain became so great he couldn’t bear it any longer and let out a piercing scream that seemed to relieve some of horrendous pain he was experiencing.

He began to wonder if he’d ever forget this whipping. The first whippings in prison were nothing compared to this time. Probably that it was Zzppd who was whipping him made a great difference to what he was feeling. He truly felt guilty for what he had allowed Aambi do to him. He, also, felt guilty for running to Aambi when Zzppd needed him, even if they were fighting. Zzppd was pregnant with his first child, his father’s child, and Thabbt ran away to his supposed lover every time Zzppd yelled at him.

He definitely deserved what Zzppd was now doing to him. He did say he was sorry he had to do this. That was so like Zzppd. He kind of wished he could be as caring.

Suddenly, Thabbt became aware of an oppressive silence around him. His head was secured to the post so he couldn’t look around, but he couldn’t hear anything; and, then he could.

“Zzppd-do-Zzt- doop, you have truly punished and redeemed the honor of Thabbt-zo-hhzt-ggriZzt,” the witness said. “So say you all?”

Thabbt heard a lot of shuffling and wondered what was happening. How many Bazt and Baztli were coming down to whip him? Ssthi and Aabi had their three to give, yet, but how many more would demand the whip?

“Thabbt-zo-hhzt-ggriZzt, the Bazt have spoken, your honor has been redeemed,” the witness said. “Your punishment is complete, just, and righteous.”

“Thank you,” Thabbt whispered.

* * * * * * *

“My arm hurts,” Zzppd said in the car as they headed home. “How many times did I strike him? I lost count.”

“Sixty-two,” Aabi said, “but that’s okay. The assembled were expecting you to go over the count. They knew, of all the things Thabbt did and didn’t do, he wronged you the most. Though the witness might have stopped you if you got too close to a hundred. We do have our limits.”

“When can I see Thabbt?” Zzppd asked. He wanted to comfort his lover and, strangely, apologize for whipping him.

“He will be in medical for at least two weeks,” Ssthi said. “You should be able to go to him in a week, but I’ll call to make sure. Are you feeling okay? How is Doopo?”

“She is anxious to come out,” Zzppd said. “And, my breasts are anticipating her early arrival. I’m producing nearly two oombo (a Bazt measure of volume) a day now. And, I have to eat so much because of that and her I feel like a big tub of fat.”

“You’re as slender as you were the first day we met,” Aabi said. “Well, other than the huge belly of yours. What did the doctor say yesterday?”

“For me to come see him today,” Zzppd said. “My flap is starting to separate. He said if my water breaks, I’m to call the center and they’ll send someone up to assist with the delivery, if I want to do it naturally. They gave me a sterile birthing bowl, if she comes before help arrives. He said it could happen any day. I wish I could go to the center. I worry being alone.”

“You’ll come stay with us,” Ssthi said.

“No, Zzppd needs to go to the center,” Aabi said. “They have the staff to take care of Doopo since she is coming early.”

“I wish Thabbt could be at the birthing,” Zzppd said.

“He will be at the birthing of his own oothobs,” Ssthi said.

“I miss Thabbt,” Zzppd said as he laid his head on Ssthi’s shoulder. “Oh, no, she’s coming, now!”