A Pleasant Little War

The harvest

is finally completed and now I have a chance to put my story of the fantastic life I have found here in a readable form. My name is Jon Morgan and I live here on Highland with my wife, Ellen Grant Morgan, and a couple of hundred others in what we call the Grant Clan. Most fortunately many of those two hundred - and many in neighboring clans - are very attractive and very interested and willing women. I love the customs which have developed here.

With the harvest over we now have some eighty days of largely free time to enjoy other pursuits. In another day one of the most interesting of these activities will begin as we compete with a neighboring clan, the Macnabs this year.

Ellen is looking over my shoulder as I start writing. She gives me a kiss behind my ear and asks, "Are you planning on sleeping here tonight?"

"Definitely, Lover. We may not get a chance for a little while after this." I close my eyes and think of all the other beautiful and interested women who may be sharing my bed after the next day or so, as I know Ellen is thinking of all the men who will pleasure her.

"Well, let's make it early tonight. Tomorrow we probably will just want to sleep so we are well rested. But tonight I plan to keep you quite busy, as I hope you will me."

"No doubt on that," I comment. I won't be too long. I just want to get this started tonight. I'll have time during the day tomorrow to finish it since we'll want to take it easy." I reach up and fondle her tight ass and then let my hand run up her leg beneath her kilt to clasp her firm and bare bottom.

Ellen sucks in her breath and says, "Just don't be too long. I don't want to wait."

Squeezing her thigh I reply, "Not more than ten minutes, I promise. Just want to get this started." She leans over and we exchange a long, hot kiss with promise of what is soon to come. Then, letting her hand slide down my shoulder and across my chest, she turns and heads towards our room, beginning to open her shirt as she goes. I take a deep breath and decide maybe only five minutes, just enough to get a little bit down.

Highland had

its first colony some three hundred years after the beginning of interstellar travel. That makes it neither a very old nor a very recent civilization, but one with enough history to have developed its own characteristics and traditions.

Most of the planet is actually not a great environment and to this day remains quite empty. However, there is a relatively small area which provides conditions unusually conducive to the growth of some particularly unique crops. Crops that are considered sufficiently in demand to make growing and exporting them over interstellar distance a profitable enterprise.

I had first met Ronald Grant while serving a four year tour in the military. We had become good friends and when we both finished our hitches he had said he was going back to his home planet of Highland and thought I might find it an interesting place myself. I had told him that I was uncertain about what I wanted once out but had no interest in cities or even any planet with a large population. He informed me that Highland fit that description perfectly. While the agricultural area comprised some two hundred thousand square miles, the total population was less than ninety thousand and the population of the agricultural area much, much smaller than that. In that two hundred thousand square miles and the nearby lands, there were probably no more than sixteen or eighteen thousand people.

The planet itself was approximately the same size as earth with a year of about 324 earth days and a rotation period yielding a day of some 25 standard hours. Gravity was 0.96 that of earth and the atmosphere nearly the same with only a slightly higher percentage of oxygen. Temperatures varied from quite cold in the higher mountains to an average of about 40 degrees C in the area used for agriculture. Of course, that changed a lot during the Highland year. More so than earth because the planet's orbit was more elliptical than that of Terra. But what made the area unique was the weather which flowed down from the high peaks into the flat land below.

The geography of this area was dominated by a range of mountains running just slightly north of and almost parallel to the planet's equator. These were quite high but dropped to a fifty mile wide band of foothills - well, foothills when compared to the peaks themselves. Still the foothills were frequently as high as a thousand meters or even a bit more. But at the end of the foothills the land flattened to a nearly level plain which stretched for several hundred miles. In this flat area the winds and moisture from the high peaks combined with the winds produced by the planet's rotation and the hot equatorial temperatures to produce conditions which lent themselves to the production of Barcap, the crop which made farming on this world profitable.

Of course, as nearly everywhere in the known universe, farming here was done almost entirely by machine. But that didn't mean there was no need for people, just not so many of them. No, people were still needed to maintain the machines and to program and control their use. However, it did mean that humans did not have to dwell in the hot crop lands but could, instead, live in more comfortable climate of the foothills at the edge of the mountain range.

As had been the case for nearly four hundred years, the populated area was not urban, but rather consisted as a number of small ... What? They weren't really cities or even small towns. Probably the closest comparison might be the arrangements of Europe on earth during the eleventh to eighteenth centuries. Not really the same, but the settlements mainly consisted of groups of one hundred fifty to two hundred people. Generally there were one, two or three land owners and a number of employees and their families. Not that this was really a feudal arrangement. All were free people, there by their own choice. There was no real autocracy, but there were employees and employers. Although sometimes the actual ownership was more spread out in a cooperative fashion. Most of the population were actually related in some form. Regardless of the form of ownership, everyone was generally equal in a social sense.

There were some six or seven dozen or so of these settlements spread along the farming area. These were spread out along the foothills and were often thirty or more miles apart. Generally each such settlement was largely composed of people at least somewhat related to the owners of that section of crop land. Somewhat of a family enterprise. Probably the closest similar example might be the old clans of Scotland back on earth. In fact, a number of the first arrivals were from that country, or at least their ancestors were, and this is likely how the planet got its name as well as some of its customs.

From Ronald's description, the place certainly did seem interesting, but I still wasn't sure. Upon our discharge we had separated, Ronald heading home while I headed to the nearest major planet in the Federation. However, after four months there, looking for some interesting work, I had come to the conclusion that Ronald's home had more appeal than anything I had found or even read about. I sent him a message and his reply was an enthusiastic invitation to join him. After checking when I could get passage we arranged for me to join him after another two months.

I arrived within a day of the time I had hoped for. There was only one real spaceport on Highland and it was located near the one somewhat large population center. This was about four thousand miles from my destination, but it was easy enough to arrange for a robo-charter and I contacted Ronald, letting him know I'd be arriving the next afternoon. His reply, admittedly cryptic, left me in more confusion than ever. It read simply, "Great! You'll be in plenty of time for the war. See you tomorrow."

War? What was I getting myself into?

The flight

to the Grant home was uneventful. The craft set down, let me out and even as I was turning towards the large dwelling it rose once more and departed. Before I had taken two steps, Ronald appeared and called out, "Hi, Jon. Welcome to Castle Grant."

"Hi, Ronald. Castle Grant?" I looked around. The building from which he had emerged was large and sturdy, but a castle?

He laughed. "OK, so it's not really a castle. Maybe a manor house, but maybe not even quite that. Come on inside and I'll tell you a few things about the place."

Inside he showed me to a room I could use. It was large and bright, with windows looking out into the steep and forested foothills. I dropped my small duffle on the large bed and looked around. Yes, very nice. A modern bath opened off of one side and there was a door to a small balcony. A typical data unit rested on a desk. He pointed to a small opening above a table resting against a wall. "Auto food service if you ever want anything in here. Just use the terminal. We do have a much nicer dining area downstairs."

"Everything looks great. Definitely beats the quarters we've had most places."

He laughed. "Definitely! However, we'll get you set up in your own house before too long."

We moved back downstairs where he got a drink for each of us. We settled into a couple of chairs and after a few minutes he started to explain a few things. "Jon, I know you did a lot of programing while we were in the service. That was your speciality code, right?" I nodded. "Well, your job here will be quite similar but probably not as demanding. A lot of the farming equipment requires programming. You will be doing some code modifications, usually small things, but sometimes rather extensive." He leaned back and brought his fingers together. "I know I've told you a bit about life here, but let me give you a little more detail.

"My sister and I own about twelve hundred square miles of farm land and another twenty here in the hills. There are about one hundred eighty people living here. Oh, not right here, but scattered in the nearby area. We generally don't like to be crowded together too much. I think about three fourths are related somehow, so we refer to this as the Grant Clan even though that doesn't mean the same as it would have a thousand years ago. More of a club now."

He took a sip of his drink and went on. "Anyway, it doesn't really take too many people to run the place since everything is pretty well robotic and AI. We run everything with fewer than forty people. Everyone isn't actually a worker. The total number includes families. Most of the other farming plots are similar in that they have a small group, mostly related. There are some ninety groups like that and most of them refer to themselves as clans, even if some have no Scot ancestors at all."

He stopped for a few seconds and I leaned forwards. "I think I understand about that. What I want to know is what you meant by saying I'd be in time for the war." Although we had spent fours together in the military, neither of us had ever been involved in any kind of real combat and I wasn't sure I wanted to be now.

Ronald, leaned back and laughed, long and loud. When he got his breath back, he said, "Not a real war. Maybe a few hundred years ago it might have been, but not now. More of a game. Let me give you a little history." He closed his eyes for a few seconds and then went on. "When Highland was first settled, the farming area was divided much as it today and most of the areas were largely family enterprises, just like now. But that raised a bit of a problem. Small, isolated settlements didn't offer enough of a gene pool. People wanted to marry and raise families, but everyone knew that inbreeding was not a good idea, to say the least. Spread out, as it were, social contact between groups was somewhat limited, even with fairly rapid transportation."

He stopped for another sip of his drink. "No one knows exactly how it started or just what was the extent. There have been some guesses, however. For one thing, a lot of the settlements were of Scot heritage. For another, anytime there are isolated groups, some, call them feuds, will arise. Whatever the reasons, at some point it became not uncommon for one "clan" to stage a raid on another, primarily for the purpose of obtaining a wife or husband. Sometimes I expect this was because families didn't approve of the match even if the couple involved were quite willing. I mean, there was a lot of that kind of thing in old Scotland, after all. Anyway, this seems to have gone on for some time. As might be expected some real conflict sometimes developed, and occasionally someone got hurt or even killed. As best we have been able to piece together, after a few decades of this there was one bad raid where four or five people actually died. No one expected or wanted anything like this and in the aftermath a meeting of all the groups was set up."

"The result was that everyone agreed that such things must not happen again. However, it was also realized that many - especially the younger ones - wanted the excitement. A way to relieve stress - let of steam, as the old saying goes. And, of course, there still needed to be intermarriage between groups. The solution which emerged and is still in place today to some extent, is that the raids were replaced with a kind of game."

I looked at him. "You mean, the 'war' is an athletic contest?"

"Sort of, but not exactly. I'm not sure if it was originally this way, but let me explain what happens now. The farming process requires about seven of the ten months of the Highland year. That leaves a three month break - each month here is about 32 days. Naturally, this period is when tensions and frustrations run the highest, since people are not so busy. Anyway, what happens is that a date some fifteen days after harvest ends is designated. Clans are paired by semi-random selection and for five days after that date either of a pair can 'raid' the other. We do use weapons, but not real ones." He went to a wall and pulled down a rifle I had thought to be only a decoration. "These shoot small capsules of dye. The object of the game is to take out the head of the rival clan. When one or the other leader is hit, the raiding is over, but not the game. Raids are usually carried out mostly by the men, but sometimes some of the women, especially the younger women, join also. When the raid ends, the raiders occupy the losers' houses with those remaining in the houses acting as something like servants to the winners. Also the losing team of raiders goes to the other clan area where they act as the servants to those who remained there. This continues for about a month and a half and then everyone goes back to their own dwelling."

"It sounds more like a bet on a ball game," I said.

"That's a good comparison. However, it is generally a bit more interesting that the typical bet. It is also sometimes a form of courting, for want of a better word. A chance for young people to become, shall we say, better acquainted. I said the losers act 'somewhat' like servants." He stopped for a few seconds. "Let me give you a bit more background about the planet, or at least our area of it. I'm sure that from some of the things I've told you over the last few years you know that Highland, especially our area of it, has a reputation as a somewhat hedonistic place. There is very little in the way of sexual taboos here and everyone enjoys such activities. There are some, of course. I have never heard of any incest either between parents and children or between siblings. And no one is ever forced into anything unwanted. Also, adults do not play with children. Of course, with current medicine, there are no sexual diseases to worry about and no one gets pregnant unless they want to. Kids here grow up playing sexually with each other from an early age. Typically by the time they are thirteen or fourteen or so, they are mature enough to make serious decisions about such things. While we generally have a one man, one woman family, no one feels the need to remain monogamous." He stopped and looked at the surprised look on my face and then, with a wide smile, said, "We seem to all have a lot of fun."

"Are you really serious?" I managed to ask.

He gave a small laugh. "Yes, quite." Then his face took on a serious look. "One thing, Jon. As I said, no one ever forces anyone else. Either the man or woman can start things, but if the other isn't interested, nothing further happens. We are quite serious about that." Then the smile returned and he added, "Fortunately, that doesn't happen very often. By the way, my wife, Mary, and my sister, Ellen, will be joining us for dinner after a while. I wouldn't be surprised if one of them might want to play with you a bit tonight. Don't worry about it if it happens. Just enjoy yourself."

I couldn't help the smile spreading across my face. "I think I might get to really like this planet."

Ronald gave a deep laugh. "I'm sure you will. But let me say a bit more about our activities. First, we have rules for the war. I've already mentioned the time frame. Also no mechanical or electronic devices are allowed with the exception of our 'rifles' and a similar handgun. We can use normal transportation but no closer than a mile and a half to the others' territory. From there we go on foot. There are other rules. No actual physical force is used so that no one is actually injured. Also, raiders are limited to those over the age of eighteen Highland years. We're afraid younger people might get hurt, among other things."

He continued, "Once victory is declared, I have said winners generally occupy the losers homes and the losers go to the winners' dwellings. Exactly how they are distributed can vary a bit. I mean, after all, part of the idea is to get couples together. Actual sleeping arrangements are up to the individuals. Sometimes the game is carried to the point where a loser is treated like a slave to a winner. I don't mean mistreatment or anything. Maybe slave isn't the right word. More of a captive. Let's just say that a bit of kinky sex is often involved, but never anything that either party doesn't want."

I spoke up. "This is beginning to sound sort of like a two month orgy."

Again, a laugh. "Well, in some cases it can be, depending on what the individuals want. Or it can be only a romantic interlude. There are often a few marriages which get their start from this activity but there is also a lot that happens which is just good, hot sexual fun. As I said, no one is ever forced into anything."

Over the next hour we talked a bit more about this "war." This year Clan Grant was going up against Clan Macnab. The start was any time after midnight in three more days. Ronald assured me that before then I would have a chance to practice with our "weapons" and become a bit more familiar with both the geography and the customs here about.

The Highland

day was divided into 25 hours and I had arrived at about 1300. Some time approaching 1800, Ronald's wife, came into the house and into the room where Ronald and I were talking. Ronald had, of course, shown me her picture many times before and explained why they weren't together just then. They were both originally from Highland and both had enrolled in a program at a university on a world some thirty light years from there. They had married there, but when Ronald had graduated and started his military commitment, Mary's program was going to require at least three more years. They had been married for two years and then decided that the best course was to each complete their obligations which they hoped would end about the same time. They managed to get together several time when Ronald could get leave but otherwise hadn't gotten to spend much time together until Ronald got home. In reality, Mary had been back on Highland for half a year before Ronald returned.