THE ZENINAN SAGA

Why the Zeninan Saga was written

I first started writing seriously with The Zeninan Saga following reading some excellent feminist fantasy books. I discussed the books with a friend who had recommended them and although I enjoyed the writing. I argued that if women were in power and men were the underdogs, they would have most if not all the faults of men in history. My friend suggested I writ...e it as I thought it would be and so I developed the Planet of Zenina, its Empire, enemies and neighbours.

So I invented my planet of dominant women who used men as sex slaves. I didn't think it was that outrageous when I wrote it and had no plans beyond the first book. The series and its characters have a life of their own and when I ignore them the insist I continue to tell their story.

The Universe and Races of the Zeninan Saga

The Zeninan Saga is set several centuries into the future. Earth has not been annihilated by atomic war or another apocalypse. It is a member of the Federated Planetary group, but it considered a very small and insignificant planet. Not all of the planets within the Federated planets are occupied by races that can loosely be described as human. But at this point in the writing of the Saga, only one non-human race has been mentioned, the Enzengies; of whom you will learn more, later in the series.

The human race as we know it was formed from the mating of primitive man with crashed space explorers who the universe now generally believes originated in Ziga. Ziga is the name they use for their planet and does not indicate that they live on a star. Most of the human races within the universe have developed from cross mating with the various original peoples on their worlds and their different appearances derive from millennia of generations and mutations within their groupings.

As a result of the original genes from space explorers within the various human races within the universe, all humans have similar DNA and are capable of breeding with each other. Some of the non-human races although vaguely humanoid in appearance have different roots and their genetic structure is sufficiently different to prevent cross-mating by normal means.

The boundaries of the Federated Planetary group have a border close to the space of the Kurgian Empire. This Empire is ruled by one King, who at the time of Princess of Zenina was King Ga’Mishrin, a very unpleasant old man. The Kurgian race has pale blue matte skin and their hair colouring varies through various shades of blue, although young children may have pale green hair until it darkens into shades of blue. Despite this alien appearance they are human and their DNA is compatible with other human races.

The Kurgian Empire has the largest population of the various planetary groupings and their Capital planet Kurgia is much bigger than the other planets within the Empire. The Kurgian Empire has grown primarily through conquest and some colonisation. They have a large battle fleet and have been the instigators of many wars and attacks in the millennia of the Kurgian Empire’s existence.

The planet of Kurgia has several large continents and smaller islands. The main continent is called Kochab and its capital is Xagalui, where King Ga’Mishrin resides. Off from one corner of the Kurgian Empire, the free planet of Rimagon strives to remain independent of the larger planetary groups. To the opposite side of the Kurgian Empire, the Markaban Union is sited. The peoples of the Markaban Union are similar in appearance to the normal racial xeno-types we recognise within Earth although, paler skins dominate and blond or red hair is rare. The Markaban union is fairly unsettled and has over the last few centuries had various attempts by its colony planets to separate from the Union and control their own destiny.

Various small wars have been caused by these separatist movements and a lot of unnecessary deaths. Both sides of the political divide have reasonable arguments for their positions. The fragmentation of the Markaban Union would risk its piece-meal consumption by the Kurgian Empire but Markaba’s heavy handed suppression of the separatist movements has deepened the distrust felt by its colonies.

The Zeninan Empire borders the Markaban Union although one small corner of Zeninan space is close to the Kurgian Empire. Planet Qu, where Princess of Zenina begins is the nearest planet to the Kurgian Empire. The Zeninan Empire is a voluntary collective with each planet being self-governed. The other planets have chosen to seek Empire membership and in return are protected by the female army of the Zeninan Empire. They pay a trade levy for goods exported and imported from their planets to Zenina for this service and also receive emergency medical aid in the event of serious epidemics or disasters.

At the beginning of Princess of Zenina, the vast majority of the peoples of the Zeninan Empire have the appearance Earth men would expect of normal humans. There is a long term application from the planet of Krenderaria which has not yet been accepted, where the small race of Krenders is not human and is different both in appearance and genetically. Krenderaria is at the edge of the Zeninan Empire but its inclusion would straighten the Zeninan Empire’s boundaries.

Zenina is to the side of its Empire Planets and is quite small but their Empire is in the centre of the known inhabited universe. Zenina itself is inhabited and ruled by two races, the Zeninans and the aboriginal sea people who dwell in the depths of the oceans.

Zeninans believe their race originated from a group of Zigan spacers, but found their bodies and minds underwent a strange change. After six months on the planet, their body hair began to lessen and the men found they no longer produced facial hair. This abnormality was followed by them falling sick in colour change. Those who survived this colour change were reborn with skins in a variety of metallic hues, but also found they were now telepathic and had other abilities which they gradually learnt to use. The physical changes also resulted in much greater strength in the females of the race than the males.

Unfortunately many men died in colour change and the vast majority of those that survived were rendered infertile. The females remaining sought out the men of the sea-people and mated with them. Many of the offspring of these unions; were not viable either on land or under the seas and almost all males born were infertile. But the planet of Zenina gave them many new talents and advantages so they continued to enjoy their existence there, advancing in science far faster than the other planets in the surrounding universe.

But for the survival of their race they preyed on the men of other civilisations, stealing and enslaving the best of those available. So the race continued and sought to find ways to counter the Zeninan curse of male infertility in whatever ways they could. The Zigan Confederation of planets, the furthest planetary grouping whose exploratory ships had resulted in so many races populating the universe stagnated. They were affluent and comfortable in their lives but the discovery that some of their leading Royal family had genes that were immune to the infertility caused by the Zeninan factor caused considerable conflict with the Zeninans.

Zeninan women sought out resistant men and carried them back to their planet. Through the centuries Ziga eventually became an elected state and the men of the former royal family hid their heritage seeking to avoid Zeninan abduction. Through the centuries an uneasy peace had been established through the various planetary groupings, temporarily held in place by peace and trading treaties but despite Zenina’s largely peaceable intentions there existed an undercurrent of mistrust between the various peoples of the universe and some fear for the militarily far more advanced Zeninans.

Zigans tend to be taller than the other humans within the universe, the average male height being slightly over six feet in height. Their hair colouring tends to be fairer and they mostly have paler eye colours of blues and greens. An attractive people, whose men Zeninan women find very attractive.

Between the Zeninan Empire and the Zigan Confederation, exists one more free planet; known as Alpha. Alpha is a corrupt and lively planet where everything can be bought for a price. Alpha has a treaty of military support with the Zeninans which is not the same as membership of the Empire, but is more like a mercenary contract. In the event of their being attacked, the Zeninans would protect their planet but they would be fully billed for the cost of any military action.

Pelota and Pelozia

A couple of those who read drafts of the Zeninan Saga; asked whether the game of pelota actually existed. Pelota is played professionally by teams in Spain and the games are wagered on. The basket woven hooks called cisero are strapped below the elbow and scoop up the ball. It is a very fast game similar to squash played with the ball bouncing against the walls. Points are scored by the side who manages to keep the ball in play. There is no hoop or ring to score through. It is not a particularly dangerous game although injuries can be cause by falling or colliding. Deliberate fouling is not be allowed.

The hooks I described in pelozia have leather sheaths to the upper arm and straps to secure them in place, that is because pelozia is very much faster than pelota and uses a metal ball.

This piece is not included in the Princess of Zenina but relates the massacre that Bromarsh was falsely cashiered from the Markaban Army for.

Xandabal some years earlier

A quiet afternoon, children noisily playing zip in grassy village lanes. Tired men are returning from the fields for their scant evening meal. Women dashing to collect the washing as a few gentle raindrops start to fall. The distant ever-continuing war barely noticed by their meagre existence.

Birds loft into the sky, their rest unsettled. The gentle tramp of feet in unison. Soldiers passing through, no one stops to watch. A muffled cry! An imagined thud! A knock at every door. Soldiers masked. No word, no struggle. A knife, a throat, another death. Inside, a search, the wife, the grandmother, the baby in its crib, a brief scream, then silence.

A barked order, the soldiers form up and march away. The sound of their feet dies away into the night. No mother calls her children to the meal. No children fight over petty wrongs. No old man gossip and share their illicit brew. No hungry baby cries. The fires untended burn to ashes. The wind blows the rain through open doors that no one comes to close.

The birds settle back into their nests to sleep the night away. A dog howls, seeking his master who will not come again. This little piece of Xandabal lies slashed and bloody. Not a soul remains alive in the village.