Without You I Have Nothing Ch. 31

Three weeks had passed without any further contact from Peter. His lack of communication confused Jennifer's family. They wondered if he would ever return.

In her familiar surroundings, Jennifer was recovering, but without Peter's presence, she was unable to accept that he was alive. To avoid the possibility of upsetting Jennifer, Elizabeth, Eric and Andrew could only talk of Peter when she was not present.

Then things seemed to change, when early one morning the RSM handed Elizabeth a written note with a parcel. Hoping to bring the mystery of Peter's absence to a satisfactory conclusion Elizabeth promised that she would follow the instructions.

With Jennifer, Elizabeth opened the parcel containing the gold gown and diamante shoes Jennifer was wearing at the Hunters Hill mansion where all the trouble began.

Recollections of dressing and modelling for Peter were prevalent in Jennifer's mind. She remembered Peter's eyes, his playful comments, and that she felt glamorous.

The family sat down to their Friday breakfast with a pale Jennifer who had cried herself out yet again. It was the usual sad meal with Eric and Andrew seething at Peter's cold-blooded desertion of their daughter and sister. They could hardly be civil.

The RSM arrived, interrupting the meal. He asked them to dress for a special evening and they were to be ready to leave at eight. A car would collect them.

With no knowledge of what the events of evening would bring, Eric and Andrew could only growl in reply.

The moment Jennifer left the room Elizabeth stood and moved to go with her. Then the RSM took Elizabeth by the arm and quietly added. "I have to warn you that tonight's events will be most distressing and you will hear of some atrocities that were committed. You will learn the horror of her plight while Dingo held her captive. Will you be able to cope? The evening's success will depend on your ability to cope and support Jennifer.

"The night will end on a joyous note which will please us all." Without waiting for Elizabeth's reply, the RSM turned to leave.

Elizabeth grasped his arm and quietly questioned him. "We will cope with the evening but there is something that concerns us. We know Peter, you and your men fought together in Malaysia but why are you involved now and why are so many of your men involved?"

Quite taken aback by the question that showed so little knowledge of his culture, the RSM studied Elizabeth's face. Then grinning broadly the RSM replied, "This is family." Elizabeth instantly understood -- he was now talking her language.

The RSM continued, "Peter is more than a comrade in arms he is part of our family. He is one of the bravest men I have ever known and he was prepared to give up his life to protect us. Peter called us for assistance and it wasn't until a few months ago that we realized how significant was the danger for him and Jennifer."

"When one of us is hurting or in danger we all support and fight together. It is the way of the Ghurkha.

"I can only feel sorry for Dingo and his followers. They picked one of our women, Jennifer." He patted Elizabeth's hand. "To do that is to cast a slur on the Ghurkhas and there can only be one outcome. Now they must face the consequences of their stupidity."

Showing that in spite of his gruff military bearing, he was kind hearted. "Stop worrying! Tonight is the end of a very difficult period." Then he was gone.

Elizabeth left to follow her daughter upstairs while the men pondered over what the evening was to bring.

Although accustomed to farm life Eric and Andrew feared that the evening would end in a bloodbath. Neither dared discuss their fears with the other. Eric was troubled that Elizabeth would not cope despite her words of assurance.

Jennifer allowed her mother to dress her. Making no effort to help, she was completely disinterested even when her mother applied her make-up and did her hair. In contrast to the last evening she wore those clothes, tonight she felt neither glamorous nor special.

The men were standing at the bottom of the staircase when the women appeared on the landing. Seeing Jennifer dressed in her gown Eric realizing what he had lost - one beautiful daughter - almost sobbed.

Andrew placed a hand on his father's shoulder to give him comfort but he was also trying to find strength to cope with the loss of his sister's vitality for life.

Armed Ghurkhas in their uniforms stood at the car and the RSM saluted the party as it emerged from the house. Walking slowly before the car he led the way to the shearing shed where rolled out before them was a red carpet.

Completely perplexed, the silent party entered the transformed shearing shed. Black sheeting hung from the ceiling and spotlights focused on the middle of the free space. In the center of the shed, was a 44-gallon drum cut lengthways. Supported on bricks it contained a blazing fire although the night was quite warm. Behind the fire was a table on which rested a laptop and a projector.

Prominently positioned against one wall were four straight-backed chairs. The RSM led the family to these seats.

Elizabeth, Eric, Andrew and Jennifer surveyed the shed. They were quite surprised to see the girls from the brothel seated around the other walls. Strangely, Jennifer felt comforted by the presence of the girls who had become her friends since living on the property. Elizabeth felt uncomfortable that Jennifer had been dressed in her gown and now looked completely out of place.

Yet, the family was perplexed, as they had no inkling as to why the Ghurkhas had brought everyone to the shearing shed.

Once the new arrivals sat, the RSM stood in the middle of the floor and began an explanation of the planned evening's events. "Tonight we, as a court, try a number of criminals. We will try to prove they have committed atrocities on innocent individuals. The girls, freed from the brothel, and Jennifer will be prosecution witnesses and will identify the perpetrators of the offences against them."

"It will be a long night for some and a very short night for others."

The family cringed. They knew that the RSM was effectively telling them the prisoners would be dead before sunrise.

"Guards, bring the first batch of prisoners!"

They heard the words, "Kedee, kedar, kedee, kedar, kedee," and four Ghurkhas with khukuris prominently displayed, hanging from their belts marched into the room with the four bullyboys captured at the brothel.

Jennifer jumped to her feet and rushed towards the captives. When she reached the tallest and largest of the four she screeched into his face "You bastard! You raped me repeatedly. Not once did you listen to my pleas for mercy. You were the ringleader!"

"Why didn't you dress like this at the Raging Bull? You really would have turned us on." Stupidly he leered and leant over to stare down her cleavage.

Before anyone could react, she kneed him in the groin.

Pandemonium broke out but neither the guards nor the prisoners made a sound or moved. Cheers from the girls rang from the ceiling. Elizabeth rushed to Jennifer's side and as quick as lightning punched the guard as he crouched in agony. Guards immediately encircled Jennifer and Elizabeth and guided them back to their seats where other Ghurkhas were restraining Eric and Andrew.

When the confusion ebbed, Eric softly asked the RSM why that bullyboy had his right hand wrapped in bandages and a blood stained bag was hanging from his neck.

Expressionless the RSM pointed out the young baby-faced Ghurkha standing beside the bullyboy. "The prisoner believed that being so big and white he was superior. He thought he could escape from the teenage lad guarding him. What a frightful error of judgement! My man may be short and he may look a teenager but that bullyboy found out why he was a guard. In the bag around the prisoner's neck are his fingers. Since that moment, no prisoner has tried to escape."

The RSM turned away from Eric and faced the family. However, it was obvious he was addressing the four bullyboys.

Elizabeth went ashen and her stomach heaved.

"We are here tonight for the trial of the prisoners. The prosecution needs to identify each prisoner and state the reason why that prisoner should not live. Each prisoner will have a chance to state his or her own case but..." he turned to the prisoners, "be warned. We have DVD evidence to reinforce the prosecution's case.

"You are here to face the young women who are charging each of you with crimes against them. You will submit your defense in these matters. However, you will not lie, as your lies will bring swift retribution. I am again formally warning you that we have DVDs and written evidence to back the claims of your victims. If the crimes are as horrendous as the prosecution alleges the plea for mercy becomes superfluous. No one in this building will listen to any pleas for mercy.

"Jennifer has made the first charge. Now we will hear the other young women's charges."

Each young woman stood and told of her multiple rapes by the four guards and of their inhuman treatment of her.

Ashen at their stories, Elizabeth gripped Jennifer's hands trying to show her daughter that at last she understood everything that had happened to her.

Growling softly, Andrew leaned towards his father. "The bastards! Let me just get them into the slaughter pens and I'll make certain they never rape again."

However, Eric was busy and really didn't hear his son. He had his arm across his wife's shoulders trying to console her.

"We've heard the charges. Does any one of you wish to make a statement in his defense?"

The leader of the group lumbered to his feet and holding his injured hand carefully, glared at the women. Then turning to Jennifer he grunted, "All lies, all lies, all your statements are fairytales. Everything happened because you wanted it to happen. Look how you are dressed!"

Shouting and shaking his fingerless hand at Jennifer he ranted, "And tell me that you are not enticing every man here. You, Big Red couldn't get enough of us..."

Andrew's roar drowned his further comments. "You bastard, you..." and, with his body contorted in rage, he leapt to his feet. Two Ghurkhas forced him back down to his seat and, with hands on his shoulders, restrained him from attacking the bullyboy.

The women's screams of denial and their yells demanding justice went unheeded.

Making no comment, the RSM merely grunted an order in Nepali. Then, as he commenced speaking to the bullyboys, one guard lowered a screen from the roof while another started the projector linked to the lap top on the table and commenced the DVD.

"Is that your defense? You did nothing that the women didn't desire. Do you others agree that these women were willing to accept you as lovers?"

"Of course, he's right. We wouldn't harm them. They wanted..." The words agreeing with the leader's comments seemed to pile one on the other in a confused babble until the RSM gave a nod and the screen sprang into life with scene after scene of the four bullyboys raping various girls, ignoring their pleas for mercy, their terrified screams and their struggles.

The Blake family was extremely distressed.

"Enough," shouted Andrew while Eric just held Elizabeth's head against his chest trying to blot out the sight and sounds. Staring at the screen, Jennifer sat nodding her head agreeing with the accusations her friends had made against these men.

The screen faded into blackness and the sounds died away. In the silence that followed the RSM ordered a guard to give Elizabeth, Eric and Andrew paper and pens.

"I am asking you to write either 'Guilty' or 'Not Guilty' and to hand the paper to my man. You three were not attacked or physically assaulted by any of the prisoners so you are our judges tonight."

As if expecting a refusal, he waited quietly but the family quickly completed their task and the guard handed their judgements to him.

"The verdict is unanimous. Guilty!" That one word rang out like a bugle call. "Remove their shirts."

The flash of four kukris startled the Blakes and Andrew stared open mouthed at the single thin line of blood appearing on each of the four bullyboys chests as their shirts fell open.

Whimpering and shaking with fear, the four screamed, begging for mercy.

Ignoring their pleas and disregarding their struggles the guards, obeying the cold, blunt order, "Take them away!" dragged them from the shed.

"Bring in the next prisoners."

Again, the shearing shed echoed with the marching cadence of the Ghurkhas as three guards escorted the Katoey, the nurse and the doctor to the center of the floor.

Elizabeth rose out of her seat and gasped remarking, "There are two women!"

"Women?" A little Malay girl darted to Elizabeth. "The tall one is a Thai Katoey -- a transvestite whose favorite hobby was to force us to accept her bull mastiff as a lover. The other pretends to be a nurse but in the operating theatre delighted in torturing us. The so-called doctor attached our body rings without any use of anaesthetics. He also took pleasure in raping us and torturing our bodies."

Elizabeth turned to Jennifer who nodded her agreement with the Malay's statements. Surprised at the Malay's words and aghast at Jennifer's confirmation Elizabeth sank back into her seat, almost unable to comprehend that women could be the source of such indignities and atrocities that Jennifer and the other girls had endured.

"You have heard what was said to the four previous prisoners so I will not repeat myself. We'll not waste time calling for anymore accusations. Have you any comments to make?" The RSM seemed loathe to mention the new prisoner's crimes.

The Katoey stepped forward. "It's all lies - lies I tell you. I have done nothing wrong."

Unable to control her anger, Jennifer leapt to her feet and purposefully moved to stand in front of the Katoey. "You did nothing? You did nothing?" and her voice rose to a scream. "You have a funny idea of what nothing means. You choked us until we knelt and submitted to your weird needs to witness bestiality or we were unconscious. It was either submit or risk death.

The Katoey tried to back away from Jennifer but the point of a khukuri in her back stooped her movement.

A nod from the RSM was his only response.

The screen again became alive with action and the shed filled once more with piteous screams and heartrending pleas for mercy.

"Turn it off, turn it off!" The Katoey's shrill voice demanded as she admitted her guilt but then, in her defense, she added that Dingo had insisted that she do it.

The RSM withered her with a look of intense loathing and scorn.

"No girl will be asked to testify as you have pleaded guilty. Bring the other two forward.

"You, nurse, are a lesbian who forced your unwelcome attentions on various girls. You also encouraged the Doctor to rape the girls before and after attaching their nipple and clit rings. You took delight in their fear and their agony. Are you about to tell us of your innocence and have us show your activities on the screen?

The nurse didn't reply.

"Your silence is taken as an admission of guilt." The RSM was remorseless as he quickly moved on trying to bring the evening to an end. He knew Elizabeth and Eric were at their wit's end.

"Bring the Doctor forward." The moment the guard urged the doctor forward at the point of his khukuri the RSM continued. "Our surgeon has informed us your cruelty knew no bounds and you are a disgrace to your profession. We have DVD evidence of your crimes. Do you wish to view and hear the evidence? We believe the bodies in your own little morgue were the result of your callous attitude to life. We will present the evidence if required. How do you plead?"

Disdainfully the doctor looked around the room. "Your surgeon dares tell me I am no doctor? He is a surgeon from what third rate Asian university where education is a matter of attending a semester's lectures. As for cruelty, that's a figment of the imagination. I..."

Furious but holding his emotions in check the RSM held up his hand and stopped the litany of arrogance. "This fool thinks the training in the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh is inferior to his education. Anything else to say, Doctor?

"Whatever was done was at Dingo's insistence. Therefore, none of us is guilty of any crime. Your problem is with Dingo."

Snarling the RSM replied. "Obviously you did not listen earlier when I said such an excuse was unacceptable. Not once on any DVD we have studied does Dingo order any one of you to commit the atrocities you so enjoyed inflicting on the girls."

His next words were so icy and so frightening, Elizabeth took a deep breath, closed her eyes and tried to control her thoughts. "Remove his shirt, remove the blouses from the other two."

Three fine lines of blood followed the swift flick of three kukris and three pieces of clothing fell from the prisoners' shoulders. The guards led three crying, snivelling wretches out of the shed.

"Bring the remaining prisoners!" The RSM seemed intent on hastening the end of the proceedings.

Even at the point of a khukuri, Dingo and Pretty Boy arrogantly strolled into the arena.

Jennifer leapt to her feet and pointing at Dingo, shrieked, "Kill him! He had Peter murdered!" Then, indicating Pretty Boy, she screamed, "Kill him too! He murdered Peter. He boasted that he'd done it!" With flashing eyes and clenched fists, barely able to keep still, she failed to control her anger.

The shearing shed erupted once again. The girls shouted at Jennifer "Peter's not dead. He rescued us. He's not dead. Jennifer, wake up! Peter's alive."

In her confusion, Jennifer began to realize that perhaps they were right but her mind refused to accept that he was alive. Where is he? She looked around at her mother, father and brother seeking an answer but they had none to offer.

Surprisingly, Elizabeth, Eric and Andrew remained seated, appearing calm although clinging to each other as if in shock unable to speak. They were concerned for their daughter and sister and the long-term effect all this would have on her if Peter did not appear this very night.

The RSM quietly restored order and Jennifer's angry outburst died away. There was silence except for her quiet sobs.

Suddenly in the distance, they heard the drone of chopper blades. The noise became louder and louder until the shearing shed shook with the heavy beating whirr of the chopper's blades. It was obvious the chopper had landed nearby.

"He's here, he's learned to fly." Jennifer sprang to her feet, shouting. Again, the RSM moved quickly. He patiently and kindly seated her.

He turned away from Jennifer and no one noticed him scatter a handful of powder into the fire that immediately exploded into wild flames. To protect their eyes, everyone turned away from the fierce glare. When they turned back long tendrils of white smoke swirled to the ceiling and the shed filled with acrid smoke.

This white haze slowly cleared leaving a spicy odour.

Andrew was the first to react to the pungent aroma. He looked about trying to see if the shed was on fire.

It was quite some time before anyone noticed the wizened old man sitting cross-legged on the floor at the far side of the fire. He looked completely out of place with tribal markings on his face and chest. Around his hips, he was wearing a sarong.

Slowly, ignoring the heat he reached across the flames extending his right hand towards Jennifer with his palm, facing the floor. He flexed his fingers in the "Come here" Asian fashion.

Almost sleepwalking, Jennifer rose and moved to kneel opposite the old man who tossed more powder into the fire, which suddenly blazed again, sending more clouds of smoke billowing to the ceiling before dieing away. A sickly sweet smell filled the shearing shed.