7 comments/ 12535 views/ 20 favorites Sholan Alliance Ch. 01 By: maxd01 I am having a few issues with getting some of my ideas on paper so I decided to edit and update this series. There were a number of minor editing issues that have been corrected. It is mostly spelling errors, changes in sentence structure, and corrections based on what has been writen in following chapters. The basic story has not changed and won't. If you are initially reading this you can ignore any changes but if you are re-reading this then you might notice a few differences. I also had a volunteer editor, Captain Siren, review the first chapter in the Silver Moon series and she made some very good suggestions. With her help I am going to be revising all the chapters to remove some glaring inconsistencies. They will be posted as we smooth each chapter out. The last thing I have to say is that there are only a few detailed sex scenes in this series as with my other stories. I find, this is a personal opinion that having a sex scene in every chapter of a story gets boring after a while. I have come across some very good stories that keep getting broken up by one sex scene after another. That makes it hard for me to follow the plot line. Chapter 1 Billy was more than pissed when the safety check came back as a down check. He knew the hyper tubes only had a bit more in them before he would have to overhaul them but he wanted one more run. Billy had a friend who could help him with it but he was elsewhere for some other work which was not what he needed. "Great, how much will it cost to have then taken care of?" He winced at the price quoted to him. "We are looking at about 30K credits and that is assuming they don't find any other issues at the time. Then the price would go up of course." Billy could do the work but he was walking along the edges since it would take him a minimum month to get the work done. That was if there weren't any other problems. The worst part he knew that there was a problem that they hadn't found as of yet. "Fine do you think your bosses would mind if I dropped the Ship down to my property while I repair it?" If he could get the Ship down to the farm he knew he could do the work and save a bit. It would take more time but he could do it and he had the money, barely, from the last run. Landing was something he could do from orbit and not impact on the hyper coils. "Fine I will land my Ship and work on it. Once I get it done I will call for a safety inspection." He tried not to glare at the space guard. "Will that be okay?" The man looked at him and sighed. He hated this. The spacers and especially the free lancers were such a pain in the ass. "Fine that works. Call when ready." He left the deck and affixed a seal indicating that the ship was not safe for the transfer of goods. Billy snarled and called the tower and was connected to one of the controllers that he knew. "Permission to release connections with the space station and shift orbit to land on earth." God he hated this but had to admit that the Ship needed work. "Permission to deorbit and land at your ranch. I would say don't do anything I wouldn't do but..." The controller laughed. "Kiss my fins man." He unlocked the clamps and dropped from orbit. At least now they didn't have that tiny window to enter the atmosphere and could almost point the ship down. He used a gentle deorbit and eventually landed in the cradle on his property. ~~~ Satasha was not a happy camper. She had been in the middle of a sleep cycle when a number of alarms went off in her cabin. She couldn't complain about the fixtures in the Scout Ship since they were designed for comfort since there was usually a crew of three. Currently they were searching for the others that had attacked and destroyed one of their ships. Due to that their resources were being stretched thin. In this case she was both captain and crew though that wasn't really saying much since the vast majority of the ship functions were automated. The bed was large and comfortable; the showers had hot jets to help dry their fur. The food was pre-processed but comparatively speaking pretty decent. If you were feeling brave you could even cook it and add spices as well. All this went through her mind as she checked the readouts built into the ceiling above her head and freaked. Something was wrong with the navicomp and that was not good. She rolled out of bed and yelped as her head hit the edge. Satasha didn't bother pulling on her uniform since it was an internal fault and not an air leak. By the time she hit the bridge the alarms were about to give her a headache and that was the first thing Satasha dealt with. After killing the alarms she started diagnostics and also made sure the captains log was rolling. As she was waiting for the diagnostics to finish she was working on localizing the source of the electronic emissions that she had been tracking. There had been traces of hyper jump capability but what she had picked up was rather primitive emissions. After sending in the report she had been instructed to localize and evaluate the culture to see if they were advanced enough to open communications with. She had started picking up emissions several light years away. Actually Satasha had picked up primitive radio and video signals from even further out. The hyper signals had been much closer since they tended to fade much faster. Thankfully the navicomp survived long enough to get a basic course set before it finally melted down. The worst part was her communications were routed through the navicomp for directional control. She had tried to send a distress signal but wasn't sure it had been successful. Satasha could try it on the wide band but it was very possible the civilization she was checking was the one that attacked them. They didn't know much about them other than they came, attacked one of their ships and then vanished. There were obvious blaster burns, laser burns, and missile strikes. The entire crew had been killed and inspection also showed boarding and the killing of even ones who were trying to surrender. That was why they were stretched thin. There had always been more ships than crews since they kept the scout/fighters in a heavy cycle of maintenance. That was one of the reasons why she was alone on the ship. Once they had been attacked they had moved to a much higher deployment schedule and now crews were either one or two people instead of the normal three. In her case her second had managed to break his leg the day before they were scheduled to leave. That had really sucked since she would have enjoyed the company as well as the bed play. Command knew better than to forbid relationships on long haul scouting trips since it was rather pointless. All female Sholan's could control their fertility and monogamy was not a problem due to that. Yes they did have bonding contracts for conceiving cubs but they were normally 3 or 5 years. For the senior Sholan's most of them did a life bonding ceremony but again monogamy was not expected. What was expected was that any cubs only come from either the short term bonding or life mating ceremony. Satasha shook her head to chase away the stray thoughts as she watched the final diagnostic screen come up and she winced. The one component that she didn't have a spare for was the one that fried. It was a solid molycirc block that required a repair depot. "Oh frigging hell. This was not what I needed." She swore a bit longer as she typed in the directions she needed to the planet. If all else failed she could stay in stealth for several months since the Mother Ship would show up. She was expected to report once a week and if she didn't they would send a ship to check on her. ~~~ Billy was not a happy camper though he managed to keep it from his friends. Removing the tubes that were the problem was a major pain in the ass. Currently he had several sets of pullies set up to support them while he unbolted them. That alone was a several day process as there seemed to be about a million bolts that had to be undone. Not to mention all the lovely circuitry that needed to be disconnected as well. He growled at the current bolt since it was being stubborn and didn't want to come lose. Suddenly it broke free. "Damn it!" He swore as he racked his knuckles against another pipe when the bolt broke free suddenly. "Having a bit of a problem Billy? Why don't you come out and get something to eat. Sounds like something you could use." Jenna called in through the side opening. On the small Ships like this there was usually a large side panel. It could be removed to facilitate repairs and replacements of major engine components. That had been one of the first things he had removed. "If'n it's your fried chicken and greens for that I might almost marry you." They had known each other since grade school and it was a standing joke since she didn't swing that way. He finished removing the bolt and put it in a marked holder so he would know where it came from. Once done he crawled out and hopped out the side of the Ship. Jenna laughed at him as they walked to the house. "I think my girlfriend might object to my changing sides besides she makes better cookies than you do." Jenna was a bit on the large side but had a certain southern charm to her. "I figured you hadn't been eating right since you started tearing your old barge apart." He had fallen on the food like he hadn't eaten in days. "Hell hun I haven't had a good meal for a while. Don't forget I ain't never got around to cooking much other than canned things and chili." That wasn't even mentioning the fact that he would be working 18 hours a day if he wasn't so worried about being tired and screwing something up. As it was he still was doing 12 hours a day. So far he had been working for just under a month and was almost ready to pull the last set of tubes. He had about a week of work before he could pull them. "Now if my young'n hadn't gone back to school I would be eating better." Sally had left two weeks ago to the college she was going to. When she left he had lost his assistant which really sucked. In a way he was glad she wasn't going into the same field he was in since she leaned more towards the social science. What was sort of a hoot was she was majoring in zenobiology with a minor in zenopalentology. I think we are going to drag your ass out to the bar on Friday and make sure you take a day off. Maybe pick up a girl, get a bit of action, and pour you into bed." To the best of her knowledge he had been working pretty much non-stop since he had been grounded. Granted in space it would have been easier since you could turn gravity off and move things easier. Drawback was it cost money. "You know you would have been mostly done if you had dry docked her." Billy took a sip of his root beer and snorted. "It will take more than you two gals to drag my ass out of here." Every day was costing him money and that really upset him since he had finally made it in the black after having to do another repair. "I know but I just got in the black and that would have pushed me in the red. At least here I don't have to worry about docking fees." He ran the cold bottle across his forehead and sighed. "A month and a half or maybe two and I should have the old bitch fixed." "Hey, talk nicely about the old bitch. You did name her after my girlfriend." Jenna laughed when she said that. Through most of school he had a crush on Sandi and even once they were out of school. Billy had married his senior class sweetheart but everyone knew that he had still cared for Sandi. "Yah, before you snatched her from under my nose." He waved his bottle at her. "At least you could have warned me you had your eye on her." That had taken some time to come to terms with but eventually he had and they were best of friends now. It had been shortly after he had lost his wife during childbirth. ~~~ Satasha had been slowly approaching the planet she had detected the hyper waves from. She didn't want to do too large a jump via warp since she was being forced to do most of the math by hand. Satasha was decent at the hyper calculations and some she could do via the computers but some had to be done by hand. Each and every time she did one of the micro jumps she would sweat that she had screwed up. Finally she was close enough to use her n-space engines and coast in. Between each jump she had coasted for a few days to catch up on the transmissions and to ensure that her jumps hadn't been picked up. She was currently in the Oort cloud and was coasting in system. It had taken her just over a month to make it this far. Part of it had been the manual computations since they did take time but it was also scanning the EM frequencies. While she had been coasting the computers were doing their job as well and by now Satasha had a pretty decent working dictionary for their language. The video had taken longer since there were several different formats and each time she stopped it seemed to be a new one for the computer to figure out. Between watching some of the old shows and working on learning the new language she was starting to get a feel for the world, or part of it. Some of it did concern her since there appeared to be still some regional conflicts. Also the world was not unified, or not totally. There currently appeared to be three major political powers as well as a number of small countries that had a sort of detente going. The culture was too young to be brought into the alliance but since they had hyper jump capability they would be closely monitored to ensure they weren't of a danger to the alliance. Once they advanced enough then they might be brought in as junior members for a number of years till proven they could be trusted. Now that Satasha was in the system proper she might as well do her job and scout as best possible. The stealth on her ship should be more than enough to keep anyone from finding her unless she wanted to. After Satasha had identified the third planet as the source of many of the jump signatures she aimed her ship towards it. There were other locations but they were obviously transient points and not main sources of the jump signatures. After sitting there for a few weeks she engaged her n-space engines and slowly accelerated till she had reached .2 C and then turned the engines off. That was the fastest the shields on her scout ship would conceal at close quarters. There were enough ships in system that being detected was a major concern. Once the Mother Ship showed she would be able to send out an omni-directional signal that they would pick up. Either that or if they sent a scout ship or even one of the heavy shuttles she would be able to signal it and get picked up. If they couldn't tow the Ship it would be sent into the sun for destruction. Based on Satasha's observations her civilization was a good hundred and fifty or more years in advance than the human's. If any one country got their hands on the technology it would give them an advantage that couldn't be overcome. The stealth alone would be worth capturing. Satasha would even take a pill to keep from being captured and interrogated if needed. She didn't like the idea but they were trained to. For the next week or two she drifted in system scanning everything she could. It was all passive scanning but she was getting a great deal of information on the level of the technology. What she really needed was access to some of their computers to really get a good history of their world and cultures. Once she had an orbit programmed Satasha headed back to the galley and contemplated her choices. Since there was only her onboard she had enough rations for at least a good year so she decided to treat herself to one of the good ones. In this case Satasha was going to actually cook it and not have the pouch autoheat. That way Satasha could flavor it the way she wanted as well as cook it to the consistency she liked. As she was cooking Satasha was lightly whistling since she had something to do now. Eventually the cooking was done but in the middle of eating it the alarm went off again. "Oh frigging hell what now?" Technically you weren't allowed to bring food to the bridge but she was hungry and not going to waste her cooking. As she was eating she started the diagnostics again and leaned back and finished eating. Satasha's tail was lashing and her ears were laid back against her head in irritation at the new issue. When the diagnostics finished she groaned since whatever had jacked up her navicomp had now hit her n-space drive and shields. She was going to need to drop speed and land the damn ship before anything else happened. Satasha reprogrammed the damn computer to slow the ship down as she headed for the third planet. She had to land somewhere that she could survive till someone showed up. As she was doing the programming Satasha was snarling in Sholan. The worst part was that she was going to have to babysit the damn computer to ensure that nothing else went wrong. By the time she reached the planet Satasha had been up for well over 50 hours and felt like hell. The shields were still holding thank Vartra though the engines were still having issues. If she could find somewhere to land it she might be able to fix the engines. The navicomp she couldn't do much about unless she could get some access to local tech. If that worked then with some star charts then she might be able to get back to the ship. Once Satasha had reached earth she considered taking a break but she had been nursing them for long enough that she didn't trust them. If she had more sleep she might have considered a parking maneuver but her mind was sort of out of it. She scanned the planet and found what looked like a good location and entered manual drive mode. Satasha programmed it in and nudged the scout down towards the location she had chosen. It was remote and she hadn't picked up any power signatures. ~~~ Billy was right in the middle of the final tube disconnect when the power at his house went out. "Oh what the fucking hell now?" His first reaction was that he knew he had paid the bill. "Damn it all to hell I don't need this." Thankfully he had a wrist light and made his way out of the Ship and to his house. Billy called the power company and found that some idiot had hit a power transmitter and took out all the power for a good thirty miles or more. The power company expected it to be back up in four to five hours. "Oh bloody fucking hell." He was starting to get worked up when Jenna called. "Dude, you are going out since you don't have any power. We are going to be there in just a few minutes since you have nothing to do." She laughed at his groan. Billy had to admit that he didn't have anything to do and sighed. "Fine, I need some time off anyways. You are going to drive me back." He could sneak out but he knew the girls and they would find him. "I will be outside and waiting." It wasn't too long before his friends showed up and he hopped in the hover craft and leaned back and relaxed. Little did he know that when he came home it was going to totally change his life. ~~~ Satasha was definitely on the sluggish side when she aimed the ship down towards the landing location. As she was coming down her drive started having more troubles and some of the words she used shouldn't be used in main stream society. Satasha rolled her eyes and then swore even more when her drive actually quit. That got even more swear words and some of them were even in English just too add a bit of variety. Thankfully when she landed it was relatively slow speed and it only knocked her out. Thank Vartra she was in her suit and it medicated her to take care of the head injury but she was going to be out for a while. ~~~ Jenna and Kelli dropped Billy off and waved at him as he left. "Night and we had fun Billy. Sleep well." They pulled away and he waved back as they were leaving. Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 02 Ch. 01 I am working on getting the chapters fixed for the first part of this series. Lit.com is being a bit slow which is somewhat frustrating but eventually it will be fixed. As far as this chapter there is going to be more action and personal conflicts not to mention some politics. Oh, and there is (gasp) a sex scene in this chapter. After I submit this for posting I am going to finish bk 2 c 3 for Ranicke and submit it. That might end up being tomorrow (Monday) so hopefully it will be up sometime the middle of next week. The last thing I have to say is that there are only a few detailed sex scenes in this series as with my other stories. I find, this is a personal opinion that having a sex scene in every chapter of a story gets boring after a while. I have come across some very good stories that keep getting broken up by one sex scene after another. That makes it hard for me to follow the plot line. ***** Billy and Satasha spent the next two days in the isolation room till Doctor Jusdean cleared them. They slowly walked back to the rooms they had been using. Once inside Billy sat down and groaned. "I feel better but still feel like a star ship ran me over." Satasha laid down on the couch and rested her head in his lap and he started stroking her fur. She sighed. "I know Yilly but you will feel better in a few days and by the time you get home you will feel fine." Her eyes closed and she started purring. As they were relaxing the door chimed. Neither one of them felt like moving so Billy called out. "Enter at your own risk." The fact that he was starting to show a bit of humor indicated he was starting to feel better. He wasn't startled when Engineer H'Zalon walked in since he had sensed him outside the doors. When he paused at the door Billy waved him in. "Please come in and if you wouldn't mind getting us some c'shar I would greatly appreciate it. I need to take my meds." H'Zalon paused. "Are you sure I am not interrupting. I know you are still recovering but I wanted to talk to you about the changes we would like to make. Some of it is going to be about the voltage, current, and amps that your electrical system uses. The rest of it is going to be about the actual changes." When Billy waved him in he did so and hurried to get some drinks for the three of them. Billy took his cup and tossed back a couple of pills and a good mouth full of the drink. He would have preferred coffee but the thought of it made his stomach sort of queasy. "Thanks. Let's start with the electrical system first and with the engines I have I have plenty to use." The Sholan's had finally gotten around to issuing him a set of VR glasses and he pulled them out. "Show me and then explain the symbols you use for electricity and your PIE chart of how you utilize electricity." The engineer grinned at him. "No trying any sneaky tactics to pick my brain Yim." He had heard of the threats Jim had made to disassemble something. He had a feeling that was one of the reasons they had been moved to these quarters. If he was to bored he might try. Moving him here and allowing him out would give him something to do. H'Zalon pulled up the power requirements needed for the changes that had been recommended. Satasha shook her head at the two of them. She understood much of what they were saying since it was low level electronics but she didn't want to listen. "Yimmy I am going to go lay down for a while." She gave him a light kiss before going to the bedroom. It was about two hours later when Jim pulled the glasses off. "I need to go and relax myself. My headache comes and goes and it is starting again." He carefully stood up. "Why don't you come to dinner this evening and after we eat we can talk a bit more." He headed for the bedroom and stripped down and crawled into bed. Satasha was sleeping on her stomach so Jim draped an arm across her waist and nestled his head on her back. As he was laying there he was feeling a warm surge and flow of power between the two of them. He fell asleep with a contented smile on his face. Sally and Vangie came into the suite and peeked into the bedroom and had to smile since the two looked at peace with the world. Quietly they closed the door and she leaned back against Vangie. "It has been so long since pappa has looked so comfortable and content. Maybe now they can take out a bonding contract." It still sounded a bit odd to her but she was starting to see the attraction the two had. She liked Vangie and he was one of the most attentive lovers she had ever had. Right now it was simply friendship and enjoying their time in bed. Having him wash her hair and back had most definitely become something she enjoyed. It still felt a bit odd to be showering with her father and Satasha but nothing like that first day. "We will wake them shortly before dinner time. Till then let them rest. I know the doctor didn't want to let them out quite yet and plenty of rest is mandatory." Vangie had to smile at her and scooped her up. "Well I guess that means that we need to figure something out to kill some time." He started licking and gently biting her neck and ear. She started giggling and he loved the sound of it. "Well big boy I am sure we can find something to do." He carried her into their room and as she was laughing he gently tossed her on the bed. "I most definitely think we can find something to occupy ourselves with." His fingers ran down the tabard and opened the seal. Underneath she wasn't wearing anything except for some panties. She was so different than a Sholan female with the smooth skin and breasts. For some reason she also shaved her groin other than a strip down the front. He smiled down at her and leaned forward and kissed her. "You are a very lovely woman and I am very pleased that you have chosen to spend time with me." He didn't have any illusions about what she might feel towards him. He did like her and was coming to care for her as a good friend. After having thought that he knew that she wasn't ready to settle down unlike her father and Satasha. Sally wiggled slightly and smiled at him. "See something you like?" She started running his hands through his fur and sighed in contentment. "As I said, such lovely fur and a warm person. I also am pleased to have met you Vangie." As she returned the kiss her hands came up and stroked the fur alongside his face. "My lovely Sholan, how glad art I that thou hast chosen to spend a bit of time with me." Once in a blue moon Sally spoke oddly but he got the gist of the meaning. "Nay fair lady, tis I who is honored that such a lovely and fair maiden hath chosen to spend time with me." It was hard to speak that way but he knew she enjoyed listening to things like that. Vangie stood up and stripped his belt and tabard off as Sally did the same with her clothing. Once she was undressed she moved towards the center of the bed so Vangie had some room as well. Just for good measure she stretched and smiled as his eyes roamed over her body. "I think someone see's something he likes. Now the question is if he is going to simply stare or join me in bed." He snorted at her. "Oh so you want me to join you do you? Well I think I am going to start with the toes today..." Vangie lightly caught one foot and lifted it up and ran his tongue across the bottom of it. When she squealed he licked some more before slowly starting his way up the leg. When he hit the knee he moved to the other leg and repeated the process. Sally tried as hard as she could not to laugh as he licked her feet and toes. She was almost as ticklish as her father in that area. "You are being a butthead you overgrown cat." As he worked his way up her legs she could feel her body responding. His tongue was long and flexible and Vangie was very skilled with it. As he licked and nibbled he would use the soft sides and then the rough center for a different sensation. He could feel her relaxing into his ministrations and was pleased. Vangie hadn't been sure how she would react to his doing something different. From her scent she was starting to enjoy it. Her musk was different than a female Sholan but still smelled as sweet. Vangie slowly licked and nipped his way up her legs and could feel her reacting. When he got close to her groin he altered his path so that he went up the other side of the crease where her leg met her groin. She moaned slightly since that wasn't where she wanted him. Sally's hands curled in his hair as she tried to direct him where she wanted him. She knew she wasn't strong enough but she had to try. "Oh god, move down and use that lovely tongue of yours." Her back was arching slightly and her hips were slowly moving up and down as she tried to entice him. "Please Vangie don't make me wait." There was a definite moaning in her voice as well as a slight panting as well. He smiled at her and let out a low rumbling purr. "Tonight I am going to love you the way I would a Sholan female. I have enjoyed doing what you have been showing me. Now it is my turn." Vangie's eyes had a slight glow to them as he looked at her. He kept moving up her body with the licks and nibbles though he avoided her nipples for the moment. Eventually he made it to her neck and pressed his nose to the pulse point and smiled. "You smell so lovely my sweet human." He worked his way to her lips and gave her a slow kiss. "I am going to make sure you are totally satisfied by the time I am done." She could see a slight curl to his lips as he leaned back a bit. As he was smiling at her he felt her running her hands through his fur on his chest. "Oh? Is that so? I think we can make sure we are both satisfied." Her fingers were delicately working their way through the fur of his chest and found his nipples. Most human males weren't nearly as sensitive to having their nipples played with. Sally figured it was since the Sholans were covered with fur so it protected the skin. What she found so interesting was how soft the skin was. It was as soft as one or two of the females she had taken to bed. Yes she had played both sides of the field and enjoyed both genders since each had given different types of attention. She started stroking and playing with his nipples and he started moaning himself. Sally gave him a low chuckle and leaned forward and captured his lower lip in her teeth and nibbled the way he liked it. From him she was definitely feeling a sense of enjoyment of her entire body. He was also enjoying her reacting somewhat as a Sholan would. Vangie leaned into her nibbling and closed his eyes and his purring increased. Her fingers were still lightly twisting and pulling on his nipples and he could feel his genitalia starting to get ready to descend. He still had some time before he would have to take her or he would be too engorged. If he tried after that it would only hurt her. "You know what I like Sally and don't stop." It was a hard choice between leaning into the nibbling or her playing with her hands. Sally would have been purring if she had been a Sholan. Her hands roamed down the fur on his chest to the slightly longer belly fur. Knowing that too much stimulation below his waist line would cause him to become aroused to soon she kept her hands above his waist. Her hands slid around his sides and worked their way up his back. She loved the feel of the muscles in his arms and back. "My sexy Sholan. You are starting to drive me nuts so you had better get to work." Her legs curled around his and pulled him close. Vangie smiled and started working his way down her neck and finally settled on a nipple to play with and she pressed her chest against his mouth. As he was sucking and nibbling on her nipple and the tissue around it one hand started sliding lower. When his fingers gently opened her folds he could feel how wet she was. "Oh my, I think someone is enjoying herself." Sally started trying to press her groin against his fingers even more. He was trying to drive her nuts and she knew it. "Now be a good Sholan and start moving further south and put that lovely tongue to even better uses." His fingers had started stroking her folds and creases before finding her clit and she almost instantly had an orgasm. Her entire body tensed up and groan of satisfaction escaped her lips even as she was biting her lower lip. He kept working his way down till he reached her groin and lightly nuzzled her lips as he inhaled deeply. As he was inhaling her scent his tongue lightly flicked out and sampled her juices. Vangie let out a low 'rrrr' of satisfaction at the flavor and he gently licked each fold and finally used the tip of his tongue to stimulate her clit and she came again. Sally tried really hard not to pull on his hair to hard but when her body tensed up her hands made fists. "Uuunnnngggghhhh, Ahhhhh. G... G... God don't..." She couldn't finish as he brought her to another climax. She felt him roll her over so she was on her knees with her head resting on her forearms. As she was adjusting slightly she felt the tip of his penis start sliding in and her hands were now clenching at the sheets. Vangie was most definitely ready for her since he had felt his genitals descent from inside. The first erection phase had started and he needed to be inside her before the second triggered. As he gently pushed in he could feel how wet and tight she was. As he was starting to move in and out he ran his hands along her back and enjoyed the feel of her skin against his finger pads. "How sweet thou art." Both of them could feel the secondary erection start and as he pushed forward she pushed back. Both stayed that way till the finally swelling had stopped. He rested his hands on her hips and started moving again. As he was moving he could hear her moans against the pillow and had to smile. Sally could feel just how engorged he was. The secondary erection locked them together so the strokes were short. Every time he pushed forward the base would rub past her G spot and she came again. This would happen at least four times before he came. Eventually he did and man did it feel like he had filled every nook and cranny inside her. They collapsed on their side on the bed and he lightly attacked her ear as he was purring. "Vartra's Bones that was good. I hope you enjoyed it as well." Vangie was definitely panting as he was recovering. Sally pulled one of his arms around her and wrapped hers over his and curled their fingers together. "You are such an attentive lover Vangie. I have to admit that was different but good god you had me going." As they were laying there slowly recovering a slight smile crossed her face since she had plans of her own for him. Once he had disengaged he rolled on his back and stretched. As he was stretching he felt her hand sliding between his legs and start playing. "Um, what are you doing?" She had done similar before but not after the bed play. "It is your turn so lay back and relax." She rolled over and shifted till she was facing his groin. He had mostly slipped back inside but Sally wasn't worried about that. She leaned forward and after parting the fur started licking the opening for his genitalia. The taste was different but not bad at all. As she was licking her fingers were stroking around the opening and she could feel him respond. Vangie wasn't really sure what to do at that point and wasn't totally sure what she was intending. What she was doing was most definitely stimulating and he could feel the swelling and everything descended. When her lips settled around his penis he tensed up. Her mouth was warm and soft. Her teeth felt different as well and he started lightly thrusting his hips towards her. Sally slid as much of him inside her mouth as she could and gently ran her tongue around his shaft. He did have a salty flavor much like human males but the rest of the taste was very different. As hard as she tried to take her time it wasn't all that long before he came again. As he did she heard that deep growl of satisfaction from him. "And that was your treat." She lightly licked some of the juices off him and then settled down next to him and rested her head on his chest. He had to lay there for a few minutes while he waited for his eyes to finish uncrossing. "Sally you can do that anytime you wish." They lay there for a while before he gently nudged her. "I would like a shower if you don't mind." One hand ran down her side and rested on her hip. "I love the smell of you but really don't have the urge to heavily smell of bed play." She giggled at him and rolled off the bed and then grimaced. "I have to remember to bring a wash cloth to bed when we make love." It was starting to run down her legs and she grabbed her panties and used them to stop the leakage. "Sometimes I have to wonder just how much juices you have." She was giggling and scurried to the bathroom. He snickered and rolled off the bed a bit slower since he needed the bathroom as well. Eventually they were showered and clean. When Vangie led her out to the living area he could feel a slight tingle building as well. After consideration he decided it was just an after affect of having sex. "I am starving now. Shall we order a meal from one of the restaurants?" Sally stretched and smiled. "That sounds good and I am feeling too lazy to go and get something to eat." To be honest after the bed play she was feeling entirely too relaxed to go anywhere. At the moment she was planning on curling up with Vangie after they ate and simply enjoy the contact. About then the door buzzer went off and they gave each other a look since they had no idea who might be there. Vangie opened the door to find the engineer and Z'Marl outside the door. Z'Marl pushed the cart with the food on it into the room. "Good evening to both of you. Yilly told H'Zalon to come up for dinner and we took care of it." Sally raised an eyebrow and then waved both into the room. "Let me wake them up and they will be out in a moment." As she was heading towards the room Vangie was getting them something to eat. She entered the room and walked over to the bed and smiled. After sitting on the edge of the bed Sally reached over and lightly brushed some hair off her father's face. She sat there for a moment and relaxed as she looked at how contented he looked. Satasha also looked very comfortable and content. "I am so happy for you pappa. You nave another lady to love and care for now." Sally reached over and gently stroked Satasha's hair before finally waking them up. "Pappa food is here as well as H'Zalon and Z'Marl. Time to wake up and eat." She gently shook him to wake him and he smiled before rolling over and looking up at her. "I am glad that you are finally coming to terms with Satasha's and my relationship." He winked at her as he rolled over and tickled Satasha lightly. She twitched and started yawning. Satasha rolled over and draped an arm across his waist and licked an ear. "Hey you two, she yawned again and sniffed the air. Oh yummy, food and you had fun didn't you Sally?" She smirked at her as she stood up and started dressing. Billy ignored the comment Satasha had made and started getting dressed as well. "Thank god my stomach is feeling better. I can actually sniff without starting to look for the anti-vomit pills." He finally stood up and gave Sally a good hug and wrapped an arm around her as they walked out. "Good evening to both of you and that smells wonderful." He walked over to Z'Marl and gave her a good hug and a light kiss. "If you keep feeding me this way I might be forced to toss over Satasha for you." He winked at her and then moved over to the table. Satasha growled at him and then poked him in the side. "Just for that you are going to be sleeping on the couch tonight." When Billy turned and pulled her close she couldn't help but purr. She could feel just how much he loved her. She could tell that he cared for Z'Marl as well but nothing like he cared for her. Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 02 Ch. 01 Billy nuzzled Satasha's neck and lightly nibbled on an ear. "My love and my life. How I love thee. Maybe now we can start looking into the bonding contract." He released her as the food was placed on the table and he smiled. M'Zalon had to blink when Billy said that and tilted his head and smiled slightly. "Good luck with that both of you. Maybe when we get to earth you can introduce me to some of your friends." He was grinning when he said it and everyone laughed. They started eating and Billy was pleased that his stomach wasn't complaining about it. Eventually everyone was done and he belched and sighed. "Excuse me and that was darn good. Thank you for cooking this hun." He knew she had cooked it just for them. Everyone moved over to the couches and settled down and Billy couldn't help but looked pleased since Satasha was on one side and Z'Marl was on the other. They were both leaning against him and M'Zalon sighed. "How did an old man like you get so lucky? Two very attractive young ladies curled up next to you." He had to smile at him when he said that. Z'Marl laughed and stood up and walked over and settled down next to him and curled up. "There, now you don't have to be jealous." She leaned against M'Zalon with a slight grin as he twitched and flicked his ears. Billy grinned at him and then became more serious. "So what questions do you have for me?" He asked as he pulled on the glasses. He noticed that Z'Marl did as well and a slight smile crossed his face. He was going to make her do much of the speaking. M'Zalon placed an arm around her shoulders and lightly touched her cheek. "Such a pretty lady. I hope that one of these days I have someone like you to bond with." He knew her since he spent a moderate deal of time in the dining area she worked at. "Well Yilly after reviewing what we discussed this morning..." He went on to ask several questions. With a slight smile he looked at Z'Marl. "Would you like to answer him? You can explain it as well as I can till it gets to my ship and her systems." Satasha blinked at him and then her eyes narrowed slightly at the two of them. Satasha didn't say anything but had to wonder why he was asking her friend to present some of the information. She did notice that Z'Marl looked a bit uncomfortable and had to wonder why. Something was going on though she had no idea what it might be. As she was contemplating this everyone started putting their VR glasses on. Satasha decided not to and settled for curling up and placing her head in his lap and closed her eyes. She wasn't going to fall asleep but she was going to relax and simply listen. Z'Marl glared at Billy and then sighed. "Yes Yilly I will start off though you might have to correct me." She flipped the screens out and started talking. She definitely wasn't comfortable talking about it but since Billy had asked her she was going to. He was still recovering and was still looking sort of pale and tired. "Well starting off with..." Z'Marl started talking and that got everyone's attention. Sally rolled her eyes and covered her face with her hands. "Oh god, another brainiac... " Vangie snickered at her reaction and settled back to listen. She leaned against him and listened carefully and was impressed. "Z'Marl that is really good though I am shocked you didn't end up with a headache." Billy snickered. "Can you say geek foreplay? When I spent the night with her we talked math for quite some time." He gave Z'Marl a warm smile and then waved her to continue talking. The engineer was looking rather startled and impressed. He gave her another hug and had to smile as well. "That is very impressive since I am still trying to wrap my mind around some of the concepts." He glanced at Billy and shook his head. "Only you could find someone aboard the ship who can understand your mind." They talked well into the evening till Billy was starting to get tired. "See you for breakfast." He looked down and noticed that Satasha had fallen asleep. "She looks so young when she is sleeping. I almost feel bad for robbing the cradle." His fingers were gently stroking her cheek as he was talking. M'Zalon couldn't help but smile. "She does look comfortable and you can't be that much older than she is." He really had no idea of how old the humans were or how long they lived. Since Billy had two adult daughters he had to be older but just how much again he didn't know. Billy just shook his head and waved at him as he left. "Time to get her to bed." He gently lifted her head and slid out from under her. "Can you give me a hand Z'Marl?" He smiled when she came over and helped him pick Satasha up and take her to the bed room. Z'Marl carefully started taking Satasha's clothing off and set it on a chair. While she was doing that Billy was pulling the covers back and helped get her tucked in. "She is so lovely and has come to mean so much to me." He looked up at Z'Marl and there was a gentle expression on his face and the love could be seen in his eyes. "She is a lovely person as well. I am very pleased that the two of you found each other." As she was talking she pulled her clothing off much to his surprise. "Um, what are you doing?" This was most definitely not something he had expected. Even if he had felt up to it there wouldn't be any bed play with Satasha there. Yes he did appreciate her body and the color of her fur but all he wanted to do was go to sleep. She smiled at him. "Just going to curl up with the two of you and sleep. I was very concerned when you became sick and just want to make sure you are getting well." She looked down at the floor and then back at Billy. "I have really been enjoying the conversations and letting you teach me." It had been fun this evening since she knew that at least two of the people understood her. Billy tilted his head and smiled. "Then curl up you shall and I hope you sleep well." He stripped down and crawled in and curled around Satasha. When Z'Marl joined them he couldn't help but smile a bit. "I feel like the two of you are making a Yilly sandwich." He smiled as she slipped an arm around him and snuggled up close. They fell asleep and he slept well during the night. When he finally woke up he found that he was now curled around Z'Marl and Satasha was curled around him. Darn it but he was feeling comfortable. "Mmmm, I could get used to this occasionally." He felt Satasha's arm tighten around his waist. "Hmm? Oh, so Z'Marl curled up with as well. We tend to do this fairly often unless you are a telepath. Then you tend to sleep alone or only with other telepaths. It is because touch carries so much information." She ran her hand along Z'Marl's side and smiled. "I was totally shocked last night when she started explaining your equations. I knew she was smart but not that smart." He grinned and tickled Z'Marl till she woke up. "I don't know about you two but I have to use the bathroom and then a good shower." He crawled out and eventually they ended up in the shower. Sally and Vangie walked in and joined them. Sally gave him a look and raised an eyebrow at him but didn't say anything. Instead she turned to Vangie and started working on him. God the Sholans were changing him as much as he might be changing them. How far was it going to go? Hell how much were they going to change her? For a brief moment she leaned against Vangie's back and sighed. It would be nice to get back to earth but she was really loving what she was learning. They finally made it to the living room and Billy had to grin. M'Zalon had brought breakfast and had set the table. Billy had given him access to the main room when they were there. "Thank you for breakfast and it smells good. I feel sort of bad that you have been spending money on us though." M'Zalon grinned at him. "Nah, I have been given a budget for things like this." He winked at Billy. "It is a bribe to get you to give us more of your secrets from that headache causing brain of yours." He smiled at Z'Marl. "You young lady are going to have a talk with me later. You managed to take what Yilly had done and explain it in a way that was more understandable. I am going to ask to have you assigned to work with him." She lowered her ears and shook her head. "Sir I would prefer not to, or not in an official position. I like my job and what I do." Z'Marl was looking upset and Billy went over to hug her but she tried to resist. Billy ignored her slight struggling and pulled her close. "Hun you have so much to give. I understand your loving your job. I love being a tramp freighter captain and don't want to give it up. The secret is that I can do both. You can as well. Come with us and you can serve the first contact team and work with me on the equations." He was stroking her ears and hair for all he was worth as she tucked her head into his neck. "I don't know Yilly. It scares me to let people know what I can do." She tucked her head into his neck and held on for dear life. What he was asking of her really did scare her since being different where she came from was frowned on. "I don't want to be different than everyone else." Satasha was letting Billy deal with her since she was sure he had gone through much the same. Instead she went and dialed up some drinks and fixed Billy's the way he liked it. They went on the table and she settled down and waited. Billy had to smile slightly at Z'Marl. "I can sort of understand that though in my case as I got older I decided I didn't care. Sticking out where I came from was a good way to be picked on and pushed around." He held up one hand and grinned. "Not all the scars came from banging my knuckles on the engines." Billy kept the stroking up and listened to what she was saying with both his ears and his mind. "Hun you are different but not in a bad way. It doesn't make you a different person than you are now. You are a lovely young woman who is bubbly, vivacious, and outgoing. Being smart, or I should say showing your intelligence and using it won't change who you are." He rested his hands on her hips and looked down at her. "The other night in your room was very enjoyable. It was nice to actually have a conversation without causing headaches." Z'Marl leaned back and looked at him with searching eyes. They were vulnerable looking when she met his eyes. Both his scent and body said the same thing, he wasn't lying and was telling the truth. To be honest she had greatly enjoyed talking to him as well. The next morning had been rather nice as well but being able to actually use her brain and have someone else understand was nice. "Yilly I really am scared of exposing that side of me to random people." One hand came up and cupped his cheek. "Will you, with Satasha's permission, stand next to me and help me?" Satasha stood up and came over and rested her hands on Z'Marl's shoulders and nuzzled her cheek. "Of course he would stand next to you and he doesn't need my permission." Satasha finally ended up with her head resting on Z'Marl's shoulder. "I guess this is sort of saying welcome to the family. Just don't give me any headaches though." Sally shook her head and looked at Vangie. "I wonder if pappa is starting a harem..." She started laughing when she said that since Billy had glared at her. "Oh my such a look daddy, did I hit a nerve?" When Vangie covered his face with one hand she really started laughing. "Maybe I will start one as well." Billy smiled at her. "Of course I will stand next to you just like I did with both of my daughters. Being smart runs in the family and there were a few occasions I had to deal with petulant children. They thought they should have gotten better grades and reviews since their parents were wealthy. I know of at least three that are flipping burgers currently." He tilted her head up and lightly licked her nose. "I will say the same thing, welcome to the family. Now I am hungry and I am going to chow down." When he let go of Z'Marl Sally came over and gave her a good hug. "Pappa is really good at standing next to people and supporting them. The problem he has is being able to lean on others and ask for help. Satasha has started teaching him to lean on others but he is pretty stubborn." She gave her another squeeze before letting go. "If it helps you are amongst several really smart people and when you meet my sister..." She rolled her eyes. Billy snorted but started eating. "I think now would be a good time to go down to my ship and really let you take a look at it. This will give you an idea of what might be done to it." As they were eating they changed the subject and simply chatted. By the time they were done Billy stretched and yawned. "A couple of hours of work and looking around and I am going to need to crash. If nothing else Satasha and I can use the bed in my room for a nap while you are looking." Once they were done eating they headed down to the ship and started working on it. During the day both he and Satasha napped off and on as needed. ~~~ Over the following week or so the two of them finally recovered and work was progressing. The rooms had been completed and the ship stocked with the Sholan meal pouches. He had his own food as well which he was looking forward to. The Sholan food was good and he was enjoying it but he wanted something from home. The hardest part was integrating the new sensors and communication equipment into his ship. It ended up they simply installed some totally new sensors and communication equipment. They were stand alone units that he would have to take the information from and punch it into his systems. It was a jury rigged affair but it should work till he had time to upgrade his sensors with his technology. As the various techs were working on his ship Billy and the others spent a great deal of time with the first contact team. That was fascinating in a way but also seemed to give him headaches as well. Every morning he was working with the tutor to learn to build the shields and controlling his talent. Both he and Satasha were getting stronger which greatly confused both the tutor and mentor aboard the ship. Eventually the ship was ready to go and he was going to be taking most of the warriors so they had more room aboard the barque that would be carrying the rest of the contact team. They were going to be escorted by a stealth fighter for good measure as well. Z'Marl had been spending a great deal of time in their quarters and spent a number of nights curled up with the two of them as well. The night before they were going to be leaving the three of them were curled up in bed. Z'Marl had fallen asleep a few minutes before and her body was relaxing as was her face. "She almost makes me think of one of my girls." His fingers gently stroked her cheek. "Well not including the fun and excitement occasionally." He looked at Satasha. "She looks so young when she is asleep. You look younger as well but not nearly as young as she does." Satasha smiled back at him. "I had noticed that some time ago. I had to wonder about the mask she puts on and why she does." Her hand was resting on Z'Marl's hip since she was between the two of them this evening. "I am starting to think she is falling for you Yilly. You are giving her something she has never had before. I understand her position and why and it doesn't bother me." She reached over and stroked his cheek. "I do have a surprise for you before we leave tomorrow. I am going to let you wonder though." Billy closed his eyes and leaned into the stroking and simply smiled. "Yes my love and thank you for understanding. For some reason I just feel a need to take her under my wing and help her." He closed his eyes and sent a surge of love to Satasha. He didn't realize it but some of it washed over Z'Marl and a smile crossed her face as she slept. ~~~ The next morning when Billy awoke he was rather startled to find Satasha dressed up nicely. She smiled at him. "Good morning and get a quick shower while I pull out some cloths for you two." Satasha had secretly been working on the surprise. She had made sure that the others knew to dress up as well. Billy frowned at her and stalked towards the bathroom. Behind him he could hear Z'Marl rolling out of bed and padding after him. Sally and Vangie were in there and he yawned a greeting before stepping in and started working on Z'Marl's back and hair. Before he started she turned around and wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Thank you Yilly for everything." She rubbed her head on his chest for a moment and then stepped back and turned so he could work on her back. "Silly cat, of course I would help you. Satasha said you are part of the family and family means a great deal to me." Once they were done he walked into their room and let Satasha help him get dressed. She even made a neat pony tail for him. It wasn't very long but was still tidy. As they were dressing Z'Marl was as well and all three of them looked good when they were done. Billy really had no clue what was going on and had finally decided they were dressing up to meet the contact team. It was silly since they all knew each other now but figured they were going to film the meeting and take off. He settled his tabard and over robe a bit more on his shoulders and walked out. Vangie was dressed smartly in his uniform and Sally really looked good in the Sholan clothing that had been tailored for her. "Okay Satasha lead the way." She smiled and took his hand in hers and headed towards the elevators. When they got off the elevators they were on a level he hadn't seen before and was feeling confused. "Where are we going?" He asked. Satasha smiled. "It is only a bit further Yilly and then you will see." She refused to comment any further and even blocked off the mental connection they had. That had been harder than she had expected and she was going to have to think about it. Eventually they reached the temple and with a smile she opened the door and led them in. Billy looked around and his eyes found the statue and his eyes widened. He recognized the statue as Vartra who was one of the major deities on Shola. "It is a fascinating statue but what does it have to do with us?" At that time a Sholan came out of another doorway and smiled. He was dressed in a gray robe with purple trim. "Good morning Satasha and I take it this is Yilly correct?" Nordan smiled at Billy and held his hand out palm up. "I am pleased to meet you Yilly. Welcome to the temple of Vartra." Billy smiled at the Sholan and lightly touched his finger tips before moving his hand back to his side. "I am feeling really confused. Why am I here?" Satasha leaned against Billy and she had a pleased smile on her face. The priest waved him over to a table. It had a book, paper, and some incense. "Welcome to the temple of Vartra and Satasha talked to me a few days ago. She indicated that she wanted to take out a three year bonding contract with you." He smiled at her. "After talking to her I agreed that I would do the ceremony for the two of you. I can feel her love for you and when I touched you I could feel your love for her." Billy looked stunned as he turned to Satasha. His mouth was moving but he just couldn't talk at the moment. Tears started to trickle down his cheeks as he was trying to gather his wits. Satasha stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him and lightly licked the tears off. "I do love you deeply Yilly and when I saw the chance I reached for it and took it. I told you I wanted a bonding contract with you and you accepted." She relaxed when he rested with his head against her chest and felt him take several shuddering breaths. "I accept Tasha. I want this contract with you as well." He took one last deep breath and turned to face the priest. "I am not sure what I need to do but I also wish a bonding contract with Satasha." He was trying hard not to crush her hand as he held it. Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 02 Ch. 01 Nordan gave him a warm smile. "It is nice to see two people that are so in love. I am pleased and honored to be the one to do the bonding." He led them over to the table. "Actually it is relatively simple though occasionally some people do have something a bit more formal. I will verify that both of you wish this, I will note the bonding date, names, and how long in my book. The people with you will sign as witnesses and then we will sign the actual contract. Once that is done you will throw some incense on one of the flames to carry your wishes to Vartra." Billy nodded at what he was saying and followed him over to the small table. He was still holding her hand. He was sure she could feel his shock at the surprise she had arranged. His eyes were on the table and the large heavy book resting there as well as the paper contract. As hard as it was his hand was still shaking in nervousness. "Satasha do you wish this bonding contract with Yilly Madlax?" He asked her and when she said yes he turned to Billy. "Yilly do you wish this bonding contract with Satasha Verzilon?" Billy still couldn't speak and settled for a nod. Everyone could feel his love for her and how much he wanted this. Nordan smiled at him and gave him a reassuring nod. He started filling out the book and once done he turned it for the two of them to sign. Both did though Billy's was a bit shaky. "Now take some incense and toss it onto the flame. This will send your hopes and prayers to Vartra." Billy followed Satasha's example and he closed his eyes. The one thing he really wished they could do was have a child together. He sent a wish to Vartra that eventually they would have a child even if he or she had a Sholan father. Once done they turned back to the table and found the others had just finished signing the book. "Please come back over and sign the contract as well." He smiled as they did that and it was witnessed as well. "One copy is for the two of you and the other will be forwarded to the main temple on Shola to document the bonding." He turned to Satasha and smiled. "As you requested I held onto the bonding bracelets for you." He flipped the cover off the bracelets. They were bronze and on one surface was an engraving. Nordan picked up Billy's bracelet and held it out to Satasha. On it was engraved his ship with some scroll work around it. She wrapped it around his wrist and snapped it on. Once done Nordan handed the other bracelet to Billy. He looked at it and smiled. It was an engraving of a pair of boots and a pair of sandal's the Sholan's occasionally wore. Next to it was engraved 'Traveling shoes'. Once he had placed it on her wrist he pulled her into a good hug and kiss. He licked her nose before lightly nipping it. "That is for being a stinker and trying to give me a heart attack." Billy rested his head on her chest and sighed. "This was such a wonderful surprise and a good way to start our flight." He looked at the priest. "Thank you father for allowing this and for your blessings. It is time for us to git down to the hanger bay." The others clapped and cheered them and Billy had a really shy smile on his face as they left. To be honest he was totally in shock and his brain was trying to either melt down or kick start so it was working again. "God woman you... I can't even begin to describe how I feel." He frowned for a moment. "I could probably work up some equation but it would end up giving you a headache." Sally smacked him for that and groaned. "If you do that I am taking your VR glasses away for the duration of the trip." Just for good measure she smacked him on the back as well. ~~~ When they reached the hanger bay he found all the warriors and the first contact team waiting as well as the commander. As they approached all of them started cheering and Billy almost instantly blushed. "Satasha if I didn't love you so much I would hate you right now." He muttered in her ear. For a brief moment he waited for the rest of the ship's crew to show up and throw a party. "Well let's get loaded up and on our way. My traveling boots are starting to itch and I can't wait to get home and see how many more headaches I get to cause." The commander frowned at him. "Please try to avoid that. I don't want them thinking all we do is give those out." After a moment he smiled and stepped aside and waved him towards his craft. "Safe trip Captain Madlax and if all goes well we should see you in a few months." Billy moved forward and to the ship and was followed by the others. It was going to be crowded since he, Satasha, and Z'Marl were going to be in his cabin. The engineer was going to be sharing a room with a warrior. The rest of the warriors assigned to his ship were going to be two to a room as well. One drawback was there were only two crew showers so that was going to be a pain. Now his cabin had a shower for the captain and he didn't have any intentions of sharing. The main airlock was between the crew section and the engines and cargo section. As they moved forwards he let Vangie assign the crew to the rooms. "Sally once we get underway I want you to give the warriors some training on the weapons. We shouldn't need them but better safe than sorry." Vangie nodded as well. "Several of us have training as ship's crew as well and it might be handy if you could teach them the basics of your ship. That way we can rotate crew through there and have a round the clock watch." It would also keep the warriors from becoming totally bored. That tended to lead to trouble at times. "Good idea and it will keep them from deciding to turn my ship into a major training exercise." He grinned at the snickers and snorts. "Actually though I am sure you have ship boarding training it might be good for you to use my ship as an example of the average small Terran ship." That would also keep them occupied as well. "Just don't break anything please or I will send the bill to your Commander." Once the warriors were settled Satasha, Billy, and Sally settled in the chairs for the various stations. "M'Zalon if you want to have a seat in that chair please do. Don't touch anything since it is the weapons station. I would really hate to accidently do something like shoot your ship." He laughed as he settled down. "I would hate to try and explain that as well." He had to shudder at that thought. Z'Marl grabbed the last station and settled down to watch. She was quite interested in how the ship was run and she was definitely going to check out the engines. The two Sholan's kept quiet as Billy radioed for permission to take off from the landing bay. Once he received permission he powered her up and slowly moved out of the landing bay. Once they were clear he waited for the two Sholan ships to move into formation with him. "Attention all ships I am transmitting the coordinates as well as the flight plan. Unless something changes we are going to follow the plan as laid out." He pressed a button and sent the information. "We will have a meeting about a day out to see if we need to change anything." After verifying everyone had the data he initiated the hyper drive and flashed into hyper along with the other two ships. "Secure from stations and please assemble in the main room." Now came the fun part. He really didn't have any urge to give tours but the warriors needed to know where everything was. He started the briefing and they split up in groups to be shown around. ~~~ They had been underway for just about a week and had a week left before they reached earth when alarms started going off. They weren't mechanical alarms but proximity alarms. "Oh fuck this isn't good." He scrambled to the bridge and strapped in. "Attention contact team transport drop back and go to silent running if possible." As he was doing that Vangie showed in the door as Sally and Satasha were strapping in. "Attention combat craft don't fire unless told to. I want the ship as intact as possible.." He checked his scanner and frowned at the readings. "I am going to classify this as a pirate vessel. Stay in stealth as well." He flipped to the intercom. "All warriors gear up and get ready for a boarding action." Vangie started murmuring instructions into his wrist comm. Scrambling could be heard as the warriors dashed into their rooms and pulled on their armor and weapons. They moved to take up assigned positions and prepared for what might end up happening. Right about the time they had taken stations the strange ship fired across the bow and the short range communications crackled. Billy flipped the comm's on and waited. It didn't take long before he was hailed by the other ship and he snarled when he heard the name of the ship and saw the image of the captain. "Oh goody we get to wipe this piece of shit out." "This is Captain Jack Sparrow of the Black Pearl. Do not change your speed and lower your shields or you will be fired on. Illuminate the docking ring and prepare for boarding. If you don't fight you might last a bit longer." He smirked on the video screen as he was talking. He was stupid enough not to ask why Billy wasn't transmitting video and only audio. "This is Captain Madlax of the SS Sandi and you are breaking international treaties on the boarding of ships." He figured it was expected for him to say that and the last thing he wanted was to raise suspicion. He muted the mic. "God could you have come up with a better name you idiot? He is taking his name and ship name from an old movie." "I will say this one more time before firing on you. Maintain your speed and lower your shields and prepare to be boarded. I can get what I want from the hull of your ship if I have to." He had his boots up on the console and was smoking a vile looking cigar. Billy glanced back at Vangie and got a nod from him. He turned back to the pickup. "Understood and I will prepare for boarding. Please take what you want but don't harm me or my crew." That was also fairly standard but with this bastard it wouldn't be done. He was known for taking prisoners and if they weren't wealthy they had fun with them and worked them over before killing them and mailing the bodies back to the family just for amusements sake. "I will meet you at the airlock and again please take what you want and don't harm my crew." All he got back was a course laugh. Billy turned the audio off. "Sally take the controls, Satasha stay with Navigation, and Z'Marl take the engineering console." He walked over to the weapon's locker and opened it. He handed Sally a pistol and shotgun. He also grabbed a pistol and tucked it in the back of his pants. Several clips went into pockets and he pulled out his shotgun and ammo harness. "Hold this for me Vangie. I am going to greet them and then we board." Vangie gave him an evil look. "It will be our pleasure to help you Captain." They headed towards the airlock he activated his comm to ensure that all troops were at their assigned station. "Sally illuminate the airlock and activate the power to the weapons systems. Vangie make sure your warriors know not to activate them unless ordered or we are fired on." He got a nod from him and Billy moved so he could see the ship approach and mentally nodded. "This is a small fast cruiser, or was. Pirates tend to make changes all the time to armament and engines as they loot and pillage. There is a central corridor that runs fore and aft down the center of the ship. I want one team to follow me forward and the second to secure the engine room. Shoot on sight if they don't surrender immediately. There is a nice reward for them dead or alive as well and I don't really care if we take them back in body bags. The only ones I would like alive are the officers." The docking tube started coming across. "Normally this ship would have a crew of about twenty but the pirates might have more or less. It really depends. I am going to stop talking now since the tube has connected." Sally contacted him and told him they wanted him to open the exterior doors. He did that and waited. It looked like there were five or so pirates coming across and they were all heavily armed. Once they stepped in the airlock he closed it and moved back so they would have to jump to reach him. When the airlock opened and they stepped through Billy almost puked since they reeked of stale sweat, smoke, and god only knew what else. "On your knees scum or I will shoot your legs off." His voice was smoke roughened and he had vile tattoos on his face and neck. As he was talking to Billy his men were glancing around trying to see if there were any others hanging around. Billy knelt down and he was doing his best to look pale and was trying to project terror at the five. It might be wrong but he was doing everything he could to increase their arrogance and confidence. The leader was gloating as Billy went down. "What a good scum, nice and obedient." He turned to the others and smirked at them and they started laughing. It was a cruel laugher and predicted plenty of pain in the passenger's future. When he turned away to glance at the others Billy flopped on his side and pulled his pistol. It was specifically designed for ship combat. The rounds were frangible and when they hit something solid disintegrated. When they hit a person they also tended to break into pieces but not nearly as small as hitting metal. The first round hit the first pirate in the hip and he went down screaming. Billy got off one more shot and took out another pirate before the warriors whipped around the corner. They fired at the last three and they went down hard. Billy rolled to his feet and pocked the pistol again. Vangie handed him the harness and then the shotgun. It only took a few moments and then he dashed across the boarding tube and he heard stunners being used. He grinned since if any of them survived they would have a hangover from hell. As soon as he reached the main p-way he held his hand up. He had his VR glasses on but was set in motion and sensor mode. He let them do their work and moments later he held up two fingers and pointed in the direction towards the engine room. He held up three fingers and pointed towards the bridge. Several more hand movements and they moved. The pirates didn't have much time to react before they were shot. One did get lucky and Billy heard a grunt from one of the warriors but when he checked his glasses all of them appeared to be moving relatively fine. As they were running down the p-way he used his comm. He told Vangie where to have his warriors break off to secure the ship. When they made it to the bridge the door was shut and locked. Billy stepped to the side and one of the Sholan's fired his pulser rifle at the lock. The moment it blew Billy pulled the door open and Vangie shot each person with the stunner. Before the last pirate fell Billy jerked the captain out of his chair and started checking the controls. "Bastard was trying to set off some mines that would attach to my hull and detonate inwards." His fingers flew across the controls. The pirates hadn't changed the basic OS though they had made some changes. It took a few minutes before he had accessed the underlying software and took over the ship. He locked down every door in the ship and changed the access code so they couldn't get out. "Vangie I need two guards here. Right now the ship is maintaining station keeping and the controls are locked down. I have the code and pass it to all your warriors." He informed Vangie what it was. "We are going to start at the front of the ship and work our way back. We are going to check every room, store room, nook, and cranny. We will designate one or more rooms as the brig as needed." They moved out and slowly moved down the p-way and checked any and all access panels and rooms. They did take several prisoners but others tried resisting and were shot on the spot. The other team had left two in the engine room and the rest were starting a sweep forward. Suddenly Billy's comm's sent him an alert from one of the Sholan's. "Captain you need to get down here immediately. They had prisoners." Billy could hear screaming over the comm. and the screams were obviously female. "Understood. Be there shortly. Vangie with me." He started running down the hall. As he was approaching the source of the screaming a pirate stepped out and Billy didn't even slow down. He butt stroked him and kept going. He heard a stunner and knew that Vangie had stunned him. As he approached the doorway one of the warriors indicated for him to slow down and held a finger to his mouth. Billy did that and quietly moved to the door and looked in. When he did his blood pressure almost went off the chart and for a brief moment all he saw was red. There were what looked like six women in the room and they ranged from maybe mid-teens to late thirties. All of them were nude and had obvious marks of abuse on their bodies. They were filthy, their hair matted and tangled and the stench was almost over powering. Billy could only stand there for a few moment and stare in shock. "Holy Mary, mother of God." He looked at Vangie. "Get several of your warriors to my ship and take over command of it. Have the females come over since we are going to terrify them." He turned back to the room and slung his shotgun and squatted down. "I am Captain Madlax of the SS Sandi. I am former Navy, Lt. Madlax of the design board. We took over this ship when they tried to board us and all the pirates have been either captured or killed." He looked up at Vangie and smiled before looking back. "These are some friends of mine and I promise they won't harm you. Yes they are aliens and yes they are felinoid but they are good people. This is senior warrior Vangie and he is seeing my daughter." He could hear the females coming and he looked at them and back at the women in the room. "There are three females approaching. Once is my oldest girl and the other two are Sholan's as well." He stood up and moved slightly off to one side. "This is my mate Satasha and that means we are married. The blonde Sholan is Z'Marl and is a very gentle woman. The last is my daughter Sally. They are going to come in and do what they can to comfort you." He contacted the warrior in charge of his ship. "I am going to detach the boarding tube. Move away and let the Barque approach. I will connect the boarding tube to the ship so they can send some medical staff over. We have six badly injured females and they are going to need treatment." When he started to move Vangie told him to wait. "Warrior Presion withdraw the docking tube and let me know when it is done." He nodded at Billy and angled his head towards the room. Billy turned and heard a voice quietly speak. "Is that you Billy Bob? Is it really you?" The voice was almost broken sounding and carried tones of fear and terror. He turned and looked at the woman and his jaw dropped. "Bitty is that you?" He handed his shotgun to Vangie and slowly moved forward. "Oh my god hun and yes it is." He squatted down next to her and held his hand out to her and was almost knocked over. She had almost lunged into his arms and burst into tears. His arms wrapped around her and pulled her close and tucked her head into his neck. "You are safe now Bitty. I am very serious when I say the Sholan's are my friends and they will take very good care of you." He doubted that she could really hear him over the sobbing but he knew the others could hear him. From her reaction they could tell that she trusted him. As she was crying a young warrior, maybe twenty or so, approached Vangie. "Sir I am reporting that all the survivors are in two rooms. The rooms have been stripped of anything movable. The men have been stripped as well. The dead bodies are getting tossed into a freezer unit for the time being." He thumped his right fist to his left shoulder in their version of a salute. As he was turning he noticed the women and his ears went back and his face hardened. Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 02 Ch. 02 I had some feedback and comments about my getting some names mixed up. I apologize for that and all I can say is that occasionally the meds for both withdrawal and anxiety sort of zonk me out. Not bad enough that I end up with a bunch of gobldy gook but with Billy's and Jimmy's names so similar they just sort of happen. It is getting better the further I am from my last drink and eventually I will go back and correct the problems. I have been trying to get chapter 3 and 4 swapped so they are in the correct order but have been having some problems with it. I will get it resolved for all the poor souls who are confused by it. I am going to do the next chapter for Ranicke and then Silver Moon before I come back to the Sholan Alliance. The ideas for this story just seemed to stick out in my mind and demanded that I write it down first. Again I want to thank my readers for both the positive and constructive comments. They mean a great deal to me as well as the voting. I figure that as long as I am above 4.65 or so I must be doing a good job. Keep reading and keep enjoying the stories. As I said in my last chapter submitted if anyone wants updates on the status of my stories send me feedback with your e-mail and I will add it to the list I am creating. Any and all relationships are 18+ or the equivalent with the alien species. ***** Billy was still standing there leaning against the wall doing his best not to allow the emotions affect him. Normal emotions and feelings he could block and wouldn't be affected. These emotions were to strong and they were affecting him badly. At the moment he simply couldn't move because of what he was feeling. It was taking all his will power to remain in the spot that he was currently in. As he was fighting to resist the urge to go and kill the pirates Vangie could see just how tense he was. You didn't have to be a telepath to see the tension he was under. As the doctor walked past Vangie waved her over. "Doc do you happen to have any psychic suppressants on you? Yilly is not able to block it right now." He glanced over at him and leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "He is trying to resist going and killing all the pirates. I think his shielding isn't strong enough." She nodded at him and walked over and touched his shoulder. "Yimmy I am going to give you something to help you. It is going to sting for a moment but it will help you block the sensations you are feeling." She waited for him to respond. When he did his voice was very guttural and filled with fury. "Do it. I don't know how much longer I can hold on." His back and neck were a mass of tensed muscles and he hurt. At the moment he didn't care if she knocked him out as long as it would resolve the issue long enough to get off the ship. She pressed the hypoderm against his neck and fired it. As she said it burned for a few moments and then a feeling of coolness flowed through his body. As it was flowing through his body he felt the rage almost shut off. When it did he collapsed against the wall but Vangie was expecting it and easily caught him. Billy pressed his head against the wall and let the drug finish working. "Thanks doc." Now he sounded just exhausted. Vangie looked at Dr. Desjean and smiled slightly. "Just in case can I get some more of that drug? Leave the instructions and maybe half a dozen ampoules please." When she handed the hypoderm and meds over he pocketed them and picked Billy up. "We are going to the docking area and as soon as your ship is attached we will get over there. You might sleep for a while but that is normal. Billy shook his head. "I need to go to the bridge first to set up some instructions for when I put the ship in tow." God he felt like a limp rag at the moment. He was going to need to crash for at least a short time after everything was taken care of. Vangie contemplated for a moment and then nodded. "Yes Captain. As you wish." He wrapped one of Billy's arms around his neck and an arm around his waist to keep him upright. "Let's go and get this taken care of." They headed to the bridge and Billy flopped in the command chair and unlocked the command consoles and went to work. Now that the suppressant was in him and he was away from everyone he was feeling better. He wasn't sure how long it would last. The remaining warriors who had helped take over the ship were going to remain on this ship. Only a small token crew was going to be on his ship. He should be able to handle the feelings and emotions from them. He eventually had the commands punched in. "Vangie when I tell you have one of the warriors press the illuminated button. That will be after I connect the tow cables to the ship and it will give me remote access to the controls." With a hand from Vangie he made it back to his ship which had connected while he was working with the console. "To the bridge and disconnect the gangway between the ships." Once they were on the way to the bridge Vangie sent a message to one of the few warriors remaining on board. Billy could see the status of the gangway being disconnected and retracted by the other ship on the instrument panel. Once it was done he verified everything was green he started powering up the towing station and system. Billy moved over to the towing station and after checking the control lights there extended the cables one at a time. Each cable connected to one of four points on the other ship. Once connected Billy brought each online and verified that there wasn't any malicious code running. After he was satisfied he nodded at Vangie. "Salvaged vessel activate the command button Yilly set." Vangie waited for a few moments and received a confirmation that the button had been pressed. He nodded at Billy so he knew as well. Once that was done Billy checked and he had full control of the other ship. After running some system diagnostics he slowly powered his engines up and took her under tow. "All the lights are green across the board Vangie. Ensure that they have a good rotation for watching the bridge, guards for the pirates, and sleep schedule." When he tried to get up Vangie actually had to catch him. "I am taking you back to your room and give you a good massage. It will help your muscles relax as well as help you sleep and you need the sleep right now." He did just that and by the time Vangie had left Billy's cabin the man was snoring quietly in bed. Chances were good he would sleep for a good six or more hours which he needed. ~~~ On the Barque The first thing they did was to take them to the two rooms set aside for them. It was going to be a tight squeeze but only for a few days. For the moment all six were brought in and settled in the chairs and beds. Doctor Desjean settled down on a counter and gave them a slight smile. "I do wish to apologize for the tight fit but the barque only has so much space. There are two rooms with two beds each and connected by a shower." She shifted her tabard slightly before continuing. "The showers are communal since we Sholan's tend to be communal people and help each other get clean. In each room is a drink dispenser that has several different drinks. As I am sure you noticed the beds are rather large since the average male Sholan is about six and a half feet tall. The women tend towards six foot tall as well." The young warrior brought her a drink and she thanked him. "First thing that is going to happen is we are going to be taking one of you at a time to medical for a scan to find out everything that is wrong with you." That got raised voices from them and she contemplated them. Kingie saluted the doctor and turned to the women. "Please, I know it probably scares you a great deal to be separated or the idea of being separated. I am here as well as three other warriors who were board ship when we rescued you. "There is also Captain Yilly's daughter Sally, Yilly's bondmate Satasha, and Z'Marl. That makes seven of us who helped rescues you. There will be two guards on duty at all times, one from the rescue party and one from this ship. If you wish one of the ladies will sleep in here as well." He looked around before settling down next to the girl and let her wrap her arm around him. "There is only enough space in medical for a few people. One of the four of us in this room will accompany each of you to medical for the scan." He smiled a slight bit. "There is nothing to fear and no physical probing of any sort. Yilly said he only felt lightly cooked when he had his scan." Sally smacked him lightly on one shoulder. "Warrior Kingie I am going to tell Vangie about that horrible joke and let him deal with you." She covered her face and sighed. "Over grown children is what they are and I have to deal with them." Bitty snorted and snickered and almost looked shocked that she had sort of laughed. "Oh god that has to be Billy back there. Only he would come up with a joke that bad." She looked a bit more comfortable when she said that. Satasha gave her a warm grin. "Actually I was the one teasing him about talking to the doctor and making sure he was only lightly cooked when the doctor was done with him." She squatted down in front of her. "You are Yilly's niece correct? That makes you my bond niece and I will make sure you are okay. Would you accompany me to medical?" Bitty raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. Right now she didn't have a great deal of energy and it was quickly going. "When can we get showers and food?" She had to close her eyes and couldn't stop the tears. "We haven't been allowed to shower since they captured the ship we were on and it has been a day or two since we last ate." Her voice was starting to shake and become brittle. Satasha gently wrapped her arms around her and tucked her head into her shoulder. "I can't imagine what all of you have been through. You are safe here and we will take care of you. Before you can get clean we need to collect DNA samples as well as doing the scan. Once that is done we will shower you and get you some soft and gentle food." One of the other ladies looked at her. "Take Crystal first please. She is the girl resting against the warrior. She needs it more than we do." She looked around the room and got nods from everyone except one female. That was an older female and looked more than a bit grumpy about someone else going first. A different woman spoke. "Don't say a word Marcella or I will shut your mouth for you. All you have done is cause problems since we were captured and I am sick of it. Crystal goes first and that is the beginning and end of it." Her voice was hard when she spoke. It was fairly obvious that she did not like the female what so ever. Several of the other ladies glared at her as well. Looking closer you could tell that she wasn't quite as filthy or battered as the others were. Kingie decided to keep a close eye on her and got a glance from Satasha as well. He picked the girl up and wanted to smack the older woman. As soon as her name came up the girl cringed closer to him and hid her face in his shoulder. "This won't take very long but I am going to place you on a floater since it will be more comfortable." ~~~ Eventually they had all the women scanned and samples of the DNA that was spread out over their bodies. Thankfully that was gathered during the scanning and didn't require any invasive procedures. Once everyone was scanned and back in the room Doctor Desjean spoke to them as a group. "It is going to take some time to correlate the DNA scans but that isn't critical. For those of you who have injuries that we need to keep an eye on you will probably be scanned once a day. This is for fractured ribs, abdominal contusions, possible diseases and some other injuries." She nodded towards the females. "They are going to help you get reasonably clean and fed. It might take a day or two to get all the filth off you but we have plenty of hot water. The main reason we don't want you to take long baths is because we want you to eat and sleep. I know you will probably have nightmares but sleep is still one of the best healers out there. I will have a SBA available at all hours if you need something to help you sleep. He or she will also administer any medications that I feel you are going to need. These will be based on the scan results as I work on them." With another nod she stood up and walked out of the room and to her office. One poor innocent chair suffered severe trauma as she shredded the coverings. As she was working on taking the chair apart she was cursing up a storm as well. How the hell could people do things like that. Eventually she finished disassembling the chair and stood there panting when her door buzzer sounded. "Enter at your own risk." Her voice was a snarl. The door did open and the Ship Commander frowned slightly at the dismembered chair. "You might need to start dosing everyone with psychic suppressants. There have been one or two other cases of people taking things apart. Thankfully there hasn't been any fights but..." Since the women had come aboard the anger level had gone up significantly. "Either that or use it on them whichever is a better choice." She nodded at him and settled down. "I will have a preliminary report for you in a couple of hours. I will also see about who is best to give the suppressants to." She rubbed her temples for a moment. "Now if you will excuse me I need to get to work." ~~~ Now that all the women had been scanned and were back in the room Satasha stood and looked at all the women. "We are going to shower you in groups of three. The first three are going to be settled in the room next door and then take care of the second group." She smiled slightly as she looked around the room. "The first three are going to be Angel, Crystal, and Savanna. We should be done within a half hour at most." Sally stepped forward. The second group is going to have Marcella, Bitty, and Clarice." She was about ready to say more when Marcella interrupted. "I demand that I be part of the first group. I have been on board longer than any of the others." She struggled to stand up and leaned heavily against the wall. "I am from a very upstanding family and will not stand to be treated this way." Kingie tilted his head and frowned. From what he had seen of her scans she shouldn't have to struggle that hard. It was always possible that she had some soft tissue injuries that hadn't shown up right away. Once the doctor had evaluated the scan he would find out more. "Marcella if you are having that much trouble standing sit down and give the meds time to act. The order we called names out is going to be adhered to. I am sorry if you don't like that idea but it is how it is going to go." He turned back to Crystal. "Sally is going to take you into the shower. I will be in the other room getting everything ready for you three. Once I am sure the three of you are comfortable then I will come over here and check on the ladies over here. I will be nearby at all times so if you need me either call or one of the ladies can come and get me." Crystal almost clung to his hand and gave him an entreating look and he gave her a slight grin. "You will be fine Crystal. I doubt you really want a boy kitty giving you a bath now do you?" Kingie lightly stroked one cheek with the back of a finger. "For now I am going to let the girl kitties and the human female give you your first shower." She did sort of giggle with the 'boy kitty' bit and gave him a wan smile. "I will see you on the other side right?" He leaned over and gently brushed his cheek against hers. "Try keeping us away. At all times there is going to be two guards at the doors. One that helped rescue you and one from this ship. I am not sure how the ladies are going to be doing the rotation but they will be close by in case you need anything." Sally lightly bumped him and grinned. "One of us girl people will be available at all times for all of you. If you need medical we will get a hold of them and they will take care of you. Now for your showers and I will take care of you Crystal." She helped the girl stand and slowly walk into the bathing area. There were seats for three people and she helped her into one. "Let me get the jacket off and I will have it washed before Kingie gets it back. We have some fresh cloths for you as well." Once the water was on and warm she pulled her clothes off and grinned at Crystal. "I don't know about you but I am not going to get my clothing wet right now." The other two women were escorted in and all three were making slight groaning sounds as they felt the warm water flowing over their bodies. The first thing was to wash and condition their hair. That took a fair amount of time but eventually it was relatively clean. Soon they had their bodies cleaned as well. The ladies were surprised by the warm air jets but it only took a moment or two before they were dry. Once dressed they were helped into the other room where Kingie was and he smiled. "I am sure that you feel a bit more human now and this is a warm thick broth with some minced up meat and veggies. There are a few slabs of bread as well but take it easy as you eat it." Once they were seated at the small table he started handing the food out. "We used Sally and Yilly as test subjects and they seemed to have survived." He had a teasing smile on his face and his tail was waving in gentle amusement. Sally rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Kingie I am going to have another talk with Vangie about your questionable sense of humor. Keep the teasing to a minimum or I might have an oversized fur rug." She facepalmed. "Damn it now you have me going. Eat up ladies the food is pretty good. I have had it before and though it does taste different it is filling and full of the icky good for you vitamins." As the females were starting to eat Kingie was carefully brushing Crystal's hair out. He was smiling slightly as he was doing it and purring slightly as well. Once it was mostly done he moved to the next lady and started on her hair. Angel couldn't help but sort of smile at him as he was working on Savanna's hair. "You seem to be enjoying that way too much for a boy kitty." She wrinkled her nose when she said that and took another bite of the food. Kingie laughed lightly. "We tend to groom each other since it is easier. Showers tend to be shared with family members as well as getting a good brushing down afterwards." He leaned over and lightly flicked Angel on the nose. "This reminds me of grooming my sisters when I was younger and at home. It is a time for bonding and a shared closeness that helps to keep families together." Eventually all six women were done getting bathed though Marcella was still acting like a grumpy bitch. She kept trying to get the first of everything, shower, food, grooming, and anything else that might come up. The one thing she insisted on was that she didn't share a bed which the other two didn't fight. Before they turned the lights down low Kingie looked at the other three women. "The flight is being shortened and we should be near earth in four days. Once there we will open communications with the Terran authorities and go from there. When our doctor and theirs both agree that we have done what we can and you are safe for transport then you will be sent to your families. Any questions can wait till tomorrow. Good night." He walked over to the other room and informed them of pretty much the same thing. Crystal held her arms out to him and he came over and gave her a light hug. "Go to sleep little one and I will see you tomorrow." She shook her head. "Stay please, I feel safe with you here." For whatever reason she felt safe with him around and had fixed on him as an anchor in her storm. He sighed. "I will get some blankets and a pillow and sleep on the floor next to you. If you wake and are scared just reach over the edge and you will feel me there for you." He glanced at the others and was glad when they nodded. "Thank you ladies for your trust in me. Do not hesitate to wake me for anything you might need." He wrinkled his nose at them. "That is an order by the way." There was a slight giggle when he said that. Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 02 Ch. 02 ~~~ Back on Billy's ship once they were underway Vangie pulled Billy from the seat. "You are going to bed and I will contact you if we need anything. You are going to get at least six hours of sleep and if I need to I will give you a sleep med." Billy wasn't going to complain since he felt like a limp noodle. Whatever the doctor had given him had sort of isolated him from everything. With that sudden release of tension and holding his rage back he simply didn't have any energy. "No complaints here Vangie. As it is you are probably going to need to carry me." He was holding onto Vangie's arm for support and he looked pale and shaky. Vangie grinned at him and carefully picked Billy up and carried him to Billy's room. "Just wait, I am so going to tell Satasha I carried you into your room and stripped you down." He snickered as he did that. "If you don't mind I think I am going to collapse next to you." Billy started laughing when he said that. "Fine, I am used to having a furry bed warmer." It didn't take him long to fall asleep curled up with his back to Vangie's. He knew he was going to be recovering for a while. ~~~ It was just about four days later when they dropped out of hyper and paused for a short time. There was a three way conference between the captains of the various vessels. The senior ambassador was there as well and she listened as the captains verified the plans. Even with the attack and capture of the pirate ship they decided to stick with the original plan. Billy and the combat fighter would go in first. Once they were assured of safe passage then the barque would come into the system. If all else failed they would all go into hyper to a pre-arranged location. There they would remove all the Sholan's from the two ships and Billy would go in alone. He would deliver the message from the Sholan's and eventually the mother ship would arrive. Once it arrived they would then commence trying to negotiate some sort of treaty. Sally would remain behind with Vangie just in case the earth authorities tried to arrest Billy. "...So we have agreed on the basic plan. I have given you the coordinates to the Swiss neutral tunnel. In theory any ship that comes into the neutral area has diplomatic immunity. This was set up during the last major war we fought." He sighed when he said that since it wasn't all that long ago compared to how long the Sholans had been in space. "I am going to head for that space and contact the Swiss department of foreign affairs. They deal with diplomatic issues and I can't think of anything more diplomatic than meeting a new species." He scratched his chin and rubbed his temple since he was still getting headaches. They would come and go at times and the headache meds weren't working all that well. As soon as they landed he was going to get checked out. "At the moment I can't think of any other issues other than remain in stealth till I say otherwise." Billy let the others talk for a few before he finally interrupted. "I am going to do a micro jump and Commander Czernak is going to come out of hyper at the same time. This will reduce his chance of being noticed. I am pretty sure that my ship will make a noticeable splash coming out of hyper. It should be more than enough to conceal his hyper signature." He glanced at the three screens. "Does anyone have any questions?" Once he had confirmed that the questions had been dealt with he gave a firm nod. "Then shall we be about our business? Oh and remember 'live long and prosper' is not a valid greeting." He frowned slightly at Satasha when he said it. "I will be sending the revised coordinates in a moment. I will see you on the other side." Vangie killed the screen and everyone hurried to their stations. Billy took the captains seat, Vangie the navigator, and one of the other warriors the engineering. Billy triple checked the coordinates he wanted and finally sent them to the two ships. He powered up his N-space engines and slowly increased the speed till he hit the hyper speed and flashed over. Moments later he detected the other ship enter hyper as well. The micro jump went well and they dropped out of hyper almost exactly where he wanted. Even as close as he was he barely detected the other ship drop out of hyper. Billy had to smile with the excellent control the other ship had. Using a short burst he sent a very brief message to the other ship. "Correct coordinates, congrats." Now that they were in N-space he started broadcasting the canned message he had created. For the canned message it was only him on the bridge. There would be time enough to show the Sholan's down the road. That and till he got a bit further into the neutral passage he didn't want to chance someone from one of the other nations trying to stop him. "Greetings, this is Capt. Billy Madlax of the SS Sandi. I have some important information for all the nations of earth. I encountered an alien craft that was damaged and not able to fly. I attempted to repair the vessel to no avail. In the name of humanity I took the alien onboard and delivered her to her mother ship. Aboard the mother ship my oldest girl Sally and I were treated well." He took a sip of coffee before starting to talk again. "While aboard for a short time we were in secure quarters till Lt. Verzilon, Sally, and myself had been debriefed. We were also held there till the medical scans came back indicating that there didn't appear to be anything infectious for either species. Once we were cleared we were moved to regular quarters and with an escort allowed to see parts of the ship." He took another sip of the coffee. "At no time did they ask for any secrets related to our planet or colonies. They did inquire as to why my drive signature was different from the others in this system. I informed them that I was testing out some modifications I had made. They did ask to see some parts of my equations which I did though I kept the proprietary secrets to myself. The Sholan's are at least 150 years more advanced than we are. Due to this I figured there wasn't much I could teach or show them that would impact on their technologies. The only equations I showed them were the ones I came up with and not for our primary drive systems." Another sip of coffee and he continued. "While I was on board I was approached by the Commander of the mother ship about escorting the first contact team to earth. After some consideration I decided to accept his proposal. I am going to ask Switzerland for diplomatic immunity for the aliens till such time as any treaties have been signed. While enroute we were attacked by pirates and successfully repulsed the attempted boarding. We retaliated and took command of the ship." He paused for effect as well as another sip of coffee. "The pirate ship I recovered and took command of is the Black Pearl. I also have the so called Jack Sparrow in lock down as well as twelve of his crew. The rest of the crew was killed trying to repel our boarding. I have captured the ship relatively intact and claim her as space salvage under the international treaties related to piracy. The crew and dead bodies will be turned over to the Swiss authorities for processing and prosecution." Now he just looked tired. "In the process of the boarding one of the Sholan warriors was killed. I am waiting on instructions on how to properly honor his sacrifice. Also in the process of boarding and taking control of the ship we found six captives. All six are females and have been severely abused. They are currently aboard the barque that is carrying the first contact team. I am going to transmit their vital information once I have sent this. They have been treated well and my daughter Sally Madlax is aboard the barque. I have been in constant contact with her to ensure they are getting the proper treatment." "Once we have landed I will have Doctor Desjean talk to a Swiss doctor of their choice. Please ensure that the doctor is female if possible. As mentioned the females we saved were severely abused by the crew of the pirate ship. The Sholan's have saved samples of the DNA from each of the females. It was collected in accordance with their standards for legal use. All evidence will be turned over as well. The computer data will be turned over as well upon landing. Captain Madlax out." Once the recording finished Billy grinned at Vangie. "Now comes the fun part... I expect Earth to melt down before going up in flames. We have encountered aliens before but they are primitives and their planets off bounds." This was going to be very interesting and as odd as it might sound Billy was looking forward to the fun. "I figure we will be contacted within two or three hours. Heaven only knows who will show up to say hello." Vangie frowned at him. "Yilly I have a feeling that you are looking forwards to all the fun and excitement. I almost feel like we are being made the butt of some joke." It was all he could do to keep his face straight as he muttered at Billy. "Darn straight I am looking forwards to it. If nothing else this might make some of the more obstreperous senior officers keel over. It is good for advancement you know." He leaned back in his chair and kicked his feet up on the console and took a sip of coffee. Once he was comfortable his expression changed and his headache showed. The damn thing had been coming and going since the pirate attack. "Headache again Yilly?" Vangie was starting to get a bit concerned since it just seemed to hang on. The meds he had for the headache helped but nothing completely got rid of it. "Once we land you really need to see the doctor." He shifted so that he was behind him and started massaging Billy's forehead and neck. That seemed to usually help a fair amount. "Planned on it and maybe hiding for a day or so in a room with Satasha and sleep and cuddle." God he missed having her next to him. It had been nice having Vangie curl up next to him but it just wasn't the same. Vangie grinned. "So is cuddling the only thing you are going to do?" His tail was twitching in amusement as he teased Billy. "I have a feeling she might object to just the cuddling." Billy grumbled at him. "I am neither going to kiss or tell what might happen other than cuddling." He finally leaned back and closed his eyes and relaxed till a communication from who ever came in. Before Billy realized it he had fallen asleep. Vangie was definitely a bit concerned since Billy seemed to be getting worse the closer to the end of the trip they got. He wasn't sure what was going on but he had been in contact with the doctor. She was going to take a look as soon as she could. When the ships made it to ground or took off back towards the mother ship. It was several hours later when the communications indicator started blinking. Vangie called to have some coffee brought up. "Yilly wake up the comm. light is on and flashing." He had to shake him a bit before Billy woke up. Right about then one of the warriors came in with some coffee for Billy and cshar for the others. "Taking over engineering station captain." The warrior said. Vangie was already sitting at the navigation console. "I have an escape plot entered. At your command we can escape if needed." Billy nodded and after careful consideration stayed in the position he was in. After reaching over and activating the comm. he picked up his coffee and took a sip. It was lucky he had just swallowed when the screen activated. On the screen was one of the enemies he had made during his time in. Both narrowed their eyes. "Ah 'Captain' Madlax how nice to see you again. That was a fascinating broadcast you made." The male was tall and in very good shape. His hair was short and cropped close to his head. He had a number of ribbons on his chest as well. Billy yawned slightly. "So nice to see you as well Commander Jeramiah, I see you have a command commiserate with your skills. Congratuations." There was most definitely traces of venom in his voice. It was obvious the two knew each other and disliked each other. "So what brings you out here? Well other than my canned message that is." Vangie had to flick an ear as he wondered what the back story was. He didn't bother saying or moving since the two were focused on each other. "Well I must say it was a very fascinating message. Meeting aliens and capturing the Black Pearl oh my." He glanced around Billy's bridge and raised an eyebrow when he finally noticed the two felines. Vangie was a soft charcoal gray and the other was a highland sand color. "Nice costumes boys. Gotta admit you did a good job on this Billy. Don't know what game you are playing at but I am sure the Space Corpse is not going to be amused." His voice was silky as he spoke. Billy sighed and then shook his head. "You were always a stupid egotistical self centered bastard." When one of the Sholan's spoke to him he looked over his shoulder and replied in Sholan. "Keep pretending that you don't speak English. He is a dickhead and a dweeb but as long as we stay in the neutral corridor he can't do anything." "What did you say?" Jeramiah demanded. He was sure that Billy had somehow concocted all this to make him the butt of some massive joke. "What did you do to your engines? The hyper signature is way out of the norm for your ship." He smirked. "Hope you didn't blow your tubes with that entrance." Billy settled for a grin. "Just speaking Sholan to the pretend aliens you think I have on my ship." He took a sip of coffee and smiled in appreciation. "Thank you for having the coffee brought Vangie. It hit the spot." He turned back to the comm. screen. "My engines? I redesigned them while I was grounded. It gave me something to do while my tubes were re-crystallized. Oh wait, you aren't supposed to know about that." Jerimiah was starting to get irritated by now. "I have instructions to bring you to the Space Command orbital station. Ensure all weapons are secured and your shields lowered to the minimum strength." He seemed to think he had the authority to order him to follow. Billy rolled his eyes. "You are as stupid now as you were when I almost got you drummed out of the Space Corpse. I am in the neutral corridor and under international treaties and regulations I do not need to respond. If the Swiss choose to ask me to leave then you will have authority over me. Till such time as that happens then I am not required to obey your orders." Jerimiah snarled at him. "You will obey the commands from your authorities and your space Navy. Come about or be fired on." He snapped a command out and a laser beam flashed in front of Billy's vessel. Before Billy could do anything there was a brief ripple of space and a beam flashed out from the fighter. The weapons mount disintegrated if a burst of energy. Billy frowned slightly since that wasn't something he had expected or intended but he went with it. "Oh, meet my escort. Since I am currently being paid by the Sholan's to bring their first contact team to Earth they provided an escort." He waved at Vangie. "Fighter 23 that is sufficient unless there is any further attempt to take the ship over." The fighter changed positions to the other side of the intersystem patrol ship. The commander looked furious. "That was an act of war and will not be taken lightly. Prepare to be boarded and surrender your ship." He started issuing commands to prepare to move closer and board. "Commander we will be going into the neutral corridor to board. That alone will cause an international incident. I strongly recommend against this action. I would also like it logged as well." The first officer was tired of the ass commanding the ship and wanted this noted. "Fine it is logged and you are relieved. Go to your stateroom and remain there." The first officer was looking rather ticked as well but for different reasons. "Yes sir, I stand relieved." He turned and walked off the deck of the bridge. Billy watched the action on the other ship and finally sat up. "Commander I am going to continue my course. If you take any further action against me I will consider it an act of piracy and will defend myself. If you choose to back off I will not make a complaint against you with the Swiss. If you keep this illegal action up I will take it to the international courts and press charges." Vangie activated the drives and they started moving forward. As they were starting to move forward various weapons sensors started sounding. "Sir we are being hit with targeting systems from the other vessel." As he was talking they were powering up their weapons systems. Billy was in the process of taking control when the comms were taken over. On the screen was a very large male who was most definitely Nordic in looks. In a very heavy accent he spoke. "This is Captain Jorgensen. Stand down all weapons or we will be forced to defend our territory." Billy listened and a slight smile crossed his face. "Gladly Captain Jorgensen. We are powering down my weapons as I speak. I wish to introduce you to my acting first officer Senior Warrior Askeron and engineer warrior Shojim. They are Sholan's and part of the escorts for the first contact team." "Captain this is a Space Corpse matter and I demand that you stand down and allow me to do my job. This man is obviously demented and unstable. I need to take him into custody to ensure that he doesn't harm anyone including himself." He was trying to look very official as he was speaking. Billy kicked his feet back up and watched the show. He sipped on his coffee and wished he had some popcorn and this would be great. The Swiss Captain looked down his nose at the Commander. "You do not understand. This is our territory and we will deal with this ship and his allegations. If they prove to be false he will be dealt with in accordance with all treaties. Till then he is under our escort and protection. Move your ship." "Damn but this is better than some movies I have seen." He shook his head and took another sip of coffee and simply waited. The two traded threats till another Swiss ship showed up. "Commander that is a battle ship and we are being targeted. They are demanding that we lower shields, power down all weapons, and if needed they will force a boarding." The junior officer was looking very pale when he informed his commander of that. That definitely got his attention and it took him a few moments before he slumped and he ordered his crew to stand down. "You have not seen the last of me Madlax." That was a snarl and then the connection was broken. Billy became formal and looked at the Captain of the Swiss ship. "My weapons are secured and I have shields at normal strength. Is there anything else you need me to do?" The Captain looked at him and nodded. "Have the stealthed vessel lower their shielding. I am providing protection and escort to a secure landing facility. From what I understand there is another vessel as well. Have them come out of stealth or where they are and then we will leave." "Understood but the escort vessel will need to briefly jump into hyper space. It has been waiting for us to signal it is safe. It will take about an hour or so." Once he got confirmation from the Captain he nodded at Vangie and he sent the signal. There was a flash as the fighter went into hyperspace and vanished from the sensors. While they were waiting the last warrior on board came forward and gave them some food and relieved them as needed. It was just about an hour and a half when the barque came out of hyper space as did the fighter. It was not cloaked at the moment and Billy had to appreciate the view on the screens. He had seen it on the mother ship but space was its environment and it showed. "Captain Jorgensen these are the two vessels I have been escorting. The fighter was also an escort for the Barque. Her primary mission was to ensure the first contact team made it back to the mother ship if something happened. If you will escort us to the landing area it would be greatly appreciated. Please have sufficient soldiers or police to take charge of the prisoners." Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 02 Ch. 02 He turned to Vangie and spoke in English. "Follow the course they are going to send and once we get to the planet I will take over. I have to land both vessels and that isn't easy." Billy turned back to the Captain. "I am turning my bridge over to Vangie and he will follow your instructions. I am going to take a break since I am going to have to take the two ships down since they are in tow." Billy stood and walked out of the bridge and to his stateroom and collapsed on the bed. The headaches and body aches were getting worse. The meds were not helping and it was almost like he could feel Satasha in the back of his mind. Even imagining her presence helped somewhat and before he realized it he had fallen asleep again. ~~~ Back on the barque things were going reasonably well for the most part. The women who had been rescued had showered daily and been fed well. They were slowly regaining their strength and their physical wounds were starting to heal as well. Their mental wounds were a totally different matter at the moment. Any time a male came even relatively close who wasn't one of the warriors that saved them they tended to huddle in a corner. One of the four warriors or the three women had to be there at any time someone else was in the room. With Crystal it had to be either Sally or Kingie that was with her. The others were okay but she would still cower till they left. Kingie ended up sleeping in the room next to her bed so she could even vaguely sleep. One morning he woke to find her curled in his arms and sleeping soundly. To say he almost freaked out was an understatement. He had been tired enough after getting the women fed and in bed that he had fallen into a deep sleep. He hadn't really expected Crystal to get out of bed and curl up in his arms. Kingie had to admit that she looked more relaxed than she had the night before. "Oh hell what do I do now?" He lay there till Sally walked in and when she couldn't help but grin at him he growled quietly. "I did nothing and knew not that she was here till I woke up." Sally came over and settled down. "I know better than to think you might have tried taken advantage of her. You are a good male Kingie." She reached over and gently stroked Crystal's face. "Hey love you need to wake up. Kingie needs the bathroom and breakfast will be here shortly." She kept up the gentle stroking till the girl started to wake up and then moved back from her. She yawned and stretched and snuggled a bit closer. "No wanna wake." It was rather obvious she was still extremely exhausted and really didn't want to move. Sally moved a bit closer to her. "Come here love and I will sit with you till Kingie gets back." She gently pulled her to her side and stroked her hair. Kingie came out a few minutes later and headed for the door since it just buzzed. When he opened it the smell of some more thick broth wafted into the room. Sally sniffed. "Oh man that smells good. I am starving." Kingie picked Crystal up and carried over to the table and settled her down. "Eat Crystal. Let your strength come back to you." He settled down next to her and held the bowl for her so she could eat without making a mess. She gave him a tiny smile and started eating. Crystal was being slow when it came to eating since it had upset her stomach slightly last night. As she was eating Sally was helping the older ladies over to the table. She gave them a shy smile as well. "Morning." One lady grinned but took a bite and sort of waved her spoon at her. For now she was concentrating on the food. She was working very hard not to scarf it down but it was damn hard. About the only thing that could be heard from her was chewing and mmm's. Sally and Kingie settled down to a regular meal and made sure that the others didn't over eat. Once they were done the women were leaning back and looked fairly content. "Time for another shower I think." Angel said and stretched. "And then a nap I think." Kingie looked at Crystal and the others. "If you feel up to it you can shower on your own or Sally can help you. If you need more help I will get the other two to help you." He started collecting the dishes and put them on the tray to be taken away. When he turned back Crystal was trying to get to him. When he moved forward to catch her she clutched at him. She looked up at him and then buried her head in his chest. "Please don't leave me. It is stupid but right now I only trust you." She started sobbing as she was speaking. "I can't do it by myself. I can barely be in the dark without screaming." Kingie wrapped his arms around her and looked at Sally with a sort of terrified expression. He had no idea what to do about or with Crystal. He was a warrior and when in battle the injured were sent behind the lines. If it was a civilian they were treated and he never saw them again. *Warrior this is the tutor and listen closely. I am not sure why but she has focused on you as the one who can still her nightmares. She knows that you will hold her while she screams and remembers. Give that to her warrior. Give her the space she needs to really start healing. As you told her treat her as if she was your little sister. If you have questions come to me son and I will answer as best I can.* He pulled her a bit closer and held her. "Then that is what I will do Kitling. As of now you are one of my little sisters." Kingie leaned back a bit and smiled at her. "Mind you that means I might occasionally tickle you and when you are better chase you around and tug on your braid." He lightly tapped her nose as he grinned at her. She actually giggled a bit before leaning into his warmth. "I know I am asking a great deal Kingie but..." Crystal settled for closing her eyes and relaxing against him. "Thank you and I think I would like a shower as well. Would you do my hair and back?" He rolled his eyes at her. "I think I am seeing the future now... Kingie do this, Kingie do that, Kingie..." Just for good measure he scooped her up and sighed sadly just for good measure and tried to look pathetic. All that got him was some snickers from the others. It was what he was intending and he smiled gently at them. Savanna grinned slightly. "Well Kingie once you are done... I am going to ask Crystal if I can borrow you to wash my hair." He grumbled at her. "Sorry but I am younger than you are. " Kingie would let them wonder just how old he was. It would be good for them. After they walked into the shower area she pointed to the bathroom. Once Kingie had set her down she went in and closed the door. A few minutes later she came out and he was already undressed and had the water running and warmed up. It was the shower closest to the bathroom. "Come in, the water is warm." She blushed slightly and gave him a good look and then frowned. "Um, if you don't mind a personal question but you said you were male but..." Crystal looked away when she said that. Kingie looked startled and then grinned. "You wouldn't have known but our genitals are kept internally till stimulated." He held a hand out and waited for her to strip down and then gently pulled her into the shower and faced her away from him. "Just relax as I work on your hair." It was still a mess but was better than the day before. Towards the end Marcella walked in and froze. "I am not going to shower with him in here. She can bring her bed toy in with but I will not shower while he is in here." Her face showed rage and anger at the sight of Kingie working on her lower legs. He stood up and snarled at her. "I am not a bed toy and you have no cause to speak to Crystal that way. If you can't deal with my helping her to bathe that is your problem. We will be done shortly." He could feel Crystal start to tremble as he stood. "Calmly little one she won't hurt you." He rested his hands on her shoulders and lightly massaged them. Marcella snarled back as Z'Marl sort of shrink back from the human female. "I see you have broken him to your commands. How typical." Her expression showed derision as she spoke. "Little slut just can't wait to..." That was as far as she get. Kingie was suddenly next to her and his hand was around her throat. His teeth were bared and he was growling. "If you ever speak to her or any of the women like that again I will have you taken to the brig. You will then have your own room and shower to use." He shoved her out of the shower area. He yowled out a command and the warrior outside the door hurried in. "You will remain in the room. If this female causes any problems inform me." Kingie stalked back into the shower area and over to Crystal. "You did not deserve that little one and she will not bother you again." He started working on her legs again. Eventually they were done and once she was dried off. Kingie wrapped a thick toweling robe around her and picked her up. "You said you might want a nap. I will curl up with you and protect you Crystal." He was still angry with that other woman. She had struck a nerve and he was going to keep an eye on her since something was being played false. The other two had come in while he had been finishing her up and Angel had lightly touched his shoulder. "Good for you Kingie and I don't like her either. Take care of our little girl." She turned and stripped down and started getting cleaned up. Crystal leaned into him and closed her eyes and some tears slowly trickled out. What Marcella had said had really hurt and felt like a dagger had plunged into her heart. Who would ever want her now? Who would love her and someday when she was ready take someone to bed. She had been dirtied and soiled and everyone would know that. Kingie could smell her distress and tears. There were other odors coming from her but he couldn't identify what they might signify. He just wasn't familiar enough with human scents to be able to identify them. "It will eventually be okay Crystal. It is going to take time to recover and no it won't ever completely go away but you will grow past it." He settled down on the bed and carefully lay down and curled around her. "She will never bother you again." He started purring quietly in her ear and tried to project comfort and sleepiness. When Savanna came over and settled down on the pillow he had used the night before and started stroking her hair. "We will keep that bitch from you. You will be as safe and protected as we can make you." The other two women were going to be watching as well. She didn't realize it but they were starting to gather around her even more now than on the pirate ship. ~~~ Sally casually swapped rooms with Z'Marl and started keeping an eye on Marcella. She couldn't really explain it but she didn't trust her any further than she could throw her out of an airlock. Z'Marl was too nice of a person to deal with her. Sally had grown up under her father's tutelage and she didn't have any problem dealing with her. From watching the other two women they didn't particularly care for her either but they didn't totally freeze her out. From what Satasha and Sally could see it was sort of a case of 'we made it through' feeling. There wasn't any sort of other emotional bond between the three such as seemed to be forming in the other room. The two women were settling in reasonably well and were working on getting to know Satasha and Sally. Both of them had talked about what was going on in the other room and had grinned. "Poor Kingie, I think he is getting run ragged over there. I think they have all adopted him as an older brother or younger brother." Sally couldn't help but snicker when she said that. At the moment they were showering and Sally was working the shampoo into her fur on her back. Satasha snickered back. "I have talked to Z'Marl and she was saying much the same. If she wasn't in there the poor boy would be worn to the bone." She thought it was good for the ladies that he was in there. Physically they were starting to recover though the emotional damage would take much longer. Both knew that but really had no idea of how long it would take them to recover. Each female would recover at their own rate. Some might never really recover totally and it was going to be hardest on them. On the morning of the fourth day when they dropped out of hyper Kingie woke to find Crystal clutching his chest fur and light robe. She was shaking badly and sobbing in fear. His first thought was Marcella had somehow managed to get to her. His eyes narrowed and traveled the room but everyone else was asleep. He couldn't scent that female in the room what so ever so he knew it wasn't that. Once he was satisfied that there wasn't any physical threat and that Crystal hadn't been threatened he gently touched her cheek. "Hey sweetie what is wrong? Bad nightmare?" He gently stroked her hair and didn't really think as he leaned down and lightly licked the tears from her face. "Tell me about it Crystal. Sometimes it helps to talk about it and I am here to listen." She shook her head since she knew she would get rejected. She simply remained curled up holding his fur and robe. Crystal knew if she exposed her fears a warrior like Kingie he would laugh and call her silly. For the moment she wasn't really thinking. How he had cared for her as well as the other two didn't cross her mind. Not only that but the way he had defended her from Marcella didn't either. When he started lightly licking her face it tickled but that was it. "Come on loverling tell me what has you in such a state. I will hold you till you are done crying if needed before we talk. I do want to know what has you so upset though." When she clenched his fur even more he had to wince since it did hurt but he wasn't going to say anything. Instead his low soft purr started as he tried to comfort her as best possible. It took some time and he could hear the other ladies waking up. Since he was facing them he could tell that they were being very quiet. Kingie assumed it was to give him time to try and help Crystal and he twitched an ear at them. She cried for a while longer before she was finally able to talk to him. "I am scared Kingie. I am so scared of reaching Earth." She knew her family would come and her mother would be upset. The trip she had gone on had been Crystal's idea and she had really pushed for it. Her mother would blame her for causing the family problems. Added to that was knowing that she was going to be rejected by everyone. She would be rejected because of what had happened to her. It wasn't her fault but she would still be rejected except for scum that was turned on by that sort of thing. Kingie gave a slow nod. "I am not sure what you are scared of but a number of possibilities come to mind." Damn it she had a strong grasp. "Can you do me a favor and let go of the fur? You are sort of pulling it." When she did he urged her to wrap one of her arms around him and to hold on. "What has you so scared? Please tell me and I will listen as carefully as I can." It took her a force of will to release her grip but she did and wrapped an arm around him. She clung on for dear life and buried her face in his chest. Crystal could probably talk to him as long as she wasn't actually looking at him or anyone else. She tried to speak and had to swallow before she could. "I am scared that I am going to be rejected. It wasn't my fault what happened but everyone is going to know and reject me. I have been soiled and corrupted and nobody will ever want me again." Z'Marl quietly moved over and settled down on a pillow and lightly touched her before resting her head against Crystal's back and started purring. She didn't say anything but simply purred as she tried to give as much comfort as she could. Kingie looked at the top of her head and tucked a finger under her chin and urged her to look at him. "Look at me Crystal and listen to what I have to say. This goes for all of you in this room as well." The other two were sitting up and had Sally between them. All of them were having variations of this fear and they were carefully watching Kingie to see what he would do. "Crystal you were forcibly raped and abused. I am sure you fought as much as you could and the same for the rest. The simple fact is that there were far more males than you could defend against. They were going to do what they wanted no matter what you tried to do to resist." Now she was looking at him and she was looking stricken. "The one fact you are forgetting is that you are alive and it is going to take time but you will get better. All of you will end up with some mental and emotional side effects and I won't lie about that." He carefully sat up and wrapped his arms around her and held her close to his chest before he continued speaking. "For you, you are a minor and your images and information will not be given to the press or anyone else without you and your parents' permission." He knew that eventually it would be put out there because someone would spill the beans. Right now he was trying to calm her down. When he forced her to look at him was how gentle his chocolate brown eyes looked. There was resolve and a hint of hardness to them as well. Crystal knew it wasn't for her but for the ones that had done this. She had seen him in the shower any number of times but for some reason the chocolate brown of his fur stuck out. There were highlights of a sort of creamy brown fur as well. As he wrapped his arms around her she did the same and sighed in contentment. Crystal was starting to calm down and in his arms felt very safe. There wasn't anything sexual to it which helped her a great deal. "As far as I am concerned you are a very brave girl and if someone rejects you simply because, they are idiots. You are a little fighter and I know that you will fight what happened to you kicking and screaming." He was starting to purr again. "You remind me of my youngest sister. She is about twelve turns old and a little scrapper." He grinned lightly when he said that. "I am surprised she hasn't driven our parents to drinking. Don't ever challenge her by saying she can't do something." He couldn't help but smile even wider as he thought of some of the things she had done. "You have not been defiled and corrupted. Again I will say this and keep saying it. You had no choice and couldn't fight that many men. Eventually you probably had to give in and let them do what they wanted. That is protecting yourself and doing your best to survive another day. Some might call that the weaklings way out but it isn't. It takes a very strong warrior to do what is needed to survive and get back home. In a warriors case it is usually in the hopes they have information that can help. In your case it was to get back to your family and friends." When he talked about his youngest sister she couldn't help but give him a sort of grin. She sounded like a feisty girl. "I think I would like to meet her someday. She sounds like she has run you ragged as well." Crystal wrinkled her nose at him when she said that and then sighed and leaned back against him. "I will try to believe that but..." She simply sighed again and rested against him. "One more thing and then it will be time for breakfast. "Has anyone in here rejected you? I know that Angle and Savanna were abused as well but they haven't refused to have anything to do with you have they? Z'Marl is leaning against you and trying to give you comfort and so has Sally and Satasha." He stroked her back. "I know they are females but have I rejected you? Have any of the warriors on this ship rejected you?" The next bit was likely to startle most of the women and especially Crystal. "I know for a fact that most of the warriors that have dealt with most of you ladies respect you deeply. You went through L'Shoh's caves of ice but came through in the end." Just for good measure he had to tease her. "I think they are considering asking you to be their mascot as well." Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 02 Ch. 03 Gah, I tried to work on a chapter for both of my other stories but this one has just seemed to have caught my attention. I have ideas for the other two but when I try to write them they just don't want to go down on the paper. Sigh. Such is life of an author I guess. I think what I am going to need to do is try and do a page or two in the other stories and then come back to this one. Eventually I will have them all out. At the end of this chapter I am going to be posting a list of characters and some additional details on Sholan society and culture. Some you have encountered and have been explained but much hasn't. Eventually some of the chapters will take place on Shola but I am not sure how long that is going to be. Time will tell. As always all intimate relations are 18+ or the equivalent for alien species. Enjoy ***** The doctor had just finished eating and stepped into her shower when her alert went off. "By Vartra's Bones what now? Can't I get a shower without being bothered?" Desjean kept muttering as she quickly toweled off and pulled her pad out and checked it. She blanched when she looked at the readings. "Oh god this is going to be a mess." Desjean contemplated what her pad was telling her as she was jerking her clothing on. Their blood pressure and heart rate had gone up drastically as their temperatures had returned to normal. Another reading was showing a massive surge of telepathic energy just before the alert went off. She was finally dressed and ran down to the small sick bay. "What is going on?" The SBA frowned and had to shrug. "Not totally sure doctor. I noticed an elevation in their breathing, pulse, and BP. When I checked I found they were becoming intimate which would explain that. I darkened the window so they had privacy. About ten minutes ago there was a massive surge in telepathic energy." He held his arm out and the fur was still sticking up a bit. He had to glance away. "Um, there is also a strong urgency to mate with someone." He had to lower his ears and shrugged his shoulders. "They seem to be broadcasting it for some reason." Man a cold shower was sounding better all the time. She sighed. "Go back to what you were doing or if it is affecting you too much I can give you a suppressant." Desjean could feel it as well and it was definitely not a comfortable sensation. Since she was going to be there for a while she took a suppressant which helped a great deal. After settling in the chair in her office she rolled her neck and started calling up the diagnostic data. She reviewed it from when they were put in the room till now. It had originally trended down to normal levels and then started picking up. It culminated with the surge of power. Thankfully it looked like the shielding in medical and the room damper kept it localized. Desjean placed a call to the tutor since he was still on board and hadn't gone with the Ambassador. "G'Houl we have a problem. I am not sure exactly what happened but there was a flare of power in the room I have Satasha and Yilly in. It was telepathic in nature and was strong enough to escape the damper." She rolled her neck. "I had to use a suppressant on myself to keep from reacting to what they were emitting." That got his attention but he hadn't felt anything since his quarters were shielded as well. "I will be down there in just a few minutes. I need to get dressed and then will come down and check on them." He rolled out of bed and pulled on the first tabard that came to hand. After jerking it on and settling it some G'Houl left his room. He hurried down to medical and almost as soon as he walked in he was hit by the telepathic power flowing in the rooms. G'Houl had to lean against the wall for a moment as he strengthened his shields. Once that was done he shivered slightly since this was going to end up being a mess. The doctor came out and waved him to her office and closed the door. As the door shut the strength of the telepathic output dropped a fair amount. "Please have a seat and here is some c'shar for you. Take a moment and tell me what you know." Desjean settled across from him in her desk chair. She hadn't really found any information that might explain what had happened. Desjean was greatly hoping that he would be able to give him some information. G'Houl almost chugged the cup of c'shar and gave his body a good shake to settle his fur. "May I borrow your computer for a moment? I need the check some information before I actually say anything." Once she spun it around so it was facing him he entered his access code and started reviewing some information. The information he was looking for was guild specific. Only doctors that worked with a specific aspect of telepathy would have access to the information. It took him a few minutes to review the information before he logged out and pushed the screen and keyboard back. "Great, just what we need." He was rubbing his forehead as he murmured that. Desjean hardened her eyes slightly. "What don't we need? What did you find?" Some day's telepaths tended to irritate her. They seemed to have built in silence concerning their powers. As the doctor she had some additional training but again it was rather limited. G'Houl sighed. "Sorry doctor I am just reviewing the information. If what I think happened did then this is going to cause all kinds of ripples in both our societies." After one last rub to his temples he sat up and leaned forward. "This does not leave the room till I have had a chance to talk to the Ambassador. What it looks like is Yilly and Lt. Verzilon have formed a Leska link." She stared at him in shock. All Sholan's had heard of Leska links and had a generic idea of what it was about. All she knew was that it was a permanent mental bond between the two telepaths. One of the purposes as far as they could tell was a compulsion to have children. Virtually all children of a Leska pair were talented. They were also capable of sending messages vast distances across space when needed. The last bit she knew was that they had to come together once every five days to share memories. This was accomplished by mating which was the process by which they were transferred. "Oh shit, by Vartra's bones that is most definitely going to stir a shit pot of political issues." Desjean couldn't even comprehend just how much this was going to impact on the Sholan society. That wasn't even considering the fact they had never found a telepathic race before now. That alone was enough to cause huge ripples in the Sholan society. It was going to impact on Earth as well though she really had no idea just how it would. G'Houl had to give her a slight smile since she was normally a very proper officer and lady. To hear words like that from her was rather amusing even if the reason wasn't. "I need to contact the Ambassador and let her know. Also they will have to be in the room till tomorrow", he checked his comm., "I mean this afternoon since it is already tomorrow." He pulled the computer back over and typed in an urgent message for the Ambassador. Since it was in Sholan and the only human's who could even read the basics were on the ship he made it detailed. She didn't need to respond immediately since they were going to be isolated till the next day but she needed the information. G'Houl sighed and stood. "They should be fine and I am going back to bed. Contact me if you have any questions or are concerned by anything." With a yawn and a sigh he walked out of her office and shook his head. He was going to need to send a message to the mentor on the mothership as well. Now that was going to be fun as well though it could wait for a while. ~~~ Billy and Satasha Billy was relaxing in Satasha's arms when she mentioned a Leska link. It wasn't anything he had ever heard of and as he searched his memories of the implanted language nothing came forward. He had run into that before when it was a uniquely Sholan term. "What is a Leska? I can't find anything in my memories..." His eyes crossed as a few memories of Satasha when she was young crossed his mind. "Also why do I have your memories as well?" Satasha sighed but kept her arms around him. "A leska link is a permanent telepathic bond between two people. They are very rare and on two or three form a year on average." Goddess how to explain this? "Um, Leska's share memories with each other and need to spend one day out of five with each other. If they don't then they start to feel the way we were. I know I am feeling much better now." She yawned. "Sleep Yilly and we will talk more tomorrow." He wanted to discuss this more but since he hadn't slept well the last night or two he quickly fell asleep. As he was sleeping her memories were slowly being incorporated with his. Things like childhood memories were matched up and in his dreams her memories were mixed in with his. As bits of her memories flashed through his mind similar memories of his would come forward as well. Eventually the two of them woke and by the clock on the wall it was late night or early morning depending on how you looked at it. Satasha woke first and she had to start stroking Billy's skin and hair. As she was doing that desire was starting to grow as well. When Billy started to wake he rolled over and looked at her. Satasha's eyes were almost glowing with desire and need. Billy looked at her and for a brief moment she almost looked feral the way her eyes were glowing. As he was looking at her images of how she saw him crossed his mind. How different they looked had never occurred to him till now. Just what had drawn them together? He was shorter than she was by several inches, his facial features were completely different. He didn't have any fur on his body. He had to blink several times since she was momentarily a totally different person than he normally saw her. Satasha's features suddenly looked very feline with the muzzle she had instead of a mouth and nose like he had. The underlying bone structure was different and made her head look somewhat wider than his. The ears were currently pricked fully forward as she focused on him. She started to nuzzle him. Satasha could feel what was going through Billy's mind. She had grown up with these powers though now they were far stronger than before she had met him. What she loved about him was inside of him and not just the physical attraction. Satasha started purring. "Silly man I love you for who you are. It doesn't matter that you are a different species than I am. I see what is inside, what makes you who you are." She pulled him a bit closer. "You are a very honorable male and genuinely care about the people in your life. Even if that caring causes you pain." She was thinking Sandi as she said that. "I also love how you make me feel when you hold me and cuddle. I don't care that you are a bit shorter than I am, or that you only have fur in certain spots. I love you and want you in my life." Satasha could feel that he was still feeling pensive and decided she was going to take the lead. She was going to slowly seduce him and show him just how much she cared for him. Before he could reply she gave him a deep kiss and then started nibbling and playing. Billy wanted to say something but the feelings he was getting from touching her drove those thoughts away. The raw desire was muted slightly by the slow movements of Tasha and he couldn't help but lift his chin as she nibbled. When her teeth closed around his neck a surge of desire hit and he was very aroused by now. *God woman be careful or I am going to lose it before you finish teasing me.* His eyes were closed as he sent that to her. For now he was totally focused on what she was doing to his body. His hands were resting on her back and sides but he could barely move due to the lust and desire he was feeling. When she settled on him and he slid inside their minds started merging again though now it didn't have nearly the flood of memories that last night had. As he was focused on the memories and the sensations flooding from her their bodies started moving in a motion that had been used for millennia. Eventually the doctor did come to the room though she spoke to them via the intercom. "Good afternoon to both of you. I can tell you are feeling better but how are you feeling?" The diagnostic readings were down to normal at the moment. Billy automatically pulled the sheet up some since they were still both nude. "Um, rather confused and trying to figure out what happened. Tasha told me that we are now Leska's and I have some vague memories dealing with that subject. It isn't enough to really know what it means since she doesn't have a great deal of information on it. What the hell happened and how or maybe why did it happen?" Satasha snickered at his reaction. "Silly man I would have thought by now you would have been used to casual nudity." Just for good measure she ran her tongue up the back of one ear and felt him both wiggle and a surge of desire. "Damn woman don't do that right now or the doctor will have to come back." Her tail was curled over his side and he grabbed it and lightly tugged on it. "I have a captive now and you had better be good or else." He didn't get to say much more before the end of it lightly tickled his leg and he growled at her. Desjean barely managed to keep a straight face. "Well I don't have a great deal of information on Leska's since I have never had to work with them. What I do know is probably pretty much what you know. How or why it happened I really have no idea and the tutor has sent a message to the senior mentor aboard the ship. Once your link day is done I am going to start running some tests on you to see what might have changed." Satasha tried to be good as he was talking to the doctor and settled for draping an arm over his side. Without really thinking about it she snuggled a bit closer to him. She could feel how much he was enjoying the feeling of her fur on his back. Before she realized it she was lightly nuzzling his neck and behind the ear she had licked. Satasha felt a surge of desire as he leaned into her nuzzling. "Doc can you come back at the end of the day please and darken the window?" Satasha asked her. Billy had tilted his head so she had better access and his eyes were closed in enjoyment. "Might be a good idea, I am trying to deal with this sudden..." He twirled his hand around since he wasn't sure how to describe what he was feeling. Feeling everything she was, was confusing enough without trying to carry on a conversation. Desjean smiled. "I will do that and your meals will be delivered at the normal times." With a touch she darkened the window from both sides and locked it down so that only she could lighten it. As she was walking back to her office she was rubbing her temples and decided a good shot of the suppressant meds was a definite idea. ~~~ The ambassador the evening before~~~ Once Sally had left the room Ikarius seated her at the head of the table and settled down on one side next to her. "Would you like to sample some of the munchies? Anything to drink?" He had snagged a plate and some coffee as they came in. "Please and my assistant will take care of that for me. He is here to ensure that our meetings aren't disturbed by my needing anything. He will also be keeping notes for me so I can focus on the discussion at hand." Several of the other representatives nodded since their assistants were doing much the same thing. In the case of the humans most of them were in either a uniform or expensive tailored suit. The distribution was about equal and Ikarius knew most of them at the meeting. Some he knew well and trusted others he knew and didn't trust at all. "Let me introduce you to the representatives in the room. I am going to start with General Chou to your left and..." As he introduced them they all greeted her back and gave bows, nods, or other method of showing respect. Eventually everyone had something to drink and eat and the room settled down. "From the sounds of it you know far more about us than we do you. Can you comment on that?" That was a rep from Japan. Teolora nodded at him. "I can answer to an extent. The reason I say an extent is because Billy and Sally discussed mostly social and cultural conventions of the countries Yilly was familiar with. There was some discussion on the political set up but he made sure that was rather generic. He did that so that when we came here we didn't come with preconceived notions." She took a sip of some tea and smiled. "The most important thing he did was to allow us to get the English language from his mind and his daughters mind. This allowed us to implant it into the crew that was coming with. Most of the Sholan's can understand and speak English without a problem. Does this answer your question?" There were quiet murmurs around the table as some of the ambassadors and representatives discussed what she had said. Another man spoke up. "Vat about his vessel's drive signature? Did you give him that technology? If so I would expect it to be provided to others as well." He had a very thick accent as he spoke. "Not at all, from what all I understand he came up with the drive modifications by himself. When he arrived at our ship his ship had already been modified. All we did was provide him with our style of beds since they are more comfortable. We did install expanded sensors but they are a separate installation and is manned by Sholan's and not Billy or Sally." The rest of the evening went much the same way, they would ask questions and she would answer what she could. Eventually Ikarius called the informal meeting to a close. "It is getting late and I am sure the Ambassador would like to get back to her ship and relax. Also it has been requested before we start with the formal meetings to give them several days to recover from the flight. They also have a warrior that died while taking the pirate vessel. They need to have a ceremony for him as well." He stood up and smiled at everyone. "Unless anyone has an issue for the moment I am going to act as an informal contact for them. Once Billy is released from medical, he was ill on the way to earth, then he will take over. Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I will contact you in a few days and start setting up a schedule of meetings." While the others were standing and getting ready to leave he noticed Teolora checked something on her wrist and frowned momentarily. "Is everything okay Ambassador?" Chances were it was simply a status update. "Nothing major Commodore, if you wouldn't mind escorting me to the barque I would appreciate it." She had a gentle grin on her face when she asked. "I would hate to get lost and walk into the wrong room." Ikarius snorted. "I have a feeling you could easily find your way back but I will be honored to escort you." He held his arm out and smiled as she tucked her hand in the elbow of his arm. He had to wonder what her fur felt like and he was sure that most of the people in the room felt the same way. They slowly walked out of the room and back towards the barque. Once they were close to the ship she sighed. "If you have a few minutes I need to update you on Yilly." She patted his arm. "Nothing bad but something totally unexpected. If you wouldn't mind a drink we can go to my quarters and relax and talk about it." Ikarius did look a bit concerned when she mentioned something going on with Billy. "Well if you don't mind I would appreciate that. We have been friends since we both joined the Navy. It was a great loss when he resigned his commission." He allowed her to escort him aboard the ship. Ikarius tried not to look concerned when she led him aboard. "Might I be able to see him this evening?" Teolora lightly patted his arm. "We can talk about it in a few minutes. I would prefer to wait till we get to my quarters and discuss it in private. He is doing fine but it is going to take a bit of time to explain it to you." She really didn't need this right now. Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 02 Ch. 03 He settled his expression as they walked aboard and though they might not consider the ship to be all that large to him it was. It didn't take long to get to the Ambassadorial quarters and she escorted him in. "Deston can you please get a bottle of the Makkoe and two glasses and that will be all I need this evening." Once he had done that the assistant gave both a nod and left the room. He knew what the message was about and wondered what the human would make of it. This was going to be interesting and before he went to bed he had several messages to send. Teolura took off her over robe and settled it across one chair and smiled. "If you want to take your jacket off and relax. No need to stand on formality here and please have a seat." She poured the Makkoe into the glasses and slid one over to him. "Yilly seemed to enjoy this from what I understand." She took one glass and took a sip. Ikarius gave her a casual look as she took the over robe off. He could see some of what Billy might see in the female he was involved with. He didn't know much more than that since Billy had been sick when they arrived. "Thank you and please tell me what is going on." Ikarius took his jacket off before sitting down and picked up the small glass. He raised it to her and took a larger sip. She almost grinned when his eyes crossed and he had to shake his head a bit. "It does have a bit of a bite I guess you could say." Once he was seated she picked the glass up again and played with it. "The concept I am going to explain to you is going to require a certain amount of belief from you. I told you that some Sholan's are telepaths. We are graded from fifth level to first level. First is the strongest talents." She leaned back and contemplated him and how to explain the concept. "Occasionally two telepaths will form a permanent mental link called a Leska bond. The telepaths involved are drawn to each other every five days and spend the day together. This is because the memories since the last link day need to be shared." Ikarius frowned slightly at what she was saying and had a feeling she wasn't telling him something. "Hmm..., let's say I believe you and what you are saying. What does this mean to Billy? How will it impact on him and what happens when they are spending the day together?" She smiled slightly. "I will show you that telepathy does exist. I will do a language transfer later since you will need one anyways. Now what this means for Yilly I am not totally sure. We have never come across a telepathic species before. The idea of telepaths of two different species becoming Leska's would never have crossed our mind. Now as far as what happens they are drawn together with a mating compulsion. The intimacy of mating is the vehicle that helps them share the memories." Teolura held her hands out and shrugged. "I can't tell you much more than that at the moment. Normally all new Leska's are sent to Shola for training till they have come to terms with the link. They also require specialized rooms that have psychic dampers in them. It keeps them from broadcasting raw sexuality during their link day." She took a sip of her drink and nudged the bottle over to him in case he wanted more. "That is why I can't show you Yilly or Satasha till tomorrow evening." Ikarius narrowed his eyes and stared at her. To be honest he didn't really believe in all this psychic non-sense. What she was telling him almost felt like a way of telling him that he simply couldn't see Billy. "I would like to at least see him even if I can't speak to him. I want to verify that he is at least doing okay since I know he was sick." Teolura sighed since she had a feeling he was going to react that way. "Please believe me that right now is not a good time." She glanced at her wrist comm. and gave him a wry grin. "They are currently intimately involved and I will not expose them right now." She took a sip of the liquor. When he took a larger sip she smiled slightly. The alcohol would help him relax. Though it would numb the telepathic centers she wasn't drinking nearly enough to impair hers. "I said I can prove it Commodore so why don't I give you the language implant. Lay down on the couch and I will take care of it right now." He was still giving her an intense look and contemplated her for several minutes. As he was contemplating her he sipped some more on the liquor. It was damn good after the first mouthful burned its way down. Eventually he gave her a decisive nod. "Fine do your worst. Prove it exists to me." Ikarius leaned back and stretched out on the couch. She smiled at him as he lay down. "This is relatively painless though you might need to take a nap afterwards. Yilly said that it made his brain itch. I have never heard of that before and Sally just had a slight headache." She settled down on the edge of the couch and placed her fingers on either side of his head. "The best thing you can do is to close your eyes and relax. Try not to think of anything though I know that is hard to do." As Teolura was talking she was using her voice to distract him from what she was doing. She sent tendrils of thought down into his mind till she found the speech and language centers. The actual implant didn't take all that long and she removed her fingers. "How do you feel Ikarius?" That was in Sholan. He frowned since he did have a headache. It wasn't bad but his brain almost felt scrambled. When she asked how he was doing he fumbled with the reply but was able to finally speak. "I think I am going to have scrambled brain for breakfast." As soon as he said that his eyes popped open and he struggled to sit up. As he was sitting up he was trying to uncross his eyes. His mouth formed an 'O' in shock. She moved slightly and helped him sit up and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Take a deep breath and close your eyes and give it a few minutes. You should start to feel better shortly." She was still speaking in Sholan and had a slight smile on her face. Teolura had to admit that his expression was almost priceless. He leaned forward and rested his head on his hands. His elbows were resting on his knees as he tried to wrap his brain around what she had done. "Okay, I will buy that you have some sort of powers. Beyond that I deny everything." Ikarius tried to stand and the room did a sort of twirl and he sat right back down. "I don't think I am going anywhere for a while. Do you mind if I borrow your couch?" Teolura couldn't help but stand and give him a hand sitting back down. "Sleep might be a good idea. I can tell that you are exhausted. I will have a message sent that you are going to be sleeping on board." She lifted the comm. and ordered the message be sent. "As far as the couch the bed is far more comfortable and there is plenty of room." She paused and nibbled on a knuckle. "Well unless that would be against your cultural upbringing." Ikarius was a bit startled at the offer though he had a feeling it was just for sleep and nothing else. "Um..." God he was having trouble thinking. That liquor was stronger than it seemed or the language thing took more of his energy than he thought. "Um, fine, whatever you feel is the best." He managed to stand up again. She helped him up and to her room. "Strip and crawl under the covers. If you need it the bathroom is through that door." Teolura pointed and when she turned back shook her head. He was just sitting there trying to unbutton the shirt. "Here let me help you. If I had realized just how tired you were I would have waited." A few moments later he was in bed and snoring. Teolura sighed since she should have waited. She finished stripping down curled up on the other side of the bed. ~~~ Sally and company The next morning when Satasha and her father hadn't shown up she was starting to get concerned. Vangie had carried him onto the barque and to medical. The doctor had told Sally that she needed to run some tests before she could say much. Desjean had also said it would probably be the morning before she was sure of what was going on. Right now she was keeping busy taking care of the ladies and quietly chatting with her cousin who she hadn't seen for ages. She kept giving the door a concerned look and when it finally dinged she jumped up and lunged at the door. Outside she found Vangie and she jumped into his arms. "Oh god it is good to see you and feel you Vangie." The stress was showing in her voice. "Have you heard anything about daddy?" Vangie had to stagger back a bit and wrapped his arms around her. "Calmly sweety and he is doing okay. We won't be able to see him till this evening." He carried her into the room and settled down in a chair with her in his lap. "I am very pleased to see you as well Sally." He kept half an eye on the room and gave the females a smile. When he had opened the door everyone tensed since they didn't really remember seeing him before. They were still learning how to identify the individual Sholan's who they didn't deal with on a daily basis. Bitty couldn't help but smile slightly at the scene in front of them. "So this is your companion huh? So do you plan on introducing him or what?" The fact that Sally seemed comfortable with him helped her relax some. Sally blushed and tucked her head into his chest as he let out a low rumbling purr. "Do I want to know what you have been telling them about me?" He stroked her hair. "Companion? So I have been bumped up a notch huh?" He could feel her trying not to cry and figured some teasing was in order. "So are you going to introduce me or am I chopped fisku liver?" She leaned back and gave him a light punch on the chest. "Darn you oversized furball I will get you for that." Sally said that with a sort of hiccupping laugh. "Oh you are definitely better than liver of any type." She nipped his nose. "Maybe not quite a filet mignon but I am not complaining." She did start giggling though they were sort of teary. Sally turned to the ladies in the room. For a very brief moment she glared at Marcella before speaking. "This is Senior Warrior Vangie Askeron. He was one of the warriors who boarded the ship and rescued you." She shifted on his lap so she was facing the women. "This is Clarice, Bitty, and Marcella." As they were talking Ikarius was starting to wake up. As usual when he woke he was laying on his back with his arms stretched above his head. It took him several minutes to really wake up and something felt rather odd. He didn't remember his wife getting a furry blanket recently and whatever was draped across his chest was warm and furry. Ikarius opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling and had to frown since it most definitely wasn't his house. It definitely wasn't the rooms he had been assigned as well. When he looked down and froze. Memories from last night came back and he had to twitch. For a brief moment he wondered if he had gotten drunk enough to do something but finally decided he hadn't. "Oh god what happened?" The last thing he wanted to do was even accidently have a fling with some female, alien or not. As he spoke he felt her arm tighten slightly before she moved away from him. For that he was thankful since it almost felt like he was cheating on his wife. "Morning Ikarius and you were entirely too exhausted to make it back to you rooms or wherever you would be sleeping. I offered you my bed and almost before you had your pants off you had fallen asleep." She sat up and stretched. "Well I am for a shower and then breakfast. After that we are going to take the day or two you recommended and discuss a number of things." As she rolled out of bed her tail was curled in amusement. Ikarius sat up and was glad that he had his drawers on. She might not have a problem going to bed with nothing on but he did. Well when he wasn't with his wife. He rubbed his face before replying. "I am so not going to try and explain this to my wife." Nothing had happened but still it was not something he wanted to try to explain. As Teolura was getting some clean cloths out of her closet she looked over her shoulder at him. "You have a mate? Where is she? I would like to meet her." She finally had some clean cloths. "Oh, I sent for a change of clothes for you as well. I informed them that you were going to be working with me to come up with a rough plan. It is going to be interesting since your world doesn't have a central government." Ikarius actually chuckled. "She is at home right now and we call them husbands and wife's. She is my wife and I am her husband." He stretched and then had to blink since he wasn't speaking English. "She wanted to come along but she decided that she would be too much of a distraction to me. I tried to convince her but she declined." She looked contemplative and seemed to come to a conclusion. "Do you want a shower as well? Your cloths should be here in just a few minutes and breakfast shortly after. A human doctor is going to be arriving shortly and I figure you will want to check on the women right?" As she was talking she walked into the shower area. When he didn't come with she called out. "So are you going to shower or not silly? We share showers since it is easier to get clean." The sound of water started and he sighed. "This is so not getting mentioned." Everything that was happening was going to be sent in a highly classified document to his command. It was going to be hard to explain but he wasn't worried about it getting leaked. ~~~ It was somewhat later in the morning when the doctor showed up at the ship. He stopped in front of the two warriors that were guarding the ramp leading in. "Good morning I am Lt. Cmdr Doctor Dominik Anlicker. I am here to see Doctor Desjean if she is available." The warrior lifted his wrist to his mouth and spoke into it. Eventually he finished and looked at the man. "The doctor will be here in a few minutes. If you wouldn't mind standing over there please." He pointed at a spot off to one side. Dominik nodded and stood off to one side as requested and mentally reviewed what he knew about the females. Capt. Madlax had transmitted a detailed report of the names, ages, and status of the females. It included a listing of the DNA on each female as well as a list of injuries. To be honest he was surprised that they had survived as long as they had. The fact that they had survived indicated the medical knowledge of the Sholan's was much more advanced. He really wanted to talk to the doctor and get a better feel for their technology and how it could help Earth. As he was contemplating the ladies and the knowledge he could hopefully get Desjean calmly walked to the entrance. "Doctor Anlicker please come aboard and follow me. Do you want to see the females first or do you want to go to my office and talk first." He started up the ramp. Based on what he knew the females could wait for a while before he checked on them. Dominik did want to know how Capt Madlax was doing so he could update his command and government. He was to check Sally out as well just to make sure that she was doing okay. "Let's go to your office and talk first. I figure since you didn't place a call to me that everyone is still alive and doing as well as possible." Dominik followed her to her office and settled down in a chair she indicated. Once seated she poured him a cup of the c'shar which he found boring but okay. "First how is Capt Madlax doing? Is he doing better than yesterday? I would like to see him if possible." He wasn't going to get pushy at the moment but if needed he would. Desjean nodded at him. As a person he seemed nice enough but when he took on his role as doctor he became very businesslike. "Yilly is doing fine but he and Satasha are in isolation till this evening. It is related to their telepathy. Till then we can't disturb them. Once they are cleared I will inform you. You can either come back and see him or if you are here then you can examine him with me." She sipped on the c'shar and waited for him to speak again. He frowned since this whole thing with telepathy sounded rather unreal and silly. Of course there were a number of people who believed they had some powers but it had never been proven. Dominik would admit the possibility and even that a few people might have some talent but that was it. He contemplated what she said and then shrugged. "For the moment I will believe what you are saying. You are an alien species and might have that but I am far more skeptical about humans having talents." Dominik took another sip and if he kept coming over here he was going to have to bring some of the coffee concentrate to use. "What can you tell me about the females? How are they doing and when do you think you will clear them? Before we contact their families we would like to get a status and do a check-up." He didn't bother asking if it was possible for him to see them since they were humans. She tilted her chair back and sipped on the c'shar as well. "Well as we informed you there are six total and they range from sixteen to about forty. Their injuries range from cracked bones to soft tissue trauma to some internal injuries." She pulled out six folders and slid them over to him. "Here is a brief summary of what we found and how they are doing. We can go and see them but I will warn you they are very tense around males they don't know. The best I can say is take it easy on them and don't push." He nodded and picked up the folders and was surprised that they were in English. "Give me a few minutes to review these and if you have something to do I can just sit here." He flipped the first folder open and started reading it. Desjean nodded. "In that case I will be back in about forty five of your minutes. That should give you plenty of time to review them and come up with questions." She walked out of the room and made sure a SBA was near in case the human needed something. Sometime later she came back to the office and found the doctor sitting there staring into air. "Food is going to be delivered to the ladies soon. Why don't we go and say hello and go from there?" She figured it would be a good way to get them comfortable with him. "They are very twitchy with males they haven't met so please be quiet and move slowly." Dominik managed not to roll his eyes at her. It wasn't like he was green from school or something. No he normally didn't deal with this type of issue but he did know his ass from his elbow. "Understood doctor and I will be careful not to scare them any more than they might be at this time." He gathered the folders and followed her to the rooms they were in. ~~~ Mean while Billy was slowly waking up next to Satasha and pulled her arm a bit tighter around him. He glanced at his watch and found it was late afternoon. Just for good measure he yawned and shifted so he was on his back and stretched. "Hey sleepy one I definitely think it is time to get up and get a shower." They had been active and the room definitely smelled of it. Satasha mumbled in her sleep and when he rolled on his side her arms pinned his head down. She started to lick one ear as she slowly woke up. When Billy tried to pull away her arms tightened and Satasha licked some more. "Mmm don't want to wake. Go take a shower for me." Satasha was definitely feeling warm and comfortable. That was till memories of the previous evening came back to her and she twitched. "Oh god, how am I going to explain this to my parents? They are going to have a cow." Having an alien mate was one thing but an alien leska? That was a whole different kettle of fish. Billy snickered at her. "I would have to drag your hide in there to take a shower for you and I don't think that is what you want." When she stiffened and groaned about telling her parents he looked offended. "Are you saying that I am good enough to bond with but not show to your parents?" As he was talking he could feel her reaction to her thought and knew that she wasn't embarrassed about him. Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 02 Ch. 03 She sat up and frowned at Billy and grumbled at him. "No Yilly that wasn't what I meant at all. It is just..." It was a totally overwhelming feeling everything he was. Yes she was used to the feelings from when you touched someone but this was so much more. He sat up and wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on her shoulder. "I know love and believe me I am freaked out even more." Billy's eyes were closed as he held her and shuddered slightly. "I know and I still don't have the experience to really filter much of anything out." After one last hug he stood and slowly walked to the bathroom to take care of his needs. Once that was done he started a shower and stepped in and let the water flow down his back. Satasha silently joined him and started rubbing his shoulders. She could feel his stress and tension over the bond. "I am sorry Yilly about this. It had never occurred to me that something like might happen. It is hard but doesn't change my feelings. I love you Yilly and to me that is what matters." As he started to loosen up she started working on his back. *I love you as well Tasha but it is going to take some time for me to come to terms with this." He was leaning against the wall and let his head hang. "Please be patient with me Tasha as I grow into this, this, link thing." Billy felt bad saying that and really hoped she would understand. She hugged him and sent him all the love she could. *I understand Yilly and take all the time you need.* Satasha wrinkled her nose. "Well all the time except for the fifth day that is." She had a feeling that was bothering him as much as anything. Neither of them had ever been driven to mate by a mental link or otherwise. "Thank you Tasha and it means the world to me that you understand." They didn't take too long showering since he wanted to see his daughter and the other ladies. Once they were out he stared at his cloths and wrinkled his nose and then frowned. It seemed that his sense of smell had gotten better since everything seemed more intense. Right about then his communicator started buzzing. Billy picked it up and flipped it open. "Billy speaking, how may I help you?" He kept looking at the communicator and waited for the reply. "Good evening Captain. This is Lt. Yeagers at the main entrance. I have three people asking to see you. Here is an image of them." The officer on the other end sent an image of Jenna, Sandi, and Danielle. Billy looked at the image and wondered how it was being transmitted to him. The comm. he was using was Sholan. When it appeared he almost dropped a load. "They are friends and my youngest daughter. Please have them escorted to the Sholan barque. I will meet them at the ramp." Once he hung up he hit the intercom for the room. "I need to see the doctor. It is urgent that I talk to her. I have guests being escorted to the ship." His call was replied to immediately and they talked for several minutes before the call was disconnected. Billy did pull on his drawers and waited for someone to come and see them. The doctor had been contacted and since the ladies seemed to be doing fairly well with the human doctor she left the room. It was possibly because Sally was there as well as one of the warriors that rescued them. By now all six females were in the room since he wouldn't need to repeat what he had to say more than once. Z'Marl and Kingie were in the room as well. Crystal wasn't quite as clingy as she had been but that could simply be because of the human. She was sitting rather close to him though. They had been talking to the females for a while when she received a text that Billy wanted to see her. "Please excuse me but I am needed in medical. If you need anything Doctor just ask and Kingie will see to it as best possible." She gave all the women a nod and then left the room. She hoped that they wouldn't freak out with her leaving him in the room. Desjean didn't think it would be a problem but with this sort of trauma you never knew. When she reached medical she went straight to the isolation room and opened the door. There was very little of the raw sexuality in the room which indicated their link day was over. "How may I help you Yilly?" He was looking so much better than the day before when Vangie carried him over. "Afternoon or whatever time it is. I have some visitors being escorted to the barque and wanted to get checked out. The visitors include my youngest girl as well as two of my best friends. I would prefer to meet them in a lounge instead of here." Billy really didn't want to be sitting in isolation when they were brought onboard to visit. Satasha could feel his concern about that as well as introducing her to his youngest. To the best of her knowledge Danielle had no idea that he was in a relationship with her. She hoped that this would go as smoothly as it had with Sally, Jenna, and Sandi. It was going to be interesting to say the least. Desjean gave him a grin. "What you don't want to be sitting almost in the buff when they arrive? How odd." She had to tease him some just for good measure. "Actually now that both of you have mated and the bond is formed you are safe to leave. I will tell you that every five days you will have to be in a shielded room since you will broadcast raw sexuality." Just for good measure she used the diagnostic unit to draw some more blood samples. "I am going to start doing some tests to see what if any changes there might be. I will keep you up to date on this and what I find." She put the vials away and turned towards the door. "I have some clothing being brought right now and will have your friends and family taken to a lounge to talk." Her tail was set at a jaunty angle when she left. Desjean almost wished that she could be there when he introduced Satasha. Billy growled slightly. "I get the feeling we are being laughed at." As he was grumbling one of the SBA's came in with some tabards for them and some over robes. Billy sighed. "Thanks and we will have them returned after they are cleaned." He pulled them on and the sandals last of all. They had been given a bag for their dirty cloths. Billy knew that his had a serious funk going since he had sweated badly before he had been brought over. Satasha snickered at him. "Oh most definitely though I have a feeling most of it was aimed at you." She dressed as well and took a moment to make sure the clothing was fitted over her tail correctly. "I can't wait to see Jenna and Sandi again. I am a bit nervous meeting your youngest as well." Danielle didn't know anything about their relationship to the best of her knowledge. That was very daunting. Once they were dressed Billy took her hand and walked out of the isolation room. Outside was a warrior. "If you will follow me please I would appreciate it. Oh, by the way, here are your leska badges." He handed over the purple badges with the Sholan L in it. Both pressed it against their over robe and with a nod started to follow him. They were shown to the sick room first and Billy smiled. "Sally your sister is here. Bitty would you like to come with and see Dani?" As he was talking he smiled at Z'Marl as she came over and gave him a good hug. He wrapped an arm around her since he was going to drag her with as well. Bitty slowly stood up and smiled. "I would love to see Dani and visit for a while." As she stood up Sally wrapped an arm around her. "Thank you Sally but I am sure I can walk. I am just a bit stiff now." She moved towards the door but didn't bother moving away from Sally. Sally really wanted to help but settled for letting Bitty hold on. "So daddy how does it feel to be surrounded by women?" She managed to say that with a straight face. Bitty actually snickered slightly and Sally grinned at her. Satasha snickered at her as they walked out of the room. "Now Sally you shouldn't pick on your father that way. Keep in mind that two of the women in question are related and there is Vangie as well." She grinned at Vangie though he was keeping a stiff upper lip as they were being teased. "Now Jenna and Sandi I might invite over for a home cooked meal." Billy traded looks with Vangie but didn't say anything. Instead they settled for following the warrior to the lounge. He walked into the room and smiled. "Dani you are looking really good. So what brings you here?" There was a slight grin on his face when he said that. She looked up and after standing hurried over and gave him a good hug. "Pappa you are so silly. There are aliens here and you came back with them or brought them here. What do you expect me to do? Stay home and study?" She gave him a good hug and squeeze before she shyly looked at the Sholan's in the room. Billy laughed at her and returned the hug. "And I am sure that Jenna and Sandi didn't tell any stories right?" Both women simply smirked at him and he had to roll his eyes. "Why don't we have a seat at the table and I will give you a brief run down as well as introduce everyone. You should give Bitty a hug as well. She has had a rough time recently and could use a good hug." Dani did that while everyone found somewhere to sit. Sally didn't even think twice before getting drinks for anyone that wanted one. Eventually everyone had something to drink and Bitty finally nudged Dani over to the table. Once everyone was seated he looked over at Dani. "Sweetie hold onto your seat and try not to fall out. You are going to have trouble believing this but I am married. Actually it is considered a mating contract and Satasha is my bond-mate." He wrapped an arm around Satasha and gave her a kiss. "This is Z'Marl my companion." He had been intending to see if she was interested which he believed she was. Dani was getting ready to say something when Billy spoke and she closed her mouth with a clomp. Her eyes flicked between the three of them and there was shock written on her face. She tried to speak but this was so not what she was expecting. She finally managed to get something out though it really didn't sound very intelligent. "Huh? What? How... I mean... Oh god I am getting a headache now." Vangie tried to cover his laugh with a cough but wasn't quite successful and he got glowered at. "I am pleased to meet you Dani. I am seeing your sister currently and she does keep me on my toes. As far as causing headaches that seems to be a specialty of Yilly's." He wrapped an arm around Sally and smiled as she leaned into him. Billy managed to keep a straight face. "As far as how she crash landed at the house and while she was helping me get my ship fixed it just sort of happened. She is a lovely young woman and a damn fine officer. She held me while I cried and grieved for your mother. She helped me past it and to start living again." He looked up at her and a very shy smile was on his face. "I do love her and deeply and she knows that." His hand was stroking the bracelet as he was talking. Satasha gave Dani a warm smile. "I feel much the same about your father. He is a very special and wonderful man. He helped me by giving me some country hospitality, let me curl up next to him for comfort, and brought me back to my people." She lightly nuzzled his hair in contentment. Z'Marl still had her ears down due to what Billy had said. He hadn't taken her as his companion and didn't know he felt quite that way. She knew that he cared for her but hadn't realized he liked her quite as much. "Thank you Yilly. I still think you like me for my mind." She gave Dani a shy smile. Dani narrowed her eyes at the two females and contemplated the two females. Eventually she looked at her father and then Sally. "Fess up Sally how old are they? Daddy mentioned Satasha as being a lovely young woman and I have a feeling Z'Marl is also fairly young." She was trying to distract herself for the moment. Billy snickered. "You forgot to ask how old Vangie is as well Dani." As she was glaring at him he took a sip of the c'shar. "I need some instant coffee darn it. This stuff is just so boring. Well either that or a good snort of rum for it." He took another sip from the cup. Sally couldn't help but grin. "Well it seems pappa likes younger women since Satasha is about 28 and Z'Marl is 22 or so." When Billy sighed she snickered at him. "Well since pappa has decided he likes younger ladies I decided to go the other way. Vangie is about 38 or so." When Dani stared at them she snickered at her little sister. Dani lowered her head to her hands and groaned. "Now I really do have a headache. At least I decided to date someone near my age. Am I the only normal one in the family?" This was just too much. "I came here to see how you were doing and this is what I get?" Billy reached over and wrapped his hand around hers. "Dani I am doing much better than I was. Tasha has started to teach me how to live again. Z'Marl is as smart as we are and we have had some very enjoyable conversations." He smiled at Z'Marl. "She can also take my equations and make them understandable by most." That got her to lower her ears even more and look down at the table. "I think you exaggerate a bit. I am just a moderately smart female." She gave Dani a shy look. "I do enjoy spending time with your father. He is a really fascinating person." Bitty was smiling at the conversation. "Well Billy I must say that you have an interesting relationship. Two lovely young ladies falling over you. I know of at least two others who have commented on you." She hadn't but had to needle him a bit. Bitty came over and settled down next to her and wrapped an arm around Dani. "Believe me they are a wonderful people and have been taking very good care of us." Her face was looking strained. "Billy and the Sholan warriors aboard his ship saved us. They pretended to let the pirate's board and retaliated. They took over the ship and when they found us..." Her voice faltered for a few. "They saved us and gave us medical attention, food, clothing, and showers. I will do anything for the warriors that saved us." Dani took a close look and wrapped her arms around her and looked over at Billy and he shook his head. He mouthed 'later' at her and got a nod back. "Well Bitty you are going to have to introduce me to the Sholan's that helped you and maybe the doctor. I would like that before I need to head back home. College and my boyfriend calls." Dani looked at her father and gave him a lopsided grin. "So any other bombshells you want to drop on me?" Why she bothered asking she wasn't sure but it was sort of an instinctive reaction with her father. He didn't normally have just one or two bombshells. It just wasn't the way it worked with him. He looked down at the table and sort of doodled. "See the purple on the robe? Well it means I am a telepath, or something like that. The purple emblem with the sigil on it means that I am a Leska and Tasha is my Leska. We have a permanent mental bond that can't be broken. Every five days we have to spend alone as we swap memories of the last few days." She simply shook her head. "Fine. I think I would like to get something to eat and somewhere to lie down." This was entirely too much information for the moment. All she had wanted to do was see how her father was doing. What ended up happening was she got sandbagged and big time. Billy gave her a wry smile. "I understand and some of the rooms on my ship have been cleared out and you will love the beds." He stood up and walked around the table and pulled her into his arms and gave her a hug. "Let's get you fed and tucked in Dani." He looked at Bitty and smiled. "If you feel up to coming over to the ship and sleeping as well that is fine. I can tuck both you and Dani in the same stateroom. Most of the warriors have been moved out but there are some on watch at all times." Everyone stood up and Vangie nudged Sally over to Bitty. "I will be over there in a few minutes. I have something to take care of." He walked off and his tail was lightly swishing. Billy smiled at the warrior that was at the door of the lounge. "We are going to my ship for the evening and unless the doctor says otherwise they are staying. Can you show us out please?" Dani was leaning against him and he hugged her a bit more. As the warrior led them off the ship he thanked him and headed towards his ship. Once they made it to his ship he led her on and towards the living area. "Most of it is the same as the last time you were on her but the rooms are somewhat different. You will love the beds." He winked at her. "Maybe you can invite your boyfriend over and make use of them." Dani pinched him and frowned. She looked around the ship and it did mostly look the same. She finally flopped on a chair and rubbed her head. "It is good to see you pappa but I do have a headache now. Is the kit where it usually is?" He nodded and she stood up and headed towards the front. Satasha started some food cooking and also started a pot of water for some coffee. She figured after everything they had said everyone could use some coffee. "Yilly I am going with something from your world. I will keep it mild." When he gave her a hug and kiss she leaned into it before starting to get to work. She was purring quietly as she was working on the food. Billy stretched. "Sally could you please show all the ladies to some staterooms? The ones closest to ours are unoccupied and have been cleaned out." She stood and left the room as Billy started working on the coffee. "I think industrial strength will be a good idea tonight. I definitely feel the need to relax and blow some steam off." As he was working he reached into a cupboard and pulled out a bottle of brandy and filled the cups for the humans with a decent shot. He handed out the other cups and had to blink when Vangie walked in with Kingie and Crystal. She was looking a bit nervous. "Hey Crystal welcome aboard my ship. Have a seat and would you like some coffee?" He poured two more cups and handed them over to the two. "Kingie it is fixed strong so take it easy." He smiled at Crystal. "It has an effect similar to alcohol on Sholan's." Kingie snickered slightly. "I will take it easy on this cup and the next weakened." He sniffed at the food and smiled. "Smells good Satasha. I will set the table for everyone." He nudged Crystal and showed her where the dishes were and they started setting the tables. He did keep a close eye on Crystal though he didn't make it obvious. She seemed to be doing okay but then again she knew most of the people. Vangie looked at the two of them. "Are you really Leska's? If so how did that happen? Do you know?" He wanted to know since that was the last thing he wanted to happen. Yes he cared for Sally and enjoyed her company but he didn't want to be permanently linked to anyone. Satasha smiled and nodded. "We are and we aren't sure what happened. The doctor is doing some research on it to see what she can find." She tasted the food and started adding a few spices. As she was cooking the coffee was finished and Billy poured it and handed her a cup after fixing it the way she liked it. The others came back from their rooms and Jenna was grinning. "Oh my yes I like the bed. Did you steal the tech from them?" They had tried the bed and it was more than comfortable. They couldn't wait to really try it out. Billy snorted. "No actually I didn't. They upgraded the beds for the warriors who were staying aboard on the flight here." He settled on a chair and stretched. "It is going to be nice to be back in our cabin and get in some serious cuddling." They continued talking for the rest of the evening and as people got tired they said good night and headed towards bed. The next morning everyone was awakened by the alarm Billy had set. They had things to do today and he really wasn't looking forward to it. There were interviews, pre-treaty meetings, and several other items. Most of them included Satasha as well. Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 02 Ch. 04 Welcome to my next chapter in the Sholan Alliance. I do want to say that I am sorry for the slow posting of the Silver Moon and Ranicke series. I am working on them but at the moment I finally have some ideas for this and need to get them down. Even if it is just short notes at the moment and come back later but I have to get them down. I am working on the others and am hoping to have new chapters posted soon. I want to thank everyone who provided constructive criticism on this and my other stories. Any and all relations are 18+. Chapter 4 Moments after the tower had the top blown off by the Sholan fighter everything started to happen. The Swiss troops had taken up a defensive perimeter. On the top of nearby buildings they were setting up sniper nests, AA missiles, and various sensors. The Sholans had all been recalled to the ships they were assigned to. Warriors were taking up positions surrounding the two ships. The ambassador had been recalled as well and Ikarius came with her as well as a shield of soldiers. He was doing everything he could to ensure that she made it back to the barque. Once they had arrived the soldiers turned the protection over to the Sholan Warriors but remained with to ensure ongoing communications. "Ambassador I do not know what is happening right now but we are investigating. I request permission to remain with you to ensure that you will have the most current information." She paused on the ramp and then nodded. "I appreciate your offer and that is a very good idea. Come with me please." She hurried into the ship and Ikarius followed. She went straight to her office and settled down behind the desk and activated the computer. "Please sit and relax." Teolura turned to her assistant. "Drinks please and send a message to the commander that I need to speak to him as soon as he has a chance." Ikarius was reviewing notes on his communicator and was not looking happy. For the moment all they knew was that a sniper appeared to have taken a shot and injured Billy and one of the Sholans. He set the communicator on the desk and activated the large screen and keyboard. Once they were displayed he started typing commands in. "I am connected with the Colonel in charge and for the moment all we know is that someone took a shot. I will need the status of Billy so I can keep both the Swiss and my command informed of what is happening." Teolura nodded. "Right now he is in medical being evaluated. As soon as the doctor has any information she will inform me." The door opened and some drinks were brought in. "Thank you and just leave the tray and nibbles." There were some snacks on the tray as well. She poured two cups and slid one over to him. ~~~ In medical as soon as Vangie carried Billy in Desjean started snapping orders. When Satasha was carried in she directed her assistant to check on her since there weren't any visible wounds. Billy went onto the trauma table and she started working. As she was working several IV's were being started and the scanner was working. It wasn't going to be perfect due to the movement but she would be able to see the damage. When the scanner finished Billy had been stripped and one of the IV's was pumping in an oxygenated fluid to replace the blood he had lost. They needed to get some actual blood of his type but for the short term this would take care of him. She had sprayed on a coagulant which had slowed the bleeding down some. It was only temporary but Desjean needed the time to review the scan results. What she found was not good. Whatever had hit him had shattered his shoulder blade, several ribs and damaged his shoulder. The rib fragments had penetrated the lung and he had several lacerations and the lung was collapsing. She didn't have what was needed to do more than a temporary dressing but chances were good he wouldn't make it to a hospital. On top of that Desjean had no idea what the medical level was. If he was taken to the mother ship at the very least they could fix his lung and ribs. Beyond that they might need to go to Shola for further repairs on him. "What is the status of Lt. Verzilon?" She called over her shoulder as she started doing some temporary patch work. Dr. Desjean knew that she was not going to be able to stabilize him enough to transport him. At the moment she was simply trying to keep him from coding on the table. If she could get even a few minutes to think she might be able to come up with something. "Ma'am it looks like she is just in a telepathic coma. She has no physical injuries though she is showing signs of being injured in the same spot." As of now she had an IV and several meds on board to help with any pain as well as to keep her asleep. "What do you want us to do?" Desjean leaned back and frowned. "Get the two cryo chambers ready and start the cryo meds on both Captain Madlax and Lt. Verzilon. We are going to need to tank them for the moment." She didn't like that idea since she honestly wasn't sure how Billy would handle it. There wasn't much of a choice though. She should really contact his daughters for their input but there wasn't time. If they lost Billy they would lose Lt. Verzilon. Considering this was the first of a cross species leska link they needed to try their hardest to save them. It only took about ten minutes for the meds to start taking affect and to get the two of them in the chambers. The whole process would take a bit over a half hour but once they were in it was automated. Once they were in the capsules she took a moment to take a breath. She had been very close to losing both of them and that would have really upset her. She liked both of them and they had shown a great deal of courage to take out the bonding contract. That and to show their bravery in the face of both their species by letting their love show. "Doctor the Ambassador is waiting for your report." The attendant was in the process of cleaning up the blood and other fluids as he spoke. Several others were doing the same. "It is going to have to wait for a bit. I am going to contact their family and let them know what is happening." She stripped off the gown and gloves as she was walking to her office and dumped them in the recycler. Before the call she was going to need a quick shower to rinse her fur off. Desjean stepped into the small shower that was in medical and took a quick shower. Once she was dry enough she pulled on a spare tabard and settled down at her desk. She placed the call and while waiting for it to pick up she fixed a cup of c'shar. When it was picked up she was facing his girls in front and the others gathered around. Most of them looked rather upset and pale not that she blamed them. "Sally, Dani I have placed your father in cryo since I can't take care of him here. Satasha is in cryo as well since they can't survive apart. Vangie is getting fixed up right now. His wounds were relatively minor though he is going to be off duty for a week or longer. Do you have any questions?" Sally gulped and nodded. When she spoke her voice was hoarse and withdrawn. "What is wrong with Daddy and when can I speak with Vangie?" Dani murmured something in Sally's ear. "Dani wants to know what you mean by you would have lost both of them?" Desjean leaned back a bit. "Your father was hit in the back. The weapon used shattered his shoulder blade, several ribs and ended up going through part of his shoulder. I wasn't able to stop the bleeding and though normally I would have asked felt the best way to save him was cryo. As far as losing both of them with the mental link they have they can't survive without the other." She took a sip of the drink before speaking again. "Once Vangie is taken care of I will have him call you. I need to talk to the human doctor and the ambassador before I can really say much else." ~~~ They talked for a bit longer before she hung up. Instead of comm'ing the Ambassador Desjean stood and walked over to her assistant. "I need to speak with the Ambassador." She didn't know Ikarius was in the office as well. She was shown in moments later and paused for a moment as she took in the human. Desjean turned to the Ambassador and nodded. "I am here to update you on the status of Captain Madlax and Lt. Verzilon." She settled in a seat and sighed. "As of right now they are both in cryo and..." She went on to describe the extent of the injuries Billy and Vangie sustained. The Ambassador rubbed an ear and sighed. "Do you have any idea what happened or why Commodore?" If there was a threat she wanted to know so they could setup the security they could. Ikarius straightened up in the seat. "Unfortunately at this moment Ambassador I do not have that information. As of yet nobody has come forward to claim responsibility. When the news does go out it is possible that the group responsible will put out something. On the flip side of the coin it is possible a number of groups may claim responsibility. It is going to take a bit of time to chase any and all leads down." He sighed. "We did not see this coming at all." Or not so soon since normally there was some chatter but for this they hadn't had any indicator it was going to happen. "I have sent out requests for information as well as instructions on how they would like to proceed. We obviously need to increase the security around here and or possibly moving you to a more secure location." The Ambassador didn't like that idea but they might have to. "I am going to need to send some messages out requesting additional information. It is going to take some time to get a response. The doctor has already requested the human doctor to come and review her findings." She dismissed both of them but asked that Ikarius remain on board in case she had questions. ~~~ By the end of the day a number of changes had been made to security. There were far more troops on duty and doing patrols. The Sholan fighter was remaining in the air for the time being to provide fire support. The human doctor confirmed Desjean's diagnosis. He also agreed that chances were slim if they tried taking him to a hospital. For the moment they shelved that issue but were going to revisit it in a day or two. ~~~ That night Vangie was back aboard the Sandi and Sally was curled up next to him. She was being very careful not to press on his wounds and had helped him as much as possible. Now all she could do was cry on his shoulder. Both knew that he couldn't hold her but having him next to her really helped. Dani was with Jenna and Sandi being comforted. Kingie had his hands full with Crystal since she freaked out when Billy had been shot. All in all her day had been shot to hell and the possibility of losing her father scared the daylights out of her. The idea of losing Satasha scared her as well since they had bonded as good friends. Vangie had shifted slightly and was holding one of her hands. "Sleep Sally and I will be here for you." He stroked her hair for a few before he started snoring. ~~~ The next two days were spent dealing with the implications of the attack. The tower had been carefully cleared and they found some remains of the body and weapon. Interpol as well as a number of other agencies were doing everything they could to identify the body. The remains of the weapon had gone to Scotland Yard for processing as well as the rest of the physical evidence. For the time being the Sholan's were remaining aboard their ships. One thing the Sholan's had made clear was that they didn't hold any of the various governments responsible. There was even a televised broadcast by the Sholan's and the representatives stating this. They were there to stay and that was it. The only reason they would leave would be at the request of the various governments. Behind the scenes were negotiations on what to do with Billy and Satasha. By now they had accepted that Billy needed the Sholan's medical skills and technology to survive. For good measure he had been called back to active service and advanced to Captain due to seniority and that he ran his own ship. Satasha had been advanced as well though neither knew this. It had also been decided that they would be sent to the mother ship for the initial treatment. They were going to be going on the Sandi and escorted by the fighter. The two had become central to a number of issues and their deaths would definitely cause problems. Both the Ambassador and Dr. Desjean insisted that Billy be taken to the mother ship. That was also demanded by his daughters as well. The decision had been made and the girls, Jenna, Sandi, Vangie, Kingie, and Crystal would be going back. They hadn't mentioned it but the body of the fallen Warrior was going back as well. The flight was scheduled for the following Monday to give Vangie time to heal more. He was going to be the acting Captain for the flight to the ship. Depending on what happened he might be acting Captain for the flight to Shola. ~~~ The leaders of the company were not pleased with the results. All of them had seen the news on the shooting including some raw footage a tourist had managed to capture of one of the Sholan ships taking out the top of the tower. They had known almost immediately that their operative hadn't survived the return fire. All of them watched the news for the next few days and were rather upset with the Sholan's broadcast. That was most definitely not the results they wanted. Having them interfere with the plan even though they didn't realize it was frustrating. It had taken years to get most of the chips in place and this was threatening to completely derail what they were trying to accomplish. After the broadcast they called for a session of the senior members. The meeting took place in the virtual world and all the connections had been routed through so many different nodes it wasn't funny. All were in shadows and their voices digitally changed. In theory the chat room was for one of the various spy games so the conversation should go un-noticed. To further hide their identities they were labeled by a number. First called the meeting to order. "I am showing all seven members available. Verify connections and then we will start." He waited for several moments till all indicators were green. "Very well and we are going to limit this to the intentions and results of the most recent operation. Number three explain who was tasked and what his abilities were." Third pretended to shuffle some cards before speaking. "The operative was stationed in zone three and available. He was an obvious choice since he had the skills required and the target was in zone three as well. This removed any additional documentation needed and or any covert method of insertion or retrieval." Third looked at the cards again. "The operative has been used a number of times and has never been caught and never been implicated. Due to this the operative was a prime choice for the mission." Everyone contemplated that. First spoke again. "Fourth detail what happened and what we had been hoping for as a result." He had all the information and could have simply stated it but that would have caused problems. Each of the members had an area they were responsible for as well as operations. They ranged from bribes, assassinations, political adjustments, and far more. Their plans were very expansive and were aimed at the world and not just one section. Fourth didn't bother with cards or anything like that. She felt that third was a bit to much of a showman. "We are not completely sure how they located him. From the news feeds and direct feed from him he managed to shoot the tramp captain who found the aliens. There are indicators that he did hit one of the aliens and for some reason a second alien went down. Moments after that as we all know the alien ship fired at the tower and instantly killed our operative. In the process to the best of our ability to tell most of his equipment as well." She paused and took a sip of something before continuing. "What we had hoped was to scare the aliens away so they wouldn't interfere. If that didn't happen we were hoping that they would at least step back and limit the contact with the authorities. If they had done that we could have continued with our plans with minimal changes. Instead it seems to have made them move even closer to certain individuals. Since those individuals are fairly senior this is a cause for alarm. If they start providing access to even some of their technology it is going to cause major problems with the plan." First glanced around and received a nod of understanding from everyone. "Sixth has the operative been retrieved from the aliens? If so what is being done and if not what are we going to do?" The operative was a valuable asset but had enough information to impact on certain operations. Sixth was still for a moment before speaking. "The second operative was scheduled to be retrieved but with the results of the attempt it has been delayed. This has been marked down as 'security' concerns for the safety of all concerned. One of my assets is working to get her legally moved and returned to her 'family'. Will this work I am not sure and if not plans are being looked at on how best to remove her as a potential problem. I should be hearing something in the next few days." First nodded at him. "Keep me updated on that and if needed we might need to take some drastic actions. I would prefer not to but better safe than sorry. If possible see if we might be able to get a message to her to lay low or else." He turned to another shadow. "Seventh what sort of impact has the capture of the ship caused?" Jack Sparrow was a pain in the ass and to be honest if he hadn't been so useful over the years would be dead. He was an egomaniac and believed nothing would ever touch him. The most concerning part was what sort of information had been captured from his ship. Seventh waggled her hand. "That is a tough question to answer since we don't know what they might have captured aboard the ship. We also don't know what sort of information they might get out of what is left of the crew. I did try to see if we could get someone to them but security is so tight that a roach couldn't get through." Bit of an exaggeration but expected from her. "From an operational aspect the loss of the ship isn't a huge deal since it is designed as a raider and not a major combatant. The loss of it can be made up in a few months with minimal issues." "On the other hand there is a very real possibility that one or more of our bases have been compromised. I have set in motion a complete review of his last dozen visits and entry and exit scans. I am hoping to identify which bases are potentially compromised. Once that is done I will see about getting them relocated to alternate sites. If this happens it will set our plans back significantly." She returned the link to first. All were taking a moment to review the notes they had made to see if there were any questions when one speaker requested to speak. Once he received it he looked around. "Just a brief comment for everyone. Most of the various space going militaries have gone to a higher level of security. Having said that I haven't gotten any indication of expanded fleet training. That is especially true with the ship to ship and ship to ground assaults. There are indications they might be on the horizon but at the moment they are just trying to figure out what happened and why." First gave him a nod. "Thank you second for that. Everyone keep your assets restrained but also try and gather as much information as possible. If possible try and get any information on the changes made to that damn ship that screwed this up. If we can get the drive mod's then it will give us a jump on the rest when we activate the Plan." He logged off and stretched. Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 02 Ch. 04 Once he ensured that any trace of the call was eliminated he stood and walked out to the living area. "Hey love, sorry about that but it was an important meeting and I simply couldn't miss it. What's for dinner and where are the kids?" State Undersecretary Nelson gave her a kiss before sitting down. ~~~ Since they had decided to send Billy and Satasha to the Mother Ship they had started preparing the ship to leave. Both cradles had been moved to the Sandi since they were independent units. They didn't have to be plugged in or connected to keep working. If something did happen to the ship they would survive in space for years. When the chambers were moved into the cargo area only Dani, Sally, and Vangie were there. Both girls had their hands on the cover to Billy's chamber. "Daddy we will get you to the ship and medical. You had better be fine Daddy or I am going to scream at you." That was silly but Sally had to say something. For some reason it almost looked like he had a faint smile on his face. Dani simply pressed her cheek against the cover and said a prayer for him. She had barely gotten out of the house and now this. Her mind was still trying to deal with their father being married and to an Alien as well. Right now her mind was a mess and she hadn't really had time to relax and settle down. She was going to have to call her boyfriend and let him know she was going to be gone for a while. It was something she had been intending to do but just hadn't been able to. Once the chambers were lowered and secured Vangie took the girls forwards. It wasn't just to get them out of the storage and away from their father but so they could load the warrior in his cold chamber on. "We are going to be leaving tomorrow and it will take just under two weeks to get to the Mother Ship. If you need to call anyone take care of it tonight. I have been assured that access would be guaranteed if at all possible." They settled in the living area as he was speaking. Crystal leaned into Kingie and shuddered at that idea. Shortly after Billy had been shot notifications had gone out to all the families of the survivors. It had informed the family members that they had been rescued and were recovering. Her mother had pretty much written her off since she was now despoiled. She had known that was going to happen but it hurt badly. The doctor had to give her some meds to sleep and calm down. Kingie had her tucked under one arm and tight against his side as Vangie was talking. Her blond hair stood out against his fur which sort of amused him. Everyone knew what had happened with her family and they were all doing their level best to comfort her. "Relax Crystal and when we reach Shola you will meet my family. I know that you will be accepted with open arms. I was able to send a message home and all of them can't wait to meet my new little sister." She pressed her face to his chest and sighed. Crystal really appreciated what he had done but she was still very scared by how people were going to react. The scent of him always helped to relax her and before long she had fallen asleep again. It was never a really good sleep but at least it allowed the time to pass. As she drifted off Kingie couldn't help but wrap his arms a little tighter around her. The look he gave Vangie was very distressed. How a family could just dispose of a child like hers had was beyond him. On top of that what had happened to her was incomprehensible. Yes he was a warrior but he was still in that young and idealistic stage and all this was a major blow. Vangie stood and as he walked to the kitchen area to get something to drink he placed his hand on Kingie's shoulder. He gave it an understanding squeeze before he continued on. It had been hard on all of them but especially for Billy's family. Tonight he was going to see if he could talk Sally into something more than cuddling. He was going to need to be careful but damn it he needed to feel alive and that would help. ~~~ Dani wasn't very happy the next morning. She had called her boyfriend and it hadn't been a happy call. He knew that her father had been critically injured but he simply didn't understand her leaving. He was going to live or die as the fates dictated and to him the best thing she could do was carry on. That meant staying at the college and continuing her studies. That had ended up in a fight and her hanging up on him. Frankly at the moment she was done with him if he was going to be that insensitive. Sally simply gave her a good hug when they settled down to eat. She had never liked the guy what so ever and had a feeling that they had a breakup but didn't ask. Breakfast was a quiet affair since everyone was dealing with a variety of emotions. It wasn't much later when three additional warriors came aboard since they would be helping with the flight. She had talked to Vangie and the cabin Billy and Satasha used was left empty. "Well it is time for us to start getting the flight check done and leave. Sally I would like you on Navigation and Kingie on Engineering." The three of them headed towards the front and settled down in the chairs at the consoles. Vangie didn't like sitting here with Billy not on board but it was his job as his second to run the ship if he wasn't available. Once they were all seated he started calling commands. Kingie opened communications with the fighter since it was going to be escorting them. That had required the Ambassador giving an order that didn't please either commander. "Fighter we are getting ready to take off. We will rendezvous at the following location..." He verified they had them and then passed it over to Vangie. He slowly lifted off and aimed the ship at the sky. As Billy had several months ago he was taking it easy getting to space and headed towards the edge of the solar system. Microjumps were one thing but to do a major jump from inside the solar system was extremely dangerous. There were all sorts of things that might be partially or fully in hyper that you could run into. You also had to program the flight path to avoid obstacles such as planets and meteor belts. All in all it was far simpler to go to the edge and jump. That took about a day and a half to reach the jump coordinates where they paused. After verifying the course with the fighter ship both jumped into hyper and verified communications. Once that was done Vangie was replaced by Kingie at the helm and a rotation had been set up. Vangie settled down in the living area and reclined on one of the couches and sighed. The wound across his chest was aching and he needed to relax for a while. For the next week they made good progress even though they weren't really pushing the engines. It still amused Vangie that the ship was only running on 50% power and was still doing almost as well as any of the other Terran ships. To be honest Vangie wanted to go full throttle and see just how fast it would go but not till Billy was awake and healed enough. ~~~ The scanner tech was scanning for any sort of hyper signatures when he started getting a return. He verified it and gave it a couple of minutes to firm up which it did. That indicated they were heading roughly in the direction of the returns since they were getting stronger and not fading away. It also indicated the returns weren't sensor ghosts as well. After several more minutes of verifying the readings he turned to the officer in charge of the bridge. "Ssir I have picked up and verified two sensor returns. They appear to be hyper capable ships of a small size. Each is giving off a signature that is very different than the other." The officer looked down at the tech and narrowed his eyes. His first thought was to see if the tech had taken longer than needed to identify the ships. If that was the case he could cheerfully tear into him. It would teach him to make reports in a timely manner and also show who was in charge. On the flip side of the coin it could also be detrimental to the moral if he did that and the tech had done his job correctly. "Ssend the feed to my console." Once it was there he reviewed the data and frowned. With a displeased hiss he snarled at the tech. "You said two small ships. The energy signature of one is to powerful for a small ship. Explain this." If it wasn't a good explanation he was going to deal with him. The tech managed not to swallow but as hard as he tried to control it faint traces of the fear scent emanated from him. "Ssir I thought so at first for the same reason but the sensor return was not matching up. I did take an extra bit of time to verify the readings. The first ship has a smaller engine but is fairly powerful. The second ship is larger but not drastically and does have the stronger engine reading." He did swallow before continuing. "If you check the addendum you will see that the smaller of the two ships have hyper readings that are very close to the Enemy's." The officer checked and wanted to slash at the male but didn't since he had set an alert for that specific item. "Keep scanning and updating our logs." He looked at a different male. "Send a message to the other ships with this information. Do that after contacting the captain and informing him of what we have found." Everyone turned and started getting to work. Even if the officer hadn't spoken directly to them they wanted to ensure they looked like they were busy. If something happened and they weren't seen as having been doing something, anything, they would probably be turned over to the priests for interrogation. Shortly the captain came to the bridge and the office stood and turned the chair over to him. "Sso what is going on? What is this about finding a ship of the enemy?" He was calling up the report as he was talking. "Ssir the scanner tech picked up returns at the edge of our sensors. He refined the data and sent it to me. There appear to be two ships in hyper with different signatures. One signature we are not familiar with but the other is within five percent of the ship of the Enemy that we destroyed." He made sure to add slight emphasis when he mentioned the scanner tech. If anything was off he could pass the blame off to him for screwing up. The captain looked at him and it was obvious he knew what the officer was doing and rather expected it. Rising in the ranks could be perilous at times and the higher you got the more perilious. "Send a message to the other ships to go to battle stations. Once that is done go to silent running and work on an intercept course." ~~~ They had about four days to the Mother Ship when the alarms went off again. "Oh hell, not another pirate ship." Vangie swore as he slid into the captain's chair. Kingie, Sally, and Dani slid into the other chairs and started firing the systems up. "Captain we are being pinged by sensors that are neither Terran nor Sholan." Kingie reported from the weapons station. "Several of the sensor emissions appear to be some sort of targeting systems." The data was still firming up as they were activating all the systems. The fighter contacted them as well. "This is commander J'kefa. I have picked up four enemy combatants. I am ordering you to go to full power and head towards the mother ship. I have already sent an emergency signal to them. These appear to be the Others that attacked our battleship. I am going to get as much detail on them as possible as well as slowing them down. I will rendezvous with you at the Mother Ship." He gave Vangie a hard look. "Kick that ship and make her scream. God speed warrior." Vangie started cursing before opening the intercom channel. "Attention all passengers strap in for possible combat. Alien combatants identified and scanning us for a firing solution. I have been ordered to make all speed to the Mother Ship by the Commander of the Fighter." As soon as that was broadcast he slowly inched the throttle forward till all he had were the Sholan sensors available. "Engineer status check on shields and engines." Vangie was checking his console and Dani was making sure the path to the Mother Ship was being updated as they moved. That was showing on his console as well. The weapons had been charged and the shields fully powered up as well. He pushed the throttle full forward and the ship leaped ahead at one hell of a speed. Vangie was tuned into the channel the fighter ship was broadcasting on and it wasn't going well for them. Yes they were doing a fair amount of damage but so were the Others. He didn't tell the others but he knew that the fighter and her crew were going to be lost. Yes they were more powerful than the Others ship but the Others had numbers on their side. It didn't really take that long for any traces of the ships to drop off the sensors. The communication was still good and they were definitely taking heavy damage. It wasn't much later they heard the destruction of the fighter over the comms and silence ruled the ship. "Keep a close look towards our aft to see if any of the Others vessels might be following." He passed that order to everyone on the bridge. "Sandi can you and Jenna cook some food and drinks and bring them up here?" They were going to be on the bridge for a while longer and as long as they remained vigilant getting food and drinks were acceptable. ~~~ Vangie had called for a crew rotation several hours later and everyone was silent again. Everyone knew that the fighter escort had been destroyed. It had sounded like they had critically damaged the Others ships. Vangie had checked the sensor readings and had to agree that they weren't human vessels. The engine signatures were very similar to the ones they had detected. For the rest of the flight they were going to keep a ongoing watch on the bridge. ~~~ They had been running as fast as possible for close to a day when they were hailed. "SS Sandi this is Fighter 1052 and a squadron of escort fighters. Two are going to be tasked with escorting you to the Mother Ship. The rest of the squadron is going to follow your hyper signature back to where you encountered the others." Kingie was on watch and answered. "Fighter 1052 this is the SS Sandi and we copy and confirm the orders. Do you have any additional orders?" As he was talking he sent an alert to Vangie requesting him on the bridge. Several minutes later Vangie was there and took over. "This is Acting Captain Vangie and have been updated on the change in orders. We are complying and it appears that we haven't been followed to the best of my knowledge. Right now our engines are running at about 90%. I had to slow down due to some instability at top speed." As he was talking the two fighters had separated from the squadron and formed up alongside the Sandi. Vangie had been informed that the Mother Ship had diverted course to meet them. They would be in range in the middle of the next day. The trip had been shortened by several days due to the increased speed and the Mother Ship turning towards them. Everyone was being quiet and any talking was on the desultory side. The rest of the flight was relatively boring and uneventful. When they reached the Mother Ship it was uneventful as well. They were tractored into one of the hanger bays and almost immediately the Commander as well as a doctor and an escort moved forward. As they were approaching the ship Vangie opened both the cargo section and the central lock. He had his arm around Sally and Sandi and Jenna had their arms around Dani. As usual Kingie had his arms around Crystal and the rest of the warriors followed them off. Vangie saluted the Commander. "Sir the cargo hatch is open. Please show us to our rooms so we can get clean and try and get some sleep. Losing the fighter ship as well as the injury to Captain Madlax has taken their toll. I will be ready for a debriefing once I get something to eat and a shower." The Commander returned the salute and shook his head. "Go rest Warrior and we will see you in the morning. The lead Surgeon is going to examine the records and do another scan of Captain Madlax. He will contact you before he does anything." He looked over the others and nodded. "Go and relax and get some sleep. I will have food brought up. Vangie and Sally you are going to have the same cabin you used before and Sandi and Jenna can use the other room. Warrior Kingie you, Crystal, and Z'Marl will have the rooms across the hall." He looked at Z'Marl. "That is unless you wish to stay in your assigned quarters." Z'Marl shook her head at that idea. "I would prefer to stay with the others sir." She looked away from him. "I don't think I can be by myself right now." She had gone from a comfortable easy life to loving an alien. Her life was totally different now and frankly she needed Billy and Satasha. Since they weren't around she was going to stay with his girls and what was becoming her family. The Commander nodded to her and lightly brushed her cheek. "I understand Z'Marl and have had a few of your things taken to the quarters. All of the rooms have been keyed to each of your palm prints. Tomorrow contact me and once you have breakfast I will come down and talk to you." He nodded at them and moved to the side. Two warriors moved forward and saluted them. "Please follow us and we will show you to your rooms. Your bags will be brought up shortly. There are some documents on your terminals to review tomorrow as well." They turned and walked away. The others followed them slowly and as they passed the various staff they were saluted. Eventually they made it to the rooms and separated for a few. Crystal looked into the room and sort of smiled. "I do feel a shower coming on. Do you want to join us Z'Marl? I am sure you would like a real Sholan shower." It was only a bit of humor but she was teasing her and that was a step forward. Z'Marl wrapped her arms around her body and had a happy look on her face. "Oh my yes for the hot air jets alone." Dani snickered at her and Z'Marl grinned. "Do you want to join us? About four per shower area is the max." Dani sort of blinked and had to think about it. "Um, Kingie is a male right? I think I can wait." When everyone started snickering she gave them an odd look. "Why are you laughing at me?" Sally laughed even more. "Because Sholan's tend to shower communally. Since they are furred and don't show external organs like we do they don't have any nudity taboo. Go and get clean and enjoy the attention." She nudged her sister towards the other rooms and then turned towards the room she and Vangie used. Z'Marl wrapped an arm around Dani. "She is being serious and if it helps Kingie has helped most of the rescued women get clean. Crystal was the first but most of them decided to adopt him as their personal grooming kitty." She wrinkled her nose at Kingie and snickered. "So far we haven't had any complaints with the bathing." Kingie stuck his tongue at her and hissed for good measure. "I am not a kitty. I am an adult male so there. Kitty's are little and cute. I am big and grumpy." He ignored Crystal as she snickered at him. "If you tease me to much I might just brush your fur backwards or something. Better yet I will find a bell and attach it to your tail while you are asleep." He had seen a few cartoons on the ship and for some reason in some that was like the thing. Z'Marl laughed at him as she gently tugged Dani towards the room they would be using. "Let's see what they brought from my room and I might have something you can wear after the shower." The two of them had started bonding since they were so close in age. It was nice that Dani was really smart as well and understood where Z'Marl was coming from. Dani let Z'Marl draw her to the other room and she blushed when Z'Marl casually stripped the tabard off. She hadn't seen any of the Sholan's nude as of yet and was a bit curious. "You do have a lovely color of fur." She smiled shyly as she was taking the braid out of her honey blond hair. The two colors were very close. Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 02 Ch. 04 Z'Marl laughed at her as she opened the door to the showers. "Come on silly and get undressed. The showers are really nice." She swished her way into the bathing area and water could already be heard. "Hey Crystal Dani should be in momentarily." When Dani walked in Kingie was working on Crystal's hair and she had her eyes closed and an expression of contentment. "I feel really odd doing this since there is a boy in here. At school the showers were only for either the males or females." Crystal actually snickered a bit before stepping out and walking out of the shower. She looked at Dani who was just outside the shower door. "If I don't mind Kingie being in here you don't have anything to worry about. He is a really good person." She looked down for a moment. "He has adopted me as one of his little sisters. That was about the only thing that kept me from losing it." She turned and walked back in and Dani barely managed not to gasp when she saw Chrystal's back. There were trace marks of whips, burns, gashes, and other marks she couldn't identify. If Crystal could do it then Dani could as well. She slowly walked in and turned away from Kingie before stripping and stepping into the shower. She was on the other side of Z'Marl so she had a bit of privacy. Z'Marl turned so she was facing her and smiled. "Turn and let me get your hair Dani." She started working on Dani's hair and was taking her time. "I can feel your tension. I know much of it is related to your father. I am sure he is going to be okay and later I can give you a good massage to help you relax." Dani slowly relaxed as Z'Marl worked on her hair and it was obvious she had a good idea of what she was doing. When she mentioned her father she tensed some but managed to keep the tears from flowing. "If you wouldn't mind I would really appreciate it. I am sure you are probably tense as well and maybe I can return the favor." As Z'Marl started working down her back Dani leaned against the wall and groaned slightly. "That does feel good." Eventually they were done showering and found some tabards for them. For the humans they had covered sides so nothing showed. Dani pulled one on and had to be shown how to seal it. She had to go and look in the mirror and couldn't help but smile. "Well I have to admit it doesn't look to bad on me." Z'Marl snorted. "Good hell, we might need a few warriors to keep the admirers away." She curled an arm through one of Dani's and they headed across the hall for dinner. When they walked in Z'Marl inhaled but didn't say anything. She simply drew Dani to the table and settled down next to her. "Oh my the Commander isn't holding back." All of them sat around and ate the food till they were stuffed. Sally was leaned back against Vangie and groaned. "I think I ate too much but goodness that was good." She burped a bit and took another sip of wine. "I have a feeling I am going to sleep like a log tonight." Sally yawned much to everyone's amusement. Vangie leaned over and mock whispered in her ear. "Not before I am done with you. I am going to carry you in to our room and ravish you and then you can sleep." Just for good measure he purred in her ear before speaking again. "I really prefer my partners to be awake when I ravish them you know." When she turned really pink he simply gave her a low laugh and licked the ear. They talked for a while longer and there was a definite sense of relief for being here. All of them felt that now that they were aboard the Mother Ship Billy would be fine even if it took some time. There was some sadness for the warriors who had been lost protecting them. Everyone had decided to write some sort of note to the families though they would probably end up being sent to Shola on the Sandi. Eventually they all split up and went to the various rooms assigned. ~~~ The four of them went to the other suite and all had to stop and inhale. Z'Marl shook her head. "The Commander is definitely taking good care of us. This is from the senior officers mess and some of the best food on the ship." Sally had to smile at Z'Marl's comment since it was a darn good breakfast and she was enjoying it a great deal. "Morning Dani and the surgeon decided to come down and talk to us." She did smile but it was strained since dealing with doctors like this was hard. "He wants to discuss some options on how to treat Pappa. He seems to think there are some viable options for getting the worst damage repaired." The male gave both an affirmative nod. "I do. It took some time to get the scans I needed due to the cryo chamber but I do have a few options." He refilled his cup before speaking again. "One option would be to simply leave them in cryo and forward them to Shola. The next option is to do the critical repairs here and the sending him back to Shola for the final repairs. That would require the use of the cryo chambers again since healing would continue if he was awake. The last option would be to do all of the repairs here and send him back to Shola for rehabilitation." He took a sip of his drink and shrugged slightly. "None of the options are better or worse than the others. It is simply a case of what you wish to do. I would have to say the last option would be the last I would recommend. I feel that it would be better for him to do most of his reconstruction and rehabilitation planet side. It usually is considered more therapeutic to be planet side. It gives them the sun and green plants and other things to do." He finished talking and waited for questions. The two girls looked at each other and Sally leaned into Vangie and Z'Marl curled an arm around Dani. Both were looking at each other and there was a blend of hope and fear in their eyes and expressions. Sally finally spoke. "I think pappa would prefer to do the initial treatment here and then get sent to Shola for anything else." She closed her eyes and struggled to keep her fears in control. "I think he would like to get as much done of the important work done. The work needed to keep him alive that is. I know he is in cryo but I know that as deep down as he is he is also missing and longing for Tasha. I know that doesn't make sense but I can feel it." She looked at Dani and got a slight nod. "Wake both of them and do what you need to." Dani nodded as well though she didn't say anything and leaned into Z'Marl's hug. She closed her eyes and leaned into her shoulder and as hard as she tried not to the tears started flowing. Yes she might act mature but she was still barely out of the house and the idea of losing her father scared the daylights out of her. The surgeon stood up and nodded before leaving the room. He had work to do and bothering to deal with all the emotions could wait. He headed straight for medical and assembled his team. "Ladies and gentleman this is going to be complex and difficult. What we are going to do is..." He started explaining the procedure he was planning. It took some time and his staff tossed possibilities around before he finalized what they were going to do. "Okay get the cryo chambers ready to be opened. Before they are opened I want premedication applied." He started calling out orders as the chambers were brought into the room. He knew that they were leska's and it was definitely not a good idea to have one awake while the other was in cryo. Satasha would have to remain in the same room as Captain Madlax while he was revived and operated on. The operating room was a hive of activity as the chambers were brought in and the meds were started. As soon as both were at the end of the resus cycle the teams really started moving. Satasha had been moved to a floater off to one side of the room while Billy was moved to the actual surgical table. All the others were gathered in the suite that Billy and Tasha had been assigned and were being very quiet. Time seemed to drag and all they could do was wait. Both Sally and Dani were virtually silent during the wait. Sally simply curled up in Vangies lap and Sandi and Jenna had Dani between them and was giving her all the comfort they could. Eventually there was an alert from the door and everyone started since it was way too early for the surgeon to have finished. That was unless there was bad news. Both girls clutched at the ones holding them while Kingie went to the door. His body posture showed startlement. "Good morning Father. Please come in." He moved back and Sally was slightly startled as well since it was the priest of Vartra who had married her father and Satasha. She stood up and moved over and gently grasped his arms and leaned forward and rubbed her cheek against his. "Please Father come in. Have a seat and would you like something to drink?" Nordan returned the nuzzle before he let her lead him over to the table. "A c'shar would be greatly appreciated and thank you." He had a gentle smile on his face. "I came when I heard what had happened to your father. I have sent a prayer to Vartra for his recovery and speedy healing." He took the cup of c'shar handed him and took a sip. "I was really hoping to see them again but not this way. I understand they are now Leska's? They are blessed by Vartra. To have two different species be so compatible is truly astounding." One or two of the lay brothers had been blessed with God Dreams but they were vague. With many they were hard to understand except when you looked back. Then what they meant seemed to jump out at you. Sally settled into Vangie's arms again and relaxed with her head tucked into his neck. "They were getting along very well till all this crap happened. The two of them were greatly enjoying the company of each other." She made a face. "Almost reminded me of high school and all the cuddling and stuff. I felt like I was the only adult there." When Vangie gave his slow laugh she smiled a bit and leaned a bit more into him. Dani sighed. "At least you knew what was going on. I was greeted with a hug and a 'love you Dani' mixed in with 'oh, this is Tasha my mate'." Sandi grinned at her and gave her a good squeeze. Dani shook her head. "I barely know Satasha and am just learning to know Vangie and Kingie. I got dropped in the deep end and then Daddy got shot." She closed her eyes and shuddered at that. Nordan reached over and lightly stroked her cheek. "What little I felt of your father is he is a fighter. He didn't try and hide his relationship with Lt. Verzilon and stood up for both her and what was developing between them. You have a very strong father and I am sure Vartra will help them." They talked a while longer before the priest left the suite and they were finally comm'd about what was happening. It was one of the assistants that called. "Good afternoon and I just wanted to update you. Captain Madlax appears to be handling the procedure well. We have his lung repaired, we had to do a venous graft on his sub-clavian artery and repair or remove pieces of his ribs. We are almost done but it is going to be two to three more hours before you can see him." Vangie took the message and nodded. "We understand but as soon as it gets even close to their seeing Yilly and Satasha please contact us. We will come up and sit in the waiting room so we are there when they come out of the meds." He knew that Satasha was going to be sedated as well since the last thing they needed was her reacting to Billy's pain. Once he had gotten a confirmation he hung up and settled back where he had been. Sally had finally fallen asleep and he wasn't going to wake her for the moment. ~~~ The last thing he remembered was the pain and agony of being shot. He knew that he had managed to get Vangie and Sally out of the way but why was he still here? Billy knew that even if they had a mobile crash unit on hand the chances of saving him was close to zero. As he slowly rose to some sort of consciousness he could feel the pain. It was being kept away by the fog of the meds but it was there just waiting. When he did finally fully wake he groggily looked around and found that they were back in the isolation room. Next to him was warmth and silky fur and he kind of smiled. He could feel her in his mind though it was mostly a fuzzy sensation. She was curled up on his left side and had one arm across his waist. Tasha's tail was curled around one leg. In the background he could hear beeping and knew he had at least three tubes in him if not more. When he tried to move he simply couldn't. Something seemed to be tying him down to the bed but he just couldn't gather enough energy to care at the moment. He was just floating in a sea of lassitude. Having Satasha touching him did seem to calm him and sooth some of the pain he was feeling. As he was lying there he heard the door open and slowly opened his eyes. Sally and Dani slowly walked in and he tried to smile. "Hysh girls. Shooting gets stchucks." For some reason that made him almost want to giggle. "Darsh it, can't talk." He licked his lips for a moment. "Love you." He could feel Satasha starting to move and he smiled and yawned. "Talsh later." He slowly fell back into the welcome pit of darkness where he didn't feel the pain but only the warm fuzzy of Satasha in his mind. Both girls couldn't help but smile somewhat. "Oh man I wish I could have recorded that. I would have played it for Daddy later." Dani had to shake her head when she said that. "I would ask what good drugs he is on but that wouldn't mean much to me." She didn't want to chance hurting her father so she settled down next to Satasha. She really didn't know what to say to her at the moment and settled for simply holding Satasha's hand. Satasha seemed to be rather out of it as well since she also yawned and gave her a sleepy smile. Sally had to smile as well and settled in a chair and stroked Satasha's ears. "Take good care of him and try to keep him from fretting. He really doesn't like hospitals or being tied down in one." Hell he hated anything that would keep him from doing what he felt was his job. Satasha gave Dani's hand a light squeeze and leaned into Sally's stroking. "I will even if I have to sit on him." Since she was holding Dani's hand she could tell how tired and stressed she was. The bed was more than large enough so she gently tugged Dani's hand till she moved onto the bed and laid down. "Relax Dani and you can wait here for your father to wake again." She pulled Dani's arm around her and was quickly asleep. Dani slowly settled on the bed and curled against Satasha. Vangie pulled a light cover up to ensure they didn't get cold. The rooms were kept cooler to help reduce the spread of infection though the beds were warmed. "We will check on you later Dani and if you need anything call or have someone call." Sally leaned over and gave Dani a peck on her head. "We will come and get you before bedtime." They had already eaten though it had been more picking at the food than anything else. All of them needed to start eating better and she knew it but with all the stress it had been so hard. ~~~ All of them had been rotating through the room they were in simply to keep busy. Billy definitely wasn't there when he did wake since he tended to mumble. He was also not tracking very well and needed to be told where he was several times. Eventually though later the next day he did wake up and was a bit more clear headed. Billy yawned and looked around the room and sighed. It wasn't all a bad dream or nightmare. He was in medical and his right shoulder and side was aching. He was obviously on some meds and they were heavy meds but on a dosage that allowed him to wake and somewhat be there. Billy didn't even try to move other than to find the control for the bed and lift the head some. When he did Jenna sat up and smiled. "Hey Billy how are you feeling? Before I bother saying much I figure I might as well see if you are even somewhat coherent." She stood and walked over and settled down on a stool next to the bed on Billy's side. "Satasha is in the shower right now but should be out shortly. Z'Marl is helping her since apparently Cryo didn't agree with her and she is shedding big time." Billy stared at her and frowned as he processed what she was saying and it didn't make sense. "Cryo? When was I in cryo and how did I get here." Obviously it was while he was in cryo but his mind was having problems since human's had given up on the deep sleep once hyper had been discovered. "Oh, good, clean is good and I could use a bath." He was feeling itchy and dirty. Jenna listened and he did sound more there. "Yes cryo and you won't remember since you were tanked shortly after you were shot. Doctor Desjean consulted with one of our doctors and they both agreed that you needed better medical than earth has. They felt that if they pulled you out of cryo on earth even in a trauma center your chances were slim. She tanked you and then talked to your girls." Jenna had to stop for a moment and leaned over and gave him a light kiss. "Don't you ever do something this stupid again. Let someone else get shot damn it." Her eyes were moist but she didn't cry. "Vangie captained the ship back to the mother ship and they operated on you yesterday. It was only to repair the critical aspect and the doctor will be in shortly." She looked up as the others came out of the shower. Tasha smiled at Jenna and then Billy. "I feel better now after the shower. I would ask you to brush me Yilly but that might be a bit hard right now." She settled on her side of the bed and leaned over and kissed him. Just because she nipped the end of his nose after giving it a lick. Billy snorted at her. "Girl you are going to get it when I get out of this bed." He returned the kiss and smiled when she nipped his nose. "Silly cat my nose is not for nipping. I might have to see if you like cat nip tea." He gave her a tired smile before yawning. Z'Marl leaned over and gave him a good kiss as well. "Missed you Yilly and it is so good to talk to you and know that you are doing reasonably well." For a brief moment she tucked her nose in his neck and inhaled before moving back. "Jenna and I are going to leave since I can feel the SBA glowering at us. We are under strict orders not to tire you out." Her fingers lightly caressed his face. "Later Yilly and I will let the girls know that you seem to be doing better." He yawned again and gave them a smile as one of the machines gave him the next dose and he drifted off. Billy was awake long enough to feel Satasha lay down next to him and curl up. He really wanted to tell her how much he loved her but he was gone before he had a chance. ~~~ The next two days were much the same for Billy. He would wake up, talk to whoever was in the room and then fall asleep for a while. On the fourth day after he had been operated on he was mostly awake. The doctor came in and smiled at him. "Good morning Commander how are you feeling?" Billy frowned slightly. "I am not a commander but if you need a rank I am the captain of the SS Sandi. I am feeling okay for the most part. Obviously my shoulder and chest still hurts but the meds help with that. I really don't like being plugged into all the various tubes but again there isn't much help for that. So tell me what has been done to me? What is going to happen as well?" The doctor couldn't help but smile slightly when Billy told him to call him captain. "It has been explained to you that your human military recalled you to active service and advanced you. I know you don't remember this but you now have the rank of captain in your military. Since you were given that rank it was decided by our military that you would be given the rank of Commander. That is pretty much the same rank as a Captain in your military. Lt. Verzilon is no longer a lieutenant and is now a Lt. Commander." Billy had to stare at him when he told him that. He really didn't remember being told that what so ever and was both shocked, appalled, and rather pissed off. The Sholan thing he didn't really care about but they had no right to recall him to active service. His face was furious when the doctor told him that. "I will deal with that later. They had no right. Now tell me what is going on with me medically." His voice was cold and hard. It wasn't the doctors fault but Billy's control of his emotions was rather off. Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 02 Ch. 05 All intimate relations are 18+. Enjoy. ***** It had been close to two weeks since Billy had been shot. Marcella really wanted off the ship before the interrogations were done. There was a very high possibility that she would be exposed as an inside agent and that would be bad for her. It had taken some time but she had finally managed to get a call made. She wasn't sure why it had taken so long but had to figure it was related to the entire mess. Once it was connected Marcella looked relieved. "Ricky it is so good to see you. I want to come home but we are being kept here for further observation." A tear artfully trickled down her cheek. "The Sholan's and Swiss have treated us well but being here keeps bringing back memories. I need to get away from here." Rick gave her a pleased smile. "I know since I have been trying to get a hold of you since it was announced who was on board the pirate ship. They kept telling me that you were undergoing treatment and therapy." When the tear trickled down his hand came up and touched the screen. "I understand and will see what I can do to get you released. We have some fine therapists here as well who can help you. Can you wait a little while longer?" When he reached out and touched the monitor she gave him a watery smile. "As I said they have been treating us well so I can survive a while longer but the sooner I am home the happier I will be." And alive which was a nice idea. She would be off the planet fairly quickly as well so if her name did come up they wouldn't be able to get to her. "Love you Ricky and I hope to see you sooner than later." The call was disconnected and she sighed before standing and slowly left the room. ~~~ As soon as they were disconnected Ricky sent a message to an anonymous account. He indicated that he needed instructions on the handling of a sensitive package. He also indicated that it was very time sensitive so the sooner he received instructions the better. Once the message was sent Ricky leaned back and knew that he would probably have instructions later that day. If Marcella was turned damage could be done to the organization and how they operated. There was a very good chance she would be ordered eliminated. He didn't like that idea but he did understand the need. ~~~ Sixth received the message from Ricky shortly after he had sent it. There was a small delay since it had been routed through so many portals and network connections it wasn't funny. He reviewed it and sent a message to First for instructions. They might end up having an actual conversation but chances were good it would simply be a message. Face to face conversations were kept to a minimum even if they were virtual. Once he was done he walked out of the secure room and to the officer in charge of the Russian forces. "I need a quick meeting with General Ustinov." He stared at the General's secretary till the woman made the call. "General your attaché needs to talk to you briefly. Lt. General Pricops indicated that it is urgent." She listened for a moment. "Please go in sir. The General has a few minutes before his next meeting." After pressing the button to unlock the door she went back to what she had been doing. Pricops walked into the room and after ensuring the door was securely closed settled down in a chair. "I received a message that our insider is requesting recovery. Do you have any instructions sir?" Pricops was the contact but the General was in charge of the sixth directorate. The general leaned back and glowered at the desk. The insider had been very useful over the years but with her in the hands of a telepathic race was of great concern. "Retrieve her and then eliminate her and her controller. If their flight goes down in an accident it will draw far less attention than if she was taken off planet. Get First on getting her freed using his channels." Pricops nodded since that was pretty much what he had expected. "Consider it taken care of General. I will keep you updated on the retrieval and elimination." He had been working with the General for years and had actually brought him into the Organization. ~~~ Under Secretary Nelson received the message and sighed. The Sholan's were being such a pain in his ass. Maybe if they had come later it would have been acceptable but as of now they were a major road block. The organization was still in the process of revamping their plans to take them in account. Also operations of the fleet had been restricted for the moment which was causing problems as well. The men manning many of the ships were not pleased with being restricted to the bases. It was both they disapproved of not getting any treasure as well as lack of access to new women. Most of the women were prisoners and well used and cowed. He didn't like that aspect but it helped keep the men and some of the women happy. As far as he was concerned once they had taken over many of the crews would become disposable. After contemplating what to do he finally started working on a message to his seniors about the women being restricted to the ship. He did not specify Marcella since that would draw attention to him. Some of the points he had made included lack of communications, lack of access by their families, and not being allowed to go home even if for a short time. Once he was done he forwarded it to his boss and then went back to his normal work. ~~~ The cell door opened and the usual two guards were there for him. All that really indicated was another day of interrogation but at least it got him out of the cell. He knew he was probably going to die but if he gave them enough information maybe they would be quick about it. He had no urge to find out what hanging or a firing squad might be like and would far prefer the needle. "Flight Engineer Sing come with us." The guards accent was thick enough he almost couldn't be understood but after so long it didn't matter since he knew what was coming. He stood up and held his hands out for the shackles and followed the first man down the hallway while the second followed behind him. The room they were taking him to was a plain white with only a desk, two chairs, and a lie detector and voice stress analyzer. The other chair was all ready occupied and when he came in the woman looked up and nodded to the two guards. They led him over to the chair and secured the shackles to the heavy steel table. "Good morning Engineer Sing. I have some more questions for you but before that I would like you to read this document." She slid a plascopy over for his review. Now this was different and actually briefly caught his interest. He started reviewing the document and was rather shocked at just how much information they had gotten from him. He had tried his hardest to toss in confusing descriptions of parts of the ship. It was his hopes that they would fry the hidden storage device that contained the route to one of the bases. The last page detailed the probably results of this and especially if he went to trial. "Fine, so what does this mean for me?" She didn't smile but she knew she had him. "Tell us truthfully the answers to the questions we have and a deal might be worked out. If you accept and the information is accurate and detailed you may be offered a new identity. You will be given sufficient funds to survive on but you will be in a secure location for the foreseeable future." Give him a light at the end of the tunnel and the worm will head for it. Sing actually looked shocked when she said that. He knew, deep down knew, that he was going to die. He didn't want to in any way but he had known he was going to die. Occasionally the guards would slip and make comments on the execution and how it was going to be done. One of their favorites was facing one of the Sholan warriors. They still had some sort of code duello and all of them were chafing to get their claws on him. What he didn't realize was that this was carefully scripted based on his psych profile. Sing leapt at the chance. "Ask me what you want and I will tell you everything I know. If I do end up being executed I ask that it be quick and not public. I don't want my family any more traumatized than they already are." When the woman started asking questions he answered everything he could. ~~~ This time when Billy woke it was right after being brought out of the cryo chambers. He was still hurting and couldn't do much but at least all the tubes were gone. Billy corrected himself, the really annoying tubes for taking care of bodily waste. He still had an IV and though disconnected a chest tube just in case they needed it. There had been three to start with and by the time they had tanked the two of them he was down to one. An older Sholan male looked down at him and smiled slightly. "Good afternoon Commander. We are almost done with the resus and will be moving you to a room shortly. Your Leska is awake and has been for a short time. We figured it would be easier on you if we woke her first so she would be in your mind." He gave Billy time to verify this before speaking again. "I am Physician Rijuel and you are currently at the telepath guild in the medical section. Your companions have been provided rooms next to each other in a nearby guest house. Once we verify you are doing fine we will have them come in a few at a time." As he was talking he was getting samples with a diagnostic unit and was reviewing results from the resus. Billy closed his eyes for a moment and couldn't help but smile when he felt Tasha. *Hey love how are you doing? I ache which I am sure you know but I am sure they will give me something soon for that.* He didn't have much energy but he had to contact her for at least a moment. *Hello back love and it is good to feel you in my mind again. I know and you need to relax. Once they get you to a room I will be with you.* He could feel her love as well as concern for him. Satasha wasn't doing very well emotionally at the moment. Yes the attack had been a month or longer ago but they had been in cryo for a good portion of the time. To her it was almost as if it happened just the other day. *The girls are doing as well as can be.* She had felt his concern about that. Billy tried to relax but the pain was too intense for him to go to sleep. As he was laying there with his eyes closed he was listening to what was being said. One thing he really needed to ask about was the changes to his hearing, eyesight, and sense of smell. Since they had linked they had gotten stronger and that rather confused him. Onboard the ship he hadn't been coherent enough to really ask but here he figured he would be able to. Eventually the doctor came back over. "Okay Commander we are going to give you some medications for the pain and to prevent an infection. You will be moved to the room in about fifteen minutes and your Leska is waiting there for you. I will see you tomorrow morning unless something comes up. I need to schedule some tests for you before we do anything else. A day or two delay won't hurt the repairs or your healing." Billy nodded and then yawned. "Tired of sleeping darn it." It did help with the pain though and now that he was more comfortable he relaxed further into the bed. He guessed he must have fallen asleep since he awoke as they were moving him to the bed in the ICU room. When he opened his eyes Satasha was there curled up in a chair waiting for him. Once he was in the bed she came over and curled up next to him and started purring. "It feels good to be able to touch you again. We don't dream in cryo but I think somewhere deep down I was aware that you were asleep." Her hand was gently stroking his chest and abdomen and her head was resting on his good shoulder. Billy turned his head towards her and she responded to his desire and gave him a slow gentle kiss. He leaned into it and lightly nibbled on her lips and then licked her nose. "I can't wait till we can do something other than just sleep next to each other. The link might not be very strong right now but how I miss making love to you." As he was slowly starting to drift off he rested his head against hers. It wasn't long before he was asleep. Satasha missed the intimacy as well but for the moment the drive to pair every five days was minimal. At the moment all they needed to do was stay in the room in close contact and it sort of took care of the drive. Now that she was back in his arms she was feeling better. Since she wasn't tired she simply relaxed next to him for a while before shifting and putting on her VR glasses. After connecting them to the comm. she started reviewing various messages that had been left for them. Some she responded to but others she simply saved for Billy to review when he was coherent. Finally she opened the phone connection and called her parents house. It took a few before someone answered and it was her younger sister. Satasha had to smile at the excited squeak she made. "Satasha it is good to hear from you. Where are you? The last we heard was you were headed to the alien's plant." J'efra was almost bouncing in the chair since she hadn't seen her for what seemed like forever. "Tell me about them. What are they like? We have seen pictures but most of the details have been kept secret. How did you meet them? All we know is that you were reported missing and then returned to the ship." Satasha started laughing. "Calm down you silly kit and at least let me answer some of the questions. Others are going to have to wait." When her sister sort of stuck her tongue at her she wrinkled her nose. "For that I might make you wait..." That got a sort of whine from J'Efra. Satasha laughed again. "I am teasing silly but some answers will have to wait. I did go to the Human's planet but the human that saved me was injured and needed medical help they couldn't provide. I came back with him and we are at the telepaths guild while he is getting treatment." The talking had started waking Billy up and he looked around till he found his glasses and flipped them on. It took a moment for them to connect and he had a brief view of a young Sholan female who was looking very excited. Moments after connecting his image appeared on the screen next to Satasha's and she froze in shock. Billy grinned slightly. "Hello and good whatever time it is here. I am pleased to meet you and I take it you are Tasha's younger sister?" J'Efra's eyes did get really round and she had to wonder why a human connected to the call. Since they were using the VR glasses only a static image showed. He looked strange being all hairless and with rather flat features but the smile he had seemed nice. When he spoke to her she lowered her ears slightly in embarrassment. "I am... Tasha? Why do you call her Tasha?" Billy grinned at her reaction. "Maybe because she is my bond mate." There was definite amusement in his voice and he almost laughed when Satasha covered her face and groaned. *At least I didn't mention us being Leska's... Want me to?* When she sent him an image of him being used as a clawing post he started really laughing. "Ouch, damn it, don't make me laugh you evil woman." His chest objected to that. As he was talking several more Sholan's came into the room J'Efra was in and they all looked startled seeing the image of Billy on the screen. J'Efra turned and looked at them. "Momma, Poppa he is Satasha's bond mate." That most definitely got a reaction from them though they apparently managed not to give a knee jerk reaction and demand answers. Billy smiled even more. "I assume you are her parents and the boy is her brother. I am very pleased to meet you though this wasn't the way I really wanted to." Even though they couldn't see him he didn't have a shirt on and the bandages were very obvious on his shoulder. That wasn't even mentioning his right arm being strapped to his chest. "My name is William Denton Madlax but I go by Billy. I am the captain of the SS Sandi as well." He turned to Satasha and smiled down at her. They couldn't see him do that and he continued. "You have a very lovely daughter and I am so very pleased to have met her. One of the most wonderful women I have ever known." Satasha lowered her ears and gave him a gentle kiss. "Hey mom and dad. I hadn't really wanted to introduce Yilly this way but he was injured on Earth. When we can I will bring him home for formal introductions. He is getting tired and we will talk to you later. Love all of you." She disconnected and groaned. "We are going to have my father here sooner than later. He can be a bit overbearing just to warn you." Billy smiled at her and kissed her before yawning. "Damn it I am not going to sleep right now. I have better things to do like see Z'Marl, my girls, and my frenemies." He smiled a bit more when he called the ladies frenemies. "I want to see the rest as well." Satasha smiled at him and nuzzled his ear before giving it a light lick. "They have been told they can only come in one or two at a time. Who would you like to see first?" Her hand was stroking the part of his chest that didn't have bandages on it. The contact felt so good and she could tell he was doing better from what her touch told her. "Z'Marl first. I know that Dani is upset as well as Sally but Z'Marl needs the contact." God he wished his other hand was usable so he could touch her more. As it was his arm was under her head as she lay there curled up next to him. He was stroking her side but at the moment he wanted to touch all of her just to remind him that they were both alive. Satasha nodded. "Good choice Yilly and I will get her and then bring the others in." She stood and walked over to the door and called for Z'Marl to come in. When she did Satasha gave her a good hug and stroked her hair for a moment. "It is good to feel you again. I have missed having you with us." Z'Marl leaned into the hug and started purring. She didn't say anything but she was sure that both could sense her feelings. After several moments of relaxing in Tasha's arms she stepped back and moved over to Billy. She had seen him a number of times while aboard the Fijishi but he had been pretty out of it. "Hello Yilly, how are you doing?" Her hand was lightly stroking the sheet after she sat down and her voice was low. He smiled at her and reached over with his good hand and lightly grasped her hand. "Better now that I have the two ladies I love near me." Billy tugged on her hand and smiled. "Come lay down silly. I am not that breakable. I want to touch and hold you which I can do now." When she finally settled down next to him Billy captured her lower lip and nibbled before kissing her. Z'Marl wanted to cling onto him for dear life but was scared to even touch him. He had to encourage her to settle down next to him and in his arm. When she did it was too much and she turned her head into his shoulder and started crying. "Damn you human. Don't you ever do that again or I... I... I will hate you forever." It was so stupid that Billy had come to mean so much to her so quickly but he had accepted her as she was. "I could have lost both you and Tasha. That would have destroyed me damn you." It was hard to understand between her sobs but both got the idea. Billy pulled her closer as Satasha settled down next to her. As they sort of sandwiched her she could feel their love for her and oddly it felt like she could feel their fear as well. How long she cried she wasn't sure but before she realized it she had fallen asleep. Even with the others there to comfort her she hadn't been sleeping much and being back in his arms was glorious. Billy pulled her as close as he could and his injuries could go to hell for the moment. "I know Z'Marl and to be honest I was scared to death as well. We love you and will take care of you." He had to wonder how they had fallen in love with Z'Marl so quickly but he could feel Satasha's emotions as well. He didn't really think about it when he so very gently nudged her into sleep. "The doctor can go to hell before he gets her out of my arms. When she wakes up is soon enough." Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 02 Ch. 05 Satasha had to blink a tear back. "She called me Tasha. Only you have ever done that and not even your girls use it." It was going to be a tight fit but she was staying there tonight as well. "Let me bring the others in after we get her robes off. I don't know about you but I hate waking up in cloths." She paused. "Well I will take them off since you are rather down for the count." Billy couldn't help but smile. "I noticed that as well and we will deal with it later. Right now I want to see the rest of my family." When he said that he didn't even think when he mentally added all the others as well. He kept lightly stroking Z'Marl's ears as Tasha carefully removed her clothing and set it off to one side. "I think you wanted to take her clothes off just so you could get her nude." He winked at her. Satasha wrinkled her nose at him. "And what makes you think I haven't seen her nude before?" Once Z'Marl was undressed she pulled the sheet up partway to keep her from getting cold. "I am going to get your girls first." She walked to the door and opened it and let them in. Dani hurried in first and then froze when she saw Z'Marl in the bed next to Billy and her robes next the bed on a chair. She frowned at him since that really wasn't something she had expected. "Daddy what are you doing with her in your bed? Satasha is your wife right?" She actually sounded rather accusatory when she said that. Sally snickered at her and moved over to the bed and settled down next to Z'Marl and lightly stroked her arm. "Good, she is sleeping. It has been so rough on her and Dani. Now maybe my little sis will be able to get some sleep. If not I am going to have to talk to Kingie and see if he knows of any nice young males to help her sleep at night." Billy gave Dani a tired grin. "Tasha is my bondmate which is normally a short term marriage for the purpose of having cubs. I think that was explained to you right? Z'Marl is going to be my companion if she accepts. Well when I get a chance to ask her." He looked down at her and had to smile sadly. Now that she was asleep he could see the signs of stress and lack of sleep on her face. "Now keep it down because if any of you wake her I will put you over my knee when I am up and around." Dani had been turning towards Sally to yell at her for her suggestion when Billy spoke. She turned to him and her shoulders slumped. "God I am not sure I can deal with this. You have a wife, bond mate or whatever, and a lover?" She put her hands over her face and rubbed it. "I might get drunk tonight and sit in a corner gibbering." Satasha walked over and pulled her into a good hug. "I know we haven't really had a chance to get to know each other and I do look forward to it. This is somewhat normal for my culture. There is nothing wrong with having a bond mate and companion as long as any cubs are between the bond mates." She stroked her back and tucked the shorter girls head into her chest. "I do know about it and don't have any problem with it." Billy turned to Sally. "Don't tease her too much. You have had time to get used to my relationship with Tasha but she hasn't. I know that she has known about it for over a month but she hasn't seen us together, or barely." He talked to the two girls for a short time before the others cycled through and by the time Crystal and Kingie came in he was almost asleep. He sent a thought to Satasha. "Yilly wanted me to tell you that you are looking better and he is glad for that." She turned and smiled at the two in the bed since they were both asleep. "Once he is awake he would like to meet your family Kingie and tell them what a good warrior you are." He lowered his ears as she gave both of them a hug and showed them out. ~~~ The next morning they woke up and Billy looked over at Z'Marl and he could tell she was starting to wake up. He had rolled onto his left side at some point during the night and she was curled up facing him. Tasha was on the other side of her and had her arm around her waist and was waking up as well. Billy decided to steal a kiss and leaned forward and pressed a kiss against Z'Marl's lips and nibbled just for good measure. That woke her, or started her waking up and when she opened her eyes and blinked he gave her a low laugh. "That is such a cute expression you have. It seems a silly cat fell asleep in bed and slept the night through." Z'Marl leaned into the nibbling and then nipped his nose before licking his face and getting the usual Gah from him. "That is what you get for teasing one of your lovers. I might have to toss you over for the next cute and incredibly sexy and smart man I find." Damn it now she was a bit bothered by his nibbling and couldn't do anything with him about it. Satasha snickered at her and stroked her fur. "Maybe later while he is asleep we can go and relax and have a bit of girl time. ~~~ Later that morning the senior doctor came into the room after they had eaten and Billy had been helped to the bathroom. Since he was up Z'Marl and Satasha had given him a good sponge bath which felt both really good though embarrassing. He did feel much more human though and had the head of the bed elevated so he was sitting somewhat upright. "Morning doctor, what can you tell me about my injuries as of now? I would like to get an idea of what sort of reconstructive surgery you are planning and the recovery time." The doctor settled down on a stool and did a quick scan of the chart before speaking. "Well as you know the critical injuries have been repaired. They are still doing some healing but the scans from yesterday show they are healing well. Once they finish healing you shouldn't have any lasting side effects." He took a sip of his drink. "Having said that you still have some extensive damage to your skeletal structure and muscle tissue. I am still discussing it with my staff and several other specialists but we are looking at two or maybe three courses of reconstruction." He waited a moment to see if he had any questions before continuing. "First there is the matter of your shoulder blade. It is going to need either reconstruction or replacement. The projectile that impacted shattered it in several large pieces and a number of smaller ones. A bone graft is also being considered. The question that needs answering is which would be better for you in the long run. With a replacement you would be up sooner but how would it fare down the road. Next is the damage to your shoulder girdle. That does appear to be a fairly straight forward repair to the bones but the muscles were badly damaged as well the nerves." "That repair might be best accomplished in two stages. First would be to rebuild the bones and let them start healing before dealing with the muscles and nerves. The one thing that has to be taken in account is that while this is being done you will keep healing. That might require us to surgically correct the healing tissue which would also extend your recovery. I want to finish talking to my team today and tomorrow I will present you with a plan to review. As soon as you approve the plan we can get started. As far as the length of time I can only give you a general answer since you are not Sholan. I would expect the surgeries to take about two months allowing for healing between each and four to six months of physical therapy and recovery." Billy leaned his head back on the bed and sighed. "Well that is better than I had really expected but is still about 8 months longer than I really want." Satasha snickered at him and he grinned back. "I will see you tomorrow and we can get started." ~~~ The next morning the doctor came back and Billy was sitting up and trying to carefully eat with his left hand. Thankfully the food was either finger foods or cut into small pieces that could be forked up easily. When the doctor walked in Billy waved the fork in his general direction since his mouth was full. Once he had finished chewing he nodded at him. "So what is your plan of attack? I am pretty much willing to go for what you feel is best. I don't want to take any longer than needed to heal but I also don't want to rush the repairs." The doctor had to smile. "That is scary, a patient who is willing to take the time needed to get fixed. I might just have to send a telepath in to make sure you didn't have any brain damage." He noticed Satasha covering her face and snickered. "In all seriousness what I would like to do is start with the shoulder blade and shoulder girdle. Some of the nerve and muscle damage can partially be dealt with at the same time. I would be hesitant to try and fix it all at the same time. Even doing the minor reconstruction of your nerves and muscles is something I will have to evaluate while we are doing the bones." Billy frowned slightly as the doctor was speaking and then nodded. "All jokes aside don't rush this. I can still use my brain while healing. One thing I am worried about is our link. I don't know how long it will hold off before we are forced to be intimate. From that point of view I think it might be best if we take it in smaller repairs so the healing doesn't take as long." Satasha had to nod at that. "I agree with Yilly on that Physician. I can feel the link starting to draw us together." She nibbled on a finger for a moment. "Our next link day is technically tomorrow. Can the surgery wait till the day after?" Even if it was simple intercourse both of them needed the release and sharing of memories. The Physician nodded in understanding. "That is a good way to look at it and we have taken that in account. From what I understand while Yilly is healing from the worst to an extent just staying in close contact on your link days is what is needed." He glanced at the tablet and then back up. "Thank you for bringing the date up and I will ensure you aren't disturbed for your link day. You do have a dispenser so you won't have anyone coming in unless you need something." Ray looked thankful for that. "Sounds like a deal Doc and I am going to spend the rest of today with my family. I think I would prefer smaller surgeries even if it means longer time down. I am not going to take a chance of anything causing problems with the link or our health." He stood up. "In that case I am going to make some changes to the plan and I will see you the morning after tomorrow. We will get started as soon as your link day is over. Make sure you rest as well Capt. Madlax." He gave Satasha a smile. "Be careful tomorrow and be gentle. I can understand the drive based on the records and frankly it will probably be good for both of you." With a gentle smile he left the room. Billy looked over at Satasha and had to laugh since her ears were lowered in embarrassment at the doctor's comments. "Relax silly, I am sure he understands and since we have tentative permission to carefully have fun I am going to. That isn't even mentioning how much I want to as well." He held his hand out to her. She blushed a bit more even as she moved over to the bed and settled down. "I so miss you and love you. I want to make love to you even if we can't be our normal active selves." She tucked her head into his shoulder and shuddered. "I was so scared Yilly. I wasn't scared for myself but that I would lose you my love." He didn't say anything but simply held her since he had been so scared as well. He knew that she could feel his emotions and he could feel hers. "Let's relax for a few minutes before anyone comes in. We need a bit of time to ourselves." They cuddled for a while before Satasha was called away. There was a visitor for her and she sighed. "That is mostly likely my father and he will want to meet you. Will it be okay if I bring him past for a few minutes?" When she felt the assent from him she slid out of bed and after a good stretch left the room. Moments later Z'Marl came in with Vangie and Billy's girls. Billy grinned. "Come here you lovely woman and give me a kiss." As the other three settled down Billy smiled at them. "Settling in? Are you going to meet Vangie's family soon?" He asked Sally and she blushed a bit. "Yes Daddy I am going to meet them tomorrow. That is going to be rather odd since he has a girl just a bit younger than Dani. She keeps teasing me about being a reverse cougar darn her." She glared at her sister who simply grinned at her. Vangie wisely didn't get involved. "We figured since you and Satasha won't be available tomorrow it would be a good time to show them around a bit. Kingie and Crystal are going to his family's house as well. Right now they are with one of the telepathic healers. Crystal is starting to have a few issues and has agreed to at least talk to one." His ears were set and he had to work hard not to growl. Billy nodded. "I was going to ask how she was doing. If possible this afternoon I would like to see the two. I feel somewhat responsible for them and want to keep informed as much as possible." Z'Marl was finally curled up next to him and he smiled at her. "You look better than you did yesterday. Less tired though still pretty stressed. I have one thing I have been meaning to do and I am going to take care of that now if you don't mind." She looked a bit confused since she couldn't think of anything that he might need to do. Maybe he wanted her to review some additional equations or something. "What do you need Yilly? I hope I didn't mess up an equation or something did I?" She asked him. "Hardly lovely lady. I want to give you a sense of security and belonging." He rolled somewhat towards her and grasped the ruff of her neck and was pleased when she postured for him. "I want you as my companion." He licked her neck for a moment before biting down till her body melted. Once she did he licked where he had bit her. "Such a lovely lady and I will let you bite me later." Dani froze and frowned since she didn't have any idea what was going on. That and from what little she knew this was something intimate and it felt rather wrong to be in the room at the moment. As she was debating on leaving Satasha walked in with an older Sholan male. "Everyone I want you to meet my father Asarl. Dad this is my bondmate Yilly, his companion Z'Marl, his daughters Sally and Dani and one of the warriors Vangie." She raised an eyebrow at Billy and only got a smile back from him. She knew what he had done and understood but wanted to growl at him. Billy gave him a polite smile. "I am pleased to finally meet someone from Satasha's family. When the doctors say I can I want to come over and meet the rest of her family." Tasha might be annoyed with him but he wasn't going to hide any aspect of his relationship. There was nothing to be ashamed of with having a bond mate and companion. Her father looked at him and frowned slightly. Frankly he wasn't impressed with the pale and furless individual. For his daughters sake he would with hold on deciding if he liked him or not. "When you are better we will welcome you to our house." There, the politeness was out of the way. "What is your interest in my daughter?" It was sort of abrupt but he didn't care. Billy raised an eyebrow but decided to be honest and not make any jokes. "At first she was simply a friend but we were both lonely though for different reasons and became lovers. We did talk about bonding before I took her to the mother ship but decided to wait till we found out what was going to happen. I did take her as my companion shortly before we left." He took a sip of cshar. "Once there we found that we were going to be together and Satasha surprised me with the bonding ceremony." He took another sip since the next bit was going to rock her father's world. "Once we reached earth we ended up becoming Leska's and I do mean exactly that. We are Leska's as you know it. If either of us dies so will the other." That was going to upset Dani since she probably didn't know it. Asarl listened without changing expression till Billy mentioned the two of them being Leska's and his jaw dropped and his ears went back. He glanced at Billy and finally noticed the small purple pin attached to the dressings. When he glanced at Satasha he finally noticed it as well. "How the hell did you manage that?" His voice was accusatory. Billy's face hardened. "Nobody knows and I don't appreciate the implications of your comment. It is fact and proven." Now he was angry and Satasha could feel that. She turned to her father. "Yilly is starting to get tired. When he is feeling better we will contact you. I will escort you to the front desk so he can relax." Satasha was not pleased with her father and when she wasn't so angry he was going to get an ear chewed off. She pulled him out of the room and finally growled at him. "Don't ever question what we have like that again father. If you do you will not see us till you come to terms with it. Good day father." She showed him to the front desk before stalking off. When she entered the room she heaved a rather disgusted sigh. "Sorry about that all of you. I didn't expect my father to be outwardly friendly but that was uncalled for and especially now. Father will not be back till Yilly or I say he can." She flopped in a chair next to Dani and wrapped her arm around her. "You really didn't need that Dani since you are so new to our culture. Normally he is more reticent but I guess he was rather startled with the whole Leska deal." She leaned back and took several slow breaths to calm down. When Dani leaned a bit towards her she was pleased. Dani had to shake her head. "Actually it helps. It makes you appear more like people and not aliens. I could tell you a few stories of family gatherings. Some of the old people have grudges that are old enough they have to dig them up and dust them off before arriving." She had to laugh at Billy's eyeroll. "I have to admit that you Sholan's have nice fur and it is warm and silky feeling. I don't know about going home with anyone but it does feel good and relaxing." Billy had to mutter. "Yah and many of the grudges are so old most don't remember what they were about. Just the 'I hate you because...' or 'you took something I wanted...'. Why they hate the other or what was taken they don't remember. That is especially true if it was handed down from their fathers." Sally snorted. "Yup damn rednecks. Can't find anything else to do than keep feuds going. That is one of the biggest reasons I went to college." Darn it now she was feeling grumpy and hungry. "I think I am going to have Vangie take me to town and find something to eat. Dani you want to come?" They needed out of the room to give Billy and Satasha time to relax. Vangie had to nod. "Sounds like a deal. Want us to bring something back for you three?" He stood up and adjusted his warrior outfit while he waited for the two girls to stand up as well. "I can get you some of your favorite nibbles when we come back." Billy suddenly looked really intent. "Oh heavens yes. The food is decent but I want some real food." He took a moment to think before giving them a list of what he wanted. He also told them what Satasha wanted as well since he could sense what she wanted. "Thank you and take your time. I am not that hungry right now. Dani have fun out there and no dragging home any stray Sholans." Dani simply grunted at him before leaving with the rest. Personally they were having way to much fun teasing her and it was getting rather annoying. She was still ticked with her former boyfriend for what he had to say. As they were leaving the other four were heading to the room. She gave Crystal a smile since she was looking strained. It was going to be a long road for her to heal. Kingie smiled back and twitched an ear at her. For some reason that always made Dani grin. She wasn't sure why but it did. ~~~ Right after the three left Z'Marl gave Billy a kiss. "I think I am going to go with them. I want to stretch my legs and there are a few things I need to get." She kissed him one more time before standing and heading out. As she left the room she smiled at the four coming in. Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 02 Ch. 05 Since she knew where they had to leave the building she hurried up a bit and caught them at the entrance. "Hold on guys I would like to come with. I want some good food as well." She grinned as she caught up and snagged one of Dani's arms. "I would like your help as well. I would like to get a gift for your father and any suggestions would be nice." She knew the jewelry store she wanted. No she couldn't give him a torque but there were a number of other items she could purchase. Dani smiled when the woman linked arms with her. "I am so not going to ask what you are going to get him but I will offer suggestions." She liked Z'Marl though she was a bit retiring for her tastes. Since Dani tended to be bubbly and energetic many of her friends were the same. Part of it she thought was Z'Marl hadn't gotten the most support from her family. From little snippets she had overheard it almost sounded like they were embarrassed by their daughter's obvious intelligence. Personally she thought that was utterly stupid but then again her father had encouraged both of his girls to use their brains and not be afraid of what others thought. As they were approaching the gates to the guild Vangie smiled. "I am going to warn you that you are going to get all kinds of looks. You are the first new aliens we have met in almost a hundred years, or I should say space going aliens. That and both of you are very attractive. Doctor Jusdean thinks there is a cross over on pheromone responses. That is why we are attracted to each other." He had gotten that report just a few days ago. Both girls blinked and Sally sighed. "I hate being stared at for whatever reason but I do understand." She grinned up at Vangie. "At least I have a mean ol' kitty warrior to protect me." How the hell the term kitty started working into the conversations she didn't know but found it amusing. Vangie glowered at her for a moment. "This mean ol' kitty warrior might have to spank the evil little human." Then he leered at her. "We can take care of that before we go to sleep tonight." When Dani groaned he laughed. When they walked out the entrance to the guild property the noise and bustle of the city went up quite a bit. He paused for a few moments for the girls to get used to it before moving down the street. As they were moving they were getting looks but nobody came up and bothered them. "This section of town is specifically designed to service the Telepath's Guild. No traffic is allowed during daytime hours. Many of the stores are aimed at the young telepaths who are here to learn about their abilities. There are clothing stores, food venders, jewelry stores, and many others." As he was talking Z'Marl headed for a food vender who was selling meat on a stick and purchased several before coming back. She handed them out and took a bite. "Oh man I missed these. They are Rakala that have been marinated and then slow grilled." Another bite and the first stick was finished. Dani delicately sniffed the meat and then took a careful bite since she wasn't sure how hot it might be. After chewing the bite she made and obvious mmm sound. "Oh man that was good. I am going to have to get a few for the others when we go back. I can already taste what daddy might do with the meat." They all finished the meat quickly and tossed the sticks in the trash. "Darn it now I am really hungry." Sally said and sighed. "I am glad to see this but I wish it hadn't taken pappa to get hurt to come here." Since the Sholan's were staring at them she stared back occasionally. She figured turn about was fair play. Even though they were hungry the settled for a relaxed stroll since hurrying would only get more attention drawn to them. When Z'Marl saw the store she wanted she gently tugged Dani in that direction. As they approached the store a group of Touiban's came out. They stopped in shock for a moment before scurrying over and dancing around the group. Their fingers delicately touched them and felt their skin and hair till Vangie barked out a command. They froze and then scurried away. Dani had to close her eyes and give her head a shake. "What were those?" They looked sort of like bristly apes that hadn't discovered a color they didn't like. They were also festooned with chains and gave a new meaning to serious bling. Vangie snorted. "That was a group of Touibans. They were excited to see the new aliens. I told them that your father was ranked as the leader of several swarms which is why they vanished. They are the comm. and electronic specialists and have a curiosity that makes your proverbial cats curiosity pale." He shook his head as they followed Z'Marl into the shop. Inside was cool and dimmer than outside which Dani and Sally greatly appreciated. The shop keeper looked up from putting some trays away and smiled. "Good Afternoon and welcome to Shola. How may I help all of you?" This was the story to tell the grandkids when he got a chance. Z'Marl shyly stepped forward and smiled at the older male. "I am looking for something for my companion. He is one of the human's and was injured. I wanted to do something for him to make him feel better." Dani gave her arm a squeeze. "I am one of his daughters and my name is Dani. Z'Marl asked my sister and I to help her find something." She pointed at Sally when she said that. "This is my sister Sally and her companion Vangie." She thought they were companions and didn't know they hadn't done that yet. Sally smiled at the male. "Good afternoon to you as well sir. As far as what would be good for our father would be something fairly simple yet masculine. Nothing to heavy though. He is a star ship captain and heavy chains or necklaces can be dangerous." Vangie had let go of her arm and was looking at the selections. The shop keeper stroked his chin for a moment. "Maybe a nice bracelet? It can be easily removed when he is working but will look good when he is wearing it. Obviously a bonding bracelet wouldn't work but... Give me a moment and I will be back." He stepped into the back and collected several bracelets. "Take a look at these and pick one you like. Do you have any idea how large his wrist is? I can adjust the length though it will take a few days." They talked for several minutes before he filled out an order slip and tucked the bracelet and a copy into a pouch which went under the counter. "Come back in three days and I will have it for you." Vangie came back and though he didn't purchase anything he had found a necklace he wanted to get for Sally. He would make and excuse in the next day or two and come and pick it up. "Thank you for not gawking and for that when and if other humans come I will recommend this store." That would give the shop keeper a reason to keep being polite. "Now it is time for us to get something to eat so you have a good day." Eventually they found a out door diner and settled down to eat. There were a number of younger telepaths there who were staring. Vangie simply stared back and let a general annoyance be felt. That got a reaction and most of them turned away. It wouldn't keep them from sneaking glances but it would keep the blatant stares down. ~~~ Sandi, Jenna, Kingie, and Crystal walked into the room and Billy smiled. "It is good to see all of you. I feel so out of the loop on what has been going on with all of you." He nudged Z'Marl and she sat up and stretched before moving. Billy held his hand out. "Come here and give me a hug and peck you two frenimies." He grinned when he said that. Sandi narrowed her eyes and growled at him. "Just for that I might not give you your mail. I might make you have to wait for a week or two." She had several packages and a small box of data crystals. Billy looked at her hands and grinned. "I take that back. Come and give me a good hug and kiss you lovely woman. I have double fudge chocolate cake..." He knew that Sandi loved that and used it to tease her. Jenna glared at him. "No trying to lead my wife to the chocolate side. I might make you wait for that." She started laughing at him. "Give him the packages love or we won't get his attention while he stares holes in them." Sandi laughed and walked over to the bed and settled down next to him. "Here you go Billy and one is from the patent office." She gave him a good kiss and a light hug before handing the packages over. "There are cubes from family and friends as well as the Navy. There is even one from Bitty as well. Someone also appears to have gathered up a large number of news articles on the first contact as well about the pirates you took out." Billy was listening while he was opening the package from the patent office. It took him a few minutes to review the documents. He started grinning. "Oh damn I am going to be rolling in the money. My re-crystallization process has been patented. Now I have to get in touch with Bobby Sue and have her get started." He was grinning like it was going out of style. He thumbed through the other stuff and found one from Bobby Sue and opened it. He pulled out a stack of documents. As he scanned through them he had to shake his head. "Damn but she jumped on the bandwagon. She started re-crystallizing tubes on a case by case basis. When she sent this she had done 8 sets. After all is said and done I made close to sixty thousand and she made about ten grand. I gotta get this stuff reviewed and signed." Sandi snickered at him as he was chortling at how well it had done. "Well it is nice to know a man on the rise. Maybe Jenna and I will reconsider certain arrangements..." It wouldn't happen but she had to toss that in. Jenna frowned at her. "Not happening girl. I am rather possessive of my wife." She relaxed her face and smiled. "Good for you Billy. Don't you wish you had done this earlier? You could have a fleet of ships by now." They talked for a while longer before Billy started yawning. "Stay if you want but I am going to take a nap." He looked fairly content with the results of the mail call. "If one or the other of you wants to join me please do." Before any of them could climb in he had started snoring. ~~~ Late that night their link day started. This link Billy was definitely feeling the draw of Satasha and not just to be with her. The sexual component was kicking in and it felt so good. It had been a while since they had last made love and he wanted to feel being inside her and to feel her around him. "Come my Leska let's relax and enjoy our day. I wish I could do more than lay here but even that is going to be good." His eyes were heavy with lust and love. The lust came from the drive to mate with her and the love was having her as his bond mate. She melded her body to his and gave him a good kiss. *Being with you is enough but I admit I do miss the love making. Just being with you is enough. I will take it easy on you since I don't want to cause you pain.* As her hands stroked his skin she could feel the enjoyment. Satasha could also feel the enjoyment of her fur brushing against his skin. *My love and my life. I wish I could have your cub. He or she would be so adorable.* Billy wished she could have his baby as well. That was the only thing missing from their relationship but they could work around it. He didn't say anything else as he stroked her fur with his good hand. They took their time but when they coupled there was an extra surge of power. Once they were done Billy could only lay there panting. That had been damn good and he figured the surge was because they hadn't been together like that since the link had formed. The rest of the link day passed and they talked and cuddled and made love several more times. Billy had to admit though he was tired and a bit sore, as careful as they had been his shoulder still ached, he felt much better. "Night love and see you in the morning." He caught her lip with his teeth and gently nibbled before falling asleep. ~~~ Since Billy and Satasha were isolated due to the link day Kingie had talked to Crystal about taking her to his home. She had to think about it since she was still deathly scared of being rejected or looked down on. It took a while and some convincing before she said yes. "I will go but I am scared Kingie. I know what you said is true but part of me is just so scared of rejection." Kingie wrapped an arm around her. "I know Crystal and I briefly talked to my parents. I didn't go into details, simply that you had suffered some severe trauma and to keep the personal questions to a minimum." He rubbed his cheek against hers briefly. "My younger sister is really looking forward to meeting you as well." She sighed and leaned into the hug and nuzzle. Crystal felt bad for taking up so much of his time but she needed the anchor. Working with the telepath was helping but she couldn't stand to be away from him for more than an hour at most. "Well shall we go and what should I wear?" He smiled. "That is my scary human speaking and good for you." When she asked what to wear he frowned slightly. "I would go with a tabard and sandals since it is still pretty hot out there. Pack a small bag since we are going to be spending the night." As Kingie was speaking he pulled off his warrior robes and pulled on a brown tabard that complimented his fur. Crystal had to stop and wonder why his presence didn't bother her. He was male and was good looking but his being male should have freaked her out. With a sigh she stood and thumbed through the tabards she had and finally found a soft mauve one that she liked and quickly pulled it on. Once she was dressed Kingie ran a brush through her hair and made sure it looked as best possible. "You have such lovely hair and it is such a rare color as well." Once done he waited for her to pack and they left the room they shared and headed to the main gate. "I have called for a public air car to take us to my parent's house." She nodded and wrapped an arm around one of his. "I know I have said it but thank you so much Kingie for everything. You didn't need to do everything you have for me and I really do appreciate all the attention you have given me." Kingie smiled down at her. "I know sweetie and I don't mind. Once in a blue moon I do get an urge to go out for ale with the guys but I have enjoyed getting to know you." He removed his arm from hers and wrapped it around her shoulders. Yes they looked like a couple but he didn't really care what others thought. "I know we didn't meet under the best of circumstances but I am glad that I got to meet you. You are lovely strong girl and as I said on the ship the other warriors have seen that and respect all of you." He grinned down at her. "I just got the new patch for my robes and it is with the tailor right now." She looked up at him in shock and then started giggling. "I R mighty scary human, be afraid, very afraid..." Crystal couldn't resist and did the claw thing with a hand and growled. Just for good measure she made it a cute little growl. Kingie snickered and waved the air car down and helped her in. Once he had entered the address in and inserted his card to have the cost deducted he leaned back and relaxed. "I can't wait to see everyone. Oh, my littlest brother is likely to crawl all over you. He is about five in human years and is going to be fascinated by you." She shrugged. "I think I can deal with that since most children are so cute at that age and yes I understand they are going to want to feel my skin and hair." She relaxed into him and closed her eyes and till they arrived. When they climbed out of the air car she gave the house a good look. To her it seemed to resemble a roman villa. There was a tall adobe wall surrounding it and as they walked in the gate the house had wide open windows and a deep porch to keep the sun from shining directly into the house. There was greenery surrounding the house and a number of small nooks where one could sit and talk or read. Moments after they arrived his family came out. She could see the resemblance between him and his father since they had the same fur color. His mother was a brindle coloring and his siblings were a mixture. There were two girls and a boy. "Good after noon." Kingie grinned at his family. "This is Crystal and I want to treat her to a good home cooked meal and give her a chance to relax and recover from the flight." He urged her forwards and towards his family. "Remember no mauling her. If you want to feel her skin or hair ask before you touch." As he was talking his little brother ran over and Kingie picked him up. "Hello stinker how are you? Crystal this is Jong, the next oldest is my mischievous sister Amahs, next older sister India, my father Jasoom, and mother Kilath. His youngest sister came over and looked up at her. "Hello, Kingie had said really nice things about you. Would you like to see my room?" She didn't really think before grabbing her hand and started dragging her towards the house. Crystal couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, okay, slow down." Once Amahs slowed down Crystal reached over and ruffled her hair and ears. "Maybe later we can trade secrets about your brother. He is a wonderful person and has been very helpful to all of us." Kingie had to roll his eyes as he started towards the house. His little brother was chattering about what he had done at school and other things that had caught his interest. As he walked past his parents his father indicated he and his mother wanted to talk to him when he had a chance. Kingie flicked an ear at them. Once inside he flopped on a couch and yawned. "It feels good to be home and relax. Chances are good we will go to sleep early. The last month or two are starting to catch up with us." His brother was curled up in his arms and was petting him. "Yes little one I will shower with you later. It is good to be home and see everyone." His mother looked at him. "What do you want or need Kingie? Do you have a few minutes to talk?" He had told them some but it was rather vague and generic. Kingie nodded and looked at his brother. "Can you go up and tell Crystal and Amahs that I am with mom and dad but we won't be very long." One last hug and he put his brother down and stood. He followed his parents to the small office his mother kept and once the door was closed sat down. Once everyone was seated Kingie gave them a very direct look. "This does not go beyond this room. The first thing is Crystal needs a good home cooked meal and family time. The ship she was on was captured by pirates and she was severely abused before they tried to take Yilly's ship. That didn't end well for them and they are all facing trial and death. Due to what happened her mother turned her back on her as being despoiled." His face hardened and the warrior he was showed. "I will not have that happen again. She is a wonderful person and all the warriors who helped save her and several other women respect her for surviving." Kingie paused to take several deep shaky breaths. His mother came over and gave him a good hug. "I will make sure the girls don't ask question for now and let her take lead as far as that goes. I do have one question for you; please don't take this wrong but what is your relationship with her?" He had looked very protective and close to her. Kingie had to blink at her before the question penetrated. It actually caught him rather flat footed and he had to flounder for an answer. "I told her I was going to take care of her and treat her like one of my younger sisters." Beyond that he hadn't really thought about it. There was simply no way he could think of her as anything else right now. Even though he routinely showered with her he managed not to think of her as an available female due to what had happened. His mother smiled at him. "I know that Kingie but she is also a young woman and you need to think about that before the issue comes up. When and if she turns to you in a way other than as a sister what are you going to do? How are you going to respond?" She hugged him again. "I am not saying it is going to happen right this minute but it might happen. Talk to her therapist and see what he or she recommends. Make sure you know what you want before she turns to you." Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 02 Ch. 06 Author's Note: Thanks for your patients for this submission. I hope everyone enjoys it and I am about halfway through the next chapter as well. Don't forget to check my bio for the link to the other sight I am posting on. Those stories have little erotica so don't really have a place here. As always all intimate relationships are 18+ or the equivalent for the alien species. Enjoy. ***** Kingie and Crystal climbed into an air car to head back and he curled his arm around her. "How are you feeling Crystal? I hope that Amahs wasn't too nosy and that you were comfortable with my family." He needed to know so he could talk to his parents in case they needed to change something. She relaxed into his arm and side and relaxed. "I was a little tense for the evening but it was really nice. I know you talked to them about not asking me questions but they were very nice about it. I know your sister was horrified when I took my clothes off but I am glad she didn't ask. You have a really nice family and your little brother is darling. I would enjoy going back there again." He lightly kissed her hair. "I am glad you felt reasonably comfortable there. The older of the two is coming into her first cycle so right now is more occupied with thinking about males than anything else." He had to smile at that though it did make him feel older. Crystal sighed. "I noticed that and in a way I am rather jealous. I should be able to notice them and not wonder if they are going to abuse me or sneer at me. I know I am slowly getting better but it makes me so angry that this happened to me. I am angry that I am terrified of the simplest touch like when Amahs was trying to comfort me last night." She closed her eyes and struggled to force the emotions back. Kingie sighed and lightly squeezed her. "One of these days you will be able to look at a boy or girl if you prefer, and not feel terrified or able to control that fear and allow them close to you. I don't blame you for being so angry at what was done to you. I am still more than furious but that is from a warriors view. I really wish I could have challenged one of them and shredded them." Crystal shook her head. "I am glad you didn't since I think it would have left a scar on your soul. A necessary killing is one thing but to kill when so angry isn't good." She sat up and looked at him. "Do you think it might be possible to maybe move into your parent's house? I need that sense of belonging as well as the security you give me. I want a family again and since my parents turned me away I would like to become part of yours." He gave her a gentle smile. "I will talk to mom and dad but it shouldn't be a problem since I still have a room. If you eventually decide you would like your own little slice of the world I think we have a spare room you could have." Just for good measure he reached over and lightly bopped her nose with one finger. She couldn't help but growl at him for that and leaned against him and relaxed. ~~~ The others were waiting in Billy's room when Kingie and Crystal showed up. Z'Marl stood up and gave both a good hug before leading Crystal over to a seat. "I could use a good cuddle right now if you don't mind." She settled down and smiled when Crystal settled next to her. "You feel and smell more relaxed. I take it the visit with Kingie's family went well?" Kingie pretended to look offended when Z'Marl took her away from him. "Just for that I think I am going to curl up with Dani and she can pet my ears." He glowered at Z'Marl and she laughed at him before he grinned. He did sit down next to Dani and wrapped an arm around her. "Have they said how long Yilly will be in surgery?" Dani smiled up at him and leaned against him. "I have to admit I am getting used to the cuddling. You Sholan's make for good cuddle buddies. I don't suppose you have a brother do you?" He was Crystals as far as she was concerned. Crystal winked at her. "He does and he is a cutie, might be a bit young for you though." She started talking about the visit to his home and that with his parent's permission she wanted to move there. That got a general discussion going as to how long all of them would be staying at the guest house. They hadn't been given any sort of time frame for them to move out but it was accepted that when Billy was better they would. Vangie shrugged. "There are a number of options as far as that goes. One option would be to rent an extended Sholan home that had room for those of us who wanted to live together. Another option is those of us with family here move in with them and Satasha, Z'Marl, you two, and Billy move in somewhere." He hadn't had a chance to take Sally to his home. They were going to the day before but she and Dani had decided they wanted to remain at the guild till after the surgery. Sally couldn't help but snort. "I am not sure about moving in with you. I would feel really weird having your daughter knowing we are in a relationship. That would feel rather weird. Well that and your former bond mate living there as well." Vangie grinned at her. "You just don't want them to know that you robbed the old folks home since we can't run as fast." That got a quiet laugh from everyone. Satasha was curled up on the bed asleep since the two of them hadn't slept much the night before. Crystal glanced over at her and had to smile. "She looks more relaxed now." She looked up at Z'Marl as well. "You feel more relaxed as well. I am glad that both of you are doing better. I think being here is going to be good for all of us." She shifted a bit and pulled one of Z'Marls arms around her and closed her eyes and relaxed. ~~~ Eventually Billy came out of surgery and was brought to the room and settled back in bed. He was pretty out of it though and settled for wrapping an arm around Satasha before falling into a drugged sleep. Sally looked at the doctor. "How did the surgery go? That took longer than I expected." They had been kept up to date on how he was doing and Satasha hadn't felt that anything was wrong. The doctor sat down on a stool and looked around the room. "We ended up having to replace his shoulder blade. After opening him up we found the damage was worse than expected. Since that had been a possibility we had a replacement already created. It was created using some bone samples and grown to match his original blade. This should hurry the healing up some since we will only have to wait for the tissue to heal and not the bone as well." The girls looked at each other and nodded. "I don't see that as being a problem for Daddy but if you have to do something like that please let us know next time." They probably wouldn't say no but simply wanted to know. He nodded. "I will. In this case Billy had told me before surgery to go ahead and take that route if needed. Now I hate to be pushy but all of you except for Z'Marl need to leave. You can come back in the morning but right now I don't want to give him a suppressant and too many emotions might make it hard for him to sleep." Once everyone stood up and left he turned to Z'Marl. "There is enough room in the bed as you have shown but just be careful and try not to jostle him." He gave her a nod and left the room. Z'Marl dimmed the lights and darkened the window before stripping down and carefully crawling in next to Satasha and went to sleep. Crystal had been right that she was feeling better but she was still recovering. She was feeling a bit on the cold side as well and before falling asleep had pulled a blanket over herself. ~~~ Z'Marl woke up early the next morning and when she tried to move she realized she felt like crap. Her muscles and joints hurt, she was running a fever, and her nose was running. She knew that she shouldn't be in the room with Billy while she was sick. Z'Marl hit the nurse call button since she wasn't sure how well she could move. When the nurse came in Z'Marl informed her that she was sick and was having trouble moving. The nurse came over and felt her nose and strapped on a diagnostic unit. "I am going to get an assistant and a floater so we can move you to an exam room." She called for that and continued checking her. The diagnostic unit showed elevated vitals and also withdrew some blood samples for analysis. By then the attendant was there and they moved her over to the floater and took her out of the room. Since she was looking so rough they moved her to a bed in a different room. "I am going to call the doctor and have you examined while I have some tests run on your blood. For the fever and aches I am sorry but you will need to wait till the doctor sees you." Z'Marl nodded as she pulled the covers up and pulled them around her. "I hope I didn't give Yilly this." Her nose was stuffed up and she sounded strange when she spoke. The nurse and attendant left the room and turned the lights down and closed the door behind them. The last thing they wanted was for the infection to spread if it was something terran. It wasn't long before Vangie and Sally showed up with similar symptoms and they were soon followed by Kingie and Crystal. Jenna and Sandi didn't come in and they would be checked on later after these were checked. All of them were put in the room with Z'Marl for the moment since it was a room with several beds. The nurse and assistant took samples and recorded their vitals before calling the doctor again. As the nurse and attendant walked out he stopped them and murmured something to them and after pulling a mask on he walked into the room. "Good morning and I am sorry to see you down with an illness. I took a few minutes to review Z'Marl's tests before coming down. It was about then I was informed of the rest of you were showing symptoms as well." He settled down on a stool and placed his tablet on one of the bed tables. "Z'Marl is showing the same variation of the Ni'uzu virus that Yilly and Satasha had. I am expecting the rest of you will also show positive even though you have been inoculated. How this happened I am not sure and I have assigned a team to look specifically into this issue. I have some staff going to check on the other human females just in case they are sick as well. The tests will be back shortly and presuming they do show as you having the Ni'uzu virus each couple is going to be placed in isolation to prevent the spread if possible. I have prescribed some medications and someone will be in here shortly to take care of that." He stood and left the room. A few minutes later several of the assistants came in. The first thing they did was start IV's on all five. As they were working Dani was brought in and she was obviously sick and she was followed in by the doctor. "She is also sick but the other two human females seem to be healthy. They have agreed to go into isolation as well as a precaution." He walked over to Z'Marl. "If you don't mind I am going to tuck Danielle in next to you. It seems that having someone they know next to them helps. Is this okay?" Z'Marl nodded before having to cover up a cough. "That is fine. She doesn't have a companion or a person like Kingie to support her. I will gladly take care of my companion's daughter." She started coughing again till one of the attendants gave her a sip of water. Moments later Dani was tucked in next to her and she turned slightly towards Z'Marl and quieted down. Once everyone had IV's they had meds injected into the IV's for the body aches, fever, and nausea. The doctor spoke again. "Each pair is going to be moved to an individual isolation room. I know that in the short term you will mostly be sleeping but when you wake try to drink as much fluids as you can. Also you will be provided soft foods that shouldn't irritate your stomach. Eat what you can but don't force it. I will see you later today to check on you." He left the room and the attendants started bringing in floaters and after placing a person in the floater they closed the lid to keep them isolated. Everyone was gowned up and had a mask on. It took about a half hour for everyone to be placed in a room. All were stripped down to make it easier to check on them. ~~~ Later that morning Billy finally woke up and looked around the room and was startled to see that nobody was in the room. He had expected at least Z'Marl and his girls there. Since Satasha was still asleep he pressed the nurse call and waited. A few moments later a nurse came in. "Are my family being kept away from me?" The nurse shook his head. "Not at all sir. All but Jenna and Sandi have come down with the Ni'uzu virus and are in isolation. We are not sure why they came down with it since all of you were inoculated and we are researching it. Jenna and Sandi are in isolation as well as a precaution. I will let them know you were checking on them when they are awake." Billy had to stare at the male for a moment in shock. It took a short time before he could figure out what to ask. "Are they doing okay and any idea how they might have gotten it?" The nurse checked his tablet. "As of now all of them are asleep and responding to the medications. The only thing we can think of at the moment is all of you have been run down, not sleeping well, and very stressed. This can cause problems with your immune system and make the chance of getting something greater. As we come up with more information we will keep you updated." The next dose of meds hit and before Billy could say anything else he passed out. ~~~ By the morning after Billy's and Satasha's next link day all of them were feeling better. The ones with the Ni'uzu virus were still in isolation and it looked like they would be for one more day. It was till the Sholan's were positive they were no longer infectious. When the doctor came in after their link day Billy was eating. He waved the fork at the male as he finished the bite. "Morning Doc so what kind of good news do you have for me this lovely morning?" The physician smiled at him though the news he was going to give Billy was not going to please him. "Morning Commander and I have a fair amount of information for you. I will make it all available for you to review when you feel up to it. First your shoulder, it is healing well and taking the implant without any sign of rejection. Mind you we didn't expect any since it was grown from your own tissue but we have been keeping a closer than normal eye on it. You are far enough along in the healing that I am going to release you. I will see you in a few days and will send a reminder to your communicator." He took a breath before continuing. "The next bit of information I can't really comment on or why it is happening at the moment." He met Billy's eyes. "For some reason a genetic shift has set in for both you and the Lt. Commander. Again I am not sure why this is happening as of yet but we are leaning towards it having something to do with the Ni'uzu virus since we have found traces of it in your DNA. It appears that at some point it was engineered into a retrovirus that didn't kick in till you were exposed. Again we don't have any idea how or why this happened." Billy frowned since he really didn't like what the doctor was saying. He was happy being himself and anything that might impact on his brain was not a pleasing thought. "Is that why I have experienced changes in my sight, hearing, and smell? Have you any ideas where the genetic drift is aimed?" Now the doctor frowned for a moment. "As far as the changes to your senses I am going to tentatively say no. The reason I say that is we are seeing hints of genetic drift in the others that were exposed to this version of the virus. They do not have the changes you asked me about before your link day." When Billy asked about where the drift was aimed he sighed. "For some reason it seems to be aimed at the reproductive system. There are changes in the gametes that will carry across to any child you may father. Beyond that we simply don't know. We are so early in the study of this we simply don't have an answer for you." Billy couldn't help but get angry and the more he heard and the more the doctor told him the angrier he got. "Great, I am changing genetically and nobody has an idea why other than it might be related to that damn cold I had. Just fucking great." He ground that out with a barely repressed snarl. "One question I do have for you is how the fuck did this virus have such an impact on us? If you have never seen a human before then it shouldn't be possible for it to have been created to attack us." He had to lean back in the bed and take several slow deep breaths. "And what about my girls, is it impacting them the same way?" The doctor barely managed to keep his ears upright when Billy spoke. The anger was completely understandable but this man was enraged and that concerned him. "I really wish I had an answer for you Commander but right now I just don't. We are going to have to take samples once a week for the next few months before we can really answer that. As I said I will make all data available to you on what we have found and I will keep this constantly updated as well. Any questions send a message to the number I am going to send to your comm. and someone will return the call as soon as they can." Billy almost snarled at the man though it wasn't in anyway his fault. "Fine, whatever, do whatever you need to check me out or I will do something I will regret. Not your fault but I am bloody furious at the moment and need to get away from here." That was a clear dismissal and the doctor quickly retreated. Satasha had been in the bathroom and chose to remain there till the doctor left since she was as shocked as Billy was. When the doctor mentioned changes to their reproductive systems she was horrified. It almost sounded like they were not going to be fertile anymore period. When she finally came out she settled on the bed in shock. "Oh god what now? What do we do now Yilly?" Since he was disconnected from everything he carefully sat up and scooted over to her and wrapped an arm around her. Touching her helped him calm down some since she didn't need to feel his rage as well. "I don't know love but for the moment I am just trying to not scream. I guess what we need to do is try to remain calm and wait for further information. I know this is distressing especially for you since you don't have children yet. Let us just try and stay calm okay love?" She turned to him and gently wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. "I will do my best though it will probably take a few days before I can really calm down. I want to know why this happened. Who caused it and how." Tasha nuzzled his neck and lightly licked one ear before resting her head on his shoulder again. They sat there for a while longer before there was a buzz and the door opened. In the doorway was a Sholan who appeared to be roughly middle aged. "May I come in please? I am senior tutor Maklish and in charge of the Leska pairs." Billy sighed since frankly he wasn't in the mood at the moment but he might as well find out why she was there. "Please come in and tell us what you need." He was doing his best not to broadcast his feelings at the moment but was sure she could sense them. "Thank you Commander. As I said I am the tutor in charge of the Leska pairs and since you are to be released for the time being I decided to say hello. I have two main reasons for being here today. First I am going to show you to your Leska quarters. They are designed with heavy shielding for your link days and also to give you somewhere other's emotions won't impact on you. The second reason is to let you know that I am going to be schedule some light training on how to use and work with your new talents. Mostly it will be with shielding till you are further along with your healing. We don't want to overtax you." Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 02 Ch. 06 Satasha contemplated what he had said and the idea of heavily shielded quarters sounded really good. "Both sound completely acceptable and I would love to get some quarters away from here. I am seriously missing privacy." Billy sort of grunted at her. "And you don't even have to have bed baths and all the poking and prodding. Well the sooner I get out of this room the sooner I will feel calmer. When can we leave?" The tutor couldn't help but smiled slightly at the mutter. "The doctor is doing the paperwork now and one of the attendants is bringing one of your robes and some sandals for you. As soon as you are dressed and released we can leave." Getting dressed and checking out didn't take all that long. The dressing on his wounds was a thick soft substance that was designed to let air in and out yet keep water away. He couldn't soak in a bath but a regular shower was fine. His arm was in a sling that was strapped to his chest. He could undo it to change or when he took a shower but that was it. Even that was more than he had expected and he was pleased. Satasha had helped him get into a clean tabard which felt really nice after being nude for so long. "You are looking much better Yilly and now I can carefully give you a real hug." She did exactly that and rested against him for a moment. "This feels so good. You had better expect a great deal of this over the next week or so." He closed his eyes and leaned into the hug. "I had better be getting lots of hugs. We have a great deal of time to make up for." When he glanced at the tutor she had a pleased smile on her face. "Well let's blow this joint and see where we are going to be living." Since they had been in Leska quarters on the ship he had a general idea. Tutor Maklish couldn't help but smile at the obvious affection the two had for each other. That was always a good thing with Leska's since it helped them work together. "Well in that case let me get you out of here before you blow it up." Satasha snorted. "That might be a good idea since I couldn't afford to pay for the repairs." As they were walking out she took one of his arms and looked very pleased. The walk to the quarters didn't take very long thankfully though there were stairs to go up. By the time they got to the top Billy was puffing a bit. "I am going to assume this is due to the injury since I have never been in such bad shape." They paused for him to catch his breath before they were lead to the door of their quarters. "The door has already been programmed for you. Just touch it and go in. I will send a schedule for training to your comm. terminal. If you find it is too much immediately contact me so I can adjust it." She gave them a polite smile before leaving the hallway. This was going to be interesting since Billy was fully grown and had been doing his own thing for years. ~~~ Kingie and Crystal had been in the isolation room for several days before he was feeling good enough to call his family. At the moment Crystal was asleep and curled up next to him. The fevers had been particularly bad for her since she tended to have nightmares of her time with the pirates. That had been very hard to deal with since till she woke up she seemed to think he was one of them and fought with him. If anyone ever told him that humans were weak he would laugh in their face. She didn't mean to and he hadn't told her but she had left a few bruises and tender spots where she had struck him. The worst was one cheek where she had struck him hard and it was just starting to recover. The swelling was going down but it was tender to the touch. When he finally called home his mother answered the comm. since his siblings would be at school. "Hey mom, sick but wanted to call." His voice was hoarse and rough sounding. "Doing better though, how is everyone?" She winced at his voice since he tended to sound that way when he had fevers. "Thank you for the call but you could have waited Kingie. Is Crystal sick as well? Everyone is fine and Amahs is really looking forward to the both of you coming back to visit soon." He shook his head. "Couldn't wait, Crystal is asleep and I wanted to talk to you. She really felt better after visiting. She said that your welcome and acceptance made it feel like a home to her." He paused for a drink of water. "She wanted to know if you would mind if we moved back in. I would appreciate it since it will give her a family again." His mother didn't even think twice. "The moment you are released you come home, both of you. I will take a look at your room and give it a good cleaning and everything. I can send your father and Amahs to get your things. Amahs can get Crystals clothes since she would probably prefer that." She had to smile when she said that. Kingie couldn't help but grin. "You are probably right mom and I am going to let you go. Love you and see you in a few days." He disconnected from the comm. and settled back and fell asleep again. ~~~ When they entered the quarters both looked around and Billy had to whistle since the quarters were very nice. They were also larger than the ones on the ship. "Nice digs and I think I could enjoy living here." The living area was larger than the one on the ship and had a small kitchenette as well as the food and drink dispenser. There were two large couches and several smaller chairs. The kitchenette had seating for two as well. He walked over to one of the doors and when it opened he poked his in and had to whistle as well. "Definitely nice." He walked over to the other door and found another bedroom. "Why are there two bedrooms?" It had never occurred to him to ask on the ship because the four of them had been assigned at the same time to one. Satasha gave him an amused look. "Remember silly we are not monogamous and one room is yours and one is mine. If we would like to entertain someone it is nice to have your own room you know." She had respected his cultural idiosyncrasies for that and hadn't worried about it. Billy blinked and faceplamed. "Never even occurred to me though it should have, getting shoved in the deep end has drawbacks. I had been thinking of inviting Z'Marl to share the suite but if that is your room there goes that idea." He had to scratch his head since it was going to have to consider. He wasn't only with Tasha though the only other lover was Z'Marl. She had to laugh at him for that. "I figured as much and wasn't too worried about it. One of these days I might have a lover but right now I am more than happy with you. We can let her have it and when it happens you can just stay with her." He rolled his eyes at her though since he knew that she was teasing him to an extent. "That works for me. Either that or we can go to their place." When Billy yawned he had to shake his head. "I am going to crash and if you don't mind can you see about finding out where the ship is and get some of our clothes?" He gave her a kiss before heading to one room and very carefully stripped the tabard off and lied down and fell asleep. ~~~ Over the next two days Billy wandered around the grounds though he didn't go very far. His endurance was getting better but that wasn't really saying that much. Satasha wandered with him and even took him on a picnic to a nice shady spot. There was a small pool and he soaked his feet in it. They were getting odd looks as they wandered around holding hands. That was especially true if anyone noticed the bracelets. Eventually everyone was out of isolation and they had gone and visited all of them. Billy had to tease Sally. "Well if you had wanted some time off you could have just said so. You didn't have to pull a sickie for that." That got a baleful glare from her and a very short laugh from Vangie who then called him names after he finished coughing. When they went to Z'Marl's room both gave her a good kiss and after Billy had teased Dani he settled on the bed and stroked Z'Marl's hair and fur. "When you are better we want you to move into our quarters. There are two bedrooms and you can have one. We have missed you love." The last was a quiet statement before he kissed her again. Satasha settled down as well and was stroking her fur. "We do mean that by the way. Both of us want you to stay with us." While she talked a little more with Z'Marl she watched Billy go around and sit down next to Dani. "Hey sweetie how are you feeling? I know this was miserable but you should be better soon. I had to live with it the first time I was aboard the Mother Ship." He stroked Dani's hair as he was talking to her. "I will survive Daddy. It did help having Z'Marl to curl up with. When I was having the dreams and nightmares holding her helped keep them away." Her voice was low and rough from the fever. "I felt much the same way with Tasha. It really helped having her to hold. It also helped her a great deal having me to hold." Billy leaned forward and gave her forehead a kiss. "When you are better we have been invited to both Kingie's and Vangie's houses. You might not remember but Crystal asked Kingie if they could move in with his parents. They said yes and are looking forward to it." She lifted Billy's hand to her cheek and pressed it against her. "Good and your hands are cool which feels good. I really hate fevers." He knew that Dani did, but she just had to repeat it for good measure. "They said you will probably be released tomorrow. If you want to stay with Z'Marl till you are better that is fine. Jenna and Sandi have also said you can stay in their rooms if you want." After another stroke of her cheek he stood up. "The doctor told us not to wear you out. We will see you later." ~~~ The Sholan Mother Ship had arrived several weeks ago and was currently orbiting earth above Switzerland. When she had come out of hyperspace she had caused one hell of a reaction in the various militaries. They had known she was going to be arriving but when she did they freaked since she was so massive. She was easily twice as large as the largest carrier in any of the militaries. Everyone wanted to get aboard her and see what she was like. That was except for the Organization. When the ship came out of hyper all of the senior agents damn near lost it. When she came out they could see their plans crumbling and being destroyed for the near future. Even if the Sholan's had a similar tech the sheer size would give her a power that could destroy most of the fleet they had assembled. Much of that was due to the majority of the ships were medium to light combat craft. Of their carriers they had most were older and had been set to be mothballed and destroyed. At the command of number One all had gone to ground for the duration. No communications, no contact of any sort till otherwise told. The only command currently in effect was to gather as much information as possible. Since a good portion of the people that made up the Organization were in their respective governments and militaries that was a fair amount of access. Undersecretary Nelson had managed to get some access to the females on board the Barque. It was all via video chat but he was able to get enough requests for family to come and that some wanted off to start pulling strings. The letter he had previously sent to the Secretary of State had started the ball rolling and their requests, at least for the American Union had partially been granted. They would be allowed to see the women and a short visit home for those that wanted to would be arranged. When Marcella heard that she was tickled pink and started the paperwork from her end. Ricky was working from his end and if approved they would meet at the end of the week. When she had heard that she did actually cry though it was in thanks for getting away from all the suspicious looks. ~~~ Prisoner Sing had been moved to a very high security wing and anyone wanting or needing access to him was heavily scrutinized. They were stripped down and given a set of disposable garments that covered their entire body. This was including built in gloves to keep any sort of contact poison from being administered. Their clothes were heavily examined as well. For those that were working daily with him, they were kept in the security wing. News was heavily filtered and all clothing was provided for them. The security might be on the heavy side but this was the first they had heard of the Organization and they were taking every precaution to keep him alive till they had wrung every bit of information out of him. The information he had provided on the location of the secure drive had been invaluable. It was heavily encrypted but the memory crystal had been scanned and the information downloaded. Once that was done the original was placed in secure storage in a setup similar to what had been in the ship. This was just in case it was programmed to self destruct if it didn't receive a specific input periodically. Sing himself was spending entire days getting his brain picked over. There were at least five operatives who were carefully scripting his interviews to ensure they were getting good information. The female was still doing the interrogations and as the days passed she was providing little luxuries such as pieces of candy, some excellent coffee, more comfortable clothing. This was also being carefully managed to foster a bond between the two of them. After a great deal of consideration they had allowed the news of the Sholan's arrival to 'leak' to him. His reaction was a mix of shock, horror, and appreciation for the size of the ship. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. He finally gave up trying to keep tiny bits of information back from them. When he did break he simply started talking and divulged every bit of information. ~~~ Ikarius had been bumped up a rank and permanently assigned to the Sholan first contact team as Liaison. His wife had been flown out as well and they were assigned a nice house within the base. That was to keep both secure from potential threats and for ease of access if he was needed. The evening after she had arrived the Ambassador had arranged for a meal for the three of them. It was going to be prepared on the replacement for the Barque. It was a larger ship so they had more room as well as being both armed and armored. There were several fighters that were rotating the CAP that had started after the attack. Ikarius had asked the Ambassador for a relaxed meal with comfortable cloths. He liked wearing the uniform but he had been wearing it so much he was tired of it. She had to laugh at him when he asked that and agreed. She was getting ready to go to his house at the moment and had settled for a relatively plain tabard made of fine material. Once she was ready she called for her escort as well as the servers and left the ship. The house Ikarius was residing in was within the perimeter so security was fairly heavy. They weren't taking chances and loaded her into an armored air car while the others loaded the food into another. Once they were loaded up the warriors called and reported that they were flying to the Admiral's house. The flight didn't take very long since they could have walked there in about ten minutes if they weren't hurrying. The Commander of the Mothership wasn't going to take chances with the Ambassador and he had made it very clear when he made an order about her security she would follow it. She had graciously accepted since she had no urge to be shot or injured in any way. When they arrived her assistant helped her out and her escort formed up and walked her to the door. Ikarius opened it and gave her a warm smile as he waved all of them in. "I have security of my own as well now so if your wish my Assistant will take the senior warrior to mine and they can talk security things." She gently chuckled at his comment. "That sounds like a deal. I had separate meals made for the warriors since I wasn't sure how long I would be here. I made sure there was plenty as well. It has all been scanned by one very paranoid warrior even though it was prepared on the ship." The senior warrior frowned. "I am not paranoid. I am simply doing my job." He followed the Admiral's assistant as he left the room. "Come, my wife is in the living room waiting. She figured we would have a boring conversation like this and settled for waiting." He grinned and offered the Ambassador an elbow and led her to the living room. "Hello love this is Ambassador Ceolura though she told me to just call her Ceolura since this is informal." His wife stood up and her eyes widened slightly. She hadn't realized just how tall she was and the warriors were even taller. "Good evening Ceolura and you look wonderful." She moved over to her though she had to use a cane. "Since it seems that Sholan's prefer a hug would you like one or should I hold my palm out to you?" She smiled at the smaller woman and wrapped her arms around her and gave her a gentle hug and lightly rubbed cheeks with her. "Normally as a telepath I would just touch fingers but I know Ikarius and trusted that you were as wonderful or more so than he told me." Amanda blushed slightly and returned the hug and smiled. "He is my big grumpy cuddly teddy bear and I love him so." She smiled at him and then at the Ambassador. "So I understand you shared a bed and shower. He had better have been good and not made a pass at such a pretty lady." Ikarius almost turned purple and looked sheepish. "No I didn't and I told you that. She was the one that talked me into bed and the shower so there." He winked at Ceolura over his wife's shoulder. Her assistant quietly informed her that the food was ready. Amanda heard him and linked elbows with Ceolura. "Good I am starving and have really been looking forward to actually meeting you. Ikarius has said such wonderful things about you. Shall we?" She led her to the dining room and settled into the chair Ikarius held for her. He then did the same for Ceolura as well. Dinner ended up being very good and everyone probably ate more than they should have. Eventually they wandered back to the living room and settled down with an after dinner liqueur and talked. All in all it was a very enjoyable evening and by the time Ceolura left they had been invited over to the barque several days down the road. ~~~ As soon as Kingie and Crystal were released he had called for an air car to pick them up at the entrance to the medical facility. Even though this facility was technically on the telepathic guild's property they were separate and had their own gate. The primary reason for this was for non-telepathic patients who needed to be seen by a telepath medic. Their treatment and emotions wouldn't impact on the telepathic students that lived at the guild for training. Sandi had brought them some clean clothes to wear which both were grateful for. The tabards they had come in with had been taken away to be sanitized and then returned to their rooms. "Let me work on your hair Crystal and then you can give mine a good brushing. When we get home I am going to take a good shower with a fur cleanser with some special additives to help return the oils to both my skin and hair. That and I will probably be shedding for the next few days thanks to the damn fever." She snorted carefully. "I have noticed considering all the fur you have been leaving in the bed. I would offer to brush you but I think after a shower would be good. Besides both of your sisters will be there which will save me some energy." Crystal settled in a chair and closed her eyes and smiled as he worked on her hair. It was a routine they had settled in and she had gotten so used to his ministrations. "That always feels so good." Kingie smiled as he finished and then worked her hair into a short braid. "It does doesn't it? I know humans don't share grooming like this nearly as much but with our fur we need the help." He sat down once she moved and as she started working on his hair he was purring quietly. Even now purring hurt his throat if he did it too much or too loudly. Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 02 Ch. 06 She finished up and just for good measure ran the short soft bristles over his ears. "All done and you look better. Not great since we have been sick but better." Crystal helped him gather up the few items that were theirs and left the room and they were shown to the gate. When they walked out both were really surprised since his parents were there with their aircar. "Well son you didn't think we were going to let you catch a taxi home did you?" His father was grinning as Amahs opened the back door. "Come on you two; get in so we can go home. I am sure both of you want some real food and a good shower and grooming to get the stinky medical smell out." When they climbed in she scooted over and once belted in she leaned against Crystal and captured one of her arms. "I was so worried when I found out you were sick. I am glad you are doing better." Just for good measure she lightly rubbed her cheek against Crystal's bare arm. Crystal had to lower her head and turn it into Kingie's shoulder for a moment. Slowly breathing in his scent helped her relax. Eventually she was able to look at Amahs. "Thank you Amahs, that means more to me than you can imagine." Her voice was very soft when she said that. Amahs didn't reply but kept rubbing her cheek against her arm in comfort. "When you get around to a shower let me know. I will wash your hair and help work some soap into your skin. Afterwards I can work a bit of oil in to keep it from drying out. I am sure both of you need it after being sick for so long." Crystal managed not to tense at the mention of a shower with her. She had already seen the scars and hadn't said anything. "That sounds like a deal and we can both work on Kingie and de-stink him. I really don't like the smell of medical anymore." It wasn't much later before they arrived at the house. As soon as Kingie's father parked the air car Amahs was opening the door and helping Crystal out. "I am sure Kingie told you but we already got your things from the guild." She twitched her ears at her and whispered conspiratorially to her. "I made sure and gathered up your cloths and unpacked them as well." Crystal had to giggle at that. "Thanks Amahs for that." As they walked into the house they were chatting and swapping a few stories. Once inside Crystal flopped on the couch and leaned back and yawned. "I am so tired of being tired darn it. How much longer will I be sleeping? I want to go and walk around, meet some more of your friends, maybe some of your sisters and go shopping." Kingie had to groan. "I will let mother and Amahs take you shopping. I do not like shopping the way you females seem to go about it. What is wrong with going into a store, purchasing what you need and then leaving?" Both girls laughed at him and started taking fashions for Sholan's and what Amahs thought might work for Crystal. Kingie groaned and excused himself to go to his room. When he did he stopped and gave his mother a good hug and a wink. He was actually pleased with Crystal. This was the most outgoing she had been for a while. ~~~ Once everyone else was out of the hospital Dani and Z'Marl moved into the other room. They understood that during Billy and Tasha's link day they would need to go elsewhere to sleep. Sandi and Jenna had both told the two girls they could stay with them. Z'Marl had checked out of the accommodation guild before she had gotten out. Billy and Tasha had gotten her things and put them away for her already and the same for Dani. "Welcome to the little place we call home." Billy grinned as the girls walked in and laughed at the low whistle that Dani let out. "Nice digs pops, I might just keep you around for a while. Well until you get all the legal paperwork done..." She plopped down on one couch and bounced a bit. "Oh man this is nice. Are you sure the cushy living isn't going to corrupt the crusty old space captain?" Tasha snickered at Dani and ruffled her hair. "Not if I can help it. We ran over to the ship and picked up some clothing and stuff as well as that brown stuff he drinks." She enjoyed some coffee but not a great deal. Now coco had hit the spot with her and satisfied her sweet tooth. Z'Marl sat down next to Dani and also had to look around. "I think I am going to keep you around as well Yilly. I keep moving up in the world. Maybe letting you know I am a smart girl was worth the headaches." She curled an arm around Dani and relaxed. Tasha snickered at them. "Just remember who got you here and sorry but I am not getting rid of him so I guess you are stuck with him." She fetched him something to drink and then settled down next to him. "It feels so good to not be stuck in the hospital. Well for you to be stuck and not able to get out. So are we going to Kingie's or Vangie's first?" Dani started snickering at that. "Vangie's most definitely. I have got to see Sally's expression when she gets introduced to Vangie's former bondmate and daughter." It had taken all her will power to keep the teasing about that to a minimum. Billy snorted at her. "Tell me about it and I am her father and should be horrified by her dating an old man." When Tasha lightly bopped his shoulder he ignored her. Z'Marl casually hissed at him as well which did get a slight chuckle from him. "Seriously I do think we should go to Vangie's first. I need to talk to Kingie but for now I think Crystal needs to settle in and not be bothered so soon. Give her time to start feeling like she belongs to a family again and has her own place. That and so she doesn't feel like we are checking up on her." *Tasha do you have any idea when her birthday is? I simply don't remember ever hearing it. All I remember is her age being estimated at 16 or so.* It bothered him that he wasn't up to date on the females but it couldn't be helped. Now that he was out he could look into how they were doing. *Actually she had turned 17 before the trip. The cruise was a birthday present even though she had pushed for it. I think her birthday is in nine or so months.* She rubbed her face against his and when he turned towards her kissed him. "So Dani have you gotten acquainted with some of the students around here?" Dani narrowed her eyes slightly but did answer. "A few but between being sick and spending time with daddy I haven't really had time. I think Kingie is going to talk to the older of his two sisters and have her show me around. He also indicated he knew of some nice guys he would trust me with. I think he said something about not wanting someone's father to remove his tail since he rather likes it." Billy started laughing at her comment and shook his head. "I trust you well enough to sense if a guy is being nice just to get in your shorts." He resisted winking at her. "We are going to be here for a while unless you decide you want to go back home to continue college. Another option to think about is continuing your studies here." Dani wrinkled her nose at him for the first comment. When he mentioned staying to further her education she froze as she thought about it. "Now that is a damn good idea daddy. I might just have to look into it." Z'Marl couldn't help but smile. "It is actually nice knowing that the others in the room are very intelligent as well. I don't feel quite so alone if that makes sense." When Dani gave her a hug and a peck she lowered her ears a bit since she hadn't been expecting that. "So has the design board approached you yet? If so I would be pleased to work as your assistant though depending on the hours I might get a waitress job in town as well." They continued talking till they were tired and the three sick lame or lazy went to bed. Satasha was left in the lounge and was contemplating what to do. She wasn't tired at all and actually felt a bit restless. She was almost tempted to go for a run since they had access to the guild grounds since they were Leska's. Instead she walked over to a window that looked out over the property. She stood there staring at the thick forest and open grassland and could feel it calling her name. Satasha was sorely tempted to toss her robe on the couch and go out on all fours but that wasn't what was really bothering her. After staring out the window for a while she heaved a disgruntled sigh. What she needed to do was call home and talk to her mother. Chances were good her father would be at work right now so she shouldn't get him. Satasha was still very irritated with her father and wasn't going to talk to him till he called and apologized. She didn't like the strain it was causing both her and the rest of her family and she desperately wanted to see all of them. She wanted to introduce her mother and siblings to Billy and Billy to them. She hardened her face and walked over to the comm.. If her father answered she would ask for her mother. If he decided to be a pain about it she would simply hang up. She pressed the button to call home and waited. When her mother did answer she heaved a deep sigh of relief. "Hello mom how are you doing?" Her mother sighed. "I am doing well though your father is still in a foul mood and I am about ready to toss him out on his ear for a while. I know he can be stubborn and opinionated at times but this is entirely too much. Tell me your version of what happened." Satasha grunted at her mother's comment. "Well he came to the room and..." She had called up the video of the conversation with her father and told her mother everything. "I was so angry with him it wasn't funny. Yilly wasn't amused either but Father has met his match there. If Yilly will take on pirates and win I am not too worried that father might browbeat him." Behind her she heard the bedroom door open. When she glanced over her shoulder Billy was walking out with just a pair of shorts on and the sling for his arm. The dressings were blatantly obvious since they covered most of his right chest and back. "Hey love. I felt you talking to your mother and wanted to come and say hello." He settled down next to her and gave her a kiss before turning to the screen. "Good afternoon and it is nice to see you again." Her mother looked shocked at the dressings on his shoulder as well as his lack of fur. "How did you get hurt? I hope you are healing well." She straightened up slightly. "I know that it isn't the same but I do apologize to you for my mates actions. It was uncalled for and at the very least should have waited till you were better." Billy resisted the urge to shrug. "You didn't have anything to do with it. That was his choice to try and demand answers about our relationship. You have nothing to apologize for though he does. I do not wish to sound harsh but till he does apologize I would not feel comfortable coming over. I know this makes it hard on you since I am sure you and your other children want to see her. Maybe we can arrange a time to meet at one of the diners around here." Satasha sent him a thanks since she really hadn't wanted to tell her mother than. "I would like to see all of you and I like the idea of going to one of the outdoor diners. I will send you a message with some suggested dates and times. I really want you to meet my bondmate and Leska. I know that you will like him." Her mother chewed on her lip for a moment. "I hate having to do that but I am not going to let his foolishness get between me and my oldest girl. I will send you a list of times and dates first and then we can go from there." Billy nodded. "Thank you for understanding my position on this." He scratched his short beard. "Oh I was hurt after I captured the pirate ship. It seems whoever they worked for didn't appreciate it and took a pot shot at me." He shrugged. "Price of business and all that and just another day of being a starship captain." Satasha rolled her eyes at him when he said that. "Yilly you are a silly man. Don't even try that down home awe shucks attitude. I know better." She gave him a patient sigh. "Anyways mom we need to go and thank you for listening. Love all of you and talk to you later." She disconnected the call and leaned against him and sighed. ~~~ Before Dani and Z'Marl climbed into bed both decided that a shower was in order. There was still a slight medical odor lingering which both disliked. Dani stretched before pulling out some clean underwear. The Sholan's might not wear them but she needed to and it felt weird not wearing any. "I am so glad to be out of there and also for Daddy and everyone else being out of there as well." As Dani was talking and stripping Z'Marl was as well. "Tell me about it. I am going to need a good brushing after the shower or after the nap." She had to stop talking for a moment to take care of an itch and growled at the loose fur on her claws. "I know it is going to take Yilly time to recover but I am really missing him in bed at the moment." Dani had to snicker at her. "I think that is going into the too much information category. I do not need to think of my daddy in that way. Parents are supposed to be asexual creatures to their kids." As she was laughing she walked over to Z'Marl and wrapped her arms around her and leaned against her. "Thank you for sleeping next to me when we were sick. It really did help." It had also helped Dani get used to sleeping with someone who was furry. Z'Marl wrapped her arms around Dani and returned the hug. "I am glad you were there as well. I think it would have been much worse for me if I hadn't had someone to hold on to." She also found Dani rather attractive as well and had to wonder if she might like to do a bit more than sleep. "I do have a question for you. Please don't take this the wrong way and if I am reading more into it than I think tell me. There was one or two times when you stroked my fur that felt like more than just for comfort. I know we were sick so I am probably reading more into it but wanted to know." God she felt like she was going to die of embarrassment for asking. Dani hid her face in Z'Marl's chest and blushed. She mumbled something and then took a deep breath. "I would have to say I am rather curious what you would be like. I feel weird saying that knowing that you are my daddy's companion though." That was the part that was bothering her the most. The part about being curious what Z'Marl would be like didn't bother her. She was an adult and could choose who she spent time with in or out of bed. Z'Marl blinked and then wrinkled her muzzle at her. "I can see where that might cause you some resistance to spending time with me. However I would enjoy spending some time with you. How about we take a shower and talk about it. Or we can simply see how far you might be able to go?" She wasn't going to push since that would be wrong. She could however gently nudge her in that direction. Dani contemplated it and then nodded. "We can do that and I will let you know if it is getting more than I am comfortable with." She looked up at Z'Marl as she wrapped her arms around her neck and pulled her head towards her and gave her a gentle kiss. As she was kissing her Dani let her tongue lightly run across Z'Marl's lips. Z'Marl was somewhat startled but not by the kiss but Dani being this forward. She wasn't going to complain since her arms felt good around her neck and the kiss was very nice. It was different from Billy's since he was male and when he kissed her there was overtones of demand with it. Not demand in a bad way since that wasn't who he was but more as a male in charge and taking charge. When Dani kissed her it was more of a question and suggestion. Z'Marl leaned into the kiss and returned the favor by sliding her tongue across Dani's lips and then gently urging them apart. She took some time kissing her this way and Dani appeared to be doing the same. When she finally withdrew her tongue she nibbled on Dani's lower lip before stepping back. "I enjoyed that and thank you." Dani had worked her hands into Z'Marls hair as they were kissing and she could feel her nipples hardening. It had been a nice kiss and she had been wondering what it was like to kiss a Sholan. "I can say the same as well." She glanced down at her breasts and had to grin. "They seem to agree. Now are we going to take a shower or shall we test the bed first." Z'Marl glanced down as well and grinned. "Well you can't see mine but they are feeling similar to the way yours look." She slid her hands up Dani's sides and gently stroked the curve of her breast with her thumbs. "Your skin is so soft and I love your curves." Dani didn't get a chance to reply before Z'Marl started stroking her sides and breasts. She had to close her eyes and lightly bit her lower lip as she focused on the sensations. In her lower abdomen she could feel warmth starting and a hint of moisture between her legs. "Thank you and you are beautiful as well. I love the color of your fur and when you had your arms wrapped around me I felt so warm and comfortable." Dani let go of Z'Marl's hair and slid her hands down her chest till she felt her nipples under her palms. Once she felt them she started working her fingers through the fur till she found them. "Your skin is so very soft as well." Z'Marl groaned slightly as Dani found her nipples and started stroking them. She was starting to get wet as well and if they didn't stop soon she wasn't sure she would be able to. "Vartra's Bones don't stop. That feels so good. Don't get me wrong I like male's attention as well but I have found that women can satisfy women in ways a guy can't." She moved her hands so they were curled on the outside of Dani's breasts and started stroking around her nipples with her thumbs. Dani had to smile at Z'Marl's reaction and started actually playing with her nipples. Since she wasn't sure just how sensitive they were she started very gently. Light tugs and twists of her nipples mixed with stroking her fingers around what would be her areola's. When Z'Marl started running her finger around her nipples it felt really good. The pads on her fingers were somewhat rougher than a humans and it felt really good. "I think I am going to have to say no way in heck am I going to stop. Watching all of you having fun has left me a bit frustrated. Unless you tell me no I am going to drag you to bed and have as much fun as possible." Z'Marl couldn't help but snicker at her comment. "Frustration is not good so let's take care of that now." She scooped Dani up and carried her over to the bed and settled her down. Since Dani had some panties on Z'Marl skinned them off and after twirling them on a finger tossed them over her shoulder. "Don't need these do we?" Z'Marl crawled up the bed over Dani's body and lowered her head to her lips and started kissing her. Dani had to laugh when she was scooped up and dumped on the bed. When Z'Marl started working the panties off she lifted her bottom up to make it easier. "Nope, don't need those right now." She was definitely starting to feel wet between her legs. As Z'Marl worked her way up Dani's body her fur was tracing her curves and was sending little zings through her body. She returned the kiss with passion. Her hands were stroking her back and sides and the feel of the fur on her arms and brushing against her body were such a turn on. Z'Marl had to pause and there was a slight glint in her eyes. "I do have one question for you, since your clothing arrived before you did I unpacked it for you. What is that long silver tube that was rolled up in a shirt?" She knew what it was since they had similar but just had to tease Dani about it. Dani instantly blushed and then growled at her. "Naughty kitty, just for that I should spank you." Just because she did lightly spank Z'Marl on the bottom before starting to stroke the cheek and massaging it. "Well if the nosy kitty wants to get said silver tube I can show her." Just for good measure she sucked Z'Marls lower lip into her mouth and nibbled on it as well as sucking it between her teeth. Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 02 Ch. 07 Author's note: Sorry it took so long for the previous chapter and this one. I had finished six and could have sworn I posted it. When I checked I was horrified to realize I hadn't and it had been almost two weeks since I had posted it on the other site. In any case I finished this one and hopefully it will post by the end of the week. All sexual relationships are 18+. ***** Billy and Tasha were relaxing in the main room and quietly talking when Dani and Z'Marl came out of the other room. For a brief moment Billy's eye brows went up as he sensed the feelings from them. He glanced at Tasha and gave her a questioning look. *Did what I think happened? Not that I have a problem but I am a bit startled.* He glanced back at them. "About ready to meet Vangie and Sally? We were going to meet at the front gate and we need to get going." Dani barely managed not to blush when they walked out of Z'Marl's room. She yawned and stretched before answering. "That is why we are up you know? He did mention that there was a stop he needed to make before we head out to his house." She had to wrinkle her nose since that was going to be rather interesting to watch. *I think I would have to say yes. Does it bother you?* Tasha snorted since she had a good idea what was going through Dani's mind. "Just don't tease them to much Dani. This is going to be awkward enough for the two of them. Now later we can tease the daylights out of them." She shared a grin with the other two females. Billy had to grump at her. "Be nice to my oldest or you will be sleeping on the couch woman." He lightly poked her in the side before standing up and offering her a hand. When she stood he wrapped his free hand around her neck and pulled her head down and gave her a loving kiss. "My lovely Leska, it feels so good to be able to touch, hug, and hold you." Satasha snickered at him and his threat. After standing when he drew her down for a kiss she closed her eyes and leaned into it. Her ears lowered at his words and she looked rather shy for a moment. "My lovely Leska as well and not having to worry about hurting you just by sleeping next to you is wonderful as well." Dani smiled as she leaned against Z'Marl. She still couldn't believe the changes in her daddy. Maybe if she had been there from the start they wouldn't have seemed quite so drastic. After watching them kissing for a while she coughed to get their attention. "So are we leaving or not?" Billy turned and smirked at Dani. "I was wondering how much longer I was going to have to hold my breath before you interrupted." He winked at her for good measure. "I am sure you know that their kisses can be rather enjoyable right?" He didn't change expression as he offered his good arm to Tasha and headed out of the room. Dani turned quite red and buried her head in Z'Marl's shoulder and sighed. "Sometimes I hate my father." She leaned into Z'Marl as they walked out of the room. Getting to the entrance didn't take too long and they found both Vangie and Sally there. Vangie had been brushed till he gleamed and Sally's hair was very nicely braided. Both looked good and Z'Marl gave them a light whistle. "Goodness you two look good together. Your fur contrasts very nicely with her hair. I would say I am almost jealous but I have Yilly so it's all good." All of them laughed and started down the street. They knew that both Vangie as well as Z'Marl had some things they wanted to pick up. Thankfully the store wasn't that far but Billy was still puffing some when they arrived. "God this is driving me nuts. I am going to wait here and lean against the bus sign post and catch my breath." Vangie and Z'Marl walked into the store and it only took a few minutes to pick up what they had ordered. "Sorry you had to hold on to them for so long. Most of us came down sick and this is the first day we have left the guild property." Vangie informed him. The jeweler waved his hand at them. "Not a problem and don't worry about it. I just hope you like the job I did so I might have some more business with you." He took a minute to give everything a good polish before putting the necklace and bracelet in separate silken bags and handed them over. With thanks they started to walk out. Billy was leaning against the pole with his good shoulder and the females were sitting on a bench. As they started to move out of the doorway there was some shouting and rapid movement through the crowd. Billy was facing the wrong way to see what was happening and ended up getting hit but one of three students who had been running. Since his bad shoulder was in the way that was the part the male student hit and Billy went down like he had been poleaxed. "Oh fucking hell." He curled around the arm and was trying to both catch his breath and avoid barfing due to the pain. Vangie turned and bellowed at the students. "Freeze you three and come here now." His voice was cold and hard as he spoke. When they turned around all they saw was a warrior with his hair starting to stand up. It was obvious the male was not pleased for whatever reason and they froze just long enough for him to bellow again. "Get your tailless asses over here now or you will regret it. Don't even consider trying to run away. I have your images and will find you." He was snarling as he spoke. Satasha was curled up as well since she had felt the impact and blazing pain from the contact. Z'Marl was trying to help her as Sally and Dani headed to their father to see if he was okay. If it was just pain that was one thing but if they had damaged the reconstruction that was totally different. The three males slowly came over and they had their ears flat against their head and their tails were hanging. "How can we help you warrior?" The first one asked. Vangie didn't hesitate when he grabbed a fist full of the boy's robes and jerked him close. "First off you know better than to run in a crowd like that and I don't give a fuck why you were. Second when you hit Commander Madlax who also happens to be an Ambassador from Earth you didn't stop to apologize. Third Commander Madlax just had reconstructive surgery on the shoulder you hit while running. If there is any damage to him you are facing a trial since he and Lt. Commander Satasha are both telepaths. What you did was at the very least assault and might end up assault with grievous bodily injury." The boy's ears flattened even further against his head. His pupils were dilated and it was obvious he was terrified of the warrior. "I am sorry warrior. We shouldn't have been running. Commander we apologize to you as well. How can we help you?" Billy slowly stood up with the help of his girls and grabbed the pole with his good hand for support. His face was laced with pain from being hit as well as fury. "You are going to walk back to the guild and you are going to report to whoever is in charge of you. You will not leave your rooms except for meals and training. When I have calmed down I will decide what punishment you deserve. Now get out of my sight-without running either." The three boys nodded and hurried away from the two furious adults. The sooner their tails were out of sight the better for them. A small crowd gathered around to see what had happened. All of them were curious about the aliens but stayed back. A middle aged Sholan female moved forward. "I am a doctor and can check your injuries if you want. I am just a general practitioner but I can tell if there was any obvious damage." Billy grabbed Vangie's arm for support and moved over to the bench and sat down. "Please do. We are expected somewhere and I don't want to have to cancel unless there is damage." He was still going to need to see the doctor either that evening or the next morning. She moved forward and out of a bag she was carrying she pulled a portable scanner. She carefully scanned the front, top, and back of his shoulder. Once done she checked the results. "It looks like you have some swelling but nothing obvious was re-injured. You should see your surgeon as soon as possible. Do you have some pain meds? If so I would recommend taking them and for swelling and nausea, it will help your Leska as well." Vangie nodded. "We have meds for him and thank you for your assistance doctor. You have a good day." He pulled out an autoinjector and gave Billy a quick acting short term pain med. "Take your pills and this will take care of the pain while they kick in. Do you feel up to going to my house?" Billy had tossed down a couple of pills right before Vangie zapped him. "I will be damned if some stupid teens are going to keep me from going. Pain is pain and it will die down soon enough. How about a public air car instead of the public transport, I don't feel up to it right now." Vangie nodded and called for one. By now Satasha was feeling better since she had applied the filters to the bond. She also felt better once the pain meds kicked in. She still had a burning ache in her shoulder but it was down to a manageable ache. Now that she was able to breathe she scooted over to Billy and sat next to him. "God that was awful. I want to find those three and claw some fur off them now." Billy leaned against Z'Marl since she was on his good side and shuddered. "Tell me about it. All I saw was stars and the urge to blow chunks on the sidewalk." When Satasha pressed her hand against his leg he started to relax from the contact. "I am more pissed about you having to feel that more than anything else." Dani and Sally were on the outside of Z'Marl and Satasha. "Are you feeling better daddy? Should we take you back to the hospital?" Dani's first urge was to take him back even kicking and screaming but that wouldn't happen. "No sweetie though I will go either this evening or first thing in the morning. It will depend on how I feel later." Once Vangie had called for the air car he had gone to a vender and picked up a cold sweet drink to keep Billy from going into shock. When the vendor gave it to him for free he gave the man a questioning look. "Sonny those three students are a pain in the ass and are always running around. We have yelled at them and yelled but they just laugh it off and keep doing it. It is a pleasure watching them get pulled down a peg or two." Vangie raised an eyebrow and nodded. "I am glad to know that and will mention it to Yilly. I am sure he will find it simply fascinating to know that." He winked and walked over and gave Billy the drink. "It is on the sweet side but you need it." Billy waited for Vangie to take the top off and took a sip. It was sweet but also had a bit of a tang to it. He had swallowed down about half the bottle when the air car arrived. He gave it to Z'Marl to recap and had Tasha help him stand. When the others went to help he waved them off. "I am feeling fairly sensitive right now and if you touch me I will feel your anger and I really don't need that." Satasha helped him into the air car and belted him in before she settled down. It only took a few minutes for everyone to be belted in. Once the air car detected everyone was belted in it lifted off and headed to the address Vangie had provided. Billy leaned back against Tasha for the flight and closed his eyes and was taking slow deep breaths. *God that hurt Tasha. I almost lashed out with my powers. Thank god the pain was so bad I couldn't focus them. If I had I don't know what might have happened.* She stroked his hair and sent him her love. *I understand and it would have been classified as self defense. It is still good that you didn't.* Satasha comforted him all the way to Vangie's house. Once they arrived two females came out. Vangie stepped out. "We are going straight in. Yilly had some stupid snots run into him and jarred his shoulder. He needs to sit down and recover for a time." Satasha and Z'Marl helped him out of the vehicle followed by his two girls. Billy was looking rather pale still but he did nod. "Thank you for having us over and sorry about this. I should be better soon." Satasha wrapped an arm around his waist for support and they walked into the house. Once inside he had Satasha help him take the tabard off. "Check and make sure there isn't any bleeding or damage to the bandage." When he did that the two females eyes got really wide and they gave a quiet hiss of sympathy. The younger came over and knelt down close to him but not touching. "That looks really painful. Are you doing okay? I see you have a drink but would you like some c'shar?" Her ears were pricked forward and her fur was an interesting mix of the gray of her father and dark brown of her mother. Billy gave her a lopsided smile. "I will say this much, if you ever get a chance to be shot don't. It really sucks big time. As far as something to drink that would be fine and thank you." He looked over at Z'Marl and she rolled her eyes at his sad eyes he was trying on her. "Yilly that doesn't work on me normally but since you are a poor short man in pain I will get the instant coffee out for you." Just for good measure she ruffled his hair as she walked past to get the powder from his bag. When she continued past him she felt him lightly tug on her tail so she hissed at him just for good measure. "Bad human, bad, shame on you. Not pull kitty tails since kitties have claws." She hissed again. Vangie snickered at the two. "Behave you two or I will have to separate you. Oh, this is Signey's mother Holla. Holla this is..." He introduced everyone till he got to Sally. "This is Yilly's oldest girl and my companion Sally." He even managed to say that without twitching his ears or tail. Sally walked over to Holla and gave her a good hug and rubbed her cheek against Holla's. "I am pleased to meet Vangie's former bondmate. He is a lovely man and very caring. Thank you for training him well." Holla snickered at her as Vangie made an annoyed sound. "I am pleased to meet you as well Sally and he already came mostly trained. I just had to polish one or two rough edges." When Vangie made a choking sound she grinned at him and winked. "Would you mind helping me in the kitchen? We can trade stories." Vangie rolled his eyes. "Women are a pain in the tail but we can't live with or without them. Just for that someone might not get the surprise I have for her." As Sally and Holla walked away Sally simply snickered over her shoulder at him. "I will simply have to hunt for it then." She walked into the kitchen and started to look a bit embarrassed. "It feels sort of odd to be introduced to his former bondmate and daughter." Holla laughed at her comment. "Relax Sally, it is okay. We share the house but have separate rooms. We have both have had the occasional lover over and it normally isn't an issue." She gave her a look and had a sly smile on her face. "So how old are you? I get the feeling that Vangie is robbing the cradle." Sally blushed a bit more. "It isn't a common thing where I come from and I am still getting used to the Sholan culture." When asked her age she really blushed. "I think I would be about twenty one by Sholan standards." Holla looked slightly startled and then came over and gave her a good hug. "So Vangie robbed the cradle huh? Well so far I like what I have seen of you and I have a feeling you will keep him on his toes." After rubbing Sally's cheek with hers she turned back to the stove. "Dinner is mostly done and mostly needs to be taken out to the table. If you can grab those trays and take them out I would appreciate it." Sally returned the cheek rub and then gave her a shy grin. "Well if it helps my pa is about 40 and Satasha is 28 or so and Z'Marl about my age. I guess robbing the cradle runs in both families." She grabbed the trays and carried them out to the table. Whatever was on them smells really good and her stomach was rumbling. While they were doing that Signey had made a fresh pot of c'shar and pulled out a tray and placed some sweetener and cream on it. Once she was done she carried it out to the Human. He was still looking rather pale and she could see traces of pain in his face. "Here you go sir. I hope you enjoy it." She put the tray down on a small low table next to him. Billy was leaning against Z'Marl when Signey came out and he opened his eyes and smiled at her. "Signey please call me Billy. The only people I expect to call me sir or Commander or even Captain are in the military or have really annoyed me. I am sure a pretty girl like you wouldn't annoy me so just use my name." Once she had put the tray down Vangie came over and wrapped his arm around her and licked one ear. "He is telling the truth. Most of the time he expects to be called Yilly, if he doesn't want you to he will tell you." He smiled down at her and stroked her ears. "She is a very good young lady and her mother has done an excellent job raising her when I am not around to help." Signey gave Billy a shy smile. "Yes Yilly I will call you by your name. If I didn't my father might paddle my tail and I really hate that." She leaned into her father's petting and almost preened. She had really missed him but knew why he was gone. "Thanks for bringing him back with you. He sent a number of messages and they were complimentary about all of you." Billy was listening as he carefully spooned the instant coffee into the cup and added the sweetener and whitener. When he noticed her frowning slightly he smiled at her. "C'shar is a decent drink but I need my coffee fix and mixed together they make for an interesting taste. Before you ask to try some talk to your father." Satasha snickered at him. "True since we don't need any drunk Sholan's here." She went on to explain what she meant. As Billy sipped on the drink she could feel him starting to feel somewhat better. She could feel his tiredness as well and figured he would be going to sleep early. That was unless he decided to go back and get seen. They settled down around the low table as the food was being brought in and were chatting. Billy and Vangie deliberately kept it casual and other than brief mentions of the time together they didn't discuss that at all. Most of it was Vangie catching up with his daughter and Holla. With Dani she was asking questions about what she liked to do and places to go. That ended up with Dani calling later in the week to see about making some plans for the upcoming weekend. Dinner was casual and served from several central dishes. There was something similar to a rice pilaf with a nice spicy bite to it. The meat was strips that had been marinated in heaven only knew and was tender and tasty. With the meat was some rounds of a crusty bread with a sort of garlic spread on it. The last dish was a variety of diced up fruits and veggies. Dani had cautiously taken a bit of everything but when she took the first bite of the meat and bread her eyes widened. "Oh man this is good. Daddy can I stay here and learn her cooking?" She polished off the food on her plate and went back for more. Holla smiled at her. "I am glad you enjoyed it Dani and if you want when you come over we can cook some pastries. You can take them home with you and go from there." It would be nice to get to know Dani and indirectly her father and sister. Dani grinned back. "Oh my yes and I will dig up a few of my recipes as well and bring them along. We can compare notes. If I didn't cook daddy would have starved years ago. I watched him cook an egg once and one side was burned and the other runny." She started giggling and giving her father a sly look when she said that. Billy settled for a growl at her since he was enjoying the food entirely too much. Once he finished the bite he also complemented Holla. "Oh my, that is darn good and thanks for having us over. As far as the giggling child over there ignore her. She can't grill a steak to save herself. Now that is man's work. Let the women do the inside cooking." Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 02 Ch. 07 Satasha lightly smacked the back of his head. "I will tell Jenna and Sandi that and you will be stuck with the food dispenser..." She had to nibble on a nail for a few moments. "Then again that is better than that dried stuff you call food aboard your ship. That wouldn't be much of a punishment. I guess you will simply have to sleep on the couch till our next link day." That got her stared at by Holla and Signey and then they looked at Billy. They finally noticed the Leska pin and their eyes got even wider. "Oh my gosh, how did that happen? You aren't even Sholan..." As soon as Signey said that she dropped her ears in apology. "Please excuse that question and comment." Her mother had almost asked the same thing and as bad as it sounded she was glad Signey had. "Next time think before you engage your mouth hun. I know that might have startled you and I have to admit I was a bit surprised myself. You still need to contemplate what you want to say and see if it is the right thing." Vangie leaned over and stroked her hair and ears. "Yes they are Leska's and no Yilly isn't Sholan. If he was I would have to wonder who shaved him and dropped him on his face." He grinned when Satasha hissed at him. Billy snickered at both Vangie and Tasha and he took sympathy on the young Sholan. "Relax Signey and I don't blame you for being shocked. You should have seen my reaction to our link. I didn't quite freak but having all of Tasha's memories being rammed down my throat was most definitely not pleasant." He grinned at Tasha as she grunted in agreement. "I am sorry but there are some things about females we males simply do not want to know." Satasha poked him in the side. "Brute! How did I end up with some old fogy like you?" She shook her head. "Honestly we aren't sure what caused the link but they are working hard to find out why. It is something that we need to find out." She leaned over and gave him a gentle nuzzle. "We both had wanted to bond which we did before this ever happened. We love and care for each other and the only thing we regret is I can't have his children." That discussion went on for several minutes before they changed the subject. About then Vangie gave Sally a sly look. "Wanna know what the kitty has? What is it worth to you to find out?" There was a definite burr in his voice and Holla rolled her eyes. "I know that tone Sally and you might want to consider making a break for it... He used that tone just before I became pregnant with Signey. He can sweet talk you into almost anything when he does that." She grinned at Vangie when she said that. Signey covered her face. "Mom there are some things I just don't need to know about. Please don't torment me that way." Just for good measure she shuddered. Dani snickered at her as she wrapped an arm around her. "Tell me about it. Watching daddy making out with Tasha the first few times was horrifying. It didn't matter that Tasha was Sholan only that my daddy was acting like an overgrown teenager." She had to shudder as well before sticking a tongue at her father when he snickered and started nibbling on Satasha's ear. Sally leaned forward and rested an elbow on the table. "Would you like some coffee Vangie? I can make you a nice strong cup for you..." She even went so far as to give him an innocent look when she said that. Vangie laughed at her and held the bag up so she could only see part of it. "I should at least get a kiss from you before I let you look." His ears were pricked forward as he was teasing her. She growled at him before standing up and stalking around the table. "You are so going to get it tonight you bad kitty. No kitty nip tea for you." She settled down in his lap and wrapped her arms around him and gave him a good kiss finished with a nibble to his lower lip. Just for good measure she started twirling a finger in the fur of his chest. "Now do I get to see the yummy surprise you have for me?" As she was talking she was looking up at him through her eyelashes while looking demure. His daughter was watching the antics in horror and one ear was twitching as if her mind was melting down. Her mother covered her eyes. "There hun now you don't have to see your father in his dotage." Her voice was laden with concern and caring though it was patently false. Dani rested her forehead on her hand and sighed. "Now you see what I have had to deal with only it is my father that does that sort of thing." She saw a smile starting to cross his face and she growled at him. "Don't you even think about it father or I might scream in frustration." Since Sally and Kingie were still having a bit of fun with the kisses and nibbling she turned to Signey. "Assuming our plans work out this weekend do you happen to know some normal boys our age? At least that way I will know what to expect." Signey snickered at Dani. "Sounds like a deal. I know several cute guys of which I have my eye on one or two." That was deliberately said for her father's sake. Vangie stopped and growled. "Names and addresses before anything happens and I am going to borrow one of Yilly's shotguns. I will be sitting at the table cleaning it." He scowled at Signey for the teasing. Since he was distracted Sally snatched the small silk bag and opened it. When she poured the necklace out Sally turned pink and looked shocked. "Oh Vangie this is lovely. Thank you so much. I love it." She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. The chain was slinky; almost serpentine that had polished sections as well as brushed sections. As it moved the polished sections reflected the light almost if there were tiny diamonds. The dangle was a lovely semi-opaque whitish stone in an elegant golden cage. Vangie returned the hug and kiss. "I am very pleased you like it Sally. You are one of the most enjoyable companions I have ever had. Even if I am just an ignorant lout compared to you, Dani, and your father." Signey tilted her head at that statement. "What do you mean dad? Why an ignorant lout that is?" She could tell he was being serious when he said it. Satasha snorted. "Because us merely mortal humans are ignorant louts compared to them. Yilly is both a theoretical and practical physist majoring in hyper engines. He has a minor in computer hardware and programming. He is currently redesigning the standard hyper engine they use on Earth. Sally is working on a dual degree in xenopalentology and xenobiology. Dani is working on becoming a doctor at one of the most prestigious training centers in her country. They are all classified as genius level brainiacs." Billy gave his down home smile that had a sort of 'aw shucks' look to it. "I's not overly edjumacated, just raised with a bit o' common sense." Tasha snorted and poked him again. "Oh and incase I forgot ignore that pretty and innocent look that Z'Marl does so well. She is only a little bit less intelligent than Yilly. Can you say geek speak foreplay?" She shuddered though she did grin at Z'Marl who simply looked innocent. Z'Marl took that as an invite to give Billy her gift. "I hope you don't mind Satasha and Billy but I got a gift for you as well." She didn't bother with any of the playing of the other two. Now she was looking and acting her age-a shy young woman. As she was talking she handed a pouch to Billy and a last second purchase she had made to Satasha. "I hope you like them." Billy had to raise his eyebrows at the weight of the pouch. "Z'Marl could you open this please, I am a wing short of being able to." He handed it back to her and held one hand out. She had to smile at his joke but took the pouch back and opened it and placed the bracelet in his hand. It wasn't in anyway a bonding bracelet such as he and Satasha had but it was heavily engraved bronze with silver chasing. Once he had looked at it she put it on his other wrist. "Oh love it is beautiful and thank you so much." He pulled her towards him and gave her a good kiss and hug. Satasha joined in the hug as well. "That is a beautiful bracelet Z'Marl and it was very nice of you to get it for Yilly." She opened her pouch and it was a smaller version of Billy's and obviously designed for a female. It hadn't required any modification since Tasha was Sholan. "Oh this is lovely and you should get one as well. We will go to the jewelers tomorrow or the next day to get one made." The rest of the evening was spent chatting about this and that. Signey had to ogle the jewelry at one point and sighed since she didn't have anything like that. Eventually they went to bed and after breakfast the next morning they headed back. ~~~ The morning of his next surgery and after their link day he was lying in bed looking at the ceiling. Satasha was curled up on one side and Z'Marl on the other. She had snuck in at some point during the night and curled up with them and fell asleep. He had to smile some since if she had been much earlier she would have been drawn in by the sexual draw of the link. Billy had a feeling that wasn't something she would normally do and would have been appalled. He took a moment or two to contemplate the last two weeks. They had been back to Vangie's house once as well as to Kingie's parent's house. That was a very enjoyable visit since Crystal was obviously flourishing under their care and love. She had been more outgoing, giggly, and comfortable with casual touch. That wasn't saying it was all bunnies and pink unicorns for her. If you moved to fast near her she tended to flinch. With touch she had to see you first. If you came up behind her and touched her she would jump and twitch. Overall she was doing better and she and Amahs were obviously getting along well. He had to start smiling as he continued to remember the visit. Kingie's little brother was a darling handful and had seen all the new people as being there just for him. He lap swapped, cuddled, played, and had a great time. Billy had caught Tasha with a wistful look on her face as she watched the little boy playing. It was obvious that she did want children eventually. That was frustrating since he wouldn't mind at all. As far as the genetic drift they were still evaluating it and how wide spread the effect was going to be. What rather pissed him off was the same or similar was happening to the rest who had gotten sick as well. Due to that they were also in the process of dissecting the new strain of the virus. They were mostly done with that but were researching the structural make up of the DNA of the virus. There were some hints of the human DNA being part of the makeup. That they couldn't explain at all. Even Vartra's Priesthood was looking into their records as well. He forced that out of his mind or it would make him most definitely grumpy. Instead he changed memories to dealing with those three idiots. Now that had been fun and enjoyable. His mind traveled back to the morning after they had run into him. ~~~ That morning when he woke his shoulder was still bothering him more than it had been. Billy hadn't been too concerned since he figured it was mostly due to inflammation of the tissues. He wasn't going to chance it though and the first stop was at the hospital to get seen. It had taken the doctor some time to get to him since he had been working on another patient. When he did he settled down and asked Billy what was going on. Billy had explained what had happened the afternoon before and before he knew it he was in a scanner again. The doctor reviewed the results for several minutes before having a nurse remove the dressings. "It doesn't look like much other than inflammation due to the impact but we are going to change your dressing and verify that." By the time Billy had a new dressing and had been released it was almost lunch time and he was angry, sore, and tired. Since he knew better than dealing with this now he went back to the suite to relax. As he was thinking he came up with the perfect punishment. He was going to humiliate them to death for what they had done. He sent a brief message to the three male's main councilor requesting a good time to talk to the three. Billy had made sure to tell him he wanted to talk to them in class. The councilor wasn't sure of that but Billy pulled rank on him. Between that and a casual mention of going to the guild master if he needed to gained him a time to talk to the class the next morning. When Satasha had come back from dealing with some paperwork at the local space navy branch he was smirking. He knew that she had felt what he was doing and her thoughts were even worse than his. He pulled her down in his lap and nibbled on and ear and along her jaw to help her relax. "Don't worry Tasha since they will be hating life for a week or two. The embarrassment of the punishment will be burned into their mind for a long time." She hissed in anger but let him seduce her into relaxing with him on the couch. He had contacted both Kingie and Vangie for assistance in the punishment. When he informed him of what he was planning on doing both males started laughing. Crystal joined in the conversation and was giggling as well. She did tell him he was a stinker and mean but in a good way. The next morning he had showered and had Tasha help him get looking his best. With a grunt he added a handful of medallions and a torque indicating he was an Ambassador. Just for good measure he also strapped a massive bowie knife on his right side. Once he had his barbaric splendor on he let Vangie and Kingie know that he was heading to the class room. He met them outside the door and as soon as the instructor called the class to order the three of them stepped into the doorway. The instructor was waiting for them though he didn't approve of the idea. "Students we have several visitors. Please come in gentlemen." He stepped off to the side as the three of them walked in. Both warriors were in their full uniforms and looking rather dangerous. Billy almost had to smile when a number of the females almost started drooling. He let his eyes wander around the class till he identified the three young men. All of them were looking shocked and horrified. "Good morning students. My name is Billy Madlax. I am the captain of the SS Sandi, Captain in the Terran Space Corps, Commander in the Sholan military, and ambassador from earth. These are my warriors Senior Vangie and Junior Kingie. I am here to have a brief talk about proper etiquette. Several days ago my friends and I were standing at a public transport stop. While there three students came running through the crowd. They were not looking where they were going. One student ran into my injured shoulder." He pulled his tabard back and showed them the dressings. When he did he jarred my injury bad enough it put me on the ground and I almost vomited from the agony. Added to that my Leska had the dubious enjoyment of feeling my agony which almost put her down as well. If the pain had been even slightly less I would have used my powers to defend myself. Chances are good that would have left said individual with gray matter bubbling out of his ears." His eyes were cold as they swept the class. As he focused on each boy he hardened his face. "Technically I could have them arrested on a number of charges including assault on a telepath, assaulting a Leska pair, assaulting senior officer in two different military's and finally assaulting an Ambassador from a new species. I discussed this with some legal experts and some of the worst punishments included personality modification and a rather impressive number of years behind bars." He took a sip of the coffee he was carrying. "After a great deal of consideration and discussion with my Leska and bondmate we chose not to. She personally wanted to take the one who hit me to a challenge circle and give me his tail as a trophy. Instead what we came up with is the three instigators will stand at the temple entrance and hand out a brief document on why running isn't always a good thing. If asked why they are there they are to tell the story of what happened. Once this is done each of the three are going to go to the shopping area where this happened and apologize to all the vendors and shop owners they caused problems with. They will have a list of owners and they will have to get a signature from each and everyone. My warriors and a few others will be watching at various times. If you are caught slacking or not taking this seriously you will be turned over to the protectorate for prosecution." He nodded to Vangie who stepped forward and gave the three an emotionless stare. "I personally talked to a number of the shop owners about this issue and I have a number of complaints. They are willing to forgo criminal charges if the apologies are made and this doesn't happen again." He called out the names of the students who came forward. Their ears were back and tails dragging. There was some snickering in the class though they were trying to keep it quiet. "I have the documents you will use as well as very detailed instructions. Follow them to the letter or I might just allow Kingie to challenge you so he can impress his family. I will check your work at the end of each day. Sign and go back to your seat." He stepped back. Billy looked at the instructor. "Thank you for your time and I will leave you to your lessons." He nodded slightly and stalked out of the room." Once outside a very evil smirk crossed his face. Kingie looked at his expression and shuddered. "Remind me not to get on your bad side. You have a very cruel and sadistic streak." He scratched at one ear. "I loved it though." ~~~ Right about the time he was done snickering at the memory he heard a knock and then the door opened. The nurse had to blink since last night there had been only one Sholan and now there were two. "Interesting, well it is time for them to wake up and for you to go to surgery. Everything is ready and before I take you I will administer the pre-med." Billy sat up and yawned and lightly stretched his good arm before gently nudged both women. Z'Marl woke first and gave him a good hug and kiss before heading to the bathroom. Satasha had been harder to wake recently as well as an occasional bit of nausea and it had him somewhat concerned. He had finally nagged her enough to make an appointment. She had and it was for this morning while he was in surgery. "Come on sleepy head or I might have to lick an ear." "No wanna wake up." She sighed and stretched till her stomach indicated she needed to stop. "Okay I am up though not happy about it." She stood and headed towards the bathroom as well. "I am going to take a shower and I will be out shortly." Tasha stopped and walked back to him and gave him a good hug and kiss. "Just in case you are gone when I get done." *Love you my silly human.* Billy sat up and returned the hug and after the kiss licked her nose. *Love you too my sexy female alien.* He let her go and watched her go into the bathroom. "Well let's get this show on the road." He stood as she lowered the floater so he could settle in it. Once he did she made sure he was secure and then injected the pre-med. "Relax and when you wake you will be back here." She turned and pulled the floater out the door. ~~~ As she figured Billy was gone from the room. She had needed the shower after last evening. A sensuous smile crossed her face. Every time they made love on their link days it was like the first time all over again. She also loved the feeling of it being US instead of Tasha and Billy. She had definitely fallen into a deep love with him. As she was thinking she pulled on a tabard and then brushed her hair and made sure she was looking good. Billy might not mind looking like a, what did he call it, oh yes, a hick but she saved that for her loafing around days. Once she was sure she had everything she stepped out of the room and went down to the waiting area. Everyone was there and she walked over and leaned over and gave Crystal a hug. "Oh my someone is looking pleased with herself. I think I won't ask and just wonder." Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 02 Ch. 07 Kingie gave both women a disgruntled snort. When he had woken this morning Crystal and presumably Amahs had very carefully braided is hair and tied it off with cute little pink bows. When he had walked into the bathroom and glanced in the mirror he was aghast at what he had seen. Even worse was when he finally noticed the bell on his tail. "Evil woman!" He was studiously ignoring them. Vangie was snickering at his expression and annoyance. Below that he could feel a sense of accomplishment as well. Whatever Crystal had done was something that she wouldn't have a few short weeks ago. "We can go and get an ale later and commiserate. My former bondmate wants to redecorate the living areas. She told me that we have had it long enough that it is starting to drive her nuts and she wants to modernize it." He wasn't going to mention the colors she wanted to use and the options she had shown him. She was aiming for a girly looking interior. Sally simply snickered at him as she sat in his lap before starting to nibble on his ear. "Is the purr widdle boy kitty being pussy whipped?" She pretended to sympathize with his problem. As soon as she said 'pussy whipped' Dani had to groan. "You just had to go there didn't you? What are you going to come up with next?" She rested her elbows on her knees and covered her face with her hands as she leaned against them. "I might tell daddy that and see what he has to say." Everyone was staring at the two girls with a completely perplexed stare. "Um, what did she say that is so bad?" Tasha asked the room. When Sally simply smirked Tasha glowered at her. Jenna and Sandi were flopping around on the couch they were on like fish out of water. They both were trying not to howl with laughter. They were going to be of no use since Dani knew they wouldn't say just to put her on the spot. "Evil human females. I will let Tasha ask daddy and she can tell you if she wants." She crossed her arms and looked completely miffed. Tasha snickered simply due to the put upon look. She gave Dani a hug and peck and then gave the others. "Once I am done with the appointment I will be back." She left the room with her tail swaying lightly. She knew that if anything happened they could easily get a hold of her but she would have preferred to remain. When she reached the clinical side of the building she walked up to the desk. The woman behind the desk gave her a nice smile. "Good morning Lt. Cmdr. Verzilon. I have you checked in and the doctor will be with you in a minute." Satasha thanked her and after getting a cup of cshar she settled down and contemplated the last couple of weeks. So much had happened and so much had changed as well. Heck she could look back maybe six or so months and her entire world had been tossed into a blender. She was still contemplating the changes when a nurse came for her. When her name was called she stood and walked to the door. The nurse greeted her and handed her one of the notorious cups and was asked to provide a sample. Satasha thought it was rather silly since she hadn't been with a Sholan male since before her cruise had started. It was part of the routine since there were a few other things they checked for so she went with it. Once she was done she walked out of the bathroom and handed the sample over. "Okay, follow me this way please." She headed to a nearby exam room and once inside strapped the diagnostic unit on Satasha. Once she was done with the vitals she asked a number of questions and made notes on the tablet she was using. Once she was done she looked up and smiled. "The doctor will be in once the lab results are back. That shouldn't take more than fifteen or twenty minutes." Satasha grumbled after the female had left her in the room. Since she had nothing better to do she picked up a magazine viewer and settled down to read something that was as old as her mother. That was another thing they had scheduled for after Billy was released. She leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes since she was still tired from last night. When the doctor knocked and walked in she twitched from her nap and was confused for a moment and then realized where she was. "Sorry doctor, our link day finished around midnight." She gave him a wry grin as she said that. She covered a yawn. "So do you want to do the exam or tell me what the results are?" He had to smile at her comment. "So I noticed and hope it was a good link day. Well I think I have a good idea of what is going on and it isn't anything dangerous or contagious." He had glanced down at the tablet and then back at her. This was going to be rather interesting. "After reviewing all the lab tests it appears you are pregnant Lt. Commander." Satasha was prepared to be told she had a stomach virus or something like that. What he had to say totally and completely blindsided her. Her ears folded down and back and her tail froze. The only thing she could say at the moment was, "huh? How did that happen?" She had only been with Billy since he found her. The doctor raised an eyebrow at her shocked expression. "The usual way I assume. I know you are linked with Commander Yilly but have there been anyone else you have been with?" That would explain the pregnancy since As far as I know humans and Sholans are not fertile together." He kept his eyes on her to see what her reaction to that question. Satasha frowned at him for the reply and then snickered for a moment. She contemplated the following question and shook her head. "I haven't been with a Sholan male for almost a year. The last one I was with was before my aborted scouting mission." She looked him dead in the eyes. "I swear this on Vartra's name. Yilly is the only male I have been with since I crashed on his farm." The doctor had mentally touched the surface of her mind and what she said was truthful to the best of her knowledge. He leaned back some in the chair he was in and scratched one eyebrow as he was thinking. "Thank you for being honest with me. I know that was a personal question but it needed to be asked. I am going to schedule you for a number of tests in the next week or two. They will be sent to the neural implant." He pulled a bottle out of a pocket and handed them to her. "Here are some prenatal vitamins and the dosage to take on the label. You are free to leave Lt. Commander." The doctor stood and opened the door and left it open as he left the room. He needed to make some calls and report this. They needed to know why and how as soon as possible. Once he reached his office he set up a number of tests for her. There was an ultra sound, full body scan, brain scan, and a number of others. Once that was done he called and left a message with the surgeon in charge of Billy's care. ~~~ Satasha could only sit there in shock for several minutes before she stood and after pocketing the bottle left the room. She didn't really remember the walk back to the waiting area. Once she plopped down on a couch she sort of came to since the others were asking questions. She was most definitely having trouble focusing. Z'Marl was shocked when Satasha walked in the room. She looked almost out of it, a good way to describe it was as if she was shell shocked. As soon as Tasha had sat down Z'Marl moved over to the couch and settled down next to her. Before she did anything else she shushed everyone since they were all asking questions. Once the room had quieted down she wrapped her arm around Satasha. "Hey love what is wrong? You have all of us worried now. Will you please share the results? If needed we can go to Yilly's room and use it so you can tell me in private." When Satasha turned and looked at Z'Marl her eyes had a really shocked and confused look in them. "I ah... I ah... Um, it appears that I am pregnant." When she said that the room was filled with shock and silence. "It appears to be Yilly's since I haven't been with a Sholan since I met him." All of the ones who had been sick traded looks since they had a feeling it was related to the Ni-uzu virus. The same question was going through their minds as well. Could I get/make her pregnant? That was followed by-Can I still have children with my own species? The room was in total silence for several minutes as they digested that. Z'Marl was still holding Satasha close even though she was shocked as well. She knew her friend needed the hug and to lean on her for a time. "Oh my, not really sure what to say about that. Did you get any information on how it might have happened?" She didn't expect her to have gotten any since it had been discovered this morning. Satasha shook her head and ended up curling up with her head on Z'Marl's lap and eventually fell asleep. The others briefly discussed what she had said and the room settled into silence. ~~~ When Billy woke up he was back in his room and his surgeon was waiting for him to awake. "Good afternoon Commander. How are you feeling?" He had just been notified of Satasha's status and was definitely more than shocked though he hoped he was managing to hide it from Billy. Billy looked at the ceiling and did little things like wiggled his toes, fingers, and muscles. "Not bad though my shoulder aches more than it had been. I rather expected that so I am feeling decent for the most part. So what all did you do?" The doctor glanced at his tablet and then back to Billy. "Well as far as the actual surgery it went relatively smoothly with very little problem. We did end up using some of the various tendons, ligaments, and muscle tissue we had grown. All that work went well and the grafts look to be starting to take. As far as the skeletal structure as you know the worst was your shoulder blade. We did some minor reconstruction of the clavicle and used some of the bone we had grown as well. For the most part it the surgery went smoothly." He did one last check of his tablet. "Do you have any more questions?" Billy listened carefully and nodded at all the right points. Once the doctor was done he couldn't think of any other questions on the surgery. "So now that you have finished the majority of the repairs what is next?" The doctor had to grin at Billy. "You are not going to get out of my clutches that easily." Just for good measure he waggled his eyes at Billy. "Actually if you are showing as not having any problems with the reconstruction then you will probably be released tomorrow. Just remember no punishing students with your bad shoulder..." When Billy frowned at him in thought the doctor laughed. "As far as any further possible surgeries I will evaluate you the day after your second link day from now. If I do need to do anything further surgically it will mostly be minor things such as adjusting a muscle and such. If you are showing as progressing without the need I will forward you to the physical Torture department. Oh, I do want to see you before the next link day. I might be able to remove some of the dressings." Billy was still thinking. "Well I guess that leaves the rest of my body I can use to discipline recalcitrant children." He gave the doctor a brilliant grin. The doctor rolled his eyes and muttered something. "I will have Satasha sent in first. She was asleep when I came to talk to you." Billy snickered at the doctors mumbling. "I could tell that when I came in. Thanks for all of the hard work doc." He raised the head of the bed and honestly was feeling much better than he had for quite some time. It was the light at the end of the tunnel aspect he figured. It would take a while but he could almost see the end. ~~~ Satasha hadn't been asleep when the doctor checked on them but she was meditating on what she had been shown. To most anyone they would think she was sleeping. When he came back and she went to go in, well that scared her. Billy knew she hadn't been with anyone since every five days their memories merged and transferred. She was worried about that aspect but how would he react knowing that it appeared he was going to be a father of some sort of half breed child? Even scarier was how the baby would look. Was it going to look Sholan? Human? Some horrifying mixed breed? She felt someone move over to her and squatted down and started running her fingers through her cheek fur. Satasha knew it was Dani from the scent at first and then the mental impression. She turned her head slightly since it felt good. "Satasha I know you are not asleep and I wanted to talk to you for a few minutes." She kept stroking till Satasha sighed and sat up. Dani gave her face a good look and frankly she looked terrified. Dani stood slightly as Crystal slid a foot stool over and then sat down. "I don't know exactly what you are thinking but I do know my Daddy. He might be startled at first but it won't change how he feels about you. He will be by your side the entire time however it turns out." Satasha leaned into the touch and had to close her eyes before she cried. In Dani's eyes she could see some sympathy over the shock of what she had been told. She could feel her concern and caring as well as from the rest of the room. "I", she hesitated for a moment, "I am not scared of any change in Yilly's feelings towards me. I know what I feel from him and I know he loves me. I am scared about what the baby will look like. What if it won't survive birth or..." She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Dani and settled her head on her shoulder. Next to her Z'Marl was giving Dani a pleased smile for what she had done. It really had needed to come from one of his girls. She was stroking Satasha's back as she was listening. She watched Crystal shiver a bit and then straightened up and walked over and settled down next to Satasha. Satasha glanced at her and wondered why she came over and sat down. It only took a few moments before she knew. Crystal pulled one of Satasha's arms around her and leaned against her and Satasha could feel some fear but also a determination to face the world. "Satasha I can't really say much except that I can, in a way, understand your fear. For me it was fear of becoming pregnant by one of those pond scum. Till they gave me the all clear on that and a few other fears I had to latch on to someone that represented strength." She flashed a grin at Kingie. "All I am trying to say in an awkward way is you have the most important thing needed now. You have a Leska who is your bondmate and left his home world to take you back. Lean into his strength and let him help and support you. You have done many things for me as well. All of us will be there and support you no matter what happens." Satasha listened and sniffled some before someone handed her a tissue. She turned to Crystal and gave her a good hug. "Thank you Crystal for that. I am sure that was hard to say but it really helped. Again thank you." She stood up and adjusted her tabard before smoothing it out. Right about then the doctor showed up. "I assume I can see Yilly?" When he nodded she swept out of the room looking relatively composed. Outside the door to the room she paused for a moment and took a deep breath before walking in. Billy was sitting up and his legs were crossed and he was facing her. His expression was fairly calm and composed. Satasha walked in and stopped in front of him and squatted down and looked him in the eyes. "I went to the doctor's appointment as you asked and I was duly informed it wasn't an illness." She paused and took a deep breath. "What they told me was that I am pregnant and with your child." Billy's eyebrows shot up and his jaw dropped and his brain fizzled out for a few moments as he tried to process what she had said. Unfortunately every time it reset it came back to the 'She's Pregnant' before having to reset. Eventually he was able to speak. "Pregnant? But how?" The End ~~~ There for those of you who were wondering if she was going to get pregnant now you know. I also tossed in a few other possible plot twists. Hope you enjoyed it. Please ensure you vote and add a comment if you would like. Comments make an author's heart beat in happiness. (grin) Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 03 Ch. 01 Billy's eyebrows shot up and his jaw dropped and his brain fizzled out for a few moments as he tried to process what she had said. Unfortunately every time it reset it came back to the 'She's Pregnant' before having to reset. Eventually he was able to speak. "Pregnant? But how?" To put it bluntly his brain decided now was a good time for not just needing a reset to a total derailment of his train of though. It was rather obvious that he was trying to completely understand what she was saying but his utter and complete confusion was coming across the link. Satasha couldn't help but smile since she was feeling his confusion. What he really thought she wasn't sure since it felt like his brain shut down. Billy finally closed his eyes and took a deep slow breath and used a technique an instructor taught him to slow his thoughts down. It took him some time but he finally calmed enough to think about what she had said. To be honest much of what he was feeling was simple shock. Even with what the doctors had been telling him about the genetic changes it had all been theoretical. Most of the rest of his thoughts were pride and joy. There was a definite feeling of 'I am a real man' in there as well. Satasha had settled on the bed as he was trying to calm his mind down. It was a rather odd sensation since it almost felt like he was shutting down sections of his mind. It took him some time but finally his mind was calm and somewhat back to normal. She was pleased that he would be able to talk with a semi-rational train of thought. Well till she caught the bit with 'I'm a real man now' and almost smacked him. Billy opened his eyes and looked at her and a wide smile was plastered on his face. "I am so happy for both you and us. God I can't wait to see our baby." He could feel her irritation with his thought and snickered at her. "Only real men can get women pregnant you know. If the parts are not original items they can't do dat. There for I am a real man..." He winked at her just for good measure. Tasha actually growled at him and it was obvious she thought he was teasing her which he was to an extent. She could feel his happiness and pleasure though and she softened. Since they were alone she settled down on his good side and leaned against him and let her worries show in her mind. *I am scared Yilly. Some is the whole idea of carrying and bringing into this world a new life. Some is what the child will look like. I am so scared even though I am pleased as well.* Billy wrapped his good arm around her and pulled her close. "Tasha I love you and will be here through whatever happens. I, personally, assume there is a reason for this though I have no idea why. We are not fertile with each other yet look at what we have been blessed with. I don't know if it is from your deities or one of ours but it isn't something random." He turned his face towards her and rubbed his cheek with hers before gently nibbling her jaw and ear. "Now why don't you..." What he was going to say was interrupted by a chime for entrance. "Ambassador Madlax, Lt. Commander Verzilon I am Shion senior priest of Vartra. I wish to speak to you for a few minutes. May I come in please?" Billy swapped glances with Tasha and they swapped confused look. "Yes Father Shion but only for a short time since Yilly just came out of surgery and needs to rest." Satasha called out as Billy settled back in the bed where he had been. He watched Satasha walk over to the door and when it opened she greeted an older male in a formal looking robe. "Good morning Father please come in and would you like a c'shar?" He had purple on his robe which Billy noticed almost immediately. He reached out and lightly touched fingers with her. She moved towards the dispenser as he came in. "As I am sure you know this is my bondmate Yilly Madlax and my Leska. If you don't mind I am going to leave off all the other lovely titles. For some reason I don't understand they make him feel old and tired." She collected some drinks and brought them over. Billy raised the head of the bed up higher so he was able to look at the priest better. When he came in and Billy was introduced he held his good hand out. "This is a pleasant surprise, or I so hope. Welcome Father and please have a seat." When the priest touched his fingers Billy had to smile since the male felt very calm. When Billy commented about hoping it was a pleasant surprise he gave him a gentle smile. "I have been meaning to come and say hello but didn't want to disturb you since you were recovering." He liked the feel of Billy's mind though it was rather daunting just from the light touch. Shion could feel his mind working away on several different levels that most people didn't have. "Thank you Lt. Commander for the drink." "As I am sure you can figure out I am here for several reasons. First is to meet the first new alien species for close to a hundred years. Second is because somehow the two of you have formed a Leska link which is rather shocking. And of course because of the new life Satasha is carrying." After adjusting his robes slightly he picked the cup back up and took a sip. Satasha had settled down next to Billy once she had handed the Father a drink. He listened to what the Father had to say and his face hardened slightly. "Whatever happened to privacy of medical information? I do not remember giving permission for any of my medical information out. I also know for a fact that Satasha hasn't given it either. I do not approve of or appreciate this information being given out without our being asked. We can talk about the first two items but till we have been given a chance to talk about the pregnancy alone it isn't going to happen." Now he was sitting up and his expression hardened even more. "Speaking as the Ambassador this is very concerning. We have rules and regulations on the privacy of patient's personal information. I am going to see about requesting an investigation on how you seemed to have acquired this information. Till this issue is resolved and an addendum added to the treaty no questions will be answered. I will not have our private lives examined by anyone who we don't think should have it. Do I make myself clear Father?" He was ignoring Satasha's mental attempts to get him to relax. Father Shion tilted his head and pricked his ears forward as the human spoke. To be honest there was a fair amount of truth to what he had to say but the Brotherhood of Vartra was outside the laws. "That is clear Ambassador and I will make note of it and bring it to the attention of the appropriate people as well. I will not apologize since there are some things you simply don't know as of yet. At your request I will not touch on the coming kit other than to say congratulations. Would you mind calling for Z'Marl to come in? This conversation will have an impact on her as well." The fathers tone was even without yielding any trace of emotions. He met Billy's anger and let it roll over him and it showed. As he had said apologies were not going to be given at this moment. He really hoped that once he had a chance to really sit down and talk Billy would start to understand. The door opened a moment later and Z'Marl walked in and blinked at the Father. "Good morning Father." She nodded at him before going and sitting on Billy's other side. Even she could feel that he was angry but with what she didn't know. "So what do you have to talk to us about Father?" Satasha asked since she could feel Billy's irritation and that he wasn't in the mood to be anything more than civil. He truly was upset that news of her condition had been allowed to leak without their permission. Shion took one more sip of the char and set the cup down. "Actually this information is for the three of you and is something you are going to need to consider." He looked straight at Billy when he spoke. "We are aware of the genetic changes that all of you have started experiencing since you have been seen for the ni-uzu virus. This is especially true of Yilly and Satasha. Currently Leska's are seen as a couple and the link for breeding new talents, stronger talents. As the children of those Leska's grow and pass on their genes over time they are spread out through the population. We have been tracking these changes for centuries. One thing many of the current population doesn't realize was that during the time of the Falling Skies they were actually a triad. Usually it was two warriors and a female and the warriors cared for and protected the female while she birthed the next generation of telepaths." He took another sip and even had Billy's attention though his mind was still hard and angry. "Normally the Leska linked warrior and female were the main partners in the triad. The third was on the edge of the link but still part of it. He would also provide genes for the next generation as well. Over time the third male or female was no longer needed for the protection of the mother and children. When that happened triads began to vanish since the Leska's no long needed to find or search for their third." Shion looked at the three to see what they might have to say. He gave them several minutes and simply smiled. When Billy spoke he almost grinned. "Okay, for the moment assume I bite on the tasty bit on the end of the sharp pointy thing. What does this mean for us and apparently Z'Marl? If you are saying she is our third then why have we not felt the link pulling us together or how would we know?" Shion gave him a pleased nod. The human was extremely smart and wasn't bothering to play any games at the moment. "If the link is going to happen then it will happen at the right time. Presuming you are going to link this impacts her by becoming your third. Since both you and Satasha are warriors your jobs would be to protect her when she is pregnant. Currently since Satasha is pregnant it would be your job to protect the two of them and Z'Marl's job to take care of Satasha. There is one last bit of information I have for you and then I will depart. If the triad so chose they would hold a three way life bonding ceremony. Vows would be exchanged, you would share blood and light incense to Vartra. There is also a special piece of jewelry for the triads as well." He reached into one of the copious pockets and pulled out three small wooden boxes and set them on one of the bed side tables. "Take a look at them and the data on the cube in Yilly's box. Read it discuss it and please when you come to a conclusion contact me or my priest for the Telepath's guild." He stood and silently left the room as they were contemplating the box. Billy looked at them but chose not to touch his box as of yet. "We will need to discuss this in a few days. Right now I am to out of it to make a rational decision and I am going to bed and fall asleep. I would love to have both of you beautiful ladies curl up with me if you are tired." He turned to Tasha and gave her a Sholan style kiss and a light lick to the end of her muzzle. Billy then turned to Z'Marl and did the same before he leaned back and tried to get comfortable. ~~~ The pirate engineer had finally broken down several days before. He had informed them that he would tell them everything he knew and didn't care what sort of deal they offered. At that point he had been assigned an excellent lawyer to represent him. As far as the lawyer was concerned he was an idiot to give it all up without any deal on the table. He spent several days talking with the man before they had finally ended up with a deal for the protection of his family. Beyond that he was not concerned. The deal wouldn't be sealed till he knew his family was safe and off planet where the Organization couldn't get them. He also agreed to have one of the Sholan's in the room during questioning. They had informed him it would be a telepath at which he almost sneered. If the silly git was stupid enough to want to wander through his mind all the more power to him. Once he had been given sufficient proof that his family was safe, well other than his ex who he hated, he started answering questions. That had taken a fair amount of time since he had gathered a goodly amount of information over the years. Most of it was on the makeup of the ships and bases but he had a few guesses on who some of the players were. Out of all the interrogation sessions he was only able to provide the location of one base. He couldn't swear if it was still active since it was one of the primary ones that the Pearl had served out of. Once she had been taken it was very possible all the combatants had been removed as well as much of the materiel items as well. The slave population would be removed from the equation by the simple act of removing all the air and blowing the locks. ~~~ The General was sitting in his room aboard his command ship and was looking out the window. Below him was a glowing star but other than that there wasn't anything worth recommending to this hell hole. That was one reason they had picked the system as their current base of operations, nobody had a reason to come here. If anyone did it would most likely be some tramp miner and they were easily taken care of. He had just finished reading the report from his analysts and wasn't pleased. They now had definitive proof there were two completely different drive signatures and two different technologies. That indicated there was at least one more hyper capable race out there that they knew nothing of. As of now all they had was sensor data on the strange ship. Of the ship that was destroyed it hadn't left much behind. What had been left behind tied it to the ship they had destroyed. Based on this they were looking at a minimum of two planets of enemies which changed things. He had since shot off a message to high command but they hadn't gotten off their fat ass's as of yet. Chances were good they were holding off on orders to see if he managed to fuck up. That would allow the damn egg-lickers to get rid of him since he was one of the Emperor's favorite Generals. After reviewing deployment schedules and the status of his parasite craft he called his assistant in. "Get the drone out of here. I am done with it for the time being. Also call for a staff meeting in one hour. Have food delivered while I am getting clean." The drone was already getting out of the bed and went to stand by the door. The last thing the General needed was to smell of sex at the meeting. It would distract the crew from what was needed. "Yes General, I will take care of it and what do you wish prepared for the meeting?" He knew what his General would want but it was always safer to ask. If one didn't it tended to lead to a short painful life at the hands of the priests. The General scratched his chin with his fixed claws and finally gave the assistant some orders before turning away to the shower. When he came out the food was there and he quickly ate before heading to the briefing room. He would be the first in even if that meant the others had to wait. If he played this right he was going to be elevated even higher in the Empire. ~~~ Once the briefing was done new orders went out to the various scouts to reorganize how they were doing the recon's. The last thing the General wanted was to alert the enemy that they were still there. This was going to require the recon's to take more time in approaching the systems. He was changing this to reduce or eliminate the possibility that his ships would be located and identified. ~~~ Back on earth the trial for the crew of the pirate ship had been finished. Death sentences had been handed down to the entire remaining crew. Other than the engineer none of the crew had been willing to make any sort of reasonable bargains. All of them had smirked and asked for immunity or no deal. Since they had taken that route the prosecutors had tossed the book at them. This included the table and rest of the library of law. Once the trial was over and they had been convicted they had been sentenced to death via hanging. The execution was to be carried out forthwith and no chance of leniency. The sentence was to be carried out three days after the sentence was decided. For that the crew had been moved to the ultra high security wing with a view of the hanging pits. They had the excitement of watching everything being tested and verified to be working. By now the so called Capt. Jack Sparrow was medicated to return him to sanity. He had been diagnosed with a chemical imbalance of his brain. It hadn't been enough to save him since they had records showing he had voluntarily gone off the medications a number of times. Each time he had he had committed some heinous crimes. The guards were not being subtle about the amusement value they were getting out of his reaction every time one of the trapdoors was tested. Eventually the day arrived and once they had been fed their last meal the first five were led out of the cells. There were two guards per convict to ensure they didn't try something stupid. Once they were led out to the gallows and carefully hooked up the guards took up a position on each side. An officer would read the charges and sentence. Once done he asked for any last words. Most of the guards had to snicker at that since they were mostly sworn at. One guard leaned forward and whispered in one pirate's ear. "See you in hell ya mangy ape. See you in hell." Moments later the trapdoors opened and the men dropped. Though they tried to struggle with the heavy weight that had been attached to their ankles it was futile. After a check the bodies were cut down and placed in plain pine coffins and taken away. The noose ropes were replaced and the next five were hung. The last two were led out of the cells and hooked up. The officer spoke the charges and sentence. "Do you have any last words Percival Rochester?" Percival glared at the officer. "I am Capt Jack Sparrow and will be addressed as such you pissant. You will get your comeuppance before you know it. Your family will be killed from the oldest to youngest while you live. Once you have seen your entire family die brutal deaths it will be your turn." Just for good measure he spat in the officers direction. The officer raised an eyebrow. "Fascinating, how are you going to kill the family of an orphan? I wait with bated breath to see that happen." He turned to the person manning the levers. "Release the trapdoors." There was a click and thud as the trapdoors opened. Due to the force of the release they were slammed against a backstop and caught by a simple hook to keep them from swinging. The weight dropped and a slight sound of the ropes snapping straight with the force. After the prerequisite time the bodies were cut down and placed in a pine box and carted away. "All guards are to report to medical and are to be on leave till confirmed for active service again." It was traditional to ensure the mental stability of the guards and executioner. ~~~ Undersecretary Nelson was in his office at home watching the execution on TV. It was rare that they were publicly broadcasted but in this case due to the defendants it was allowed. As each group of men were brought out and hung he felt a sense of satisfaction. It wasn't satisfaction that they were killed but satisfaction that potential leak had been plugged. The other leak had been plugged as well when the air car Ricky and Marcella had been in had suffered a drive failure and crashed into the ocean from one hundred thousand feet. There hadn't been enough left to try and salvage other than the black boxes. They showed exactly what was needed to ensure it all looked like a horrible accident. That had taken some time to organize but since it had started the moment the new of the capture had gone out they had plenty of time. Now that he had hopefully fewer worries about the potential security breach of the Organization he could relax. Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 03 Ch. 01 After turning everything off he walked out of his office and found his wife and gave her a good hug. "Sorry I have been out of sorts the last couple of weeks hun. I can't really talk about it but can say it was related to the pirates. Now that they have been dealt with I am going to take some time off and we are going on vacation. How would you like to visit Tahoe and go skiing?" He knew she loved skiing and would jump at the idea which she did. "I will take care of organizing it. So what is for dinner?" They walked towards the dining room discussing food choices. ~~~ Back in Switzerland the Ambassador was having another dinner with Ikarius and his wife. She had grown too really like his wife and enjoyed being invited to their current house and relax. So far Ceolura hadn't asked why his wife limped but tonight she was going to ask. It was obvious that the lady was in pain and they might be able to help. They had just finished dinner and Ikarius had been called away for a quick phone call. Since it was just the two of them in the living area she took a sip of the after dinner cordial. As she was lightly twirling the small glass between her fingers she finally looked up at Amanda. "Amanda I have a somewhat personal question for you. Please feel free to tell me it isn't any of my business and I will respect that." She took a deep breath before speaking again. "I would like to know why you are limping and if you would be willing to have our doctor take a look. We might be able to resolve the issue for you or at least reduce the pain you feel." Amanda had given her a curious look and her first reaction was she was interested in Ikarius. She had rather expected her to ask to spend time with him which she definitely wasn't comfortable with. The actual question startled her and she took a sip of her tea. "That wasn't quite what I was expecting but it isn't a secret. I was involved in an accident many years ago which destroyed my hip. The doctors did a fine job of putting me back together but the damage was too extensive. They simply couldn't fix all of the damage and ended up using bubblegum and tape to put me back together." When asked if she would allow one of the Sholan doctors to take a look she sighed. She had been poked and prodded every time some new treatment came out till she had finally said enough. "I don't know Ceolura, I just don't know. I have gotten to the point where I can deal with this emotionally. It has taken a long time for me to get to this point. Ikarius has been my rock as I have dealt with this. There were times when I screamed in anger at the fates that did this to me. I almost drove him away in my anger and bitterness. I don't want to excavate those memories and feelings." Ceolura was gently sampling what she was feeling as she was talking and she understood what was being said. She stood and walked over to Amanda and settled down next to her and tucked Amanda's arm around hers. "I understand Amanda and respect your wishes. I just wanted to make the offer since both you and Ikarius have become my friends. Please consider it though. I won't say anything more about it since it is your decision." Amanda nodded but changed the subject. "How are the four women doing? Are they getting better and have you heard anything about Crystal?" She had taken an interest in the women and had taken over the collection of donations and gifts for them. The public out pouring was incredible and the sheer amount of mail, donations, and gifts was almost shocking. As of now several million credits had been donated and were being held in trust for them. They had received packages that ranged from cooked goods to toiletries to art of all types. Since Ceolura was sitting next to her she leaned against her. "We are getting so many gifts and such for the ladies that I had to hire several people to help with them. Some of the gifts have really amused me and especially the hash brownies from that commune in California." She had to giggle since the Sholan's hadn't known what to make of that. "I was thinking maybe we could bring them over here and have a ladies afternoon soon. I like coming to the ship and visiting them but they need to get out and away from all the people keeping an eye on them." Ceolura managed not to grin since that was perfect for one of her dilemmas. "I am actually glad you brought that up. The ladies have approached me with a request. I told them I would consider it and talk to them tomorrow. For the request I have to deal with it on the Barque since it is Sholan territory. I would like you to come over and sit in and no I am not going to tell you what the question was. I am going to let you wonder." She gave Amanda a sly grin which got her glowered at. "I might just slide a few of the hash brownies into your dessert woman and then wheedle it out of you." She would never do that but she hated surprises and Ceolura was being a bit to coy about this. Ikarius had walked out to hear the last bit and groaned. "Don't tell me you kept them. That is just so wrong for you to threaten the Ambassador of a foreign state with those things." He settled down on the other side of his wife and gave her a peck. She snickered at his reaction and relaxed against him. "I rather like sitting this way. I feel safe and comfortable in your arms Ike and love the warmth and softness of her fur." Amanda let out a small contented noise before the conversation continued. ~~~ Back on Shola Billy and the others were definitely starting to settle in. Jenna and Sandi had been hired by Billy to be part of the Ambassadorial staff. Between letters and documents coming from Earth as well as from Sholan's he didn't have time to deal with them. A small courier service had started up as well and one of the first trips from Earth to Shola had delivered the beginnings of his staff. There were two lawyers, one for his business, and one for the Embassy. This also included several guards and some to fill other necessary positions. They had also come with a nice line of credit for the purchase of a building as well as hiring of some Sholan's as staff as well. At the moment Billy was laying in bed grumbling about everything. "Damn it I wish I had gotten forewarning of their arrival. I could have had even a few things ready for them and not had to dump them on the Accommodations guild as well as Alrel." The paperwork he had reviewed and signed for Sue Ann had finally been received and she had jumped in with both feet. Tasha snickered at him as he grumbled. "Don't you mean it would have given you time to run for the hills?" She rolled over so she was on top of him and was sitting there straddling him. Her tail was flicking across his legs and she was smirking since she could feel his reaction to her. "You silly man, keep forgetting that I know all the little thoughts in your mind. That is probably why they didn't tell you. Your ship is here and they had a feeling you might have run." As she was talking she was lightly running her hands across his chest with her claws just a tiny bit out. She knew he loved the feel of that a great deal. It had been two link days since they had discovered she was pregnant and he had been extremely thorough in making sure she knew what that meant to him. Billy snickered at her as he ran his hands up and down her chest and abdomen. Her nipples were starting to swell as her pregnancy advanced which he found rather interesting. She let out a slight growl of enjoyment as he slid his hands further down. Though her abdomen was still flat he had to hold his hands over where the baby was growing. "I still almost am scared to think you are pregnant. I fear I am going to wake up and find it was just a drug dream from the surgery. My leska and my mate." As he was talking his hands slid lower and his thumbs parted her fur over her lower lips and lightly started caressing them. She leaned back to give him better access and started nibbling on her lower lip in enjoyment. As his thumbs were caressing her lower lips she couldn't help but lightly grind against his erection. *Don't stop Yilly, today is ours and ours alone. I get my lovely and smart leska all to myself.* Billy started moving his hips as well and finally was in position to slide into her. When he did he sat up and ran his hands up and down her back. With a growl of his own he grasped her scruff and when she postured he bit down and gloried as their minds started merging again. Much of the rest of the night was lost in the 'us' and not the individuals. ~~~ Sally was sitting in the living area at Vangie's house and relaxing with his former mate while Vangie and his daughter were out. She had subtly nudged Vangie to take her shopping, well not subtle; she had told him point blank to take her shopping. She wanted to talk to Holla about the male Signey was hunting down. She sighed and took a sip of the c'shar mix Billy had come up with. He had gotten tired of having to mix the instant or real coffee with c'shar. After talking to Tasha she had the chemical makeup broken down and then ordered several pounds of the mix. "Holla you can tell me to keep my nose out of your business and I will understand. I wanted to talk to you about the male that Signey is pursuing." She took a sip and waited for Holla to respond. Holla took a sip of the mix and then grimaced. "I rather had that feeling when you pretty much kicked Vangie and Signey out of the house." She flicked Sally's cheek with a finger. "Signey didn't notice since she figured you were doing it to ensure she was getting time with her father." She was actually pleased with Sally being there since it did give Signey someone else to talk to and spend time with. "So what do you want to say or discuss?" Sally grunted in irritation. "Taking after my father I am going to be blunt. I don't like him and I don't like the emotions he projects. Signey is just another notch in his belt. Before you say anything about using my abilities I don't even have to try. When Signey is near him he blatantly broadcasts satisfaction that she is going to be his. It isn't a pleasant satisfaction either. If it wasn't for the fact I can feel his emotions and only saw the exterior I would buy his crap for a while." Holla wrapped an arm around Sally and urged her to lean a bit more on her as she listened. "Good, I don't like him either though I couldn't really say why. We have known his family for a while and they are good people. He did seem a good match for her first heat but the longer they spent together something just bothered me. I hadn't wanted to talk to Vangie about it since it could easily be a protective instinct. We will need to talk to Vangie later. I don't want him going off in a rage and doing something he would regret." She nibbled on a claw. "Let me think about it for a day or two, any other comments?" Sally leaned into Holla and heaved a sigh. "Thank you for listening. I was worried that you would feel I was sticking my nose where it didn't belong. I like Signey a great deal and she has been really great with showing me around and welcoming into her inner circle." She had to make a face. "I am not all that much older than she is in years but we start becoming sexually aware and interested much younger. I have had a few people manage to work their way into my shorts before I realized that they were just trying to score. After feeling the pain of rejection and crying on Daddy's shoulder I can't let that happen to her. Vangie would go and rip vital parts off the boy." She sighed and had to grin. "If it wasn't for Crystal I would have to say that Kingie would be a good match for her. Now he would be someone Vangie couldn't complain about but I could never do that to Crystal. She needs the security he represents. So who do you like for her?" The talked till the two came back and Vangie was looking grumpy. Sally laughed at the bags he was carrying and stood and walked over and gave him a good hug. "Is the poor widdle putty tat being put upon? Would some kitty nip tea help?" She gave him an innocent look when she said that. He growled at her and nipped at her nose in revenge. "The grouchy kitty is going to get even later. I am going to tickle you till you can't breathe. I am going to let you help her put her new possessions away." ~~~ Kingie had told Crystal he needed some boy time and he was going to get a drink with Vangie that evening. "I hope you don't mind Crystal but I need boy time as well. I am sure Amahs and India would be happy taking you out for the evening." He stroked her hair and gave her a hug. "As usual there will be some boys there but relax and just be yourself. You are a lovely young woman and more than worth getting to know. They know that if any boys show you too much attention to distract them. Knowing Amahs she will simply kick their legs under the table." He grinned down at her. Crystal had to wrinkle her nose at him. "I know Kingie and India is really good about ensuring they behave. Besides most of them are trying to get her attention and wouldn't do anything to annoy her." She leaned against him and rubbed her cheek against his tabard. "I will be fine Kingie and between your family and the therapist I am doing better. Not perfect but better." She looked up at him and stroked his cheek. "I honestly feel like I haven't just been accepted by your family but made a part of it. Now go, get ready, and remember no bringing home any stray females..." Kingie covered his eyes with a hand. "I know Crystal, no strange women in my room... Oh wait, I have one of those strange human females in my room already..." He leaned over and gave her a light kiss. "And you have accepted us as well and allowed us to get to know you. Amahs told me that she thinks of you as another sister and is very pleased that you have accepted her. Now you go get ready and I will do your hair for you before I leave." It wasn't much later before they were both ready to leave and Kingie had to admit that Crystal was looking lovely this evening. That was one thing he really wanted to talk to Vangie and Billy about. The two of them were meeting him at one of the Warrior's favorite watering holes. It would be good to be back amongst his brethren. ~~~ When Kingie made it to the bar and walked in he had to pause for a moment. He drank in the conversation, camaraderie, and rough housing. It felt good to be there and out of the house. Maybe in a few months he could bring Crystal here and show her around. Many of the warriors had heard the story though not many knew what they looked like. While he was enjoying the ambiance of the place he was looking around and found his friends in a corner booth and headed over. When he got closer he realized that Billy and Satasha were there as well and for a moment he wanted to hide. Instead he squared his shoulders and walked over to the booth and slid in and nodded at all of them. "So Vangie why did you call, you were sounding more than a bit irritated." Right about the time he was getting his courage together to call Vangie had beaten him to the punch. Vangie growled and it was an angry growl. "Sally came to me today about a certain boy who Signey has been seeing and starting to hunt down. It seems that he is playing her false and only plans on", he frowned slightly, "putting another notch on his belt. It took me a few minutes to figure that out." His fur was starting to stand up in anger. "I want to have a discussion with him and feel it would be safer to have someone along." Both Kingie's and Satasha's ears went down and back and both hissed as well. Billy's face hardened as well. "Since I can't exactly fight right now I will offer to go along and hold your coat for you." He had two daughters himself and knew of the two times Sally had been hurt. "I know exactly how you feel Vangie and I watched Sally have to deal with heartbreak for much the same. I will not allow that to happen again to anyone I know. I will offer to loan you my large wrench to break his legs with if you want." Satasha hissed as well. "Let me have a discussion with this child and I can promise he won't come near Signey again." As she was talking she was flexing her claws and inspecting them. Kingie's eyes had started to go feral and he had to take a slow deep breath. "Vangie I will be honest, it won't be a good idea if I go with. After dealing with what the ladies had to deal with I don't think I could keep my anger under control." He knew much of that was his hormones speaking as well as his drive to father a cub on a female. Satasha looked at him and then moved over so she was sitting next to him and wrapped an arm around him. She could tell he was feeling conflicted though not why. She gave both of the other males a look before turning back to Kingie. When Satasha spoke her voice was gentle. "What's going on Kingie? I can sense confusion and worry coming from you. You were feeling it before Vangie even spoke. Is Crystal okay?" Kingie leaned against Satasha and it helped him to gain some control of his emotions and sighed. Now his body was showing distress and he had to close his eyes. He didn't notice Billy and Vangie trading looks and settle back. "Here son, have an ale and relax and talk about it." Vangie poured him a mug and urged it into Kingie's hands. "We are your friends and please talk to us and let us know what has you so worked up." He was wondering if she was starting to show an interest in a friend of India's. Kingie's hands tensed around the mug and then relaxed before he lifted it and took a healthy drink. His ears were down showing his distress and his tail was twitching spasmodically as well. When he spoke his voice was low and distressed. "I, I, I think I am starting to fall in love with Crystal. Not as the little sister I told her I would treat her as but as a beautiful, vibrant, and special girl. I don't know what to do. I am scared to tell her in case she doesn't feel the same. We, my family and I, are vital to her continued recovery and it would kill me if I scared her away." He finally shut up and rested his elbows on the table and covered his face. "I feel like a pathetic excuse for a warrior damn it." Billy leaned back and took a sip of his drink and debated on how to handle this. *Any suggestions Tasha? I know that he would rip his heart out before he did anything to hurt her. She does need to know that males do find her attractive, both sexually and for who she is, but how will this impact on her? I know I am human and so is she but I am no longer totally human.* Tasha wrapped an arm around Kingie. "Before anything else Kingie I assure you that all of us know better than that. We know that you would never do anything deliberately to hurt her. Even if these thick headed males hadn't noticed your feelings developing Sally and I have. There is nothing wrong with caring for and loving her. What you are going to have to do is figure out why you feel this way. Is it truly for her and what she is coming to mean to you or is it in sympathy? Neither is right or wrong but how you approach it is. I would suggest talking to her therapist first and then talking to her. Don't ever forget we are here to listen as well." Billy reached over and rested his good hand on one arm. "Kingie speaking as a father you are a very good male and I know that you only want what is right for her. I don't blame you for coming to care for her. You have said it before, she is a little fighter and proves that time after time. She is blossoming the longer she is with your family. Between Amahs and India she is starting to come out of her shell and even going on some carefully planned outings with their friends." He took a sip before he continued speaking. "Speaking as the Ambassador", he made a face, "and as her guardian if the two of you wish to explore what is developing I don't have a problem. I can't think of a more worthy young man to care for her. It might not last for a great length of time as she keeps healing but I know that you would and will do right by her." Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 03 Ch. 01 Vangie decided there had been enough seriousness and lightly elbowed Kingie in the side. "So maybe I do need to drag you along. You can work out some of your emotions watching some pitiful schmuck lose control when threatened? From what I understand he is a paper pusher for the military, not a real warrior at all." Just for good measure he winked at him. "Never know, you might get approval from Crystal for protecting another innocent young female." Kingie was swallowing another drink when Vangie spoke and he started choking on the sip. He glared at Vangie and elbowed him back. "You are a pain in the tail sometimes. Crystal might get the wrong idea if I go beating up boys that are hitting on your daughter. Besides I know Signey and she might come across as innocent but you haven't had to listen to her and Crystal talking. Innocent my tail, besides I have a good idea that she is leading the male in question on." He checked his claws as well just for good measure. He sighed and leaned a bit more into Satasha. "Thanks for listening. I was really worried about your reaction to my confusion." He gave Kingie and Billy an open look. "Both of your approval matters to me because I have a great deal of respect for you." He looked at Satasha. "Part of that is you refusal to hide what the two of you felt for each other." Satasha grinned at him. "Awww, such a nice young male, can we keep him Yilly?" Just for good measure she scratched under his chin to tease him. That got a hiss from him and a snort from Billy. "Tasha no poaching on family, that is just wrong." They started laughing and turned the conversation back to Vangie's issue. ~~~ They talked a while longer before Kingie left. He was still confused though he felt better since he hadn't gotten any disapproval from those he looked up to. By the time he arrived back at his parent's house it was late and the lights were out. Since he needed a few more minutes to clear his head he silently walked in and grabbed a drink before going back outside. He settled down in one of the seats out front and leaned back and took a sip. He had been out there for a short time when he sensed a presence coming out from the house. He smiled slightly as he recognized the soft footsteps. "Evening Crystal, sorry I am later than expected. How was your evening?" When she came over he held his arms out to her and once she sat down urged her closer. Crystal settled down and curled up in his lap and rested her head on his shoulder. "I understand Kingie. Yilly called so I wouldn't worry. It was a nice evening for the most part." She curled one arm around his neck. "It is going to sound strange but though they are nice I have trouble connecting with them." She rubbed her face on his chest again. "Their world is filled with the next upcoming band, new fashions, what celebrity is hot, and it is so shallow. I feel", she waved a hand around as she tried to define what she was feeling, "older even though I am their age. I know that most of that is because of what happened. My childhood was taken away and how do I explain that? I could try to tell them about what happened but what would that do for me or them?" She snitched his drink and took a sip before handing it back. "To ruin their innocents would be wrong and wouldn't do anything for me. I might have problems and issues but that would be very wrong of me. I might not like the choices my mother has made but she did teach me right from wrong." Crystal looked up at him and stroked his cheek with her other hand. "What is bothering you Kingie? You have been feeling sort of off balance for the last week or so." Kingie looked down at her and met her eyes as he listened to her talking and mentally cringed. This was so not the conversation he wanted at the moment. "That was nice of him for calling. I should have but I was distracted. I do understand what you are saying about having trouble connecting. I feel that now that I have been a warrior for several years." He leaned into her hand and closed his eyes and sighed. Her hand was warm and felt good as she stroked his cheek. When she snitched his drink he grinned at her. "You are a good person Crystal and you are right that it wouldn't have done anything for you or them. They didn't do anything wrong or have anything to do with what happened to you." He took the drink back and tried to use it to pretend he had forgotten the question she had asked but it didn't work. Crystal tightened her fingers in the fur of his cheek and gave him a slight jiggle. "You are avoiding the question Kingie. What is bothering you? I have been living with you and sleeping next to you for months. I know that something is bothering you now fess up." Kingie sighed and opened his eyes and looked down at her. He lifted one hand to her cheek and cupped her cheek as well. "Yes I have been troubled by something but I didn't want to bother you." How much to tell her. He didn't want to lie to her since if he did when she found out it would cause a great deal of harm. Then again it might help her confidence that she was still attractive and worth caring for. He sighed and leaned back again. "Before I say anything please just listen okay?" Crystal looked up at him and evaluated his expression and gave him a nod. "Kingie I know that you would never do anything to hurt me. Not intentionally that is. Just tell me and we will go from there." She started stroking his cheek again. He sighed and leaned into her touch and closed his eyes again. "Please don't be concerned that I would do anything you didn't want but... I am starting to care for you as something other than as a sister. I have never met someone who has suffered so much yet is fighting so hard. You might be an unofficial mascot for the warriors that helped rescue you but you have come to mean a great deal to me." Crystal was looking up at him as he spoke and could tell that he truly didn't want to talk about it. Her hand kept stroking his cheek before sitting up more on his lap and pressed both hands to his face. "Thank you Kingie, thank you for being honest with me. You have no idea how much hearing you say that means to me." Her hands were trembling slightly as she leaned forward and gave him a gentle kiss. "I don't know what or where this will end up going but I have loved you almost from the beginning. At first it was simply an anchor to cling to." She kept stroking his face. "I can't really say why I fixated on you when I did but I guess I saw something that first day. As you cared for me and let me cling to you it slowly changed. You comforted me, didn't find me repulsive for what happened and was always gentle with me. By the time we arrived here I knew that I was falling for you. I didn't say anything since I was scared of your reaction. I was also scared that I was falling for you simply because you helped save me." She took his drink and took another sip before putting it down on the table next to the chair. She started stroking his cheek again. "I know I gave the therapist and medical authorization to talk to you but there were a few things I asked them to hold back from you. I needed to talk to them without involving you. You didn't need to deal with my confusion about what I was feeling and why. It has taken a good amount of therapy and help from the medical telepath. I think that we finally got me to the point where I think I have a handle on my feelings about you. I do love you Kingie and not just because you were there for me. That might have started it but it has grown into something different." Crystal gave him another gentle kiss. His eyes had been still closed when she shifted and kissed him and they popped open and stared at her. For half a moment he almost panicked till she started talking. The more he listened to what she said the more he relaxed till she mentioned she had requested the therapist hold some information back. "Stinker, I thought certain issues had been touched on rather lightly." He growled slightly at her and then sighed. "I hate to admit it but I did much the same. I could feel myself starting to fall for you and I was scared that I might do something to set your treatment back." He leaned into the second kiss lightly. When he told her he had done much the same she punched him. "And you are calling me names, you rat." She started giggling though before relaxing back into his arms and became more serious. "I love sleeping next to you and being in your arms but I don't know when we might do something more." Kingie leaned forward and lightly kissed her again. "We will figure this out with the help of our therapists. I do think you are a very beautiful young woman Crystal. I told you that you would find someone who would be able to look past what happened to you. That he would see the real you, now I don't know about you but I am tired and going to bed." Just to be silly he stood up with her in his arms. That was something she hadn't been expecting and shrieked before clapping a hand over her mouth. "You are a brute and trying to wake your house up." She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned against his chest. When he walked into the house they found Amahs leaning against the door to her room. Her ears were pricked forward and her tail lightly swishing. "I was wondering who was screaming. Seems you two are having fun. I think I will just go back to bed." She turned and walked back into her room and her tail was showing definite amusement. Kingie growled at her for her teasing but chose to ignore her. "I am so going to get her in the morning." Once inside he settled Crystal on the bed as he stripped his tabard off and stretched and yawned. "This is one tired kitty." He rolled into bed and curled around her and licked one ear and was quickly asleep. ~~~ The ship was slowly approaching the boundary of the system it was getting ready to scan. The scan was cut short when they detected a hyper signature as a ship jumped from n-space to h-space. They immediately went to silent running and cut the power back to the absolute minimum. All the data from the scan was processed and came back as boarder line identifiable. It had similarities to the drive signature from when they encountered the enemy fighter. "Captain, I finally have the results, or as best possible. The jump was far enough away that some of the data is questionable. Back at the base ship we can use the mainframe for far more sophisticated results." The tech scrolled through the notes. "We are also picking up some very faint traces of high tech energy sources. They appear to be in the asteroid belt but from here we can't refine the data any more. Orders sir?" The Captain tapped his claws against the arm of his chair as he considered his options. His orders were to find the enemy or others. That they had done though it had been completely by accident. "We don't know the type or range of their sensors but based on the data we have we are going to assume they are somewhat shorter than ours. Total emcom keep our n-space speed down to .2c till we start picking up any sort of scans. At that point kill all forward speed and notify me. You have the bridge." The male walked to his cabin and after a shot of spirits he rolled into bed and was quickly asleep. The watch would wake him when it was time. ~~~ The scout ship pulled out of the system two days later after a good sensor sweep. This obviously wasn't a main outpost but they had detected a number of signatures of potential light combat craft. Once they had drifted far enough out of the system they had slipped into hyper space and headed back towards their command ship. The entire time they were heading back he had the tech doing everything he could to tear the data apart. When they arrived back at the command ship he wanted all the data possible. "How much time till we arrive?" The male at navigation glanced at his monitor before answering. "At the current speed approximately a week and three days to the edge of the system. The message can be broadcast from there." "If you can shave time off go for it but safely. They need the information and it is our duty to get it to the General." The small crew nodded and turned back to their jobs. This was going to get all of them a commendation and hopefully some time with the drones. ~~~ When the scout ship arrived at the system they immediately transmitted the information they had gathered. By the time they arrived at the carrier it looked like someone had kicked a ratha burrow. Males were scattering everywhere, preparing ships, loading ammo, double checking everything. They knew the General had been selected specifically by the Emperor for this mission. If he succeeded then they would as well and it would advance their position in the Empire and their families. The next morning all was prepared and ready for the mission. All ships except the courier were being tasked with the mission. The last thing the General wanted was for any ships to escape and alert wherever they had come from. The plans were detailed but allowed flexibility. Based on the sensor readings the majority of the ships were light combatants with either supply ships or light carriers in support. "General on the bridge." The current OIC called and stood up from the command chair so the General could sit down. He took up his position next to the General. "All ships are showing ready and waiting on your orders General." The General settled in the chair and activated the comm.. "All ships engage. As instructed we will pause outside the hyper limit to assemble and then proceed to the attack. Keep me informed of all potential problems. If not reported the priests will be asking questions." The ships activated their N-space engines and headed towards the system edge before activating their H-drives. ~~~ When Billy woke up the next morning he was grinning and had a very evil glint in his eyes. "Oh my, I figured out a way to help Vangie and make both a subtle point as well as a blatant point." Since he was lying on his back he started cackling and doing what could best be described as a warped happy dance. Satasha had seen it before and covered her eyes. "I am not going to ask you overgrown child. That hyper active brain of yours can work up some truly evil solutions to your problems." She rolled out of bed and jerked on a tabard as she was walking out to the lounge. He could hear her muttering at Dani and Z'Marl. "Dani you might want to hide. Your father has lost it and I am getting ready to call the medics to give him a happy shot." He could feel her concerned amusement since she was thinking of the three students he had punished. Dani stared at her and hurried over to the entrance to the bedroom and looked at her father in horror. "Oh god Z'Marl we might want to find somewhere else to sleep for a few days. I know that tone of insane gibbering and it bodes ill for someone." Billy snickered at her tone as he sat up. His eyes fell on the small wooden boxes that the three of them had been ignoring. With a sigh he finally picked the one up with his name on it and opened it. Inside was a dark blue velvet which was cradling a necklace. The dangle on the necklace was made up of three sterling silver strips that cradled a sparkling blue-white crystal. The silver was twisted in a spiral and where the crystal was supported the silver was indented to cradle it. When turned the right way the crystal seemed to have a blue fire in the center. "Ladies would you come here please?" Billy had pulled the necklace out and was holding it in his hand. When they came in he showed them the necklace and handed the box with their name over to them. "I am going to study the data crystal in the box but I am beginning to feel there is something connecting us together. If you wish to read it as well I will copy it to the comm. for your review." ~~~ When Crystal woke the next morning Kingie had already left though he did leave a note. It was informing her that he had headed to the consulate for his daily routine. She had expected as much but it was a nice touch. Shortly after she woke and read the note Amahs came in after knocking. She was looking rather nervous. "Crystal can I please talk to you?" She looked at her and the distress was obvious. "I had been paying very close attention to what has and hasn't been said and I am upset and confused." Crystal sat up and gave her a questioning look before holding her arms open to see if Amahs wanted a hug. "Come here Amahs and I will tell you what I can. Some I will not tell you and if I say that you will respect my boundaries." When Amahs came over Crystal settled her in her lap and gave her a good hug. "Simply ask me about what is bothering you. I think I have a pretty good idea but before I speak I want to know your questions." Amahs leaned into the hug and curled her tail around so it was on her lap and held it. "What happened to you Crystal? How did you get the scars? I understand there are going to be some things you don't want to talk about." She made a slight face. "It will probably drive me nuts wanting to know but I will do my best not to push." Crystal stroked her back as she organized her thoughts. "A ship I was on was captured by pirates. To the best of my knowledge only six of us survived and were kept alive on the pirate's ship. I don't really know how long we were held on board but they had fun abusing us mentally and physically. I am not going to discuss that at all." She gave Amahs a hard look when she said that. "Anyways the pirates detected another ship and attempted to board." She couldn't help but grin. "That was a huge mistake since it was Yilly's ship with a compliment of warriors including Kingie and Vangie. They took names and kicked ass. Billy was there as well and discovered one of his nieces was aboard ship as well. Long story short somewhere in my mind something told me that Kingie was safe and would protect me." She blushed and looked away for a moment. "I latched onto him and held on for dear life. He knows everything that happened to me and didn't even blink. He held me, comforted me, and encouraged me to get past what was done." Crystal smiled at Amahs. "Because of that and more I love your brother deeply." ~~~ He slowly came awake and looked up at the ceiling and sighed. This must be hell then since waking up to another cell was not his idea of heaven. Right about then the heavy metal door clanged open. "Get up dog and follow me." He sat up and looked at who was talking and it was the guard who had told him he would see him in hell. As he was staring his hands went to his neck and found a rope around it. When he looked it was the noose they had used earlier. "What? Why am I alive? Am I alive?" The guard gave him a coarse laugh. "Dog you are dead and your death certificate says so. You were declared dead yesterday upon your execution. Since you are dead nobody is going to come looking for scum like you." He gave him an evil smile before screaming at him. "I gave you a fucking order dog. If you don't obey each and every order you will suffer pain. The more you fight the more pain you will feel. Since this is a new concept for you I will go nicely for the next thirty seconds." Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 03 Ch. 02 The following morning Amanda and Ike walked to the Barque and were admitted. This was the first time Amanda had been on it and was fascinated by it as well as all the Sholan's. They really intrigued her because of the varied fur coloring. Also as much as she hated to admit it she loved cats and they had several. It was all she could do not to hunt one down just to pet and see if they reacted like a cat to the petting. Ike glanced down at his wife and couldn't help but grin at her. He knew that look and knew she was working hard to keep from doing anything silly. "Maybe later you can pet one of them." He whispered that in her ear only to get an elbow in the ribs. He laughed quietly at her as he showed her to Ceolura's offices. When they walked in her assistant looked up and smiled. When he noticed Amanda he stood and came around the desk and gave her a light hug. "I am so pleased to finally get to meet you Lady Amanda. The Ambassador has said some very nice things about you and welcome aboard. If your life mate is going to be in meetings all day I would be more than happy to give you a good tour." She was slightly startled with the hug but went with it and had to smile. "I am definitely getting used to the hugs. Your fur is so soft and nice. When Ceolura comes over she and Ike tend to sit on either side of me and it feels so nice." She looked up at Ike and leaned against him. He grinned at her. "I can tell that and I am glad that you like Ceolura. She is a great person and it has been my pleasure working with her. Now she did mention a meeting she wanted you to go to with the other females. I am going to leave you here and when done they will contact me." He gave her a kiss before leaving her there. Right after he left Ceolura came out and smiled at her. "Good morning Amanda and you look very nice and that is a wonderful dress. The meeting is going to be in one of the conference rooms so if you come with me I will take you there." She looked at her assistant. "Please ensure the drinks and snacks are there and have the ladies escorted over in five minutes." Once he nodded she offered Amanda her arm and headed towards the room they were going to be using. Amanda was looking around and was quietly asking questions about the ship. It was obvious she was quite interested in the ship and everything aboard it. "I would love to go and see the mother ship one of these days. I have seen it on the news and some of the footage Ike has shown me but I still have problems believing it is that large." When they walked into the room she carefully settled down in one of the chairs and had to rub her hip. Ceolura gave her a concerned look. "If your hip was bothering you I could have rescheduled or sent a vehicle for you. Is there anything I can do for you?" She looked and sounded concerned when she came over and settled down next to her on the couch. "Our doctor is going to be coming in with the ladies and if there is anything she can do for you ask." Amanda narrowed her eyes slightly when she mentioned the doctor. "I will be fine and if needed I have some pain medications I can take." She really didn't want a fuss made over her. Ceolura shook her head. "I did not invite you over here just to trick you into seeing the doctor. She is here to give a medical opinion on the ladies request. I invited you over to get your opinion and nothing else. I told you that it is your choice if you want our doctor to look at you and I meant that." She turned as her assistant came in and showed one of the crew where to put the drinks and snacks. "Can I get you something to drink?" Amanda sighed. "Sorry but I am just so tired of everyone other than Ike trying to get me to see this doctor or that one. As I said last night as far as earth goes there isn't anything they can do for me. I am considering your offer but I need to think about it." When the two Sholan's came in she quit talking about it and then nodded. "Ike finds the cshar bland but I find it easy on my stomach so a cup of that would be appreciated." Shortly both had something to drink and a few moments later the four remaining ladies came in. Ceolura had moved over to the table and was sitting there waiting. "Good morning ladies and you have all met Amanda. She is here at my request for opinions on what you are requesting. Amanda this is Dr. Desjean who has been taking care of the ladies. Please get something to eat and drink if you want and then we will get started. Once everyone had what they wanted Ceolura pulled out some documents. "I have the request you sent to me and I have reviewed it. My question for the four of you is why are you requesting to move to Shola?" Bitty straightened slightly. "The others have asked for me to speak for them. One reason is human males scare the crap out of us. We all know that is simply a reaction to what happened to us but it isn't something we can get over in a day. We have been keeping in contact with Crystal and she has had very good things to say about her treatment. Just reading her letters and seeing her video's we can see that she is doing better than we are. Also we know that Billy will keep an eye on us and take care of us. Speaking for both myself and the others we want to go to Shola at least for the treatment that Crystal has talked about." She looked down at her hands which were clenched together on the top of the table. "Speaking for myself I am tired of being scared all the time when human males are nearby. I want to be able to get back to my life. Dr. Desjean has been a great doctor but she has told us that she can only give us some basic therapy for our issues. It isn't her field of specialty and in her medical opinion our best bet is to go to Shola." Amanda sat there and listened to what they were saying and found it hard to blame them for their fears. Heaven knew she had enough of her own thanks to that accident and that was years ago. Was that why Ceolura had asked her to come with? To listen to the women and give her opinion on what should be done for and with them? For now she was simply going to listen to what was being said. Ceolura nodded at the important points that Bitty was making. "Thank you for that brief overview of why you want to go to Shola. Now Dr. Desjean what is your opinion?" She turned her attention to the doctor and waited. ~~~ The battle fleet all appeared at the designated rendezvous point and immediately went into stealth mode. Several of the scout ships were sent in-system to verify any and all changes to the system status. That took somewhat over a day for them to go in and get back out. When they returned to the command ship all reported what they had found. As of now there had been a few changes of ships but the combatants were still the same, or in the same class. From what they had picked up there weren't more than ten or twelve combatants and two fighter carriers. The rest of the ships all seemed to be transports and support ships. As far as the base it appeared to be in the asteroid field and not planet based. That could be both good and bad. The General finally issued orders after discussing the status of the system. The two carriers he had were going to be coming in-system from both above and below the ecliptic with several escort craft for protection. All the fighter craft were to be launched including what was on the command ship and focused on any ships trying to escape. The main force was going to be heading straight for the base. Since there wasn't anything large enough to do major damage to any of his capitol ships he was settling for a killing blow. He stood up. "Everyone to battle stations and prepare to launch on my mark." He strolled out of the conference room and to the bridge. Once he had taken his chair he glanced at the chronometer. "Send my mark in five minutes." ~~~ The station commander damn near shit a brick when the alert went up. As he rolled out of bed he kicked the slave out as well and told her to get to the slave section. If she didn't her collar would alert and she would be nailed with a tazer quality charge and it would keep getting worse. She didn't even hesitate other than to grab what was loosely called clothing before hurrying out. He was jerking on his ship suit while he was checking the repeaters in his room. When he did that he paled since it looked like they had been discovered and the ships coming in-system were heavy combatants. As he was finishing the connections for the suit he had to frown since none of the ships had been classified by type. They were symbols next to the ship symbols that indicated they didn't match anything in the database. "What the fuck and how could they have gotten new classes of ships built without us being informed." The system commander didn't know where the information came from but any time there were changes to the fleet they were informed. The information had to be from high up since it was rarely wrong. That wasn't even mentioning it covered the three major polities as well. This was not good and once all the connections had been made he grabbed his helmet and ran to the bridge. As he entered he called out. "What are we looking at and what is the status of evacuation?" Their orders were first and foremost to destroy any data and to run depending on the size of the attacking force. While he was waiting for the status update he settled into his chair and secured the helmet. "Sir we are only about twenty percent done. The combatants just came in-system a short time ago and we just now were able to get decent reads on them. The ships are not in any of our databases. In addition their power ratings do not match anything, civilian or military, on record. They are showing higher overall power settings than on record and their mass is larger as well. As far as we can tell these appear to be alien vessels based on all the data processed." He was sweating bullets as he was trying to refine the data with his outdated sensors. The commander froze and stared at him. "Excuse me? Aliens? Are you talking as in the Sholan's? We have been given what date we have on their ships we, human's, have encountered. Same goes for that human ship with strange readings." If the idiot tried to tell him that they weren't Sholan's he was going to consider shooting him. "No sir, none of the readings I have acquired so far match any readings at all. The ship configurations are not matching up with anything. It is possible it might be Sholan's helping the authorities but I don't have any way of telling." He knew that if the commander got pissed off he tended to shoot first and ask later and he really didn't have the urge to get shot. "As far as I can tell these ships do not belong to human's or Sholan's." The commander frowned as he moved down to the large display and checked the details. This was significantly larger than the one he had in his room so there was far more detail. As he was looking at the repeater he had to agree that the information displayed definitely wasn't anything he had seen before. "Expedite the evacuation of the critical staff. Send two of the Light Cruisers forward to get a more detailed scan and have the data constantly updated on the evac ship." As he was talking there was a strobe around one of the symbols for one of his ships indicating it was being attacked. "What the fuck is that? How are they being attacked?" There hadn't been anything showing on the boards before the attack though now there were some ghost signals that came and went. ~~~ The captain aboard the Light Cruiser that was being attacked had been a fleet officer till courts martialed. He had been charged and convicted of abusing his rank by encouraging junior females to service him. Once he had been drummed out the Organization had picked him up and given him pretty much all the tail he could want. When the attack started they had just finished buttoning up the ship and the crew was in their assigned stations. The first hit had definitely let them know someone was out there. It didn't penetrate the shields but it was a reasonably powerful strike. "Captain that appeared to be a L3 ion beam or the equivalent. The ship it came from appears to be in some sort of stealth mode. Orders sir?" "Fire a nuke missle back along the beam path. See if we can paint the ship with radiation. It might help us track it." As he was talking several more beams hit the shields and they took it but the damage was starting to mount up. "Firing solution generated and firing." The ship bucked as the missile flashed out. When it reached the predetermined location it ignited and came to life in a flare of radiation. For a brief moment the ship was detected and a follow up strike launched. "Sir that partially worked but they are only absorbing a fraction of the radiation. I sent a follow up strike which appeared to do some damage but the ship is still moving." "Crap!!" This time when the beam hit the shield it impacted buckled and the beam penetrated. The ship bucked as armored plating shattered under the force. "Sir, that took out one of the forward sensors. Down twenty percent on scanning ability." At this point he didn't have much expectation of surviving the fight so he might as well go out kicking and screaming. "Weapons free on any target identified. Set course Delta 3 to cover damaged shields. Contact Damage control and see what the status of the breach and..." That was the last thing he said as several capitol class missiles impacted. The bomb pumped x-ray lasers cut through the armor plating as if it didn't exist. ~~~ When the strobing stopped and the icon for the ship vanished he knew that ship was done for. "Status of incoming forces." He bellowed as he went back to his chair. Once seated he started calling up commands and subroutines on his console. Since he was the only one with the authority to set the timer for the demolition bomb he entered his code and set it for thirty minutes on a silent countdown. It was enough time for him to get aboard his ship and get far enough away not to be damaged by the blast. "Moving command to secondary conn. I will establish communications upon arrival. In thirty minutes head towards your assigned evacuation pods." He couldn't have them freaking out by telling them they had no escape possible. It was better to give them hope so they would keep doing their jobs. After grabbing his helmet he calmly left the bridge and hurried to his ship. The staff on the bridge looked at each other and then the repeater. "Give him five minutes and then we will leave. If he senses that we might jump ship that just means he will blow the station sooner." They all traded looks again and started setting all the controls on automatic. Everyone knew that there wasn't going to be any loyalty except amongst the individual ships crews. In their case the XO they trusted to an extent so they would follow him till he betrayed them. ~~~ The enemy had been heading in-system for the last half hour and the various combatants were encircling the ships they had detected. The fighter craft were heading in-system in their formations. As of now three of the foreign combatants had been destroyed in trade for a handful of fighters. So far the combat was going as smoothly as he had expected. The General was still calling out orders as needed to 'ensure' the battle went as he wanted. When the logs made it back to the Emperor he would see the General had been in charge the entire time. That would look good for him and bad for others. When he came back covered in glory there were several senior officers he was going to have removed. "Status update General, the enemy is starting to fall back towards the asteroid belt. They appear to be forming up on one of the asteroids that has a high energy signature." The male was not going to speculate on what they were doing or why. That was a damn good way to get handed to the priests and once was more than enough for him. The General looked at the massive repeater and typed in some commands. An estimate of arrival time was shown. The ships were slower than any of his but not by that much. If they really ran for it they might be able to out run his fighters. "Tell all ships to increase speed by .002 light and to tighten up on the light combatants. Send the fighters after the support ships and troop ships. Tell them to save some of the ships and the aliens. We need to find out if these are the enemy or someone new to conquer." The comm. officer punched the orders in and sent them along with a follow up verbal set of orders. It would take some time to reach the other ships but not nearly as much time as the enemy needed. "Orders sent General, awaiting receipt confirmation." ~~~ The commander had made it to his ship and slowly moved away from the base. He ensured the ship was not heading in any direction that contained any of the base components. Once the ship was away he had them power down to the minimum power possible to reduce his signature. The asteroid he was aiming for was heavy with radioisotopes and should hide his ships signature without problem. Once they were away from the base he adjusted the destruction orders. If any of the heavy combatants came within range of the base the bomb would detonate. He rather hoped they would be close enough since it was a new type of bomb and the implosion should do extensive damage. It would also take out the computer core as well as the entire base and slave cages. He had to admit he was going to miss that sweet little squeeze he had in his bed earlier but there were always more. Ships were starting to shoot out in all directions from the base. Most of them were smaller vessels that were used for transporting cargo and small loads of slaves to other locations. As of now he was pretty sure that most of them were packed to the gills with the pirates. For half a moment he contemplated activating the bombs implanted in the ships but the information they had needed to get out. The best way to ensure that was to allow as many ships as possible to escape. ~~~ On the edge of the system an expected transport had arrived and the moment the battle was picked up the captain ordered the ship to get out system. Since at the moment he didn't have anything illegal onboard he decided to head straight to earth. He should be able to come in as a tramp freighter inbound to pick up a load. While there he would send a message that the base was no more. As they were turning the ship in a direction they could use to escape the system his comm. was picking up the omnidirectional broadcast. It was the ongoing data from the system scanners and he was receiving every bit of it he could. As they were heading back towards the jump point selected his sensors picked up several ships headed in his direction. "Get us the fuck out of here. All power to the drives and if needed take the safeties off." The ship surged forward and the moment the hyper drives were ready they jumped. ~~~ The message about the ship that had come in-system and then jumped reached the command ship to late to do anything about it. "General we have received a report from one of our light combatants that a ship dropped out of hyper and jumped again. Several fighters tried to intercept but weren't close enough." The General snarled. "Tell the egg licking captain he had better catch that ship or he is going to be given to the priests for the rest of his life." If that ship escaped it could cause all kinds of problems. It would let the enemy know that they were out there. If that happened the Emperor wouldn't be happy and the General might get handed over to the priests. If that happened all of his plans went out the window. "Orders are on their way General. It appears the ship is already heading to the jump point the enemy ship used." If they jumped from anywhere else it would be much harder to chase and intercept the enemy ship. Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 03 Ch. 02 "We are approaching the enemy base and have destroyed seven of the combatants. Orders General?" "Order the troop transport to launch the landing craft, detail two claws of fighters to provide cover and slow us down. I want us at least one thousand kunlong away from the base." He didn't care about the troops since they were expendable. If any of the major ships were destroyed without a very good reason it would screw his plans up as well. "Make sure a complete log of the battle, information on the enemy, and communications is sent to the courier. Once they receive it they are to leave system and report to the HQ." The comm. officer took care of getting the data package ready and sent it on its way. "Data sent via hyper drone General. Upon receipt of the drone the courier will send the drone back." ~~~ When the troop ships landed and the troops started entering the base the bomb detonation was set off. The base, nearby ships, and the transport vanished in a boiling fury of blackness. For a very brief moment a micro black hole appeared before it collapsed. For the microsecond it existed it sucked in everything nearby including the enemy ships as well as friendly ships. "By the first Egg what the hell was that?" The sensor officer swore as a circular gap appeared in the asteroid belt where the base had been. "General a weapon went off that doesn't match anything we have seen or used before. I can't tell you what it was other than it seems to have swallowed up the base and everything nearby." Fear scent could be smelled pouring from the males body. The General looked at the display and ordered a replay and swore himself. "With draw all ships near the asteroid belt. As they retreat have them do as much damage as possible but do not take chances. Keep all possible sensors scanning where the base was and send out another drone with all the data possible. Encrypt it for the Emperor's eyes only." ~~~ The pirate smirked when the station and transport were wiped out. That seemed to give pause to the enemy since they appeared to be pulling back a fair amount. "Take us out of orbit and keep it slow. Follow the belt till we are well away and then make a run out of the system." By now his forces had been decimated though they had done a fair amount of damage to whoever had attacked him. He most definitely wasn't pleased since it was very possible his life would be terminated at any point. Chances were very good some of the Organizations special operatives were on board and would kill him for his failure. "I am going to my cabin and don't disturb me unless it is critical." ~~~ Billy had called Vangie into his office at the consulate and waved him to a chair. "I have an idea that you might just like." He still had that evil look on his face from earlier. Vangie cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. "I recognize that look and it seems to indicate pain and suffering for some poor bastard. I have a feeling it deals with Signey and the subject of her interested. Do tell what evil thoughts are traveling through your mind." Billy snickered at him. "Well I was thinking that I need to go through and clean my weapons. I know you have indicated interest in the workings of my antiques. I was rather thinking that you could invite me over to your house so I can show you how to clean them. If said boy showed up at the same time..." His smile widened as he was speaking and the deviltry was dancing in his eyes. Vangie's muzzle wrinkled in amusement. "Even better we can have Kingie come over as well and you can show both of us how to clean and maintain your weapons." He scratched an ear for a moment. "Why don't we have Kingie invite Crystal over as well and have a family evening of it?" Both of them traded evil smirks and fist bumped. It was something Billy had recently taught both Kingie and Vangie just to annoy his girls. "That sounds like a deal and how about Friday? That will give me time to take care of a few things like a trip to my ship and have a meal catered." Vangie had to shake his head. "Yilly I am glad I am on your good side. When that evil streak of yours breaks loose you can be a total bastard. Those three are still being snubbed and especially by the females. The last time the leader of the three made a pass at a female he got clawed and told to go rot." Billy snorted. "I didn't even have to work hard on that punishment. If I had been less pissed off it would have been worse." He had to grumble. "Tasha kept nixing my really good ideas so that was what I had to settle for." Vangie stood. "Well I need to go and let Holla know as well as Sally. I will let Holla suggest to Signey that she invite the boy over for a formal meeting. I want to make sure and introduce him to all my family and friends." As he left the office his tail and ears were showing serious amusement at Billy's suggestion. Billy smiled and then contacted Tasha. *Hey love, we are going to be going to Vangie's on Friday. It is going to be a family dinner since pretty much everyone is invited. Us, Dani and Z'Marl, Crystal and Kingie, Sandi and Jenna and I am looking forward to it. Would you mind setting up a caterer for it?* He could sense Satasha contemplating his request. *I am not going to ask what you are up to you evil man. I know that it is safer that I don't ask since I have a feeling this is related to the other morning.* She was definitely getting to know how his mind worked. Billy tried the innocent act just because. *I just want to have a quiet evening with everyone. I don't know why you are suspecting me of an ulterior motive. I feel hurt by your insinuation.* Satasha mentally growled at him. *Quiet my ass and have you decided where you are going to bury the body?* Just for good measure she mentally snorted as well. *I have things to do and will see you this evening.* Billy snickered at her reaction before going back to work. There wasn't actually a great deal of work for him yet so he normally was able to get the Ambassadorial work done first thing. Then he dealt with any paperwork from Sue Anne and the company she was managing on Earth. Once that was done he would retire to his design room and keep working on the upgrades he had been. Now that he had several different jobs as well as access to some of the Sholan computers he was starting over. The basic design was solid but he was going to take his time and do his best to work out the entire engine design before he did anything. Before with the urgency he was doing bit work on it. Now he could start from the beginning and incorporate the changes he had come up with. Z'Marl was in the room already and she was working on updating the notations for the drive so the Sholan computers could process them. Billy was getting better with the math notations they used but he wanted to make sure that it was correct when input. "Hey hun, how are you doing?" He leaned over and nuzzled her ear for a moment before drawing her into a kiss. Just to tease him she grumbled at him. "I know why you wanted me as your companion... It is so you give me the headaches and avoid giving them to anyone else." When he kissed her she licked his nose before nipping it lightly. "That is for being a meanie." Billy twitched back and frowned at her. "I know better than that." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "You have been happier in the last couple of weeks now that you are both working and using your brain. Your smile has been less forced and you aren't trying to hide just how intelligent you are. I love the change I am seeing." He was stroking her ears as he was talking to her. Z'Marl leaned against him and rubbed her head against his abdomen. "Thank you Yilly and I am happier. I was happy before but now I am even happier. What you are doing with the n-space drives as well as the h-drives is simply fascinating and forcing me to stretch my mind. After watching you and your girls not only admitting to being frigging brilliant but reveling in it has encouraged me." She had to snicker. "I think half the boys and some of the girls in the classes Dani is taking are scared of her. Well intellectually that is, I know of several boys who are rather interested in her but are scared to admit it. I think one said something about not wanting to annoy her father for some reason." Billy kept stroking her ears and hair as she was talking. "I have to admit myself that I am greatly enjoying getting back into designing things. Working with you is very enjoyable as well. I was wondering if you had any plans this evening? I would like to take you to dinner and then spend the night with you." At the mention of the boys he did snicker. "Good, if they are smart they will actually talk to her and get to know her. If they are simply looking for a night with a human female then..." He growled slightly. She leaned into him a bit more. "That would be very enjoyable and thank you. Now I need to get back to work you silly man." She moved away from his hug and started working on the data again. Billy had to smile to himself. He had major plans this evening and he hoped she would approve. "I have some things to do as well. I am taking this afternoon off and letting my brain toss around a few ideas that I am considering. If you have any questions I am going to be in our quarters." He left the room and headed for their quarters. When he walked in he found Satasha there as he had expected and walked over and gave her a hug. "I am inviting both you and Z'Marl out to dinner this evening. There are a few things we need to talk about and especially our relationship. I am going to take a nap and then get ready to go out this evening." She had to smile since she had a fairly good idea of what he was thinking about. "Go and relax and I will make the reservations." After a good kiss she watched him head towards the bedroom. ~~~ Billy had reviewed the data on the Triads and had come to the conclusion much of it was true. He did have the bond with Satasha and could feel a bond with Z'Marl as well. He wasn't sure if she was feeling it yet but it was drawing them closer together and sooner than later they would pair. It would be similar to when he had paired with Satasha with their memories merging. It wouldn't have the drive to pair every five days though. Periodically they would be drawn together but not on a scheduled basis. At first the idea sounded odd much in the way it had been odd when he had first had sex with her. It wasn't the way he had been raised and he had never been in a relationship with more than one woman at a time. It might be normal for Sholan's but not for him. He had been forced to do a great deal of thinking since he had met Satasha. Probably the hardest part he had to come to terms with was Satasha potentially meeting someone she wished to spend time with. That had actually happened and he had to really struggle to deal with his reactions. The Sholan half of him was pleased that someone had found her attractive. The human half had been rather appalled and shocked though he had no room to complain. He hadn't spoken to Satasha about it since it was well within her rights though he knew that the link day following her encounter had been a bit stressed. She had given him room to contemplate and come to terms with it. She had also been upfront about it yet not tried to toss it in his face so to speak. It had made him somewhat grumpy as he was dealing with his feelings but once he had come to terms with it he hadn't had a problem. Billy pulled his attention back to what he had been contemplating and it did feel right. Tonight he was going to ask Satasha to be his lifemate and also ask Z'Marl to be the second mate in the Triad. He had talked to both Dani and Sally about it and both were pleased. Dani was still working on the cultural differences not to mention her encounter with Z'Marl. As he was thinking he eventually fell asleep. Satasha came into the room and smiled at Billy as he lay there sleeping. Most of the dressings were off though his arm was still strapped to his chest most of the time. The surgeon was planning on one more operation for a final fix. That was going to be a minor surgery and after that the physical therapy would start. He was going to have scars for the rest of his life but he would be pretty close to a hundred percent when done. She walked over and settled down beside him and gently stroked his face. "How can such a stinker look so innocent while sleeping?" Satasha murmured. Z'Marl had just come in and heard her and had to grin. "Probably because he has no guilt issues when he deals out his evilness." She settled down as well and stroked his hair. "We are going to dinner tonight if he didn't mention it. He also wanted to spend the night with me as well. I have to admit I am looking forward to it." Satasha looked up and smiled at her. "Yilly did mention both dinner and spending the night. He invited me to the dinner but for some reason not for the night." She winked at Z'Marl when she said that and ducked when she batted at her. Billy had awoken and started snickering. "That is because I didn't think either of you would go for it. Now if you are interested..." He sat up as he was talking and snickered at the frowns from the two. "I guess not, oh well such is life." "Daddy stop teasing your mate and companion." Dani called from the living area. "That is just mean of you and I will do something like dye your hair green or some other horrible color. I do hope the three of you have a nice dinner out." She was going out with several Sholan's from the classes she was taking. As of now she had washed her hands of her former boyfriend. He had sent a letter encouraging her to come back to earth and college to be with him. He simply snickered before getting up and pulling out a good robe and some of his accoutrements for it. Billy felt silly wearing the Ambassadorial seal but for tonight he was going with it. Both bracelets were on and he had even buffed them so they had a nice shine. "I am going to grab a quick shower and then get dressed." Before he moved he gave both women a good kiss. ~~~ Once Dr. Desjean had finished giving the medical report on the ladies and the recommended treatment plan she sat back down. She was needed till Ceolura told her she could leave. Chances were good that this would take till lunch. It wasn't a problem since she now had a second doctor aboard the Barque. The Ambassador reviewed the information and after asking a handful more questions she dismissed the ladies. "I am going to take into consideration all the points made, both by you as well as the Doctor. Once I have composed my findings I will forward them to Alrel for review. I should have an answer for you in about a week. I am going to recommend that this be approved for the length of the treatment first and further review after that. I am also going to forward this to the human Ambassador for review as well." Bitty snickered slightly. "I am pretty sure I know what Billy will have to say about it. He will probably grump about having a bunch of women dumped on him even as he finds a safe place for us." The four of them stood and walked out of the room. Ceolura glanced over at Amanda. "Would you care to stay for lunch? Ike normally comes by for lunch to touch base with me and discuss any issues off the books." As she was talking she stood and stretched. "I hate sitting in one spot for any length of time. For some reason it always makes my tail stiff." Amanda knew it was going to hurt getting up. She had been sitting to long but hadn't wanted to disturb the conversation. With a sigh she carefully slid forward and using her cane finally was able to stand. It did hurt and would hurt for a while since she couldn't take her pain meds on an empty stomach. "I think I would prefer to lay down for a while. I need to eat something and then take my meds." Dr. Desjean didn't know Amanda had any problems since Ceolura had specifically not told her. "Lady Amanda if you wouldn't mind coming to medical I might have something for the pain. Something you don't need to have to eat before taking." Her ears were forward as she talked to the woman. Amanda started to frown at Ceolura since she felt like she was being setup. Ceolura shook her head. "I haven't said anything to her about your medical problems. She was here simply to give her opinion on the ladies." Dr. Desjean looked between the two of them and had to wonder what was going on. "If needed I can step out or just go to medical. If you want to come past please do but that is your choice." She stood up and shook out her tabard and doctors jacket while waiting for a reply. Amanda contemplated Ceolura and everything she could read in her posture and expression indicated the truth. She hadn't done this to set her up or to get her to medical. She had wanted her there to listen to the females and the doctors opinion. "Fine, I will go to your medical and get examined. I do not want to hear another word about this at all." Ceolura nodded. "It is your call Amanda and nothing will be said. If you wish to go then go but please don't do it for any other reason than your wanting to go. I would never put pressure on anyone to do something they didn't want to do. It goes against my training and beliefs." She looked at the doctor. "Only do what she allows and no pressure for anything else. I will let Ike know that you will be here for lunch." Once Ceolura had left the room Dr. Desjean gave Amanda a questioning look. "I was not informed of any medical issue you might have. I can tell simply by observation that something is wrong with your hip and you are in pain. If all you want is something for the pain then so be it. I would appreciate a chance to examine what is wrong but as the Ambassador said that is your decision. Will you please allow me to just do a regular scan?" Amanda sighed. "Fine, one scan and what does that consist of?" When the doctor offered her an arm to hold onto she took it since she was going to need the help. "It is simple, painless, and only takes about fifteen minutes. I have you lay down on a table, have the scanner hood come over you and then scan. It will produce a 3D image of what is being scanned. In this case I am assuming it is something either bone or nerve related so would scan for both of those. The scans can be adjusted for specifics such as cancer, disease, telepathic issues, and more." She was making sure that her pace was matching Amanda's. "This is pretty much what we had to do for Yilly both when he was ill and when he was shot." Amanda listened carefully and had to admit the procedure didn't sound to bad and once done she would be done with the nagging. Ike had been suggesting it as well though he was very subtle about it. "Fine, do the scan and let's get this overwith. I am sorry I am being so grumpy but I have been dealing with this for a number of years and am sick and tired of people wanting to poke and prod me." Dr. Desjean couldn't help but twitch her ears in amusement. "I can understand that and believe me the ladies have said much the same. In this case once we have the basic scan I should be able to quickly tell if we can be of help to you or not. If so then where we go with it will be up to you." She showed her into medical and the scan room. "Let me lower the table so you can get on it easier. The bed is self molding so you should be comfortable while the scan is happening." Amanda settled down on the bed and had to wiggle a bit. "Oh my, I might have Ike see what we need to do to get one of these." As it warmed up she relaxed even more and settled for watching the cover come down over the bed. It wasn't much later when the doctor came back over. "All done and I will review this today and send you the results tomorrow. After that if you wish to discuss my findings just contact me aboard ship." She showed her out of medical and to the Ambassador's suite. Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 03 Ch. 02 ~~~ Once they were dressed and ready to go he gave Dani a good hug. "I hope you have a good time this evening. I would say don't do anything I wouldn't but... If you come home with a Leska the Sholan's might be even more annoyed with me than they are now." He grinned at her when he said that. Dani snickered at him. "Well if I do I get to blame it on you for dragging me out here." She returned the hug. "In all seriousness I might not be home tonight. There is a nice male from class who is working up the nerve to invite me to his room." Billy smiled at her and lightly bopped her on the shoulder. "I am pleased that you are getting out and make sure he buy's you a good meal beforehand. Do me a favor and if you do go home with him call and leave a message so I know where you are." He gave her one more hug before leaving the suite with his ladies. Once they were outside he took a deep breath. "Damn that was hard. I had to struggle not to demand the name of the male so I could go and let him know if he hurt her he would regret it." After a good shake he kept walking. "I was thinking of the Green Goddess to eat at. I know I have enjoyed the food there and so have the two of you. Is that were you made the reservations Tasha?" Z'Marl gave him a hug. "I can imagine how hard that was since I remember my father feeling much the same way. I think all fathers and older brothers tend to feel that way. Dad told me it made him feel old when I hunted down my first male." She had to smile at the memory since it had been an enjoyable time for her. Satasha couldn't help but smile as well. "It is the Green Goddess we are eating at. I could sense that in your mind when I mentioned making a reservation." She looked around at the people and shops on the street. "It feels good to get out and just walk around without a bunch of hanger-on's. I remember the quiet evenings walking around as well once the crowds had mostly gone home." The three of them took their time getting to the resteraunt since they knew that the moment Billy was spotted they would be seated. All three disliked the 'preferred' service they tended to get around him since he was the Ambassador from Earth. The aspect of him being a Leska had been downplayed though that wasn't going to last much longer. It had been a month and a half or so since Satasha had gotten pregnant and she would start showing in the next couple of weeks at most. Once that happened questions would be asked and they would have to be answered. When they finally did arrive Billy had to smile. "I keep forgetting how lovely it is outside with the plants and little glow lights they have. This is perfect for this evening." Shortly after checking in at the desk they were shown out to one of the outdoor tables and handed actual menu's as they settled into the chairs. "I must be getting used to your chairs. I don't quite feel like a child anymore. It might be the fact I am going to be a daddy again." Satasha snickered at him for that and shook her head. "If your head gets any bigger because of that you are going to have trouble getting through the doors." She looked at the menu and mentioned her choices for food. By the time the waitress came back all three were ready to order. "I love the way your meals are communal as well. Several large trays to be shared with everyone at the table." He took a sip of his wine and lifted it to check the color. "Excellent vintage, I will have to order some for the consulate for the next party. Then again I might just have this place cater it and save me the hassle." There was a major reception coming up shortly to introduce the humans to the other races in the Sholan Alliance. Z'Marl had to appreciate the wine as well. "So Yilly why did you bring us out here or are you going to broach the subject after the meal?" She was really curious as to why and that made her a bit nervous. Billy reached over and grasped her hand. "Now is as good a time as ever and I have a question for both of you." He turned to Satasha. "Would you please accept me as your life mate? Since we can have children there isn't anything stopping us and I don't want to live without you in my life." Satasha had known something was up but this wasn't what she was expecting and her eyes widened and her ears lowered. A slight sheen could be seen in her eyes as she tried not to cry. "Oh yes Yilly I would love to become your life mate. I have dreamed of this since we became Leska's." *Now ask Z'Marl since I can feel that in your mind.* Billy lifted her hand and pressed a kiss on the back of it before turning to Z'Marl. "Satasha and I want to know if you would be willing to be our third in the Triad. We both care for you a great deal and I know that my girls care for you as well. Will you please accept us as your life mate as well?" Z'Marl was honestly more shocked than Satasha had been and she couldn't keep her tears of happiness contained. "Oh yes Yilly, I do accept and thank you so much. This means more to me than I can even begin to explain." She gave his hand a good squeeze as he kissed the back of it as well. "I love both of you. When do you want to life bond and do you want a full temple wedding?" Satasha snorted at her. "Why do I have the feeling if he pulled a Priest out of his pocket you would be ready? Silly girl of course it has to be a temple wedding. He is the Ambassador you know and can't do things halfway now can he?" Z'Marl gave her a watery laugh. "True and true, I would love to have a temple wedding. We can talk about that tomorrow. Tonight I simply want to be with the ones I have come to love." When the waitress came back Billy had a slight gleam in his eyes. It had been requested that he keep the information about his being a Leska quiet but he was still pissed. "I would like to order a round of drinks for the house to celebrate my Leska accepting my request to become her life mate and also Z'Marl for becoming our Triad partner." The waitress looked both pleased and very startled. "I will let the manager know about the round in celebration. Congratulations on the acceptance of your request Ambassador Madlax." She turned and hurried away to talk to an older Sholan male. Satasha glowered at him for a moment. "You do know that bit of information is going to be hitting the newsnets in about ten seconds right?" She knew exactly what he was doing and though she didn't blame him wished he had done it somewhat differently, say from the safety of their suite. Z'Marl's ears were straight up in shock at what he had done. "Yilly you are horrible. You know this is going to be reported on and everyone is going to know about it. The leaders of Shola are going to flip when they see this." She nibbled on a knuckle for a moment before she spoke again. "I suppose that is one way to let my parents know without actually telling them." She started snickering. "I almost wish I was a fly on the wall when this bit of news hits them." About then the manager came over and bowed politely at Billy and then the women. "I wished to extend my congratulations as well. I would also like to thank you for choosing the Green Goddess to propose to these lovely ladies. The waitress indicated that you were enjoying the wine so I am going to have a bottle brought out for you." Billy managed to keep his sense of evilness under control. "Thank you but for various reasons we are only having one glass each tonight. However if you can provide me with some contact information the Embassy is going to be hosting a party in the next few weeks. We were strongly considering seeing if you catered since we greatly enjoy the food here." The manager was obviously a professional and he gave them a charming smile. "I would be more than pleased to do that and I will also contact the owners and let them know." He pulled his comm. up and sent the information to Billy's comm. "I will take my leave so the three of you can celebrate and please take what time you want." Another bow and he was gone. The food was delivered quickly and the three of them spent a very enjoyable time talking and trading bites of food. Billy was greatly enjoying the meal. Even when he was informed that several news crews would like to speak to him didn't ruin his mood. He simply asked to have the new services to contact the consulate and he would have a statement for them in the next day or two. Eventually they were done eating and they strolled out of the resteraunt and as expected several of the news crews were still there. Billy turned to address them. "I appreciate your interest in myself and my Leska but this evening was for a quiet meal so I could propose to her and Z'Marl as our Triad partner. Please allow us the privacy to enjoy this special evening. As I mentioned I will have a statement in the next day or two. If any of you want a personal interview contact my chief of staff to have that arranged. Now if you will excuse us?" He turned and walked away. Satasha wanted to growl at him since she knew that had been a complete setup and the news crews had taken the bait. Not just the bait but the hook, line, and sinker without even blinking. *Yilly you are a wretched man playing them that way. God my father is likely to stroke out when he sees the news. Mind you I am still irritated with him but he is my father.* Z'Marl could tell that Satasha was mentally grumbling at Billy and barely managed not to snicker at her. "Yilly you are a devious evil excuse for a man and did I love that. You might not make it out of bed in the morning." Billy sighed and tried to look put upon and failed miserably. "One thing I do want to mention to you Z'Marl is it is very possible that you will be drawn into our link, or the edges of it if the crystal data is correct. I know we have all read the information but I just wanted to remind you." She smiled at him and shrugged. "I don't mind at all Yilly. I accepted that fact then and I accept it now. If I hadn't I wouldn't have accepted the proposal tonight. I love you and Tasha and don't want to be without you." Billy lowered his head as he blushed. He really didn't know what she saw in him other than his mind. She was young, at the beginning of her life and had so much to see and do. He wasn't old by any means but he had been there and done that and almost felt bad about some of the memories she was going to see. "That means a great deal to me. Thank you for accepting us into your life." The rest of the walk back was fairly quiet as they all contemplated the changes this was going to bring to their life. All of them wanted it but it was a huge step for all of them and more so for Z'Marl. Eventually she would want a child but how would she handle having a hybrid child? The tests showed that she was genetically compatible with him now as well. When they reached the room the message light was blinking and when he reviewed the messages he snickered. "Well Dani isn't going to be home, the head priest of Vartra wishes to talk to me, Vangie and Kingie sent their congrats, and there are about two dozen other messages." He shut the system down and pulled Z'Marl into his arms. "I think I am ready to head towards bed and have more than a bit of fun with you my lovely lady." ~~~ The tramp freighter had been running at top speed for Earth. The combatant that had been following them had been closing the gap slowly over the last week. As far as the captain could tell they were still too far behind to open fire on them. They had tried several times but after the last attempt they settled for trying to catch them. If earth had been any further away they would have caught them. "Captain we have reached the Oort boundry for earth. Orders sir?" She was one of the few females who had voluntarily joined the pirates but she fit in quite well. He had long since decided to keep heading in-system far enough that there would hopefully be some sort of protection. "Take us in as far as possible before we have to drop out of hyper. The second we drop out send out a distress signal that we believe we are being chased by pirates." That would get everyone going due to the ongoing issues with piracy over the last fifteen or so years. "Yes sir and I am projecting an estimated time to exit hyper at thirty minutes from now. If my calculations are correct we will drop out near the neutral zone. The swiss are pretty serious about keeping it safe so there should be something nearby." He nodded and settled back in the seat of his chair a bit deeper. This was going to be interesting though not necessarily in a good way since there were going to be questions. He had a reasonable cover story about being jumped mid-flight which should hold long enough to get out-system. Time would tell. "Coming up on translation to n-space sir, in three, two, translate." The ship shuttered from the crash translation but they needed something dramatic. As soon as they came into n-space the indicator on the comm. showed the message was going out on all emergency and distress channels. ~~~ On the enemy's ship they dropped out of hyper as well only to realize they were in a highly populated solar system. The indicators of hyper drives and n-drives were all over the place and till they started resolving they had no idea which ships might be combatants. "By the shards of the first shell get us the hell out of here. I don't care what you do but get us back into h-space and run like hell." As he was screaming that one indicator came up that they knew. It was one of the enemy ships and it was massive based on the power readings. "Oh shit we are dead." He whispered. ~~~ Crystal had talked to Kingie's parents about what she and Kingie had discussed. "I would like to do something nice for him but I am not sure what. I was thinking of a home cooked meal but I know there are expectations connected with that." She was sitting in his mothers sitting room as she talked to his parents. "I know I am not ready for that but I want to make my feelings clear. I do care for him and I want a relationship with him." When she stopped talking his mother came over and settled down next to her and wrapped her arm around Crystals shoulders. "Tell him exactly that Crystal. Tell him you want to cook a meal for him and spend time with him. Tell him you want to show him what he means but you don't know how far you can go right now. He will understand Crystal and you know that. Ask him tonight when he gets home and let us know the date and the rest of us will go out for dinner and give you two some privacy to talk and relax." Crystal leaned into the hug and gave her a small smile. "Thanks mom. That really helps." It was one of the first times she had been brave enough to admit that she thought of them as her new parents. She laughed. "I rather like that bit. 'Mom' sounds good to hear from you. Now why don't you go and wait for Kingie to come home. I will distract the other two so you have a chance to talk to him." Crystal gave her a good hug before leaving the room. She decided to wait outside since the weather was nice and she liked the small garden setting. Crystal was looking up at the stars that were just beginning to show when Kingie walked in. He came over and settled down next to her and nuzzled her cheek as he wrapped his arm around her. Since the talk several weeks ago he had been more physically demonstrative. Before he had started he had talked to Crystal about it and they had come up with a tentative list. It was based on her reactions to the little intimacies such as kissing, nuzzling, and touching. "You smell content Crystal. I rather like that scent on you." She smiled at him when he nuzzled her cheek and returned the gesture. "I am surprised that I smell content. I would think I would be smelling nervous since I wanted to offer you a home cooked meal in the near future." Kingie let a slow smile cross his face when she said that. "That sounds lovely and thank you. We can relax and get in some cuddling while we talk about whatever." He lightly licked behind one of her ears. "I will not expect anything more than that. Give me what you can and I will be content." "Thank you Kingie and we will see. I am getting more comfortable with the intimacy and I would be lying if I said I wasn't interested in something more. I just want to make sure that when it happens it is right for both of us." She turned in his arms and drew him down into a good kiss. Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 03 Ch. 03 The two Sholan's were in a small stealth vessel enroute to Billy's farm to get the scout ship. Till the first contact team had shown up nobody on Earth had known the ship existed. Most of the planet had bought the story that Billy had encountered Lt. Verzilon in space but the authorities didn't. Much of that was Billy's fault for modifying his engines and waving them around for all to see. By the time the first contact team had arrived they were pretty sure the authorities had decided to search his property. Granted if they had currently they didn't have any way to move the ship or get into it. To move it they would have to use some heavy movers and the ship would not react nicely to that. In the report that Satasha had submitted she had made note that she had set the emergency protocols for crash landings on a foreign planet. That meant if anything happened to the ship that made the computer twitch it would explode. It wasn't nice to do but it would keep the tech from being captured. "This should be fun you know." The one Sholan grumbled to the other. "I can already feel that something is not going to go smoothly. That damn itchy spot between my shoulder blades is acting up again." Some people had a weather leg or joint. He had an itchy spot that cropped up when shit was going to happen. His partner groaned. "Thanks man, you just had to say it. You know that when you say it then shit is going to happen. If you had just said you had an itch and for me to scratch it then we would have been fine." They had worked that out years ago. The first male snickered. "I asked you to scratch my itch but you said you didn't swing that way so there." Both of them laughed at that old and tired joke before they became serious. They were finally approaching the scout ship and hovered over it for several minutes. They were scanning the sky's to ensure they hadn't picked up any followers. They didn't expect to but no matter how good stealth was shit did happen. "Okay, connecting to the computer system now." The first male started tapping commands into the computer and frowned. The ship allowed him to connect but that was it. He entered additional commands and waited. After a minute or so he was informed the over rides were not correct and access had been denied. "Damn you and your itch and your big mouth. This is going to take longer than expected. The onboard system isn't allowing us to access the systems remotely. It looks like we are going to have to do a direct access." The other male was grumbling. "Told you that this itch wouldn't have been dealt with by your simply scratching it." He sighed in annoyance. "Well I am going to set it down on top of it over the top hatch and we can get started on it after we catch a nap." While he was setting the small ship down the other squeezed his way out of the cockpit that was in theory designed for two Sholan's. The crew compartment wasn't much bigger and it had a single wide bed that was lowered down over the table when it was time for sleep. "I am going to toss in the chidoe in the red wine ration pack. You want the same?" He was already pulling them out since he knew his partner would say yes. Once he had sealed the ships together Lycos came back and started some of the crap they called cshar aboard these things. "You would think they could come up with better rations than this chewy crap. What the hell do they do to it beat the crap out of it in the name of tenderizing it?" Illyos said. Lycos snorted. "I had a chance to go to the factory where this was made to give suggestions. The general staff didn't like my answer." He grinned at his partner. "I told them not to bother and just nuke it and start over, for some reason that bothered them." Both snickered at that and wolfed down the food and cshar before tossing the items in the disposal. While Lycos was taking care of what little mess there was Illyos lowered the bed and rolled in. "At least the bed is decent and if you want that damn itch scratched grab the lucky brush and get over here." ~~~ Inside the house Jenna and Sandi were curled up in bed sleeping. When Billy left they had moved in here and out of the place they were renting. Billy hadn't had a problem with that as long as they kept up with certain chores. There wasn't a great deal to do since the rest of the farm was taken care of by Billy's family which was nice. Sandi was almost hopeless with anything dealing with farming or animals unless it was a pet. Jenna had grown up on a farm and though she had enjoyed the work was more than happy not to have to get up at the damn fool hours. Eventually the alarm went off for Jenna since she had an early shift at her job. As usual Sandi grumbled at her and tried to convince her that being a bed buddy was more important. Jenna had to smile when she finally got Sandi off of her and curled around a pillow. How she loved the silly woman even if she wasn't a morning person. "Enjoy your sleep love and I will see you this evening." Before getting dressed she leaned over and gave Sandi a good kiss. Once she made it down to the kitchen she started her breakfast and the mandatory tea. Coffee was okay but she simply couldn't understand Billy's obsession with it. It was hot, black, and tasted the same to her no matter where it came from. Now tea you could get in so many flavors it wasn't funny. As she was standing there waiting for her breakfast to finish heating she was looking out the window. She knew exactly where the scout was even though she couldn't see it. While she was looking out something shimmered on top of the shuttle and she had to frown. As she was watching two figures climbed out of whatever was on top and down the side. Once they were out of whatever was on top it faded from view. "Now we can't have this can we? I think I will go and say hello." As she was heading towards the back door she pulled one of Billy's shotguns from the gun cabinet and made sure it was loaded. When she opened the back door she lifted the shotgun to her shoulder and racked the slide. "Good morning boys and might I ask who you are and what you are doing?" Now she could tell that they appeared to be Sholan's but other than that she couldn't see much else. Illyos was the first one down and after a quick glance around he opened a concealed access plate. Once it was open he was in the process of connecting the data cable so he could manually access the internal systems. Just about the moment Lycos dropped down both of them heard the obvious sound of a weapon being readied and a voice. They both looked at each other and then slowly over their shoulders to see who it might be. Both were still somewhat crouched down and looking rather upset with being caught. "I thought you scanned for life forms Lycos." "No dummy I was checking for any sort of air craft that might have been trailing us. I thought you had scanned while I was doing my bit." Both were mumbling to each other in Sholan. Jenna rolled her eyes at them. "Ahem, grouchy woman with a shotgun is asking questions. Do you really want to irritate her?" Just because she said that in Sholan, Satasha had implanted it in both her and Sandi. They looked at her again. "Um, I don't suppose you could just go back inside and let us finish repairing the ship and removing it from Yilly's land?" Illyos said though he really didn't sound very hopeful. Jenna sighed and rolled her eyes. "Why do I get stuck with the i-dots?" She asked the moon before looking back at them and poured the southern charm on. "Shur can sweetness, just open the door, do your thang and git. It be nice for ya'll to get that pile of junk off this hear land. We's been wanting to plow that section since we's got two bodies to bury." Both males relaxed and sighed a breath of relief before they realized what she had said. Both of their ears popped up and they stood up and looked at her in horror. "Bodies? What do you mean two bodies..." He trailed off as he figured it out. "Ya got it darlin'. Since ya'll don't seem to want to talk I's just gonna have to plow a bit deeper. So where ya wants me to shoot ya? Head, chest, groin? Or are ya'll gonna fess up as to what you be doing here?" Jenna was almost having too much fun and this was going to be a story to tell Billy eventually. Lycos finally stood up and managed not to wince when she mentioned groin. "I am Lt. Lycos and the two of us are here to repair and retrieve the scout ship. This is to ensure that it does not fall into the wrong hands. Will you please allow us to do our job?" Jenna rolled her eyes again. "First come in the house and let me get you fed. I know Tasha tended to grump when the mention of rations came up. While ya'll's eating and having a large cup of coffee I will contact the Sholan's and verify you are who you are." She moved off to the side and waved the shotgun towards the door. "Oh and just drop the stunners on the table by the door since I would shurly hate to have an accident happen." Both males slumped and walked into the house. Just to be on the safe side they stripped everything off except for their suits and dumped it on the table. Illyos turned and looked at her with a slight gleam in his eye. "Would you like to do a strip search and give me a good pat down?" Jenna rolled her eyes again. "Down boy and ain't gonna happen since we both presumably prefer the same sex as a partner." She waved them towards the kitchen before calling for Sandi. "Sandi get yo ass outta bed. We have unwilling visitors." She looked at them. "Don't bother hitting on my wife since she don't do boys. That and we don't do that Sholan bed swapping thang." Lycos smacked his partner. "You idiot, she offered to feed us and give us something to drink and you go hitting on her? You are dumber than I thought." Illyos shrugged. "Hey, it was worth a shot you know. She is a fine looking human and it might have been fun." He waggled his eye ridge at his partner. "She did indicate there is another female in the house... Ow, what was that for?" Lycos had smacked him hard on the back of his head. "Because you are a damn fool and if I don't smack you occasionally I will go nuts. Now shut the hell up and go sit down. Keep your paws and tail to yourself." Sandi had come down in time to hear part of that and her expression was priceless. "Jenna are you trying to tell me we have to horny boy kitties in the house? Do I need to go and get the electric training collars just in case?" Her eyes were dancing in amusement when she said that. Lycos sighed and rubbed his head. "Ignore the horny male next to me. Anytime a female walks past his hormones get in the way of the connection between his brain and mouth. Thank you for the offer of food and honestly we are here just to pick up the scout ship. Yes we were in stealth since we didn't want to chance one of your governments tracking us here. That is the only reason we are here. If you don't mind once we eat we will take care of that and be out of your hair." Illyos was still grinning. "A nice shower and somewhere to curl up with someone would be... Ouch will you stop hitting me?" Sandi couldn't help it and ended up sitting on the stairs she was laughing so hard. "Jenna can we keep them? They are really funny and I bet we could make some serious money pimping them out." Now she was leaning against a rail as she tried to control her laughter. Lycos growled at Illyos. "I am not hitting you. I am trying to reset your brain so you can focus on the important stuff and that does not include hitting on the attractive human females." He looked at Sandi who was still trying to get her laughter under control. "I am sorry you can't keep us and what is pimping out mean?" Both girls started laughing as Jenna walked into the kitchen and checked on the tea. Since she knew the effects of coffee on Sholans she made an extra strong pot for them. "Come on you giggling girl get over here and break out the eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns." Once they started cooking Sandi had to smirk at Lycos. "Pimping you out would indicate that we are selling your services to interested females. If you lean the other way some interested males as well. We could make a serious bundle off you two." They both looked rather horrified with that idea. "We aren't qweens to be used for sex. Granted it is a valid profession but we are warriors. We don't normally have to pay for sex and..." He scratched his chin. "Just how much might you be talking? I am sure I could find some excuse to leave someone behind." Illyos was trying to figure out his thoughts on that before hissing at Lycos. "Excuse me you mangy excuse for an officer. You would not be leaving me behind. I would choose to stay and help foster relations with the Human's. Show them that Sholan's are warm in bed and nice cuddle buddies." He gave Sandi a sly look. "Now you would need to take us for a test drive just so you know what you would be offering." Jenna groaned. "Sandi hand me the shotgun. I can shoot him in the leg and still return him to his ship." Just to be evil she wandered over and ran a finger up one arm and scratched behind an ear. "I have to admit you are soft and warm. Curling up with Satasha was quite enjoyable." This time it was Sandi. "Move over boys, my wife might get some birdshot in the Heine for that." Considering her back was to them as she was working on the bacon and sausage it was obvious she wasn't too worried about it. Jenna noticed the coffee was done and poured two large cups of it and added sweetener and creamer. "Once Satasha got used to this drink she enjoyed it. Careful because it is hot, we wouldn't want our merchandise to have a burnt lip now would we?" Both males were giving both of the women the eyeball. Illyos was starting to get somewhat grumpy. "Lycos when you figure out what their plans are tell me. I am so confused it isn't funny. I am not sure if they are trying to turn the tables and hit on us from the side or if they are just messing with our minds." Lycos had to sigh. "Buddy they are females. That right there should explain everything without your needing to question their thought process and or motives. It is a reasonable chance even they don't know what they are going to do. Why do you think I prefer males? I know how they think." Just for good measure he winked at Jenna. By the time breakfast was over both males were stuffed and on the verge of falling asleep. Sandi looked at Jenna. "So what are we going to do with two drunk Sholan's?" She shrugged. "Tuck them into bed and contact Billy if we can. If not then any of the Sholan's and verify they are doing what they are supposed to. One drawback I can see is that they are both too big to fit in one bed." Sandi shrugged. "Sounds reasonable though if we are going to tuck them in we might want to do it now before they fall asleep at the table. We can tuck the horny one into Billy's bed and the other in ours I guess. Damn it I was having a rather enjoyable dream as well." She tried to stifle a yawn and failed. Jenna snorted. "Let's get them to bed and I guess I am going to have to call in sick to work darn it." She yawned as well. "If that is the case I am going back to sleep myself." They moved over to the first Sholan and hefted him to his feet. "Come on boy move yo ass so we can tuck you into bed." With his dubious help they made it to Billy's bed. They repeated that with the other Sholan only he ended up in their bed, they also learned a lesson. Sholan's are far stronger than humans and Jenna ended up being dragged into the bed as he curled around her and fell asleep. When she saw the expression on Sandi's face she growled at her. "Don't even say it or else. Pull the covers up since I can't get lose and it is chilly this morning." Sandi snickered at her as she did that and walked out of the room after turning the light off and closing the door. She made the mistake of checking on the other Sholan and was dragged into bed as well. All he did was spoon her and start snoring but she was still rather embarrassed. The last time she had slept like this with a male was with Billy after her father had kicked her out of her house. "Damn furball." She grumbled as she pulled the covers up as best possible. ~~~ On the flight back to the Barque Illyos was rubbing his jaw. "Damn that woman has one hell of a punch. I was asleep damn it. I wasn't intentionally trying to feel her up." Lycos simply smirked at him and remained silent. Eventually they landed and were told to take the ship into orbit till the mother ship arrived. ~~~ Jenna and Sandi watched the two Sholan's leave and they were both grinning. "Well that was an interesting visit. When we tell Billy and Satasha about it they will die laughing." Both traded a knowing smirk before they turned back towards the kitchen. Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 03 Ch. 04 Even as the Valtegan ship did everything it could to slow down in time to turn around and escape it hadn't escaped notice. The Swiss ships that were always patrolling the treaty tunnel had already sent messages to Earth even as they turned towards the alien vessel. Aboard the Sholan mother ship their advanced sensors picked up the entrance of the vessel and the moment it was identified as the Others they went to battle stations. The Commander was calling orders out as he hurried to his chair on the bridge. Even as the ship was turning towards the enemy's ship fighters were launching and streaking out. For the moment they were going for speed and would drop into stealth once they were much closer. An alert went out over the link with the Barque and fighters on earth. A number of Terran vessels had reacted as well and the Captain of the Valtegan cruiser was frankly shitting fear pheromones. Then again so was the rest of the crew so it wouldn't be noticed for the moment. Based on the response of the system it was a high tech system as well based on the power readings scattered around not to mention the number of n-drives that suddenly showed up. This was not going to be pretty. The commander aboard the Mother Ship made one order clear. "Do not destroy the ship. We need information on the others. If needed stand back and pound her till her shields are destroyed and her drives are dead but ensure the ship itself isn't destroyed." Even if the entire crew died they would be able to get a fair amount of information from the bodies. What they really needed was to identify where they had come from. ~~~ Back on the Barque Teolura, Ike, and Amanda were in her suite starting to eat when the alarms went off and all three froze. Moments later the assistant came in and murmured something in Teolura's ear which had her entire attention. "Thank you and keep me updated. If the Commander needs either Ike or me we will be here in my suite." He left to man the comm. terminal so he could keep updated on what was going on. Ike's eyes hardened as he heard the alerts. "Ambassador what seems to be the issue and please ensure that my comm's aren't blocked. I need to be in constant contact with the authorities." He had already been contacted and was getting his updates as well. Since Amanda was starting to look concerned he wrapped his arm around her and held her as he was talking. Teolura nodded as she settled down next to Amanda on the other side. She was coming to respect Amanda a great deal and wanted to comfort her. "It appears an enemy ship has appeared in your system. Our Mother Ship has launched fighters and other light combat craft to intercept. They have also shifted orbit and are heading in that direction. Our sensors indicate that several Swiss ships as well as at least a dozen other combatants have also shifted orbit or patrol's to intercept. The alert we received is simply a precaution." Amanda nodded as she was talking and wrapped an arm around Teolura's as Ike was comforting her. "Thank you for letting me know Teo. I would say isn't this exciting but I would prefer to be at home worrying instead of on a ship that is prepared to leave." For now she was as safe as she could feel between the two. She leaned a bit more against Teolura and closed her eyes and tried to relax now that the alarm had turned off. ~~~ Once they reached their suite and Billy had checked the messages he gave Tasha a good kiss. "Love you and you have no idea how pleased I truly am that you accepted. I will see you tomorrow." *If you want after we are asleep feel free to come in and curl up with us.* She was part of their soon to be marriage as well and deserved to share this evening with them. Tasha lowered her ears as she returned the kiss. *Thank you Yilly and I will. I want to know what your secret is, all you have to do is something as small as asking me to join you and I feel like a blushing school girl again.* Once she leaned back from the kiss she gave Z'Marl a good kiss and hug as well. "Go enjoy your evening though I might sneak in once your bond has formed. I want to be with the people I love so much." Z'Marl lowered her ears as well as she returned the kiss. "If we don't find you curled up with us in the morning I am going to be rather upset with you." One last stroke of her hair she turned and walked over to Billy and they walked to the room he and Tasha had taken as theirs. "Good night love." Once inside Billy turned to her and being careful with his right arm drew her to him and worked his hands under her tabard and stroked the fur on her back. When she tilted her head down for a kiss he met her half way and closed his eyes as he enjoyed the contact. He gently sucked her lip between his and nibbled on it as he kept stroking her fur. Between them he could feel a slight tingle forming similar to what he and Tasha felt on link days but not as strong. He finally opened the catches on her tabard and helped her out of it. She could feel some of what he wanted and when she felt him want to kiss her she leaned down and pressed her lips to his. When he sucked her lower lip into his mouth and started nibbling small mewls of contentment and pleasure escaped from her. His hands were gently working their way through her fur to all the places on her back that she liked being stroked. Her hands were cupped around his neck and the back of his head as they were kissing. Billy couldn't help but smile slightly when she resisted moving back to remove the tabard. *Silly woman, can't have more fun if you don't take your cloths off.* Once her tabard was off she returned the favor and helped him out of his. Now that his skin was exposed her fingers started stroking across his back and shoulders as well. Both simply stood there for some time getting used to the new sensations. For Billy it wasn't near as intense since he was used to it but he knew that for Z'Marl it was going to be very intense. He was going to do his best to take his time before they actually mated to get used to the feelings. Her eyes were already getting heavy with lust and desire from the link. *This drive to mate will be intense but I will give you as much time as possible.* As he was talking to her mentally a smile crossed his face as she was stroking his back. *It is also going to be strange to you since you will be feeling my reactions as well as yours.* He was working his teeth along her jaw to one ear and lightly nibbled on the lower edge and her mewls were getting stronger. He could feel the surge of desire low in her belly and knew that she would be getting wet by now. Z'Marl was definitely feeling some serious arousal by now and it seemed like they had barely gotten started. Her eyes were closed as he started working his way to her ear and nibbled. His hands were stroking her lower back though he wasn't touching the base of her tail. She could feel small zings of energy between his fingers, her skin, and the base of her tail. When he actually nibbled on her ear she felt a release of fluid from her tunnel and god she was getting worked up. *Oh damn but I want you between my legs now. This is almost too much but I don't want it over with anytime soon.* Billy grinned as she sent to him since he was sure she didn't realize it. Instead of responding he slowly moved backwards towards the bed till his legs bumped into it. When they did he deliberately dropped back and pulled her on top of him. "Now I have a kitty where I wanted her. I am going to do my best to drive you to new heights before bringing you down and holding you." She let out a low growl of desire at his teasing. In revenge she grasped the back of his neck. "Do you remember this? It is my turn now." As he felt his body respond he pulled his head back. She smiled down at him and started licking and nipping the sides of his neck before clamping her jaws around it and applying some pressure. When she grabbed the back of his neck Billy knew what she was doing as did his Sholan half. He postured for her and had to close his eyes again as she started nipping and licking the delicate skin of his neck. While she was doing this he could feel his body responding even more. When she bit down his erection became even harder if that was possible. Deep in his throat a low growl sounded as well. It was human sounding but it was close enough. *Now you are mine as I am yours. I have wanted to do this for a while. When you asked me to become one of your life mates I knew I had to do this before we actually had the ceremony.* She started licking his neck where she had bit down before sitting up and damn it she simply couldn't wait anymore. *We have plenty of time later Yilly. Take me now and make us one.* She rolled off him and onto her hands and knees. Billy didn't need any encouragement beyond that since both were flooding with feelings from the other. When he took her he felt the bond really forming and then they became 'US' and the memories started flowing. When they were done he collapsed on his side and wrapped his arms around her. *And now we are three. I love you my beautiful young lady. Thank you for allowing me into your life Z'Marl.* She lay there panting as well and rested her arm over one of his that was wrapped around her waist. *By Vartra that was frigging intense. I think I should be the one who should be thanking you Yilly but why don't we both settle for we done good letting each other into our lives. Both you and Satasha make me feel so special. I have never felt this way before and I don't ever want to let it go.* A huge yawn hit her out of nowhere. *I think I need to fall asleep for a while. My brain feels like it was scrambled and then poured back into my head.* Billy snorted in amusement at that. *Believe me I know the feeling and now I have two sets of female memories to deal with. Sleep well and I will be here when you wake.* He snuggled closer to her and had to smile as the tip of her tail was flicking against the side of one leg. She definitely smelled and felt like one contented female. He quickly drifted off to sleep with her. ~~~ At some point during the night Satasha had come into the room and crawled in with them. Billy was on one side of Z'Marl and Satasha was on the other. Both had their arms curled around her and they were sleeping quite contentedly and it showed. If anyone looked they would see looks of complete relaxation on their faces. ~~~ Dani watched her father and his ladies leave the suite and almost wished she could go with just so she could watch. This was their time though and he had talked to both her and Sally about his intentions. She was pleased but also confused by his actions since in some ways he seemed to be a different person. He had mentioned at one point it had to do with the link but hadn't said much else. At some point she was going to need to sit him down and make him talk to her. Once they were gone she went to the room she and Z'Marl shared and quickly changed into some nicer cloths. One thing she kept meaning to do was get some clothing made for her. The tabards were fine for summer use but the winter was getting closer and from what she could find it was normally bitter. She had no intentions of freezing her legs off in anyway and needed to look at even leggings for under the tabards if nothing else. After changing and making sure her hair was nicely styled she called one of her new friends and then left the suite. She was going to be meeting her new friends at the gate of the Telepaths Guild since they weren't telepaths. For some reason she thought that was rather odd but since it was their culture she simply went with it. Walking to the gate she was greeted by a number of the students and she returned the greetings. In a way the attention was awkward since some of the ones calling greetings were simply because she was one of the Ambassador's daughters. Others were because she was human and they were interested in her for that reason. A tiny slice simply wanted to get to know her. Trying to decide which category they fell into was the hard part so she had pretty much decided to simply not be more than an acquaintance. When she reached the gate she had to smile since all of them were looking good. The male who had offered her dinner was a tawny color and had been brushed till he gleamed. "My, isn't someone looking his best this evening? Must be meeting a special lady." She couldn't resist teasing him some. He knew she was teasing him and returned the favor. "She is and I can't wait to get her to dinner and then..." He wiggled his ears at her just because. The other two Sholan's grinned at the two and Shayo lightly bumped the much smaller Human. "I haven't seen him look this good for a while. I hope you brought a club with to keep the admirers away." The others snickered as well. Misaki grinned back at Shayo. "Hah, I am the one that will need a club silly female." He moved over to Dani and carefully wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "If this or anything we do make you uncomfortable please tell me. You have been starting to fit in and sometimes I forget and simply react." Dani had to grin at him and leaned against him. "I will and thanks for checking. So where are we going? The Green Goddess is off limits since my daddy is taking his bondmate and companion there for a meal out." She had to roll her eyes when she said that. Misaki let a slow smile cross his face. "I am glad they are getting a chance to get out though I am sure they are going to get a fair amount of attention." When she rolled her eyes he tilted his head and flicked an ear at her. "Why the eye thing?" Dani snorted at his question. "Because they keep acting like kids our age, well Z'Marl is but Tasha is older. It is just disturbing walking into the living area finding them necking and making out." She grumbled as she was saying that. Shayo started snickering at her expressions as she talked about her father and his ladies. "That is too cute and it would be fun to see." Just for good measure she made a cute face and pretended to squee. The third guy laughed and bumped Shayo before wrapping an arm around Shayo. "You are just jealous since your parents are horribly stuffy and old fashioned." He liked her parents and was teasing her though they were rather reserved. She laughed back before answering Dani. "There is a small eatery that we really enjoy. Instead of the normal meals of things like Parnon fried fish or something Chidoe based with some sort of grain it is finger foods. Meat on sticks, fried cheeses, fresh fruits. It is really good and has some great dipping sauces. It is called Kitty Picken's." Dani was making appreciative sounds till the name came up and she narrowed her eyes and looked rather suspicious. "I am not sure I am buying the name. The food sounds good but the name? I think I will wait till we get there." Mizaki couldn't help but snicker. "That is fairly close to your language. The complete interpretation is Feline Frenzy." He had to shrug since the name was rather odd but what could you say. She shook her head and eventually they did arrive and she had to chuckle at the name. Both were close and it was really amusing. When a young male came out he froze for a moment when he noticed Dani and his eyes widened and his ears twitched. "Good evening Dajana and Dajan if you will follow me please?" He grabbed some menus and scurried off to a table off to one side and waited for them to sit down. "Would you like anything to drink?" Once he had the order he scurried off again. Dani sighed. "In fifteen seconds or less there will be the manager, and then soon after the owner if he isn't the manager." Sometimes being the new 'aliens' was a pain in the ass. She shrugged. "At least I don't have the crowds daddy has. So far he has managed to dodge the new services due to 'medical issues' but he won't be able to do that for much longer." As she had expected within just a few moments a rather ruffled looking male and a rather chubby female came out. They were carrying the drinks out with them. "Good evening and we are very pleased that you have chosen our little establishment for dinner. If you don't mind our asking how is your father doing? He is looking so much better than when all of you arrived." Dani couldn't resist and leaned slightly against Mizaki. "Mizaki invited me out for a meal and recommended this place." She smiled up at him as he wrapped his arm around her. When they asked how her father was she couldn't help but grin. "Well considering how active he has been he is doing much better. I think he is making up for all the time he lost being in the bed." She reached over and lightly rested her hand on the woman's. "Thank you for asking. He had all of us worried till he came out of the initial surgery." Mizaki gave her a good hug and smiled at the couple. "We decided to drag her out and show her how we party and relax. I figured it would be good for her to get out for an evening and blow off some steam. That and since her father and his ladies are out for the evening as well we could play and have fun without his worrying." He had to tease her a bit. The woman couldn't help but give her a warm look. "Well we will make sure the meal he offered you is the best." Just for good measure she gave Dani a knowing wink. The male gave her a pleasant nod as well as he was passing the drinks out. "We are pleased that he is doing well. The news has been so erratic that it has been hard to know what is true or not. In any case I am sure you have had your ears talked off by curious people like my mate. Enjoy your meal and if you need anything please just ask." The female laughed at him as he teased her. "Please enjoy and we will do our best to keep the attention off of you." They left and the next server was a young female. Dani settled for leaning against Mizaki and let him order. Once everything was ordered she took a sip of her drink and started asking questions about his family. It was rather obvious that she was keeping from talking about her father or the two ladies in his life. When one of them asked about it she shrugged. "I am not sure just how much information I can give out and especially in relation to Satasha and Z'Marl. I can tell you about Earth and where I grew up but I just don't know what I can say from when Daddy was shot." She had to shiver when she said that. Mizaki leaned over and stroked her cheek with the back of a finger. "Say what you feel you can and tell us if you aren't comfortable." He leaned over and lightly nuzzled her cheek as well. "Would you like to curl up in my lap? Relax and cuddle for comfort. I can't imagine the worry you felt." He held his arms out. Dani lightly rubbed against his finger and the nuzzle and gave him a shy smile. "I have grown to enjoy cuddling with you warm and furry kitties." She slid over to his lap and leaned back against his chest. "Thank you Mizaki I appreciate it. I can get cuddles at home but most of the males are claimed or just a wee bit too young. Kingie's little brother is a cutie but just a bit small to sit in his lap." Everyone snickered at that and they were talking about the classes they were taking when the food came out. All of them lifted their noses and sniffed. As far as Dani was concerned everything smelled and looked good. Both had filled up some plates of the finger foods and little dabs of the sauces. When he offered her a piece of something with a purple sauce she took it and puckered for a moment. The purple sauce was definitely sour but the bite dipped into the sauce was sweet. "That was good, the pucker almost got me you beast." Just for good measure she pretended to hit him in the chest. Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 03 Ch. 04 The others laughed at both of them and settled back to eat. Dani didn't talk a great deal and mostly listened to the others. She was definitely comfortable in his lap and he smelled good. Dani was also learning about them and subjects they found interesting. She would occasionally ask questions and add her opinion just so they knew she was still awake. Once they were done and paid she was getting ready to get up when a breaking news report caught her attention and she groaned. "Can you turn that up please?" She called out to one of the staff. On the viewer was a well dressed Sholan female. "Thanks for tuning into InfoNet news. We have a breaking story that the Terran Ambassador was at the Green Goddess eatery this evening. He confirmed that he has asked his current bondmate to be his life mate and another lady to be their Third as a triad partner. We have known about the bonding contract between the two but one thing that hadn't been announce is they are Leska's. He confirmed this with a brief comment as the three left the eatery. Here is another replay of the brief comment he made." The screen cut to the brief moment that Billy was speaking and it also showed Tasha and Z'Marl. Z'Marl was looking very shy and absolutely darling. The male and female who had talked to them were standing there looking at the viewer as well and the lady couldn't help it. "The young lady is very pretty and looks so happy." She leaned against her mate. Dani couldn't help but grin slightly. "She is a lovely person but don't let that shy innocent look distract you. It hides a brain that is incredible. Z'Marl can actually understand my father when he talks math and the physics of hyper space. Tasha calls it 'geek foreplay'." She had to giggle when she said it since Tasha tended to grumble at them about being too damn smart for their own good. Mizaki nibbled her ear just to tease her. "You are forgetting that you make all of us look rather normal yourself. Maybe we can have some medical geek speak foreplay tonight." His voice was a low murmur as well. Dani twitched from his nibble and growled at him. "You are definitely a beast." She winked at him. "I will consider it. Now I want to go dancing and pretend my daddy didn't just play the new services." She knew he was still very angry at Tasha's pregnancy getting out even if it was to a very select group. Dani didn't blame him either. She would have been pissed as well. With a number of compliments they left the place and headed towards the club section. "One drink for me and then non-alcoholic drinks." She wasn't worried about his taking advantage of her but she wanted to have a clear mind when she made the decision. Mizaki tried to look dejected. "Well shoot, that means I will actually have to work to seduce you into my bed." He heaved a huge sigh of annoyance. All of them laughed at him as they were walking down the street and finally found a club that looked interesting and headed in. They didn't stay to long since as Dani attracted attention they moved on. Eventually it was getting late and Dani was getting tired of the attention. "I think I am about done with all this mess. I would enjoy going to your place and relax." The longer the night had gone on the closer she had been drawn to him. By now most of them were sweating slightly and his scent was stronger than it had been. There was a definite maleness to the scent and she found it very interesting. Though slightly damp his fur was very soft as well. "You might even be able to convince me for a bit of fun as well big boy." He looked down at her and his eyes appeared to be glowing slightly and there was definite interest. "I rather like the sounds of that Dani. As I said earlier I will stop if you want when you want." Her scent was more intense as well and it was attractive and arousing. He nodded at the other two and headed towards a public air car location. In the bar district they were scattered around so people didn't have to wait. The two of them slowly walked to the air car spot and finally found one that was free. Since Mizaki knew where they were going he gave the address. While he was doing that Dani called and left a message for her father that she was spending the night with her friend. She had already provided the contact info earlier so her father didn't have to worry. Once they climbed into the air car and lifted off she snuggled up against him. She was enjoying the warmth low in her abdomen since she had already made up her mind on what was going to happen. From a shadow a figure was watching the two youngsters as they were walking along and obviously enjoying their company. Once they climbed into the air car the person flicked something towards the air car and turned and faded into the shadows. ~~~ The Valtagen's In the Earth system the enemy ship was still slowing as much as possible but they could already tell it was going to be a losing case. "General Quarters now. Man all weapons and prepare for battle." It probably should have been done sooner but to be honest it was a moot point. The sound of the alert could be heard throughout the ship. Since they were already at a modified security level it didn't take very long to get to full GQ. One of the ships that had been approaching vanished into hyper and appeared on the far side of them. Several of the craft from the enemy ship kept sliding out of sensor lock. To be honest he had never seen stealth this good before and until they approached close active scanner range they weren't going to be able to track them. "Sssir we are approaching range of one of the light warships. What are your orders?" The nav tech called out. This war ship came from behind one of the planets they were passing. "Fire at will. We have virtually no chance of getting out of here alive so fire on anything that might have value." If they were going to go down they might as well destroy as much as possible. "Prepare the data drone and download as much information as possible on this system. Launch it prior to destruction and set it for silent running for two days and then to translate out." "Already in progress sir, updating programming now." The non-retractile claws could be heard tapping away on the keyboard. The gunnery officer had told the weapons stations that they were free to fire on any target available but to focus on installations and enemy warships. Once he had freed the weapons the feel of missiles and energy weapons being fired could be felt. The missiles on the side of the ship closest to the other combatant were aimed at them as well as the energy weapons. The missiles on the far side were aimed at installations. Once fired they accelerated to high speed and then the drive would shut down only to activate for the final run. The energy weapons were much shorter range but were easier to deploy and use. At close range the beams were hard to deflect for similar sized warships. As soon as they started firing the other warship did as well though it did a maneuver they hadn't seen before. It started spinning on its axis. "Sir, not sure what they are doing with that. Presumptive guess is that it is a way to protect their shields." The tech was updating the plot when suddenly a number of missiles appeared. "Ssir I stand corrected. It allows them to throw a heavier missile strength. Based on readings the missiles are not as capable as ours are." "Good. Continue firing on whatever is..." The ship shuddered as a beam struck the shield. "Where did that come from and try firing a missile or beam along its path." The ship shuddered again as a warhead detonated from a standoff range of less than twenty thousand kilometers. The missile detonated behind the ship and bomb pumped x-rays impacted on the shields. "Damage control reports aft shields heavily damaged and damage to one engine. Speed dropping." Another crew member called out. ~~~ Terran and Sholan ships The Sholan fighters had streaked off the Mother Ship even as it was starting to shift orbit. They had contacted the local sky control for a path out even as they had started moving. The fighters were moving at high speed till their stealth was borderline functional. As they approached the vessel they would slow down to improve the stealth. As they were moving out their sensors already started picking up weapons fire. They were also picking up the missiles fired and the commander had to frown at the plot for a few moments before he started swearing. "Fighters three through seven target the missiles on heading... They are aimed at a civilian population habitat. If even one of them hits the destruction will be massive. Do anything needed to protect all noncom habitats targeted. Launch all fighters and heavy assault craft." The ship turned into a massive hive of activity as ship after ship was launched. It wasn't a carrier craft in anyway but considering the size as a forward capitol ship she had a large capacity. As the ships were arching out the commander moved forward to a large open space at the front of the bridge. "Activate the holo projectors." This was where the Sholan tech was at its best. As the projectors came up the system linked with his implant and data started scrolling past his eyes. As his eyes flicked back and forth the implant was picking up the movement of all the muscles around his eyes. Targets were being assigned, prioritized; ships were detailed to attack parts of the enemy's vessel and other ships to provide protection. This was what he had been trained for and excelled at. There was a feral glow to his eyes and his tail was twitching as if he was hunting and almost ready to pounce. One of the medium sized warships from the Swiss intercepted the freighter which had come in screaming they were being attacked. They had been given specific instructions on their flight path and where to park. At the moment nobody was going to take any chances on anyone getting close to earth. For all they knew the ship had been taken over and was filled with explosives that could damage a good portion of the Earth. The Terran vessel that was attempting to intercept the alien vessel was having a hard time of it. They were only somewhat larger than a system patrol boat. They had been ordered in and that was what they were going to be doing. The OIC of that ship was doing everything he could but he knew that chances were very good they weren't going to make it. He was going to do his best. ~~~ "Now dog remember that you are dead and I have authorization to do anything to you I wish. I could have you castrated with a dull knife if I want to. You belong to me. The only thing I have been told not to do is to damage that pretty face and the perverted brain behind it. We are going to be picking every last bit of information from you." The officer had a very contented expression on his face. "Time for his bath gentlemen." Two men next to him turned the fire hose on and gave him a good shower of cold water. Just for good measure they were careful not to hurt him but they did alternate the pressure and rolled him around the cell. Down the hall all of dead pirates were getting similar treatments. When the officer gestured they turned the water off. "Now dog you are going to put on these nice pretty paper uniform pants and shirt. Before you get any wild ideas of hanging yourself these will tear if you fart to hard." The pirate stood up and screamed at him. "Stop calling me dog you mange ridden fleabag." Even though he was on meds he was still pretty much certifiable. It would take time to break him even with the very carefully orchestrated efforts. "I will call you what I want and I have decided to call you dog because that is what you are." The pirate had been punished by being left in a nasty filthy dog kennel when he had been a child. He had started killing dogs in revenge and had an almost pathological rage against them. One thing that he valued was loyalty and that would be undermined by having one or two of his most 'loyal' crew appear to give up critical information. He hated having to do this but he was capable of doing virtually anything to protect his country and still sleep like a baby at night. ~~~ Dr. Desjean had finished reviewing the scans done on Amanda and had settled back in the new chair in her office. With the scan showing in her HUD she was manipulating the images to see what was showing as wrong. As she zoomed in and out she was making mental notes of the problems and how they could resolve the issue. She had sent the scans to the surgeon on the ship that had done the initial work on Billy for his opinion as well. Since they were going to be at an alert status she decided to see if Amanda wanted to talk. She grabbed a portable 3D viewer and headed out. Before she went to the Ambassador's quarters she headed to the rooms the four humans were in. She signaled before entering. All four ladies were curled up on two beds and were looking very concerned which was why she came by. Dr. Desjean gave them a comforting smile. "Relax ladies this doesn't have anything to do with you. I can't really say what it is about since I don't have all the details. I can say that it doesn't have anything to do with the pirates or a threat to the four of you. I can understand how this might scare you but right now we have two fighters hovering over us to protect us. I need to go and talk to the Ambassador but I wanted to stop and make sure you didn't worry." Bitty stood and came over and gave Desjean a good hug. "Thanks for that and we will be fine. If all else fails we will have our token warrior brush our hair. He isn't as good as Kingie but does an adequate job." They both got a snort from the male sitting at a small table. Dr. Desjean grinned and returned the hug. "Try not to drive them to crazy. I would hate to have to give them, what do you call it, a hug you coat?" She had heard of it from someone but wasn't totally sure what it mean. Savanna snickered. "The term is a hug me jacket and is from many years ago when they used them on violent mental patients till they calmed down." The warrior rolled his eyes again and the other women giggled. Dr. Desjean snickered and then left the rooms and headed towards the Ambassador's suite. As she was heading there she was receiving updates from her staff. Even though they most likely weren't going to have to fight or run they were double checking medical. They were also setting it up for injuries as well but again chances were good they wouldn't need it. She stepped into the assistant's entrance and smiled. "Good afternoon, I do believe the Ambassador is in her rooms with Amanda and Ike. Can you please check and see if they have some time? I have some information for Amanda." She settled down when he told her he needed a few moments. He finished sending the message he had to the queue to be uploaded to mother ship when she came back. Right now there was a communication blackout during the battle. Once he had finished that he sent a brief message to Teolura and waited for her to reply. Inside her suite she received the message and reviewed it and nibbled on a claw before doing anything. She finally turned to Amanda and Ike. "Dr. Desjean would like to speak with the two of you if you have some time. She has some preliminary results for you." Ike turned to Amanda. "Do it Hun, if she can help let her." He took her hands in his and pressed his lips to them. "I know how much your hip bothers you even during your good times. Please babydoll let her tell us what she found." He put as much emotion in his eyes as he could as he was talking to her. She had tensed up till he took her hands. Amanda turned to him and could see how much he wanted her to do it. "This will be the last time Ike. I will listen to her and do my best to keep an open mind but I simply can't keep hoping someone has some fix." She nodded at Teolura. She let her assistant know to let the doctor in. When she came in she smiled at everyone. "Thank you for seeing me ma'am." She settled down and set out the display unit. "I do have some positive information for you. The question I have is do you want a detailed explanation or a simple description?" Amanda settled against her husband and considered the question. She had a fairly good knowledge of what was wrong and had seen all the various x-rays and scans. "A middle ground please. Not to basic but not to detailed either." Dr. Desjean nodded and activated the imager she had set up. "First I am going to call up a skeletal view of your injury. This is based on what I scanned this morning. Once I have done that and explained what I am seeing I will superimpose what the skeletal structure of a female of a similar size and age." As she was doing that she pulled the scan up. "I am sure you have seen this before and probably with a close degree of detail. I have filtered out a fair amount of details that you simply don't need and would only distract from what I am going to show you. I do have to say based on my knowledge of your level of medical technology the surgeons that did the work on you were very good. Having said that we have access to medical procedures and knowledge you don't yet. As of right now your right pelvic girdle is damaged here, here, and shifted here. The hip socket has been damaged and your femur was severely damaged and has both a artificial hip joint as well as more metal than bone." "Here is a normalized pelvic girdle and femur that is within two point five percent of similarity to you. This is something I downloaded from a medical database we have been given access to. The pelvic girdle is an amalgamation of several thousand scans to come up with a good standard. I am going to superimpose it and you can see how even with the reconstruction it is not lining up correctly..." She went on to describe the differences. "Do you have any questions?" Amanda couldn't help but be impressed with details and leaned forward as best possible as Dr. Desjean explained what they were seeing. Once it was done she leaned back. "You said that you felt you could help me. In what way and how much? What sort of improvement might I be looking at?" Dr. Desjean held her hand out and waggled it slightly. "Please keep in mind that I am what you would call a general practitioner and not a specialist. Right now you are approximate what I would call sixty percent of normal and most likely have some sort of chronic pain. Without having you seen by a specialist I would say we could probably get you to somewhere around eighty percent normal. By correcting some of the tilts and other alignment issues a goodly portion of the chronic pain would be relieved as well. We do have a specialist aboard the mother ship and I would need to refer you to see him for further information." Ike listened as well since he had been to a number of her doctor appointments. He did his best to keep his face neutral and composed. The more he listened the more hope he had that something could be done. It had been many years since she had been injured and it had been very hard on him watching the love of his life in pain. Moving was hard and she needed to be on some strong pain meds at times for the pain. Once the doctor was done he turned and pressed one hand against her cheek. "Amanda please listen to her and go. Go to the mother ship, see the specialist, and take a chance. Please love do that and for both of us." Amanda looked at him and met his eyes. She knew that she had been extremely lucky that he had stayed with her. It had caused a number of side effects that impacted on the marriage and especially in bed. Many times it was hard for her to be physically comfortable with taking care of both of their needs. That was one reason why she had really gotten into the charity circuit. She was well known for organizing charity balls, parties, and dinners. "I would like to talk to you in private Ike before I say anything. I will consider this and I am not using this to say no but I need to talk to you first." Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 03 Ch. 04 He leaned forward and gave her one of the rare public kisses. Granted he was only in front of the two Sholan's but that was simply the way he was. More than holding hands or walking arm in arm simply didn't happen unless they were doing something like a romantic meal. ~~~ Aboard the Sholan Mother ship The commander was tapped into the holoprojectors and there were only two others as well. The navigator and tactical officers, they took the information from the commander and passed the orders. As the ship was surging out of orbit and accelerating the system boat was destroyed. Orders were immediately sent to some of the heavy transports for a SAR mission. It was going to take some time for the mother ship to arrive simply due to the size and mass of the ship. Granted she was able to move much faster than an equivalent Terran ship but compared to the fighters and fast attack shuttles it was still slow. In the holo pit icon's indicating the fighters and other vessels were streaking forward at the highest safe speed possible. As additional information was coming in from the fighters the display was being updated on all the other ship traffic in system. As far as the combatants he wasn't nearly as concerned as he was for the civilians. He might be in the space arm but he had started as a warrior and found it suited him. They were trained as fighters and protectors. He would do his best to protect his crew but they knew and understood he would send them in to save civilians. That was their job and they trusted him to spend their lives wisely if he was forced to. The commander moved around the entire holo pit and looked at the action from all angles. He contemplated the trajectories of all the ships to see if this might be in a trap. The terran's didn't know of this aspect of the tech and they wouldn't till the Sholan's felt they could trust them. The only other member of the Alliance that knew was the Toubians since they were the Alliance electronics and computer specialists. They had helped design the system as well as the implants that interfaced with it. ~~~ The Valtegan ship When the light combatant was destroyed the captain of the Valtegan ship didn't even think twice as he kept issuing orders. Shortly after that they focused on the next ship that was approaching. Now he was just trying to cause as much widespread damage as possible. He was trying to balance using his missiles to cause the most damage while keeping enough for protection. "Bring us another three degree's to solar north and program in a random jump away from here. If all else fails we will distract them enough to get the drones off." He called for another slew of missiles to be fired off at the civilian habitats before they turned to the next warship. This was going to be a more difficult kill since it was larger though not nearly as large as they were. Another strike hit home and the ship shuddered. For a brief moment the lights flickered and the ship slowed before the power came back on. "Captain strike on the port power room, the fusion bottle is still functioning but the compartment is exposed to space. Half the crew in the compartment have been killed or wounded. Damage Control is responding." "Good, send all further updates to my console unless urgent. I need to focus." He called out several more commands and both energy weapons and missiles flashed out towards the next warship. All the data gathered was being entered into the drone the ship shuddered again. "What the hell was that?" The officer screamed. Right as he screamed out the demand for answers the power flickered again and then as a surge went through panels started exploding. "Unknown vessel fired from a close distance, the energy beam impacted on a drive pylon and the engine is offline and there is severe structural damage." The office was trying to clear a number of alarms to see if he could narrow down the actual damage. Before he could do that the ship shuddered again. This time the power went off and emergency power came on. Thankfully the circuit breakers had stopped much of the surge but the damage to the systems was extensive. Several of the crew on the bridge was dead while others were incapacitated. "Launch the drones and set them to remain inactive till such time as there aren't any drive signatures close by." As he was screaming out additional orders there was a flurry of energy beams that came in and all power was lost. "Activate the scuttling charges and..." The officer looked around the bridge and he and one other crewmember was left moving. At this point he knew all was lost and he wasn't going to be able to do much else. He struggled out his chair and staggered to a hidden panel and tried to open it. It was jammed so he pulled his pistol and started pounding on the panel to try and open it. He was finally able to get it open and started stabbing in the destruct code. There weren't any power indicators but that didn't mean anything. Now he was going to have to try and make it to engineering just in case this panel was dead. ~~~ Once the battle was over the entire system was in shock. One habitat had been destroyed at the cost of millions of lives. Out of approximately three million workers, tourists, and families less than two hundred and fifty thousand had made it to the shelters in time. The rest had died from the warhead explosion, exposure to vacuum, or power and life support systems failing. The mother ship was one of the first major ships on site and Earth had a front row seat on how they responded. Even though there wasn't a formal treaty in place they went all out to help with rescue and recovery. Their small craft were busy with carrying troops, medics, doctors, SAR staff, and anyone else needed from other habitats and Earth. In the command suite the commander was listening to the After Action Report and it was grim. They had lost a fair number of troops when they boarded the enemy ship. For some reason the enemy seemed to go nuts after being captured. For some reason when exposed to the Sholan's they went crazy. Nothing stopped them from trying to kill as many as possible. As of now there were only a very few left alive and most of those were going to die. The ship was badly damaged and had severe damage internally but chances were good they some information from it. Any information would be good since it would be more than they currently had. Even the corpses of enemy would give them good information. They had lost several fighters as well and the total loss and injured between the Sholan's and Terran's was somewhat over two hundred soldiers and warriors. Compared to the number of civilians it was barely a blip. ~~~ Dani and Mizaki climbed out of the air car and slowly wandered into the small apartment he rented. He had his arm around her and her arm was around his waist as they talked and giggled at each other. From a distance they looked like any other young couple coming home after an enjoyable evening. Before they walked into his apartment she turned and pulled him into a kiss and it wasn't chaste. "I think I might just do more than cuddle with you." She rubbed her nose against his chest. "And you smell yummy and your fur is so soft and warm." Having his strong arms wrapped around her made her feel safe for the first time in a long time. "We will take it one step at a time Dani." His arms wrapped around her and pulled her close and rested his head on hers. "Well depending on which way you meant yummy that might be either a compliment or a concern." Mizaki gave her a light squeeze. "You are soft and warm yourself, shall we go in and relax?" He pressed his hand against the lock and the door opened and he stepped back slightly and let her in. "It is small but it works for me. The bed is really comfortable..." He had stepped up behind her and nuzzled her hair before nibbling on her neck. Dani started giggling as he was nibbling. "That tickles you silly boy." She leaned back against him and could feel the fire starting. Small moans started as well and when she turned around in his arms she opened his tabard and started running her hands through his fur. "I think I would like to see your bedroom." She stepped back and unsealed her tabard and let it drop. Underneath all she had on were her panties. Mizaki nibbled up her neck before licking her ear. He could smell her arousal and it fascinated him. As they touched he was starting to feel slight zings and tingles traveling between the two of them. "As you wish milady." When she dropped her tabard on the floor he couldn't help but start getting aroused himself. They moved towards his bedroom and stood there touching and kissing for some time, how long neither knew. The longer they touched and stroked the higher they went. Eventually he laid her down on the bed and started nibbling and licking his way up her body. The two of them were lost in the sensations that were flowing between them. When they finally coupled the memories started flowing between them. ~~~ The shadow checked the transponder he had flicked at the public aircar and found it was working. He moved further back into the shadows. Once he was sure he hadn't been noticed he slipped away and headed towards a public parking area. The vehicle he climbed into was a public rental vehicle and had been paid for with an alternate ID. Once inside he slid the activation card into the slot and pulled away. The small tracking pad went into a fitting on the dash and he pulled away. For the moment he wasn't concerned about losing the two since he had been following all four youngsters. They had been talking about possibly having a bit of fun and he already had the young male's address. Once he was in the air he followed the tracker and after verifying they weren't moving he settled down at a nearby diner. For the moment his instructions were simply to follow the human and nothing else. When he settled down at the counter he called for a cshar and some stew. Everything was going fine till he, as well as a number of others, felt the surge of power. His eyes almost bugged out and he could feel all the fur on his body stand up. It was as if a static charge had hit his body and he knew something had happened. After tossing a number of coins on the counter he stood and walked out of the diner. The moment he was in the shadows he started running as if ice demons were on his tail. By the time he arrived he knew what had happened since the raw sex was pouring out of the small place. "Vartra's Bones this isn't good." He swore under his breath. He pulled his comm. out and placed a call. "Zulu three cshar Vartra Vartra eight, connect me to the guild leader stat. This is an emergency." It only took a moment before the line was picked up. "What are you reporting Brother? Do you need back up?" The voice was calm and collected. "Telepathic emergency at my location, it was the human daughter and Sholan male. It appears we have another Leska link." He was trying to smooth his fur down and he might have to go and find a willing female when done. "I can feel the surge of power and they will be impacting on anyone nearby. Get support here stat." He disconnected and moved further into the shadows. His comm. was indicating that there were already vehicles enroute to this location. ~~~ Both the Telepathic Guild Master and the Leska Tutor were awakened at the same time by one of the Sholan Leska partners. *There has been a Leska bonding and based on the signature it is another mixed Leska bonding. We have contacted the accommodation house as well as the guild security to identify who this might be. The location appears to be... We are trying to place some shielding around the pair till you can get a team on sight.* Billy and Vangie had come up with a good date for them to meet the boy who was being hunted by Signey. It was two days after Billy's Plots to continue -Ike and Amanda - their relationship with the Ambassador as well as Amanda getting some repairs -The ladies request for treatment on Shola -What happens with the pirate commander and remains of his ships that escaped -What happens with the light cruiser that ended up in the terran system -Something about the enemy picking up survivors for interrogation -Billy and Vangie meet boy interested in Signey -Kingie and Crystal's date night -Billy talks to priest of Vartra about the announcement -Dani and her evening out? -report on Amanda -start planning temple wedding -Need to do something with Satasha and her family as well as Z'Marl's family -Sholan board of Naval Design asks Billy to help improve the engines and tech for the terran fleet Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 03 Ch. 05 A/N: I realized I goofed the timeline when I was doing the last chapter. This section should take place the same night that Billy announced that he was going to be life bonding with Satasha and Z'Marl is going to be their Triad mate. I will end up tidying this up eventually but wanted to let you know. Enjoy! ***** The tutor rolled over and sat up and stretched. His life mate grumbled at him but moved over to his side of the bed and fell back asleep. For a brief moment he considered pulling the covers off just to wake her but he would probably get clawed for that. He pulled on his robes and after taking a moment to ensure he looked his best he headed out. Since the link had already started there wasn't much they could do till the twenty six hours was over. At the moment they would be so tied up in the link that doing anything such as moving them was not a good idea. Since at the moment their talents would be unshielded and any contact would be not just painful but very dangerous. The impact on the Leska pair could range from a simple jolt to a coma and even death. For the one touching them it could be much the same. It had been known to force latent talents open and in some cases the talents would go rogue and uncontrollable. If that was the case the only option was to contract the Brotherhood to eliminate the threat. That was not an option he had ever wanted to have to use but he had been forced to. He hated it but there wasn't much else that could be done at that point. By now he had reached the car port and climbed into his air car and after activating it pulled out. He activated the emergency beacon which gave him priority with the auto traffic controller. By the time he arrived the emergency telepathic response team was there. Once he had landed he sensed the portable shield had been activated and attached to the entrance of the dwelling. A tech appeared to be doing some fine tuning on it. "Has all the other residences been cleared? If they don't have anywhere to go set up reservations with the Accommodations house for two nights. They won't be done with their link day till very late tomorrow night." One of his assistants came over and was checking a tablet. "Already taken care of sir and based on the information we have it will be another twenty four hours. Granted we could move them before the end of their link day but what would you prefer sir?" His eyes traveled around the area as they were talking. He wanted to make sure that the only people nearby were the guild staff. They all were trained for handling this type of emergency. "Good work and keep several telepaths onsite. Rotate them as needed and I will inform their parents in the morning." By Vartra this was going to be a huge headache for the guild since her father was the ambassador. The two of them spoke for several more minutes before he had all the information he needed. "Keep me updated on everything going on. If anything happens I don't care how minor it might seem contact me." With a grunt of irritation he climbed back into the air car and pulled away and headed back home. He could already feel the headache from talking to Billy and all the lovely paperwork. As he was heading back home he sent a message to the Guild Master to update him on what had been noted. He was going to have to talk to him in the morning as well. When he finally made it back to his apartment he was tired. Before crawling back in with his life mate he tossed down some headache pills. One thing he couldn't help but appreciate when she curled around him. ~~~ The next morning Z'Marl woke up and couldn't help but smile. Billy was curled up in her arms facing her and Satasha was behind her curled up against her back. At the edge of her mind she could feel both of them and it was such a warm feeling. Billy felt like a solid rock since he was both content and confident with who he was and where he was. Satasha had warmth to her but there was also a drive to achieve what she wanted. There were also definite overtones of love for her. That alone was worth everything that had happened to both her and the others. Since Billy was facing her and his arms were wrapped around her as well she gave him a light squeeze. "I am so happy that I met both of you." She murmured quietly as she was enjoying the quiet of the morning. Billy had been enjoying the contact as well and when she spoke he couldn't help but open his eyes and smile. He had been enjoying the feel of her in his mind as well and could tell that she was feeling very loved. "And I am a very lucky guy to have Satasha choose my backyard to crash in. That led me to meet both of you. I still feel like a dirty old man for seducing a lovely young woman. If it wasn't for the fact you are the one who seduced me I would feel even worse." He was grinning when he said that. Satasha had heard that and she couldn't help but groan. Just for good measure she reached over and bopped him. "Yilly that was horrible and yes you are a dirty old man and you need a shower. I will let Z'Marl wash your dirty brain out." Z'Marl had groaned at him and now was starting to snicker which is what Satasha wanted. Billy started laughing at the two of them. "I think a shower would be a good idea myself." His expression softened and he pressed a kiss on Z'Marl's lips and nibbled lightly for a moment. "I love you lady and thank you for accepting. I know it was hard for you since it pulls you into the limelight but I can't think of anyone else I would want. I have two women I love so very much not to mention a cub on the way." She leaned into the kiss and nibbles and grumbled when he rolled out of bed. "I might have to tackle you later Yilly for that kiss. I am sure that you did that deliberately. How does your Leska put up with you?" Just for good measure when he stood up she lightly stroked his bottom. "Nice tushy old man." Satasha snickered when Billy twitched away and she could tell he was expecting a pinch for his teasing. "Well if nothing else he is handy to keep around. That and at least every five days he has some extra uses." When he frowned and stalked off towards the bathroom the two females looked at each other and started laughing. "I am hungry and I am going to see about making something for breakfast. See you when you get out of the shower." Since Satasha hadn't participated in the fun she didn't need a shower as of yet. That and they needed more private time to finish letting the bond form. It had been wonderful for them to invite her to spend the balance of the night with them but they needed the rest of the day. As she walked out of the room Z'Marl stretched and rolled out of bed and swished to the bathroom. If she had any say about it she and Billy might be late to breakfast. If they were she knew that Satasha wouldn't mind and would understand. "Hey you sexy man, have enough room in there for two?" She was smiling as she moved behind him and wrapped her arms around him. ~~~ When Dani woke up she didn't have any idea what time it was. All she knew was that she was somewhat tender and had a furry comforter wrapped around her. Suddenly what happened last night hit and she tensed up and then started shaking. "Oh god, oh god, oh god!! What happened? Why did this happen to me?" She was most definitely starting to panic since she could feel him in her mind. Not only that the mental separation between the two of them was almost non-existent. She could feel not his body pressed against hers but hers pressed against his. She could feel his sense of sexual contentment as well though there were definite traces of desire there as well. From his mind she was actually feeling his thoughts and emotions and that was also causing her to freak out. As hard as she tried she could feel a panic attack hitting. Her breathing was getting faster and her chest was tightening up. The shakes were hitting her and her focus was centering on her reaction only to make it worse. It didn't matter that she knew what was happening nothing she could do was stopping it or slowing it down. As she was starting to freak out her feelings and emotions were starting to impact on Mizaki. He quickly woke up because of his Leska's sense of dread and horror. Why she was feeling horrified at the moment he didn't know. What he knew was she was in distress and starting to lose it. When he woke up he immediately wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to his chest. "Dani? What are you okay? Can I do anything for you?" He wasn't stupid and had a feeling she was reacting to the Leska link. He highly doubted she was reacting to the fact they had sex. She wasn't a virgin and had definitely indicated an interest in coming to his bed. "I am so sorry Dani that this happened. I am so sorry. I wanted to get to know you and spend time with you and not this." At this point Dani was too far into the emotional reaction to be able to listen. The stronger her emotions were the more power she was drawing in and eventually pulled him in. When this happened a type of synergy happened and the combined power didn't double but increased almost exponentially. It was too much and with a cry her mind overloaded and darkness took over both of them. Outside the gestalt was felt as well as registered on the instruments. When it faded the medical team entered the residence only to find the two appeared to be simply unconscious. They didn't hesitate and immediately started IV's and medications to keep them asleep. They were both packaged up and moved to the same transport. Onboard the transport was the Tutor's assistant and he immediately strapped on the personal dampers. When he did that the massive overload of sexual tension dropped noticeably. It didn't completely go away but much to everyone's relief it was now tolerable. "Get us to medical at the telepath's guild." He ordered and the moment the two were stable enough the transport lifted off and headed there. It thankfully didn't take very long to arrive and land. As soon as they arrived one of the guild doctors started calling out orders and asking for an update. The medical center was a riot of activity as staff was hurrying around taking care of the two. Since all knew that she was one of the two daughters of the Human Ambassador all stops were pulled. It only took a short time for scans to be done and the two taken to a heavily shielded room. When they were placed in the same bed both instinctively moved together and their vitals lowered and stabilized. The doctor leaned back against the wall and took a slow deep breath. He had been hoping that would happen since it indicated the bond was formed. Now that all the signs of the gestalt were gone he could talk to the tutor and give him an update. One thing he was very pleased with was he wasn't the one to talk to the Ambassador. With one last deep breath he moved to his office and called to have the Tutor brought in. When the other walked in the doctor stood and lightly touched fingers with him. "Please have a seat. If you want something to drink please do. Both are resting comfortably and sleeping. As I am sure you know they are now Leska's and the link has been completed. What appeared to happen was one of the two triggered gestalt though obviously at the moment we don't know why. The scans aren't showing any damage to their talents." As he was talking he collected a cup of cshar and settled down. "I went ahead and ordered a full genetic series and it will take some time. The preliminary shows both are having vastly increased changes. Compared to the Ambassador and his Leska they are going to be genetically compatible very soon. As of now we don't have any sort of contraception prevention. It is highly likely she will be pregnant fairly soon." The Tutor sighed and contemplated the cup of cshar he had collected. As the doctor was speaking he was relaying the information to the Guild Master. This was not good from the point of view her father was the highest ranking Human in Sholan space. Added to that he knew Billy was currently completing the link with his triad partner. That was going to be interesting in a not pleasing way. "Keep me updated on their status and if anything, and I mean anything, changes contact me. If you will excuse me I need to talk to her father." The Tutor stood and left the room. Since he had been in contact with the Guild Master they had already discussed this. He had been told to go to their quarters and at least inform Satasha. She wasn't going to be involved in completing the link though she would be impacted by it. Once they talked to her they would decide if they needed to talk to Billy at that point they would. ~~~ Billy and Z'Marl had finally made it out of the shower and Billy was looking slightly disgruntled and ruffled. Z'Marl had a rather amused expression on her face as she followed him out. Satasha sampled his emotions and he wasn't nearly as grumpy as he looked. She could tell that he was acting that way just to tease Z'Marl. "I think I am going to resist the urge to ask what has the grumpy old man grumpier than normal." Just for good measure she batted her eyes at him. Billy narrowed his eyes at Satasha and growled at her before lightly tugging an ear. "Keep the teasing up and I might just keep the ear as a souvenir." He tweaked it again before settling down at the table and grumbling again. "Darn cats and their urge to use their tongues to groom." One corner of his mouth was twitching no matter how much he tried not to. Z'Marl snickered at his grumbling. "That wasn't what you said in the shower Yilly." She ran her fingers up his back. When she did they were barely touching him and she could feel his almost instant reaction. When he grumbled at her she leaned over and lightly bit his neck. His eyes became heavy and his breathing started increasing. "Darn you woman I am hungry and need to eat." The worst part was he could feel her reaction as well and since the link was fresh and new it was intense. That wasn't saying that when he and Satasha had their link day it wasn't intense. With this link everything was just so new it was an in your face intense. Z'Marl had to gulp since the teasing had rather turned the tables and hit her as well. "By Vartra that was intense." When she had teased him by running her finger tips up his back the fire between her legs had been instant. She moved back and was panting slightly in shock. "Is this what it is like with Tasha every link day? No wonder both of you are beat the next day." After giving her body a good shake she sat down on the other side of the table. Tasha looked at Z'Marl and her ears and expression showed her vast amusement. "Yup and you will learn not to touch Yilly when you want to do things like eat or actually shower. While you are sleeping it is rather pointless since you will wake up entwined." She twitched her ears at Billy. "There has even been a time or two we woke up connected as well." When he turned red her grin widened though she did start dishing the food up instead of saying anything else. Billy settled for one last grumble before taking a good swig of the coffee Satasha had made for him. "I needed that and thank you love. I hope that we can get another nap in at some point or tomorrow I might fall asleep at my desk." Both laughed at him though Z'Marl had to lower her ears briefly as he teased her. "Tell me about it. I would hate to fall asleep while working as well." Just about the time they had finished eating Satasha was contacted via her comm. "Commander Verzilon it is the Leska Tutor. I know that the Ambassador and Z'Marl are completing the triad link but I need to talk to you and possibly them. His youngest daughter Leska linked last night. I would like to talk to you since I don't know when would be a good time to talk to him." This was going to be awkward for all concerned. Since she hadn't set the comm. in whisper mode both Billy and Z'Marl heard the Tutor. Billy turned white in shock and reached over and grasped her arm so he could talk to the Tutor. "We are currently eating and have a few minutes. I am opening the door so you can come in." Billy turned his personal damper up to max and mentally nudged Z'Marl as well to do the same. When the Tutor came in Satasha was getting him some cshar to drink. "Please have a seat and what happened? I am going to be talking for Yilly for the moment." She could feel his reaction and could understand his being tossed up about what to feel. He knew that it could be difficult to deal with from the Human aspect and he had been with her for some time before they had actually linked. He knew it wasn't bad or horrible, just required some massive changes in your thought process. That wasn't even mentioning suddenly having someone literally inside your mind. Even after learning to filter you knew that when you linked on your bond day every memory was given to the other. Even for a Sholan that could be daunting. For a human it could be utterly horrifying since they didn't believe in telepathy. The Tutor nodded at the three of them. "I understand and they linked last night and from what I have found it was shortly after the two of you linked. Due to the shielding on this room and especially your bedroom you wouldn't have felt it. Currently she and her Leska are downstairs in a shielded room and doing fine. I am sure you would like to check on them but that won't happen till tomorrow." Billy dropped his face to his hands and rubbed for a moment. "Sally I could see this happening to but Dani? She simply hasn't the experience of Sally or me. Mind you that isn't saying all that much but more than she had." God what was he supposed to do now? "Great, just great and I do understand. When you see her next let her know that I will see her in the morning before I go to work. Now if you would excuse us..." He grimaced since he was starting to feel drawn to Z'Marl again. For the moment he had to deal with his link with Z'Marl before he could do anything for Dani. The Tutor stood up and with a polite nod left the room. Once he was gone and the door was shut Satasha groaned as well. "Poor Dani and I am sure she is probably seriously freaked out at the moment. I will give Sally a call as well. Do you want me to tell the others? If so I will have them meet at Vangie's and tell the rest at the same time." Billy grunted in annoyance. "Do that since it is going to be reported at some point anyways. I would prefer this comes from us so our friends get the real scoop. Schedule it for when you feel best. For now I am going to go back to bed with Z'Marl and try to relax. I would say thank goodness my former wife isn't around or she would be boxing my ears." Then again if she had been around this probably wouldn't have happened. Z'Marl stood up and came around and though she knew how it would impact on him wrapped her arms around him. "I am sure that she will be fine. She is your daughter and both smart and strong minded." Oh damn, the heat started again and she groaned in annoyance. "Damn I can't even comfort you without getting hot and wet." Billy snorted at her and then leaned into the hug. "Nope but you can distract me my lovely young lover." He leaned back against her and rested one cheek against her fur and it was so soft and silky. "It is one way to get my mind off my poor daughter." He stood and curled an arm around her waist and started towards the bedroom. "See you later Tasha." ~~~ Sally and Vangie were sitting at his house when Satasha contacted them. They had just finished breakfast and were getting ready to leave when Satasha contacted them. Sally glanced at the comm. on her wrist before answering. "Congratulations on the proposal for both of you. Z'Marl looked so sweet and pleased. I sensed my lovely father sticking the screws to someone with that announcement as well." She was grinning when she said that. "So what can I do for you this lovely morning?" Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 03 Ch. 05 Satasha was sitting in front of the comm. in the suite and had to grin. "Oh my yes he was sticking the thumbscrews to someone... I swear I could hear the screaming in the distance and I really hope I never manage to tick your father off. As far as what you can do for me I have some awkward news for you. At the moment I am only informing you and Vangie till I can arrange a meeting of all our friends." She straightened her shoulders. "Last night as you probably know Dani was going out with some friends. She had been intending on spending the night elsewhere so your father and Z'Marl could complete their link. She went to her friend's house and while there ended up becoming a Leska." As Satasha had been speaking Sally was starting to worry since her first reaction was her little sis had been hurt. When Satasha told her the actual reason for the call it forced a grunting laughter out. "Excuse me what? Did you say Dani has a Leska? Oh god, she is going to flip. How is she doing?" Vangie was sitting next to her and had leaned over so he could see Satasha. She leaned into him for comfort. Satasha continued on to tell her what she had. "If you wouldn't mind I would like to have everyone come over to your place Vangie and tell them tonight. I would prefer to do it in private and for this I just want us there; your former mate and daughter would be fine as well but nobody else." Vangie nodded at that. "Can do and send me details and I will take care of the food. We need to leave now for work but keep us informed of anything please. We will see about coming past sometime in the morning tomorrow to see her. Thank you for the call." He let Sally disconnect before wrapping his arms around her to comfort her. ~~~ Crystal had set up a date for the dinner and it was to be that evening. As his mother had promised she was going to take the rest of the family out for a meal and to visit some friends. At the moment Crystal and his mother were in the kitchen working on dinner. Crystal had been learning Sholan style cooking but she wanted something as close as possible from Earth. She had decided on a casserole that she loved. It was a chicken casserole with pasta, cheese, and a cream sauce. There was a salad as well and some home baked bread. The bread had required his mothers help since the ingredients were just enough different. She wanted to make sure that it was perfect. Once the bread had gone into the oven she turned and gave his mother a good hug and leaned against her. She was tense about this evening since it was going to be a level of intimacy she hadn't had before. Even before the trip she hadn't had a boyfriend and now she was going to be in the house alone with Kingie. "Thank you mom for your help with dinner. It really helped me relax knowing that dinner was going to be as good as possible." Kilath wrapped her arms around Crystal. "I can still feel and smell your tension and fear. I know that you are doing your best to try and overcome what happened. I am so proud of you and I do think of you as another daughter. You are going to be fine and keep in mind to communicate with my son. I can tell just how much he respects you and he definitely cares for you. Take your time and don't force it." She stroked her hair for several minutes. "Once it is closer to time for him to arrive would you like some help getting ready?" Crystal had to smile even though she was feeling so tense. "Thanks mom and it is there but if I don't do this then it will control me. Both Kingie and I had a long talk with my therapist about this step. His only concern is that we not rush anything. He does feel the connection between the two of us is good for me. He doesn't want it turning into some sort of dependency on my part." She simply stood there and enjoyed the stroking. "If you wouldn't mind I would really appreciate it." His mother gave her one more hug. "Then I will do that and my sneaky youngest girl will help clean up the living room and setting the table." She had heard Amahs quietly come over to the kitchen. She groaned. "Mom you ruined it. I was going to jump out and yell boo!" Just for good measure she stomped her paw and pouted. There was a gleam in her eyes though. Crystal giggled at Amahs. "Right, I will buy that for a credit. Since the bread is cooking I will help you tidy it up. I might even pick your brains on a few suggestions for the table. I would like it to have a certain amount of romantic feel but not too much." She stepped back from Kilath and moved over to Amahs and gave her a hug. Just for good measure Amahs wrinkled her muzzle. "Romance, icky, and with my stinky older brother as well. That is a double icky." She was giving a small purring laugh when she teased Crystal. They had talked somewhat more about what had happened though Crystal had kept some details private. Amahs was smart enough to read between the lines and had been really upset. She had ended up spending the night curled up with her parents for comfort. Crystal snorted at her. "I am so not going to reply right now. I am going to wait till you are your sister's age and hunting down your first lover. I am going to savor every moment of teasing you." She bumped her before walking out to the living area to start cleaning. ~~~ When Kingie came home that evening he knew his family was going to be gone. As he had expected Crystal was waiting for him in the garden relaxing. She had told him once that it always seemed to calm her and relax her. When she was stressed, upset, having a panic attack she would come out and listen to the water fountain and relax. He moved over to her and gave her a relaxed smile. "Evening Crystal, how are you doing?" He leaned over and lightly nuzzled her cheek. She looked up at him and when he leaned over she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into the nuzzle. "I am nervous and somewhat afraid but I am also looking forward to spending this evening with you. I want to take the next step even if it is a baby step." She stood up and gave him a nervous kiss before leaning against him. She could feel her heart beating somewhat erratically due to her nerves. He leaned into the kiss though he only returned what she gave him. "I understand and we will go at your speed Crystal. For all I care we can eat and watch a movie. I do have a small surprise for you." He had a slight smile on his face when he said that and just to be silly moved the bag he was carrying behind him. "Not gonna tell you right now though." She glowered at him and stuck her lower lip out at him. "And I thought you were nice and not a meanie." Crystal turned towards the house and walked in with him. "I used your sister and mother as test subjects and they liked the food. I hope you do as well." The low table in the living area was set up for an intimate meal. The lights were down and there were several candles lit. Some quiet music was playing in the background as well. Kingie's purr increased and he lightly nipped her lower lip. "You are so cute when you pout. I am sure you will enjoy your surprise." He walked in with her and looked around and was pleased. She had done an excellent job on making it somewhat intimate but not too much. "You did a very nice job on this and the food smells wonderful. Why don't you sit down and I can get the food for us." He urged her down and turned towards the kitchen. When he walked in he tucked the bag he was carrying into the freezer and pulled out a small bottle of wine. She had already placed two glasses out on the low table and there wasn't enough to get drunk on. It only took him a few minutes to gather everything and carry it out. "I have a small bottle of some wine as well. You won't need to worry about getting drunk since it isn't very large but it is an excellent brand." When he settled down next to her she leaned lightly against him and watched him open the bottle. When he poured a small amount into a glass and offered it to her she blushed before taking it. After doing the sniff and taste thing she held the glass out for some more. "That is very good though I have very little experience with alcohol." He smiled before starting to serve both of them and they settled down to eat. It was a quiet evening and they mostly talked about general topic. Once the food was cleared up Crystal settled down next to Kingie and curled one arm around his and smiled up at him. "I am enjoying this time with you Kingie. Thank you for this evening." She was feeling quite relaxed now and much of her nervousness had faded. "You are very welcome and thank you as well. That was some very good food and you feel very relaxed. Would you like to watch something?" She had him turn on the viewer and they started watching some shows they both enjoyed. When his family arrived she was curled up in his lap and they were watching TV. ~~~ After a great deal of consideration Satasha had decided to simply call everyone and conference them in. She didn't want to leave the suite at the moment since she was going to go in and join Billy and Z'Marl in the tub. They all needed the time to bond. Billy had one more surgery to finalize the repairs and that was scheduled in two days. It had been supposed to be in the morning but he had rescheduled. The call hadn't taken all that long though Sally was not really sure how to react. Vangie had wrapped his arms around her and held her as Satasha had finished talking. Everyone was going to be there in the morning to see how she was doing. All of them knew that both Mizaki and Dani would be sensitive till they had some training. Due to this they were going to only see them one or two at a time. Once she had hung up she walked into the bedroom and stripped down. By now most of the drive and sexual energy was gone though there was still some. From the bathing area she could hear water sloshing so she walked in and had to smile. Billy was leaned back against Z'Marl and looked comfortable. He looked up and it was starting to become obvious she was pregnant. By now she had small breasts and a slight swell of her normally trim and smooth abdomen. She looked even lovelier than normal. "Come my love and join us. I want to hold you and feel the life growing inside you." He held his arms out and smiled when she slid into the water and leaned back against him. "You aren't feeling squished do you Z'Marl?" He asked. She shook her head. "Nope, I am good and now I am totally content. When we finish soaking I am looking forward to crawling into bed with my soon to be mates and go to sleep. I want to be held by both you and Satasha tonight. I want to feel the bond I have with Yilly and also with you Satasha." Very soon she really did need to contact her family since she was going to need to at least invite them to the bonding. Both of the others sent surges of love to her and relaxed for a while. When they started yawning all three climbed out though Billy helped Satasha simply because he could. He was still coming to terms with her being pregnant though he was looking forward to having another child as well. "Bed time I do believe." ~~~ The next morning everyone gathered in the suite before going down to medical. Once seated in a waiting area the doctor and Tutor came in. The Tutor ended up doing the speaking. "Their link day is over but I want you to know that Dani is having problems with it. At the moment we are going to be keeping her in the heavily shielded room they are in. I am hoping that you and Satasha can help her deal with this. Right now she isn't saying much so I can't really say what is going on. If you will follow me I will show you to the room." He stood and walked out. Billy was very concerned by what the Tutor had to say. "Thank you for the information. I will let all of you know what is going on as I find out." Now he was starting to worry about what Dani might be feeling and why. He was way older than she was and he still had problems some times. From Satasha he felt a surge of comfort and support. When they walked into the room they could feel the raw terror coming from Dani. From Mizaki there was a feeling of being at a loss as what to do for Dani. Billy settled down on the edge of the bed. "Hey baby doll its daddy and I am here to help you. Satasha is here as well for you. What is wrong?" He didn't want to touch her till she indicated it was okay. He glanced down and she did have a personal damper on. When he sat down she had tensed up till he started speaking. When he did she rolled over and lurched at him and wrapped her arms around him and started crying. "Oh god daddy I can feel everything he can. I know everything about him and he knows everything about me. How can you deal with this? I feel like my mind has been stripped of all privacy." She was starting to cry as she was holding on for dear life. With the FTL communications the Sholan's had the Planetary command on Shola was notified of what had happened. First a repair ship was dispatched for repairs needed to the various fighters and shuttles that had been damaged. They also sent a support ship with humanitarian aid supplies if needed. What had happened was horrible and though the treaties were mostly non-aggression pacts the Sholan's were doing what they could. To be brutally honest part of it was to look good but most of it was simply to help. Next was a second Barque with several more senior staff for the treaty negotiations including one of the clan lords. He was the senior clan leader for the sixteen telepathic clans. For them they had a different purpose. A request was also sent asking if it was possible for Ambassador Madlax to consider coming back. It was to work with the other engineers and specialists on the recovered military vessel. It was only a request due to his current status and involvement with the Sholan's. As of yet Earth didn't know about either the pregnancy or life mate request. ~~~ Billy had just finished the final surgery several days before when the battle had actually occurred. His arm was back in the sling which was annoying but nothing like the first. It could be removed for showering and eating and was a simple cloth sling. The first had been a nano-liquid that was designed for maximum support and was not removable. The first day he was back in the office he found an urgent report highlighted on his computer and called it up. Once he had logged in and gave a sample of his DNA and retinal scan he told the system to decrypt the message. While the computer was doing that he looked through his inbox and then smiled as Sandi came in with some coffee. "Hey, you didn't need to do that but thanks." He took the cup and leaned back. "So before I go through the piles of paper and contemplate ordering the portable incinerator again what is important?" Sandi settled for a smirk and after handing him the coffee sat down in a chair across from his desk. "Well you are the one that accepted this job so from my point of view you are at fault for that." She pulled out her tablet and called up a list of items she had accepted and organized. "Well starting with the little things, the date for the official reception has been set for two weeks from now. You have a large number of requests for an interview as well as a comm. request from Father Shion about your recent foray into certain announcements." Sandi flicked through the list to see what else might be of interest. "Oh, you have a request to schedule an appointment with the Naval Design Board and it is marked urgent. The only other thing right off the top is a number of requests for visits to various schools and social groups for speaking engagements." One last scan and she looked up at him. Billy nodded at the engagement since he had been expecting it. Z'Marl was going to hate him since she was going to be there as well. "For the reception I am sending over the contact information for the Green Goddess for catering. Send me a list of attendees and I will review it with Satasha." He took a sip of his coffee and contemplated the interview request. "Talk to whoever and find out which news service is considered the best. Not in terms of just ratings but for actually being fair in their reporting." When she had mentioned the request from Father Shion he snorted. "Like that will happen anytime soon. I am still pissed about his being informed about the pregnancy." He could feel Satasha's anger through the bond as well. "Inform him I will have some time to talk to him on the day of the reception. Schedule an interview with the news service prior to the appointment with Father Shion." Shion didn't have any control over him or Satasha now. Billy was the Terran Ambassador and had diplomatic immunity and since he was bonded with Satasha she was covered under that as well. Sandi had to look up and raised an eyebrow at him. "Still ticked off about that? I don't blame you whatsoever. I know I would be seriously ticked if something like that had been given out to about Jenna or me." She made a few notes before looking back at him. "As far as the requests for appearances. Pick two schools and one social group and schedule them over the next couple of weeks. As far as the NDB contact them as soon as we are done and schedule them as soon as possible. I don't care if I go there or they come here but schedule it and also find out what they need or want." He scratched his shoulder and then grumbled when Sandi started to reach over. He lowered his hand and started tapping his fingers on the desk. "Damn thing itches. I know that is normal but for some reason this time it is more annoying than normal." Sandi gave him a knowing smile since she knew he would enjoy getting out of the office so to speak. "Okay, I have several that I think will work as far as the schools and the social group. As far as the NDB I will contact them immediately and if needed reschedule existing appointments." She stood and with a grin at his grumbling left the office. Once she had left Billy checked the computer and called up the report and sat up and started the report again. "Oh my, this is interesting." He took a sip of coffee and hit the intercom. "Sandi contact the Board and tell them to contact me directly. I will be available for the call whenever they call back." He wasn't thinking when he disconnected before waiting for a response. His mind was completely occupied on the report of the battle in Terran space. ~~~ Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 03 Ch. 06 Billy was rather expecting Dani to need a good hug but once she was holding him he could feel her panic. For several moments it started to impact on him till the doctor gave him an injection. He was about ready to snarl at the man before the doctor spoke. "It is just to take the edge off and nothing else. She doesn't need you reacting to her emotional high as you were starting to. I have given the same to Lt. Commander Verzilon for the same reason. I will be right outside if you need anything." The door opened and then shut as the doctor left the room. Now that her emotions weren't impacting on him nearly as much he shifted more onto the bed. Once he had a better seat he pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair as he started to speak. "Oh Baby Girl I can feel just how scared you are and I understand for the most part. Now I need you to talk to me. Right now all I am getting is emotions and nothing else. Talk to me and let me see if I can help you with your fears." As he was talking to Dani Satasha sat down next to Mizaki though she simply rested a hand on his shoulder. "Hello Mizaki and it is nice to meet you. I won't bother with any of that 'wish it was under better circumstances' crap." She gave him a wry smile when she said that. "I have come to the conclusion with Yilly and his family there is no such thing." Part of that was to tease Billy and Dani but also being very serious. Mizaki had to snort at her for a moment before he dropped his ears again. "I was hoping to meet all of you at some point as well but..." He had to shudder as a particularly strong surge of emotions came from Dani. His hands were resting in his lap, totally limp, and he was looking down at them. "All I had wanted to do was show Dani a nice evening out on town. Anything beyond that would have been enjoyable but..." He looked at Dani and by the set of his ears and the nictitating membrane around his eyes it was obvious he was upset. Dani was still panicking so her father took a slightly different tact. "Dani listen to me please kiddo, start taking some slow deep breaths. In through your nose and out through your mouth. This is what Kingie had some of the ladies we rescued do. It is also what I had to learn to do to calm my mind down." He pressed her cheeks between his hands and urged her to look him in the eyes. "Listen to my voice and start with the slow deep breaths. Try not to think of anything other than how the breaths feel, in slowly, hold, and then out slowly." As he was talking to her he could feel concern from both Satasha as well as Mizaki but he had to ignore them. Right now he was focusing on his youngest girl and try to get her to calm down. As he was talking to her he simply settled for letting her calm herself down. Something Dr. Desjean had said once came back. She was talking to the Sholans who were watching the women. She had told them that some of the worst things you could do when a person was having a panic attack. Some of the big ones was don't tell them to 'calm down', or say 'it's all in your mind' or the worst was 'others have it worse'. When you were having a panic attack all you want to do was to calm down. To have someone tell you to calm down was likely to make it worse. Obviously it was all in your mind since that was where the brain was. In her case it went somewhat beyond that to it was literally in her mind by the addition of a whole new set of memories. As far as the last at the moment you were having a panic attack that was the worst spot for you. It didn't matter if others did have worse things happen, what mattered to you at the moment was now. Several suggestions she had was to try and either distract the person by suggestion an activity that might calm them down. Another suggestion was to talk about it and by talking about it sometimes it would help. In this case he was guessing it would be better to talk about it to an extent. Not actual details but the feelings caused by having someone else's memories stuffed into your brain. There was also knowing that all of your memories, feelings, and thoughts were known intimately by the other. From what he understood the link he and Tasha shared was a much closer link than any other Leska link on record. If they took down the filters they would know where the other was, what they were doing, feeling, and so on. Dani resisted moving back from her father but finally did and looked up at him. She could see his concern and yes even feel it which also bothered her. Yes Sally had always been able to feel emotions but Dani hadn't and that was much of the reason she was freaking out. As she looked into her father's eyes and listened to his voice it did give her something to focus on. It also helped that for some reason his emotions seemed to mute down as well. She hadn't been realized he had been given a light dose of a suppressant. As he was talking she was starting to take the breaths he was talking about and could slowly feel her body relax. Eventually much of her shaking had passed and now she was simply feeling exhausted. Her shoulders slumped and she leaned against her father and took a ragged breath. "Oh god daddy I know everything about him." She had to shudder slightly when she said that. "I had wanted to go out and give you and Z'Marl time together. Do a bit of dancing, and maybe get in some cuddling. This I didn't bargain for." Tasha was listening to Dani and Billy as they were talking and she could feel Mizaki starting to feel bad. She rested her hand under his chin and lifted it so he was looking at her. *Don't take what she is saying personally Mizaki. Yilly had much the same issues though not as bad since we had already bonded. They don't have any formal belief system in our talents. Let her talk and once calmed down we will go from there.* He still looked somewhat upset but he didn't say anything in response. The best he could do was give a jerky nod in response to her sending. He was feeling pretty bad as well but not for the same reason. Yes it was strange having a set of non-Sholan memories and knowing what it was like growing up in a totally different culture. That and frankly her brain almost scared him. He was smart but he hadn't realized just how smart she was. Mizaki was also stressed because he had been simply looking for some company and to get to know her. He hadn't been looking for a permanent relationship with anyone yet. Satasha wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close and held him. Her eyes met Billy's with concern. *They are going to need a great deal of support and I honestly don't know what is going to be needed for them. Neither was looking for anything other than some company and maybe a good time. Now he is looking at a long term relationship and she will probably be pregnant within the next link day or two. They are going to need a great deal of support.* ~~~ Ike turned and looked at Ceolura. "Would you mind if we borrowed your bed room so we can talk? I will be available if needed but we need to talk about this now." He stood and held his hand out to his wife. Once he had helped her stand up he gently wrapped his arms around her and held her close. When he looked at Ceolura he looked so pleased that Amanda would even consider this. "Of course Ike you can use my room and take your time. Since you have been assigned as my contact you being with me would be completely expected. Take as much time as I can give you. I have to contact your governments and the Commander's assistant to see what is needed." She turned to Desjean. "I would like you to stay to deal with the medical reports please. If needed we can send you to the ship or even take the Barque up as well." Ike kept his arm around his wife as he gave Ceolura a thankful nod. "We won't be to long but thanks both of you." Amanda gave both a warm smile as well but didn't say anything. She knew that Ceo would be able to sense what she was feeling and there wasn't much else she could say. They slowly walked into the bed room and closed the door behind them. Ceolura contacted her assistant to come into her suite and they settled down to work. ~~~ Aboard the Rijishi The ship was shaping the shortest route to the habitat that had been hit. By now virtually all of their small craft were launched and mopping up the last of the missiles which had been launched. The heavy shuttles were split into several groups, the first and largest was aiming for the habitat. The second was slowly approaching the enemy vessel as well as a number of fighters. The third was performing SAR missions to try and recover as many of the escape pods as possible. They were also tractoring damaged ships back to the mother ship. By now the entire system looked like some idiot had kicked a hive of Bajasa. His holodeck had gone from what they had come to consider peace time operations to, well, a mess. All civilian traffic had been recalled to the nearest base so space was cleared. Virtually every system defense boat, light, medium, and heavy combat ships were shaping course to cover vital parts of the system. Fighter carriers had launched virtually their entire compliment of parasite craft. A large number of ships had requested permission to provide assistance which had been accepted. All ships were being controlled by the Swiss since this was an international issue. As soon as the enemy combatant had been neutralized the Commander had assigned his assistant to liaise with the Swiss for recovery missions. His focus was now on the enemy combatant and how best to intercept and board. Based on how they had fought he had a feeling they would do their best to scuttle the ship if possible. At the same time they would try to take as many as possible of his people with. Since the warrior leader was on the comms with him they discussed it and the mother ship was going to remain back. Once the initial flights of fighters and heavy troop shuttles had headed out the Commander started recalling his other vessels for reloading, rotation of crew if possible, and sent them back out. A number remained in a holding pattern if they were fighters since they simply weren't of any use in recovery missions. Most of the heavy shuttles were already tasked. By the time the recovery operations were underway the enemy vessel had been recovered. That had cost the warriors a number of fighters since the others had refused to surrender. By the time they had finished securing the ship it was almost a useless wreck. He had lost a good thirty crew in the fighting with a number more injured to various degrees. The search and rescue missions aboard the habitat were slowly changing to body recovery missions. Based on the reports he was being forwarded from Earth the entire system was in utter and complete shock. Never had there been such a loss of life such as they had in this one single day and the people were panicking. From the polity Ambassador Madlax was from there were comparisons between some battle in a place called Pearl Harbor. The saying 'The day that will live in infamy' or something similar. Across the entire planet similar comparisons were being made. Once the Commander finally disconnected from the Holodeck he was feeling utterly beat but this had to be reported. He stepped out of the pit and looked around at his bridge crew. Their expressions ranged from shock, horror, to fury and anger. "Put me on ship wide broadcast and to all the ships still out." Once the comm. officer indicated he was connected he cleared his throat. "To the ships compliment, warriors, specialists, and flight crews. Today was a day lacking in honor in the way the enemy attacked. However having said that I can only say that I am beyond proud of how each and every man and woman responded. I can't even begin to tell you what it means to me as the Commander. I couldn't have asked for a better crew to have under me in this time of villainous dishonorable attack." He had to clear his throat again before continuing. "All I can ask of you right now is to keep doing your job, listen to your senior officers and crew. Show the Terrans that though we haven't finalized the treaties we take our responsibilities seriously. Do your jobs and as soon as we have time I am going to have a meal and rest day called. Again one last time thanks all of you for making our people proud. When you have time take a moment to light incense and send prayers to the gods you pray to." He gave the comm. officer a nod to kill the link. He looked at his first officer. "You have the bridge and I will be in my bridge cabin if you need me." He turned and slowly walked to the door to his cabin and walked in. Once inside he collapsed in the chair behind his desk. One of the medical staff was there. "Commander I know you have to get the reports for the high command done. I have a mild stimulant that should keep you going till that is done. After that I have to recommend you get at least six hours of sleep to recover from the Holodeck." When he nodded understanding she gave him the injection and silently left the room. A meal was already on his desk for him. The Commander quickly but neatly ate the food. It was a good meal and designed to help him recover from the time in the Holodeck. Once he had finished eating he took several minutes to change uniforms and give his fur a good brushing. A shower would have been nice but that would have to wait. He needed to get the report out before anything else. Much of it would be done by his staff but they would need his feelings and opinions on what happened as well. Once he was looking as best possible he went back over to his desk and settled down. After taking several minutes to review the reports that had been submitted he activated his comm. and set it to record. "Commanders log from the Rijishi dated... As of 0823 local time an intruder into the human system was noted and..." He continued the report as concisely as possible without leaving anything out. He finished with, "this is a preliminary report and a formal report will be sent within the next Sholan day. One thing I feel needs to be sent to all ships is the enemy is not an honorable enemy. The moment they realized they weren't going to make it out of the system they chose to attack any target. They appeared to make a point of aiming for targets with the intent to cause as much damage as possible. This especially is true in reference to civilian targets. One other item is when their ship was boarded they fought with an almost pathological rage. Signing off." He contacted the comm. officer to have it sent. Once he was done with the report he stripped his uniform off and walked over to his bed and curled up. He was quickly asleep though how long he would be would be anyone's guess. ~~~ Ike and Amanda were in the room for only a short time before they came out. "Amanda is willing to be seen but only after this crisis is over. Till then she will not add any additional burden to the medical facilities aboard the Rijishi." Once he had said that he settled down at a small desk made available for his use and started checking on the information coming in. When reports of the damage to the habitat came in as well as the estimate of civilian lives lost he had to gasp. "Oh my god, who would do such a thing?" The next words out of his mouth were far less kind. "Gamo Ton Christo Sou you Poutanas Yie!!" Amanda so rarely heard him swear in his native tongue she was shocked. Beyond that she had a general idea of what he had said and it was highly insulting. Ceo looked up at him and raised an eye ridge. "Do I want to know what you just said Ike?" Before she could ask any more Amanda interrupted. "No you don't want to know and if he even considers it he will be living in the enlisted quarters for a while." She had called up the news feed on her VR glasses and had to close her eyes for a moment. "I understand Ike but please control your tongue while we are around others." God that was horrible. "I am going to go and talk to the ladies. They will find out and I might as well tell them what happened, well some of it." Ceo winced at Amanda's tone and threat. "Ah, I am sure it is along the lines of a few things I was thinking. I am sure the warriors are saying the same or worse. Go Amanda and take your time. Doctor you go as well just in case." This might change things though she wasn't sure since the request by the females was beyond miniscule compared to this. Once the two had left the room she turned to Ike. "I am going to authorize the ladies to go to Shola. I am not going to wait for a bunch of medical reports saying it would be a good idea. If you don't mind would you send a brief message to Ambassador Madlax informing him of this? I will contact the telepath's guild and the accommodation guild so they are ready as well." Ike looked up at her and other than a burning rage in his eyes his face was relatively composed. "I will take care of it immediately and also send a message to the Swiss concerning this as well." He turned back to the terminal he was using and went back to work. It was going to be a long day for everyone involved. Eventually he was done with the various messages and he had made sure to send copies to the Sec Def. He figured he wouldn't get a reply for some time since at the moment everyone was focused on the attack. Once he was done he turned to Ceo. "How do you plan on sending them back? One of the transports from Shola?" Ceolura leaned back in her chair and stretched before answering. Her muscles were tense and with the anger she was feeling she had turned her personal damper up full. "To be honest I am not sure. At the moment the shuttles are going to be occupied with getting equipment here to help and possibly taking the worst injured back to Shola if asked. I know that Yilly has asked to have the pirate ship sent to Shola as a test bed. It has been completely stripped of anything from when the pirates were aboard, repainted and sanitized. I sent a message to Amanda to ask the ladies if they would mind going back on her. The ship looks completely different and has even had some upgrades such as the beds, food, and entertainment console." Ike winced at that since it almost sounded like a bad idea and to not even ask. "I am sure you know but that sounds rather wrong. I understand but who will be going with to help them? I know that you are seriously occupied with what has happened here as well as your own search." He rubbed his face and groaned. "Well if nothing else Amanda will be able to tell you if it will work. Once I have that information I will send a message to Billy about them." ~~~ Amanda slowly worked her way to the rooms the four women were occupying. When she arrived she gave the warrior at the door a pleasant smile and nod. "I need to talk to the ladies about a request they made of the Ambassador." He twitched his ears and a slow smile crossed his face. "She has given them permission to go to Shola? If so that is a good idea. If they do go there are several of the warriors from the Sandi who will be going back as well." He opened the door after saying that and showed her in. "Ladies Mrs. Demopolus is here about your request." He walked in and settled down on one of the beds. Immediately Savanna came over and settled down in front of him and handed him a brush. "Would you mind brushing my hair Shojim?" It always helped her relax and she was going to need it. Either way, if the Ambassador said yes or no it was going to be a huge change for them. She really didn't want to stay on Earth since even with all the support she kept cringing when most human males came close. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her and rested his cheek on the top of her head. "Do you even need to ask? You know that those from the Sandi have long since decided that you are ours to protect and keep safe." He sat up and started working on her hair. It had been relatively short and ragged when they had saved her. Now it was longer and luxurious. It was a deep brown with highlights of auburn. Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 03 Ch. 06 Bitty had become the spokesperson for the group since she knew Billy. "Good afternoon Amanda. We are pleased to see you and thank you for coming. So what did the Ambassador decide? Please do all of us a favor and simply tell us. All of us want to know and beating around the bush isn't going to do anything but stress us." She was sitting between the other two females as she was talking. Amanda had carefully settled down in a chair and sighed at the pain from her hip. "Sorry if I seem tired and grumpy. As you have seen my hip bothers me and stress only makes it worse. I came here for two reasons. First to tell you about the alarm and why it was sounded, the second is about Ceo's decision." When Angel went and retrieved a drink for her she gave her a wan smile. "Thank you Angel." After taking a sip she got to the point. "First Ceo has approved your request and you will be going to Shola. Billy, I mean Ambassador Madlax will be responsible for you and ensure you have what you need. He has been keeping up to date on your status. He has also been reporting that Crystal is doing very well on Shola." She gave them a very pleased smile. "He also informed Ike that Crystal and Kingie are somewhat involved and he has been good for her." Both statements were received with pleasure based on the women's expressions. Bitty had to close her eyes for a moment. "Thank god and when you see Ambassador Ceolura please thank her for us. You don't have any idea of how much that means to us." She had to close her eyes and take several deep breaths. "We are all very pleased for Crystal and Kingie. It gives us hope that..." She had to look away and couldn't finish the statement. The other two wrapped their arms around her and gave her a good hug. Amanda lightly bit her lower lips since the next piece of information was going to be hard. "For reasons I will explain momentarily Ceo wanted to know if all of you think you would be able to go to Shola on the former Pirate ship. It has been completely refurbished and I was informed that the warriors who rescued you will be going back with. There are going to be some additional staff going as well for the Embassy. Do you think you could handle that? I want an honest answer." That caused a silence amongst the women and they were trading looks as they considered it. This time it was Clarice who responded. "Tell us why before we can answer that. Even with having our warriors come with that is a very terrifying idea." Personally she would have to actually look at the ship inside. That and have a lock on the door that only she could use. Amanda gave her a level look. "I don't know how much you know as to why the Sholan's are here for but they are searching for an enemy. They don't know much about them at the moment other than they attacked one of their ships and not only destroyed it but killed the entire crew. Well the alert was for an incursion into Terran space by the enemy. Almost the moment they realized they weren't going to escape they decided to attack anything and everything." Her eyes showed horror even as her face hardened. "They fired missiles at anything that could be a target, military or civilian, and took out a habitat. The current estimate of dead is in the hundreds of thousands. The Sholan's transport ships are all heading this direction with humanitarian supplies and will probably be heading back with casualties that Earth can't help." She had to pause and take a ragged breath. "They did that deliberately and as of now I am sure Earth is on a war footing or will be very shortly. They want the pirate ship sent to Shola so Billy can see how he can help improve the engines." She had to stop talking for a moment. Her hands were clutched around the handle of her cane and her knuckles were white due to her grip. That received another shocked silence. All the women were looking at her in horror at what she had to say. As they were trying to figure out how to respond Shojim contacted the other warriors and asked them to report to the rooms for support. "Thank you for the information Ma'am even if it is unwelcome at the moment. I have asked some of the other warriors to come in for support." As he was talking he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Savanna again. Bitty tried to speak and had to clear her throat. "Oh god, that is horrible and I can understand now why you are asking what you are. We will need to talk about it and think about it before we can say anything. How soon might we be expected to give an answer?" Her eyes were starting to glimmer with tears. "Does Billy know about this?" Amanda had to clear her throat as well. "For now I don't think there is going to be any rush since the solar system is dealing with what happened. Think about it and talk to your warriors since they will be going back with you. They have, from what I understand, been training on how to operate the ship. There will be some humans aboard as well to supplement the warriors and yes some will be males. They have all been screened for a reaction to your issues. Across the board they are all horrified and angry about what happened. They will not look down on you and have been given instructions on how best to work with you." Amanda slowly nodded at the question about Billy. "Ike, my husband, is going to be sending him a message about the four of you and your request. He will let him know that you are going to be coming and what you might need. As far as the attack he will be receiving the message about the same time as the message about your being sent out." She wanted to stand but her hip was really starting to hurt. "Shojim could you give me a hand up? I need to see about some pain meds for my hip." Savanna moved to the side as Shojim stood and moved over to Amanda. "Most definitely ma'am and do you need a hand to medical? If needed I can contact them and have them send a hover chair for you." She was another human female that they had been watching and been very impressed with. They didn't know what had happened but she stood up to her problem without a complaint. She had to grit her teeth as she was helped up. "If you wouldn't mind giving me a hand I should be able to make it. Thank you for the offer though." Once she was up she moved her cane to her other hand and wrapped her arm around his and held on. "If you ladies need anything I am going to see about staying aboard for the time being. Contact me with any request you might have at any time." Right about then the door opened and several of the warriors came in and after greeting Amanda moved to the females. It was rather obvious that they had come to care for them based on their reactions to the stress in the room. Amanda had to smile slightly as they moved out of the room. "It is good that you have in a way adopted them. Even though you aren't human males it is obvious that you care for them and what happened to them doesn't really matter." Shojim chose not to do anything other and twitch his ears at her. The four women left had almost become family and central to the unit. For now Amanda didn't need to know that. "Once at medical will you want me to remain with you till they are done?" Amanda managed not to smile at his ignoring her comment. "No, I will contact Ike when they are done with me but thank you for the offer. Go back and sit with Savanna and the others." The rest of the short walk to medical was silent and once inside he gave her a nod and quietly left the room. ~~~ Once Billy had decrypted the messages which had been bundled into a single packet he at first was interested. Shortly after starting to read the messages he started getting angry. By the time he was done he was almost incandescent with rage and he knew that Satasha could feel it. "Those fuckers don't know who they decided to fuck with." He had called Sandi already and when she came in he tried to control his reaction. "Get me Father Shion, the Engineering Board, and Shola High command. They already know it is urgent but do what you need to get a rep from each here as soon as possible." Sandi had to blink and asked what had him so worked up. When he explained it she became almost as enraged as he was. What made it worse for her was she was a red head and had a vile temper when irritated. "They will be here yesterday if I have any say in it. I will send you updates as I get them." She turned and stalked out of the room. *Satasha I am going to need you here and since Z'Marl is doing the waitress thing contact her and have her report. As of now the Embassy is priority for anything before our personal lives goes. I will talk to Vangie and Kingie and inform them we are going to have a meeting tonight at Vangie's and everyone has to be there. I will talk to Dani personally about this and hopefully she and Mizaki will be able to be there.* Since the day after they had linked both had been very carefully monitored and Dani had been spending a good amount of time with Z'Marl for support. Satasha didn't even hesitate. *Yes Ambassador, I will take care of it now. I will let you know what is happening and when. Unless it is a problem I am going to request my family as well as Z'Marl's to be there. It is going to impact on them as well.* She still hadn't talked to her father since that initial meeting but it was time to deal with it. *Do that and contact me telepathically. I am likely to be more than busy for the rest of today and might not be able to get to the comm..* Billy let her go and started working on some breathing exercises to try and control his emotions. If he couldn't they would impact on everyone nearby. While he was doing that Sandi informed him that the Father was there. "Send him in please." He might be pissed beyond all recognition but he was going to be as civil as possible. When the Father walked in he was exuding calmness. "Ambassador would you allow me to show you some calming exercises? They will help with what you are feeling right now and help calm and relax you." He settled down in a chair and waited. Billy was trying to breathe slowly but his nostrils were white with anger. "Please Father Shion since right now I am so angry that I almost can't operate. If you can help me to calm down I would greatly appreciate it and then we can talk." They did need to about a number of issues. "We have used the Litany's of Vartra for generations and especially for potentially rogue talents. I am not saying you are anywhere near that in any way. I am simply saying if we can calm them down we should be able to help you and yours as well. That is one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you. I have heard about the issues your youngest girl has been having and I wanted to offer help for her. Now what you need to do is..." He started walking Billy through the calming litany for a start. "Mind you though we are the Brotherhood of Vartra it doesn't mean you are worshiping him. They are simply used as a way to calm down in this case. With some of the others they are used to help you become receptive to contacting the gods." ~~~ Billy had moved over to the other chair in his office and closed his eyes and did as Shion instructed. Suddenly he felt a shift and when he opened his eyes he found he was in a forest somewhere. There was a path leading towards a heavy wooden door that was set into a high stone wall. He had to frown in confusion since he had no idea how he had gotten here. With a slight growl of annoyance he stalked to the gate and examined it. In the center of the gate was emblazoned a symbol that resembled the triad pendant the three of them had been given. "Now what? I am so not pleased damn it." He glowered at the gate and after an indeterminate time he spoke. "If you want me to come in open the damn gate or I will follow the path in the opposite direction. I am not in the mood for any crap at the moment and have things I need to deal with back on Shola." His voice was hard, deep, and angry as he spoke. There was no compromise in it at the moment. As soon as he had finished speaking the gate opened and inside he could see a forest of gigantic proportions. There was a path leading inside and somewhere in the distance he could hear what sounded like a hammer hitting something metal. "God damn it I don't want to do this." He stepped into the gateway. ***** A/N: With the Anxiety/Panic attacks I know what I am talking about. When my son went to Afghanistan I ended up with them. They were so bad I could barely leave the house and there were several times my sister or brother had to come and hold me. If you do come across someone who is or has panic attacks don't tell them anything that I mentioned as not to do. Yes it is in our minds (literally) but saying that doesn't help. Support and concern does though. Read, vote, comment and most importantly enjoy. Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 03 Ch. 07 When Billy stepped inside the massive wall and gate he frowned since the differences between outside and in were wildly different. There was a different feel in the air as well since it almost seemed clearer and almost sweet as he inhaled to try and scent anything. Even with his enhances senses he assumed he had received from Satasha all he could really smell was the clear and crisp air. There were traces of resin as well as hints of a slightly acrid smoke. With a great deal of trepidation he slowly moved down the path even as his mind tried to define what had happened. One moment he was in his office working to calm down and the next he was standing in front of the gate. As he was moving down the path his mind was almost muttering about string theory, alternate dimensions, and other world. As hard as he tried he couldn't figure out how this might happened and to be honest it scared him. For most of his life he had been able to define his world in math and physics. This boggled Billy's mind and he had to force away thoughts of higher powers and deities. Eventually as he was slowly moving down the path he could see some roofs though the forest and they looked rustic. What that meant he didn't know but the closer he came the more suspicious he became. The closer he came the more he could smell the smoke as well as heated metal and the sound of a hammer striking metal. Shortly before he arrived the sounds mostly stopped and when he finally stepped out in a clearing he found a Sholan male sitting at a table sipping on something from a cup. "Welcome Ambassador Madlax and please come and have a set. I have wanted to say hello but the time hadn't been right." The male who talked to him had wider ears such as the highlander Sholan's had and his fur was a light sandy color as well. He was wearing a blacksmiths smock and the cup in his hand was a fine grained yet plain cup. Billy narrowed his eyes slightly. "Who are you and where am I? I was talking to Father Shion moments ago and appeared here. What do you want and I wish to go back." Even though he didn't want to admit it Billy had a feeling he knew where he was and it scared the living daylights out of him. The male gave him a wide amused smile. "Please Billy have a seat and relax. I just wanted to say hello to the first of the new Leska's. I don't know if you will recognize the name but I am Vartra." He wanted to wince since he had a feeling the male in front of him was rather secular. Vartra didn't think it was a lack of belief but a case of I take care of mine and the god do what they want. His eyes narrowed slightly more and his nose was going for all it was worth. He couldn't smell any deception from the male but Billy knew that was relative. "For the moment say I accept that you are the Vartra some of the Sholan's worship what does that mean to me? I am not Sholan and why do you want to say hello to Satasha and I?" He finally settled down across from the male. ~~~ Billy suddenly started and sat up and he was back in his office and his face showed his anger. He tried not to project it but it was obvious. "I do not appreciate whatever it was that happened. Why are you hear Father. Tell me or get out. I don't have much patients right now and this is stretching things." Honestly he was both shocked and terrified. As Vartra had thought Billy did believe but figured that if he took care of his own the gods would ignore him. To have what the Sholan's believed was a god call him and talk to him terrified him more than he could describe. It didn't help that Satasha was demanding to know where he had gone. *Satasha I don't know but I need to talk to the Father now. I will talk to you later. Take care of what I asked please my love.* He sent a surge of love to her which was thankfully enough to relax her now that he was back. From where he wasn't sure and at the moment didn't want to speculate. Even as Billy was growling at Shion he was looking shocked. All he had been trying to do was to calm Billy down and nothing else. When he had mentally vanished from the room Shion was more than stunned. He knew what had happened and was going to have to talk to the guardians about this. "Ambassador I am here to talk and nothing else. What happened..." His expression calmed down. "...That was a calling by an entity and nothing else. I had no control over it and had no indication it would happen. All I wanted to do was to talk and offer you and your youngest some teachings. As I said the litanies are normally used to help calm, relax, and center both new talents as well as rogue talents." He sighed. "Again I am not saying that you or your daughters are rogue talents but I do know that Danielle is having problems. All I want to do is to offer help." Shion knew that he had to be involved with the new Leska's and that there would be more of them. Billy barely managed not to growl and started taking some slow deep breaths as he had been taught on earth. It did help but since they weren't designed for telepaths it was only somewhat helpful. "Can you tell me that my youngest won't be called like I was?" What bothered him was he didn't know what happened beyond seeing the Sholan male. Shion sighed and gave a slight shrug. "No I can't, if they are called to the service of the gods then they will be called. I will say that they have to be willing. Having said that the litanies only do what they are designed to. In your case I have a feeling that since you are the first of the Hybrid Leska's the gods wanted to get your measure." Billy growled again and then forced himself to relax again. "I will talk to my daughter and see what she has to say. It is going to be her choice and if I have the faintest hint that you or yours are pressuring her... It will be ugly." He sat up and stared at Shion. "I will make this clear; I will broach no forcing of anything on those I hold close to me. If it happens and I am crossed I will challenge you and I will win." Shion raised his chin and then nodded. "Contrary to what you might believe we don't operate that way. I will tell you now that our mandate is to protect Shola and nothing else. I know that you have other things to deal with so I will leave you now. My contact information has been sent to your comm.. If you need anything please contact me." Father Shion stood and left the room. ~~~ Shortly after Shion had left the office Sandi walked in and she had an odd expression on her face. "Ambassador I have two Sholan's here who have requested to be stationed here as part of the Sholan's staff." She honestly wasn't sure what to make of the request. Billy had looked up when she walked in and gave her a blank look briefly since that should have gone to Jenna for approval. "Okay, who is it and what positions are they looking to fill?" It was obvious he wasn't sure why she was asking him about it. She had to snicker. "I have a Tech Warrior Lycos and Tech warrior Illyos asking for positions. Both are looking for positions as computer specialists." Sandi knew that Billy would recognize the names since she and Jenna had told him about the ship recovery. The expression on his face was almost priceless and she captured an image of it. "That expression alone was worth it Billy and thanks. What would you like to do?" There was a definite glint in her eyes when she spoke. Billy brought his expression under control other than a slight glower. When they had told him the story he almost died laughing. It was a comedy of errors from the landing to the actual recovery. For the moment he was going to go with it and pretend she wasn't trying to pull his leg. Since she was picking on him he decided he would return the favor. "Well I did look into their past service and they do have some very good reviews. Then again they also seem to cause as much chaos as results sometimes." He lightly scratched his short beard. "Tell them we will give them a ninety day probationary try. They are going to need someone to ride heard on them." Sandi was starting to get that chill up her spine she tended to get when Billy was going to do something rotten. As he was talking the chill became even worse and she knew, simply knew what he was going to say next. "Definitely will need someone to ride heard on them. I think I will have them report to you and you will be their supervisor." He gave her a warm smile. "Since you and Jenna already know them it should make it easier for them to fit in. They will be also working with Vangie as their senior warrior. Get with Vangie and find out what his thoughts on this are." His amusement had made its way to Tasha. *Yilly you are a horrible, rotten, evil, man. If Jenna doesn't kill you Sandi might.* She sounded both appalled and amused at what he had done. Sandi sighed. "Fine I will take care of that and Billy I have a feeling Jenna might have something to say to you about this." Just for good measure she stuck her nose in the air and walked out. Right before she left he called out and sounded far more serious. "Sandi I hate to add to your work load and maybe you can foist this off on those two. I have been putting it off for some time but I need to find a place we can rent or purchase as the Ambassador's house. I have a pretty darn large purse since the three governments have provided funds for me. It is going to need to be large with room for balls, parties, casual dinners, and such things. If it has some property as well that would be an added bonus." He ran his fingers through his hair as he contemplated anything else they might need. "Oh, and ensure that several suites are shielded to the standards of the Leska Quarters when you find one. I do want to review any properties first of course but I trust you to bring me the best." Sandi paused and tapped her tablet with the stylus as she was contemplating it. "Hmm... I will see what I can find but it might best if it was outside of town as well. Knowing what I have learned of the Sholan's they like nature and getting their paws on the ground. I will take care of it and if you don't mind a suggestion I think there might be an old clan property available. That way though there might need to be some upgrades and construction you would already have a number of buildings." She gave him a professional smile and walked out. ~~~ Shojim hurried back to the rooms the ladies were in and when he walked in he settled down next to Savanna. Each warrior had in a way adopted one of the females. They had discussed this and decided it would be the best way to help them. Each warrior would get to know the female and learn how she was dealing with what had been done to her. This allowed them to give each woman personal attention that was specific for her. If needed any of the other warriors could fill in as needed. Once he settled down next to Savanna he wrapped an arm around her. "So what are you thinking Sava? I would say credit for your thoughts but they are worth more than that." She leaned against him and subtly relaxed. "Right now a credit might be more than they are worth. My mind keeps running in circles. Some of it is the idea of even stepping foot back on that ship, no to be honest it does scare me to the depths of my soul." She had to shudder in reaction. "I honestly don't know how I will react even with you and the others there with us." Knowing there were going to be some human males aboard scared her badly as well. The other females were talking to the Sholan's who had taken a personal interest in them. All of them could tell that there wasn't an intimate component to the relationships. As Shojim was holding Savanna he was carefully listening to the other conversations and they sounded much the same. About the only one who was having less of an obvious reaction was Bitty. He wasn't sure if it was because Billy had saved her or she was better able to hide the fear. Once the other females had finished talking to each other and the warriors Shojim spoke. "I know you are going to need some time to really decide. I am going to see about having a warrior go aboard and capture some footage of what she looks like now. I think that would be far better than you considering going over and actually walking inside. If we are to do this what would you need to feel better aboard her?" Angel immediately spoke. "I would have to have a lock on the door that could only be opened from the inside." Her eyes were showing her distress and anger. Much like Crystal she had a deep burning anger at how what had been done to them had changed her. She hadn't been the most adventurous of people but she had made a point of enjoying life. Now her life had been restricted to this ship due to fear of people. "I want to go to Shola so I can feel even sort of safe to go outside. I want to be able to start living again and actually do things." They did leave the room and not just for medical but to go to one of the lounges. They watched both Terran and Sholan TV shows. They talked with the crew and some of the guests that came through but they had only left the ship a very few times. Clarice was chewing on her lip as she was thinking. "I rather wish that Amanda could escort us. I do feel safe around her and she does genuinely care." She has been very helpful when it came to helping them with all the little, and not so little gifts, and notes they had received. For a brief moment her eyes danced. "Do any of you know if it is true she offered the Ambassador a Hash Brownie?" They had been given very detailed lists of what they had received. Bitty snorted at her and mentally thanked her for breaking the tension. "I suppose we could ask Amanda the next time we see her. I have a feeling she will deny it even if she did." The rest of the women snickered slightly since Amanda came across as a very proper woman. "I think your idea with the video is a very good idea. I have to agree with Angel that I would want a door with a heavy lock on the inside. Having a two person room would be fine since I am not sure yet if I could sleep in a room alone right now." She leaned against her warrior and shivered as well. For a moment tears threatened to flow but she wasn't going to let them. Savanna shifted till she was sitting on Shojim's lap and pressed her face into his chest and started shaking. If it had been just the one issue or the other she probably could have handled it. With both it was too much and she broke down. Even as long as the warriors had been with them it was rare for them to get this close to them. Shojim was pleased when she moved onto his lap even if it was because she was starting to cry. He wrapped his arms around her and settled his head on hers. Since their purring seemed to help he started the low rumble and simply let her cry. He didn't know if they were going to be able to go aboard the pirate ship. He was going to have to mention this to the doctor and Ambassador. ~~~ Undersecretary Nelson was staring at his TV in both shock and horror. The impact of having a habitat destroyed and most of the people presumably lost seriously hit home. Yes you could say that by playing with the pirates and trying to unify earth wasn't much different but it was quantity that hit home. The firepower of the alien vessel had shocked him as well. The reaction of the Sholan's hadn't had as much of an impact since he had expected them to be more deadly than an equivalent Terran ship. "Love I have to get to work. I don't know when I will be home so don't bother waiting up." He always had a small bag packed for emergencies like this. He grabbed the bag and hurried out to his vehicle and was quickly on the road. He was going to have to contact the rest in the organization but this could either be a good thing or a bad thing for them. If this was just an example of what the others could dish out then it was going to be one hell of a fight. It might cause more of the planet to be unified but depending on who might end up in charge that could be a bad thing. For now he knew that all of the organization was going to be focusing on what had happened and not anything else. Well he hoped so but the Chinese coalition tended to be hard to pin down at times. Sometimes they would go with the plan and other times they would do their own thing. The Eastern Block wasn't as bad though occasionally they could be a bit squirrely. If needed he had a few cards up his sleeve including simply having them killed. He was sure the others had similar plans in place but since he was the most senior member he had more fingers in the pot. He finally chased those thoughts away since for the moment he needed to focus on what had happened today. The entire system was going to be in shock which would ripple through their five colonies as well when it reached them. With this attack he also had a feeling that the system was going to be going to a war footing sooner than later. He finally pulled into the staff parking structure and hurried into the building. As soon as he walked in he was directed to a critical meeting that had already started. "Good afternoon Secretary, ladies, and gentlemen." He settled down and pulled out his tablet and settled in to see what he was going to be tasked with. ~~~ Once Sandi had left the office Billy almost laughed. Both of them were so angry at what had happened that words hadn't been close to describing their feelings. He had a feeling she had mentioned that to distract him from his anger. It had done that and had given him enough time to step back enough where he could think. Now that he was feeling somewhat more in control of his emotions he glared at the screen. Before he went back to the message he checked the others and actually smiled for a brief moment. The message about the women coming to Shola was included. He felt that was a good idea since the treatment Crystal was getting was more in depth than the others. It wasn't for any reason other than she had the best of the planet helping her. The ship wasn't normally setup to deal with this since people this damaged would have been returned to Shola. When he read the section about the possibility of coming back on the ship they had been rescued from he frowned. *Yilly talk to Vangie and he can pilot the Sandi back with Sally and a small support staff. It does not feel right to ask them to come back on the other ship. The other ship can be sent here for you to work on immediately. The delay of a week or two to get them isn't going to be a problem.* Satasha could feel his agreeing with her on that. It would just be cruel to do that. *I was thinking that myself and I have a feeling that with what happened they had forgotten I have a ship here. I will take care of this and did you get the messages to everyone to be here for dinner?* The had a conference room that should be large enough to fit all of them. Even as he was talking to her he was knocking out a message for Ike that he was going to send the Sandi. *I did and my mother and siblings are pleased though my father is still being a pain in the tail. I also contacted one of the delivery services for food.* She had been keeping in touch with her family via her siblings and her mother. Her father had mostly quit saying anything negative about Billy but he hadn't called her or Billy to apologize for that first day. As she was talking Z'Marl walked in and immediately came over to Billy and settled down in his lap. When he wrapped his arms around her she rubbed her nose against his tabard. *I am so sorry for your people Yilly. That was just horrible and..." She couldn't continue she was so horrified. *Good Satasha and I am going to let you go. Z'Marl needs a bit of comfort.* He moved his chair back when she came in and held his arms out to her. When she settled down on his lap he lightly nuzzled an ear as he held her. *Thank you Hunny. I can't even describe how... Damn them, may they burn in hell.* Billy started stroking her back as he was talking. "Sandi is getting someone from the Naval Design Board to get over here before yesterday. I know you are upset love but could you get the design room setup? They are going to want to know what I have that might help my world." Giving her something to do might help. Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 03 Ch. 07 She leaned more into him and relaxed slightly as he stroked her back. "I can do that Yilly. Any particular order you want?" She really didn't want to leave his arms but knew that he was going to need all the help possible. "Thank you and what I would like is..." He gave her instructions on how he wanted the room and viewers set up. Once she left he rubbed his face and growled in frustration. He wanted to go back and tear what was left of that ship apart but he was needed here. He finally stood up and poured a small shot of a single malt scotch before going back to his desk. He activated the video chat on his terminal and looked into the camera. "Sue Anne I am going to be sending you some new schematics and designs that should give a decent boost to both N-Space engines and the H-Space engines. I am having the former pirate ship sent to me so I can test some of my other designs. If you need to take a portion of my income and plow it back into the company and start an expansion. I am going to contact Ike and have him work his contacts to see what sort of incentives we might get from the Space Corps. I will have some more documents to you soon. Also I have another set of drawings and diagrams for the patent office. I will try and contact you every couple of days to keep in contact with you." He saved the file and added several more before encrypting them and marking them urgent and to be sent as soon as possible. He had been working a while longer when Vangie came in and frowned at Billy. "You didn't get lunch did you? If you don't eat something I am sure your Leska will have words for me. Even worse I know Sally will. I live with her and don't want to end up on the couch." As Vangie was grumbling at Billy he walked in and pulled a bag out from behind him. "Here are some snack type materials that can be considered a decent meal." Billy rubbed his hair and after closing his eyes he stretched. "I know but I am still so angry that if I eat much I will be regretting it. Now something to nibble on would work and thanks. I need you and Sally to take a trip for me." He leaned forward and grabbed one of the large drink cups and smiled since it was their version of a shake. "I want you and Sally to take the Sandi back to earth and pick up the survivors of the pirates and bring them back. The Ambassador has approved their request to come back. As you know with the attack on earth most of the spare transports will be in use." Vangie nodded. "Satasha already contacted me about this and I talked to Sally and she doesn't have a problem. The first wave of ships is going to be leaving the day after tomorrow. We will be ready to go with. Between the two of us we can run the ship and since the High Command is detailing combat ships as escorts. You should contact High Command and let them know what you are doing. I am assigned to you but to have me leaving the system is something they need to know about." "I will have Sandi take care of that for me. Now why don't you go and see if they want us to take a cargo back." He sighed as Vangie left the room since now it was time for the NDB. He stood up and left his office and let Sandi know where he was going. ~~~ Back on Earth Sue Anne was taking a stroll around the current location of Billy's new company. It was small but they were doing a good solid amount of business. At first it was word of mouth and what she had started doing was purchasing existing surplus tubes that were worn. Following Billy's instructions before she would purchase any of the tubes she first did a detailed scan. Once she had that she would run it through a test program. The program would give a potential result for the re-crystallization process. If the results were at least seventy percent successful she would purchase the tubes and process them. After the first two weeks of processing the tubes through her small induction furnace was enough to show she needed a larger location. Once she had paid the electric bill and other incidental fee's she had a pretty nice stash even though she was only getting about fifteen percent of the take. She looked around and found a goodly sized shed she could use. Getting a larger furnace took more time as well as the needed wiring infrastructure. Since she was going to be working for both herself and Billy she had her entire shop moved there as well. By the time the sixth week after Billy had first left she had a barebones office and manufactory setup. She had been forced to hire several workers since they were starting to get some serious attention. It helped that one of her boys was a graphics artist and website designer. He had tossed a number of ideas at her for a website and she had finally broken down and told him to come up with several suggestions. Once he had done that she had forwarded the design's to Billy for review and approval. By the time he had gotten back to her he had finally made it back to Earth. For a moment her face tightened since they had barely had a chance to talk before he had been critically injured. When that had happened she had almost lost it. They had been friends since school and the entire town had been in utter shock. Billy was almost a home town hero. The story of both he and his wife was one of those sweetheart stories with the hometown high school couple. Danielle's death was also a hometown tragedy with the benefit of having to raise two small babies. When he had been shot the whole town had mourned and then when they had received the news he had survived they celebrated. With a sigh she dragged her mind back to her thoughts. At the moment she was sitting in her office contemplating the books as she was sipping on some coffee. At the moment she was contemplating what was going to be needed to actually create from the ground up a new factory. Since Billy had signed the incorporation documents she had found a damn good lawyer for them. The government had been sending feelers out to her about getting a contract setup. That she had forwarded to Billy as well but hadn't heard back yet. To keep them somewhat pacified she was doing tubes on a per unit basis with a slight discount. Across from her was her husband who was contemplating options on where they should build the plant. Both were definitely leaning towards somewhere near town since it would provide a number of jobs. On the flip side it could also bring in any number of undesirables who were just trying to make a quick buck. They had requested bids from several companies on building the plants. The bids were to include environmental impact statements, locations, costs, and additional costs. For the moment the building they had was sufficient though very busy. With a sigh she put her cup down. "Well as of now we don't have the capitol to build the size of factory that I would really like. Even with the bids not being delivered for another couple of weeks we still won't have the money to do more than purchase the property." Bo scratched his head. "I know hunny kins but we don't have access to more cash. Even if we talk to family and friends we don't have the right to sell stock or shares in the company. That is something Billy needs to do or give authorization to do." He rubbed his short hair in frustration. "You need to contact Billy and have him find someone other than you or I as his CEO Neither one of us have the training or experience for dealing with a large company." She sighed in frustration. "I know Bo but I have been doing my best to keep such matters from him. He has enough on his shoulders between being the Ambassador, healing, and all the other stuff." Sue Anne rolled her head on her shoulders. "I guess we really do need to since we can't keep doing it piecemeal. I will take care of the message now." She turned to her interface and started recording a message for Billy. Once she was done she forwarded it to the Embassy to be sent to him. "I am hungry now and feel the urge to have some serious down home BBQ. Let's go and scandalize our kids." She stood and pulled him to his feet and gave him a good kiss. ~~~ It was several weeks later when she had finally gotten a reply from Billy. He was going to talk to his contacts and see what he could do. For the time being he had released some additional funds to her so she could expand the shop she was currently in. That was helpful since even if she did get a new place built she was keeping this for job lot work. Before the CEO had been hired they had several offers for funding which they were looking at. They were going to have to discuss this with the lawyer. As it was she had an appointment with one of the potential investors here shortly. She had made a point of dressing up for the meeting as well. This was going to be interesting since all they had was a request for an appointment. Frankly she didn't like that since the others had sent brochures and offers beforehand. Eventually the time arrived and she was in her office waiting. The individual in question arrived just before the time and was escorted in. Sue Anne stood and held her hand out across the desk. "Good afternoon and please call me Sue Anne. I am pleased to meet ya'll." She had decided to go with the southern twang to make the other feel like he was dealing with a hick. "Good afternoon to you as well Sue Anne. Thank you for seeing me. Please call me Mark." He handed a business card over to her after shaking her hand. "I know we didn't give you much information but the individuals I represent don't wish to be named. It is simply a case of they don't wish privacy. All are in business and many are related to ship building, ship maintenance, and repair. Based on the information on your website this would be an excellent investment opportunity for them." She returned his handshake and took the card before sitting down. When he started speaking she listened to him and it did sound moderately reasonable. She could understand their wanting some privacy if for no other reason if the business went under they wouldn't be connected with it. "Do you have a brochure or report on what sort of investments they might want to make? As far as purchasing controlling stock in the company that I don't have any control over. That is in the Ambassador's control till he has a CEO and even then he has already stated he isn't selling any of the main stock." Mark, or as he was called at the moment, didn't change expression since he had been told to expect that. "I do have some information on what the investors would be willing to bring to the table. As far as the stock I understand you don't have control over that. I would ask that you contact the Ambassador when you have a chance and ask him to consider it. We aren't talking large blocks of stock. Simply a small portion." If they could get a toe in the door they would be able to take it from there. Part of it was they wanted to get as much information on the process as well. Sue Anne tilted her head at his request. "I will do that and I am sure that he is already contemplating it. I would give you a look around the shop but currently we are running full time and I would have to shut down parts of the process due to proprietary reasons. I will take a look at the information you have provided and forward it to our lawyer. He will discuss it with the CEO." She stood and held her hand out again. Mark stood as well and returned the shake. "Thank you for your time and I, and the investors, will be looking forward to hearing from you." He gave her a polite smile and then left the office. Sue Anne contemplated the closed door and something bothered her. Everything he had said was reasonable but there was just something off. When her husband came in she held a finger to her lips. Why she did she wasn't sure but she was feeling suspicious. "Well Bo that was a good meeting. I need to get something to eat. How about we go and catch a late noon meal?" He blinked and then nodded. "Works for me and I was just getting ready to ask you the same. We have got to start working on eating better." He held a hand out and walked out of the office with her. ***** A/N: The section with Sue Anne takes place over time. I debated on taking it to the attack but decided not to. Read, enjoy, vote, comment. Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 03 Ch. 08 Dani was sitting in the Leska quarters and was feeling rather drawn. It was time for the second link day and to be honest she was terrified. She did like Mizaki and had been considering seeing him for a while but suddenly she was literally a long term, as in till death do us part, relationship with him. Even if it was that they only needed to come together once every five days it would continue till one of them died and then both would be gone. Knowing everything he knew as well as thought and felt terrified her as well. She didn't want to know what a male felt when he needed to take a leak or while having sex. There were other feelings and sensations from him which bothered her. It did help that they were being taught to filter their thoughts, feelings, and needs from each other during the non-link days. It didn't help since when they did have sex all of his memories of the last five days would come to her. On top of that all of her memories would go to him as well. How the hell could she deal with that? For the last few days she had only seen him during the training for their new talents. Yes he had polite with his interest both before that night and after. He had made a point of not coming to the quarters assigned to them but tonight he had to. Dani knew that she would end up in bed with him but this wasn't what she wanted. She had wanted a relationship based on love and caring. Not some relationship based on some damn link which didn't give a damn how they felt. Dani knew that her Daddy and Satasha cared for each other and loved each other. It had taken her sometime to come to terms with that but after getting to know some of the Sholan's on the Sandi she understood. That didn't mean she was ready for a relationship with one of them, well not a permanent relationship. Sally might be Vangie's companion but that had been by choice and nothing else. What was even worse was that she wasn't going to have a choice in when she might end up pregnant. Sholan's didn't have any use for birth control since the females had control of that. From tests done on Dani at her request it looked like she wasn't going to have a choice either. Her system had changed enough already that they didn't think the BC she was on would work. She was in no way ready to have a child at this point. She was in college for god's sake and didn't need the distraction of having a child she wasn't ready for. When the door opened she twitched since she knew it was Mizaki even before he walked in. He let the door close behind him before speaking. "Dani can we please talk for a few before... Can we please talk?" His voice was low and sad as he spoke. "I know how distressing this is for you and neither of us could have begun to expect it but we need to talk." He settled down on the couch across from her. Mizaki had made a point of coming a short time before the link became over whelming. Dani sat up and looked at him. Her face was drawn and tense. Her eyes were scared of what was going to happen but also a faint hint of desire showed as well. They did need to talk but what the hell was she supposed to say? "I don't know what can be said Mizaki. I have two choices, accept this and get pregnant or die. If I chose not to accept it then I have to accept causing your death as well. What am I supposed to say?" He lowered his ears in distress as she spoke. He had to look down at the floor. "I don't know either Dani. Those are very difficult choices. I would prefer if we can work something out between us but some of it is your choice." He looked up at her before speaking again. "I know what I would prefer. If you do end up pregnant and have our kitten you have every right to use the clan daycare. I do like you which is why I was going to ask you to spend some time with me. No I didn't expect anything long term. I simply wished to spend time with you and show you my world." She had to look down as well and heaved a very frustrated huff. "I do know that I can't let you die simply because I am feeling rather fucked in this situation." What she said hit and she grunted out an abrupt laugh. "Good god that is true. I am fucked one way or another, how ironic. As far as who raises any children", she stressed children, "I would feel the need to. I will not give any child I have over to someone else. Daddy didn't and even quite the military because of that. I am just angry that I don't have a choice in when I might become pregnant. I am also angry in not having a choice in who I have children with." He closed his eyes since he could feel her anger and fear. He moved off the couch and knelt down in front of her though he didn't touch her. "Dani I wish I had something to say to help you with what you are feeling." Mizaki ignored her muttering about being screwed either way. When she muttered about her father quitting the military it triggered a number of memories. Most of them were from an older Dani, not as a child but as both a young girl and a young teen. He closed his eyes and let the memories come to him and when they did he had to shudder. Dani might not realize it but she did have some talents though nothing like her sister. She had known how her father had felt even as he had hid it from them. Most of it was little hints and thoughts of how he had missed his life mate. Mizaki could also sense just how much Billy had loved their girls. Tears were forced from his eyes as hard as he tried not to. "I am so sorry Dani for your loss. I don't know what it is like to lose a parent but I do know my family would like to meet you. What else can I say?" He was almost desperate when he asked that. When he knelt down in front of her Dani almost jerked back before she realized he didn't touch her. When her memories hit him she could feel the impact. She could feel his sorrow as well and before she thought about it she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. The second she did that Dani realized that hadn't been a good idea since the link demand surged through her. Almost before she could do anything she felt her body start to soften as she slid off the couch and straddled his legs. Mizaki twitched when she touched him and almost instantly became aroused. When she slid off the couch and settled across his thighs his arms curled around her and his muzzle sought her mouth. When he found it and they kissed the link surged again. *It is our time, this time is only for use Dani. Time for us to be as one, to love and be loved. I am not asking for anything beyond that. I do desire you and want you but this was more than I had ever wanted. I simply wanted to spend time with a very attractive woman, nothing else.* When their mouth's met and the link really started all she could do was moan in desire. Whatever she might feel her body was saying different. She was scare of this demand and the long term, her body wanted him now and not later. When he contacted her it was like an electric jolt and she pulled him closer. Her mind was starting to mesh with his and she had to admit she did desire him, just not a forced mandatory desire. *I wanted to spend time with an attractive Sholan male as well. Take me to bed and we will become one for the night.* Dani chose not to comment on anything else he said and what was annoying was she knew he knew that. *As you wish my lovely human.* He stood up and if he hadn't been still kissing her he would have smiled since her legs wrapped around his hips and pulled her groin even closer to him. He moved to the bedroom and carefully laid her back on the bed. Though she resisted he started pulling her tabard off as he chuckled. "We rather need to be unclothed you know. It is rather hard to do anything while covered up." Dani had to fuss as he moved back to undo her robes. Her hand and fingers were touching his fur on his sides and what she could reach of his back. As he worked to undo her robes she finally started working on his. At this moment she wanted, no needed, to touch his fur and body. The tabard he was wearing was frustrating the demands of her desire and she groaned as she struggled to remove it. For the moment Mizaki was pleased that the demand of the link was less for him. He could feel the demands of the link on her as well as her frustration. After taking a brief moment to undo and remove his tabard he finished undoing her. When he did he couldn't help but let a rather sexy smile cross his face since she was nude. She had very perky breasts though the nipples were just a few shades darker than her skin. As his eyes roamed her body he had to appreciate her beauty and he leaned forward and sucked a nipple into his mouth and started lightly nibbling on it. The moment he removed his robes her fingers dug down into his fur so she could feel the silky smoothness. As her fingers grazed across his skin the fire in her was building. Even though her eyes were closed she could feel his appreciation of her body through the link. That only inflamed her desire for him even more. As he leaned forward and started on a breast she arched her back and moaned in desire. Even though it felt faintly wrong she could feel his desire and driving need to feel her surrounding his flesh. Mizaki was beyond much other than the driving need of the link and when her demanding need hit he gave up. From her scent she was more than ready for him. As much as she could feel his need to be inside her Mizaki could feel her need to have him inside her. He did his best to gently roll her over and take his time to position them as best possible. When he pushed inside her the link forced them to merge. Now it wasn't him/her it was them/us. Not two but one being moving together. Even as he stroked in and out she was feeling his penetrating and taking her. The feelings merged and shortly there was one being enjoying the two parts. When they both came it was with a howl of enjoyment from him/her and a growl of ecstasy from him/her. They finally collapsed on their sides and fell asleep. ~~~ Since the message Billy had sent was FTL it was received the day after he had reviewed the request. When it was received it was received by both Ike and Ceolura. For Ike it was rather blunt. "Ike, this is Billy and do not allow the women to leave on the former pirate ship. I am sending the Sandi to pick them up. It will take several weeks to arrive but I will not have them traumatized by being forced to decide between coming for help on that damn thing or staying on earth. If anyone tries to force them I will go nuclear on them." It was rather obvious Billy was not pleased with that suggestion. For Ceolura it was much politer and from one ambassador to another. "Ambassador Ceolura I am sending the Sandi to pick the females and any needed staff up. I know they are in good hands with you and Lady Emelia taking care of them. Please do not allow anyone to try and force them aboard the other ship. I have sent a similar message to Ike about this as well. I have made a note of my discontent at the idea of them being aboard the pirate ship for any reason. I have also sent a request to have that ship sent directly to Shola for me to work on. Thank you for your assistance with this issue. Ambassador Madlax Almost before she had finished she received a call from Ike. Since it was early in the morning Ike was looking tired and rather grumpy. "Morning Ike and I am going to assume you received a message from Ambassador Madlax as well?" Ike was sitting up in his bed. When he spoke his accent came through. "Who da hell disiced da women is goin' back on da damn bashdard's shop?" He took a slow deep breath since this was the first he had heard of it. "If's anyone tries I be challenging them to fisticuff's. I's be beating them to a pulp and ship the pile of shit for Billy's to deal withs." His threat made her ears stand up in shock. "I hadn't realized you didn't know or I would have asked Amelia to talk to you about it. I have noted your objections and am going to agree with them. I didn't like the idea in the beginning but with the fight I didn't know what else to do. I had forgotten the Sandi was available since it is a private ship. I am going to contact the Commander of the Fijishi to let him know. Now I am going to let you go and get back to bed myself. I will talk to you tomorrow and please let Amelia know I would like her presence when I talk to the women." She disconnected the call and settled back in the bed and started taking some slow deep breaths. ~~~ Crystal was sitting in her therapist's office and she was pleased it was a female. She did have a male therapist as well but when she realized that she was growing closer to Kingie she asked to talk to a female. He had understood and referred her to the female. For that Crystal had been so very thankful. It might be silly but it was easier to talk to a female about certain things. When the therapist walked in Crystal gave her a shy smile. "Hello Ma'am." The Sholan settled down in a chair close to Crystal and returned the smile. "And hello to you Crystal. It has been a couple of days since your evening with Kingie and I was hoping you might feel up to talking about it." She didn't push and rarely would unless there was need for it. Crystal couldn't help but let a pleased smile show. "Actually it was a very nice evening. After the talk you had with Kingie and me we briefly talked about it. His family left for the evening and we had a nice meal." She couldn't help but blush very slightly even though they hadn't done anything beyond kissing. Her voice did change though. "It was very hard for me to be in the house with nobody but a male there. I know he cares for me and would never hurt me but those damn memories still crop up at times." Her therapist nodded at what she had to say. "I am very pleased you were able to relax with him. It was a very important first step for you Crystal. I can feel that you were terrified with the idea but you faced that fear and kept going. As we have discussed it doesn't mean you are done with the fears but you are getting better." With the change in her voice there was a change in her emotions as well. "I can feel how distressing those memories are for you. I also can tell you that I am so very proud of how far you have come. You are a very strong young lady and you will overcome this. Now on to the next subject how are you feeling about..." Crystal knew that she was improving but it was so hard not to want to curl up and simply cry at times. At least here she had a family even if they weren't biologically hers. Both Kingie's mother and his father showed her more love than her parents ever had. Amahs was the best little sister she had ever had as well. Looking back she had finally realized that she had always been the oddball of her family. Her parent's restrictive ways had never been for her. "Well as far as..." ~~~ Vangie and Sally had discussed his being sent back to earth. What had him frustrated was that while he was gone his little girl was going to come into her first season. All the plans he had worked up with Billy and Kingie had rather been shot thanks to the attack on earth. "Sally as much as I would like you to come with to get the ladies what do you feel? Do you think you should come with? Would it help the ladies?" Sally didn't like the idea of remaining behind but her sister needed her support. She was also keeping as close an eye on Signey as her parents were. Sally did have to wonder about the ladies but they had been away from the barque for several months. She chewed on her lip for a moment as she was thinking. "Um, honestly I think I would prefer to stay here. Dani needs the support as much or more than the remaining women. With Daddy and the ladies working so much now at the embassy they simply don't have as much time for her. I am working part of the time but I can leave that for the time being and be there for Dani." She would seriously miss having Vangie around but Sally would just pull on her big girl shorts and suck it up. Vangie nodded since that was pretty much what he had expected. "I am not looking forward to not having you around but I do understand. Crystal could also use the support as well. Do me a favor and keep an eye on Signey as well. I know Holla is keeping a very close eye on her but she has work as well. If you sense anything from that twit invite Kingie and Billy over for a meal with him. If that doesn't straighten him out... Well I am sure Billy can take care of it." Kingie was to young and he would possibly go overboard in explaining his distaste for the boy. Sally snorted at that. "Daddy has gotten very good at intimidation. The story of those three who were running has started making the rounds outside the guild. If nothing else I will casually mention that story as a subtle threat." She flashed Vangie a grin before leaning forward to give him a kiss. Since you are leaving in the morning you had better take me to bed and make love to me." Sally pulled him down into a deep passionate kiss. When Vangie woke up the next morning he was most definitely satisfied and relaxed. It was early so he didn't bother waking Sally up. She might grump at him via message but she could use the sleep. After taking a short shower he quickly pulled on his uniform and collected the bag he had packed earlier. On the bed side stand he placed a small package for her for when she woke up. That she would appreciate since it was a lovely torque he had purchased for her. It wasn't a betrothal gift in any way and was simply a lovely piece of jewelry. Once done he walked out and the air car he had called for arrived. Once inside he paid and set the address he needed. The rest of his crew was going to meet him there at the spaceport. Thankfully Billy had been giving him lessons on how to fly the ship. It would have been easier with a Sholan ship simply because of the newer tech. The Sandi was pretty old school though some upgrades had been done. Once Billy was able to get the pirate ship to Shola and tear it apart they would be more able to integrate some advanced tech. His musings kept his attention long enough for the air car to fly to the spaceport. Once he had climbed out he walked in and headed towards the private landing gates. He flashed his credentials at the guard and kept going. Since he was both in his uniform and also had a shoulder flash indicating he was part of the ambassadorial staff he wasn't even stopped. When he caught the slideway to the ship he found the rest of his crew was aboard and one was standing guard. "Morning Captain Vangie. All are aboard and the preflight checks have been commenced." He saluted Vangie and followed him on board. While he was securing the hatch he watched Vangie head towards the cockpit. At the moment he didn't have a job up front so he headed to the engine room to keep an eye on everything down there. Once there he checked in with the current engineer and started finishing the preflight checks. He still found the damn engine amusing since it was so ridiculously large. Vangie settled in the captain's seat and started the preflight program and took a moment to check the status. A good portion had been done but there were a number he had to do as the Captain. "Okay, starting with the engine status call out..." It only took another ten or so minutes to finish the preflight before everything came across as green. "Tower this is the Captain Vangie aboard the SS Sandi. We are ready for takeoff. Please provide instructions for the flight path to orbit and out of the system." Behind him he heard the murmurs of the navigator and engineer/weapons doing their thing. "SS Sandi this is control tower, your flight path has been cleared, take off on vector... At speed of... Have a safe flight." A burst of information was shot over and to the Sholan computer. Vangie punched that into the Terran systems and a short time later they were headed to space. Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 03 Ch. 08 Since it was a day to the edge of the system once they were beyond orbit he stood down most of the crew. "Set up the three team rotation as planned. Get some food and get some rest. I expect to be relieved in six hours." Now it was mostly up to the computers to take charge of the main portion of the flight. If this had been a Sholan ship they would have simply slaved the flight systems to the lead ship. Since it wasn't the instructions were being sent to the Sholan system and had to be entered manually. There were a number of ships going to Terra along with a number of combatants. The last thing they wanted was for the convoy to be ambushed. Most of the ships were not armed or if so were light weapons. ~~~ Billy settled down at the head of the table in his impromptu engineering room at the embassy. He had set it up so he could keep working on his ship designs with Z'Marl's help. There were a few engineering students who had been given an internship but the NDB was there now as well. Sandi had organized some food and Illios and Lycos were both standing by for tech support. Both were actually very good at their jobs and very knowledgeable with their jobs. It was just if something went wrong it was usually rather spectacular. So far they had been doing a very good job and actually made some major improvements to the computers systems. One thing they had very strongly suggested was to get some Toubin's working the systems. Partially this was to make sure they had the best tech but also to start to merge human tech with Sholan. Billy had to take some time to consider that suggestion. He had eventually ended up talking to the head of Alrel. There had been some serious negotiations involved but they had finally worked out a deal. They could study the human tech but if they learned something they had to talk to Billy and AlRel to get it cleared. As he was contemplating the Toubin's the others from the NDB walked in and Billy stood and greeted them. "Welcome to the Embassy and please get something to eat and have a seat. As you know my main assistant is Z'Marl who is also going to be our Triad partner. I have asked her to sit in to help me explain what I have been doing." He glanced at the older female and gave her a wry look. "Well that and to hopefully minimize any headaches." She snorted at him and just for good measure hissed. "Impudent Terran..." She came over and held her hand out to him. "I am pleased for you and Triad? I take it your bondmate is your Leska? Congratulations on that as well Ambassador." Once he had touched her finger tips she turned to Z'Marl and did much the same before sitting down. Billy accepted the thanks and greeted the others as well. "I wish we had time to sit down and actually talk but as you know both my world and your worlds are under threat of some enemy we don't know much about. I was asked to consider returning to earth to work with the engineers and tech's on the alien ship. I have declined this because of a number of issues. That and I have a feeling as much as the Terran's might want to keep the ship there it is going to end up here. You have the tech to do more with it than we do. I have sent a message to the various governments saying this. Now down to business. As all of you know I have been working very hard at redesigning the engines aboard my ship. Even though this was originally aimed at my ship it can be applied to a number of ships." He paused to see if there were questions. One male did twitch an ear. "One thing I would like to know is what if any tech of ours have you potentially incorporated into your designs. Much like you said in the beginning if we found any of your designs of use you wanted final say in how it is used." Billy faced him and gave him a slight nod. "Thank you for asking and the simple answer is not much. This is mostly due to the fact your manufacturing abilities are so much more advanced. I simply do not have the knowledge or time to figure out how to, say, merge your molycirc's with our hardware. Now there are a few things I have studied which I have applied but based on the current tech level of my world." He took a sip of his coffee. "First though I did come up with this on my own is the re-crystallization of tubes. Yes Satasha asked me why we didn't do that but that was all she said. Even after reviewing my equations and thoughts she offered very little in the way of help as you know. The one other main item I have decided to study and run with are incorporating the various controller runs in the actual structure of the tubes and to an extent the engines as well. This is a tech we have started to work on but till now was either experimental or too expensive to implement. When I say to expensive it is for all but the military. Today I will show you what I have been working on as time permits. I will also provide you with full documentation of the designs and what could potentially be considered as coming from you." He turned to Z'Marl and nodded the end of the room behind him darkened and a hologram of the Sandi appeared. "Now to the fun stuff, as you can see this is a projection of my ship. I am going to take this in several steps. First what she started with, what I modified on Earth, and what I have come up with since..." It was a good five hours later when he was done. Z'Marl had been replaced by one of the interns at some point and the food and drinks had been replaced as well. "Now considering my ship is essentially a lightly armed fast supply ship the changes have been to the engines. Once I receive the Pirate ship I will be planning on a complete redesign from the ground up. I need it as my test bed and it should be here in a few weeks. Does anyone have any questions?" The NDB were rubbing their temples again and the female sighed. "Not for the moment and thank Vartra I brought some pain pills. Yilly you have a very interesting mind and I am going to talk to the rest of the board. I think it would be a very good idea to bring you on board for a number of reasons. I am considered very good with hyper engines and shields but listening to you I feel like a kittling just out of school. I don't even want to consider what you might be able to do for all of the Alliance including Earth." Billy gave her a helpless shrug. "I wish I could give you some better explanation than my brain works funny. It always has and I rather like it this way. I love the flow of the equations which define hyperspace, I love thinking outside the box, and I love... Well I just love learning and knowing things." He shrugged again. "You are very good as well and some of the questions all of you asked were very valid. I am at heart a theoretical hyper physicist. There are times my ideas can get pretty out there and I do need the grounding of a regular hyper physicist as well. Now if you don't mind I am going to go home and visit my bondmate and make plans for our temple wedding." ~~~ The hyper drones from the destroyed ship had waited for several days till they were out of the system. Once they were out of the system they activated their drives and with a flash vanished from n-space. When that happened a number of ships had been sent to try and find out what had caused the translation wave. Several of the ships were Terran and several were Sholan. By the time they had reached the entrance point the drones were long gone. They still did their best to trace the direction they had gone. As far as the direction the enemy ship had come from several Sholan ships had been dispatched but eventually they had returned since the trail had faded. That had been frustrating since the needed any and all information on the enemy as possible. Even now they knew very little other than they were of a similar tech level as the Sholan's. Anything else was being kept from the public since at the moment they were dealing with the loss of the habitat and so many people. It was true that loosing close to three million was barely a drop in the bucket compared to the twenty billion or so in the system. It was the single largest loss of life in several generations. As far as the enemy ship the Sholan mother ship had scoured the region of space and collected as much debris as possible. The Terran's were helping as much as possible but much of the system resources were involved with the habitat. One thing the Sholan's had gladly accepted was Terran assistance in starting to learn about the ship and the enemy. Any number of bodies and body parts had been collected and they needed the help. One entire hanger bay had been converted into a morgue. Both Sholan and human Coroners were involved with dissecting the remains. One of the very first discoveries was they were some sort of reptile. All the bodies aboard the ship were males as far as they could tell and they were bleeding chemical factories. They had far more chemicals running through their systems than a human or Sholan. Beyond that it was way too soon to tell what else they might have both going for them and weaknesses. As far as the ship a space going transport ship was enroute to Earth. It was going to collect what remained of it and take it back to Shola. That had entailed some serious negotiations between the Clan Lord who had arrived and the major polities of the planet. Ultimately it had ended up with a number of human scientists who would be returning to Shola to study the ship as well. That had generated a message to Billy to ensure he knew about what was going on. ~~~ When they hyper drones reached the system the Valtegan's ships were in it had cause a major reaction from the General. He had almost flipped out and started frothing about ensuring anyone related to the crew of the ship was turned over to the priests. To be honest he was scared about how the Emperor might react. It wasn't about the loss of the ship since they had plenty more as well as crews. It was about the enemy potentially learning about them. As of now the Valtegan's were escalating their war production to ensure that they could take out the others. His driving need to punish the ones who had screwed up hadn't lasted but a few days before he ended up having an 'aneurism'. The General's first in command didn't last but a day after taking over before the second had grabbed power. When he did he kept it since he had close ties to the assistant to the former General. Once he took over he started issuing commands. As of now they were going to move to a different system. Once there they were going to take a very intense look at what had happened in both systems. He knew additional vessels were enroute to increase their fighting ability and to replace what they had lost. If the two of them played it right they would soon be high in the Emperor's favor. ***** A/N: Read, vote, comment and NO FRIGGING NITPICKING!! Rofl, couldn't resist the last part. If you nitpick post an actual comment as well. Sholan Alliance Ch. 02 I am stuck on the next chapter for this story so I decided to do some editing. Yes I know that most of it is cosmetic but hopefully it will make it easier to read. That goes for the first time readers as well as any one of my fans who are reading it again. I also had a volunteer editor, Captain Siren, review the first chapter in the Silver Moon series and she made some very good suggestions. With her help I am going to be revising all the chapters to remove some glaring inconsistencies. They will be posted as we smooth each chapter out. The last thing I have to say is that there are only a few detailed sex scenes in this series as with my other stories. I find, this is a personal opinion, that having a sex scene in every chapter of a story gets boring after a while. I have come across some very good stories that keep getting broken up by one sex scene after another. That makes it hard for me to follow the plot line. * Satasha tossed all the packs into a skillet and carefully added some spices. "I do hope this tastes good for you. Back when the scout ships had crews they loved it." "What do you mean when you used to have a crew?" Billy had actually been looking around and it had seemed there was more room than was needed for one person. Since she had mentioned short crews when he was recovering he didn't remember it. He would know since his ship had been designed for ten crew members. As of now he used most of the extra compartments for passengers. Satasha froze for a moment and then sighed. "I am so sorry but that is something I can't talk about." She considered something subtle to explain but decided not to. "I just can't talk about this. Please forgive." Billy nodded and stood up and walked around the counter area and wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. "I understand Tasha. There are things we all can't talk about." He gave her one more squeeze before moving back around and settled down. For half a moment she almost told them but she simply couldn't. The hug felt so good and how she hoped that he wouldn't mind her curling up in his bed again. Right now she needed the comfort. "Food will be done shortly." She pulled trays from the recycling cabinets and set them on the counter and slid the food onto the trays. She carried them over. "I really do hope this taste good to you." Satasha looked down at the counter. "You have been so good to me and I want to do something for all of you." Satasha suddenly realized that he had called her Tasha and wanted to blush and if she had been human she would have. "Please eat." Billy used what looked like a sort of spork and couldn't resist snickering before he took a bite. His eyes started watering and he coughed. "Oh man the spices are great." He took a sip of the drink she handed him and kept eating. Jenna looked at him and rolled her eyes. "Pansy." She took a bite and kept eating. "Damn good girl and I might have you do something for Sandi and me." They ate in silence for the most part and finally finished. "Oh damn that was good girl. Hell I might invite you home to spend an evening with us." Billy snorted. "Before you go over ask how much they are willing to offer per action you might perform." Billy was snorting as he said that and dodged getting smacked by Jenna. "Now back to the whole thing about crystallization how do you even it out?" That would solve so many of his problems. Well maybe not since it could take a while but in the long run it would help. As he was eating the Ship detected a strange vehicle approaching. It sent Satasha an alert and she checked via the VR glasses she was wearing and sighed. "Yilly do you know of a female that looks like this?" She opened a screen and he looked up and then horrified. "On god what the hell is my oldest girl doing here? How the fuck am I going to explain this." Jenna started snickering and then realized what he meant and choked on the food. "Oh god Billy you are so screwed..." She knew what degree's Sally was working on and it was just to funny. Satasha looked very concerned and was starting to reach for the controls for the weapons. "What is going on and what is the issue?" Her voice was hard since that was the last thing she needed. Billy ran his fingers through his hair and groaned. "That is my oldest girl and she is training to be a zenobiolgist and zenopalentologist... What the hell is she doing home now? I know her school is paid for. I need to go and talk to her. Is there a back door?" Satasha almost snickered at his reaction and then became a commander again. "Yes and please deal with her. I really don't want to have to wipe her memory." It was something that hadn't come up. Billy laughed. "Oh hell she would take a dump and consider how she could stay here and work on her dissertation." The idea of having her memory wiped did bother him but he wasn't very worried about it. He trusted his girls a great deal. When Tasha showed him the back way out he walked into the back of the house. He managed not to groan at Sally. "Hey sweetie what are you doing home? I thought you wouldn't be home till next quarter?" He gave her a good hug. "Well Pappa they closed us down due to some possible incursion. They detected some sort of hyper signal that didn't make sense and they sent everyone home." She was sounding rather annoyed and he didn't blame her. Hell he was more than annoyed since this wasn't what he needed. Billy sighed. "Let's go for a walk and you can tell me about everything." He winked at her as she grumbled. "Just what I need, more farm crap." She didn't mind helping but right now she was more than annoyed with the school and military. He sighed. "Just walk with me and relax. I am sure you will feel better with a bit of fresh air and all that good stuff." Billy wrapped his arm around her and walked her outside and was talking to her as he led her into the alien ship. "Oh, and I have an alien living with me. I figure that might help with your attitude." Satasha smiled at her and just for grins used the greeting she originally did. "Live long and prosper human." She even did the finger thing. Billy turned and banged his head against the wall. "Sally ignoring the giggling cat. She is the alien that manages this ship and I will tie you up if you even consider calling anyone." He turned and gave her a hug. "Now sit down and eat. Here is your first taste of alien food." Billy smiled at Tasha. "This is my youngest girl who will keep her mouth shut or else. Her name is Sally. Sally this is Satasha and be nice or else." Sally almost froze when her father showed her into the ship. It was most definitely not what she had expected and when she saw the feline she actually did freeze. "Pappa are you trying to tell me the reason I had to leave school is living on your farm?" Her eyes were huge as she was staring at Satasha. "Yes and ignore the greeting, she is making fun of me." He frowned at Satasha as she started snickering at him. "Anyways sit down, the food is spicy but good and feel free to make any and all notes you want but again do not call anyone." Billy frowned at her and then looked at Satasha. "Sally is from my first marriage. I guess you could call it bonding contract but we don't do things that way." Satasha couldn't help but keep snickering. "Sorry, but your fathers reaction was great." She came around the island and gently grasped the girls arm and pulled her over to the island. "I am sorry if I caused you problems but my ship is having problems and landed here by accident. Your father has been nice enough to feed me and offer me his hospitality." She spooned some food in a tray and slid it over to her. Sally was having problems dealing with the fact that she was face to face with an actual alien. "Um, thanks." She sat down and stared at the food and then back at the alien. "Pappa if I didn't know better I would be wondering what I was drinking." She stabbed a piece of meat and nibbled on it as he started laughing. When she started coughing Satasha handed her something to drink. "Sorry if it is too spicy. I am still learning about your world." She rather liked things on the hot and spicy side and sometimes it was hard to adjust. "That was one thing I liked about my partner, he liked hot and spicy." Satasha grinned when she said that. "Once in a rare blue moon I would see if I could fry his tongue off." Sally snorted at that. "I challenge you and my pappa to a spice fight." He would occasionally do that with the grill. "So what did you mean partner? Shouldn't there be more of you aboard?" Sally took another bite and grinned. "This is pretty darn good. I won't ask what it is though." Sometimes it was better not to know what you were eating. Satasha couldn't help but grin at her. "I thought he couldn't cook." When she was asked about her partner she looked away. "Can't really talk about why we have such short crews but he broke his leg right before we were to leave. He should be healed by now since it has been a while since I left." She settled down and started eating as well. "As far as what it is since you aren't going to ask I won't tell you." Billy snickiered. "Tastes like chicken..." That got him smacked by both ladies. "Hey, it does and according to her chicken tastes like Chidoe's whatever they are." He frowned at them and turned back to the food. "So what is the problem you are having? You said something about molycirc's or some such?" Sally growled at him as Satasha stood and left the room. She came back a few moments later and dropped two blocks on the island. One looked scorched and the other didn't. "These are molycircuites and I need to reprogram the navigation block. The power block has been replaced. If I hadn't been forced to emergency power you never would have seen me or my ship." When Satasha left the room Sally turned her recorder on and then kept eating. One thing she didn't realize was that the Ship would detect the electronic signal and alert Satasha. After handing the block over she looked at the girl. "If you are going to record anything please tell me. I don't mind but I would like to know." She kept a close eye on the girl. "Sorry, pappa said I could make notes. Do you want me to turn it off?" She didn't feel bad in any way for turning the recorder on. This would give her a degree come hell or high water and she wanted to prove to her father she was as smart as he was. Growing up with him had been both fascinating as well as frustrating. He never really talked about it but was classified as a genius and she had seen some of his work. Satasha contemplated the question for a few moments. "In the future ask please. I understand you are learning about aliens but I do not appreciate being a specimen." She sighed. "If it helps to me you are the aliens that need studying. I know you are not the ones we are looking for but I really don't want to wake up and find I am a specimen one of these days." She ate a bit before continuing. "We have a first contact team that sort of introduces us to new species and I don't want to sound bad but they have the capability of taking care of themselves." Sally looked down at the food and pulled the recorder out. "If you want I will delete anything on here and my pappa taught me better than that." She looked at Billy. "He taught me that hospitality is one of the most important things. There were many other things he taught me as well but to him that is one of the most important and I wouldn't break that teaching." Billy wrapped an arm around his girl and gave her a good hug. "Always help people in need if possible. Your momma would be so proud of you." She had died during the delivery of their second child. "She would be so proud of you lovie." Jenna looked at Satasha. *She died many years ago. Don't ask please.* She mouthed at her. It hadn't been a good time for him and it was all they could do to keep him in one piece. Part of it was that was right about the time that Sandi and Jenna had hooked up. Billy had been close to destroyed with the loss of his wife. Satasha tilted her head and then nodded. She reached across the counter and lightly grasped Jenna's hand. *I will talk to you later.* Satasha hoped that Jenna could receive that. Billy had been very good to her and she didn't want to upset him at all. That and she hadn't realized that he was old enough to have adult kids. Jenna's eyes popped open and she nodded. She turned her hand over and smiled. "Your fur is so soft. Well that and you are a very good looking woman. Sandi might shoot me later but I have to admit I would love to take you to bed." Billy almost choked when Jenna said that. "No more poaching women." For that Sally smacked him. He turned and muttered at her. "The female aliens as well as their males look pretty much the same from what Tasha said." Sally almost choked when she said that. "Oh, god this is killing me. I get to meet the first alien and... Oh damn it all to hell." She looked at Satasha. "Please don't take this the wrong way but I am probably going to explode from excitement. I get to learn about you and all that good stuff and I am likely to be shadowing everything you do." She had to smile. "So do you like my pappa?" Billy had been drinking something she had given him and damn near spit it across the room. "Sally what the hell was that question about? I am just extending hospitality to her." There was no way in hell he was going to admit waking up with someone in his bed that morning had been very enjoyable. Both Jenna and Satasha did almost the same thing. "Um, it was nice to be greeted with some food and not a pulser or other weapon." She wasn't going to mention waking up in bed with him and that it had felt good for her as well. Jenna started laughing. "Sally you have a dirty mind." It was so hard not to die laughing. "We tucked her into his bed and as far as I know when he did go to bed he simply went to sleep." She didn't know Billy didn't want that mentioned. Sally goggled at him and he sighed. "Just sleep and remember not human. Think kitty pile when there is more than one cat." He wasn't going to tell her that he had slept better than he had for a long time. Well and that he had to admit that her fur was so very soft and felt good against his body. She contemplated him and then Satasha as she kept eating. "Okay, that sort of make sense but..." Sally started doodling with her finger. "Actually considering you are feline, or what we would call a feline..." She started to frown. "But why tuck her into..." Sally was most definitely thinking. Satasha looked at her and then Billy. "Yilly she is definitely your child. She is too smart for her own good." She snickered and reached over and pushed the recorder back to her. "I will tell you and show you what I can but don't do anything with it till I am gone please." Jenna simply settled for watching the three hash things out. She kept eating the food and tried not to snicker at the 'Yilly'. It was so amusing as well as his reaction to it. "I have to agree. Billy went through the classes with a 4.0 which is almost beyond excellent. Both his girls did almost as good. Made some of us feel like simpletons." She gave Sally a light hug. "You should see the math your father pulled out of his brain today." Billy growled at all of them. "First Sally the whole bed thing was just that. She needed a bit comfort with her ship having issues." He was not going to mention waking up next to her was nice. "Second Jenna go to heck. Third, what is molycirc and how can I help you?" He had finished his food and had he had been wanting to beat his head on the island thing with Sally asking some of her questions. Satasha sighed. "Molycirc is short for a molycadmium circuit. It is a solid block of circuitry that is comprised of a variety of essential minerals and layered. Depending on the need the block could be as small as this or a serium in size." She frowned. "I mean something along a foot in size depending on what it is used for. In this case this is the navicomp molycirc and I need to reprogram a blank block." She looked at the three of them. "I need navigation data after programming the block. I really hate asking this but I need the data and to somehow program a new one." She really didn't like saying that but she needed his help. "After watching you work on that math I can only hope you can help me Yilly." She looked down at the island as well. "I need your help and... I need your help please." She wasn't quite crying but the feelings were in her voice. Sally stood up and walked around and gave her a hug. "Of course my father will help you. He might steal some of your knowledge but I don't know of anyone he hasn't helped." She wrapped her arms around her and held her close. "Pappa will do what he can since you asked." Billy grumbled at Sally. "Girl you are going to get it. I might reorganize your books or something." To be honest he had already learned a great deal. "Oh, my bed is always open for snuggling. I understand that it is part of who you are." He looked down at the box thing and picked it up. "Huh, sort of like a stacked chip I guess." He started thinking again which is sort of hard to deal with for others. "Well I would need..." He rolled the block around in his hand. "I would have to create a computer socket that would accept it and..." Jenna smacked him again. "Damn it boy try to avoid using yur brain too much." She smiled as she leaned against him. "Some days you are too good for life." If he had been a bit more forward he might have ended up with Sandi. "Do something smart for once and both live and learn." She stood up. "I have to get to work, later all." She turned and walked out and hoped that he would get the hint. Satasha and Sally waved at Jenna as she left. "Have a good one Jenna." Sally called out and then turned back to her father who was looking at the cube. "Oh hell time for the sleep meds. He is not going to sleep while he stares at that thing." Sally had to admit she wanted to do everything she could to get to know Satasha both nude and otherwise. Billy groaned again. "Woman I hate you." He was talking to Jenna as she left. When Sally made her comments he growled at her. "Girl if she ends up in my bed it is simply for cuddling and help sleeping." He looked at the cube. "Well and I might manage to steal a few secrets from her." He admitted he wanted to see what she was like in bed as well. Satasha snorted. "Are you sure of that? Maybe I will seduce you for some of your secrets..." She sighed. "Seriously if you can help me program the blank drive I can give you a few things for helping me." She coughed for a moment. "Sorry, might have caught something here." Billy looked at Sally and then Satasha. "From the sounds of it you had a hell of a flight. I think you need some sleep and I will talk you to later about this." He was still holding the molycirc block. Sally stood up and nodded. "Sounds like a deal and I need to mutter at my pappa for not telling me." She stood up and wrapped an arm around Satasha and looked at her father. "Your bed? I know you turned my room into the guest room." Satasha looked down at the island as well. "I do have plenty of room in my bed as well." She sighed. "I have my own bed and if you don't mind Sally I would like to borrow your father. I do need, or would like someone too snuggle with. Yes we do tend to kittie pile and it has been so long since I had someone to snuggle with." She kept looking at the counter. "It does help." Sally couldn't help but grin. "I will send you a bill for the use of my father. I hope you both have a good sleep since I am sure pa needs one as well." She gave Satasha and then her pa a good hug. "Hope you sleep well." She walked out of the ship the way she was shown in. Sholan Alliance Ch. 02 Billy almost snapped at Sally but didn't since he wasn't sleeping well. "Tasha that is fine and I need some sleep as well." He sighed as Sally left and then stood up. "Well we might as well go and crash since I have to admit I am tired." He picked up the trays and tossed the trays in the sink. Satasha took the trays and tossed them in the recycler before walking over to him. "Yilly if you really want I can sleep alone but.." She turned and leaned into him. "I did sleep well last night." She did lean into him. "Please I would appreciate it. It really did mean a great deal to me." He returned the hug and lean towards her. "I did as well and will admit that your fur felt really nice." He was looking over her shoulder. "It has been a very long time since I have had a woman in my bed or in some other female's bed." He couldn't help but pull her a bit closer. "I lost my wife when my second girl was born and Sandi leans towards girls." Billy lightly stroked her back. "Danielle is 18 and just started college. Sally is 22 and almost done." His body was tense when he was talking to her. "I do miss her and her name was Danielle. My youngest is named after her." He managed not to cry and ended up following her to where she slept. "Sorry but sometimes it just hits." Satasha couldn't help but hug him. "Losing a mate is never a good thing." She kept an arm around him as he talked. "I do understand though never dealt with it." She leaned against him and sighed. "I have seen it before and... Let's just sleep." Billy looked around her rooms but didn't really say anything. He did pull off his coveralls and shirt and rolled into the bed. "I will be here for you Tasha." He was still doing the nickname without really thinking about it. At the moment he was thinking about his wife and the short time he had been with her. "Yes Yilly but I will be here for you as well." She stripped down and rolled in next to him and wrapped her arms around him. "I am sorry that you lost your mate." She curled up next to him and held him close. "Hold me and I will be here for you." He had tried not to watch her strip down but simple curiosity sort of forced him to. With all the fur there really wasn't any way to tell she was female. Knowing she was a she he felt really odd rolling into bed and have her pull him close. "Thank you. It was such a hard time and with two little children to raise as well. It was part of the reason I got out of the Navy. I was supposed to go to a ship and someone else would have had to take care of them." Billy slid an arm around her and pulled her close and tried not to cry. When she wrapped an arm around his head and tucked it into her neck he couldn't help it and started. "We were high school sweethearts and she got pregnant right about graduation. We were together for only about six and a half years including school." Damn it he hated talking about it since it always brought back memories. Satasha tucked him close and gently stroked his back as he talked and cried. "I can't even begin to imagine what that must have been like." She could feel the emotions and had to close her eyes and a few tears leaked out of her eyes as well. "Well I liked what I felt of Sally when we touched so you did a good job raising them." He couldn't feel her emotions but did sense his story had impacted on her. "How I loved her. I tried my best with my girls and tried to make sure that they were raised as she would have. Well as best possible. We might have been dating and then married but that doesn't mean I knew everything about her." God it felt good to have someone in his arms. "Knowing you can feel emotions at least as sad as I am remembering her it feels really good to be held." He rubbed his face against her fur and sighed. "It has been five years or longer since I have had anyone in my bed. Jenna and Sandi are great friends but definitely not in 'that' way." He was starting to relax since he had cried and was simply enjoying the feel of having someone in his arms again. Yes the fur and no breasts was a bit odd but it still felt good. She dipped on ear at him and stroked his hair. "That is a long time. By Vartra I can't even imagine going that long without at least someone to sleep next to." Satasha shuddered slightly. "We, well before we get telepath training, tend to curl up with each other. I can think of many a morning waking up in one of my brothers or sisters beds or them in mine. It is like we also tend to groom together as well. Brushing the fur on your back is a bitch." "I know they aren't more than friends to you and anytime you need a hug or someone to curl up with come find me." Well as long as she was there. If she learned enough she might be assigned or attached to the first contact team which would be really good for future jobs. She still had her eyes closed when she rubbed her cheek against his. When she rubbed his cheek with hers he leaned into it and smiled. "I might have to keep your ship broken for a while then..." He leaned back a bit and opened his eyes and looked at her. Since they were so close he reached over and stroked one ear before leaning forward and lightly rubbing her nose with his. "Thank you for listening. I guess having my oldest come home suddenly just sort of reminded me. That and she might have my stubborn cussedness but she is an almost dead ringer for her mother." Satasha lowered her ears in her people's version of a blush when he stroked her ears and rubbed her nose. She didn't even think when she lightly licked the tip of his before he moved out of range. "Sorry Yilly. You are sending off some mixed signals and some I just sort of respond to without thinking." Her hand softened its touch and slid down his back before she realized he had no tail to stroke. "You are welcome and you have been here for me as well." Damn it she wanted something and badly but wasn't going to mention it. Billy froze for a moment and then sighed. "I didn't realize." He leaned forward and lightly licked her nose before pulling her into a human kiss. "Tasha I would love to take you to bed, we are in bed but something more." He felt her slide her hand down his waist band and snickered. "Nope no tail... Do have male bits and darn it but it is getting bigger." His hand roamed down her back and did stop at her tail. "Tell me no if you want but I would love to have a bit of fun with you." Damn it he was feeling drawn to her. She returned the kiss though it was sort of odd that he didn't have even a short muzzle unlike Sholan males. "If you want Yilly then we can have a bit of fun. I did explain how we viewed things and I am not going to say you will my only lover here." She stiffened as he stroked her back and tail. She growled and rolled over so she was on top. "Tails and ears are sensitive..." "Oh how interesting...." Just because he stroked her tail again. "I have been interested since I discovered you are a female." He rolled his eyes. "I know it sounds self serving but I have been wondering." He was blushing as he said that. "I don't know if we are compatible physically but I am definitely interested in finding out." Satasha growled at him and then started purring as she felt him stroke her tail and the base of it. "For that you are not going to sleep soon and I have to admit I feel the same. I want to know and from what I have seen we should be." She was still on top and started nibbling on his lips and neck. "I have watched a few videos and at least certain things should work." She slid a hand down to his shorts and stroked the bulge that was forming. "Our males have internal organs till stimulated. It took a bit of time to figure out the differences in your genders." She lowered her ears again. "It was rather odd watching something called porn." Billy started laughing. "Oh god, I don't even want to ask what you might have watched." As she started nibbling on him he had to figure it was part of their foreplay and leaned into it. One question he did have was that since she was all furry what, or maybe where they were. He sort of assumed they were close to the same area human females. He shifted his hand to her chest and started stroking through the fur till he found her nipples and started to play with them. She almost told him but when his hands started working their way through the fur on her chest she started really purring. "Don't stop Yilly that feels good." She arched her back which pressed her body against him. "Not having breasts doesn't mean my nipples aren't sensitive." Satasha could feel them starting to harden and a heat start in her belly. "I think that we should tell each other what feels good and that does." Her tongue licked his nose again. Billy started to lightly rub her nipples. Now that he knew where they were he could feel the difference in the skin texture. Her skin was so soft and he had to assume it was because it was covered with fur. "Well first we have way too many cloths on. Our females like to have their nipples played with as well." He blushed again. "That includes when nursing." God it felt good to have her in bed with him. "I am enjoying what you are doing as well." Satasha snickered slightly. "Well considering you are the only one with clothing on that is an odd comment." She reached down and ran her claws down his shorts and pealed them off. She moved upwards a bit. "If you don't mind nibbling on them..." Good god she was starting to get wet. She could feel the fire in her belly spreading. When he started exploring her female bits she growled slightly. Billy was startled when she peeled off his shorts. When she moved up his body he couldn't resist and shifted his head and found a nipple and started playing with it. He would almost say sucking since he was doing that as well but that sounded sort of wrong. "You have such smooth skin where it can be felt." He nipped and sucked a bit more as one hand slide down a leg and slowly up the inside of her leg. "It is odd that there aren't any breasts but you are still very sexy." As his hand slid up he could feel some wetness and had to smile. Between nibbling on her nipples and the tiny bit of breast and stroking her tail she was getting wet. That was one way of knowing a female was interested. "I think you are enjoying this." He moved to the other nipple and started nibbling and sucking on it. Satasha growled at him when he changed nipples. Feeling his lips on her chest and nipples felt so good. "By Vartra that feels good." She was leaned into the contact and was enjoying it. "I have to say that feeling all the skin and not fur is interesting as well." That was about when his hand reached her groin and could feel him starting to work through the fur. "Good god man if you were Sholan I would really bite you since that is how we are." She started stroking his erection and moved away from him and started arching her back and pressing against him. "My turn." Satasha slid down his body and since his nipples were showing she nipped them and started licking them. Her tongue was rougher than human's and had to smile when he reacted to her attention. His nipples were sort of like a males but she had complete access to them and was very greatly enjoying the feel of his body under hers. Billy almost growled when she moved till she started nipping and licking his chest. "Oh bloody frigging hell..." Good god his erection was getting bigger and harder. When she sucked on his nipples he grasped her bottom and held on. It felt so good to feel this again. "God woman you are going to do me in." His hand gently parted the fur of her groin and started exploring what she was like. Satasha arched her back again and growled as his hand found her clit and stroked it. "Rrrrr. Goddes as well as god." She gave up and grasped his unit and shifted and pushed down on him. "That feels so good." He didn't have a knot but he was the right size and started slowly moving up and down. "Um normally we sort of do it kitty style but this feels so good." He started snickering. "We call it doggy style but it works I guess." He gently moved her off him and rolled her over. He positioned his unit and pushed in and started stroking away. Good god she felt good. "Tasha you are a very sexy alien. I hope you are enjoying this as well." As he was talking his hands were stroking her back and just for good measure the base of her tail since he could feel her react to it. She started growling as he rolled her off him and entered her. Goodness that felt good and she could feel her tail sliding off to the side and her pussy getting even wetter. "Keep going Yilly and yes it feels really good." When he stroked her tail she reached back and her fingers wrapped around his ass to keep him going. "Play with my nipples as well Yilly. That would be even better." Billy felt the slight indents of her claws and listened to her and pulled her somewhat up right and as he started slamming into her harder. He let his hands roam her sides and finally settled on her nipples and fondled them. He would have liked to have taken longer but it had been so long. One hand eventually wandered down to her groin as the other was playing with her nipples and found her clit. He climaxed when she did. His hands ended up on her hips as he thrust hard into her. "Fuck that was good." They ended up lying on their sides as he recovered. "Sorry, been to long since I have been with a woman." Satasha gave a good growl as she came as well. "Yilly that was great and we can do it again eventually." Granted for her it had been less than a year but still. "Thank you for a lovely time." He was still inside of her though sort of soft. "Go to sleep and when we wake up we can take a shower." She curled her tail around one leg and an arm around one of his. "I really do mean I had fun." Billy collapsed to one side and one arm was wrapped around her waist and just above what he would call a groin. "Thank you Satasha and just so you know you are a lovely woman." He pulled her a bit closer and drifted off to sleep as well. ~~~ Eventually they both woke up and now she was curled around him. Last night, or whatever time had been more than a great deal of fun. It might have been short but most worth it. "Gods Yilly that was so enjoyable." Yes she needed a shower and probably clean sheet but it had been worth it. He slowly woke up as well and felt her curled around him till his phone went off and he growled. The ship must be picking up the incoming signal. He growled as he answered it. "What the hell you want?" He was barely awake and Satasha's hands were stroking him again. "Oh my Billy did I call at a bad time?" It was most definitely Sandi and he growled at her again. "I was asleep when you called so what can I..." He gasped as her hand stroked his unit and nuts. "I am getting ready for a shower I will call you back." He quickly hung up and flopped on his back. "Woman what are you doing? Didn't you have enough earlier?" She snorted. "Well I did have a great deal of fun but it has been a while for me and longer for you. I am sure you wouldn't mind a repeat bit of playing." She quickly flipped around and wrapped her fingers around his unit and then slid her tongue down the underside and god he almost blew a nut right then. He hadn't realized just how long and flexible her tongue had been last night but this morning feeling it curl around his shaft was starting to drive him nuts. "Good god I am going to definitely need a shower after this." Billy urged her around into a 69 position and parted the fur in her groin and carefully looked at what he hadn't time last night and grinned. "Tasha I will have to say that you look really nice from this point of view." His fingers lightly made sure all the fur was parted and started lightly licking and blowing over the skin of her now showing lips and smiled when she growled at him as she was starting to suck. "Um, an accident here might not be very good for either of us." She pulled her lips and teeth off him and started laughing. "No I guess not. The autodoc can only do so much." She kept snickering for a moment till he hit a really sensitive part and she tensed as she clenched up and a small squirt of moisture squirted out. Billy grinned as he licked the juices clean. "God you taste good as well lovely woman." He was almost started when she pulled off him and then almost slammed down on his unit and growled. "Sorry, you caught me just right and now..." She leaned back and started stroking up and down on him. Her bottom was pressed against his legs and her tail was lashing back and forth as she slammed up and down. Eventually they both orgasmed and she collapsed onto him. "You sort of caught me the wrong way and my cat took over." As she was laying there panting she leaned forward and nibbled on his nearest ear. He was more than startled when she took charge and almost forced the sex on him but by the time they were done he was panting as much as she was. "I think I am going to have to sleep in my own bed at least every other night." When the door opened and Sandi and Jenna poked their heads in and they sniggered. "Not sure why the ship recognized us but... Dam you look comfortable." Billy covered his face and groaned and got laughed at. "Good for you Billy getting the sexiest alien in light years. We will see you shortly at the house." The two of them left as they were snickering. "I am going to kill them and bury them in the south forty." Damn it he was still hard inside her and his hips started moving again. "Oh damn it you feel good." Eventually they finished finally and he rolled out of bed. "Okay I need the bathroom and most definitely a shower. If I walk out smelling like..." Okay saying pussy would be wrong. "Um, sex I will get teased even more. I am going to get enough teasing as it is though you are as well. Satasha frowned slightly and started a security check to see how they had managed to get in. When he started moving again inside her she sat up and encouraged him to stroke her chest and nipples again. When they finally finished and he rolled off she lay there for a moment. "Damn that was good and the shower is through there. It is much like your bathroom and I will be in momentarily." He walked to the room she pointed to and the door opened and then closed behind him. The toilet was a bit odd and automatically flushed when he was done. When he stepped into what he assumed was the shower water started flowing and he jumped slightly since it startled him. The water was a bit on the cool side but felt good. Satasha checked the security protocols and realized that she had forgotten to remove access for them. She modified them and would issue them access badges that would let her know when they wanted in. That would resolve that issue. Now for Billy she wasn't really sure how to handle his access and finally decided to do the same for him with a security badge. Once that was done she walked into the bathroom and smiled at Billy as he let the water flow down his body. She took a moment and looked at him since he was so different than male Sholan's. One very obvious difference was the lack of fur except in a few locations and it wasn't really fur. He had hair in his arm pits, groin and top of his head. There was some scattered hair on his chest and rest of his body but otherwise it was all skin. He was shorter than she was but he was obviously well muscled though he had a bit of fat as well. His face was most definitely unlike her race was mostly flat but had a warmth and friendliness. Just looking at him you wouldn't know just how damn smart he was. To be honest she had been horribly shocked at the change in him when she had mentioned re-crystallization of the hyper tubes. The easy going comfortable man became totally focused and his entire posture had changed. When she finally looked at the math he had been drawing out almost horrified her. It was almost a quantum leap from what they, the humans, were using and it was her fault. Sholan Alliance Ch. 02 After shaking her head she stepped into the shower and let out a contented purr. "Your shower was nice but this is designed for Sholans. Is the temp good for you?" She let the water flow down her fur and had to smile. Billy opened his eyes when she came in and smiled back. He had noticed her looking at him through the clear glass, or whatever it was. "Well I do prefer it a bit warmer but can live. Where is the shampoo and such?" She laughed at him. "Not a problem silly, see this control? Simply slide your finger one way or another and it will warm up or cool down. I needed a cool shower when I landed." She slid her finger up and the water warmed up and she had to smile at Billy as he leaned into the multiple shower heads. Satasha smiled when he asked about shampoo. "Well all we have is for fur but should at least get you clean and maybe we can get some of your body wash in here." She leaned over and using a small sort of nipple on the wall squirted some soap on her hands and turned and started working it into his hair. That startled him and then he started groaning. "Oh god that feels good and don't stop." Her fingers were doing wonders for him as she massaged his scalp. ~~~ Eventually they finished the shower and the warm air jets dried them off and he helped her brush her fur. "I have a feeling that getting my ship fixed is going to be far easier than yours. If you wouldn't mind helping me I will help you. I have a few ideas bubbling through my brain. It is going to require some serious modification of my computer in the house but I think I can do it." That sounded really good to her. "Even if you can get me in contact with my Mother Ship would be a good thing." She lightly chewed on her lower lip. "They are likely to send another scout ship that is fully manned to come find me. It might go well and might be bad if they decide they need to slag my ship to keep the tech out of your hands." Billy stood there for a moment and then nodded. "Make sense since they have no idea if we are good or bad. I think it would be a good idea if we got your comms up and we can go from there." He dressed in his cloths from the other day since they hadn't really gotten dirty. "What do you want to do Satasha? I need to get my ship fixed and yours as well. I am not sure what to do." She pulled on a tech suit and contemplated his question. "'Well what I really wish is that we could work on both. I have little idea of the actual extent of your tech though you seem to think you might be able to do something about it. I can help you with your ship since it should be easier than my issues." If nothing else if she could help get his ship fixed she might be able to use it to get a message to her ship and keep anything from happening. ~~~ The stealth fighter received the message from the Mother Ship and this ship had a full compliment. It might sound wrong but the majority of the scout ships had much smaller crews but the combat craft had full crews. It was in the case of the loss of one or two was better than an entire crew. As soon as they received the orders they started in the direction of the last contact. Every day they dropped out of hyper, listened and then contacted the Mother Ship. As they slowly approached the third planet they did notice a number of hyper signatures but they didn't match the remnants of the signatures of the enemies. That didn't mean they weren't allies of the enemies so they kept the slow movement towards the planet. It was going to take some time. Even if they had gotten the scout ship it was going to take time to figure out the tech and they would destroy it before that happened. ~~~ Billy rubbed his chin for a few. "How long do you think your ship can keep the cloaking up?" That was a vital question since if they could get his ship repaired in short order he could take her to a point where she could contact her ship. It might keep them from slagging her ship down along with his house and dock. He really didn't like that idea what so ever. She shrugged. "For months since the engines are only powering the life support and the cloak. I will have the computer do an estimate on how long and let you know. Why do you ask?" For a moment she was feeling rather suspicious with his question and really hoped it wasn't to get more information out of her, or about her ship. "Well I was thinking that trying to create an interface to program one of those blocks is going to be very time consuming not to mention taking some special tech. I could probably do it but it might draw attention from the government since I have a feeling parts would have to be special ordered and fabricated." He looked at her and gave her a good knowing look. "I am thinking if we can get my ship working and up-checked I can take you to a spot where you can contact your Mother Ship and either get a new block or get it towed off my property." She hadn't considered that idea but it wasn't a bad one. They were going to have to open some sort of communications with this planet simply because she was there. It was unintended and unplanned but coming across a species that used hyper drives was rare. They would approach them if only to let them know that there was some sort of enemy out there and they needed to be careful. "That actually is a good idea. I hate to say this but having an actual alien from this planet on the Mother Ship would be extremely helpful." Billy snorted. "Excuse me but you are the alien right now so if you don't mind don't call me an alien or I might have to report you to immigration." His eyes were twinkling. "Not sure how they would deport you back to your world since you aren't human but..." He winked at her just for good measure. "Shall we go to the house and then we can get to work on my ship?" For a moment she was shocked at the threat and then realized he was teasing her and whacked him. "That is for being a pain in my tail. Alien my butt, if we can make it to the Mother Ship you will be the alien so there." Her nose wrinkled in amusement and started out of the ship. "Oh, here is a badge that will let me know you would like access to my ship. I changed the security protocols so you have to ding to get in." He took it and it was what looked like a badge you would attach to a uniform and when he stuck it to his coveralls it adhered to it. "I understand and if we end up in your bed again it is nice to know that the girls won't be able to catch us." God he was turning red again but damn it she had been fun in bed. "Oh god, we have to get to the house. Heaven only knows what they are telling Sally." He almost started running. When he hurried in he got a look from all three and almost died on the spot. "So Pappa I understand you slept really well last night." Her voice carried all kind of innuendo's. Personally she thought it had been long enough since he had someone in his life but was more than startled when that ended up being a sexy alien. "I am going to kill two people and they won't find the bodies..." He growled and got snickered at by Sandi and Jenna. "Nobody will check the south forty for bodies and I will deny having seen you for ages." He was growling when he said that. Satasha walked in and snickered at him and his threats. "Yilly there isn't anything wrong with two friends having a bit of fun and sleeping well. Relax silly." She gave him a hug and lightly licked his nose in affection. "I might have only been here for a day or two but you are a really nice male and I enjoyed last night." Sally simply smiled. "Good for you Pappa. You need someone in your life even if it is short time. You have been so lonely." She stood and walked over and hugged the two of them. "Take care of my Pappa Satasha. His traveling boots make it hard for him though I am sure there is a girl in each port he hits..." On god he was going to perish on the spot. "Sally I am fine and like my job and no I don't have a woman in each port." For a brief moment sadness showed in his eyes since he still loved and missed his wife. "Now if you don't mind I am hungry and need to get to work on my ship. Tasha said she would help me." It would go quicker and if he could pick her brain on the re-crystallization of the tubes he would be able to get it up checked much sooner. Well that and he would patent the process. Eventually they were done eating and headed to the barn. Billy was sort of chewing his lower lip. "Tasha if it won't get you in trouble can you help me with the re-crystallization of the tubes? I could use the help and the sooner I can get you to your ship the better for my planet." He did sound worried when he said it since again he didn't want his place slagged down with her ship. She also started nibbling on her lower lip. To give that sort of information would be against their codes but he had already figured most of it out based on a simple statement and with a bit of time she knew he would figure it out. "I will though technically it could get me in trouble but right now I am not worried about that. Give me a moment please." She considered how to get the information to him since most of it was in the nano computer in her brain. What she would have to do is erase what was wrong with his expressions, or maybe better yet tell him what was wrong and guide him. Now that was a good idea. "Okay Yilly I am skirting the edges of the codes we go by for this. What I am going to do is tell you where you went wrong with your equations and let you take it from there. I can't just give you the information." She sighed and looked down. She hated having to do this but it would get her back to the Mother Ship and save his farm since if they slagged her ship it would destroy a good portion of his property and that was wrong. Billy watched her and nodded. "First protocol of first contact is to do no harm. I understand Captain and will do my best to keep your involvement to a minimum." He gave her a hug and licked her nose since it seemed to be a sign of affection. "If you want scan the bits and pieces while I work on this issue." He stepped back and pulled on the VR glasses and considered what she had said. "If I can find a way to send you the protocols for my VR could you use that?" She considered that and frowned. "Not sure how you can do that since my interface is Sholan and yours are human. Maybe if you could note them down I could scan them in. It might be easier to just use the VR glasses from the other day." Yes her ship was working on interfacing with the world network. For some reason they called it the interwebs but it was going to take time. "Yilly one thing I want you to consider is my teaching you Sholan. It would be by telepathy and not the 'this is a chidoe' sort of thing. It would require me to have access to your mind." Satasha wasn't really sure how he would react to that suggestion since humans didn't seem to have that sort of talent according to them. "I would only access the part of your mind that is used for speech and nothing else." Billy paused for a moment and contemplated her request and he was going to have to think about it. Having her fiddling with his brain was sort of scary. "I will think about it Tasha and let you know. The idea of anyone being in my brain does bother me but I can understand the request and especially if we get this old bitch working and to your Mother Ship." He decided he would think about it later. "Now back to the important stuff, scan to your heart's content and I am going to work on the equations. I have an idea how to realign the crystallization of the tubes and want to get that out." He turned away from her and called up the VR boards he had saved the other day and carefully went over the equations and using a different VR color highlighted the ones that were bothering him. If this worked he could do his tubes himself and save a good portion of money. That and there were a few ideas that would improve his drive. Once he was done reviewing the equations he saved them and with a wave of his hand they vanished and then he called up several more. On these boards he scribbled out the equations on how the drive worked and leaned back against the ship and contemplated them. After a good while he started making edits and changes to the equations and almost jumped and screamed when someone grabbed his shoulder. When he looked it was his daughter. "God damn it girl you scared the crap out of me." She shook her head. "I am the one that should be scared. I studied these equations at your elbow and what you are modifying is scary." She leaned against him. "It is time for dinner and Sandi is going to kill you if you let her food get cold. Just so you know they moved into your guest room for the duration. It seems they are concerned about you taking care of your friendly alien." She grinned when she said that. Billy took off the glasses after saving the equations. "Thank you for coming to get us Sally." He gave her a good hug. "Not sure how I feel about those two moving in for the duration, I would hate to see what they might do to my house." He looked around and Tasha wasn't in view. He climbed up the ladder to find her in the engine room. "Hey we have been ordered to the house for food. I am not going to argue since I am hungry." Satasha looked up and blinked at him. She had been as interested in his ship as he had been with the VR screens she could see. "Um, food good, maybe relax for a while. This is a very fascinating ship you have. There are some things we could learn from you as well as what we can show you." She stretched and climbed out. She took his arm and leaned against him as they walked towards the house. He smiled when Tasha took his other arm and leaned against him as well. "Remember 20% of anything you earn." She had said 12% but he had to tease her. "So what do you really think of my ship? I know it isn't anything near the tech of yours but I like the old girl. She has gotten me out of a few scrapes now and then." Satasha smiled. "She is fascinating. In a way it is because she would be an antique but there are a few things we could learn. I still can't believe the sheer power she has. If you had tractor beams I know she could drag my ship to orbit and further. I simply don't understand why they put such over powered engines in her even if she could be used as a space going tug. Add to that the cargo space and the rooms you converted to passenger spaces boggles my mind." Sally had to sort of laugh. "Pappa picked her up cheap many years ago since the engines needed work and rebuilt them and started doing small high speed runs." It had been very shortly after their Mother died and he needed something to do. "I have gone with him a few times and it was really fun seeing our colony planets." *** Please don't forget to vote and leave a comment. I greatly value the feedback so I can improve my skills and the stories. Sholan Alliance Ch. 05 For those who are waiting on chapter 2 of second series of The World of Ranike I am having a bit of a brain lock on how they are going to be dealing with being back on earth. As far as the last chapter of the Silver Moon series it is with an editor and as soon as she proof's it I will make changes I feel needed and repost. I also had a volunteer editor, Captain Siren, review the first chapter in the Silver Moon series and she made some very good suggestions. With her help I am going to be revising all the chapters to remove some glaring inconsistencies. They will be posted as we smooth each chapter out. The last thing I have to say is that there are only a few detailed sex scenes in this series as with my other stories. I find, this is a personal opinion that having a sex scene in every chapter of a story gets boring after a while. I have come across some very good stories that keep getting broken up by one sex scene after another. That makes it hard for me to follow the plot line. * The next morning he awoke and was curled up facing her. She was still asleep and with her face relaxed she did look young. He slowly stroked one of her cheeks and quietly sighed. "How did this old dog get so lucky a second time?" From what he had seen and heard Sholans did tend to live longer than human's though they might have a way to extend human lives as well. Satasha hadn't really been asleep and was enjoying his touch. When he asked how he had gotten so lucky she opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Have you considered how this young little kitty feels? Maybe I am the one who got lucky. I found a wonderful man who is smart as a whip and gives people headaches when he tries to explain what he is doing. A loving man who took care of me, fed me, and didn't turn me in to be experimented on or held hostage for some nefarious scheme." To break up the moment she leaned forward and licked his nose and then proceeded to give his face a good bath. It had become a joke between them and she laughed when he started commenting on kitty germs and all that. She finally rolled out of the bed and quickly moved away so he couldn't tickle her or tug on her tail. "Get up lazy bones. I am hungry and want another shower." He laughed and rolled off the bed and lunged at her which she avoided and the two of them dashed into the shower area only to stop. Vangie was working on Sally's hair and when they barged in he looked over his shoulder and looked a little nervous. "Good morning sir. I hope you slept well." Billy grumbled at him a bit. "Call me sir again and I might change my mind on letting you see my daughter. My name is Billy and you will use it unless you have to address me differently." The two of them stepped into the other shower section and started getting wet. "So you spent the night huh? Hope that the two of you slept well." He still had the necklace on as did Tasha. Sally almost groaned. "Pappa he did but nothing happened other than some more talking and getting used to each other's body." She leaned against him. "It was enjoyable getting some cuddling in and he was very understanding about a few things. I really hope that we can get some treaties going with the Sholan's so we can keep seeing each other." She rather liked him so far though time would really tell. Billy was starting to work the shampoo into Satasha's hair as he listened to what she had to say. "I am glad you enjoying getting to know him. The one thing I am worried about is if the two of you get as close as Tasha and I that you will be hurt if and when we have to leave. I know it is going to hurt both Satasha and I and don't want you to have to feel that pain." The rest of the shower was quiet as all of them were contemplating what might be happening in the near future. As they were drying off Sally finally noticed the necklace and made a pleased sound. "That is lovely Pappa. I take it Satasha gave it to you?" She had a towel around her so she stepped closer and took a good look. "That is a wonderful engraving of the two of you." He smiled and gave her a quick hug before heading back into their room to get dressed. Food had been delivered again and they all sat down to eat and there was some casual conversation but again for the most part it was quiet. Once they were done the door opened and the engineer from the day before walked in. "Good morning and I hope I am not disturbing anyone but if you have time in about an hour I have a tele-conference setup. I tried to describe the equations but since I didn't have them handy there wasn't much I could really tell them." He stood there sort of nervously because he didn't know what the aliens view on sharing this type of information was like. Billy waved him further in. "If you want some c'shar please get a cup and have a seat. I actually had been intending to talk to you about that. Since my VR glasses aren't compatible with yours I was thinking about printing everything out. With that they can be scanned into your version of VR glasses since otherwise they wouldn't be able to see the equations. I will say that I don't mind sharing them but if they decide that some of the equations might be of use I will expect some sort of compensation." The Engineer nodded. "That would be very reasonable to expect and I assume that you would need to go to your Ship to print them out?" Billy scratched his chin for a moment as he contemplated a few things. "Actually there might be an easier way. I have a flexible viewing screen that can connect to the glasses and that way I don't have to kill a few trees. If we can run down to the Ship I can grab the screen and then we can come back here and start scanning them in." He was sipping on a cup of coffee as he was talking. One thing he had found was that if you added the instant coffee to the c'shar it gave it an interesting taste. The engineer asked the warrior at the door for an escort to the ship and Vangie stood up. "I can do that since I go on duty shortly. I have been tasked with being a sort of liaison between you and the rest of the people who are going to want to talk to you. That and to make sure you are as comfortable as possible as we learn about you." Billy snorted. "Well in that case being moved to regular quarters where we aren't being taped and listened to would be nice. Neither of us are a threat unless you count causing people headaches as a problem." Being locked up was starting to get annoying. "I would like out of this cage and maybe actually see non-sensitive parts of the Ship." Vangie nodded when he said that. "I will pass that on and see what I can do." With another nod he left the room to go and change. Sally looked sort of upset and once Vangie left she looked at her father. "Do you think that is why he stayed? To learn more about us and to keep me comfortable?" She really didn't like that idea. Billy shook his head. "No I don't. I honestly think that he does like you and he wants to get to know you better. Since he has shown an interest in you as well as having a positive attitude towards us I think that is why he was assigned to us. I suppose in a way you could say he is helping to keep you content but I do not think he was ordered to. He likes you and seems to be a nice male so looking at it that way it is going to make you more content." He gave Sally a good hug and a peck on the end of her nose just because. It was about 15 minutes later Vangie came back into the room dressed in his uniform. "They would prefer if your daughter went and got the view screen. That is because presumably she doesn't have access to the weapons locker you showed the last warrior. If you need anything else from the ship she can get it as well." Billy rolled his eyes at that. "Oh brother that is stupid. If I tried to open it you could have shot me half a dozen times before I got it open." He threw his hands up in disgust. "Sally get the view screen and the micro computer that can be connected to it. I think I have everything I need but if you think of anything grab it after checking. I will be waiting for you." He pulled out his glasses again and after giving Satasha a good kiss and lick he pulled out one of the screens he thought he was close to finishing and started working on it. Satasha looked at the engineer. "When he gets annoyed or grumpy he designs things. It helps him deal with what is bothering him." She settled down on the couch the engineer was on and gave him a polite smile. "I have to admit even though we have VR glasses it is still weird watching him drawing in what appears to be just air." The two of them chatted while Billy was working his annoyance out. Sally was back shortly and she had what he requested and a few items in a bag which went into her room. "Thanks Sally. Do you have a second pair of Sholan VR glasses? I will let you do the scanning while I watch and check to make sure it is being copied correctly." He set up the screen on the table and made sure that it was synched with his glasses. For this he didn't have to wear the glasses. "I did bring a second pair just in case you wanted them." He handed the glasses over and Billy put them on. "That sounds like a good idea since I wouldn't have any idea if this equation came before another." He shook his head when he said that. "I almost wish I could show you our engines but someone mentioned that you are itching to pull things apart and see how they work." He glanced at Vangie who was trying to look completely innocent. Billy snorted as he pulled up the first screen. "I would steal the technology for your beds before anything else. I have resisted the urge to figure it out so far. If I am stuck in here for much longer I might have to disassemble something just to keep me from going nuts." He gave Vangie a look and then started pulling up the equations he had worked out. As he was doing that the engineer was scanning them into the glasses and Billy was checking to make sure that things were in the right order as well as were showing correctly. He hadn't had a look at any of their math so he wasn't sure what symbology they used for things like the constant for the speed of light or imaginary numbers. It was probably going to be several days of working with the design engineers to figure all that out. It took longer than he expected but he had been working on some of the changes since Satasha showed up. Then there were the expanded changes he was thinking of as well as partial designs for a new hyper engine. "Okay that is the full extent of what I have created. Shall we go to wherever this tele-conference is?" That was another technology he would love to steal. Currently they didn't have any sort of long distance communications except by ship. He stood up and looked at Vangie. "Why don't you call for another warrior to escort me and you can stay with my daughter and talk and all that good stuff." He gave him a warm smile when he said that. It would give them time to work a few things out such as Sally worrying about his being with her just to keep her content. Vangie did exactly that and a few moments later the door opened and they were waved out. "We are going to the same room you were in yesterday since it can take the call from Shola and has a large screen." He escorted them to the room and let them in. "Just call when you are done or for something to eat if it takes that long." He had no idea how much data Billy had gathered and created as he was working on the various items. The engineer looked at him. "Thank you warrior and please do have lunch delivered since I have a feeling this is going to take a while." Once they were in the room he activated the screen and Billy found that he was staring at four Sholans and they all looked older since they had gray in their hair. "Good morning gentlemen and lady. As I am sure you know I was asked to meet with you and try and explain the equations and engine modifications I created. Since I don't know the Sholan symbology for higher level math I am going to explain in detail what each equation means and how it works. I will say if I could get my hands on some of your college text books for physics, geometry, and trigonometry after a bit of studying I could probably start converting the equations using your math symbols." One of the Sholans raised an eyebrow at his comment. "Do you really think you could learn that in a short time? It might just be easier for you to describe them and we can record it and work out the conversions." She obviously though he was exaggerating his skills. Billy sighed. "Ma'am I earned my doctorate in theoretical and practical physics in hyper drives in four years. That is normally an eight plus years to do. On the human Intelligence Quotient the norm is roughly 90-120. I scored well over 160 on it. I am classified as a genius which means I am really smart." He tried to avoid any sarcasm. "Now if you don't mind I am pulling up the first screen and this relates to re-crystallization of the tubes. Starting at the top..." He did end up in the room for a bit over 8 hours before he called it quits. "I am starting to get tired and it is about time for food. Take a look at what I explained to you and I assume we can continue this tomorrow." He could tell that the four weren't sure what to make of him and his equations and figured they needed time to digest what he had told them. When they called for the warrior to escort him back to the quarters they were in he was sort of startled when he was led out of the secured area. It took about fifteen minutes to make it to some different quarters. "All of your belongings have been moved to this room. The door will be unlocked but we ask that you have a warrior with you when you leave. This is for your security and nothing else." Billy was rather startled by that. "Um, thanks and most definitely since I am pretty sure I will get lost if I didn't have an escort who knows their way around." The warrior slipped a card into the hand reader. "Please press your hand against the reader and it will register your palm print so you can access the quarters." Once Billy had done that the warrior pulled the card out and indicated for him to touch the access panel. The door slid open and with a nod the warrior left. Billy walked into the room and gave a low whistle. They were much nicer than the ones they had been in. Sally came out and grinned at him and he gave her a big hug and held her for a few moments. "I take it you like our new quarters?" He had to wonder which complaint had earned them this upgrade. She laughed. "Oh yes I like them and the beds are far better than the others were. We even have a food dispenser as well." She leaned into the hug and rested her head on his shoulder. "If it is alright with you Vangie would like to visit and spend the night again." Billy snorted at her. "Just don't do anything I wouldn't do." It was rather hard to think of her as an adult and able to make her choices about her partners. He didn't have much room to speak since he was in a very intimate relationship with a Sholan. He had to admit there was something drawing them together but he wasn't sure what it was. Sally giggled at his response. "I will abide by your request as a good daughter should." They were still hugging when Satasha walked in. "Can you believe these quarters? I might not want to go home since I would feel like I was slumming it." Satasha snickered at her. "Eventually you will have to return to earth since if you don't it could be considered kidnapping." She had been impressed with the quarters as well since they were actually unused leska quarters. Satasha had to grin at Billy. "I understand you gave out a few more headaches today. I am beginning to wonder if that is a talent of yours." He snorted at her. "If the darn fool idiots hadn't tried to treat me like an ignorant barbarian from a backwater world I might not have caused the headaches." He growled that out and looked rather annoyed. "I admit that I did go a bit overboard when I was describing the equations and tossed in some modifications I am thinking about." She rolled her eyes at him. "Billy from their point of view you are from a backwater planet since your engines are considered rather primitive to ours. I have a feeling if the mods you are considering it will be a quantum leap for your people and narrow the gap." When Sally moved away she moved into his arms and gave him a good kiss. "You did impress one of the Design Engineers; it was the female on the board. I have a feeling you are going to be busy for the next few days." As he stroked her fur she leaned into his arms. "Good since she managed to get under my skin before we even started. All I did was ask for some college level books in math and she almost sneered at me." He returned the kiss and licked her nose and just for good measure he lightly licked the closest ear. "I plan on making you test the sound proofing tonight." He whispered into her ear after he had licked it. It wasn't normal for him to lick her ear like that but she tended to do it to him and it really tickled. "Pappa take it to the bedroom if you are going to be flirting like that. I am sure you have missed the fun bed play but I don't need to see you teasing her like that." She was giving him a disapproving frown as she said that. He laughed at her when she said that. "Yes ma'am we will be good till bed time or try to." Billy let Satasha go and had to grin when he looked at her eyes. She was definitely looking forward to this evening. "Would it be possible to go to a dining hall? I am sure the food from the dispenser is good but I want out of the rooms. Oh and if there is a bar here I would love to have a beer or two." Right about then Vangie walked in and overheard what Billy had to say and nodded. "It is possible and I can act as your escort to there and back." He was still dressed in his warrior uniform. "I think it would be good for both of you to see more of the Ship and Sholan's that aren't warriors. Mind you that you might get a bigger bite of Sholans than you expect simply because most of them have never seen your species before." Sally winced slightly at that. "I hadn't really thought of it that way since to us you are the aliens." She moved over to Vangie and pulled his arms around her. "Furry and sexy aliens but still alien to us." She didn't greet him anything like Billy had greeted Satasha. He laughed at her comment. "Sometimes I think you like me just for my fur, I think it is something along the lines of an over sized cat that you can cuddle with." He had to tease her before he opened the door and waved them out. ~~~ Billy was still snickering as they approached the recreational section and as soon as they walked in he saw the view port. Actually calling it a view port was wrong since it was either a long screen showing an exterior view or a massive window. The view was beautiful and he slowly moved towards it and ignored the stares he was getting. He knew the majority was because they had never seen a human before. Rumor had probably spread like a wild fire that they had found another race with hyper technology but not necessarily what they looked like. When he finally reached the view port he pressed a hand against it and had to gasp in wonder. "Oh God that is a wonderful view of space." At the moment the Ship wasn't in hyper and the stars were bright and steady. They appeared to be in orbit around a planet which was very green and had more land than water. Satasha came over and wrapped an arm around him. Vangie did much the same with Sally as she stared as well. "It is beautiful and thank you for sharing your wonder with me. I guess you could say we tend to get rather jaded when it comes to this since we have been in space for a long time." He wrapped an arm around her and rested his head on her shoulder. "I can see space in my ship but it is on a small view screen." His actions got some additional stares and he could feel the back of his neck itching. "Well shall we go and get something to eat? We can come back and look later." As he moved away his hand slid down her arm and took her hand in his. As far as what the other Sholans felt he didn't really care. They could think what they wanted but if any said anything then he would take exception to it. Sholan Alliance Ch. 05 Vangie led them to one of the restaurants. "This is actually a pay for what you eat place. For the moment you have a small account that will cover the basics such as the occasional meal. It will cover cloths and toiletries if you need them. It is in thanks for bringing Satasha back to the ship." It was actually a fairly sizable sum but he didn't want them going nuts and spending it all. "Tonight I am going to pay for the meal so order what you would like." Since Vangie was on duty Sally walked next to him but other than their arms occasionally brushing she was avoiding anything intimate. She would really love to hold his hand or even wrap her arms around him and relax as they walked but wasn't sure if it was appropriate. Eventually they made it to the restaurant and were seated. That gathered even more stares and a slight murmuring spread through the place. Billy frowned at the chair since it was designed for the much larger Sholans. "Man now I feel like a child again." Satasha laughed at him and he growled at her. "I will show you just how adult I am later woman." Satasha snickered and showed him how to pile up the pillows in the chairs so he could reach the table. Once he was seated she curled up in the chair next to him and leaned forward to look at the menu. It tended to change depending on what had come in on one of the supply runs. Billy leaned over and quietly asked her to read the menu to him. He had the language but not the written aspect. He was going to need to see about that. Billy had learned a bit of it from Satasha teaching him but it was very hit or miss and most of it was related to the engines. As she was reading the selections off he noticed that Sally was pretty much doing the same thing he was. He finally gave up since he simply wasn't familiar with their food. "Go ahead and order whatever you think I will enjoy. A dark beer would be nice if you have such a thing." He leaned back in the chair and rolled his head around since he was starting to get a headache. It seemed to be mostly from the stares they were getting. Satasha looked at him as he was stretching his neck and could see and sort of feel a slight bit of pain from him. "Are you okay Yilly? You feel like you have a headache." He sighed. "I do but it is mostly due to everyone staring at us. I can feel it and it is making the back of my neck itch." Satasha leaned over and touched his hand and focused her limited talents and was rather shocked that his mental feel had changed. She could feel that his talent had expanded which probably explained the headache. He simply didn't know how to shield. She created a shield around him and then spoke into her wrist com. "Please connect me to one of the telepath tutors. I think we have a developing talent and he needs to be checked out." She turned to him. "The alcohol will help since it sort of numbs that part of the brain. That is one reason most telepaths don't drink a great deal." Moments later one of the servers walked up and Billy had to blink since she had fur that was almost the color of the hairs on a ripe cob of corn. She was rather attractive as well. When that thought went through his mind he felt slightly guilty. Yes Satasha had said that they were not monogamous but it was an idea he wasn't comfortable with. Once Satasha ordered food for the two of them then Vangie did much the same for him and Sally. Once the lady had left she turned to Billy and grinned. "Oh my is someone interested in that very attractive server? I would be a bit jealous if you went to her rooms tonight but tomorrow would be fine if she is interested." When Billy flushed a deep red she smiled at him and squeezed his hand. He coughed a bit and glared at her. It was mostly because Sally was there and he knew that Satasha was both teasing him and being serious. "I was just thinking that she has a lovely color of fur you evil woman..." Damn it he had to admit that he was a bit interested in what she would be like though. Sally ignored the two and was talking quietly with Vangie. Most of it was general conversation but occasionally she would ask a pointed question about why someone was doing something. She was mentally making notes of what she was seeing and would jot them down either before she went to bed or in the morning. It depended on how late they were out. Satasha snickered at him when he tried to blow it off as just noticing the color of her fur. "It is a rare color and draws a great deal of attention." She squeezed his hand. "I was being serious though. By Sholan standards you have the right to have a few partners. It is what I grew up with and no it doesn't bother me. Well actually it really depends on the person you might choose to spend time with. There are some that I would be rather annoyed if you went with them. Her though, she is a really nice person and I sort of know her." He sighed at her. "You might have grown up with it but I didn't and would feel awkward doing something like that." The thought was there but it was something he would have to think about. The drinks came out first and a few minutes later the food. Satasha couldn't help but talk to Z'Marl for a moment. "Hey, it is good to see you again. I want to introduce you to my companion Yilly. The lady over there is his oldest girl and her name is Sally. When I crash landed on his land he helped me get back to the ship. We had to finish repairing his ship first but once done he brought me straight here." Z'Marl looked as startled as most of the others when Satasha introduce him as her companion and had to turn a curious look at him. "That was very nice of him to help you back. I have to admit I was starting to worry when you didn't come back on time." She gave him another appraising look and then smiled at him. "Can I invite him to dinner?" Billy turned red again and for a very brief moment he had the urge to strangle Satasha. He knew what she was doing by introducing the two and he knew what the invitation meant. *I am going to get you back.* He tried thinking that to her and was surprised when she looked startled. "A meal would be nice but beyond that I don't know. I would have to really think about it. It isn't that you aren't attractive but due to cultural differences. You do have lovely fur though." "Well in that case why don't you have Satasha bring you here tomorrow for dinner. I will meet you about 7ish." She smiled at him and then gestured at the drinks of the two humans. "Since you helped Satasha back your drinks are on the house." With a smile she left the table. "Satasha you might be sleeping on the couch tonight." He wasn't sure how he felt about her setting him up with another female and was going to have to really think about it. "Thank goodness I am going to be talking to the engineers tomorrow. That will calm my nerves and I hope I don't give them any more headaches." He was still holding her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before he let go and took a sip of the beer. It was interesting but very different from what he had ever had before. Satasha snickered at him and his threat. "Relax Yilly, even if it is simply dinner it will help you to get to know other Sholans both male and female." She returned the squeeze and then took a sip of her wine. "Dinner smells wonderful doesn't it? Better than that generic crap they have been serving to us." She leaned forward and started nibbling on something that looked like a salad. Billy sort of grunted. "I have gotten used to packaged meals since I can't cook so to me it wasn't that bad. I have to admit that the food smells interesting." He took a small bite and munched on it and actually smiled. "Not bad at all. I don't know what is in here but I like the taste." He started seriously munching down though he was paying attention to the bites she seemed to really like. Billy speared what looked like a purple beet but tasted sort of like a radish. He held the fork out and when she turned to take the bite he slowly moved the fork away from her and snickered when she realized what he was doing and she lunged forward. Satasha snatched the bite but before she started eating he leaned over and since she was close gave her a kiss. She was a bit startled but returned the kiss and munched on the veggie. "I do love those things. Mom swore that I lived on them for several years when I was a little." Once she was done eating it she leaned over and wrapped a hand around the back of his neck and pulled him into a more intimate kiss and then nipped the end of his nose. "That is for being a stinker." Billy grinned and returned to the salad. The rest of the meal was very enjoyable as well though one thing he noticed was that they had several courses and it was a slow meal. It actually felt rather good to sit back and relax with a meal and have small talk while they were eating. They traded bites of food which got even more attention. He knew it was something Sholans did mostly with someone they were very close too and intimate with. Part way through the meal her comm beeped and when she answered it she was told to report to the quarters of one of the telepaths aboard the ship. She acknowledged the order and sighed. "Well we are going to have to eat a bit faster since we don't want to keep him waiting. As they were eating the waitress stopped at his end of the table and smiled at him. "Would you mind if I felt your hand? I would like to see what your skin feels like." When Billy held his hand out she took it and lightly stroked it. "Wow, it is so soft." She let go of his hand and with another smile continued on with her work. Billy frowned at Satasha when she snickered at him. They had just finished eating and he sighed. "Well we are going to need to get going and Vangie you can escort us there and then go back to our quarters. I will have a different warrior come and get us since I have no idea how long this will take. I am sure you have other things you want or need to do." He gave him a slight grin. Vangie pretended to be serious when he responded. "I am simply following orders to make sure that you are safe. I will ensure your daughter is very safe till the morning." Sally choked on the last sip of wine and glared at both Vangie and her father and Vangie started grinning. "Can you think of a safer place than sleeping next to a warrior?" Billy laughed as all of them stood up after he was shown how to pay for the meal. Vangie was still grinning when they left the restaurant. Well till Sally punched his arm. "Buster you might end up on a couch as well. That way you would be closer to the door if it opens and it isn't one of us four." Billy traded looks with Satasha but remained silent as they were shown to the quarters of the telepath. "Thank you Vangie and like I said I will call for a different warrior to bring us back. Enjoy your evening." He gave the male a good slap on his back and walked into the quarters when the door was opened and they were waved in. "So what can I do for you Satasha?" He asked once they were seated. There were several cups of c'shar on the table and with a nod Billy picked on up and took a sip as the two talked shop for a few minutes. "So you think he is starting to show some new powers correct? It might be that linking with you and even me has catalyzed a dormant ability and that is a known happening." He looked at Billy and waved him over to the chair he was in. "I need to touch your temples to check. This is a bit more invasive than what I was doing the other day since I will be checking the section of the brain that deals with talents." Billy stood and walked over to him and when he indicated for him to sit on the floor in front of him he frowned slightly but did as requested. "Just do me a favor and don't fry my brain. I have a few more headaches to cause tomorrow. Well that and I like my brain the way it is." G'Houl laughed lightly. "You do seem good at doing that. Maybe if you stopped thinking so much that might help the problem." He touched Billy's temples with his hands and slowly synched his mind with Billy's and then slowly probed his mind. It was different from a Sholan mind but not nearly as much as he expected. Eventually he pulled back and contemplated what he had felt. "He does have a talent and it has gotten stronger than when I first worked with him." G'Houl stood up and walked to a cabinet and pulled out what looked like an oversized watch. He strapped it to Billy's wrist and adjusted it. "This is a personal damper that will shield you from feeling or sensing others. You are going to need training on shielding and the use of your talent as does your daughter." Billy was rubbing his forehead but he did feel better once the damper was wrapped around his wrist. "I don't know how feasible that is since when I am listed as lost or had an engine malfunction they will start a search for me. I have to admit I would like to stay here with my companion and learn more about your society and technology." He rolled his head on his neck again which helped. He considered it. "Since we have now encountered your species we will be sending a first contact team. I will speak with the senior officers on the ship and recommend that you either take or lead the first contact team. I will probably be included and I can give you training while we are dealing with that. I am going to have purple added to you and your daughters clothing." He indicated they could leave which they did. Satasha called for the warrior escort back to their rooms. Shortly he arrived and indicated they were to follow him which they did. A few minutes later they were at their quarters and the warrior gave them a nod and left as they walked in. Billy sighed and started towards the bedroom. "I am tired and think I need some sleep. Do you want to crawl in with me or stay up for a while?" He figured he had enough energy for a bit of fun and he gave her a rather sensuous smile. She shook her head at him as he smiled at her. "Not sure you have enough energy for anything other than some cuddling and then sleep." Satasha walked over to him and the two of them walked into the bedroom. A few moments later they had stripped off their clothing. Billy sat on the edge of the bed and rolled his neck again. When Satasha crawled into bed and moved over and started massaging his neck and upper back all he could do was groan. Unfortunately by the time she was done he was beat. He leaned back against her. "That was lovely but I am about ready to pass out. Sorry about that since I really wanted to make love to you." She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a good hug. "I understand. You will find at first using your powers will tire you out. Lay down in my arms and in the morning we can have some fun." She urged him down into the bed and pulled the covers up and curled closely around him. Satasha simply held him and was purring which usually helped him go to sleep fairly quickly. He pulled her arm a bit tighter around him and snuggled into her warmth and was quickly asleep. Both the feel of her fur and the purring helped him go to sleep most all the time. When he awoke the next morning he was now facing Satasha and had to smile since she looked peaceful. That and when she was asleep she looked young. It was something he hadn't really noticed before she had mentioned her age. With an evil grin he licked her nose and then started giving her face a tongue bath. His tongue wasn't nearly as long as hers was but he decided turn about was fair play. She didn't really wake till he started licking her ears and then started nibbling them. Satasha woke with a start as he started working on an ear and tried to lean away from him but his arms were firmly around her head. It took her a moment to realize that part of her face was damp from his licking as well and she muttered at him. "Yilly you stinker I was still asleep." She tried moving away from him only to find she was now on her back and he was straddling her. "Well you are awake now so there." He continued his nibbling and worked his way down her ear and then started on the jaw. Eventually he reached her mouth and gave her a good kiss. "Not a bad way to wake up I hope." He slid his tongue into her mouth and let it wander around her teeth. They still fascinated him and he was having fun. "Grrr you evil man." As he was nibbling on her she started running her hands up his back and let her claws come out just enough to give some additional sensations. Satasha let him explore her mouth for a few moments and then grinned. With a shift of her hips she rolled them over so he was on the bottom. "There is one thing I have been meaning to do and it is time." One of her hands slid down the back of his neck and grasped the back of it. When he tilted his head back she smiled and leaned down and grasped his neck in her teeth and pressed them against his neck till his body relaxed and then she let go. "Now you are my companion as well I yours." He hadn't expected that but by the time she let go he was definitely nice and hard and he was going to make the best of it. "I was wondering when you would get around to it." He slid his hands down her back and stroked the base of her tail. "We are going to have fun this morning and as hard as I am right now it might take some time." His mouth worked down her neck and chest and found a nipple and lightly nibbled it. She was definitely enjoying their love making and though it was sort of rushed she felt very content. "Meow baby meow..." She was teasing him a bit with that and he snickered. "Well time for a shower and to get ready for the day." Satasha would have loved to spend a bit more time in bed but her comm had alerted her to an appointment with a tutor for Billy. When she rolled off him and headed towards the shower he rolled off the bed and followed her. Vangie and Sally were already in there and she was leaning against the wall as Vangie worked his way down her back and legs. "Morning all." Billy said as he climbed into the other side of the shower and let the hot water flow over his head and down his back. Eventually he turned and started working on Satasha's hair and back. Once they were clean they met up in the living area and settled for something from the dispenser though Billy went with some of the instant coffee he had brought over. When Vangie sniffed at it Billy grinned. "Not unless you want to be drunk on duty. It has an effect like alcohol on you. I can make you some this evening." Vangie sniffed again and sighed. "That smells really good and I think I will take you up on the offer tonight." He returned to the food and started eating. Billy smiled at Sally. "So did you have an enjoyable evening last night?" He assumed they had gone all the way and was sort of curious as to what she had to say about it. "We did Pappa and yes we had fun but that is all I am going to say about it." She was lightly leaning against Vangie. "I will say that he was very gentle and caring. I like him and what I know of him so far. Can we take him back with when we leave?" Both Vangie and Billy choked on that. Billy had to cough a time or two before he could speak. "I don't think so since the captain of this Ship might object to you stealing members of his crew." Both males sort of glared at Sally for a moment and then went back to eating. Eventually they finished and they stood up. "Sally you have an appointment with the tutor after your father is done. Till then would you like to see more of the ship? I can take you to the nature reserve and show you around if you want. She nodded. "That sounds like a fun and relaxing way to get ready for the tutor." He was in his uniform again so she resisted the urge to take his hand as they left. She did give him a good kiss before leaving though. He showed them to the tutor's office and told them to call for a warrior since after the session he was going to speak to the Design Group again. "Yilly try not to give them any more headaches. One or two mentioned you had done that and they had to go to medical for meds to kill the pain." He smirked at him when he said that. Sholan Alliance Ch. 05 "I can't guarantee that Vangie but will do my best." He didn't say his best at not giving them headaches. He was still a bit annoyed with the backwater treatment they had given him at the beginning. Eventually they made it to the tutor's office and he waved at them as he and Satasha walked in. "Good morning Sir. I think I am here to learn how to shield." The Sholan waved the two of them over to some comfortable chairs. "Turn off the damper and we will get started." Billy did that and by the time they were done he had the basics down. He had been taking notes on a VR screen which got him a strange look. Satasha sort of grinned. "Don't ask unless you want a headache. Yilly thinks and occasionally speaks in math so far above me I just sort of nod and let him talk." She shook her head since once in a blue moon she almost felt like an idiot next to him. He raised his eyebrows. "Well when you have your shielding down I would like to see what you did with the notes." Billy nodded as he made a few more notations and saved them. "Thank you for the start on the training and your help but I need to get going since I have an appointment. I am probably going to give your Design Engineers more headaches today." The rest of the day went much like the day before with the exception that they didn't treat him as an idiot. There was a definite sense of they were going to be careful with him and not give him any more information than needed. By the end of the day he had covered several more screens and all four were frowning. "Sorry if I gave you another headache but I am not sure how not to do that. This is simply how my brain works." Once he was back in the suite he flopped in a chair and sort of stretched and yawned. "Vangie I am sorry but I gave most of them another headache. I have a feeling that they reviewed my work last night and came to the conclusion that I actually know what I am talking about." Satasha came out of the bedroom. "Don't forget you are having dinner with Z'Marl this evening and you should dress up a bit." She had purchased a few things for him to wear though he was going to feel a bit silly since they were Sholan cloths. He grumbled at her and walked into their room and stared at the clothing. "What the heck is that? Why are you putting me into a tabard and an over robe? I am going to look utterly silly meeting her dressed like that." Satasha laughed at him. "I am sure you will look very nice in them. You really don't have any dressy clothing so I figured you could wear some of ours." He was still grumbling as he stripped down though he left his under wear on. She helped him with the tabard which hung down to about his knees. The over robe was a bit longer and covered the open sides of the tabard. She worked his hair into a tidy braid and finished it off with a silver looking ponytail holder. "You look wonderful Yilly." He looked in the mirror and shook his head. "I feel really silly with my legs showing. The colors are nice and the purple trimming sort of stands out." He moved around and decided that he wasn't going to show too much skin as long as he was careful. Billy walked into the living area and both Vangie and Sally smiled. "You look good Pappa. Different but good, the colors look good on you and I hope you have an enjoyable evening." Her smile widened and he grumbled at her and she simply leaned against Vangie. "See you later this evening or tomorrow morning." Vangie spoke. "Oh, Satasha you can escort him around as well. This evening if he does choose to go to her quarters he will have to call for a warrior since only the two of us are allowed to escort him. Either that or you stay sort of close to them and escort them around as needed." Satasha nodded. "I think I can handle that. It does make it more flexible for all of us if I can escort them around." She led Billy out of the rooms and tucked her arm around his and they slowly walked down to the rec level. By the time they arrived Z'Marl was already seated and there were three seats at the table. "Good evening to both of you. Vangie contacted me and let me know that Satasha needs to stay close so you have your escort to keep all of your admirers away from you." She grinned at him when she said that and he almost choked. "God you Sholans might be the death of me." He rolled his eyes as he settled down in the chair next to Z'Marl as Satasha took the seat across from them. Billy was feeling really odd at the moment. His companion was sitting with them. There was a sort of expectation of sex later in the evening and heaven only knew what else. Since she looked like she had dressed up he gave her a warm smile. "You look very nice this evening." She lowered her ears a bit and gave him a shy smile. "Thank you and you look really nice as well." She tilted her head as she looked at him. "You have purple on. Does that mean you are a telepath?" They hadn't met any other telepathic species in their travels. "I guess I could be a telepath but I am just starting to learn about my abilities. Satasha thinks I have an affinity for engines and electronics which might be possible." He grinned at her. "Just don't ask to see my work. It seems to give everyone headaches." Z'Marl raised an eyebrow at him and then glanced at Satasha who nodded. "So why would it give others a headache?" That seemed rather odd to hear about. As she was talking drinks were delivered. "I hope you don't mind but I already placed the order and I hope you like the choices." Billy shrugged. "Not really sure but every time I start explaining my theories and equations half the time they tell me to stop talking. The Design Board I have been talking to have been getting headaches as well." He casually shrugged again. "That is fine and since you are buying me dinner I can't complain. Is there somewhere to dance around here? I don't know how you dance but I used to be pretty good." He took a sip of the wine and had to lift the glass and look at the color and then sniffed it and smiled. "Not sure what this is made of but it has a nice bouquet and a very interesting taste." He took another sip and then put the glass down. Since their chairs were close he leaned over and lightly rubbed his cheek with hers. "I really don't know what might happen tonight but thank you for offering me dinner. I am pleased and honored that you would even consider it." When he did that he smiled and could feel a sense of amusement from Satasha and he mentally growled at her. "Satasha how old is she? If she is younger than Sally I am not going to be pleased." That was asked in English. "Sorry Z'Marl but some concepts I still have a problem phrasing in Sholan. So how long have you been working aboard the ship?" Satasha simply smiled at him. "She is an adult and that is all that matters and I am not going to tell you her age. Simply relax and enjoy the meal and maybe some time with her." She replied in English as well. Satasha even went as far as to take a sip of her drink and pulled out what looked like an e-reader and ignored the two of them. *Kitty skin rug for my Captains quarters.* He sent to her. She leaned close to him, or as close as the chairs would allow, and smiled. "Satasha told me not to answer certain question though I am not sure why." Z'Marl gave Satasha a questioning look and Billy had to roll his eyes. "I have been working as a server for several years. First on Shola and then aboard this ship and I enjoy it. I get to meet a number of fascinating people while I am serving them." She smiled a happy smile. "I even got to serve the Legien and Legiena of one of the sixteen telepathic clans. That was very enjoyable and they were very polite to me." Billy had to smile at her enthusiasm and he could feel the enjoyment of the job she did. "I am glad you enjoy your work. I enjoy being the Captain of a small ship. Satasha described me as having travelling feet and a different Sholan asked me why I wasn't still designing ships and engines." He shrugged and grinned. "I enjoy both but thanks to that furry kitty across from us managed to kick start my brain and all sort of interesting things fell out." Satasha snorted at him. "Yes and now you are having a great deal of fun giving us normal folks headaches." She looked up at Z'Marl and shook her head. "Don't bother as you will probably end up with a headache as well." Billy snickered at her. "I haven't given everyone a headache. The tutor this morning seemed content with how I was doing with the basic shielding." He took another sip of the wine and had to appreciate it again. "This is an excellent vintage. I don't know if you have actually tried it but would you like a sip?" She lowered her ears and gently took the glass from him and took a small sip. "It is very good. I think this is from the Valsgarth estate since they grow a variety of fruits for wines." Z'Marl returned it and tilted her head. "Even if it is way above my head I wouldn't mind seeing some of what you have designed." As she was talking she handed her glass to him and after taking a sip he handed it back. "Fascinating taste, most of the wines we have are from a variety of a fruit we call grapes. There are some specialty wines that are made with different fruits but they tend to be more expensive." The salads were delivered and the server winked at them and he had to roll his eyes. "I can show you but if you end up with a headache it is on your shoulders." Satasha growled at him. "I am going to put my earbuds in and ignore you two. Remember I don't want to hear any complaints from you Z'Marl." She stuck them in as Billy was pulling out his glasses. Z'Marl pulled hers out and linked them together. "This is the equation I started with to re-crystallize the hyper tubes and..." He went on to describe how the equation worked and was startled when she started running her finger along the lines. She was also nodding as she was going along. "Wow that is fascinating. You said you created this by yourself?" Z'Marl ran her fingers over the equations again and gave him an excited smile. "That is a very elegant equation you created. I would love to see more of your work later. Right now the salad is calling my name." Satasha looked up at Z'Marl and gave her a hard look. "How much of that did you really understand? Were you just nodding at all the right times like I tend to do?" She had a feeling the answer was going to upset her. Z'Marl twitched her ears at Satasha and grinned. "Some of it was above me but Yilly did an excellent job of explaining it. It was simply fascinating and I would love to see more of it." She leaned over and rubbed Billy's cheek with hers. "Smart people are so attractive and fun to talk to." Satasha glared at the two of them and then covered her face. "Vartra's bones I am not sure I can handle a meal of geek speak flirting. As Vangie said my poor widdle brain might just melt down." She was peaking between her fingers and both were snickering at her. Billy snickered at her. "I seem to remember your brain having a meltdown this morning and it didn't have anything to do with geek speak." He sent her a few images from that morning before turning to the salad and started munching. It was a different type than last night and one bite managed to make his mouth pucker. "Okay, something in here has serious pucker power." Satasha growled at him as he teased her and then sent her the imagines. "Yilly you are going to so get it later..." She sent him an image of a human skin rug in her living quarters in revenge. "But I am not furry Tasha so it just wouldn't be the same." He said to her and grinned at Z'Marl. "Just trading jokes with Tasha. I am still getting used to talk to her with my mind and send images. I will try not to do that again since it is impolite." He lightly licked her muzzle and went back to eating. As the meal progressed Billy was becoming fairly impressed with Z'Marl since she was very smart and it showed in little ways. It might be a simple turn of words, a nod if he slipped and mentioned and equations, and what seemed to be a vast knowledge of her world. He loved Satasha and was going to bond with her when possible but Z'Marl fascinated him since she was obviously far more intelligent than she came across as when she was serving last night. Satasha joined in occasionally as well and all told it was an enjoyable evening. Once they had finished eating all three stood up and Z'Marl smiled. "The dancing club I normally prefer is this way." She started down the concourse. Billy took Satasha's hand and gave it a squeeze before giving her a good kiss. He also offered his arm to Z'Marl and they started walking. Eventually he ended up with his arm around Satasha since he wanted to ensure that she knew he loved her and didn't get jealous of him and Z'Marl talking shop. When they did reach the dance area he had to smile at the looks they were getting. "I might be able to get used to having a lovely lady on each side of me. We are getting some serious stares aren't we?" Satasha appreciated his gesture though he didn't really need to. They were companions and both wanted a bonding contract. She could feel his love for her and it was a small warm glow in her mind and made her want to melt. Satasha could also feel his curiosity about Z'Marl and how smart she actually was. There was a faint concern that she was a plant to see if he was really telling them about his equations. "We are Yilly and you are such a flirt. I might have to set up appointments to share you with the other women who find you interesting." She grinned when he blushed. "Believe me Yilly I have had a number of questions about you and what you are like. The majority is females but there were one or two males that were interested as well." She knew he didn't swing that way but had to tease him. His face froze for a moment and then he growled at her. "I don't think so unless you get a good return on my evenings and I want half of what you make." Billy listened to Z'Marl almost choke as she was trying not to laugh and he grinned at her. "Well if she is going to pimp me out I want a portion of what she is making." Z'Marl started laughing at the two of them. "God both of you are made for each other. I knew Satasha had a semi-warped sense of humor but I didn't know it was that bad." She was giggling as they walked into the club and just for good measure ran her tail up his leg and just under his tabard. Billy almost glowered at her. "Excuse me that is my leg for the moment and no tickling it with your tail." The music was reasonably mellow but it had a nice beat to it. What the band or group who made it was really singing about he had no clue but it didn't matter. Billy turned towards Z'Marl and rested his hands on her waist and started dancing with her. Behind him he could feel Satasha dancing close and he started blushing. They danced for a while and by the time they were done he was feeling relaxed though a bit sweaty. "Man I need to sit down and have a long tall cool drink." Satasha was panting a bit as well and Z'Marl was looking quite pleased. "Well if you would like to come to my cabin and relax and talk for a while I would enjoy that. I understand what you were saying about cultural differences and will respect that." She nuzzled his cheek and leaned against him. "I have to admit I am a bit tired as well." Billy contemplated that as they slowly walked down the concourse and finally nodded. "That sounds very enjoyable. I have gotten to know my companion and some about her family. The male who is sort of seeing my daughter I have talked to as well and he seems like a good male. I would love to spend some time getting to know you." He smiled at Satasha and gave her a kiss. "A very pretty lady told me I have wandering feet and getting to know people on our colony worlds is something I greatly enjoy." Satasha returned the kiss and then snickered. "I can see where Sally got her urges for her degree though in her case the traveling would be to learn about the planets. She would settle in one place for a year or two before moving on. I have to wonder if your youngest girl got your curiosity as well." He shook his head. "No, she got my brains but is seeing a nice young man at her college. Both are looking to go into medicine and then assuming they still feel the same settle down and produce a number of grandchildren for me." Z'Marl gave him an evaluating look. "How old are your children?" From the sounds of it they were mostly grown. He might be older than he looked not that it bothered her. Billy frowned slightly. "Sholans and human's age and mature differently so trying to give their ages in the Sholan equivalent is difficult. Sally would be about 20 or 21 in Sholan estimates and Danielle would be a bit over 15. Mind you she doesn't want kids till after she has her degree so she would be 23 or so at that point." Z'Marl contemplated that and shook her head. "I can understand the trouble matching age equivalencies but your youngest sounds simply too young to be contemplating having a baby." It sounded so odd based on what he said. Satasha sort of shrugged. "We just mature differently and I doubt Yilly wants to get into any psycho-sexual differences right now. He is probably itching to pull his equations out and see if you get a headache." She lightly poked him in the ribs. "No getting out of fun that way. You can just say no if you want." He laughed at her and changed the subject as they slowly walked towards Z'Marl's quarters. Eventually they reached them and he gave Satasha a good kiss and just for good measure gave one ear a good lick. When she said 'Gah' and then 'human germs' he snickered and walked into the room with Z'Marl. It wasn't nearly as large as the rooms they were staying in but they were nicely decorated and he had to appreciate some of the paintings on the wall. She took her over robe off and got two drinks from the dispenser and settled down on the couch. "That is a painting done by one of my relatives and shows the Vegan mountain range after a rain storm. I love looking at it as well since it reminds me of home." Billy finally moved over to the couch and curled up next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He let out a contented sigh as they both looked at the painting. "Makes me think of the Smokey Mountains near where I live. The fog will come down and you can barely see the mountain tops. It is almost like they are in a fantasy land and only show at certain times." When he wrapped an arm around her she leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Ours look like that at times as well. I will sit in back of the house with a jacket on and a hot cup of c'shar. I will stare at the mountains and imagine what that other world looks like." She relaxed even further against him and closed her eyes and relaxed. Billy had to smile since she seemed content to just sit there and relax. It actually felt nice to get away from everyone and sort of in his own way have some him time. Looking back from the moment Satasha had crashed they seemed to have been thrown together. Add Sandi, Jenna, and Sally he really hadn't had much alone time. That was one thing he loved about owning his own ship. Between worlds he had time to think and relax. "Thank you for inviting me out for dinner. I greatly enjoyed it and the dancing. Since Tasha crash landed I haven't had much time to just get out and relax. I had been working on my ship for a good month and a half before that and another two months or so after she landed." He rested his head on the top of hers and closed his eyes and enjoyed the warmth and the soft fur. "I hate to sound bad but did you really understand the equations?" Z'Marl lightly rubbed her head against his shoulder as he spoke. "That sounds like a grueling few months and I don't blame you for needing to blow off some steam." When he asked her if she had really understood him she nodded. "I don't like to show how smart I am. It tended to get me stared at in school so I sort of hid it." Sholan Alliance Ch. 03 I am editing the first five chapters of this series since I noticed a number of mistakes when I read them recently. Once I have them edited and submitted this should clear up the chapter order so that it is easier to read. That was a major oops on my part and I still am not sure how I managed it. Oh well, go me. I also had a volunteer editor, Captain Siren, review the first chapter in the Silver Moon series and she made some very good suggestions. With her help I am going to be revising all the chapters to remove some glaring inconsistencies. They will be posted as we smooth each chapter out. The last thing I have to say is that there are only a few detailed sex scenes in this series as with my other stories. I find, this is a personal opinion, that having a sex scene in every chapter of a story gets boring after a while. I have come across some very good stories that keep getting broken up by one sex scene after another. That makes it hard for me to follow the plot line. * Since Sandi and Jenna moved into his spare bedroom he ended up with Satasha in his bed not that he minded. "If you prefer to sleep in your bed I understand. It is more comfortable than mine." It had some sort of memory foam that automatically adjusted to what was most comfortable for who was sleeping in it. "That and your shower has the air jets to get you dry." To be honest he was sort of thinking about them moving in there for privacy. He had enjoyed her last night and wouldn't object to more activity with her. Satasha actually laughed and covered her mouth so her fangs didn't show. When she did Billy reached over and gently pulled her hand away. "I like your laugh and your teeth don't bother me." He leaned over and kissed her and slid his tongue in her mouth and let it roam over her teeth. "Actually to be honest you fascinate me Tasha and that is saying a bit since I haven't found a women who draws me like you are for many a year." He pulled back a bit and licked her short muzzle and then nibbled on an ear. She tensed when he pulled her hand away from her mouth since she had been trying very hard to keep her sharp teeth from showing. When he kissed her and slid his tongue into her mouth she was more than startled and her tongue slid into his as well. They kissed for a while before he spoke and her ears went down in embarrassment. "Thank you Yilly that means a great deal to me." She looked down shyly and spoke. "You interest me as well and not just because you are an alien." When he licked her nose and then nibbled on an ear she leaned into it and could feel her core starting to warm up again. Last night had been sort of awkward since they didn't know each other's body but tonight she had a feeling that it was going to be different. He could feel her reaction to both his licking her muzzle and nibbling on the ear. She almost seemed to melt and soften in his arms. "I see someone likes that huh?" He was still learning about what she wanted and it was different since she was an alien. "If you like or don't like what I am doing tell me. I will do the same. I want to please you as best possible." Tonight he was staying away from her tail, or the base of it till later. His hands started stroking her sides and back and he most definitely was enjoying the feel of her fur. "I think I might just start liking the feel of fur against me." Satasha leaned into his nibbling and sighed. "You are learning Yilly and if we get to my Mother Ship you are going to find women competing for your attention." She slid on top of him and started running her fingers across his skin. "You are so different from what I am used to but yet you still draw me. I can feel your want and desire for me which feels really nice." She leaned over and kissed him again. "I know you lost your wife years ago and in no way am I trying to replace her but your need is drawing me." She started nibbling on his ears and neck as well and his hands stilled on her back for a moment. The mood for him wasn't really ruined but the mention of his former wife did hurt and he had to close his eyes and a few tears leaked out. "I understand and I still miss her a great deal. I guess that is one reason I haven't done more than a few short term liaisons." She scented the tears and started lightly licking his face to clean them off. "Sorry Yilly for touching on that subject." She felt bad but when his arms curled around her and pulled her close she sort of guessed that he needed comfort. When she started licking his face he was a bit startled but went with it and pulled her close and more tears started flowing. "Sorry Tasha for ruining the mood but damn it I still miss her. She didn't mind my travelling boots and went with me to my duty stations till she was too pregnant to be comfortable or was too close to delivery." One hand came up and pulled her head to his neck and he leaned into hers. "You are a fine woman and I did enjoy last night. It is still hard for me to let go." He rolled on his side and curled up in her arms and really started crying. "Sorry." She could feel the pent up loss and agony he was feeling and pulled him close. "It is okay Yilly. I understand and cry all you need." She could feel that he was a rather private person and had done his best to be strong for his girls as they grew. That wasn't mentioning hiding his feelings for Sandi as best possible. "I am here for you Yilly and anything you say will remain with me as far as your personal life." She was stroking his hair and back and felt him slowly start to relax and before she realized it he had slipped into sleep. Sally didn't realize she had some abilities but had felt her father's distress and slipped out of her room and to his to find him sleeping in Satasha's arms. "Is he okay? I could hear him crying from my room." That wasn't a total lie but close. She moved closer to the bed and looked at her father. "Thank you for taking care of him." Satasha held a finger to her muzzle for the girl to be quiet and then waved her over. She really didn't think that she had heard his crying since it had been mostly silent. When she sat down Satasha lightly grasped her hand and frowned slightly. "You realize you are an empath don't you? You are untrained but even I can tell that. I think your world might have more people with powers than you think." Billy was an example since he had an affinity for machines. Sally pulled her hand back and looked away for a few moments. "I have known that for a while and it was hard learning to shield myself from others emotions." That was especially hard in high school. Now she had pretty much shut it down except with those she most cared for. "You need training girl and when we get Yilly's ship fixed it might be a good idea for you to come with and we can teach you how to control it. It isn't a talent we normally have but shielding is shielding and you can use the training or you might end up a hermit." She was being serious when she said it. Sally sort of stared at her. "I will consider it but I am doing okay right now. Just take care of my father." Her face hardened a bit. "If you hurt him it will be the last thing you do. I know he is hurting still and doesn't need any more pain in his life." She was being serious when she said that. Satasha shook her head. "You are not doing okay and I can feel it but it is your choice. As far as your father he is a very nice man." She stroked his hair for a moment. "I have told him this and am going to tell you. We are not monogamous since Sholan females can control when we get pregnant. He understands. Mind you that doesn't mean I am going to just jump into the bed of any male or female but he needed to know." Sally stared at her and with a nod left the room without saying anything else and went to her room. She had wanted him to find another lady who could accept who he was but a furry alien female? That simply hadn't crossed her mind for obvious reasons. She had to admit that Satasha was nice enough and her father seemed to like her but it was still outside her ideas of who he might want to date. She wasn't stupid and knew that he also had feelings for Sandi as well though they would never be returned. With a sigh she rolled into her bed and fell asleep. Satasha curled around Billy and held him for a while before she fell asleep. Since she was so close to him physically she could feel his dreams and remembered his mate as he dreamed of her. Much of the dream was about her dying and his holding his youngest girl and crying as he held her. When she woke the next morning she felt sort of used and tired. It hadn't been a good night and she could tell the Billy hadn't slept well either. She started stroking his hair and held him till he woke up. He looked a bit ragged and he curled into her. "God that sucked I hope I didn't disturb your sleep." He hadn't had that dream for a long time and every time he did it tore him up and he would have a bad day or two. "I think I am going to go and take a shower." He moved away from her and walked to the bathroom. His shoulders were slumped as he walked. Satasha stood and followed him and once she heard the water start she stepped in the shower. She curled her arms around him and held him. "I can feel the love you still have for your former mate. I think she would be very proud of how you raised your girls." She was purring for all she was worth. "I haven't met your youngest girl but if she is anything like Sally she would be most proud of you." Satasha felt him tense up and moved back a bit and started rubbing his shoulders and giving them a light massage. Damn it he hadn't wanted to cry but with her attention and the dreams he couldn't help it. Thankfully the tears were concealed by the shower though he was sure that Satasha knew. He finally stood up and grabbed the shampoo and started working it into his hair. He did his best to pretend he was fine. As he was doing that she was working on her fur as well. He finished before she did and turned and started working on her back and the down the back of her legs. Satasha gave his shoulders a final light squeeze before starting to work on her fur. Eventually they were done and she started stripping the water out of her fur before toweling off. She missed the hot air jets in her shower and might convince him to sleep there if he wanted. The bed was more comfortable and the shower larger. She was enjoying having someone curled up next to her as well. "Well time for breakfast and then work." He sort of grunted but toweled off and got dressed in his usual work clothing. "Yah, I am going to be picking your brain today or as much of it as you will allow. I don't expect you to give away anything really classified and if I get close to that sort of thing tell me." He paused for a moment. "If you want to teach me your language please do so. Just don't scramble my brain in the process. I rather like it the way it is." Satasha was more than a bit startled when he told her that and nodded. "How about we take care of it this evening after we get some more work done?" She followed him to the kitchen and Sandi gave him a look and sighed. "Bad night Billy? You look rough and here is some coffee for you and some herbal tea for you Satasha." She came over and gave him a good hug after putting the cups down. "Breakfast will be done shortly and then you can go and distract yourself with your ship and all the lovely things Satasha did to turn your brain on overtime." Sally snorted. "Bout time he started working with his brain again. He is old and if he doesn't exercise it his brain might ossify." She had fun teasing him at times and felt that right now was a good time to tease him to distract him. Whatever she might think about Satasha it really felt like she would be good for him even if it was only short term. Billy needed to look forward and she felt that Satasha would help him to do that. "Thanks Sandi. It is nice getting up to an already made cup of coffee." He returned the hug but didn't comment about the night. When Sally started to tease him he shook a fist at her. "Ossified my butt, I can still run circles around you with math and a few other subjects so be good or I might have to send you to bed without supper." ~~~ Eventually they made it back to his Ship and he pulled the VR screens back out and reviewed what he had done the day before and was pleased. Before he did anything he was going to have to review all the equations and take one of the old tubes lying around to use as a test bed. There was a place in town that might just work since they had an induction heating unit. It was something that would have to be done slowly since the whole tube wouldn't fit in it. They would have to feed the tube through at a very specific speed. That would depend on the thickness of the tubes as well as a number of other factors. Over the next two weeks he polished his equations and though Satasha did review them she tried very hard not to give much away. She had already pushed the limits of what she should or shouldn't do and was likely to get in trouble. One thing she had done was to get her language implanted in his mind so that they could talk easier. She wasn't skilled enough to take his language but the translator was getting much better with the dialect they used. To be honest in a way Billy bothered her. Some of the equations he was working out were above her but she could tell they were dealing with both the tubes and the engines. She had a feeling that if he managed to gain access to their equations the changes he could make would spread like shock waves. Eventually he was done and he nodded at the boards. "Well now we find out if I am nuts or not and I am going to take an old set of tubes to town and see about them getting properly crystallized." He backed the flat bed he owned part way into the slip and using the crane moved the old tube onto the bed of the truck. "I will be back at some point. This is probably going to take some time." He hopped out of the cab and walked over to Satasha and pulled her into a good hug and after a kiss and a light lick to her nose he spoke. "I am sure you can sense it but I have been greatly enjoying spending time with you. I might end up being home tomorrow when I get back. If so I am going to miss being in your bed and arms." She returned the kiss and licked his nose as well. "I know Yilly and I can say much the same. When it comes time for me to go back to the Mother Ship I am going to greatly miss you." Satasha had a few ideas that would require talking to the senior staff. Billy would be a damn good addition to part of the first contact team. Billy climbed back into the cab of the truck and pulled away from the slip and headed towards town. He had talked to the shop he was thinking of and they were rather curious as to what he wanted and how he was going to do whatever he was. ~~~ When he finally pulled up to the shop he backed up to the large doors and climbed out. He walked into the shop and called out. "Sue Anne where are ya? I would like to get started but I am going to need to change a few parameters on your induction unit." When he called out she came out of the office. "Oh shush ya old coot. I was just getting ready for you." She was rather butch looking even though she had a husband and several kids. "I want to see the changes you want to make before anything happens." He nodded and pulled out his VR glasses and waited for her to put hers on and he pulled up the equations. "Basically it needs to auto adjust as the tubes are being fed through it." He started explaining what it was going to happen. "Oh god Billy just shush and go do what you need or my brain might explode." He had lost her after several lines. "I don't know why you run a tramp freighter when you could be doing important research." Everyone in town knew just how smart he was and why he had left the space navy but he could have worked for almost any think tank out there. He gave her a grin. "A very nice lady described me as having traveling boots and she is right. I do love space and traveling around seeing new places." He turned the screen off and headed towards the induction heater. "Where is the control panel?" Sue Anne narrowed her eyes. "Nice lady? Oh tell me more considering I haven't seen you with any females except for Sandi and Jenna and they don't count." She followed him to the heater and showed him the control panel. Billy simply smiled. "She isn't from round here so it would be rather hard to introduce you to her." At the control panel he inserted a drive crystal in the reader and started typing in commands. It was obvious he knew what he was doing and shortly he was done. "Now to see if it works." They opened the door and he backed the truck in so the winch could reach it. Once that was done he started the program that would run the tubes through. He had his VR glasses on and was set to scanning mode. He wanted to view the entire process and as needed make changes to his equations based on what he saw. "I can take it from here Sue Anne. This is going to take some time to accomplish." She shook her head slightly when he told her the lady was elsewhere. Trying to push him for more information wouldn't have any use. Sue Anne did have to wonder why he was reheating that old drive tube but knowing him some wild idea popped into his head. When that happened the results were usually pretty interesting and it had made school rather interesting. "Okay Billy though I would like to know why you are running that old tube through the heater." He contemplated how to answer that. "Well you know that I was down checked since a few of my tubes were starting to de-crystallize right? Well I guess an idea popped into my mind on a process to re-crystallize the tubes. By doing that it will extend the life of the tubes and reduce the overall cost of maintaining a ship." Since the glasses would be doing the scanning and storing the data he pulled out some of the VR boards and started reviewing the equations. Sue Anne had to shake her head and headed back to the office. This was going to take a while and she had other things to do than watch Billy scribbling things so far above her head on the VR boards. In any case he had them set to private so she wouldn't be able to see them anyways. By the time the tubes were done it was late and he had pretty much finished the equations for the changes to the engine he was thinking of. He wished he had an old junker ship to try them on first. Unfortunately he didn't and he was going to have to strongly consider the changes before he made them. Most of it was changes to the programming for the drive though it did include some firmware and hardware changes as well. The engine itself didn't need much changing at the moment. If the equations worked then there were some additional changes that would be needed for the most effective use of the changes he had been thinking about. Eventually the tubes were done and he used the lift to place them back on the truck. Sue Anne had already left and told him to just close the door behind him when he was done. He pulled the truck out and hit the close button and made sure that it was closed and secured before he pulled away. Once he was home he backed the truck up to the slip and turned it off. He wasn't going to bother with checking the tubes at the moment. He was tired and wanted to curl up with Satasha and pass out. He climbed out of the truck and after stretching he headed to the Ship and beeped for admittance. The door almost immediately opened and he slowly walked into the ship and to her room. He quickly stripped down and rolled into bed and snuggled up to her. She wrapped her arms around him and sighed in contentment. "Glad you made it back." Her voice was a tired murmur and her whiskers tickled his face for a moment before she fell asleep again. Billy wasn't far behind her. Sholan Alliance Ch. 03 The next morning they finally woke and Billy took a long shower. "I feel beat and all I did was watch the tubes re-crystallize and worked on some possible changes to the engines." His eyes were closed and he didn't notice her sort of sneak up behind him and with a grin lightly ran the tips of her claws down his sided. When she did that his eyes popped open and he jerked as that really tickled. "Gah, you evil woman that tickled." He turned around and was giving her the eyeball. "I will find some way to get back at you for that." She snickered at him. "You look more awake now though." Satasha came closer and wrapped her arms around him and gave him a good hug. Her emotions about him were mixed. She really did like him but was sort of trying to hold her feelings for him at arm's length since they would probably never see each other again once she got to the Mother Ship. Billy grumbled at her and started washing up. He wanted at those tubes post haste. The VR glasses hadn't alerted him to any problems and that was a good thing. It had been too much to hope for that the process worked the first time. He hurried through breakfast and almost ran to the slip and the tubes. All the women were laughing at him as he hurried over. ~~~ The Combat Scout Ship had just slipped into the solar system after spending a goodly amount of time looking for any signs of the scout. They hadn't found any debris though that didn't necessarily mean it hadn't been destroyed since they didn't have the exact path she was using. Once in system they paused near Saturn since the radiation from it would add to their shielding. Their sensors were good enough that they could still scan the system and let their computers process what was going on. That was going to take some time since they hadn't taken the time to let their computers start processing the language. As their computers were doing that they would be scanning for any sort of transmission from the missing scout ship. By now they had the warp signature of most of the ships coming and going identified. None of the signatures matched the drive signature they were looking for. For now they would stay where they were and keep scanning. ~~~ Billy grabbed a different set of glasses and the instrument needed to scan the tube. He walked out and slowly and carefully scanned the entire tube and it took a bit over an hour for the scan. By the time he was done he stood there for a moment and then let out a rebel yell. "Holly shit it fucking worked. It really fucking worked. Take that assholes." He started almost dancing in place with glee. Satasha had been inside his ship doing more scans and chasing down bits and pieces that tickled her curiosity when she heard him holler. She climbed out and had to giggle at the dance he was doing as he was shaking his fist at the sky. Satasha was heading over when the other females came out to see what was going on. "So Yilly did..." She didn't get any further before he wrapped his arms around her swinging her in a circle before giving her a good kiss. "It worked first time. I scanned the entire tube and it re-crystallized in a consistent manner. I could stick this tube in and it would work fine. I had been planning on using this as parts for welding other tubes but I won't need to." He danced a bit more and grinned. "If I can get the other tubes to crystallize correctly the first time we can have her back together and ready to fly in two weeks or so." Satasha looked shocked for a moment and then started purring. "It will be good to get back in space and report what I have found. I want to show you our Mother Ship as well." She ignored the pang of losing him and knew he was going to feel it as well. "Well let's get this tube off and the others on and get started." Sally waited for her father to move the truck before lightly touching Satasha. "You are going to miss him aren't you? You have been good for him and I know he is going to miss you as well." She gave her a light hug. "I have been really thinking about it and do want to come back with you. I do need training and have come to realize it." She also wanted to keep an eye on her father so she was there when the two of them were separated. Satasha returned the hug. "I will miss him and badly but I have a feeling that we are going to be separated and he will be sent back. A first contact team will be sent and I will probably be sent back to scouting." She sighed and then looked pleased with Sally for her decision. "Good for you. Your species is the first we have found with any sort of telepathic abilities." By now Billy had removed the test set of tubes and was starting to winch the actual tubes onto the flatbed and secured them down. There were three sets so it would take a few days and cost a pretty penny but less than a new tube by far. With luck the tubes would be done by the end of the week and he could start reinstalling them. That would take three or four days and then the engines would need to be recertified. Two weeks was an optimistic time frame but he was hoping. From what Satasha had indicated she had been away from her Ship for close to half a year and had been on planet for about two months. When he pulled up to the metal shop Sue Anne came out and opened the door for him. Once inside she gave him a good look. "Billy I will make you a deal. The use of the induction heater is free if you will give me a small slice of whatever you make based on what you are doing." Being that he had called and wanted to do three more tubes he was up to something. Billy considered the offer and then nodded. "I can't tell you what I am doing right now and I don't know how long it might take to get this idea I have up and running though. I can't even guarantee that it will even happen. If'n you can accept that then we have a deal. We can work out the details later." He spit on his hand and held it out. She did the same and the deal was sealed. "I saved the equations on the controller. All you need to do is feed them through and let them cool. When you are done give me a call and I will check them out." With a nod he climbed in the truck once they had the tubes removed and pulled out. While that was being done he was going to be working on the modifications on the engine. The mods were based on the equations he had worked out. Just for good measure he had run them through a test program several times. That had taken a while since he was using his home computer but everything had checked out. For today though he was taking the day off, maybe even take Satasha on a picnic and relax. The thought of Satasha leaving really bothered him since he had most definitely developed feelings for her. It was going to hurt when she left his ship but he could deal with it since she had shown him he could care about another woman and even come to love her. He sighed and turned on the radio and had to roll his eyes. The songs were along the lines of losing someone you care for type but they matched his mood at the moment. Once home he parked the flatbed and walked into the house and found the women folk sitting around the table talking and he settled down. "Well I am taking today off and was going to ask Satasha if she would like to go for a walk and maybe a picnic." He informed the others and then looked at Satasha expectantly. She tilted her head and smiled at him. "That sounds really lovely. I have only seen what is around your house and ship. It would be nice to see other parts as well." Satasha wanted to talk to Billy alone and not while they were working. "No talking ship stuff though. I want to talk to you about things like our families, hobbies, and whatever that doesn't have anything to do with the ship." Her voice was firm. Billy had to laugh at that. "I had planned on that already so you don't have to worry." He pulled some bread, cheese, and lunch meat from the fridge and started working on a number of sandwiches some of which were heavy on the meat for Satasha. He was whistling as he worked and didn't notice the looks being traded between his daughter and friends. Sally went to get the cooler for them since she figured they would be gone a while. While she was at it she grabbed a quilt as well. By the time she got back her father was stacking the sandwiches back in the bag the bread had come in and smiled at her. "Thanks hun." He gave her a peck as he took the cooler and loaded it up with the sandwiches and a few other items. This included a bottle of wine and some glasses. Last of all was the blue ice to keep everything cool. "Well shall we Satasha?" She took the quilt as he grabbed the cooler and they walked out of the house. Once they were outside Satasha took his free hand and laced her fingers with his and gave his hand a squeeze. "I think it is going to be nice to see more of your property. All I have really seen was the inside of one ship or the other." She lightly leaned against him for a moment and enjoyed the contact. Billy sighed. "I should have done this sooner, take you on a picnic and show you around. It was almost too late when I thought of this." He had been startled when she had taken his hand but it felt good. Her hands were different than his since she could run on all fours. "Do you swim? The place I am thinking of is about two miles walk and has a lovely pond." Satasha had felt a slight pensiveness from him and had a feeling why. It was something they were going to need to discuss at some point because she was feeling much the same way. "Oh yes swimming is a great deal of fun." That actually sounded like a good way to relax either before or after they talked. "Well lead the way." Billy smiled. "I was hoping you would say that. Even if you hadn't the spot is lovely and a nice place to relax." He had already been headed that way. He wasn't in a hurry and it seemed she wasn't either. As they were walking he pointed out some of the things he loved about his lands. The trees, birds, and other plants and animal on his property. He mentioned where he knew a vixen usually denned when she had kits and other features. Satasha was enjoying the walk and the things Billy was pointing out. It seemed that for all the traveling he did he knew his land well. She had to wonder if he had brought his wife here but wasn't going to ask. She asked questions as they were walking and enjoyed the simple talking they were doing. Eventually they reached the pond and she was impressed. "Wow this is beautiful." The pond wasn't all that large but from what she could see the water was clean since there was an inlet and outlet so the water was kept fresh. The sun shining through the trees dappled the water as it rippled and she could see some small fish swimming in the shade and catching the occasional bug. As she was looking around Billy set the cooler down and took the quilt and flipped it out in a shaded spot. "So do you want to wander a bit before a bit of swimming and lunch?" He didn't care if they walked around or settled on the quilt and relaxed and talked for a while. There were a few things he had to tell her and he expected them to be hard to say. Satasha wanted to talk as well and after a few moments of consideration she moved over to the quilt and after curling her tail out of the way she settled down. "Maybe after we relax for a while we can go for a walk." She patted the ground next to her. Billy settled down next to her and lay back and relaxed. When Satasha curled up next to him he turned his head and gently kissed her and then licked her nose. He contemplated her for a few moments and lifted his hand to her cheek and worked his fingers into her fur. Billy stroked her fur and then slid his hand around the back of her head and gave her another gentle kiss. "Satasha I want you to know that I have grown to care for you a great deal." She leaned into the kiss and when he licked her nose she closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of his hand in her fur. One thing he didn't realize was that if he slid his hand down her neck much further and even lightly grasped her ruff she would lift her neck to accept him as her companion. When he spoke she almost melted against him. "I can feel that Yilly and I feel much the same way. You have been such a gentleman and taken such good care of me though you didn't have to. You invited me into your house and home and gave me good food and a place to sleep. You are a very special and wonderful man." Her tail curled around one of his legs. He closed his eyes and rested his cheek against hers and sighed. "I haven't felt this way about a woman since my wife died. I am hesitant to say that I am coming to love you simply because when I take you back we will have to go our own ways. I don't want to lose you but you have a job you have to do and so do I." His voice was quiet and pensive as he spoke and it was very hard to say. "Oh Yilly you have no idea how much that means to me to hear you say that." Her hand slid around his back and stroked. "I know that I have grown to care for you a great deal as well and wish I could take out a bonding contract with you. I know we can't have cubs but that is how I feel about you." She leaned back and looked at him and licked his nose before lightly nipping at his lips and cheek. He was rather startled when she mentioned wishing she could take a bonding contract with him and he blushed and lowered his head. He felt her light nips and they meant a great deal to him. At the moment he wasn't in the mood for making love to her since this was something they really needed to talk about. "That would be wonderful if we could and I would say yes." He wasn't thinking when his hand slid down her neck and lightly grasped. Her reaction startled him. She tensed up and her chin came up and exposed her neck. He contemplated that for a moment since cats and dogs were careful with their necks. Her posturing indicated something and an image came to mind of biting her neck. He leaned forward and opened his mouth and bit down till her posture changed and then he leaned back and let go of the fur on her neck. Now he was wondering exactly why he had chosen to do by that. Satasha mewled slightly when he bit down and all she could do was close her eyes and enjoy the feelings flowing through her body. When he leaned back and let go of the ruff of her neck she started purring. "I know you don't know exactly what you did by that but it means you took me as your companion. On your world I think the closest match would be boyfriend and girlfriend." He wrapped her hand in his hair and pulled him into a deep kiss. That rather startled him but after thinking about it they had essentially been acting like that for a while. He felt her draw him into a kiss and returned it. She must be sending her emotions to him and as they mixed with his he had to close his eyes and felt tears start flowing. He had finally started letting go of the loss of his wife and letting another woman in. "God I love you Satasha. I thought it would never happen again but you, an alien female was all it took." She felt his emotions and listened carefully to what he was saying and when he started crying she pulled him close. Satasha stroked his hair and back as he cried and really let his emotions out. Her purring kept up though she had to grin when he mentioned her as an alien female helping. She snickered slightly. "Well you are an alien male to me and you have stolen my heart so there." She started licking his face clean of the tears which made him start giggling. After he had cried for a few minutes he heard her speak and it had made him steal a kiss before she started licking his face. It tickled and made him giggle as he tried to get away from her but she was stronger and appeared to be having fun making him giggle. "Gah cat germs!!! Help, need rescue from an over sized kitty with a rough tongue." He had found one or two places where she was ticklish and ran his fingers across her ribs and arm pits. Satasha squeaked at him and now it was her turn to get away from him and is fingers. "Not fair, I was trying to comfort you and this is what I get?" She finally managed to roll away from him and stood up and glowered at him. "Just for that you can try and catch me in the water." The tabard came off and she ran into the water till it was waist deep on her. Billy lay there snickering. "Who said you didn't comfort me? You allowed me to take you as your companion, held me while I cried and have shared your bed with me." He watched her dash into the water and hopped to his feet. He stripped off his clothing and ran towards the water and made a shallow dive that took him almost to her before he stood up and wiped the wet hair off his face and grinned at her. The rest of the day was spent talking and playing and having fun. They both had admitted to their feelings and their feelings of loosing each other. They had slowly made love before swimming for a bit longer and laying in the sun to dry off. Eventually it started getting late and they headed back towards the house. Billy had the empty cooler and she the quilt. As they approached the house the others noticed that they were looking very comfortable with each other. Sally bit her lower lip as she watched them walk out of the forest. "I am worried about Pappa. I can tell how much he cares for Satasha and that she cares for him. When he takes her back they are going to be separated and that is going to hurt him. I don't want to see him hurt again." When Sandi came over and wrapped an arm around her she leaned into it. "I understand lovie but he is a grown man and can make his own decision. I know he will be hurt but she has helped him start to heal. It is going to hurt him but she has helped him past the loss of his wife and that is a good thing." She held the girl till the two of them got close to the house and then they went back to working on dinner. When Billy and Satasha walked into the house Billy had to grin. "Is that fried chicken I smell? Oh my but that smells good. We are going to go brush Satasha's fur out. For some reason after swimming it is sticking out in funny clumps." He grinned when she lightly smacked him. "Also she blames me for what happened that made it stand up like this. Is it my fault she fell into the water and got totally soaked?" She hissed at him. "It is your fault since you taught me how to dunk by dunking me." She lightly smacked him again and got a laugh from him. She gave him a grumpy look and then smirked. "I got him back though by returning the favor." She was grinning as they walked towards his room where she had a brush. "Pappa that was mean of you to treat her like that." She pretended to grump at him and then snickered when he looked sort of offended. "Hey it was in revenge for her giving my face a tongue bath. Her tongue is both a rough section and a softer section and it was tickling." He tried to look insulted but Satasha tickled him and he jerked away and muttered at her. "I might brush your fur in the wrong direction woman." He smacked her bottom and she hissed at him again and they walked off. The three women were staring at him as he walked away since he hadn't been this playful for a long time. Once in a blue moon it would show but not like this. "Something changed didn't it?" Jenna asked. Sally nodded and had a contemplative look on her face. "Something most definitely happened and it wasn't just sex." She had to make a face at that since thinking about her Pappa with a woman, alien or not, bothered her. "I think they might have cleared the air about their feelings." Sandi had a contemplative look on her face. To be honest she wanted to grill him on what had happened but it really wasn't any of her business. "Damn it! Now I am going to be eaten alive with curiosity about what went on." That was a definite mutter. "Well let's get the food finished." Sholan Alliance Ch. 03 Eventually they came out and she was in a clean tabard and her fur was much tidier. Billy's hair was sort of slicked down and he was looking grumpy and Satasha was grinning. "Darn cat couldn't keep her tongue to herself again." Sandi turned and looked at him and snickered. "I bet you don't complain when you are in bed..." Billy instantly turned pink. "Have a seat you two and I will bring the food over." Jenna and Sally were trying not to snicker at him. Satasha had been feeling sort of mischievous and she grabbed his head and licked his hair so it was reasonably tidy and had snickered the entire time. Billy had tried getting away from her even as he was laughing and she figured the grumpy act was for the ladies. "I can neither confirm nor deny what he might or might not like in bed and there is only one way for you to find out." Sally choked on a drink she was taking. "That is so not what I need to hear about my Pappa. The four of you can discuss it when I go to bed if you want." She looked rather bothered by the conversation and Billy had to snicker at her. "Pappa you are not helping at all." Sandi and Jenna brought the food over and everyone settled down. "So did you have fun on your walk Satasha? Seeing all the wonderful plants and wildlife?" Jenna asked. She snagged some of the chicken and salad as well as some mashed potatoes. "It was very nice to get out of the house and or shed and really take a day off. Yilly had fun pointing out some of the things he loves about his land. I have to admit I would have liked to see what a vixen is." She took some of the chicken as well and handed the tray to Billy. He took a large piece and handed it to Sally. He also took a good dollop of the potatoes and salad. Once everyone was served he sliced a piece off and held it out to Satasha who lowered her ears in their sign of embarrassment but took the bite. As she was chewing it Billy was slicing up his piece of chicken breast. "You should have had that bite Yilly. It was very good but thank you." She sliced a piece off and held it out to him. He went to take the bite and she slowly drew it back and then leaned over and kissed him before letting him have it. Sally watched the entire food play and wasn't sure how she really felt. It was nice to see her father paying attention to a woman but she didn't want him hurt again. Both she and her sister had seen the pain even though he had tried to hide it from them. To her it was very obvious her father had fallen for Satasha and when she was taken back to her Ship he probably wouldn't ever see her again. "Pappa I am going to be sort of blunt and you can tell me it is none of your business but what happened today? The two of you are acting very different than you have been." Billy and Satasha traded looks and he leaned lightly against Satasha and smiled. "I took her as my companion today. To a Sholan that is sort of like saying you are boyfriend and girlfriend." He traded another kiss with her before turning back. "We talked a great deal and we know that we are probably going to be separated for at least a while but hope that we will be able to come together again." He smiled even wider. "She also told me that if it was possible she would like to take a bonding contract with me. That is sort of like a short term marriage." Satasha returned the kiss and lightly rubbed her head against his. "I had meant to talk to you first Sally but the time never seemed right. When Yilly invited me out on the picnic and we started talking. I know that it might sound odd but he is the first man that has ever made me want to take a bonding contract out. I love your father Sally and yes I know we are going to be separated but as he said I hope to meet him again once the first contact team has made contact." The three women were rather floored listening to the two of them. They had known that the two were enjoying being together but hadn't realized their feelings had grown this much. Sally looked sort of upset with what was being said. "I am sorry Satasha but I know it is going to hurt my Pappa when the two of you are parted. He was hurt enough when mommy died. I don't want to see him hurt that badly again." She stood up. "Please excuse me." She left the room and headed towards her bedroom and flopped on the bed on her stomach and buried her face in her pillow. She was happy that her father had found someone to care for but as bad as it sounded since Satasha was an alien she wished it wasn't as intense as it seemed. He was going to be hurt and would have been hurt in either case but if it had been a sort of friends with benefits thing it wouldn't have hurt him as much. When there was a knock on her door she turned her head slightly. "Go away I don't want to talk." She assumed it was either Sandi or Jenna. Downstairs Billy gave Satasha a good hug and stroked her hair for a moment. "I am going to talk to her. She didn't mean to hurt you if she did. I know she is just worried for me. Love you and I will be back eventually." He smiled at her. "No stealing my chicken while I am gone." Satasha rubbed against him and purred slightly. "I know Yilly and I understand her worries. Go and comfort her and I will try not to steal your chicken." Once he left the room she looked at the girls. "What is your opinion if you don't mind my asking?" Sandi chewed contemplatively on a bite of food before answering. "Unlike Sally I think you have been very good for him. You affection and obvious caring for him has brought him out of his shell and has shown him he can love and care again. It is going to hurt him but one thing you have going for you is that you are alive. It will give him hope that he will see you again and if he does then he knows that you will still care for him even if the relationship changes to simply a close friendship." Jenna simply hiked a thumb at Sandi. "What she said." She kept eating. Billy was upstairs at that point and when Sally told him to go away he sighed. "I am coming in Sally and we are going to have a talk." His voice wasn't hard but it was firm as he opened the door and walked into her room. He normally wouldn't walk into the girl's rooms without permission but this was a special occasion. Once he walked in he settled on the edge of the bed and rested his hand on her back and lightly rubbed. "Sally I am an adult and I know what I am doing. I do know that it is going to hurt when we are separated but I can't help what I feel for her. I do love her and she loves me. When we are separated I know it is going to hurt but we both hope that we will meet in the future. Please be happy for me and I expect you to treat Satasha as you had been doing." His hand was still rubbing her back and he felt her tense up. "I am sorry Pappa but I can't help but worry about you and how you will handle being separated. I have seen and yes felt your feelings of loss after mommy died. You tried to hide it when we were growing up but we knew you were hurting." She remained laying on her stomach since when she was little he would rub her back when she was upset and it was comforting. "I have felt you starting to open up to the possibility of loving another woman but I am scared of what happens when she leaves." Billy leaned forward and gave her shoulders and back a light hug before returning to rubbing her back. "There is one thing you are forgetting Sally and that is Satasha is alive and there is always a chance we will meet again and might be able to take out the bonding contract. That gives me hope for the future. Your Mother died and left a wound that was very hard to handle. There was no hope I would see her again but with Satasha there is." She finally sat up and turned to face her father and crossed her legs. Sally searched his face for several minutes. She was looking for any trace of sadness or loss but all she saw was a smile that she rarely ever saw on his face and hope as well. His eyes were bright with happiness and she could feel joy from him as well. This was a father she hadn't seen much before. "I will do my best Pappa to trust in what you said and of course I will treat Satasha as would be expected." He sobered slightly and nodded. "Thank you Sally, I appreciate it and I do love her as odd as that might sound. She has held me while I cried, tickled me to make me giggle, and has been warm in bed. It is so nice to have someone to sleep next to." He gave her a sly grin. "I guess I am developing a taste for fur..." Sally smacked him. "Pappa there are some things your children really don't want to or need to know." She crossed her arms and pouted at him. "Just for that I am not going to give you the hug I was going to." Sally slid off the other side of the bed and started to walk out. "If you keep telling me things like that I will start telling you some things about me." She turned and walked out. Billy shuddered at that threat and followed her out of the room and downstairs. She walked up to Satasha and gave her a good hug. "Take care of my Pappa as long as you can and make him happy." She settled down where she had been and started eating as if nothing had happened. Satasha returned the hug. "I will Sally and thank you for your approval. You have a really special father." She rubbed cheeks with her before she went and sat down. Billy settled down and started eating and then frowned. "You did snitch a bite didn't you? Just for that I am not going to share it with you." He gave her a suspicious look when he said that. "I would never slice a piece of meat off someone else's plate unless he was my lover and not around to protect the yummy food." She gave him and innocent look and he frowned big time at her and she did her best to look even more innocent. "Thanks for guarding my plate you two. Definitely frenemies. I might need to do a body search before you leave my house." He leered at Sandi when he said that and Jenna almost coughed up what she was eating and he snickered. When he turned back to his plate Satasha was holding another bite of food out to him and he took it and chewed on it. Dinner eventually finished and he was feeling very content with the world. As they were finishing up the food his phone rang and he picked it up. "Hey Sue Anne how did the process go?" He assumed that it was still processing and was surprised when she said it was done. "How did you manage that? You didn't hurry the process or anything did you." He listened a bit longer and had to grin. "Ah, your system has a built in efficiency unit huh? Before you start tomorrow I am going to come out and scan the one that finished. It will be early in the morning." He hung up and finished the last bite. "Would you like to rest on the couch and watch TV?" Satasha smiled at that idea. "I like that and I can use your lap as a pillow." She patted her mouth clean and stretched. "Today wasn't a very busy day but I feel tired. We can watch for a while and then head towards bed if you don't mind." He grinned. "Now why would I mind that? I like my warm furry blanket though it does feel weird to be shorter than you." They walked into the living room and settled down and relaxed. ~~~ The next morning Billy climbed into his old truck and headed to the metal shop and parked before heading in. "Yo anyone home?" A voice called back and told him where the tube was and he headed back and broke out the instruments and started a detailed examination of it and by the time he was done he was satisfied with it. "Hey Sue Anne help me get this on the flatbed and you can start the second one." He was looking pleased. "Oh, can you download the changes the system made? I would like to get them in my VR and check the changes." Once that was done he headed home and parked. He would take the set of tubes off later. "Hey Satasha got one of the tubes and we will pull it off the truck later. I am going to be making some changes to the engines." Or making parts to exchange once he was up checked he would swap the parts out and update the software. She was working on some of the items she could repair or rebuild. "So you are that sure of the changes you want to make? I would hate to blow the engine or get stuck in hyper and have to get towed out." Billy blew a raspberry at her and started searching through his parts bins and pulling out various items. "Now for the fun part." The first thing he did was to modify the hardware needed to handle his changes to the software. He was having a great time and his brain was processing more ideas as he was working but he was going to stick with his original changes and if they worked he might consider getting a beater ship for use as a test bed. They did break for lunch but as soon as they were done he went back to work. He did however wrap an arm around her as they walked out and gave her a good kiss. "If the crystallization process works correctly we will hopefully have you back to your ship in a few weeks." One last kiss and hug and he went back to work. By the end of the day he had the modified parts he needed. Unfortunately he couldn't test them at the moment since the engines were torn apart. That evening they curled up on the couch and talked about general things mixed in with some kissing and a bit of tickling and such. Sally watched them and then turned to the other two. "Tell me did he act like this in high school or while mommy was alive? It is almost disturbing watching my Pappa acting like a teen." She had a slightly horrified expression on her face as the two giggled at something he had whispered in her ear in Sholan. The two women started laughing. "God no, he was entirely too tied up in stretching his brain and making the rest of us look like congenital morons." Jenna commented and then snickered. "Well till he met your Mother and his scores dropped from a 4.0 to a 3.8. We still felt like idiots with him around." Billy had been paying attention to Sally and the others even though he was enjoying the play with Satasha. He blew a raspberry at his daughter. "Deal with it kiddo. Your father is having fun with his girlfriend and if it is bothering you go watch TV in your room." There was amusement in his voice when he said that. Satasha snickered as well and then nibbled on one of his ears before giving it a good licking. She giggled when he said Gah and rubbed his ear. She started nibbling again and he smiled. She was having more fun relaxing with him than any of her other lovers. Sally's reaction was great and she was partially doing this to tease her. Sally simply settled for doing her best to ignore them till they left for Satasha's ship for the evening. "I am not sure I can handle this. I feel like the adult now over seeing an oversized teen." That got laughs from the other two and she groan and headed for her room. ~~~ By the end of the week all three sets of tubes were finished. Billy had also finished modifying the software to run the changes he was going to make to the engines. The actual changes would take about a day and that wouldn't draw any attention. The attention would be when he kicked the pig and made her squeal. The signature change would be noticed by anyone paying attention and if they functioned as he expected he would be in hyper a fair amount faster than almost any other boats out there. "Well you ready to get your hands dirty Tasha? This should take about four days to put back together assuming all goes smoothly." He had the cabling already threaded through the hyper tubes. All they needed to do was to connect the cables and then slowly retract the cabling as they moved the tubes towards the bolts that secured them to the engine. After that it was simply a case of installing a few components and then getting the repairs checked. The hard part was going to be keeping Satasha out of view. ~~~ Over the next few days, with Sally's help, they got the tubes installed and secured. The other parts took an extra day as did running tests and diagnostics on the engines. "Well all checks out and I am actually getting a better output than before I re-did the tubes." He was satisfied with the repairs and celebrated with a dinner cooked by Satasha and some Sholan wine which was very interesting. "I placed a call to the space guard to come and check it. Do you think you could move your Ship a couple hundred yards from the house? I would really hate to have one of them run into the side of the Ship." She snorted at that and covered her mouth as she tried not to laugh at his comment. "Yah that might be sort of a bad thing. I can move it on manual controls and put it over by the edge of the forest if that will work for you." He contemplated where best to put it. "That should work and put it towards the south of the house since that will keep them well away from it." They were curled up in bed and relaxing. "Oh, I have something for you Tasha." He rolled over and felt through the pockets over his coveralls and pulled out a small silk bag and handed it to her. As she sat up to look at what it might be and he rolled on his side and watched her. When she got the pouch open she shook it gently and a slender golden chain slid out with a lovely ruby and diamond pendant. Her eyes widened and her mouth made a sort of 'O'. "Oh Yilly this is lovely." She shook the chain out and looked at the pendant. "You didn't need to do this Yilly but thank you." Satasha held it out for him to put it on her. He took it from her and fastened it around her neck. The pendant would normally hang down between the top of her breasts if she had any and could easily be tucked under one of her uniform suits. "But I did have to my love. This is something you can remember me by when we inevitably separate. All you will need to do is look at it and remember how much I love and care for you." He pulled her to him and kissed her. "I know if we never meet again I will always love you and care for you." Tears showed in her eyes and she tucked her head into his neck and started crying. He wrapped his arms around her and held her till she stopped. With a slight smile he leaned over and did his best to lick the tears from her face and was pleased when she started giggling at him though it was a watery laugh. "Now I think we should go to sleep since the space guard will be here in the morning." He set his alarm and smiled as she curled up partially on his chest. ~~~ He had set the alarm to go off a bit earlier than normal to give her time to prep and move the Ship. He was curled around her and couldn't resist the urge to stroke the fur on her stomach for a moment. "Time to get up Tasha." He rolled out of bed and dressed in some clean cloths. He had pretty much moved onto the ship and had clean cloths available. Just for good measure once he had gotten out of bed she rolled on her stomach and did a good cat style stretch and then rolled on her back and stretched again. She had to smile as he watched her stretching before climbing out of bed and took her time getting dressed in a suit and just for good measure as she pulled it up over her bottom she gave a good wiggle. Billy growled at her. "Damn evil woman. Now I am going to be greeting the Space Corpse with a woody and it is going to be your fault." Just for good measure he reached over and smacked her on the bottom and laughed when she jumped and hissed at him. "You deserved that." ~~~ A few minutes later he was out of the ship and heading towards the house to grab a quick breakfast. Behind him he felt a change in air pressure as she powered her ship up and started moving it slowly towards where he indicated. He didn't bother watching since there wasn't anything to watch. When he made it inside breakfast was almost done and he was handed a cup of coffee and moments later a plate of food. "Thanks ladies. I want to be waiting at the shed when they arrive to give them less time to wander around." He munched down the breakfast and the large thermos with coffee in it and some plastic cups and headed out to the shed. He set it down next to the old pot he used. While he was waiting he walked around the slip and first made sure Tasha hadn't left anything behind and second to make sure it was neat and tidy. By the time he was done he could hear a vehicle pull up and he walked out. Sholan Alliance Ch. 01 To be honest he was feeling pretty good though he was still feeling down about his ship. At least the power was back on and though he wasn't going to do anything he walked towards the docking area where his ship was. It did look like an oversized barn but he didn't really care. As he was walking to the barn he was more than surprised to see a new scar on his land. Billy walked towards the rent in the dirt and was more than surprised when he hit something and landed on his ass. "Wa'sh the hell di'sh dey put in my drink?" He stood up using whatever he had run into without thinking. "Fu'sh this goin bed." He staggered to his house and crawled into bed and passed out. ~~~ Satasha slowly woke up and leaned back in the command chair with a groan. "Computer full diagnostics on all systems." Thank god it understood voice commands or she might be in trouble since her hands were shaking too badly to type. "Computer define the extent of any and all injuries to me." It rattled off a number of injuries of which the worst was her head since she had a nice gash going across above one eye. That would explain why she couldn't see out of that eye. She had a number of bruises and minor abrasions as well as some bruised ribs. "Computer I am going to medical to have the wound fixed and then to the command suite to clean up. Contact me when diagnostics are done. See what is needed to get power back on and off emergency power." That was one thing she had noticed immediately upon waking. When she stood Satasha staggered and realized just how tired she was. Making it to medical was a bit of a chore since the ship was at a slight angle; well either that or she was at a slight angle as she staggered. Once there she lay down in the autodoc and closed her eyes while it did its thing. Satasha didn't realize that the last of the stim doses had worn off and she passed out while being worked on. If it wasn't for the computer waking her up she probably would have kept sleeping the clock around. The autodoc had stapled the wound and cleaned her fur so she could see again which was nice. It had also medicated her for the pain and to help heal the various wounds. "Power will be restored in just over an hour. Emergency power will last for approximately 50 minutes with the shields on full." She didn't like that idea what so ever. The biggest drain with the stealth was the visual component. "Um, if we decrease the visual aspect by 20% how long will they last?" The computer processed that. "Borderline. Should last for sufficient time to return power if no additional problems are identified in the power system." Damn it was hard to think. "Um, start with 20% decrease and as needed lower till 50%. Maintain all EM shielding for as long as possible." Knowing she was extremely tired Satasha carefully walked to her cabin and stripped the suit off and tossed it in the recycler. Once power was back on the uniform would be cleansed and returned to her closet. She stepped into the shower and gloried in the feel of the water against her fur and skin. "Oh man that feels good." As much as she wanted to stand there for the next hour she had work to do so she scrubbed her fur till clean. Since she had been in the command center for so long not to mention some of the meds there was a mass of fur that ran down the drain. Once clean she felt one hell of a lot better and almost awake. "Now for food and then to take a look around at where I am at." With the food she just grabbed one of the packs and had it autoheat and inhaled it along with a cup of cshar. Satasha knew that she was going to have to lie down and get at least a good ten hours of sleep soon or her body would shut down on her. Before that Satasha was going to look around and find out where she was. With the loss of the engines towards the end god only knew where she had landed. ~~~ Billy woke and groaned at the sun shining in the room and cursed his friends. "Why the hell did they let me drink so much? I think I am going to classify them as a frenemy." He staggered to the bathroom and looked in the mirror and his eyes were bloodshot and he definitely needed a shower. At least one thing he didn't have to worry about was tossing his cookies since that had never been a problem for him. Billy took a quick shower and staggered down to the kitchen and tossed some left over chili into the microwave. He had made the other day. Now that was one dish he did a killer job on though the next day it wasn't good to be around him. The next important thing was coffee and lots of it. "Jenna I really hate you with a passion." He muttered as he watched the pot brewing. It was finally done and Billy poured a cup and tossed an ice cube or two in to cool it down and then proceeded to slurp the entire cup down. Now that he had his initial surge of caffeine he poured a second cup and pulled the chili out of the microwave and fixed it to how he liked it and settled down to eat. Considering how he was feeling Billy wasn't going to get much done today but he could do some of the needed paperwork. After eating and his third cup of coffee he put the dishes in the sink and stepped out on the porch and frowned. He had completely forgotten about the gouge in his land that he had seen the night before. Before anything else he needed to figure out what might have caused it and if it was an idiot neighbor bill them. As he was standing on the porch he had to frown at the gouge. It almost seemed to be shimmering and suddenly a faint outline could be seen and it definitely wasn't something he had ever seen. What little he could see of it whatever it was had a long sleek profile and almost made him think of a crouching predator of some sort. ~~~ Once clean Satasha pulled on another ship suit and made sure she had everything she would need just in case. After verifying she had her stunner, medi-kit, tool pack, and a few other items she heded towards the exit. Satasha popped the top hatch and stood up and looked around and damn near dropped a load. She had managed to crash near some sort of habitation. "Oh frigging hell." At this point she simply didn't know what to do. She didn't have enough emergency power to fully power the stealth. She couldn't pull power from anywhere else since she had pretty much shut anything drawing power down. As she looked around she turned and froze since there was an alien standing there. She assumed it was from this planet since it looked like some of the pictures from the video she had watched. Not really sure what to do since she was a Scout and not first contact she did the only thing she could think of. Based on a show she had been watching she held one hand up and made a V with her fingers. "Um, may you live long and prosper?" Billy just stood there and stared as a hatch of some sort opened up and someone that was definitely not human stood up. He could see it from the waist up and it had some sort of obvious uniform on. He looked down at his cup and wondered if the beans were bad. When he looked back up the alien was still there and with a very odd sort of hissing accent greeted him. He stared at her for a moment before walking into his house dumping the cup out and the pot of coffee. "Definitely bad beans. I will have to get some more later." He poured a cup of iced tea and walked back out and froze again. "Well crap I guess it wasn't a hallucination." Billy definitely wasn't all there quite yet. "Um, hi?" Satasha was more than confused by the alien's actions when he turned and walked off. She didn't realize he had a long night and was still a bit drunk and in his way in as not all there as she was. She stood there for a few moments and was about ready to go back in when he walked back outside. His greeting was not quite what she expected since she most definitely wasn't a hallucination. Thank god her computer was able to translate for her. The way he spoke made it rather hard to understand what he was saying. He was dropping letters from words such as 'ya'll' instead of 'you all'. The computer was doing its best to give her an understandable translation but heaven only knew if it was accurate. "Um, hi back? I guess that isn't a greeting you use?" Billy sat down in a chair on his porch and rested his head on his hands. "No that isn't a normal greeting. It is from a TV show and how did you know that anyways?" He asked and then shook his head. "Don't tell me since the answer will probably upset me." He glanced up at her and then rested his head back in his hands. "You really do exist right?" Satasha simply sort of had to blink at him and after considering it decided to get out of the Ship and stretch her legs. "I will be down in a moment and prove I am real." She didn't have the energy to go out the top hatch so she dropped down and ensured the hatch was locked before leaving via the regular hatch and stretched. "Oh god that feels good." She walked over to the table he was sitting at and after tucking her tail through an opening stretched again. "Okay, yes I did just come out of a sort of stealth ship. Yes I am an alien, yes that is my ship, and yes I need to fix it." Satasha looked at the glass pointedly. "I have to say I am thirsty and would love to have somewhere to lie down that isn't moving." She reached across the table and laid her hand near his so he could touch it if wanted. Billy groaned. "I am so not up for this." He was rubbing his head and groaned again. "I need to fix my own ship. You gotta do yours by yourself." When she mentioned she was thirsty he twitched. "Sorry, forgot my manners. Back in a moment." He stood up and walked inside and poured some tea in a cup and added a pitcher of ice tea. Just for good measure he tossed together a plate of some snacks and carried it out to the table. "Please if you are hungry this is some chicken, cheese, some crackers and ice tea." He didn't have any idea if she could eat any of it but he had to try. Her hand was still there and he noticed the fur and tips of claws. He finally reached over and stroked her hand and then rested his head in one hand again. "Damn it I can't deal with this right now." She pulled a scanner out and ran it over the food and smiled. "Thank you, real food is nice and yes I can eat it." She picked up a piece of chicken and nibbled on it. "This is good, tastes like Chidoe." She picked up the drink and took a sip and smiled. "Very good. Thank you and I am sorry that I landed in your back yard. I had a drive failure at the last moment." Billy sort of laughed. "You and me. Oh names Billy and I am working on my drive coils right now." He yawned and stretched. "You mentioned somewhere flat that didn't move. I have a spare bed you can use and we can talk later." He was going back to bed as well and hopefully when he woke up this would all be a dream. She yawned as well. "My name is Satasha and I am the commander of the Tail Chaser." Satasha didn't have the energy to say much more. "I do appreciate that and please don't call anyone about me. I am just a Scout and first contact is done by Alrel." She yawned again and tried not to scarf the food. "I just ate but this is really good." Billy smiled. "I would say I cooked it but would be lying. Cooking is not something I am good at but let's get you in bed..." He dropped his head to the table. "God that came so wrong. Let me show you to the spare room and you can crash." He was assuming she was a guy since she didn't have breasts and stood up. "Follow me." She laughed. "Well I would have to learn some of your food types but I do cook." She stood up and stretched. "God even my tail is tired." She followed him inside and to the spare room. The bed was average looking but she didn't care. "Oh god, something that doesn't move." She didn't really think when she stroked the seal and pulled the suit off. Underneath she had a singlet and rolled into bed and before she realized it passed out. Billy sort of blinked though he did notice she tucked something under the pillow and decided not to bother her though he didn't realize he was a she. When she stripped off the uniform he had to be impressed at the muscles that were showing in the singlet. "Night, talk to you tomorrow or whenever you wake up." He walked to his room and fell on his face and quickly passed out himself. Eventually he woke up though it was only a few hours later. When he finally woke up he walked to the spare bedroom and peaked in and almost groaned. The alien was still there. He walked out to the living room and froze again. "Sandi what the hell are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Jenna?" He really didn't need either of them there right now. Sandi laughed at him. "Jenna had to work but wanted me to check on you and make sure you survived last night." She stood up and walked to the kitchen and pulled out a large tray. "I made you some stuffed mushrooms, medium rare flank steak, and some asparagus that needs cooking since it gets limp if cooked to soon." Satasha was still not awake but the mention of food tickled her ears and she rolled over and stretched before standing up. She attached the holster to her singlet and walked out into the living areas. "Did you mention food Yilly?" As soon as she saw the other human she froze. Well froze for half a second before pulling the stunner out and growling slightly. "I thought you weren't going to call anyone Yilly." Both Billy and Sandi turned and stared at her. Sandi couldn't help but stare at her and then whatever was being pointed at her. "Um, Billy why is there some cat being with totally sexy ears and tail in your house?" Sandi stood up. "To bad you aren't female or I might be able to talk my girlfriend into a threesome." Satasha could only stare at the female and wondered how far along she was since she had obvious breasts though she wasn't showing yet. "Um, I am female and just who are you?" God things were getting more complicated. "So how far along are you?" One thing she hadn't caught with the shows was human females always had breasts when grown. Billy actually blushed since he had watched her get undressed. "Um, I didn't call anyone and this is one of my best friends and her name is Sandi. She stopped by to check on me since I had been seriously drunk last night." When she asked how far along Sandi was Sandi sort of stared at her. "Um I am not since I am only into girls?" What an odd question. Then again the alien she was looking at sort of looked like a male to her yet had said she was female. "Go Billy, finding a sexy cat woman. Damn I would say I am jealous but... Jenna might get ticked at me and I am not a cook." She slowly walked over to the feline and gave her a look. "We won't tell anyone if you don't want to though I am going to have to bring Jenna over to meet you." Sandi held her hand out to shake. Satasha looked at her hand and then blinked as she put the stunner away. "Um, if you see someone with purple trim or edging only touch their fingers." She reached over and lightly touched her fingers. "It is because some of us are telepaths." She got a warm feeling from the touch and knew that she could trust the girl. Sandi snorted but went with it since the cat woman had purple around her neck. "Well I am going to leave you two alone and get home." Oh god she had to tell Jenna about this. Billy wasn't having anything about it. "Call Jenna and have her come over. I am not cooking the meat or the veggies. You know I will burn them or undercook them." He really needed someone there to help support him. "Well in that case let me get some civvies and I can bring something from my world as well." Right now she wanted to try to do her best to impress his friends so they wouldn't call the authorities on her. She could enforce that but it wasn't something she wanted. "I will be back shortly." Satasha swished her way out of the house and leaned against her Ship and realized that the shielding was working again. She changed the view slightly and walked up to the entrance and inside. She stripped out of the singlet that went under the command suit and quickly brushed her fur and pulled on a tabard though she did tuck the stunner inside her tabard so it didn't show much. Billy watched her leave and leaned back in his favorite chair. "I almost think I need another beer. God aliens and female aliens at that?" He heard Sandi snicker as she called Jenna and told her to come over. "Sandi I need to rename the damn Ship to heartbreak I think." He took the bottle she offered and had to smile since it was root beer which was his favorite. "Thanks Sandi and I am glad you didn't freak and don't tell anyone for the time being okay?" The biggest thing was he didn't want the headaches of all the paperwork. Granted he would get one hell of a reward but he really didn't want the headaches. Sandi snorted at him and called Jenna. "Get your ass over here and bring some more food. Billy has a friend over and we need a bit more to cook. Make it some more meat as well." She blew a kiss at Jenna and hung up before going to the kitchen and started working on the food. Billy walked into his room and changed again and dressed somewhat nicer but still had that homeboy redneck feel to him. He had just come out of the bedroom when Jenna pulled up and walked in. "So where is she? What have you been hiding from us you silly boy?" Satasha had been in her Ship when the vehicle pulled up and had turned the audio up so she could listen in and almost laughed. This was going to be interesting and then maybe she could go back to bed and get some more sleep. The tabard was just that, had a front and back with straps on the side holding it together. Around the edges was the purple she had mentioned as indicating she was a telepath. She wasn't strong but she was one. Her fur was a marmalade coloring and the tabard enhanced her coloration. She slid out of the Ship and walked into the house. "Good afternoon Yilly and Sandi. Might I ask who this pretty lady is?" Satasha managed not to show all her teeth when she smiled at Jenna. "My name is Satasha and yes I am alien to this planet." Jenna froze when she turned. Originally she thought the accent was just foreign but there was an odd hiss to it. Actually hiss wasn't quite the right word maybe burr would be better so she just sort of assumed it was someone who had broken down and needed a place to stay for a moment. When she turned she was faced with a feline looking being who had some lovely fur. The short tabard accented the body and coloration nicely. "Um..." She really didn't have any idea what to really say at the moment. Sandi took the bowl of salad from her before she could drop it. "Relax silly she isn't here to take over, well not as far as I know and seems nice." She had to admit that she was looking good. "Oh, since she has purple on just touch her fingertips. I guess it means she is a telepath." Satasha tried not to laugh at Jenna's reaction but couldn't help the smile and slowly walked over and took one hand. "I am pleased to meet you. I could tell that Yilly cares for you. I could hear it in his voice earlier." She twitched her ears as she was talking to the new lady. Touching her helped her get a read though with aliens it was hard but she felt solid. "Um pleased to meet you as well Satasha." The way she pronounced it gave it some soft s's. When Satasha lightly grasped her hand she was most definitely startled since there was real fur and it was obvious to feel since it was connected to her skin as well. The ears fascinated her and she had to stare at them. "Um, why don't you just have a seat and relax while we do the cookin'." Sandi laughed. "You to Yilly. We don't need anything burned or we would have had you break out your grill." Since she figured he would want some coffee she started a fresh pot for him and the feline if she wanted. Sholan Alliance Ch. 01 Billy growled at Sandi. "She might have problems pronouncing my name but if you do that again I am going to get you." It sounded like a girl's name when Sandi said it and he was not going with that. His ever loving father might have named him Billy Bob but he was not going by anything but Billy. When Sandi started a new pot that helped with the teasing. "Thanks." Satasha sniffed at all the scents that were filling the kitchen as she tried to work out the difference in his name. She even said it several times but it kept coming out the same way. "I do not see the difference." Satasha said and had pulled out her datapad and after extending a claw typed on it for a moment and then shrugged. "I think it is the shape of my mouth. Sorry Yilly." The girls laughed and he reached over and grasped her hand lightly and gave it a squeeze. "It's okay Satasha. I don't mind it from you." He remembered what she had said about touching and twitched away. "Sorry, forgot since we ain't got no telepaths." He took the cup handed to him and fixed it to his liking and started sipping on it. She lightly squeezed back. "It isn't nearly as bad with aliens since we don't know what your emotions mean. Sandi felt solid though she is going to be a tease. When I touched Jenna I got a sense of a solid trust worthy person. Yilly comes across as sort of dependable yet you have what we call traveling feet." It was almost written on his body that he was itching to get moving again. Sandi smirked. "Well since you are a girl if you ever want..." Jenna didn't even look when she reached over and smacked her. "No hitting on the alien till she knows our culture better." Jenna glanced at her and frowned. "I understand you are alien but if you are female why don't you have boobs?" That had really thrown her since she looked so androgynous. Billy dropped his head on the table. "Yes I want to get back into space if only to get away from these two frenemies." He shifted his head and winked at Satasha. He finally sat up and took another slurp of the coffee and had to blink at her description of him and smiled. "I do love being in space traveling from one location to another. I like the freedom and time alone." His expression darkened. "Only drawback to a small one man operation is sometimes repairs happen and I am doing that right now." Jenna's question definitely caught him off guard and he instantly blushed. "Oh god Jenna now she is going to think you are hitting on her or at least want to get her nekid to see her body." He was sort of horrified by the question. Satasha didn't even blink at the question since she had pretty much asked the same when she had been talking to Sandi but it had been forgotten. "Um, well we don't develop breasts till pregnant and they develop over the six or so months we are pregnant. Otherwise we don't have them. Yes we have nipples but no..." She sort of pantomimed breasts. Other than being somewhat shorter and less muscular than our males we tend to look much the same. What is beautiful in one is in many cases beautiful in the other." She couldn't help but think of her last lover and smiled. Both women looked startled. "Ah hell I wish we only carried for six months. We carry for 9 months and as much as we want kids we haven't managed to convince Billy to donate." She turned to him. "Why don't you go and get those yearbooks that you have." Sandi told him and grinned when he grumbled at her. Jenna looked at her. "Once we start becoming sexually mature we develop breasts and both arm pit hair as well as groin hair indicating we are becoming fertile." She checked the steak and flipped it as Sandi gave the marinade a swirl in the pan to both cook it and thicken it. "That is usually when we start deciding on our sexual preferences." Jenna leaned over and kissed Sandi. "I noticed her well before that but as a child it was just a sort of preference to be with girls." Billy made it back with several books and groaned. "I almost wish I had a few of my guy friends around. We could go and have man talk while you talk about chests and such." He passed the books over to Jenna and smile as she sat down. Satasha was carefully sipping on the coffee and was definitely starting to feel relaxed and was talking more than she probably should. She looked at Billy. "Might be able to help you with repairs if you can help me. I am going to need some molycirc blocks programed." She was trying to carry on two conversations but the coffee was starting to kick in and affect her. Satasha didn't realize it but she was reacting to the caffeine in the coffee and getting mildly buzzed. When Billy was muttering she couldn't help but grin at him. "But doesn't it feel good to have the attention of three lovely ladies paying attention to you?" She turned to Jenna and smiled. "I have a feeling it is harder for us since we can also run on all fours and once close to the end we have trouble moving." Sandi grabbed the first of the yearbooks. "This is from 6th grade. Most girls start changing about then. That and most boys start noticing." She didn't look at Billy. "We called it puppy crushes or kitty crushes for you I suppose. I know one boy who crushed on me from when I was about 12 till I started dating Jenna." She had flipped through the book which had 3-d pictures. Here I was when I was 12. Most of us, boys and girls tend towards a gangly stage." Satasha looked at the book and flipped through the pictures and smiled. "Well Sandi you were rather cute when you were twelve." She found Billy and had to grin. "Goodness even then you looked like you had the traveling itch." She didn't realize she was touching on a sensitive subject. When she found Jenna she had to smile. "Jenna you definitely were taller than all the others. I am average height for a Sholan." She sort of sighed and sipped some more coffee. "This is a really good drink and especially with the cream and sugar. Sandi showed her the other books and how they developed and Satasha tilted her head. "How interesting. It seems so odd to have breasts when you have no use for them." Her finger was tracing a few of the pictures. She pulled her datapad out and lowered her ears slightly. To her she had been an awkward young Sholan. Once she had gone through the officer training that had changed for her though. When she showed the two women they whistled. "Damn cute, I almost wish I had been on your planet." The feline bit was just totally sexy. Billy looked as well and managed not to gasp at the display. "They are right. You were really cute." He groaned. "God now I sound like a pedo. I need to go and paint my van brown..." It was a joke and Sandi started snickering and then full out giggles and finally ended up collapsed on the table as she laughed her ass off. Satasha looked totally confused since she had no idea what the pedo-van was and had never heard of pedo-bear since it was a facebook thing. Sandi reached over and smacked him. "Good god Billy that was horrible. You need to wash your brain out again." She looked at Satasha. "Forget that since it is a horrible reference." At this point she wanted to die. "It is really interesting seeing others of your kind. Who is this?" She pointed at a young boy. Satasha quieted down a bit. "That is my little brother and my parents." Her voice was quiet and obviously sad. "I miss them. I have been away for close to a year." One of her fingers almost stroked the image that was on the screen. She gave them a sad smile. "Thanks for saying that but I know I was an awkward kit though I out grew it." Satasha kept her ears and eyes down as she looked at the table. "I want to see my family again and don't want to end up an experiment for years." It was stupid for her to say but that was how she felt. Sandi reached over and touched her. "Not useless since it shows that we are sexually available." She move over next to her and wrapped an arm around her. "We won't turn you in if that is what you are worried about. Billy is one of our closest friends and we would never do anything to upset him." She blushed. "Well except for becoming a couple." She leaned against Satasha. "The boy that had a crush on me was Billy and it was so hard to tell him that Jenna was the one I really loved." Satasha leaned into the hug and relaxed. "I could smell that as well as he still cares for you. I can also tell that he would never come between the two of you." That damn coffee was starting to kick in and she didn't really notice Billy's reaction. "Thank you. I just want to find out who attacked our ship and get back home." She snuggled with Sandi and relaxed in her arms. "I shouldn't trust you but we have been searching every system we can find. Normally we have three to a crew but recently we have been doing one or maybe two at a time." The others didn't really understand what she was saying since they weren't as tactile as Sholan's were. "Well if you need someone to snuggle with we are here for you." She wasn't indicating any sort of sex. "But then I would have to leave my ship and I can't do that. I just want someone to curl up with and either hold onto or to be held onto. Not asking for sex but... comfort." The coffee hit and she yawned and was suddenly asleep on Sandi's shoulder. When they looked at her she looked totally exhausted and it really didn't look like she was going to wake soon. Jenna's face softened. "Poor woman so far from home, Billy you had better take care of her or else." She moved over and lightly touched her face. "Looks like you are going to have a bed mate tonight." Jenna might be a bit over weight but she was very strong and picked the alien up and started towards his room. "Hey, what do you mean?" He had been listening but it hadn't really connected. Jenna looked at him. "She needs someone to hold onto when you go to bed. Think feline. You get piles of cats and dogs right? Well she is feline and is going to need someone to hold onto." She moved over to Sandi. "Think of when Sandi was kicked out by her father. I know she slept next to you for a while and held on tight." Sandi turned to Jenna and buried her head in her shoulder. "Worst weeks of my life you know Billy. God knows I cried on your shoulder for several days." She might be an outwardly strong person but she was a very sensitive woman and Billy knew it. He sighed and took a drink of the coffee and tried to relax. "God all I wanted to do was to get back into space and now this. I just want to see new places and people. I didn't want to have an alien landing in my yard or anything like that." He looked stressed. "My traveling boots are already itching and ready to go." Jenna settled next to him and gave him a hug. "Just think of her as Sandi needing help. You will know what to do from there. Simply support her and maybe she can help you. Having two people working on your Ship will get you into space that much sooner." She hugged him and then checked the meat and slid it off the grill on the stove and moved it off to one side to rest for a few. "We will leave plenty for her." Billy kept sipping on the coffee and considered what they were saying and it sort of made sense. It really made sense after the reference to Sandi being kicked out. That still angered him and when he thought about it he had to keep from going and beating the living shit out of her father. "Good idea. I would hate to wake up and find her chewing on my leg or something." Billy had to wonder what the tech of her Ship was like but managed to resist going and waking her up to ask. Sandi smacked him and then smiled as Jenna started slicing the meat. She got up and grabbed the salad and carried it over before getting the veggies that were steaming. Eventually all the food was on the table and Sandi settled down and leaned over and kissed Jenna. "Thank you love, it smells wonderful." Billy inhaled and had to smile as well. "Thanks for not freaking too much when you saw Satasha. You did better than I did. I actually came back in and dumped the coffee out and wondered if the beans were bad." He told them about his reaction to seeing her and both struggled not to laugh. They had their mouths covered and were snorting and trying to breathe while laughing. They didn't know how heavy a sleeper Satasha might be and didn't want to wake her. By the time they were done laughing he had eaten a good portion of his plate. "That and I had wondered what you might have put in my beer as well." He was quietly chuckling as well. "I felt like a total idiot when I finally realized she did exist. Part of it was she had to ask for something to eat. I had completely forgotten all hospitality." Jenna reached over and squeezed his arm since she knew how much he valued being hospitable. He would serve virtually anyone that came to his house and needed a plate. The same went for a shower or even a bed for a day or two. Now they couldn't just move in, or normally not but with Satasha that was a different case. "I probably would have reacted strangely as well if that helps Billy." He gave her a grateful look and finished eating. They cleaned up and made a plate for Satasha for when she might wake up. Since they didn't want to wake her up they went out to the porch and talked for a while before the women decided it was time for them to leave. "We will make sure and check in on the two of you. We will make sure you have what you need and to keep her fed." Sandi grinned at him and gave him a hug. Jenna did as well and both climbed into their vehicle and with a wave left. Billy sat on the porch for a while and realized he was tired as well and stood up with a stretch. This was going to be weird since normally the only time he had someone in his bed was when they were being intimate. He walked into the house and to his room. After grabbing some shorts he walked into the bathroom and quickly stripped down and pulled them on. He had grabbed a shower earlier that day and he hadn't done anything strenuous so he didn't worry about a shower. When he walked back into the room he stared at her and she was curled up on one side looking very comfortable. Billy walked over to the bed and settled down on his side and curled up with his back to hers. She was warm and he could feel slight brushes of soft silky fur and that really distracted him as he tried to go to sleep. Eventually he did fall asleep and at some point rolled over and curled around her. What was amusing was that she was taller than he was. While he was sleeping she finally woke up because she needed the bathroom. She noticed that he was curled around her back with one arm curled around her side and stomach. Satasha gave the arm a squeeze before carefully moving out from under and silently padded to the bathroom. She had used it earlier so knew how everything worked. Once done she walked out of the bathroom and back to the bedroom and stripped the tabard off before crawling back in bed. She had to smile when he curled back around her. She moved back against him and went to sleep again. When she next awoke next she was curled around him and was wondering why he was in her bed. Whatever else it felt good to have someone to curl up with. She had slept better last night than she had since she had started the mission. When she finally opened her eyes she realized that she wasn't in her room but a different one and she assumed it was his since it had a male feel to it. As she was looking around she took in some pictures and wondered who they were of. Some appeared sort of obvious as family but others weren't. As she was looking around Billy started to wake. Satasha didn't move towards or away from him since she was curious as to what he would do. She was pretty sure it wasn't anything sexual but simply knew so little about these humans. Right now she was essentially the first contact team. Yes she did have some training in first contact but it was fairly basic. As bad as it sounded this was what it was aimed at, accidental meetings though normally it would be in space and not crash landed in the back yard of someone's house. "This is going to be a story for the grand kids when I am that old." Billy woke up as he normally did, asleep one moment and awake the next. When he did he was slightly confused by the silky fur pressed against his back. The arm curled around his waist felt odd because of the fur but the thing she had been wearing the afternoon before had left her arms exposed. Having a large expanse of fur pressed against his back and legs was strange. He had to admit that she was warm and the feeling of fur was rather sensual. When she spoke he started laughing and rolled on his back and looked at her. "Now that is something I never really considered. I have my two sister's kids to play with, aunts and uncles by the bushel. Never found another female that could deal with a person who has traveling feet." He tensed a bit when he said that. His wife had died delivering the second child. "Now maybe if I could find one to come with on my travels it might be different but haven't so far and the only female that had really caught my attention is involved and I don't mess with that." Her arm was resting across his belly and he couldn't resist stroking the fur. Satasha relaxed as he moved and rolled over. He didn't appear to be too bothered by her being in bed with him and she hoped she could share his bed reasonably often. "I am doing the cursory military service though I might stay in a few extra years for some additional training. If I find the right male I will try either a three or five year bonding contract. Don't know if I will ever take a lifemate though." He lay there listening and it all sounded strange to him. The military service he could sort of understand but when she started talking about bonding contracts and life mates he got confused. "Back up a minute. Why do you have cursory military service and what is a bonding contract?" It was almost like they were talking two different languages even though both were speaking English. She laughed lightly. "It is the males fault. We females don't have to do service unless we wish and I did. Our males are sort of considered legal adults when they turn twenty for things such as bonding contracts, legal contracts and such. When they turn thirty is when they are really considered adults. When they come into their minority they tend to be rather territorial and so they are assigned to the military. Most end up as troops but some become flight crews and engineers and mechanics. They also end up as officers if they have the right personality or mind set." Now she had to describe the bonding ceremony. "Um, as far as the bonding contracts we females can control our fertility so we don't have to worry about random pregnancies. Or I suppose I should say so incredibly rare as to be non-existent. Because of this having a child out of either a bonding ceremony or with a life mate is considered extremely wrong and carries heavy cultural penalties." She frowned slightly as she tried to think if she had forgotten anything. "Oh, one thing I think I got from watching some of your entertainment shows is that in theory you tend towards only one lover or mate at a time. Since we can control our fertility for us there is no real purpose for that. As long as any cubs we have are with our mates then there isn't any stigma for enjoying an evening with a nice lady or male." Billy had to blink at that. How strange it sounded and he sort of guessed that the 'life mate' was sort of like a mating contract only long term. The idea of fidelity for children only was rather odd as well. It made sense if they, the females, had control over their fertility but was just strange to him. "Interesting, I should probably get a recorder to note down these little things you are telling me since at some point your people and mine will actually meet and not in a back yard." Sholan Alliance Ch. 04 I am editing this series due to some typo's, spelling errors, and mixed up dialogue. Once I am done I am going to repost them and that should clear up the chapter order. That was an epic fail on my part but should be cleared up shortly. I also had a volunteer editor, Captain Siren, review the first chapter in the Silver Moon series and she made some very good suggestions. With her help I am going to be revising all the chapters to remove some glaring inconsistencies. They will be posted as we smooth each chapter out. The last thing I have to say is that there are only a few detailed sex scenes in this series as with my other stories. I find, this is a personal opinion, that having a sex scene in every chapter of a story gets boring after a while. I have come across some very good stories that keep getting broken up by one sex scene after another. That makes it hard for me to follow the plot line. * Now that he had been up checked they had quickly packed the clothing they needed. He was thankful that the bed in the captain's cabin was large enough for the two of them. Billy had replaced the original for a larger more comfortable bed since he did occasionally have a female share it with him. Loading the ship took the rest of the day to make sure they had everything they needed including a number of supplies from Satasha's ship. They were finally done and though he wasn't comfortable with Sally coming with Satasha had explained why she needed to. "Jenna, Sandi, thank you for all of your help and once we are gone if you get questioned be honest about everything except Satasha. I will deal with that when I come back." He gave both a good hug and stepped aside and let Satasha give them a hug. Satasha gave both a good hug and just for good measure a good kiss. "When I make it back one of these days I might have Yilly take out that cute Ensign and you can cook me a meal and we can have a bit of fun." She looked over her shoulder at Billy. "I know for a fact that Yilly likes robbing the cradle... Must be the taste of young flesh." Billy turned beet red and growled something about a kitty skin rug for his stateroom. "Let's get going. I don't want to give the space corps any reason to delay us or have some engineer arriving to pick my brain and try to figure out the equations." Sally didn't let him off that easy. "So just how old are you Satasha? From your comment you are much younger than my father." Satasha grinned at Billy's discomfort. "I would be about 28 years old by your years." Everyone stared at Billy and then started laughing. He growled again. "Anyone not onboard in about 5 seconds gets left behind." He turned and stomped up the ramp into the Ship. The two coming with were still snickering when they walked aboard and he drew in the ramp and closed the door. He stalked towards the command center and took the captain's chair. "Sally navigation for now and Satasha engineering." They ran a number of checks and he finally slid the roof of the slip open and typed in some commands and the Ship engaged the n-space engines and lifted out of the cradle. The nose lifted up and headed for the sky. He was taking it easy on the lift off to give the engines a test and to keep from drawing attention from the take off. Lift offs from the surface were rare enough since it was usually small ships that were personally owned by wealthy idiots. As they were leaving he passed the 3C space station and was signaled. "Damn. He activated the voice only mode. "Hey Mack got the old girl back in shape and doing a test run to Atlas. How's tricks for you?" "Good to see but what happened to your video?" Mack checked and his side was working fine. "Damn it I forgot about this. I have a loose connection, give me a moment." He waved for Satasha to leave the bridge which she did very quickly. Once she was gone and the door was closed he thumped the console and then activated the video. "A good thump usually does it but I was busy enough with the other repairs I completely forgot about it. I would love to stay and talk but I need to skedaddle and try and make up the money loss I had from the down check." Mack laughed and then noticed Sally. "Hey Sally how are you doing? I see you took after your Mother which is a good thing. If you had taken after your father I woulda felt bad for you." He winked at Billy when he said that. "Mack you are too old for her so no making passes at my not so little daughter or I might have to challenge you to a duel." He was grinning as he said it. "Besides she is way too smart for the likes of you." Sally snickered. "But Pappa since you like younger women maybe I like older guys." He turned and glared at her and she laughed. "I will talk to you later Mack and ignore the silly girl in back. There was a cute young ensign who was checking me out and invited me to dinner during the up check." He scowled at Sally. "Well I will talk to you someday and have a good one." He turned the view screen off and accelerated away from the station. ~~~ He did the diagnostics and tests that he had promised and even did a couple of micro jumps that went wonderfully. He pausing near the edge of the solar system and stood down the engines other than the power plant for life support. Billy hurried through the upgrades and had Satasha follow behind to verify the connections and do a diagnostic on them. Once they were done he grinned and rebooted the systems with the new software. "Now we get to see if I am the mad genius everyone calls me." He fired up the n-space engines and surged forward fast than the old tub normally could and the moment they reached his estimated speed needed he turned on the hyper drive and Billy damn near shit a brick when the changeover was almost instantaneous and his instruments stopped reading. "Drat, I need to recalibrate some of the instruments and sensors." He slowed the ship down till they started reading again and he was grinning like it was going out of style. ~~~ In the solar system there were a number of ships close enough to get fairly quick readings on Billy's ship. The sensor techs who were watching almost lost it with the power signature for the n-space engines. When he went to hyper their sensors went off the scale. All of them sent copies of the recordings to their respective governments. The various governments almost freaked out since very few ships could match the power signature. That was unless they were a combat vessel and this didn't read as one. It took some time for all the governments to identify the ship and who it belonged to. Once that was happened calls started going back and forth. The idea of the American Principality having that level of technology scared the daylights out of them. ~~~ On the Combat vessel they detected the ship powering down and were wondering if they had somehow been detected. Just to be on the safe side they went to general quarters though they didn't run out any weapons since that could be detected. "Keep an eye on that Ship and let me know if she does anything different. By different I mean anything like turning back changing directions, hell if you hear a fart from it I want to know." He had just been ready to go off watch but with this he was going to get something to eat and a quick shower and change of uniform. The commander was back on the bridge within an hour. So far the ship hadn't done anything but maintain station keeping and was giving off very low power readings. Eventually he started rotating crew to get something to eat and a few hours sleep. Once the ship was gone he would go back to what he had been doing. In a few days he planned on moving slowly into the depth of the system and try to contact the missing scout ship. Right as he was getting ready to take his turn the scan tech turned and informed him that the hyper drive was powering up as well as the n-space engines. "Vartra's bones look at those power readings." He routed the data to the commander's chair. They were below what the Sholan's could generate but from a Ship of her size they were almost shocking. As he was scanning the ship jumped forward and vanished into hyper space. "Sir I have never seen readings like this before. They do not match any readings from any of the ships we have been scanning." The commander was already sitting up and leaning forward. "Follow it and send a message to the Mother Ship that we have encountered a foreign ship and are going to see where it is going." They moved out of the radiation field around Saturn and started towards the entry point. "Commander just reminding you that if we jump this close we will be detected even if they can't see past the stealth." The navigator was programming in an estimated course for the Ship and once in hyper and they got a fix on it they would adjust as needed. "Understood but we don't have a choice. That could be some sort of emissary to this world from the enemies. The signature isn't the same but is closer than any we have detected. Program the course and jump as soon as possible." ~~~ As Billy whooped at what the modifications had done the other two were staring at him. "Genius you said Sally? I think you were aiming just a bit low on the scale. This is pretty close to what some of our ships can do. With upgraded scanners and shields if he pushed her she would definitely run as fast as some of our fast passenger ships. Part of it is the ridiculous engine this thing has but some of it was the mods your father made to the engines." Satasha's eyes were almost round as she was talking. "Sally leave the cabin please. Tasha is going to program in the course needed and you don't need that information. I can't leave since I have to approve it but I am not going to look." Sally nodded and left the cabin. "Tasha punch in the course we need as best you can. If needed we might be able to detect her trail and find her that way." He turned his screen off and once the accept indicator flashed he pressed the touch screen and after a few moments the Ship altered course and he set the auto systems. He hated using them but as a one man crew he had to have down time and the chances of encountering something in hyper space was so slim it wasn't funny. ~~~ "Well let's go get something to eat. Secure from GQ and return to normal rotation. Note an order to inform me even in a sleep cycle of what the ship is doing." The commander left the bridge after turning it over to one of the other crew members. ~~~ "I am going to get something to eat and then to bed. Since this is crewed only by me normally I have an extensive control station in my suite." He headed to the galley and almost kissed Sally since she had started cooking something. "Hun you might just get a cabin upgrade for this." He grinned since she was already in the nicest cabin other than his. Sally snorted and finished cooking and served everyone and fell on her bowl of stew like she was starving as well. Now this type of cooking he could do since it was mostly packaged food and he usually purchased some of the best unless he had passengers and depending on what type they were he would go down a notch or three. Satasha had originally estimated 3 or more weeks to reach the Mother Ship but at the speed they were doing she lowered that to 2 weeks or less. Billy was doing constant diagnostic checks on everything but it kept coming back clean. One part he was worried about he might have to redesign when he had a chance. It was a power circuit and it was showing a tiny bit of overheating and power loss. He kept a very close check on that item in particular. ~~~ When the Sholan ship entered hyper space the other ship was already a goodly distance away and they were initially able to only follow it by its hyper wake. Eventually they caught up to it and stayed right at the edge of their sensors and they were pretty sure that the other ship hadn't detected them yet. The Navigator was keeping a close eye on the ship and after a few hours he was frowning. Due to the commanders orders he opened a link to his cabin. "Commander I have been tracking the other vessel and it appears to be headed to one of the rendezvous point with the Mother Ship." The commander growled since it was the middle of his sleep cycle. After putting on his uniform he stalked to the bridge and over to the navigation console. It was in 3-D mode and it showed the estimated position of the Mother Ship and the other nearby ships. The one they were following did look like it was headed in that direction. He scratched his chin. "Very carefully scan the ship and see what sort of weapons it might have. Send a message to the Mother Ship requesting orders on how to proceed. Contact me when you get a reply." He left the bridge and rolled back into bed. The reply didn't take that long and informed him to gather as much sensor data on the ship and simply follow it as they were. There were a few more orders that he had rather expected. He informed the bridge to inform each watch of the new orders till everyone knew about them. ~~~ They had been underway for just under 2 weeks when he got a massive return from the forward sensors. He dropped out of hyper immediately. Once in N-space he shut down the hyper drive and powered down the n-space engines to station keeping mode. Right as he was doing that two ships decloaked in front and one dropped out of hyper behind them. A broad spectrum transmission was detected and he opened both the audio and video channels. "Alien vessel keep your engines where they are now and drop your shields or we will be forced to fire on you." It took a few moments for the video conversion to kick in and when it did he found himself face to face with a Sholan in a black suit and what looked like a helmet attached to the chair he was in. Billy had been practicing his Sholan with Satasha and had a reply ready. "This is Captain Billy Madlax of the star ship Sandi. I am dropping my shields now and as requested my engines will remain at the power levels they are currently at." He checked a few readouts and then looked back at the male. "I do have weapons onboard but they are inside their hatches and locked down. I am here to return a missing Sholan to you. Lt. Verzilon crashed on the planet I come from near my house. We couldn't repair her ship but was able to repair mine. Here she is if you wish to verify what I have had to say." He moved out of the command chair and Satasha sat down. The Sholan on the other ship was more than startled when the alien started speaking Sholan. It was a little difficult to understand but he did understand the message and raised an eyebrow. He was about to demand her presence when she settled in the seat the other climbed out of. "Identify yourself." She sat there in her command suit and sat up straight. She had nothing to be ashamed of. "This is Lt. Satasha Verzilon commander and only crew aboard the SSS Tail Chaser. My authentication code is..." She reeled off a long string of numbers and letters. "While approaching the solar system Captain Madlax is from my navigation molycirc fried. I set course for the system knowing that I had sent, or so I though, the location of the planet. I was simply going to keep in a station keeping orbit and acquire data. As I was approaching the planet my n-space engines started malfunctioning and I was forced to land. I still had shields and they were up. During the descent I lost all power when another molycirc block malfunctioned." The commander who had been talking to her listened and then contemplated on what she had just said. "Why did you contact the aliens?" That was one item she might be held accountable for. "The contact was unintentional. Capt. Madlax was on the porch of his house and since I was on emergency power I directed all available power to the shielding while diagnostic ran to see if I could do repairs. Since the use of the sensor suite would have used up power I chose to open a hatch to find out where I had landed. I didn't know where I was because I was knocked unconscious during the landing. When I opened the hatch and looked around I discovered that I was close to a house and a large building. I do have my personal recordings of that time." The commander slowly nodded his head. "Are you capable of sending the data over?" If she could he would forward it to the Ship for review. "I am sorry but our technologies are too different. Yilly tried to come up with a conversion so data could be transferred when and if we made it to the Mother Ship but the software is vastly different. If he had more time he might have been able to but we decided it was more important to get me back to the Mother Ship." She looked at Billy and he nodded. "Yilly is willing to have one of the ships dock with his ship and show you around and at that point I can give you the data. Aboard there are a total of three of us. Yilly, his daughter Sally, and myself. Sally is an empath but has no training since they don't believe in psychic talents on their planet. I think Yilly might have some talent as well." That got the commanders attention. "Interesting and we will have to see. Illuminate the docking ring and we will see if we can actually dock. I will bring on two of my warriors and we will inspect." Billy nudged her out of the seat and sat down. He tapped some controls and the ring was illuminated. "I am also shutting down the bridge. I do come in peace to return Satasha to her people and for no other reason. You can ask her later but I did not contact my authorities at all and as of now to the best of my knowledge there are a total of four of us that know of her existence." He added a code that would lock the controls down unless it was entered by him. "I will be at the ring and my daughter will remain here to ensure we have ongoing comms." He stood and walked out of the bridge and down to the docking ring. As he arrived he felt a slight bump and then the hiss of air being sucked out of the locking ring on the tube. There was a slight hum as well but he didn't bother asking. Billy's daughter contacted him and informed him that they had a solid seal. "Opening outer doors." He punched in a command and the external doors opened and once the three Sholan's entered he shut the hatch, made sure the pressure was equal and then opened the inner door. "Welcome aboard the Sandi and as you see Satasha is with me and you can check and make sure she is who she says she is." One Sholan pulled out a scanner and ran it over both of them while she handed a data crystal over. "Sir she is armed with a standard stunner. I do not detect any electronic signatures of a weapon on him though he does have something in his shirt pocket." Billy blinked for a moment. "Oh sorry, those are my VR glasses. I am going to slowly take them out and show you." He reached into the pocket and pulled them out and put them on and then put them back in the pocket. "I figured we can start at the front of the ship and work our way back. I have six berthing rooms, a decent cargo space and the engines. As we move towards the back I will show you the weapons and that they are locked down." The commander nodded and the one warrior was scanning the entire time. Billy showed them the bridge and his daughter nodded at them though she spoke no Sholan at the moment. After that he showed them the staterooms and when he opened his door he could tell that they scented her in there. "Why is her scent in your room?" His voice was harsh and demanding. They had discussed this and decided to be honest about it. "Because she is my companion and yes she willingly became my companion and yes I know what that means." His voice was calm and collected as he spoke. "We care a great deal for each other which is why we became companions. Mind you that didn't stop her from keeping any classified data from me. I didn't ask and she didn't talk about it." Sholan Alliance Ch. 04 She wrapped an arm around him as a sign of affection. "He is telling the truth and I am willing to have a truthsayer scan me while I am being debriefed. As you noticed I am armed and he isn't. That alone should say something. Now let's continue the inspection since I would like to get aboard the Mother Ship as soon as possible. They continued down the Ship till they reached the gunners station. There was one on each side. He explained what they were and what weapons the ship carried. Eventually they reached the engine room and he had to grin at the muffled oath the commander made. "Yes I know the engine seems oversized, well on your terms, for a ship of this size but it was designed for both fast supply runs and as a tug for damaged ships." He patted the engines again. "That is half the reason I picked her up. Before I made modifications to the engines she could already pick up her skirts and hustle. After the mods she went like a bat out of hell." He stroked the engine and then finished the inspection. The commander consulted with the tech running the scanner and after looking at the readings he turned back to them. "I am satisfied that your ship does not pose a danger to the Mother Ship. We are going to place a tractor beam on you and tow you to the Mother Ship. It might take longer than using your engines but we have to take precautions." Billy shrugged. "Do what you have to do. I am going to bring up my n-space shields for protection against meteorites and such. They will be on a low power setting which I am sure your weapons are more than capable of penetrating if deemed necessary." The commander nodded. "That is acceptable but drop them once we are within 100 Kerlons of the Ship." Billy nodded at him and escorted the three to the lock and the commander informed him that one of the warriors would remain behind. That was sort of annoying. "Commander I have shown you that we are not a threat and I do not appreciate having such orders dictated to me on my Ship. I have brought back a crew member, not informed my authorities, and allowed you to inspect my entire ship including the recycling section. I do not want an armed soldier aboard my ship." His voice was hard when he said that. The commander contemplated the expression on Billy's face and had a feeling that if he pushed Billy would go into hyper drive in an instant and from the readings they had gotten she would be a bitch to catch. He finally conceided. "Fine but if there is any change in your ships status I will command it to be fired on." Billy sighed since he rather hated the military urge to shoot first and ask questions later. "I will have someone in contact with your ship at all times. Sally doesn't understand Sholan but Satasha has a translation device that she can use well enough to get one of us up there to see what you need." They both nodded and the three left his Ship. Once they were gone he growled slightly. "Uppity bastard thinking he could leave an armed soldier aboard and not have me complain." He went forward and informed Sally of what was going to happen. Billy unlocked the controls and powered the shields up to the lowest safe setting. "Sally we are going to have a three section watch and here is Tasha's translator. We are going to go and crash. Wake me in four hours and I will take over for six." They walked back to the stateroom and he stretched. "I hope this doesn't get you in trouble. The companion thing I mean." She shrugged. "I don't know and don't care. I offered and you accepted and that is what matters." She wrapped her arms around him and fell asleep. ~~~ Getting to the ship didn't take that long and they were tractored into a landing bay and as he expected there was a reasonable escort. As the ramp was sliding down he hugged Satasha and gave her a good kiss and licked her nose. "I hope to see you again before whatever happens happens." He turned and opened the airlock and the three of them walked out. Satasha and Billy were side by side and Sally behind. One of the men waiting was obviously of a high rank. Billy stepped forward and ignored the warriors tensing. "Sir I am returning Lt. Satasha Verzilon to you in good health and as a way to say we don't want a fight." He looked at Satasha and then back at the officer. "I would like to request that whatever quarters my daughter and I end up in that Satasha be assigned to as well. This is not only because she is somewhat familiar with my species but also because she is my companion." He stepped back and ignored the murmuring. The officer flicked an ear and the warriors stilled. "I will see what I can do. Right now she needs to go to medical and then debriefing. The two of you are going to go to medical as well to try and ensure you aren't carrying anything that might infect us. These four warriors will escort you to medical. This is to ensure that you don't do anything and also to ensure you are not interfered with." Four warriors stepped forward. Billy nodded. "I understand the need to be supervised." He turned and looked at the warriors. "Shall we get started?" Sally was standing close to him and he wrapped an arm around her and gave her a light squeeze. The senior warrior gave them a brief look though his eyes did linger a bit longer on Sally. "This way please." Two of the warriors were in front and two in back. They ended up taking several elevators and hallways to get to medical. As they were heading there Billy tried to memorize the route but the Ship was just too bloody large and he sighed. When he sighed the senior warrior asked if everything was okay. "Just starting to get a bit of a headache. It has been stressful for the last few weeks and this Ship is bloody huge and it makes my fingers itch. I am resisting the urge to pull something apart and see how it works." He gave the warrior a wry grin when he said that. "That would not be a good idea for you to do. Are you an engineer or repair tech?" He had been told to get as much information he could. "Actually I was a member of the Naval design and development board when I was in the Navy. New ship technology makes my fingers itch." He stared at the control panel and resisted the urge to do anything. Sally grinned at the warrior. "My father is classified as genius level in engineering. You should see what he did when it came to the hyper tubes and engines." She shouldn't have mentioned it and Billy winced. The warrior raised an eyebrow. "What did you do?" He wasn't any sort of tech but was curious. Billy sighed and looked at Sally. "Thanks for that and let me have your VR glasses." He pulled his out and put them on and handed Sally's over. Once the warrior put it on Billy pulled up some of the VR boards. "Mind you when Satasha originally landed and looked at my ship she asked why I didn't just re-crystallize the tubes. That sort of kick started my brain. This equation is used to describe the parts of the tube that have de-crystallized which feeds into this equation which creates a profile of how the tubes are to be heated and feeds into..." The warrior shook his head and took the glasses off and handed them to Sally. "Now I have a stinking headache. Thanks for that." This was definitely getting mentioned when he was debriefed. Billy couldn't help but grin. "You are very welcome and I am sure medical will have something for the headache." One or two of the other Sholans snickered for a brief moment. "Anyways once I had those equations done I just sort of kept going and worked out some modifications for the engine that was supposed to improve the warp efficiency by about 20%. I missed that by a bit and ended up with 30% or a bit more. I think I forgot to take into account the size of the hyper engines." The warrior almost glared at him. "Do me a favor and stop talking about this since it is making my headache even worse." The worst part was the man had a down home sort of feel and look to him. Sally had been listening to the translator and snickered. Without thinking she reached over and patted his shoulder. "My Pappa tends to give lots of people headaches when he starts talking gibberish about electronics and ship design." Her hand rested on his arm for just a moment longer before she pulled it back. "You have really nice fur and I like the color." Billy rolled his eyes at her. "Leave the warrior alone. He is doing his job and on duty. Wait till you have gotten the Sholan language transfer and then maybe you can flirt." The warriors face was a conflict of reactions. It was obvious that he appreciated the compliment but also was trying to be professional. Next to him Satasha was trying to keep a straight face as well. Thankfully the elevator stopped and it was a short walk down to the medical section. When they entered there was an older Sholan female inside. "I was rather startled when they called and informed me that there were a new alien species coming up. Good afternoon to you Lt. Verzilon. Why don't we get started with you since you will take less time. Strip and go lay down on the scanner please." Satasha didn't even blink when she was told to strip and opened the pressure strip on her uniform and pealed it off and neatly folded it and then lay down. "To the best of my knowledge I am in fine shape doctor and haven't been sick at all while on Earth." Billy noticed the two warriors giving her a casual look and at first he wanted to take a swing and then he grinned. "I do have a good looking companion don't I? I am sorry she had to crash land but on the flip side of the coin I wouldn't have met her." The two warriors that came inside blinked and gave him a slight smile back. "She is a good looking female and you are a lucky man. I hope when I get a companion that she is as attractive." It was the senior warrior and he was giving Billy a speculative look. "Yes we are sexually compatible and we have greatly enjoyed each other's company. Best woman I have met since my wife died almost 25 years ago." He had to glance away for a moment. "By wife I mean something like a life mate." The other warrior spoke. "You have my sympathy sir. My Mother lost her bond mate in a flyer accident." Billy sighed at him. "I did get two lovely and intelligent daughters though." He reached up and stroked Sally's hair. "This is my oldest girl and almost as smart as her father in her field of choice." She lightly punched him. "As smart even if you gave us an inferiority complex while we were growing up." Sally leaned into the hug and stroking and gave the senior warrior a tentative smile. "Do you have any siblings?" "Yilly it is your turn on the table. I told the doctor to make sure that you don't end up any more than medium rare." Her voice was casual when she said it and Billy almost choked. "Hopefully we will be assigned a two person room and I will be able to be with you." She came over and gave him a kiss and licked his nose which he returned as well. She walked out the door and the other two warriors followed her. Billy watched her leave and there was worry and concern in his eyes. "I hope the debriefing goes smoothly for her. She really did do her best not to give away any sort of secrets about anything." Yes he had ended up living on her ship but he didn't go anywhere other than the living area and bedroom. He turned and walked over to the scanner and didn't wait for the doctor to tell him he needed to strip. He was already unbuttoning his shirt when he noticed his daughter watching and he frowned and made the turn around motion and she snickered. He finished stripped down and could feel the warriors examining him. He hopped up on the scanner when the doctor told him to and lay back. He felt the cushion adjust and warm up. "Oh yes, just like Tasha's bed. Now this is a technology I would pilfer." The warrior gave him a slight growl when he said that and watched the doctor close the cover. He turned to Sally and gave her a smile though he was careful not to show his teeth. "So what degree did you go into?" Sally grinned as her father snorted. "Zenobiology and zenopalentology. I just finished my master's degree and was getting ready to work on my doctorate when Satasha sort of short circuited my schooling though studying her. Depending what happens I might be able to start my doctorate paper on you and your society." The warrior rolled his eyes. "Great we have an egghead engineer and a zenobiolgist aboard the ship. We might just have to lock you up to ensure that you don't gather to much information simply by watching." He sighed. "Darn and I was going to invite you to dinner when you are allowed out of the security quarters. That might not be safe for my poor widdle brain." "No dating my daughter before you receive parental permission. Sally when a Sholan invites you to dinner there is an expectation of sharing a bed after you eat and maybe some dancing." He didn't really have room to speak but he was going to keep an eye on anyone male or female who might take a fancy to her. Sally was about to speak when the warrior did. "I understand sir. I have a daughter from a previous bonding contract and though she is young I keep debating on getting a pulser to keep at home for when she comes into her first season." Sally frowned. "Pappa I am an adult and can make my own decisions. If you want to have a discussion with me about my sex life and who I have and haven't seen we can do that later." The doctor shook her head. "Now if all of you will shut up and let me work I would appreciate it. It makes it hard to scan him if he is talking." Everyone shut up though Billy was thinking evil thoughts at the moment. It was going to be hard enough for him to lose Tasha and he didn't want the same to happen to her. A bit of dalliance would be acceptable but he really didn't want her to get attached to anyone. "Okay I am done with you for the moment though after I go through what the scans show I will probably have both of you come back for some further tests." Before he got up she attached a sampling unit to his forearm and pulled out a couple of small vials and tucked them into a pocket. "That was blood, serum, some antibodies and a small DNA sample." She waved him off the table and he stood and quickly dressed. "Okay Sally your turn." He walked over to the chair she had been in and just to annoy her he turned it around. He waited for her to realize it and she frowned and told him to turn around. He smirked and did that. When he did he noticed the warriors watching closely and he cleared his throat and they twitched. The senior warrior lowered his ears briefly. "Just making sure there isn't any threat against the doctor. We kept an eye on you as well." Good god that sounded lame but he was very curious as to what differences there were. "Is she pregnant and if so how far along?" Sally almost choked on that question but Billy answered. "She isn't as far as I know. Our females develop breasts when they start becoming adults. It is a process that takes five to seven years depending on a number of factors. They also develop hair in their armpits and groin. Some girls and women shave or use a depilatory in one or both areas. As you can see we are relatively furless compared to you. We do have hair on other parts of our bodies but for the females it is normally very light and fine." Billy noticed that the warrior's eyes flicked between him and Sally and he sighed. "Sally don't dally to much or I might spank you." He sort of figured that she was taking her time stripping and was probably facing the males while she did. His guess was pretty good when they coughed slightly and he could hear the sound of the mattress being laid down on and the cover coming down. "So what is your name and rank?" He asked the warrior. "Also what age are you? I recently realized that I had never asked Satasha her age and she was younger than I thought." He had to shake his head and sigh. "I felt really stupid at that moment." "I am senior warrior Vangie Ashkeron and I am 34 years old." He knew this was to see if the man might accept him as appropriate to see his daughter. As I mentioned I do have a daughter who is almost 15 and will shortly be entering her first cycle." He wanted to impress this man since he did find his daughter interesting. Billy didn't even think when he converted that to human ages. "That makes you approximately 38 human years old and your daughter 18 or so." He stroked his short beard for a moment. "So what do you mean by saying she is entering her first cycle? To a human female it is a sign of becoming sexually mature and happens on a monthly basis unless they are on birth control." He didn't bother saying it was mandatory once they started their cycles. Vangie thought about it for a moment so he could describe it as best possible so he would understand. "Um, with our females they aren't considered sexually mature till they come into their first cycle or heat. Before then they don't have any interest in any sort of sexual activity. You can tell that the child is becoming a woman by her loosing the dark banding of childhood and her scent starts to change so she smells like an adult. During their first cycle they tend to find an older male and sort of hunt them down. Parents watch for this and keep an eye on who she might be interested in and decide if he is good enough for their daughter." Billy had to blink at that since it sounded so different. He knew that normally by now Sally would be yelling at him but she was learning about the Sholans and their home lives. "How interesting. That is totally different than how humans deal with it." He contemplated the male and gave a small nod. "I do feel that you are a bit old for her but I don't have much room to speak. If and when we are given leave to wander the Ship and after she has the Sholan language transfer I will strongly consider allowing you to at least visit her. I do expect you to respect her wishes in all ways." Vangie actually looked startled when Billy tentatively gave him permission to at least visit his daughter and let a pleased smile cross his face. "I understand sir and feel the same way about my daughter. I just wish I could be there but her Mother is a very good Mother and will ensure that all goes well." Billy grinned at him. "Be ready for questions on everything from home life to politics. She is almost as bad as I am when there is information nibbling at my brain." Sally sort of made an odd noise and he could feel her thinking bad thoughts at him. Right about then the doctor told her to get dressed and Billy told her to make it snappy and she grumbled at him. She did hurry though and Billy stood up. "Now what? I assume we are going to the security wing and assigned a room. After that either something to eat and a debriefing. When they talk to Sally I want to be in the room simply to ensure there isn't any pressure placed on her to say something that didn't happen." Vangie frowned. "We wouldn't use such techniques unless we had a valid reason. In your case there will be a truthsayer in the room and she will probably get the language implant before she is debriefed. If you will follow me I will show you to your rooms." He turned and walked out the door. The second warrior followed behind them. It didn't take as long to get to the security wing than it had to medical. Billy wasn't sure if it was because the first time they had used a long route to confuse them or simply because the ship was so bloody large. Eventually they arrived and Vangie pressed his palm against the door and it opened. "The door is going to be locked while you are in here." "There are two bedrooms, one on either side of the small sitting room. The shower section is connected to both rooms behind the living section. Do you have any idea what you can eat?" Sholan Alliance Ch. 04 Billy nodded and rattled off some of the dishes Satasha had made for them and a general quantity they would need. "I am also familiar with how to use the basic fundamentals of the living quarters. I moved into the scout ship about a month ago and Satasha made sure I knew how to use all the features in the living room and bedroom." Vangie nodded. "I am not sure when they will do the debriefing but I will see about getting some food up here for you." He closed the door and went to order something for them to eat. He also dumped his recording crystal data into the system for the command to review what had been said. ~~~ Billy sighed and after looking around decided the couch looked reasonably comfortable and walked over and after testing it laid down. "Wake me when the food arrives. I am tired and getting at least some sleep before whatever happens happens." Moments later to the disgust of his daughter he fell asleep. She had been aboard the scout ship as well and there was a drink dispenser though it looked very basic. Sally dialed up a c'shar and wandered into one of the rooms and checked it out and it was fairly basic as well. The bathroom was divided into the actual bathroom with a partition that could be closed and the shower section. The shower section sort of bothered her since it was open and could be accessed from either end. With a sigh she finished the drink and tossed the cup in the recycler and settled back in a chair and leaned back and fell asleep herself. She was a light sleeper herself and wasn't worried about the doors being opened without waking her. How long they were asleep she wasn't sure when the door opened. On the other side was a different warrior as well as someone with a large tray of food. She stood up and waved towards the built in table. "Pappa wake up food is here." When he didn't respond she ran her fingernail up his foot which definitely woke him. He jerked away from her and almost fell on the floor. "Damn girl don't do that or you might get spanked." Billy hated having his foot tickled even though it was a very good way to wake him. Satasha had learned that the hard way when she ran a claw up his foot. He had impaled his foot on her claw and limped for several days as a side effect. Billy stood up and stretched. "Thank you for the food." He told the one Sholan and then looked at the warrior. "Do you have any idea when we might be debriefed?" That was not something he was looking forward to. "It will start tomorrow morning. Tonight after you eat one of the telepaths is going to come down and make sure your language implant is correct and to give your child the language." He stepped back in the hall with the other Sholan. "Press the button above the palm reader when you are done eating please." The door closed and Billy walked over to the table and settled down. Sally followed suit and started eating. "What was the language transfer like?" She was sort of concerned since Satasha had indicated that she had some talent. Billy contemplated her question for a few minutes. "Well to be honest it made my brain itch which was a very odd feeling. It didn't hurt or anything like that but I did worry about having Satasha fiddling with my brain. I like it the way it is and didn't want any changes." He continued eating till done. Sally sort of tossed that around in her mind while she was eating and then smiled. "Oh goody, that means I can actually talk to the Sholans and know what they are talking about. I can also ask questions and get to know them and how they are both similar and not similar to us." She looked happy with that idea. Billy snorted at her. "What you really mean is you want to be able to flirt with the males so don't pull that dissertation flag out and wave it around." She definitely seemed interested in the senior warrior and it didn't really bother him other than not wanting her to be hurt. He stood up as Sally smirked at him. Billy hit the button he had been told to and moved back to the table and sipped on the c'shar. "I wonder if I could get some of the instant coffee from the ship. This stuff is boring. Give me a good cup of battery acid any day of the week over this." Before Sally could say anything the door opened and the same warrior was there along with an older Sholan. She had some gray in her hair and he wondered how old she was but banished that thought from his mind. "Good evening or whatever time it is here. Since you have purple on your tabard I assume you are the telepath that is going to implant the language?" She nodded and gave him a polite smile. "I am and if you don't mind I am going to check your implanted language first since you are pronouncing some of the words oddly and some of the grammar is off a bit as well." She slowly moved towards him and smiled a bit more. "As you did with Lt. Verzilon simply relax and let me into your mind." Billy sighed. "Probably some of it is a carryover on how I normally speak but do what you need." He rested his arms on the table and took a deep slow breath and did his best to relax as she placed her hands on his temples and started working. He felt her make a few changes and adjustments to what Satasha had done and by the time she was done he was rubbing his temples. "God that makes my brain itch. Now I am going to have to deal with that for the next hour or so." He looked a bit twitchy at the moment. "You have some sort of talent that is causing that reaction. I will have to look into it since it is not a talent I am familiar with." She frowned slightly when she said that. They primarily looked for telepaths to the point they excluded what they considered minor talents. She moved around the table and looked at his daughter and gave her another gentle smile. "I have been informed you have an empathic talent which is good but you need training. Right now I am simply going to implant the language and we will evaluate you later and see what training you need. Relax like your father did and this will be done reasonably quickly." She placed her fingers on Sally's temples and gently worked her way to the section of the brain she needed and started giving her the language. It was a bit harder than her father since she did have some very basic shields. Eventually she was done. "If you have a headache contact medical and they might have something you can take. If not then talk to the warrior and get an escort to your ship for a pain killer. Right now the best thing you could do is go to sleep and let everything settle in." Moments later she left the suite and Sally was looking sort of confused and Billy didn't blame her. "Go lay down sweetie and try to sleep. If that doesn't work let me know and we will do as suggested and contact medical." Billy helped her up since she seemed a bit wobbly and to the room she was going to be using. He made sure she was comfortable before he left the room. Since all they had was the cloths they had on Billy hit the button to get the warriors attention. The door opened and the male looked in and then at Billy. "What do you need?" His tone was rather brusque since he was not all that pleased with having to guard and help the aliens. Rumor had it that they might have some sort of contact with the enemy. Billy managed not to frown or growl back at the male. "I would like to see about getting an escort to my ship so I can get some clean cloths, maybe a medical kit, and some toiletries." The last thing he wanted to do was to offend whoever debriefed him with smelly clothes. The warrior nodded at the request. "I will check and see. I will let you know what their decision is." He closed the door and then Billy growled. Since there wasn't anything to do at the moment he pulled out his VR glasses and started reviewing his modification to the ship to see what might have provided more power than expected. Since he was fiddling with his equations he decided to redesign the hyper engines themselves. It was to give him something to do as much as anything else. It was about two hours later when the warrior opened the door to find him apparently writing in the air. He knew what the man was doing but it still looked odd watching him. Curiosity got the better of him and he had to ask. "What are you doing? I understand you are using some VR glasses but what are you working on?" Billy hit the save button and then waved a hand and the screens he had open vanished. He finally pulled the glasses off and looked at the warrior. "I am working on redesigning the engine on my ship to take advantage of the modifications I have already made. I would show you the math and designs but for some reason every time I do it seems to give people headaches." He shrugged as if to say he didn't know why. The warrior spoke. "You have received approve for your request and two warriors will be here shortly to escort you to your Ship." He stepped back and closed the door. Billy put the glasses back on and continued with what he was working on till the warriors showed up. The trip to the ship and back didn't take all that much time. Most of it was packing up several days of clothing for the two of them. He felt really guilty for going through his daughters things to find some clothing but he had to do it. Billy also grabbed one of the medical kits after showing the warriors what was in it. The last thing he grabbed was a canister of instant coffee. Eventually they made it back to the secure room and after walking in he quietly checked on Sally and she was asleep. He set her bag inside her room and closed the door. He grabbed his stuff and walked into his room. He really had no idea what time it was but he was tired and a bit grumpy. He understood their being careful with them but the attitude of some of the warriors was irritating him. Billy stripped down and lay down in the bed but was having a hard time getting to sleep. He had gotten used to having Satasha in bed with him. Eventually he did fall into a sort of sleep. In his dreams he kept seeing her being taken away for associating with him and being locked up. It definitely wasn't a comfortable sleep. Approval had finally come down for Satasha to stay with the two. They had taken into consideration that they were companions. More importantly it was because she was familiar with them. They also hoped that they might talk and see if what they said to each other matched up with what the debriefing had revealed. Satasha nodded at the warrior and walked into the room when the door was opened. She checked the two rooms to see which Billy was in. Once she figured that out she set a small bag of clothing down next to his and quietly pulled her uniform off and slid into bed next to him. She had really been hoping the request would be approved and was rather startled when it was. She had noticed him sort of tossing and turning while she was getting ready for bed. Satasha had a feeling that it was because she wasn't there. Once she crawled in bed she curled up next to him and wrapped an arm around him. "Good night Yilly. I hope you sleep better now that I am here." She lightly licked his nose before starting to fall asleep herself. Billy felt her crawl into bed and woke somewhat. He gave her a kiss before returning the lick. It still seemed a bit odd to do that but it was a sign of affection with the Sholans. "Night love and now that you are here I will sleep better." He curled up close to her and was quickly asleep. The next morning Billy woke and enjoyed the feel of her soft hair against his skin. He had really gotten used to the feel of her fur as they were curled up. Billy also had gotten very used to having someone in his bed and it really helped him sleep. "Morning love and I am going to use the bathroom and then grab a shower." Satasha rolled on her back and had a good stretch before standing up. She pulled him close and simply held him for a few minutes. She felt Billy rest his head on her shoulder and she started purring. "It feels so good to be in your arms again Yilly. Also just so you know I have been ordered to not discuss the debriefing with you." He shrugged. "I rather expected that and I am honestly a bit surprised they let you come down before we were debriefed. On to the shower and hopefully breakfast will be here when we are done." Billy grabbed some clean cloths and his shower kit before walking into the bathroom area. After taking care of business he stripped his shorts off and turned the shower on and adjusted it to the temp that both liked. When he stepped into the shower he tilted his head back and let the water flow through his hair and down his back. Satasha followed him and once she had used the bathroom joined him and let out a groan of pleasure. "This feels really good and is relaxing my muscles." She felt like she had knots in her back and shoulders from stress. "Tell me about it. Make you a deal, tonight assuming they allow you in again I will trade massages with you." His back was pretty tense as well but in his case it was worry about what was going to happen to him and Sally. He had no idea of what sort of training Sally might need or how long it would take. For all he knew they might be held here for a while as the Sholans sent a contact team to earth. As they were talking Sally walked in and blushed slightly. "Sorry, I didn't hear the water running through the door. I am going to use the bathroom and take a shower when you are done." She had found the bag and had a clean set of cloths in her hand. Satasha smiled at her. "Go ahead and hop in the shower there is plenty of room and we, Sholans that is, tend towards communal bathing since it is much easier to get clean." As she was talking Billy was working shampoo into her hair and started working with her hair. "Um, maybe, it feels a bit weird to take a shower while my father is in here." She gave a sort of shrug when she said that. If it had been only Satasha she wouldn't have minded and would have jumped in and showered with her. At the college she had gone to the showers were sort of communal as well so she was used to showering with females. Billy shrugged as well. "It is up to you but it feels really good getting your back washed and since Satasha's hands are a bit rough it feels really good. I promise not to look if you do hop in." He felt a bit odd about that idea as well but Satasha did do communal showers and it was normal for them. She considered it and finally decided she might as well join them. Satasha would be between the two and that she could deal with. She stripped down and climbed in and the next shower head turned on and she started getting her hair wet. As she was doing that she felt hands in her hair and for a moment almost freaked out before she realized it was Satasha. "Relax Sally and try and enjoy getting some attention paid to you." She carefully soaped down her hair and then rinsed it out before putting conditioner in it and pinning it up. Next she got some of the body wash they used and started on her back and shoulders. She gave her a light massage since she felt tense and then worked her way down her back. "I am sure you will want to clean your private areas but I will get the back of your legs for you." Sally had to admit that it really did feel good having her hair done since Satasha had lightly massaged her scalp as well. When Satasha started working on her hair she had to groan slightly since it felt good. "Okay maybe I could get used to this. It will teach me how to help you get clean so if I do get to see the warrior I am interested in if we do a shower I will do it correctly." She said part of that just to tease her father. Billy had been working soap into Satasha's back when Sally said that and in revenge he reached around Satasha and thumped her on the back of her head. "Your father doesn't need to know details like that or he might get revenge by talking about the first time or two I showered with Tasha." This time it was Satasha who turned and smacked Billy. "No telling secrets and things like that. Both of you behave or I will have to separate you." Both laughed at her and her reaction. Eventually they were done and when they came into the living area breakfast was on the table. "Smells edible though it isn't something I have had before." There was something that looked sort of like scrambled eggs, toast, some sort of meat, and some fruit drink. It was edible but not something he would eat daily since the taste was a bit off. Once they were done the door opened and there were two warriors and they stepped in. "Mr. Madlax if you will come with us we will take you to the debriefing room." The other warrior did much the same with Satasha. "We will debrief your daughter once you have been debriefed or to a certain extent and yes you can sit in with as long as you remain quiet." Billy nodded. "Sally give me your glasses since I will probably need them." He took them from her and turned to the warrior. "Let's go and get my brain picked over or whatever you are going to do with it." The warrior had to smile slightly at that. "I promise we will put it back together the way we got it." He was obviously teasing and when Billy grinned the warrior smiled even more. "I am glad you have a sense of humor sir. It will make the day go by better than if you were grumpy." He led Billy out of the room and down the hall. They didn't go very far to get to the briefing room. He watched Satasha being led into the one next to the one he was led into. Once inside he found several Sholans in there. He was waved to a fairly comfortable chair. "I am Commander Z'shon, this is truthsayer G'Houl, and engineer Lt. H'Zalon. We are here to debrief you on how you met Lt. Verzilon and what if anything she might have told you that might be considered classified or might impact on your civilization. Once we have that done or at certain points the engineer is going to want to see the equations you worked up. This is to ensure that Lt. Verzilon didn't just give them to you. Do you understand everything I said?" He wanted to make sure that the alien did understand what he was saying as well as checking his Sholan language implant. Billy nodded. "I understand and from what Tasha told me there would be a truthsayer in the room which I assume is you since you have purple on your robes." He nodded towards G'Houl and got a nod back. "I need to touch your forehead to create a link with you since you are an alien. If you were Sholan I could just create the bond without having to touch you." He leaned over and pressed a finger between Billy's eyes and just above his nose. It took a bit of time before he sat down. "I now have the link and can only sense your surface thoughts and if what you say is true or true to the best of your knowledge." Once Billy nodded the officer got started. "Please tell me how you first met Lt. Verzilon and what happened in the first few days." "Well I was hung over from a night on the town and was sitting outside..." Billy went on to describe his reaction and the next few days. The Lt. had a number of questions till they got to the part with the re-crystallization of the warp tubes. At that point the engineer stepped in so to speak. "I would like to see the equations you in theory worked out so I can compare them to ours." When Billy pulled out the VR glasses and handed them over the engineer to put on which he did. Once he linked the glasses together he waved a hand and a number of VR screens appeared. "Well she did mention or I should say asked why I didn't just re-crystallize the tubes. She didn't give me any further information on how the process worked. What I ended up with was..." He explained how the equations worked and the process he had used to re-crystallize the tubes. "While I was at it some potential design changes to the hyper engines occurred to me and..." He described both the hardware, firmware, and software changes he had made.